IGT 6/24/16 - Mets @ Braves

[Frayed Knot]

Mets are 5-5 vs Braves this year, the Nats are 6-0, and that pretty much spells the difference.
They've now scored 7 runs against the Braves over the last four games combined.

Matz faces Aaron Blair tonight (remember that it's 7:35 on Friday nights in Atlanta for some reason or another) same matchup as last week.
That was the game where the Mets got a 3-0 lead on Blair [6 IP, 3 R, 5 H] before Matz, Henderson & Reed combined to allow a 'picket fence' of Atlanta runs in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th while NYM bats were busy doing jack-shit against their pen and then had Wilmer thrown out at home by 27 feet with no outs in the 9th just to make sure of it.

Be nice if they made a roster move sometime soon rather than go again with what was essentially a two-man bench last night.
I don't particularly care which of the now 13 active pitchers goes and who comes back but, with Cespedes being this week's designated available-but-not player, right now the bench consists of Matt Reynolds plus the backup catcher plus whoever is not playing among Flores or Johnson. Maybe Reyes can learn to play the OF.

[Guest d'Kong76]

NY Mets at Atlanta
When: 7:35 PM ET, Friday, June 24, 2016
Where: Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia
SportsDirect Inc.

The New York Mets breathed a big sigh of relief off the field Thursday, when Noah Syndergaard�s elbow exam showed no structural damage, but their recent struggles against the Atlanta Braves continued. The Mets continue their four-game series against the host Braves on Friday hoping to have outfielder Yoenis Cespedes back in the lineup after the slugger left Wednesday�s game against Kansas City with a sprained left wrist.

There was good news for the Mets during Thursday�s series opener, as Alejandro De Aza - who started for Cespedes - ended an 0-for-20 slump with an RBI double while Neil Walker snapped an 0-for-15 skid with two hits and two RBIs in a 4-3 defeat. Atlanta, which swept the Mets in New York last weekend as part of its six-game winning streak, rallied on Adonis Garcia�s two-run homer in the eighth inning - after a controversial call at home plate in the seventh kept the Braves from tying the game. Jace Peterson, who hit .182 before being demoted to the minors on May 1 and .186 at Triple-A Gwinnett, is batting .341 with six RBIs and nine runs scored since being recalled on June 10. The Braves have won seven of their last eight contests and are 16-19 under interim manager Brian Snitker, who was ejected for arguing the call at the plate on Thursday.

TV: 7:35 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), FSN South (Atlanta)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets LH Steven Matz (7-3, 2.74 ERA) vs. Braves RH Aaron Blair (0-4, 7.19)

Matz makes the 19th start of his career against a familiar foe, having gone 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four outings against Atlanta. He already has defeated the Braves twice this season and held them to two runs and four hits with seven strikeouts in six innings of a no-decision on Saturday. The 25-year-old won seven straight starts after losing his season debut but is 0-2 with a 4.24 ERA this month.

Blair remains in search of his first major-league victory, but the rookie pitched well in a no-decision against the Mets on Saturday, giving up three runs and five hits with just one walk in six innings. He had allowed six or more runs three times in his previous five outings, walking 11 over 13 1/3 frames in his first three outings in June. Blair, who makes the 11th start of his career Friday, has issued 26 walks and allowed seven homers in 46 1/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Garcia started Thursday after making just two pinch-hitting appearances since suffering a left ankle injury on June 16.
2. The Mets won five of their first six meetings with Atlanta this season but have lost four in a row to even the season series.
3. Braves C A.J. Pierzynski needs one double to reach 400 for his career.

[Vic Sage]

why do we continually go into these games with one hand tied behind our collective backs?
MORE BATS, FEWER ARMS!

[Frayed Knot]

The usual imbalance (if you want to call 12 pitchers/13 position players that - although everyone else does it too) is even more unbalanced now at 13/12 due to needing the pen for 8-2/3 after Colon lasted all of 4 pitches in his last start and that he and Syndergaard are said to be penciled in for their next starts this weekend. But until they feel comfortable writing those in in ink it looks like they intend to keep an extra guy around for protection.

The real problem is that, in addition to the assorted broken backs, fused necks, shoulder strains and TJ recoveries that we're waiting out, we continue to have these dinky injuries which may or may not need DL'ing and so it seems that half the nights this year the bench has had a man in limbo who's neither available nor replaced. Cespedes sits in that chair right now but Lagares, Walker, Wright and others have taken turns in that same (non) role.

[Ceetar]

The real problem is that no one can hit so they desperate needs hits and runs when pinch hitters come up.

That said, the Mets have only used a pitcher to pinch hit once, so it's not like it's really hurting them.

Diamondbacks, Reds and Pirates have all done it twice. Cubs 4 times.

[ashie62]

LGM One day at a time.

Thor Wheeler and Cespedes will be fine in no time.

[Edgy MD]

1. Jace Peterson, 2b
   
2. Ender Inciarte, cf
   
3. Freddy Freeman, 1b
   
4. Frenchy Francoeur, lf
   
5. Nick Markakis, rf
   
6. Adonis Garcia, 3b
   
7. Tyler "Nothing But" Flowers, c
   
8. Eric Aybar, ss
   
9. Aaron Blair, sp

[Edgy MD]

1. Curtis Granderson, rf
   
2. Asdrubal Cabrera, ss
   
3. Yoenis C�spedes, cf
   
4. Neil Walker, 2b
   
5. Loney is the Knight 1b
   
6. Wilmer Flores 3b
   
7. Michael Conforto, lf
   
8. Travis d'Arnaud, c
   
9. Stephen Matz, sp

[Centerfield]

Edgy MD wrote: Loney is the Knight 1b

I think Edgy is trying to see how many Klassick Rock Songs he can get stuck in my head in one week.

[Zvon]

Centerfield wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Loney is the Knight 1b I think Edgy is trying to see how many Klassick Rock Songs he can get stuck in my head in one week.

This one I don't mind stuck in my head. Listen to that guitar!
"Loney is the night" da-deh-na "when you find yourself aloooooone."

[Frayed Knot]

Huh, neither Cespedes nor Conforto in the 'notavailableforthedayclub'. I would have bet on both.

[Edgy MD]

Don't be intentionally walking Conforto to pitch to d'Arnaud. You'll pay for that.

[ashie62]

Frayed Knot wrote: Huh, neither Cespedes nor Conforto in the 'notavailableforthedayclub'. I would have bet on both.

You believe Mets injury reports? I gave up.

[ashie62]

5-0 Matz

Thank you very much Travis D. 3 RBI.

[Edgy MD]

Zvon wrote: Centerfield wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Loney is the Knight 1b I think Edgy is trying to see how many Klassick Rock Songs he can get stuck in my head in one week. This one I don't mind stuck in my head. Listen to that guitar! "Loney is the night" da-deh-na "when you find yourself aloooooone."

He's sure found the stroke this evening.

[Frayed Knot]

Down 8-0, Atlanta votes in favor of Blexit.

[Frayed Knot]

One thing that's disturbing about Conforto's slump is how many of his strikeouts come on three pitches.
Both K's tonight and it seems too many of them in general.

[Frayed Knot]

Ashie62 wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Huh, neither Cespedes nor Conforto in the 'notavailableforthedayclub'. I would have bet on both. You believe Mets injury reports? I gave up.

I don't think there were any 'reports' issued other than Cespedes being listed as 'day to day' since he left the game on Wednesday, and I was thinking that maybe Conforto's knee-bang into the wall yesterday might stiffen up on him overnight.

[Frayed Knot]

Ummm, getting an out sometime soon might be nice.
Starting to look like we might need every one of those eight runs ... and maybe more.

[Centerfield]

Inexcusable to leave him out there this long.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Starting to get worried. And we haven't even gotten to Bastardo yet!

[Lefty Specialist]

Matz just crumpled there.

Robles saved his bacon, though.

[Frayed Knot]

Big thank you to Hansel.

An eight-run lead and Matz actually winds up with the same innings pitched (4.1) as Blair.

[Edgy MD]

That inning was highly turdy.

[Frayed Knot]

Do we have like any runs against the Braves pen this year?
I'm sure there were one or two tallied earlier in the season at some point, but I sure don't remember any.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I've been kinda tuned out, some tv more radio then come back to
find an 8-0 lead evaporated. Anyone hear the Howie thing when he was
talking about Davey Johnson being all disappointed with Magadan not
being Keith Hernandez? I was getty choppy radio and don't know what
brought that on nor remember the story if there is/was one.

[Frayed Knot]

Do we have like any runs against the Braves pen this year? I'm sure there were one or two tallied earlier in the season at some point, but I sure don't remember any.

After some quick detective work: 5 runs off the Atlanta bullpen in 28-2/3 innings this season coming into tonight (so now 5 in 29-2/3) and 3 of them were unneeded 9th inning tack-on runs in the second game of the season.
That (1.51 ERA) is pitiful against ANY bullpen much less off the worst team in baseball who don't even have Kimbrel anymore.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Yo picked off at first and tweaks ankle and leaves... like sands through
an hourglass, these are the days of our games...

[Lefty Specialist]

Cespedes looked like he turned that ankle pretty badly. Geez, this game went south in all kinds of ways.

But Yo! He's still out there!

[Guest d'Kong76]

I incorrectly assumed he was departing. Yo!