Results tagged ‘ Daniel Murphy ’
Mets 5, Cardinals 2: Three Up, Three Down
Turns out the Mets can score more than four runs in a game.
Three Up:
1. LHP Jon Niese: Niese spent the past week practicing his mechanics in front of a mirror, and it appears to have paid off. Neither of the two runs that Niese allowed was entirely his fault.
2. 2B Daniel Murphy: How’s this for streaky: since snapping his 0-for-17 skid last Sunday, Niese has gone 11-for-17 with four doubles, three RBI and four runs scored. Consistency is overrated.
3. 3B David Wright: What a steady producer Wright has been this season. He has not carried the Mets like he did in the first half last year, but the Mets will be fine with that as long as he remains steady throughout the second half.
Three Down:
1. 1B Ike Davis: He’s 0-for-22 since manager Terry Collins gave him a vote of confidence in the cleanup spot, and Collins has only promised him a run of games there through this weekend. After that, things could get ugly.
2. OF Rick Ankiel: The Mets claimed they signed Ankiel for his defense, but the newcomer has now cost the Mets twice in three games. Thursday’s misplay may have partially been Jordany Valdespin’s fault, but as the center fielder, Ankiel needs to call him off.
3. OF Jordany Valdespin: Can we give Ike two down here? No? Then this down goes to Valdespin for the aforementioned foul ball and for his inexplicable bunt attempt in the seventh inning. His drag bunt was nice, but the other stuff outweighed it.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+5
RHP Matt Harvey, C John Buck, 3B David Wright
+4
IF Justin Turner
+3
OF Marlon Byrd
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, RHP Jeremy Hefner, OF Mike Baxter, 2B Daniel Murphy
+1
OF Juan Lagares, LHP Scott Rice, LHP Jon Niese
-1
C Anthony Recker, OF Lucas Duda, OF Rick Ankiel
-2
LHP Aaron Laffey, RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Scott Atchison, RHP Shaun Marcum, OF Jordany Valdespin
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, RHP Dillon Gee
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-10
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Cardinals 4, Mets 2: Three Up, Three Down
CTRL+C, CTRL+V.
Three Up:
1. RHP Shaun Marcum: It was not pretty or perfect, but Marcum’s outing was by far his best of the year. A few more like that, and the Mets may yet see some return on their $4 million investment.
2. OF Rick Ankiel: The Mets signed Ankiel hoping for an offensive spark, and he gave them one with a game-tying, two-run homer in the seventh inning. Only problem was, the Mets could not turn that spark into fire.
3. 2B Daniel Murphy: What a sad state of things when Murphy’s 1-for-4 night with a double and a stolen base was the Mets’ third-best individual performance. The Mets need to take better advantage of Murphy’s sudden offensive hot streak.
Three Down:
1. 3B David Wright: Three whiffs at the plate and a critical error on defense made this a bad night for Wright. And when it’s a bad night for Wright, it’s usually a bad night for the Mets.
2. C John Buck: As usual, Buck is the first to admit he shoulda-coulda-woulda corralled Scott Rice’s wild pitch in the seventh. Buck also made an ill-advised stolen base attempt in the fourth inning, though he did single and score later in the game.
3. OF Mike Baxter: Something about the leadoff spot does not mesh with Baxter, who is now 3-for-29 in that role. Baxter’s poor relay throw in the fourth inning also forced Murphy to throw to third instead of home.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+5
RHP Matt Harvey, C John Buck
+4
IF Justin Turner, 3B David Wright
+3
OF Marlon Byrd
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, RHP Jeremy Hefner, OF Mike Baxter
+1
OF Juan Lagares, LHP Scott Rice, 2B Daniel Murphy
-1
C Anthony Recker, OF Jordany Valdespin, OF Lucas Duda
-2
LHP Aaron Laffey, RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Scott Atchison, RHP Shaun Marcum
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, RHP Dillon Gee
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-9
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Cardinals 10, Mets 4: Three Up, Three Down
How deep does this rabbit hole go?
Three Up:
1. 2B Daniel Murphy: The Mets officially have a nominee for Streakiest Hitter in Baseball. Since snapping last week’s 0-for-17 skid at the plate, Murphy has gone 6-for-9 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored.
2. OF Marlon Byrd: Something clicked for Byrd after he jammed his shoulder into the right-field wall attempting to catch a foul ball in the fifth. An inning later, he hit a two-run home run, one of Byrd’s two extra-base hits on the night.
3. RHP Greg Burke: Good for Burke, who has now given the Mets 2 1/3 scoreless innings since returning from Triple-A Las Vegas. Another inning or two, and this may take the form of real progress for the submariner.
Three Down:
1. RHP Dillon Gee: After giving up another six runs in four innings, Gee sounded like a pitcher who was completely out of answers. He’ll need to find some before his next start, or risk losing his grip on a rotation spot.
2. LHP Robert Carson: Like Gee, Carson has displayed an utter inability to get batters out with any sort of consistency. There’s certainly talent here, but Carson needs to figure out how to tap it if he wants to stay at this level.
3. 1B Ike Davis: Another forgettable day for Davis, who finished 0-for-4 at the plate and committed a (at the time) critical throwing error to spark a first-inning Cardinals rally. Considering how badly he has slumped offensively, Davis needs to be perfect on defense.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+6
C John Buck
+5
3B David Wright, RHP Matt Harvey
+4
IF Justin Turner
+3
OF Mike Baxter, OF Marlon Byrd
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, RHP Jeremy Hefner
+1
OF Juan Lagares, LHP Scott Rice
-1
C Anthony Recker, OF Jordany Valdespin, OF Lucas Duda, OF Rick Ankiel
-2
LHP Aaron Laffey, RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Scott Atchison
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, RHP Shaun Marcum, RHP Dillon Gee
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-9
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Cardinals 6, Mets 3: Three Up, Three Down
Blame Jon Niese’s glove?
Three Up:
1. RHP Jeremy Hefner: Yet again, Hefner gave the Mets a chance to win, which is all they can ask out of their fifth starter. The Cardinals had Hefner on the ropes early, but he made the necessarily adjustments to provide six quality innings.
2. 2B Daniel Murphy: This guy is so streaky that even his streaks have streaks. Murphy is 4-for-5 since emerging from last week’s massive funk; who knows how far the second baseman will take this?
3. RHP Greg Burke: Somebody had to put out the fire at Busch Stadium. It happened to be Burke. We’ll see if this is an isolated outing, or an example of real long-term growth from the adjustments he made at Las Vegas.
Three Down:
1. OF Rick Ankiel: Catching Ty Wigginton’s double would not have been easy, but Ankiel took a somewhat circuitous route to the ball. Throw in his two strikeouts in three at-bats, and this was hardly the Mets debut that he wanted.
2. RHP Scott Atchison: As if allowing hard-hit balls to all three batters he faced was not enough, Atchison revealed afterward that he couldn’t feel his fingers thanks to a torn elbow ligament. Never a good sign.
3. LHP Scott Rice: The fact that Rice took his third loss was at least partially Ankiel’s fault. But Rice also committed a critical blunder, failing to cover home on the ball that kicked off his foot.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+6
C John Buck
+5
3B David Wright, RHP Matt Harvey
+4
IF Justin Turner
+3
OF Mike Baxter
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, OF Marlon Byrd, RHP Jeremy Hefner
+1
OF Juan Lagares, LHP Robert Carson, LHP Scott Rice
-1
C Anthony Recker, OF Jordany Valdespin, OF Lucas Duda, OF Rick Ankiel, 2B Daniel Murphy, RHP Greg Burke
-2
LHP Aaron Laffey, RHP Dillon Gee, RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Scott Atchison
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, RHP Shaun Marcum
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-8
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Mets 3, Pirates 2: Three Up, Three Down
Meet Mike Baxter. He’s the walk-off singles guy.
Three Up:
1. OF Mike Baxter: If the Mets need a home run in the later innings, they call on Jordany Valdespin. If they need a single, they call on Baxter, who continues to be one of the more valuable left-handed pinch-hitters in baseball.
2. OF Juan Lagares: That catch in center field saved the game. Lagares is receiving regular playing time almost exclusively because of his defensive reputation, and he justified it in the ninth inning Thursday.
3. RHP Brandon Lyon: He may have given up the tying run, but he entered with the bases loaded and no outs and allowed nothing more than that. That makes him one of the most valuable players of this game.
Three Down:
1. 2B Daniel Murphy: Four at-bats, four ground balls to first base This is one streaky hitter, who is having miserable start to the month of May.
2. SS Ruben Tejada: An 0-for-4 from Tejada meant the Mets absorbed an 0-for-8 from the first two batters in their lineup. That’s typically a recipe for a loss, though the Mets managed to recover.
3. RHP Bobby Parnell: Sure he earned the win with a scoreless inning. He also gave up a leadoff hit and a rocket fly ball to center, which probably should have cost the Mets the game. It was actually one of his worst-pitched innings of the season, which says more about Parnell’s year than anything else. He’s been terrific.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+7
C John Buck
+4
3B David Wright, RHP Matt Harvey, IF Justin Turner
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, LHP Scott Rice, OF Mike Baxter
+1
RHP Jeremy Hefner, LHP Jon Niese, OF Marlon Byrd, RHP Bobby Parnell, OF Juan Lagares
-1
RHP Scott Atchison, RHP Brandon Lyon
-2
RHP Greg Burke, LHP Aaron Laffey, C Anthony Recker, RHP Dillon Gee, RHP Shaun Marcum, OF Lucas Duda, 2B Daniel Murphy
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-7
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
White Sox 6, Mets 3: Three Up, Three Down
A two-game split with the White Sox.
Three Up:
1. OF Lucas Duda: If Duda went 1-for-4 with a solo home run every game, the Mets would be thrilled. So we won’t begrudge him the strikeouts as long as he keeps hitting the long balls.
2. OF Mike Baxter: A nice 2-for-3 game for Baxter, who reached base three times and seems to be hitting his stride. A month into the season, outfield playing time is still very much up for grabs. Even a brief hot streak would help Baxter grab some.
3. OF Justin Turner: The two hits were nice, as was the versatility in playing the outfield for the first time in his career. Though Terry Collins isn’t comfortable starting him out there just yet, it may only be a matter of time.
Three Down:
1. 2B Daniel Murphy: Not a great game for Murphy, who is slumping again. Over his last 10 games, he is batting .143 with one extra-base hit.
2. 1B Ike Davis: When will he start hitting? Last year, it was not until mid-June. The Mets would appreciate an earlier start to his hot streak this summer.
3. C John Buck: Offensively, Buck is regressing to the mean. That does not mean he won’t be an asset for the Mets all summer; it simply means he will not be an all-world catcher for six months. Common sense reigns supreme.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+7
C John Buck
+4
3B David Wright, RHP Matt Harvey, IF Justin Turner
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, LHP Scott Rice, RHP Bobby Parnell
+1
RHP Jeremy Hefner, LHP Jon Niese, OF Marlon Byrd, SS Ruben Tejada, OF Mike Baxter
-1
RHP Scott Atchison, 2B Daniel Murphy
-2
RHP Greg Burke, LHP Aaron Laffey, C Anthony Recker, RHP Dillon Gee, RHP Shaun Marcum, RHP Brandon Lyon, OF Lucas Duda
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-7
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Mets 7, Marlins 6: Three Up, Three Down
For the first time in some time, the Mets pull out a close one.
Three Up:
1. OF Jordany Valdespin: He had been slumping hard for the past few weeks, but all bets are off when Valdespin comes up in a pinch-hit situation. His three-run homer marked the sixth pinch-hit shot of his career, delivering a win for the Mets.
2. 3B David Wright: Only Wright knows how much his stiff neck is still bothering him, but it hardly seems to matter. He homered and finished with three hits in Wednesday’s game, also making a nifty barehanded play on defense in the seventh.
3. RHP Bobby Parnell: It says something about Parnell’s character that he was so angry the Mets did not use him in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s loss. Perhaps channeling a bit of that ire, retiring the Marlins on seven pitches in the ninth.
Three Down:
1. OF Lucas Duda: To be fair, it was a devilish hop. But Duda’s misplay in left field brought the Marlins back into the game, at a time when the Mets had grown relatively comfortable with his defense out there. He also struck out thrice, finishing 0-for-4.
2. 2B Daniel Murphy: Murphy’s bat seems to be coming around again — this guy rarely slumps for long — but his glove cost the Mets in a ways that doesn’t show up in the box score. Murphy would be the first to admit he needed to glove Justin Ruggiano’s RBI single in the first.
3. RHP Dillon Gee: Simply put, Gee needs to pitch deeper into games. So far this season, he has not been the same pitcher who displayed genuine improvement across the board during the first half of 2012.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+8
C John Buck
+3
RHP Matt Harvey, INF Justin Turner, 3B David Wright
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, OF Marlon Byrd, LHP Scott Rice, LHP Jon Niese, SS Ruben Tejada
+1
RHP Jeremy Hefner
-1
RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Shaun Marcum, RHP Scott Atchison, OF Jordany Valdespin, OF Lucas Duda
-2
RHP Greg Burke, LHP Aaron Laffey, OF Mike Baxter, C Anthony Recker, RHP Dillon Gee
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-6
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Marlins 2, Mets 1: Three Up, Three Down
A nightmare ninth for Anthony Recker, and six consecutive losses for the Mets.
Three Up:
1. RHP Jeremy Hefner: That was not simply a good start, but one of the best of Hefner’s career on a night when the Mets desperately needed to restore some order to their bullpen. What a tough-luck loss for Hefner.
2. OF Lucas Duda: He’s hitting the ball hard and hitting it to the opposite field. Both are excellent signs for the Mets, who must not regret their recent decision to move Duda to cleanup.
3. 2B Daniel Murphy: Murphy’s double to lead off the fifth was one of the few hard-hit balls the Mets mustered all night against Marlins starter Kevin Slowey, directly leading to a run.
Three Down:
1. C Anthony Recker: You really feel for a guy like Recker, who must make the most of his rare opportunities to produce. But Recker’s three mistakes in the ninth inning — his throw to third base, his passed ball and his inability to corral the game-winning wild pitch — hurt the Mets, and he is the first to admit it.
1. OF Mike Baxter: The Mets still have not found an answer at leadoff. Baxter went 0-for-4 in that slot Tuesday, and is batting .143 as a leadoff hitter this season.
2. SS Ruben Tejada: A rare 0-for-4 from Tejada, who had been swinging the bat quite well. This “Down” could have also gone to David Wright, but he receives bonus points for his defensive work and willingness to play through injury.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+8
C John Buck
+3
RHP Matt Harvey, INF Justin Turner
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, OF Marlon Byrd, LHP Scott Rice, 3B David Wright, LHP Jon Niese, SS Ruben Tejada
+1
RHP Jeremy Hefner, 2B Daniel Murphy
-1
RHP Dillon Gee, RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Shaun Marcum, RHP Scott Atchison, RHP Bobby Parnell
-2
RHP Greg Burke, LHP Aaron Laffey, OF Jordany Valdespin, OF Mike Baxter, C Anthony Recker
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-6
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Marlins 4, Mets 3: Three Up, Three Down
Free baseball! Lots of it.
Three Up:
1. C John Buck: What more can one say about this guy? He may not be as white-hot as he was over the first two weeks of the season, but his power production has barely slowed. And his handling of the pitching staff may be even more valuable.
2. 3B Justin Turner: Subbing for the injured David Wright, Turner’s 3-for-5 effort ensured their would be no loss of offensive production. He even made a nifty (harrowing?) play on defense to cut down the lead runner in the seventh.
3. SS Ruben Tejada: Another real nice play on defense, and the last of Tejada’s three hits could have (should have?) been the game-winner. This man is playing quite well in all aspects of the game.
Three Down:
1. 2B Daniel Murphy: This is turning into a troublesome slump (1-for-19) for Murphy, who is no longer spraying line drives all over the field. He’s too good a hitter to stay down for long, but it’s been a rough ride over the past few games.
2. RHP Bobby Parnell: You can argue that Parnell’s second blown save, like his first one, was not entirely his fault. But the fact is, Parnell put the leadoff men on base on a rocket double in the ninth and a hit batsman in the 10th. That’s not acceptable.
3. OF Collin Cowgill: In the game for defensive purposes, Cowgill’s misplay of Rob Brantly’s pop fly in the ninth directly led to the game-tying run. Offensively, he remains mired in a season-long slump.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+8
C John Buck
+3
RHP Matt Harvey, INF Justin Turner, SS Ruben Tejada
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, OF Marlon Byrd, LHP Scott Rice, 3B David Wright, LHP Jon Niese
-1
RHP Dillon Gee, RHP Brandon Lyon, OF Lucas Duda, C Anthony Recker, OF Mike Baxter, RHP Shaun Marcum, RHP Scott Atchison, RHP Bobby Parnell
-2
RHP Greg Burke, LHP Aaron Laffey, OF Jordany Valdespin
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-6
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Phillies sweep Mets: Three Up, Three Down
A delayed reaction to this weekend’s sweep at the hands of the Phillies. We’ll run through it quickly here to update the standings:
Friday: Phillies 4, Mets 0
Three Up: RHP Jeurys Familia, LHP Josh Edgin, SS Ruben Tejada
Three Down: 2B Daniel Murphy, OF Mike Baxter, C John Buck
Saturday: Phillies 9, Mets 4
Three Up: 3B David Wright, C John Buck, LHP Scott Rice
Three Down: 2B Daniel Murphy, RHP Shaun Marcum, LHP Robert Carson
Sunday: Phillies 5, Mets 1
Three Up: 3B David Wright, LHP Jon Niese, SS Ruben Tejada
Three Down: 2B Daniel Murphy, C John Buck, RHP Scott Atchison
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+7
C John Buck
+3
RHP Matt Harvey
+2
INF Justin Turner, RHP LaTroy Hawkins, OF Marlon Byrd, LHP Scott Rice, 3B David Wright, SS Ruben Tejada, LHP Jon Niese
+1
OF Collin Cowgill, 2B Daniel Murphy
-1
RHP Dillon Gee, RHP Brandon Lyon, OF Lucas Duda, C Anthony Recker, OF Mike Baxter, RHP Shaun Marcum, RHP Scott Atchison
-2
RHP Greg Burke, LHP Aaron Laffey, OF Jordany Valdespin
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-6
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
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