Results tagged ‘ Lucas Duda ’
Reds 4, Mets 0: Three Up, Three Down
“Boo,” the fans at Citi Field say to Ike Davis. “Boo.”
Three Up:
1. OF Lucas Duda: Duda was the only Mets player to reach base safely more than once, which says more about the rest of the team than it does about Duda.
2. LHP Scott Rice: This guy pitches every day, and he just continues to pitch well. More than a great story for Rice, it’s a boon for the bullpen.
3. C John Buck: He and Jon Niese made the necessary adjustments after a tough first inning, and Buck added what should have been an RBI double in the fourth. It wasn’t.
Three Down:
1. 3B David Wright: His error, plain and simple, lost the Mets the game. And it was an easily-preventable error, a ball right through his legs. Wright also finished 0-for-4 at the plate.
2. 1B Ike Davis: Another hitless game for Davis, including a groundout with two men in scoring position and two outs in the fourth. The boos at Citi Field are growing in intensity.
3. OF Rick Ankiel: So much for that little hitting streak. Ankiel finished 0-for-4 with — guess what? — a strikeout.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+6
RHP Matt Harvey
+5
OF Marlon Byrd, C John Buck, 3B David Wright
+3
INF Justin Turner, 2B Daniel Murphy
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, OF Mike Baxter, OF Juan Lagares, LHP Scott Rice
+1
LHP Jon Niese, LHP Robert Carson, RHP Jeremy Hefner, RHP Greg Burke
-1
RHP Collin McHugh
-2
LHP Aaron Laffey, RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Scott Atchison, RHP Shaun Marcum, OF Jordany Valdespin, C Anthony Recker, SS Ruben Tejada
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
-4
LHP Josh Edgin, RHP Dillon Gee
-13
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Pirates 3, Mets 2: Three Up, Three Down
Meet the new lineup, same as the old lineup.
Three Up:
1. RHP Matt Harvey: Clearly pitching without his best stuff, Harvey still managed to hold the Pirates to two runs in seven innings. He is without question the ace of this staff.
2. OF Lucas Duda: Duda was the only one who could touch Pirates starter Jeanmar Gomez, homering in the second. And he nearly tied the game with a rocket ground ball off the first base bag in the eighth. Instead, an unlucky bounce led to the out.
3. OF Mike Baxter: Despite starting only two games over the past week, Baxter has come through with two game-winning and one game-tying RBI. Calls for increased playing time are not off-base.
Three Down:
1. 1B Ike Davis: Terry Collins put the onus on Davis when he moved him back to the cleanup spot. The first baseman responded with an 0-for-4 day, including a huge strikeout with a man on third base and one out in the ninth.
2. RHP Bobby Parnell: Collins put Parnell in a tough spot, bringing him in with the go-ahead run in scoring position in the eighth. All it took was a hard-hit single, which the closer allowed to Pedro Alvarez.
3. RHP Brandon Lyon: He and Scott Rice each faced two batters, walking one of them. But while Rice’s walk came against perennial All-Star Andrew McCutchen, Lyon’s came against Gaby Sanchez, a .167 hitter against right-handed pitching.
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, LHP Scott Rice, OF Marlon Byrd
+1
RHP Jeremy Hefner, OF Juan Lagares, LHP Robert Carson
-1
RHP Scott Atchison, C Anthony Recker, OF Jordany Valdespin, OF Lucas Duda
-2
RHP Greg Burke, LHP Aaron Laffey, RHP Dillon Gee, 2B Daniel Murphy, RHP Brandon Lyon
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, RHP Shaun Marcum
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-8
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 1, White Sox 0: Three Up, Three Down
Goodness.
Three Up:
1. RHP Matt Harvey: What additional superlatives can we rain on this guy? You get the feeling it’s really only a matter of time before he does throw a no-hitter. Or seven.
2. OF Mike Baxter: For all the praise we heap on Jordany Valdespin, guess who’s had the better success rate as a pinch hitter, both this year and last. It’s Baxter, and it’s not particularly close.
3. RHP Bobby Parnell: The 10th inning that Parnell pitched came under more stressful conditions than most save situations. Frank Francisco may be back soon, but Parnell more than deserves to remain the closer.
Three Down:
1. OF Lucas Duda: Two more called third strikes on an 0-for-4 night. He’s slashing .184/.310/.306 since April 20, a span of 14 games, and is 2-for-16 so far in May.
2. 3B David Wright: A rare off game for the captain on a day when the Mets very much needed some offense. When the offense struggles, Wright takes the rap.
3. SS Ruben Tejada: That would have been an amazing play had Tejada managed to nail Rios with his jump-throw in the seventh. More to the point: Tejada left two men in scoring position in the second inning, finishing 1-for-4 at the plate.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+8
C John Buck
+4
3B David Wright, RHP Matt Harvey
+3
INF 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
-1
RHP Scott Atchison
-2
RHP Greg Burke, LHP Aaron Laffey, C Anthony Recker, RHP Dillon Gee, RHP Shaun Marcum, RHP Brandon Lyon
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF Lucas Duda
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-6
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Braves 9, Mets 4: Three Up, Three Down
In rainy Atlanta, the Mets saw their momentum washed away.
Three Up:
1. 3B: David Wright: Captain America went deep for the third straight game, but also misplayed B.J. Upton’s single in the third inning on defense. It probably should have been an error.
2. OF Mike Baxter: Let’s give Mike from Whitestone some props for his pinch-hit double in the eighth, sparking what could have been a game-tying rally. Alas, it was not.
3. 1B Justin Turner: Pinch-hitting for Ike Davis, Turner worked a bases-loaded walk to further the rally that Baxter started. Both Mets pinch-hitters came through in this game.
Three Down:
1. LHP Jon Niese: Had the defense not betrayed him, Niese’s line might have looked much better. But the six walks against him were far too many, and Niese admitted that much after the game.
2. OF Lucas Duda: Before this week, Duda’s defense in left field had actually been passable. But he made a big mistake in Miami and another on Sunday, breaking in on a two-run double over his head.
3. OF Marlon Byrd: Byrd came to the plate in the eighth inning as the potential tying run. Eric O’Flaherty then threw him six pitches, five of them out of the strike zone, and Byrd swung at three of them to whiff.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+8
C John Buck
+5
3B David Wright
+3
RHP Matt Harvey, INF Justin Turner
+2
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, LHP Scott Rice, SS Ruben Tejada
+1
RHP Jeremy Hefner, RHP Bobby Parnell, LHP Jon Niese, OF Marlon Byrd
-1
RHP Scott Atchison, OF Mike Baxter
-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
-6
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.
Mets 7, Dodgers 3: Three Up, Three Down
JV1 FTW.
Three Up:
1. OF Jordany Valdespin: Say what you will about Valdespin’s shortcomings; he’s one fun player to watch. Valdespin’s walk-off grand slam was just the sixth in team history and the Mets’ first in 22 years, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
2. PH Mike Baxter: David Wright may have come up with the game-tying hit, but Baxter’s leadoff hit and hustle were the reasons why Wright was in that spot in the first place. He’s an ideal bat off the bench for the Mets.
3. OF Lucas Duda: It’s weird to see Duda ever have a non-Three True Outcomes plate appearance, but my scorebook insists that he singled and doubled in his first two at-bats. A return to normalcy came in the sixth, when Duda walked.
Three Down:
1. 1B Ike Davis: His single was nice, his walk was big, and he lined into a tough-luck out in his second at-bat. But Davis is still striking out far too much when it counts, including a big whiff with runners on the corners and two outs in the fifth.
2. 2B Daniel Murphy: Not a bad game for Murphy, but he receives the “Down” for popping out with one out and the potential tying run on third base in the ninth. Wright later came through, but Murphy needs to get that run home.
3. RHP Matt Harvey: I’m not putting Harvey here because I think his performance was bad. I’m putting him here because he does. That’s the beauty of this guy — he wants to be great, and isn’t satisfied with merely adequate. Same goes for us here at Three Up, Three Down.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+8
C John Buck
+3
RHP Matt Harvey, 2B Daniel Murphy
+2
INF Justin Turner, LHP Scott Rice, RHP LaTroy Hawkins, OF Marlon Byrd
+1
LHP Jon Niese, 3B David Wright, OF Collin Cowgill, LHP Robert Carson
-1
RHP Jeurys Familia, RHP Dillon Gee, RHP Jeremy Hefner, RHP Brandon Lyon, SS Ruben Tejada, OF Lucas Duda
-2
RHP Greg Burke, LHP Aaron Laffey, OF Jordany Valdespin
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
-5
LHP Josh Edgin
-6
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Mets 2, Nationals 0: Three Up, Three Down
Taking two of three from the Nationals seems a fine way for the Mets to start this nine-game homestand.
Three Up:
1. C John Buck: Once again, Buck came through when no one else could, hitting a booming home run into the second deck in left-center and also making a fine throw on defense. He and Matt Harvey have been the club’s clear April MVPs.
2. LHP Scott Rice: Begrudge him for creating the eighth-inning jam if you will, but Rice continues generating outs when he needs them most. His double play ball on a 3-0 fastball to Jayson Werth was the biggest pitch of Sunday’s game.
3. RHP LaTroy Hawkins: What a pitch by Hawkins to escape the sixth-inning drama that Dillon Gee created. Ninety-two miles per hour on the black sounds about right.
Three Down:
1. OF Lucas Duda: Three strikeouts looking, the last two of them on 3-2 fastballs. Duda may need to take a tip from SNY’s Keith Hernandez and be a little more aggressive in those counts.
2. OF Jordany Valdespin: Another tough “Down” for Valdespin, but he has cooled considerably following a hot start. Valdespin is now in an 0-for-8 mini-slump.
3. 1B Ike Davis: Davis did single Sunday, but the Mets are not paying him to single. Only one strikeout from Davis, but the power hitting needs to start surfacing.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+8
C John Buck
+4
RHP Matt Harvey
+3
OF Marlon Byrd, 2B Daniel Murphy
+2
INF Justin Turner, LHP Scott Rice, RHP LaTroy Hawkins
+1
LHP Jon Niese, 3B David Wright, OF Collin Cowgill
-1
RHP Jeurys Familia, RHP Dillon Gee, OF Mike Baxter, RHP Jeremy Hefner
-2
RHP Greg Burke, SS Ruben Tejada, LHP Aaron Laffey, OF Lucas Duda
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF Jordany Valdespin
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
-5
1B Ike Davis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Mets 7, Nationals 1: Three Up, Three Down
“Harvey’s better,” say the fans at Citi Field. At least on this night, he certainly was.
Three Up:
1. RHP Matt Harvey: Geeked up from the start, Harvey hit 98 miles per hour on the stadium radar gun, also mixing in his slider and changeup with ease. There’s no question that through four starts, he has been the most dominant pitcher in baseball.
2. 1B Ike Davis: Davis received a smattering of boos after striking out swinging in each of his first two at-bats. All he did after that was hit two home runs, quite literally turning the boos into cheers.
3. OF Lucas Duda: Not to be outdone by Davis, Duda contributed his own two-homer game, nearly adding a third on his shot to the warning track in the third. Duda ranks second in the Majors with a 1.234 OPS.
Three Down:
1. 2B Daniel Murphy: Murphy’s errant flip on a potential double-play ball in the seventh inning not only caused a minor injury to Ruben Tejada, but also created a bases-loaded, no-outs jam for Harvey. It’s a play that Murphy knows he needs to make.
2. SS Ruben Tejada: Tejada was the only Mets regular who did not reach base against Stephen Strasburg, finishing 0-for-4 and hitting the ball in the air three times. Keeping the ball out of the air was a point of emphasis for him in spring training.
3. OF Jordany Valdespin: This is a tough-luck “Down” for Valdespin, who finished 0-for-4 but did reach on an error and score a run. Valdespin’s outfield routes were not perfect today, but he did not make any egregious mistakes.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+6
C John Buck
+4
RHP Matt Harvey
+3
OF Marlon Byrd, 2B Daniel Murphy
+1
LHP Jon Niese, INF Justin Turner, LHP Scott Rice, RHP LaTroy Hawkins, 3B David Wright
-1
RHP Jeurys Familia, LHP Aaron Laffey, RHP Dillon Gee, OF Mike Baxter, OF Lucas Duda
-2
RHP Greg Burke, SS Ruben Tejada, OF Jordany Valdespin
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, 1B Ike Davis
-4
LHP Josh Edgin
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Anthony DiComo
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