Results tagged ‘ Mets ’
Rockies 8, Mets 4: Three Up, Three Down
The Mets must regret losing this game, the first half of a day-night doubleheader. They simply let it slip away.
Three Up:
1. 3B David Wright: This was an easy one. Wright’s two home runs (to right and center) were the only reason the Mets had a chance to win until the eighth inning; he now has 10 homers in 30 career games at Coors Field.
2. LHP Scott Rice: Nice job by Rice to induce a double-play ball in a key spot in the sixth. Though Rice later walked two batters, he did the job the Mets asked him to do.
3. RHP LaTroy Hawkins: Similar deal as Rice, striking out the only batter he faced to escape a jam. We give middle relievers plenty of grief when they don’t come through in these spots, so it’s time for a little credit when they do.
Three Down:
1. RHP Dillon Gee: Tough day for Gee, who battled frigid conditions and extra rest on the mound, showcasing an uncharacteristic lack of control. That’s two poor outings in a row for Gee.
2. 2B Daniel Murphy: More distressing than Murphy’s 0-for-3 was the lack of range he displayed at second base, allowing Todd Helton’s critical two-run single in the fifth inning to squirt through to right field.
3. RF Jordany Valdespin: Leading off, Valdespin finished 0-for-5. Playing right field, he gave up extra bases on Chris Nelson’s double in the sixth inning and Eric Young’s RBI triple in the eighth — both of them playable balls.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+6
C John Buck
+3
RHP Matt Harvey, 2B Daniel Murphy
+2
OF Marlon Byrd
+1
LHP Jon Niese, INF Justin Turner, LHP Scott Rice, RHP LaTroy Hawkins
-1
RHP Jeurys Familia, SS Ruben Tejada, LHP Aaron Laffey, RHP Bobby Parnell, RHP Dillon Gee
-2
LHP Josh Edgin, RHP Greg Burke, OF Lucas Duda
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
-4
1B Ike Davis
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Snow day in Denver
Check out these pictures from Coors Field in Denver, where the Mets and Rockies saw their game postponed due to snow:
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Mets 4, Twins 2: Three Up, Three Down
This Harvey kid is really something, ain’t he?
Three Up:
1. RHP Matt Harvey: In merely his 13th career start, Harvey took a no-hitter into the seventh, finishing with eight innings of one-run ball. In short, he was incredible.
2. DH Justin Turner: Give Turner credit: he makes the most of his opportunities. Three times Turner has appeared in the starting lineup this season, and twice he has recorded three hits.
3. OF Marlon Byrd: Props to Byrd, whose leadoff homer in the fourth inning extended the Mets’ home run streak to 11 consecutive games to start the season. Was not expecting that.
Three Down:
1. RHP Bobby Parnell: Finally, a save opportunity! Though Parnell nailed it down with two strikeouts, he also gave up two hits and a run first. Next time, the margin may be slimmer and he’ll need to be sharper.
2. 1B Ike Davis: Moments after his only hit of the afternoon, Davis was gunned down trying to stretch it into a double. It’s been that kind of early season for him.
3. OF Lucas Duda: Though catcher John Buck went 0-for-4, it’s tough to mark him as a “Down” when he also called Harvey’s gem. Instead it goes to Duda, who went 0-for-2 and was again subbed out on defense.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+6
C John Buck
+4
2B Daniel Murphy
+3
RHP Matt Harvey
+2
OF Marlon Byrd
+1
OF Jordany Valdespin, LHP Jon Niese, INF Justin Turner
-1
RHP Jeurys Familia, SS Ruben Tejada, LHP Aaron Laffey, 3B David Wright, RHP Bobby Parnell
-2
LHP Josh Edgin, RHP Greg Burke, OF Lucas Duda
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
-4
1B Ike Davis
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Mets 16, Twins 5: Three Up, Three Down
Welp, that one was an absolute rout:
Three Up:
1. C John Buck: A grand slam made it four straight games with a homer for Buck, who now has six long balls in nine games behind the plate. His offensive output has been staggering.
2. 2B Daniel Murphy: This is turning into one of the better offensive stretches of Murphy’s career; four more hits Friday upped his season average to .368.
3. 3B David Wright: That’s the type of offensive output the captain has been looking for. Wright still doesn’t have a home run this season, but he produced everything else in a three-hit, four-RBI attack.
Three Down:
1. LHP Jon Niese: The worst thing a pitcher can do with an eight-run lead? Walk four guys in five innings. We’ll chalk this one up to the wintry conditions at Target Field.
2. OF Lucas Duda: Every Mets starting position player rapped out at least one hit except for Duda, who was 0-for-3 with a walk.
3. OF Mike Baxter: This is a tough “down,” but we’ll give it to Baxter for failing to drive in a runner from third with one out in the second. Baxter finished 1-for-5, going hitless until the ninth.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+6
C John Buck
+4
2B Daniel Murphy
+2
RHP Matt Harvey
+1
OF Marlon Byrd, OF Jordany Valdespin, LHP Jon Niese
-1
RHP Jeurys Familia, SS Ruben Tejada, LHP Aaron Laffey, 3B David Wright, OF Lucas Duda
-2
LHP Josh Edgin, RHP Greg Burke
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, 1B Ike Davis
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Twin weather reports in the Twin Cities
Twins president Dave St. Peter (@Twinsprez) tweeted out these photos of snowbound Target Field from Thursday and Friday afternoons. Kudos to the grounds crew in Minneapolis for making things playable for the Mets and Twins so quickly:
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Phillies 7, Mets 3: Three Up, Three Down
Remember this game? That’s pretty much what happened at Citizens Bank Park tonight.
Three Up:
1. C John Buck: Buck now has five home runs in eight games this season. Mets catchers combined for five home runs in 162 games last season. They’ll take the offensive boost.
2. CF Jordany Valdespin: Leading off, Valdespin rapped out three hits and saved starting pitcher Jeremy Hefner from further damage with his shoestring catch in the third. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Valdespin, who also struck out with the bases loaded and was caught stealing for the first time this season.
3. OF Lucas Duda: Both of Duda’s two home runs were rockets, as was his first-inning double. If this is the beginning of a breakout from Duda, the Mets will certainly take it.
Three Down:
1. RHP Jeremy Hefner: The first six batters to face Hefner all reached base. Five of them scored. It’s hard to recover from that.
2. 3B David Wright: Wright is 0-for-8 over his last two games, striking out twice Wednesday (including in the first inning, when his whiff left Valdespin out to dry on the base paths). The Mets did well earlier this season without significant production from Wright, but now they need him to produce.
3. 1B Ike Davis: At what point does this become a significant concern? Another 0-for-4 has Davis batting .129 with one home run. Considering what happened last year, it has to be a worry.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+5
C John Buck
+3
2B Daniel Murphy
+2
LHP Jon Niese, RHP Matt Harvey
+1
OF Mike Baxter, OF Marlon Byrd, OF Jordany Valdespin
-1
RHP Jeurys Familia, SS Ruben Tejada, LHP Aaron Laffey
-2
LHP Josh Edgin, RHP Greg Burke, 3B David Wright
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, 1B Ike Davis
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Phillies 8, Mets 3: Three Up, Three Down
Probably not what the Mets envisioned tonight. Okay, definitely not what the Mets envisioned.
Three Up:
1. 2B Daniel Murphy: Murphy just continues to drive the ball with authority, this time rapping out a single and a double in four trips to the plate. He had two of the Mets’ eight hits against Lee.
2. C John Buck: Another night, another opposite-field homer for the National League’s RBI leader. Ho-hum.
3. RHP LaTroy Hawkins: It may have been a low-leverage situation, but Hawkins’ 10-pitch seventh against Michael Young, Domonic Brown and John Mayberry was impressive. Overall lately, the Mets’ bullpen has been sharp.
Three Down:
1. RHP Dillon Gee: Mets starters entered tonight’s game with a 1.87 ERA. They exited the stadium with a 3.11 ERA. Enough said.
2. RHP Greg Burke: Here’s something to keep an eye on: when Burke puts runners on base, he has a hard time holding them there. Burke’s submarine delivery is slow to the plate, as Chase Utley demonstrated by stealing second and scoring against him in the fourth. That could loom large in future high-leverage situations.
3. 2B Justin Turner: Given a rare start at first base, Turner grounded into a double play in his first at-bat, finished 1-for-4 with a single and committed a throwing error on defense. Spot starting isn’t easy, but the Mets were hoping for more.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+4
C John Buck
+3
2B Daniel Murphy
+2
LHP Jon Niese, RHP Matt Harvey
+1
RHP Jeremy Hefner, OF Mike Baxter, OF Marlon Byrd
-1
RHP Jeurys Familia, 3B David Wright, SS Ruben Tejada, OF Lucas Duda, LHP Aaron Laffey
-2
1B Ike Davis, LHP Josh Edgin, RHP Greg Burke
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
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Mets 7, Phillies 2: Three Up, Three Down
Matt Harvey was excellent. Roy Halladay not so much. In case you didn’t already know.
Three Up:
1. RHP Matt Harvey: For the second time this season, Harvey was not just good; he was dominant. Nine strikeouts in seven innings highlighted his outing, but Harvey also held the Phillies to three hits. He has allowed four hits and one run all season.
2. C John Buck: The man is an offensive machine. Not many right-handed hitters in baseball have the power to park a ball as far up the right-field stands as Buck did in the second inning. Buck has also caught both of Harvey’s gems this season.
3. 2B Daniel Murphy: He is driving the all with authority to all fields these days, something the Mets did not necessarily expect considering he missed most of the spring with an intercostal strain. Murphy finished 2-for-4, reaching base three times.
Three Down:
1. OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis: Batting leadoff, Nieuwenhuis went 0-for-3 before giving way to a pinch-hitter in the sixth. He also broke back on Humberto Quintero’s hit in the third inning; had he read the ball correctly, Nieuwenhuis easily would have recorded the out.
2. LHP Josh Edgin: There is an argument to be made that Edgin, who appeared in four of the Mets’ first six games, had no business entering a six-run game in the eighth. Alas, usage patters are not his fault. The double and run against him is.
3. 1B Ike Davis: A botched defensive play led to a run in the fourth inning, then Davis committed a fielding error in the sixth. Combined with his 1-for-5 at the plate, it was not a spectacular day at the office.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+3
C John Buck
+2
LHP Jon Niese, RHP Matt Harvey, 2B Daniel Murphy
+1
RHP Dillon Gee, INF Justin Turner, RHP Jeremy Hefner, OF Mike Baxter, OF Marlon Byrd
-1
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, RHP Jeurys Familia, 3B David Wright, RHP Greg Burke, SS Ruben Tejada, OF Lucas Duda, LHP Aaron Laffey
-2
1B Ike Davis, LHP Josh Edgin
-3
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
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Mets 4, Marlins 3: Three Up, Three Down
When Marlon Byrd stepped to the plate in the ninth inning Sunday, do you think he knew he was at risk of losing a point in this space for the first time this season? I do too.
Three Up:
1. OF Marlon Byrd: Can’t lie to you: Byrd was on the Three Down list before coming up with a game-winning two-run single in the ninth. Was his soft ground ball more a product of opportunity than anything else? Sure. But here at Three Up, Three Down, we reward walk-off hits 100 percent of the time.
2. RHP Greg Burke: The only reason the Mets stayed close all afternoon is because Burke wriggled out of Laffey’s jam in the fifth inning, giving the Mets 1 2/3 key innings of relief. For the first time this season, he aimed for strikeouts instead of ground balls, finding some success in the process.
3. SS Ruben Tejada: Not only did Tejada’s error streak end, but he also reached base twice and stole a critical base with one out in the seventh. Most importantly, he made an aggressive (and fortuitous) dash on the base paths, going first to third on Kirk Nieuwenhuis’ one-out single in the ninth. That was huge.
Three Down:
1. LHP Aaron Laffey: Ten hits in 4 1/3 innings ain’t going to cut it. Laffey’s rope in the rotation can’t be very long, which is bad news for the Mets; with Shaun Marcum out indefinitely, they don’t really have a good in-house alternative.
2. OF Lucas Duda: Two strikeouts and an 0-for-4 were bad enough, but Duda also took an, um, questionable route to Rob Brantly’s double in the seventh. That one did not come back to bite the Mets, but it reminded them that Duda is hardly a natural out there.
3. OF Collin Cowgill: Known primarily for his work against lefty pitching, Cowgill drew a tough assignment leading off against hard-throwing Marlins rookie Jose Fernandez, an electric right-hander. But, again, life ain’t fair.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+2
LHP Jon Niese, C John Buck
+1
RHP Matt Harvey, RHP Dillon Gee, INF Justin Turner, RHP Jeremy Hefner, 2B Daniel Murphy, OF Mike Baxter, OF Marlon Byrd
-1
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, RHP Jeurys Familia, 3B David Wright, 1B Ike Davis, LHP Josh Edgin, RHP Greg Burke, SS Ruben Tejada, OF Lucas Duda, LHP Aaron Laffey
-2
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
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Mets 7, Marlins 3: Three Up, Three Down
That was a wild one. Here’s your daily trios:
Three Up:
1. LHP Jon Niese: Ho hum, yet another strong starting pitching performance for the Mets. Niese gave up eight hits, but most of them were soft ground balls or bloopers. On most days, Niese would have pitched deeper into the game and recorded the win.
2. C John Buck: Four RBI for Buck brought his season total to nine, second in Major League Baseball. (You read that right.) Buck also called another strong game behind the plate against his former team; Mets pitchers really seem to love him.
3. OF Mike Baxter: With respect to David Wright, who rapped out three hits, and Daniel Murphy, who recorded the game-winner, it was Baxter who kept the offense chugging along all day. Two walks and a hit were nice, but Baxter’s stolen base in the seventh was what really made Murphy’s game-winner possible.
Three Down:
1. SS Ruben Tejada: Four errors now in five games for Tejada, in what is becoming a legitimate issue. With no other bona fide shortstop on the roster, the Mets cannot even give Tejada a day or two to clear his mind. (By the way, he was also 0-for-4 at the plate).
2. LHP Josh Edgin: According to Saturday’s official scorer, Edgin did not earn a victory because his outing was “brief and ineffective.” That’s enough to earn a thumbs down here.
OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis: I almost feel bad for Kirk…he’s been pretty unlucky in this space. His 0-for-4 Saturday did not affect the Mets to any great extent, but no one else really struggled. Sorry Kirk — once again, you lose by default.
Three Up, Three Down Season Standings:
+2
LHP Jon Niese, C John Buck
+1
OF Collin Cowgill, RHP Matt Harvey, RHP Dillon Gee, INF Justin Turner, RHP Jeremy Hefner, 2B Daniel Murphy, OF Mike Baxter
-1
RHP LaTroy Hawkins, RHP Jeurys Familia, 3B David Wright, 1B Ike Davis, LHP Josh Edgin
-2
RHP Greg Burke, SS Ruben Tejada, OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis
Follow me on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo.
Anthony DiComo
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