Dan Martin | New York Post- He was the first of the Mets current crop of young starters to make the jump from the minors, perhaps it’s appropriate, then, that even after all the innings-limits controversies, Harvey will start Game 1 against the Royals. “I think for all of us, we’re kind of sitting around the locker room all talking to each other and I don’t think anything has really set in for us yet,” Harvey said. “Which in our minds I think is a positive. We still realize that it’s a baseball game. And for me this is another start. Obviously, it’s a start on a different level.”
(Chris Soto: I think it is extremely important that Harvey comes out and pitches a great game tonight. 1 psychological advantage the Mets have against the Royals is that their SP is just SOOO Good.....and everyone in the MLB knows it. However, if the Royals are able to come out Game 1 and put a hurting on Harvey, it changes the mentality of the whole series. Hitters thoughts go from "Yea their good....its going to be a challenging series." to "We know we can hit these guys.....We just need to execute." It may not sound like much....but in the game of baseball, mentality and approach are huge parts of the game.)
(Chris Soto: I think it is extremely important that Harvey comes out and pitches a great game tonight. 1 psychological advantage the Mets have against the Royals is that their SP is just SOOO Good.....and everyone in the MLB knows it. However, if the Royals are able to come out Game 1 and put a hurting on Harvey, it changes the mentality of the whole series. Hitters thoughts go from "Yea their good....its going to be a challenging series." to "We know we can hit these guys.....We just need to execute." It may not sound like much....but in the game of baseball, mentality and approach are huge parts of the game.)
Thomas Boswell | The Washington Post- The Royals will win because of one main advantage that many people have spotted, yet not seen clearly. The consensus wisdom is that K.C.’s high-average contact hitters do well against power pitchers like those of the Mets. Even Manager Ned Yost said, “We do tend to do well against power pitchers.” The Royals hit .284 this year on pitches that were 95 mph or faster. While this is true, it misses the point: The Royals actually cope particularly well with right-handed power pitchers. Why? Five of the Royals’ best hitters bat left-handed or are switch-hitters — so, sweet matchups. The Royals tend to handle high-strikeout righties. They beat 2014 Cy Young winner Corey Kluber four times this season despite his 245 strikeouts.
(Chris Soto: Hey Mr. Boswell.....go shove it! He makes a fair point though. The Royals have excellent statistics against high profile, high strikeout right handed starting pitchers. If the Mets SPs are going to win these games, they are going to need to trust in the defense to make some plays because unlike the Cubs....these Royals aren't going to strike out.)
(Chris Soto: Hey Mr. Boswell.....go shove it! He makes a fair point though. The Royals have excellent statistics against high profile, high strikeout right handed starting pitchers. If the Mets SPs are going to win these games, they are going to need to trust in the defense to make some plays because unlike the Cubs....these Royals aren't going to strike out.)
David Aardsma | Baseball Essential- There was one moment this season that showed me how special the New York Mets’ young arms are. In mid-June of this season, I was sitting in the Atlanta Ritz-Carlton bar with fellow pitcher Dana Eveland talking baseball. As we were hanging out, we both noticed Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen walk in. After a little small talk about the game we had just played, I asked him the question both Dana and I had been wondering for five days: Why did all the other starters stand in the bullpen and watch that day’s starter throw, then follow him into the dugout before the game? Dan got a huge grin on his face the moment I asked him the question, He looked me right in the eyes and said, “That was completely their idea.”I knew exactly what Dan’s grin meant. Dan knew these kids were different — he knew these kids were special.
(Chris Soto: It's nice to see some good praises coming by way of former MLB players. I wasn't aware that this was an uncommon practice. I guess we have gotten so used to the idea of all the SPs watching each other that it hadn't dawned on us. It honestly has gotten to a point where....what is Dan supposed to do? Like a parent watching their children post college graduation, you just kinda stand there is awe of how much they have grown and just how talented they are...but you standby for the occasional question or point where they need to be reeled in and reminded just how talented they are.)
Mike Rosenbaum | MLB.com- USA Baseball named its team for next month's WBSC Premier 12 Tournament, and it's highlighted by a pair of prospects -- Milwaukee's Brett Phillips and Gavin Cecchini of the Mets -- who rank among the best in baseball. The 27-man roster is comprised of players who are not on a Major League team's 40-man roster and features players from 14 different organizations. The team will be managed by former Mets skipper Willie Randolph. the Mets have four players on the squad: SS Gavin Cecchini, RHP John Church, C Dan Rohfling, and RHP Cody Satterwhite.
(Chris Soto: Hey, lets not forget that their is non-World Series related things going on too. This is an excellent opportunity for Cecchini to really grow as a player as he will get to face talented players from all over the globe. The U.S.'s Premier 12 team will take on Canada in a three-game exhibition series in Phoenix, Ariz., from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, before leaving for Taipei. They begin pool play on Nov. 10 with a contest against the Dominican Republic.)
(Chris Soto: It's nice to see some good praises coming by way of former MLB players. I wasn't aware that this was an uncommon practice. I guess we have gotten so used to the idea of all the SPs watching each other that it hadn't dawned on us. It honestly has gotten to a point where....what is Dan supposed to do? Like a parent watching their children post college graduation, you just kinda stand there is awe of how much they have grown and just how talented they are...but you standby for the occasional question or point where they need to be reeled in and reminded just how talented they are.)
Mike Rosenbaum | MLB.com- USA Baseball named its team for next month's WBSC Premier 12 Tournament, and it's highlighted by a pair of prospects -- Milwaukee's Brett Phillips and Gavin Cecchini of the Mets -- who rank among the best in baseball. The 27-man roster is comprised of players who are not on a Major League team's 40-man roster and features players from 14 different organizations. The team will be managed by former Mets skipper Willie Randolph. the Mets have four players on the squad: SS Gavin Cecchini, RHP John Church, C Dan Rohfling, and RHP Cody Satterwhite.
(Chris Soto: Hey, lets not forget that their is non-World Series related things going on too. This is an excellent opportunity for Cecchini to really grow as a player as he will get to face talented players from all over the globe. The U.S.'s Premier 12 team will take on Canada in a three-game exhibition series in Phoenix, Ariz., from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, before leaving for Taipei. They begin pool play on Nov. 10 with a contest against the Dominican Republic.)
These Royals will still strike out 8 or more times a game. Which will take pressure off our fielders.
ReplyDeleteSo they beat Kluber 4 times. They did not score much for him.
Great to see Cecchini referred to as one of BB's top prospects.
Mets win tonite.
I think there's been too much talk of the high contact approach the Royals have. One thing is certain, they haven't faced these Mets' pitchers, which means the first time through the order the advantage goes to the Mets.
ReplyDeleteSo the Mets have the early advantage in the first four games.
That may be all they need.
Chris -
ReplyDeleteGood morning.
I agree with your assessment on Game 1/Harvey. The results of game one and Harvey's outing will set the tone for the series.
The last thing we need is a rattling of the Mets rotation early on. Their belief in their invincibility right now could be their strongest asset.
I know John Church and he has not given up his dream some day to play for the parent Mets.
ReplyDeleteGood for him.
Have fun on the trip.
Rich Dubroff of CSN Atlantic interviewed Cal Ripken, who said the following about the Mets in leaning towards the Mets:
ReplyDelete“I’m an American League guy, so you always want to look at the American League and give a little bit of an edge to them, but we covered the National League this year, and I can’t tell you how impressive the Mets’ young ‘Big Three’ were,” Ripken said.
New York will throw Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndegaard at the Royals in the first three games of the World Series. “Not only do they have real big arms, they throw 100 miles an hour or in the upper 90’s. You watch the radar gun all the time as a hitter, and you kind of think: ‘Do they ever come down below 95?’
“They pitched. They mix in their changeups. They mixed in their breaking balls really well. When you have that level fastball with the secondary pitches that are working, any offensive team that’s going to struggle,” Ripken said.
It took New York five games to beat the Dodgers, but they bested Chicago, which beat St. Louis in four, without losing a game. “You took a Cubs team that was hot, swinging the bats really well and hitting home runs. All of a sudden you took that away from them, and they didn’t have the ability to really score runs,” Ripken said.
“A lot of times, you get uptight, you don’t have the experience. If you’ve been there a little bit before, and you’ve had success, then all of a sudden you realize it’s the same game, and there’s a freedom. I saw that freedom open up for the Mets.”
Ripken pointed out that New York’s 51 stolen bases were last in the National League. The Orioles trailed the majors with just 44. “They were running wild in the postseason. They had the guts and the courage to put it to them. They were manufacturing runs, and they were still scoring runs. Their offense had improved when [Yoenis] Cespedes came over, but the Mets are on some kind of roll right now,” Ripken said.
The Royals were a league-average offense, pretty much right there in the middle. They are characterized by a very low K-rate, a low BB-rate, and low HR-rate.
ReplyDeleteThey swing the bats early and they make contact, which could help the Mets keep down their pitch counts.
About their low HR totals, they just beat the AL's #1 and #2 teams in HRs. Kansas City is fascinating in that they go against the tide of baseball's major trends, and certainly provide a noteworthy contrast to Sandy Alderson's preferred mode of attack.
Fascinating study of opposites. KC is formidable.
James Preller
KC is well known at being talented regarding hitting 95+ fastballs so the 'Big 3' of the Mets may not impress them as much as we hope.
ReplyDeleteAny Mets success could be based on the 'Big 3's' secondary pitchers that are set up by the fastballs.
Good morning Mack. Hope things are going better with your mother in law.
ReplyDeleteI actually think the Mets starters will pitch "backwards" a lot in this series, with those 90 mph sliders and off speed stuff early in counts, using them to set up the fastball, instead of the other way around. All these guys' secondaries are so good that they can pull this off, making the heat more effective than it might otherwise be against this lineup.
The Mets pitchers started that against the Cubs, mixing in a lot more off-speed stuff off of the fastball. Look for a continuation of that.
ReplyDeleteI'll second what everyone else is saying. Key vs Cubs was we never let them up for air, not once. A strong nine innings from Havey AND the bullpen will be a massive boost for the Metsies.
Apart from that we're going to have to field and control their running game and score our own runs without steals. Let's hope at least two ofnour middle order guys get hot.
A very different series from the Cubs and I think a fascinating matchup.
Adam -
ReplyDeleteThank you. We got her home from the hospital but we're still with her through 11-4 cooking 3 squares a day with no salt...
I agree with you... I expect Harvey to open up with his junk to throw off the hitters... we'll see.
My guess... early lead wins the game
Alex -
ReplyDeleteThe Mets can control the running game in two ways.
1. Don't let anyone on base :)
2. make them hit grounders if they do have runners.
Keep it low.
Royals are a lot better than the Dodgers or Cubs IMO. They are not going to give away runs and they can nibble away from a modest deficit. I think they are most like the Cards (who the Cubs were lucky to beat IMO).
ReplyDeleteGotta get to their starters early & often.