Mack’s Morning Report – 5-30-16 – David Wright, Noah Syndergaard, James Loney, Matt Harvey

Good morning.


Seems we may have a new David Wright neck problem. 

He's out until earliest Tuesday while they try some anti-inflammatory medicine to ease the pain. I've taken plenty of that stuff and none of it prevents my spinal canal from re-opening.

This could be a long year for both David Wright and his fans. Let's hope for the best here.

I was watching the Mets game on Saturday when my dog Maggie sent the signs my way that she needed to be taken for a walk. I come back and Logan Verrett was pitching.

I caught the tail end of the discussion about what had happened to Noah Syndergaard and I did finally see a replay of the pitch that was thrown about a foot behind Chase Utley. It’s hard for me to believe that there wasn’t a warning issued here, but, at the same time, we all knew this was going to happen once Syndergaard and Utley faced each other. It represented the honor of a fallen teammate, even if the guy is no longer on the team.

Utley took the incident hard. He only hit two home runs in the game.

All four leading teams in the division lost that day so I guess the Mets survived. Still, the team looked like they were well on to winning another game behind their ace starter.

What would I have done?

Well, I never would have thrown behind him.

If I was good enough to be a starter in major league baseball, and I could throw a 100-mph fastball that takes less than a second to reach a batter, I would have made sure it was thrown right at his waist so Utley could have turned and taken a good one in the back.

But that’s just me.

Buster Olney - Over the last three weekends, Major League Baseball has had three very similar incidents of pitchers seemingly throwing at or near hitters with purpose, and the handling of the three incidents couldn't be more different. You cannot find a consistent strain of administration.

BTW… Ruben Tejada was designated for assignment by th St. Louis Cardinals

Mets catcher Rene Rivera on James Loney (who he played with last season) –

"He's got great numbers, a very good hitter. He brings that great defense at first base. It's great for us. We're missing Duda here, and I think that he can step up and help us."

Mack – True, he does have ‘great numbers’, but they come from AAA-PCL and wasn’t that the place that guy like Ty Kelly and Eric Campbell hit, like, .800?

Here’s the deal… he’s an outstanding defensive first baseman who can platoon with Wilmer Flores and definitely hit better than anyone that’s playing that position right now.

It cost the Mets only cash. It’s already a great deal.

Joe Trezza on Matt Harvey -

           The Mets believe they've pinpointed the root of Harvey's issues -- a mechanical flaw that flares up as he pitches deeper into games. Only a few Mets are aware of the specifics of the habit that's led to Harvey's 7.56 May ERA. Manager Terry Collins and pitching coach Dan Warthen headline an exclusive group that includes Matt Reynolds and Alejandro De Aza, who were summoned to stand in against Harvey and report on his progress.

Collins says Harvey isn't tipping his pitches but remained tight-lipped beyond that.

Mack – Interesting stat lines through the season so far for Harvey –

          1^st time through lineup - .241/.292/.373

          2^nd time - .301/.326/.518

          3^rd time - .509/.563/.764

The most important thing I take away from this story is the fact that Harvey is working along with the staff to try and figure out just what the heck went wrong here.