8/30/20

John From Albany – Mets News and Breakfast Links 8/30/2020



Good Morning. Happy Birthday to Tug McGraw and Marlon Byrd. Mets lose 2-1 to Yankees, and more on Steve Cohen as Mets final bidder. 

Section Links: Mets Links, MLB Links, and This Day in Mets History.

Mets Links:

Yankees 2 Mets 1. Robert Gsellman 4 innings, 4 hits, 1 HR, 1 runs, 1 earned runs, 4 Ks; Steven Matz 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits, 2 Ks; Jared Hughes 1 inning, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 1K; Brad Brach 2/3 inning, 0 runs 0 hits, 3 walks, 1K; Jeurys Familia 1/3 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits; Justin Wilson, 1 inning, 0 runs, 0 hits; Dellin Betances (L, 0-1) 1/3 inning, 1 hits, 1 runs, 1 walk, 1 wild pitch; Wilson Ramos 2 for 3 (HR #2), 1 RBI, 1 run scored; Pete Alonso 1 for 3; Dominic Smith 0 for 3;  Michael Conforto 0 for 4. (Box Score).

SNY.TV: The Mets and Yankees will finish off their five-game weekend series with another doubleheader on Sunday. Rick Porcello will start Game 1 at 1:05 p.m., while Seth Lugo is scheduled to pitch the second game. They will face Michael King and Deivi Garcia.

SNY.TV: After scuffling during his first couple of starts, Robert Gsellman was much better on Saturday. The right-hander gave the Mets four innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out four.

Faith and Fear in Flushing: Gsellman gave up a first-inning homer to Luke Voit but then settled in nicely before tiring in the fourth. It looked like the roof would cave in, but the Mets saved themselves thanks to glovework from J.D. Davis and Wilson Ramos, which is what exactly no scouts would have predicted. With a runner on third and one out, Clint Frazier smacked a grounder that Davis came in on, firing to Ramos to nail Mike Tauchman at the plate. The next batter, Brett Gardner, hit a long drive to center that almost went out but came back to Billy Hamilton, who threw the ball in to Amed Rosario, who threw home to get Frazier by the slimmest of margins and keep the score 1-0.



Reflections on Baseball: J.A. Happ Makes $17 Million Pitch To Yankees With Seven Strong Innings.

Metstradamus: But Aaron Boone took the baby from the nurse and gave it to a foster parent, who dropped it. Boone, most likely looking at Wilson Ramos’ career lefty/righty splits, replaced Happ with Adam Ottavino. It’s the age old question: Are you managing by the book or are you managing by the feel for the game? Whatever he did, it wasn’t Ramos’ problem as Buffalo hit one high off the pole to tie the game.


Newsday: Mets' late rally vs. Yankees undone by Dellin Betances' wild pitch in ninth inning.

SNY.TV: Mets' Dellin Betances discusses shaky outing against his former Yankees.  "I was definitely trying to throw a fastball up. I think it was just a little too high, and it was unfortunate, obviously," said Betances. "I definitely felt like I didn't have anything today.”        

Amazing Avenue: Former Yankee throws the game to Bombers.

Mets.com: 'Just a bad day': Betances' WP ends game.

Mets.com: Matz likely headed to IL with shoulder injury.

Last Word on Baseball: Deivi Garcia to Make Major League Debut vs. Mets.

Amazing Avenue State of the System 2020: Shortstop. Believe it or not, the system is loaded. Besides the obvious mentions of Andres Gimenez and Ronny Mauricio, author Steve Sypa included one of my favorites – “Wilmer Reyes was one of the best players I saw during the 2019 season, a year in which he hit .323/.350/.441 in 61 total games, leading qualified hitters on the team in OPS and a variety of other offensive categories...Reyes has flashed a solid hit tool in his young career…He played all over the field in 2019, logging the majority of his time at shortstop but also playing first base, second base, and third base as well. At short, he is not traditionally quick or rangy, but has a smooth glove and is able to transfer and throw the ball quickly, augmenting his average arm.”

Metsmerized Online: Edwin Diaz Right Where He Should Be.

NY Post: Breaking down Mets-Steve Cohen sale drama timeline.

Joel Sherman NY Post: Steve Cohen was never letting Mets get away.




Mike Vaccaro NY Post: Steve Cohen is cherry on top of rare Mets utopia.

Centerfield Maz: Tug McGraw: 1973 N.L. Champion Mets Fireman (Part One 1965-1972)).

MLB Links:


The Morning Call: Eflin, Hoskins lead Phillies past Braves for 5th straight win. Phillies 4 Braves 1 (Box Score).

The Washington Post: Nationals reach the halfway point with a thud, falling to the Red Sox to tumble to 12-18. Red Sox 5 Nationals 3 (Box Score).

Fox Sports: Rays blank Marlins behind strong outing from rookie Josh Fleming. Rays 4 Marlins 0 (Box Score).


Giants 5 Diamondbacks 2 (Box Score).

Here is the full MLB Scoreboard from yesterday. 

The Philadelphia Inquirer: David Robertson won’t pitch this season after setback from Tommy John elbow surgery.

Forbes.com: Phillies Linked To Starling Marte Rumors As Trade Deadline Ticks Down.

NBC Sports Washington: Nationals sign Brock Holt to bolster infield depth.


Today in Mets History Per Ultimatemets.com:

Born on this date:
Transactions:
New York Mets sold Dale Murray to the Montreal Expos on August 30, 1979.

New York Mets traded Julio Machado and Kevin Brown to the Milwaukee Brewers for Charlie O'Brien and Kevin Carmody on August 30, 1990.

Montreal Expos claimed Orlando Mercado of the New York Mets on waivers on August 30, 1990.

New York Mets traded Nikco Riesgo and Rocky Elli to the Philadelphia Phillies for Tom Herr on August 30, 1990.

New York Mets traded Archie Corbin to the Kansas City Royals for Pat Tabler on August 30, 1990.

New York Mets traded Nelson Cruz to the Oakland Athletics for Jorge Velandia on August 30, 2000.

New York Mets traded Victor Diaz to the Texas Rangers for Mike Nickeas on August 30, 2006.

New York Mets traded Matt Koch and Miller Diaz to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Addison Reed on August 30, 2015.

1965
Casey Stengel, who is recovering from a fractured hip suffered a month ago, officially announces his retirement as the skipper of the Mets, ending a 56-year career in baseball as a player, coach, and manager. At an hour-long press conference held at the Essex House, Casey's N.Y. residence, the "Old Perfessor' shares his disappointment in the team's performance during their first four and a half seasons in the National League and praises his interim replacement, Wes Westrum, the club's former pitching coach.
1966
Sandy Koufax, in his final decision facing the Mets, lasts only two innings, losing to Bob Friend at Shea Stadium, 10-4. The Dodgers Hall of Fame southpaw has compiled a 17-2 record against the lowly expansion team since their inception in 1962.

1973
The Mets lose to the Cardinals, 1-0, thanks to a Jose Cruz tenth inning walk-off single off Tom Seaver at Busch Stadium. The defeat drops the eventual National League champs into last place, 6.5 games behind the first-place Redbirds.
1986
New York releases Let's Go Mets Go!, a music video that features players, coaches, and fans, along with a cameo appearance by Joe Piscopo. Shelly Palmer, known professionally as Shelton Leigh Palmer, composed and produced the official team's theme song, that becomes a Gold Record, as well as directing and producing the accompanying music video, which will go triple platinum.

1999
At the Astrodome, Edgardo Alfonzo becomes the first player in the Mets' 38-year history to go 6-for-6, scoring six times, and drives in five runs. The second baseman hits three homers, two singles, and a double for a team-record 16 total bases in New York's 17-1 rout of Houston.

1992: Trailing 3 - 1 to the Reds in the 9th, Bobby Bonilla hits a dramatic 3-run homer off Rob Dibble to give the Mets a 4 - 3 win.




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8 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Gosh, I did not see the wild pitch Betances threw until now - how awful, ball must have been 7 feet high. Betances said he didn't have it yesterday, but that was a ridiculous pitch. Very winnable game, but bats took the day off. Man, it would have been great to extend Yanks' loss streak to 8.

Gsellman's stats were good - but it was because of the D. How good was his pitching, really? I guess we'll find out next start.

Phillies are phired up. Braves losing. We missed a great chance to pick up another game in the standings.

August 30, 2020 at 6:58 AM
Tom Brennan said...

I'd be more excited about Hamilton's defense if he wasn't hitting .048. C'mon, dude.

August 30, 2020 at 6:59 AM
John From Albany said...

Great analysis as always Tom. The obsession with the Home Run has led to players hitting balls in the air instead of making contact. If Billy Hamilton pounded the ball into tye ground he'd hit .300.

On yesterday's game Keith and Ron broke down Matz' struggles. Keith spoke to Jim Kaat about Matz. Kaat said Matz is elevating the fast ball too much. At his velocity, high fast balls tend to be home runs. He needs to keep his fast balls low.

August 30, 2020 at 7:17 AM
Anonymous said...

Two things, on Tug and Matz:

1) John, you do an incredible job on these, the amount of work is crazy. That said, I don't think you wish "happy birthday" to people who are dead. I think it's appropriate to list "born on this day" as an alternative.

2) On Matz, this goes back to a lesson I learned long ago about baseball, and it's something that the blogs and deep down drilling statisticians never get right. When a good pitcher pitches horribly for a period of time, far below his established norms, your first thought should always be: I wonder if he's hurt?

So many pitchers are working through various aches and injuries and arm woes. The idea of the perfectly healthy pitcher is not the norm. So when they hurt, the first thing you do is try to work through it. Sometimes it works, adjustments are made, and guys get through for 32 starts or whatever. Other times, they need to take a break. And obviously, in some situations, the injury is so clear that surgery is indicated right away.

Personally, I don't see Matz as a particularly tough guy. At same time, he never looked ready once the summer restarted (he looked amazing in the initial Spring Training, and I had hope!).

So we see these articles in places about data indicates he's missing with his curve, high on his fastball, and so on. But it's all secondary. Not cause, but symptom. The guy's arm feels like it's falling off.

That's the rule I go by as a longtime fan. When good pitchers suddenly go very bad, ask the obvious question: I wonder if he's hurt?

Now in baseball culture, pitchers never talk about these aches and pains while they are going on. They gut it out. That's the deal, the last thing they want to do is expose weakness or softness. So they take the ball until they can't take it anymore. And teams let them do that, encourage them to do that, because otherwise there would be no one left to pitch.

I wonder if that was at least part of what was going on with Noah last year. That he wasn't quite right. Certainly, and obviously, it's the situation with Betances. He's not the guy he used to be, clearly.

Jimmy

August 30, 2020 at 8:11 AM
Mack Ade said...

Jimmy

Matz is a local boy that simply hasn't produced.

He still wouldn't be around if the team still had Dunn and Kay around.

We don't have the pitching depth at the high end of our chain, but I think it is time to bring up both Thomas Szapucki and Kevin Smith to join deGrom, Peterson, and pick one in a new 2020 rotation... until the off season when our new owner can bring in new FA pitchers.

What do we have to lose?

August 30, 2020 at 8:39 AM
Raw said...

I agree with Mack the Mets should not be using Gsellman and Lugo in the rotation unless they plan on keeping them there long term. Other teams, like Yankees, are bringing up prospects and letting them see what they can do. I think the Mets should bring up Thomas Szapucki and Kevin Smith. They will need starting pitching next year and this will give them an idea of what to expect from some of their top pitchers in the minors.

August 30, 2020 at 9:20 AM
John From Albany said...

Great analysis Jimmy and you were correct - Betances and Matz placed on IL.

August 30, 2020 at 12:00 PM
John From Albany said...

Raw and Mack - your plan makes much more sense and keeps the bullpen better with Lugo.

August 30, 2020 at 12:05 PM

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