Mets Game #79, Road #41
New York Mets NL East – 4th Place – (39-39) Road (21-19) – Last Ten (5-5)
@	Comerica Park
Detroit Tigers AL Central – 1st Place – (43-36) Home (25-15) – Last Ten (5-5)

NL East Standing

Pitching Match-Up

Mets Lineup

Tigers Lineup

Team Rankings

Team Leaders

Tidbits of Interest

• Mets at a Glance – The Mets have won four of their last five games and are 14-9 over their last 23 games…After taking two of three from the Rangers, the Mets are 5-1-1 in their last seven series…New York is 14-10 this month.
  
• Series History  – The Mets and Tigers met last year at Citi Field with the Mets taking two of three…New York is 1-5 all-time in Detroit…The Mets went 1-2 at Comerica Park in 2007 and 0-3 at Tigers Stadium in 1997.
• .500 – New York is at the .500 mark for the sixth time this year (34-34, 22-22, 4-4, 3-3 and 1-1)…The last time the Mets were at .500 was when they were 34-34 after beating the Braves 4-0 on June 15…The Mets are 1-4 when their overall record is at .500…The Mets are 15-15 vs. teams from the NL East, 10-10 vs. the NL Central, 8-8 vs. the NL West and 6-6 vs. the American League…The last time the Mets were above .500 was at 3-2 after their 10-7 loss at Philadelphia on April 6…New York was a season-high two games over .500 at 3-1 after a win over the Phillies on April 5…The Mets were a season worst eight games under .500 after they fell 4-3 to the Astros on April 20…The Mets went 11-16 in April and 14-13 in May.
• Road Games – The Mets will play 10 of their next 13 games away from Citi Field…New York is 21-19 on the road this season, including 8-5 in their last 13 road contests…The 21 wins are tied for the sixth-most in the majors…The Mets are 7-5-1 in road series this year after winning only five road series in 2010…The Mets were 17-23 after 40 road games in 2010…Jose Reyes has the sixth highest road batting average (.322) in the National League.
• First Place Teams – The Mets enter this series against the first place Tigers after winning two of three from the AL West-leading Rangers…New York will host the AL East-leading Yankees this weekend at Citi Field…The last time the Mets played three straight series against first place teams was April 20-27, 2005 when they faced Florida, Washington and Atlanta when each opponent was at least tied for first in the NL East going into one or more games in those series.
• Interleague – The Mets are 124-117 (.515) all-time during Interleague action…The Mets’ .515 winning percentage is the fourth best all-time among NL clubs…The Mets are 6-6 in Interleague action this season after going 13-5 against the American League last year, setting a franchise record for wins in a single season.

   

  METS YEAR-BY-YEAR IN INTERLEAGUE PLAY
  1997	7-8		1998	9-7		1999	12-6
  2000	9-9		2001	10-8		2002	10–8
  2003	5-10		2004	10-8		2005	5-10
  2006	6-9		2007	8-7		2008	9-6
  2009	5-10		2010	13-5		2011	6-6

• Offensive – Since May 22, the Mets are batting .278 (310-1,114), the fourth-highest mark in the majors…The team’s .337 on-base percentage during this stretch is the fourth-highest in the majors…Overall the Mets are hitting .258 (689-2,666), the 12th highest mark in the majors…The club’s .330 on-base percentage is the sixth-best in the majors.
• RISP – The Mets were 13-29 (.448) with runners in scoring position over their last two games…Over New York’s previous 10 games, the Mets hit .235 (23-98) with RISP…From June 1-13, the team hit .305 (32-105) with RISP, the third-best mark in the majors…Overall, the Mets are hitting .255 (182-714), ranking 12th in the majors with RISP…Carlos Beltran is sixth in the NL with a .355 batting average with runners in scoring position…New York pitchers have held opponents to a .257 (185-719) mark with runners in scoring position, ranking 19th.
• Runs – The Mets have combined to score 22 runs over their last two games, both victories at Texas…It was the 33rd time in franchise history the Mets scored as many as 22 runs over a two game span, and, the first time they accomplished the feat without hitting a home run…The last team to do that was the Houston Astros, August 2-3, 2010 at St. Louis when they scored 27 runs without a home run…Research courtesy of Elias Sports.
• Walks – The Mets have drawn 279 walks to lead the National League and third in the majors…Carlos Beltran is tied for third in the NL with 16 walks this month…New York pitchers have issued 243 base-on-balls, ranking 20th in the majors.
• Triples – Jose Reyes collected his 14th triple in his 75th game on Sunday at Texas…His career-best is 19 triples set in 2008…He is three triples shy of 100 for his career…Since Reyes made his debut in the majors on June 10, 2003, only Carl Crawford has more triples (100)…The Mets lead the majors with 25 triples this season.
• Home Runs – The Mets are 4-1 over their last five games despite being out-homered 8-0…Overall, Mets pitchers have surrendered 79 home runs, the seventh-most in the majors…The Mets have hit 47 home runs, ranking 26th…The 32 home run differential is the third-largest in the majors…Houston has allowed 94 home runs and hit 44 (a difference of 50) and Kansas City has hit 56 home runs and surrendered 89 (a difference of 33). -
• Stolen Bases – New York had one stolen base on Sunday…New York has 17 stolen bases in its last 12 games…The Mets lead the National League and are second in the majors with 77 stolen bases, one behind Kansas City…The Mets lead the majors with 27 stolen bases this month.
• Jose Reyes – Leads the major leagues with 39 multi-hit games and 14 triples…Reyes leads the National League with a .341 batting average, 113 hits, 61 runs scored and a .358 batting average vs. righthanded pitchers…He ranks second in the majors with 28 stolen bases and is fourth in the NL with 37 extra-base hits…The Mets shortstop is 16-35 (.457) with runners in scoring position since May 3, the best average in the majors during this span…Reyes has scored at least one run in 22 of his last 28 games dating back to May 25…The 33 runs scored during that stretch are the most in the majors.
• Bullpen – Since May 16, the pen is 3-7 with a 6.11 ERA (67 ER/98.2 IP)…Overall, the 11 losses from the pen are tied for 15th in the majors….The bullpen staff is 26th in the majors with 4.41 ERA, tied for 13th with 32 holds and 12th with 202 strikeouts….The pen has allowed 26 home runs, the 7th most in the majors….Francisco Rodriguez is 4 saves shy of tying Roger McDowell for sixth on the club’s all-time list with 84…Rodriguez also has a 9.24 ERA over his last 13 outings.
• Mets Starters – Over their last 29 games, dating back to May 27, Mets starters have posted a 2.84 ERA (59 earned runs/187.2 innings)…The 2.74 ERA is the third-lowest in the majors over this span…New York starters have allowed three runs or less in 23 of these 29 starts.
• R.A. Dickey – In 13 career games, six starts, Dickey is 3-2 with a 4.02 ERA (25 earned runs / 56.0 innings pitched) and one save vs. Detroit…..In his last start, Dickey Received a no-decision in a 3-2 win vs. Oakland on June 22…Tossed a season high-tying 8.0 innings for the fourth time this season and allowed one run, earned…Also permitted three hits, walked one and surrendered one home run…Recorded nine strikeouts on 100 pitches, 66 for strikes…Dickey tossed 8.0 innings for the third time in his last four starts.
• Nick Evans – extended his Buffalo season-high hitting streak to 17 games last night vs. Norfolk…Evans is batting .477 (31-65) with 14 runs scored, 10 doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI during the streak

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Like always,

So now we're .500, and once again we're praising the team. Talk is beginning to swirl around about how we need to be buyers — buy buy buy. Since when was .500 competitive? We're 9.5 games out of first place in the NL East and 5 games out of the Wild Card. 

We're really not that competitive of a team, because we need to establish a path in the future. Fortunately, Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez are not part of our future, and it's time for Mets fans to get that through their heads. I understand we've suffered injuries, and we'll have Wright and Santana back near the All Star Break, but that doesn't mean we should suddenly be buyers. In fact, this is the same type of mentality we have held for the last 5 years, and it is exactly what has put us in this position. If the player is not in our future plans, then pack his bags and bring in somebody who will be a part of the future — it's that simple. 

Payroll is expected to be lowered to a maximum of $120M next year, from what Sandy Alderson has told us. So obviously, K-Rod and Beltran will not be a part of the roster, and it's time to get something back. Beltran has been solid this year, and I think a team like the Rangers or Angels could use a rental player for the last two months of the season. The Angels have lacked power to sustain their outstanding aces Dan Haren and Jered Weaver. Both of those teams have the financial flexibility to acquire Beltran and give up a solid prospect, so Beltran would fit into their situations perfectly, giving them a boost and playoff experience as well. He can DH, and still play well in RF. 

We've talked a lot about moneyball and when it will be implemented — but the thing is, I think it already has. Alderson used small money in a big market to acquire the likes of Chris Capuano, DJ Carrasco, and Justin Turner. His young players have stepped up — Dillon Gee, Jon Niese, Daniel Murphy, and Jason Pridie. This is exactly what we've wanted to see out of the Mets for a long time — small players with small contracts making a big impact. Kids from our farm system getting the call-up and proving something. Kids like Turner and Gee have that fire and tenacity that we haven't seen in the Mets since 2006. They have something to fight for, not to be paid for. Why try to buy, and add to payroll, when we can walk into next March with more young talent from our minor leagues auditioning for a chance to do the same — to prove they can create a spark, light up the fire and create a little magic? Should we worry about putting people in the seats, or winning games? If big name players like Prince Fielder are what it takes then I don't want to see them win — I'd rather see them struggle to put fans in the seats with a team of no-names who improve each and every year, building chemistry and all fighting for the same thing regardless of their payroll. Those fans that stick around will be the true die-hard fans, not the bandwagoners who suddenly love us because we paid $18M on one free agent. One month we talk about rebuilding, the next we talk about adding to what we have. We talk about what will make the roster better in the future, although that in no way includes Beltran and Rodriguez. They are not a part of our future. So let's stop flip flopping between Buy and Sell each year, and settle on sell. Let's have a clearance sale, and build for the future. The small man has helped us this year — please, don't turn your backs on them. 

New York Mets @ Detroit Tigers
	Comerica Park

Scouting Report:

METS: Dickey was fantastic in his last outing, striking out nine against the A's without giving up a walk. He allowed one run in eight innings, pushing his ERA to 2.23 in his past seven starts. He is 3-2 with a 4.02 ERA in 13 appearances against Detroit.

TIGERS: Porcello grew up a Mets fan — even though he went to a lot of Yankees games with his dad — so he'll see some familiar uniforms at the plate as he looks to break a three-game winless streak in which hitters are batting .365.

Scouting Report:

METS: Capuano remains in line to make his next start despite leaving his last one after six innings with cramps in his right side. Barring a setback, Capuano will take the mound against a Tigers team he has faced just once in his career, back in 2006.

TIGERS: Coke is winless in 11 starts since April 14, and his frustration is building after blowing a four-run lead in a no-decision Friday against Arizona without allowing an extra-base hit. He said afterward he was "ashamed."

Scouting Report:

METS: A three-run Rangers rally in the first inning last Friday sunk Pelfrey, who allowed 10 hits and broke his string of three consecutive quality starts. He'll head back to a pitcher's park to face the Tigers, a team he has never pitched against.

TIGERS: Verlander has had dominant stretches in past years, but nothing like this. He's 6-0 with a 0.72 ERA in his last six starts, and 8-0 with a 1.56 ERA in his last 10. Those last six starts include just 26 hits over 49 2/3 innings.

Team Leaders

Mets Injury Report

———

Tigers Injury Report

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Like always,

Mets Game #78, Road #40
New York Mets NL East – 4th Place – (38-39) Road (20-19) – Last Ten (5-5)
@	The Ballpark in Arlington
Texas Rangers AL West – 1st Place – (41-37) Home (23-15) – Last Ten (5-5)

NL East Standing

Pitching Match-Up

Mets Lineup

Rangers Lineup

Team Rankings

Team Leaders

Tidbits of Interest

• Mets at a Glance – The Mets have won three of their last four games and are 13-9 over their last 22 games.
  
• Series History  – Prior to this year, the two clubs met twice before during the regular season…The Mets won two of three in their only other matchup in Texas in 2003…New York also won two of three vs. the Rangers at Shea in 2008…Jose Reyes made his major league debut on June 10, 2003 at Texas…He batted ninth, played short and went 2-4 with a double and two runs scored.
• Series Notes – New York is 6-5 this year in rubber games, including 4-3 on the road in such contests…The Mets are 4-1-1 in their last six series.
• Road Games – The Mets will play 11 of their next 14 games away from Citi Field…New York is 20-19 on the road this season…The 20 wins are tied for the seventh-most in the majors…The Mets were 16-23 after 39 road games in 2010.
• Interleague – The Mets are 123-117 (.513) all-time during Interleague action…The Mets’ .513 winning percentage is the fourth best all-time among NL clubs…The Mets are 5-6 in Interleague action this season after going 13-5 against the American League last year, setting a franchise record for wins in a single season.

   

  METS YEAR-BY-YEAR IN INTERLEAGUE PLAY
  1997	7-8		1998	9-7		1999	12-6
  2000	9-9		2001	10-8		2002	10–8
  2003	5-10		2004	10-8		2005	5-10
  2006	6-9		2007	8-7		2008	9-6
  2009	5-10		2010	13-5		2011	5-6

• Offensive – Since May 22, the Mets are batting .278 (310-1,114), the fourth-highest mark in the majors…The team’s .337 on-base  percentage during this stretch is the fourth-highest in the majors …The club’s 15 triples lead the majors and 10 home runs over that span are the fewest in the majors.
• RISP – The Mets were 8-14 (.571) with runners in scoring position yesterday…Over New York’s previous 10 games, the Mets hit .235 (23-98) with RISP…From June 1-13, the team hit .305 (32-105) with RISP, the third-best mark in the majors…Overall, the Mets are hitting .253 (177-699), ranking 13th in the majors with RISP…New York pitchers have held opponents to a .258 (182-705) mark with runners in scoring position, ranking 20th.
• 1-2-3 – The top three hitters in New York’s lineup yesterday (Jose Reyes, Willie Harris and Carlos Beltran) combined to go 7-17 (.412) with seven runs scored and four RBI.
• Runs – The Mets scored a season-high 14 runs…It was the most by the Mets since they plated 18 runs on September 5, 2010 at Chicago (NL)…New York scored a season-high eight runs in the sixth inning…The eight-run frame was the most since the Mets scored eight times in the third inning on June 22, 2010 vs. Detroit in a 14-6 victory.
• Two-Out Runs – The Mets scored three two-out runs yesterday …New York has scored 127 runs with two outs this season, ranking eighth in the majors…New York pitchers have allowed 121 runs with two outs, tied for 13th in the majors.
• Hits – New York collected 17 hits, equaling its season-high…The Mets also had 17 hits on May 29 vs. Philadelphia.
• Triples – Carlos Beltran delivered a two-run triple in the first inning yesterday…The Mets lead the majors with 24 triples.
• Stolen Bases – New York swiped two bases yesterday…The Mets lead the National League and are second in the majors with 76 stolen bases, one behind Kansas City…The Mets lead the majors with 26 stolen bases this month.
• Jose Reyes – Leads the major leagues with 38 multi-hit games and 13 triples…Reyes leads the National League with a .334 batting average, 109 hits and 58 runs scored…He ranks second in the majors with 27 stolen bases and second in the NL with a .355 batting average vs. righthanders….He is also tied for fourth in the NL with 36 extra-base hits…The Mets shortstop has scored at least one run in 21 of his last 27 games dating back to May 25…The 30 runs scored during that stretch are the second most in the majors.
• Lucas Duda – Had three doubles to equal the single-game franchise record, last accomplished by Jose Reyes on May 13, 2009 vs. Atlanta…Duda registered a career-high four hits and four RBI.
• Bullpen – Since May 16, the pen is 3-7 with a 6.11 ERA (65 ER/95.2 IP)…Overall, the 11 losses from the pen are tied for 15th in the majors….The bullpen staff is 25th in the majors with 4.38 ERA, tied for 10th with 32 holds and tied for 10th with 202 strikeouts….The pen has allowed 26 home runs, the 6th most in the majors….Francisco Rodriguez is 4 saves shy of tying Roger McDowell for sixth on the club’s all-time list with 84…Rodriguez also has a 8.48 ERA over his last 12 outings.
• Mets Starters – Over their last 29 games, dating back to May 27, Mets starters have posted a 2.74 ERA (56 earned runs/183.2 innings)…The 2.74 ERA is the lowest in the majors over this span …Minnesota is second (2.77)…New York starters have allowed three runs or less in 23 of these 29 starts.
• Dillon Gee – Had his season-opening seven-game winning streak snapped in his last on June 21 vs. Oakland…The streak was tied for the fourth-best start in franchise history…Gee, who hails from Cleburne, TX, tied the Mets rookie record with seven consecutive victories, accomplished four other times, last by Octavio Dotel in 1999…The Mets are 10-1 in Gee’s 11 starts this season…He became the 24th pitcher since 1919 to have his team win at least each of his first 10 starts to a season…The Red Sox went 10-0 in Daisuke Matsuzaka’s first 10 starts in 2008…The University of Texas at Arlington product leads the majors with a .875 winning percentage and is tied for first among all rookies seven victories and is second among all National League rookies with a 3.21 ERA.
• Jonathon Niese – Left the game with a rapid heartbeat…He will be re-examined Tuesday in Detroit…Niese is 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA (13 earned runs/49.2 innings) with 47 strikeouts since May 18…He is tied for fourth in the majors in wins, 11th in the National League in ERA and seventh in the NL in strikeouts during this span.
• Binghamton Notes – Outfielder Matt den Dekker went 3-5 with two runs scored last night in the BMets 4-1 win at Bowie…RHP Matt Harvey, the club’s first round pick in 2010, will make his Eastern League debut today at Bowie.

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Like always,

Mets Game #77, Road #39
New York Mets NL East – 4th Place – (37-39) Road (19-19) – Last Ten (5-5)
@	The Ballpark in Arlington
Texas Rangers AL West – 1st Place – (41-36) Home (23-14) – Last Ten (5-5)

NL East Standing

Pitching Match-Up

Mets Lineup

Rangers Lineup

Team Rankings

Team Leaders

Tidbits of Interest

• Mets at a Glance – The Mets had their two-game winning streak snapped last night and they are 12-9 in their last 21 games…New York won its recent series vs. Oakland, two games to one, and is 4-1-1 in its last six series.
• Series History  – Prior to this year, the two clubs met twice before during the regular season…The Mets won two of three in their only other matchup in Texas in 2003…New York also won two of three vs. the Rangers at Shea in 2008…Jose Reyes made his major league debut on June 10, 2003 at Texas…He batted ninth, played short and went 2-4 with a double and two runs scored.
• Road Games – The Mets will play 12 of their next 15 games away from Citi Field…New York is 19-19 on the road this season…The 19 wins are tied for the 11th-most in the majors…The Mets were 16-22 after 38 road games in 2010.
• Interleague – The Mets are 122-117 (.510) all-time during Interleague action…The Mets’ .510 winning percentage is the fourth-best all-time among NL clubs…The Mets are 4-6 in Interleague action after going 13-5 against the American League last year, setting a franchise record for wins in a single season.

   

  METS YEAR-BY-YEAR IN INTERLEAGUE PLAY
  1997	7-8		1998	9-7		1999	12-6
  2000	9-9		2001	10-8		2002	10–8
  2003	5-10		2004	10-8		2005	5-10
  2006	6-9		2007	8-7		2008	9-6
  2009	5-10		2010	13-5		2011	4-6

• Opponents – New York’s next three opponents (Texas, Detroit and the Yankees) are all above .500 and have a combined record of 124-103 (.546).
• NL East - The Mets lead all National League East teams in batting average (.255) and on-base percentage (.329) and are second in runs scored (315), one run behind Philadelphia.
• Offensive – Since May 22, the Mets are batting .274 (293-1,071), the fourth-highest mark in the majors…The team’s .337 on-base percentage during this stretch is the fourth-highest in the majors …The club’s 14 triples lead the majors and 10 home runs over that span are the fewest in the majors.
• RISP – The Mets were 2-7 with runners in scoring position last night…Over New York’s last 10 games, the Mets are hitting .235 (23-98) with RISP…In their previous 12 games, June 1-13, the team hit .305 (32-105) with RISP, the third-best mark in the majors…Overall, the Mets are hitting .247 (28-685), ranking 17th in the majors with RISP…New York pitchers have held opponents to a .259 (180-695) mark with runners in scoring position, ranking 22nd.
• Stolen Bases – New York leads the National League and is tied for third in the majors with 74 stolen bases, one behind Texas and two behind Kansas City…The Mets are tied for the major league lead with the Royals with 24 stolen bases in June.
• Jose Reyes – Leads the major leagues with 37 multi-hit games and 13 triples…Reyes ranks second in the majors with a .334 batting average, 107 hits and 26 stolen bases…He leads the NL with 56 runs scored and is second in the NL with a .353 batting average vs. righthanders…He is also tied for fourth in the NL with 36 extra-base hits.
• Justin Turner – Has driven in 29 runs (in 35 games) since May 14…Turner is tied with Neil Walker for fourth in the National League in RBI during this span, behind Prince Fielder (36), Matt Kemp (35) and Michael Morse (34)…Turner leads all major league rookies with .339 on-base percentage and is third with 32 RBI and a .267 batting average.
• Bullpen – Since May 16, the pen is 3-7 with a 6.04 ERA (62 ER/92.1 IP)…Overall, the 11 losses from the pen are tied for 15th in the majors….The bullpen staff is 25th in the majors with 4.33 ERA, tied for 10th with 32 holds and 11th with 201 strikeouts….The pen has allowed 25 home runs, the 6th most in the majors….Francisco Rodriguez is 4 saves shy of tying Roger McDowell for sixth on the club’s all-time list with 84…Rodriguez also has a 8.48 ERA over his last 12 outings.
• Mets Starters – Over their last 28 games, dating back to May 27, Mets starters have posted a 2.73 ERA (54 earned runs/178.0 innings)…The 2.72 ERA is the second-lowest in the majors over this span…Minnesota is first (2.57)…New York starters have allowed three runs or less in 22 of these 28 starts.
• Jonathon Niese – Is 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA (11 earned runs/44.0 innings) with 40 strikeouts in seven starts since May 18…The Mets lefthander is tied for sixth in the National League in wins during this span, ninth in ERA and 13th in strikeouts…Niese has allowed two earned runs or fewer in nine of his last 12 starts, including six of his last seven.
• Josh Satin – The Binghamton Mets third baseman went 4-4, hitting for the cycle last night at Bowie…Satin hit a solo home run in the first inning, singled in the third, doubled in the fifth and tripled in the seventh inning…Satin finished with two runs scored and two RBI…Satin is hitting .438 (17-39) over his last 10 games and is batting .316 (75-237) overall with the BMets.

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Like always,