Miami Marlins

New York Mets Play Ugly Defense in 4-4 Tie Against Miami Marlins

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The New York Mets lived up to the reputation of being a team lacking “defensive geniuses” on Sunday. Four errors, including three from Jeff McNeil, led to an ugly 4-4 tie against the Miami Marlins. The Marlins also had an ugly game at the plate as they went 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position.

If last season was not enough, McNeil proved he cannot play third base on an everyday basis. He is more than capable of playing at second base, but there is very little hope for him at the hot corner. Kevin Pillar made the fourth Mets error, dropping a routine fly ball hit directly at him. Jose Martinez also left the game with a knee injury in the fourth inning.

Marcus Stroman took the mound as the first Mets starter to make his second spring outing. Stroman was not as sharp but still pitched well overall. He allowed two runs over three innings on 52 pitches. Stroman’s velocity was a positive as he was sitting in the 92-93 range, and his split-changeup continued to produce swings and misses.

Offensively, the Mets scattered eight hits to produce their four runs. A three-run home run from Jonathan Villar was the biggest hit of the day and Villar’s first homer of the spring. Pillar recorded the only other extra-base with his line drive double off the left field fence.

The Mets are off TV again on Monday when they head to West Palm Beach to play the Washington Nationals. Jordan Yamamoto (0-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his first start of the spring against Joe Ross. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET from The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

 

New York Mets Shutout in 2-0 Opening Game Loss to the Miami Marlins

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As expected, pitching dominated the first spring training game for the New York Mets. All the Miami Marlins needed was a two-run home run from Jesus Aguilar to secure a 2-0, seven-inning victory. The Mets continued their 2020 tradition of leaving runners on base by going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

Brandon Nimmo led the way with two hits at the top of the order. J.D. Davis, Kevin Pillar, and Johneshwy Fargas were responsible for the other three Mets hits. Francisco Lindor also made his Mets debut but failed to record a hit in his two at-bats but recorded a nice play ranging up the middle.

The first three innings were very successful for the Mets pitchers against an aggressive Marlins lineup. Harol Gonzalez (10), Sean Reid-Foley (6), and Stephen Tarpley (8) combined for just 24 pitches in their respective innings of work. Ryley Gilliam was the only pitcher who struggled in his inning. Gilliam allowed a Starling Marte triple and the Aguilar home run.

Trevor Hildenberger worked out of a bases-loaded jam with three strikeouts sandwiched between scoreless innings from lefties Thomas Szapucki and Daniel Zamora. On Tuesday, the Mets play their home spring training opener against the Houston Astros. The first pitch is at 1:10 p.m. ET and will be televised on SNY. Framber Valdez will take the mound against Jordan Yamamoto.

New York Mets and Miami Marlins Postpone Game in Demonstration

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New York Mets

The 15 minutes of the SNY telecast between the New York Mets and Miami Marlins was what seemed like an eternity of eerieness and suspense. It looked like a standard game, with all the players in uniform and even stretching before the 7:10 start, but things changed instantly.

For the time between 7:00 and 7:10, players from both teams were outside their dugouts, and some on the field performing pre-game routines. Michael Wacha had not thrown a warmup pitch at any point, which made it evident at that point that there would be no baseball.

The Long Five Minutes

During the time between 7:10 and 7:15, the Mets were led out of the dugout by Dominic Smith and Billy Hamilton, the two black players on the active Mets roster. Their infielders warmed up, while Wacha and catcher Wilson Ramos just stood there watching for leadoff hitter Lewis Brinson to be announced.

After Brinson stepped into the box, Wacha stepped off the mound, and players from both teams lined up in front of their respective dugouts. They removed their caps and took a 42 second moment of silence on the eve of Jackie Robinson Day, which is celebrated by all teams on Friday.

After the 42 seconds ended, both teams tipped their caps to themselves and walked off the field. A lone “Black Lives Matter” t-shirt was left on home plate by Brinson and displayed on the scoreboard.

Brodie’s Face Turn

A leak from about 6 p.m. showed Brodie Van Wagenen discussing an idea Rob Manfred had for the players to leave the field at 7:10 p.m. then return to play an hour later. He criticized Manfred’s leadership ability saying, “he just doesn’t get it.”  After it broke, Van Wagenen released a press release saying it was Jeff Wilpon’s idea but with the corruption between Wilpon and Manfred, who knows who is being truthful.

Throughout the chaoticness of today, what both teams did are getting attention. Whatever emotion it made you feel, it did exactly what their goal was…create emotion and continue the conversation. Friday’s doubleheader is still up in the air, but if they play, game one against the New York Yankees starts at 4:10 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. Michael Wacha likely takes the mound against Jordan Montgomery.

Mets’ season will resume with doubleheader against Miami on Tuesday; Subway Series on tab for the weekend

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New York Mets, Robinson Cano

Thankfully, the New York Mets’ COVID-19-forced stoppage won’t last long. According to The New York Post’s Joel Sherman, there were no additional cases since the player and the coach tested positive for the virus on Thursday.

That means, per the journalist, that the New York Mets will resume their season on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins. The team’s general manager Brodie Van Wagenen will address the media on Monday morning to officialize the news.

The caveat is that the Mets and the Marlins will play a doubleheader Tuesday at Citi Field. That news was reported by Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The Mets didn’t play the series finale against the Fish and the Subway Series vs. the Yankees over the weekend after the two positives popped out. The club has been taking daily tests to ensure no one else contracted the disease.

Five Mets-Yankees classics!

A renewed edition of the Subway Series will take place this weekend, but with more games than previously anticipated. The Mets and the Yankees will play doubleheaders on Friday and Sunday, and they will have a single game on Saturday. The decision to play five games in three days is because MLB wants to make up the missed games last week.

Additionally, Sherman reported that the Mets and the Yankees will make up the other missed game on September 3.
As of now, the identities of the player and coach who tested positive are not yet known. For now, both remain quarantined in Miami.

The New York Mets currently have the ninth-best winning percentage in the National League, and there are eight playoff spots. They remain very much in playoff contention and were actually surging before their season had to be briefly halted.

The offense is coming around, thanks in large part to Robinson Cano and Dominic Smith, but there are major question marks in the starting pitching department behind proven ace Jacob deGrom.

New York Mets Series Preview: Miami Marlins (8/17-8/20)

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New York Mets, David Peterson

A matchup between the last-place New York Mets and first place Miami Marlins takes place in Miami for the first time during the 2020 season. The Marlins are the only team the Mets are over .500 against during 2020, taking two out of three so far.

Probable Pitching Matchups:

Monday, (8/17) @ 7:10 p.m. ET: Robert Gsellman (0-0, 9.00 ERA) vs. Jordan Yamamoto (0-1, 9.82 ERA)

Tuesday, (8/18) @ 7:10 p.m. ET: David Peterson (3-1, 2.91 ERA) vs. TBD

Wednesday, (8/19) @ 7:10 p.m. ET: TBD vs. TBD

Thursday, (8/20) @ 6:10 p.m. ET: TBD vs. TBD

Both teams come into the series with their starting rotations in shambles. The Mets have multiple pitchers dealing with injuries, while COVID-19 has kept the Marlins starters from taking the field. Despite their problems, the Marlins have the sixth-best ERA in baseball, while the Mets sit in the bottom third of baseball.

Will the Bats Wake Up?

The struggles of Pete Alonso and Wilson Ramos are hampering the Mets’ ability to drive in runs through the first half of the season. Both are barely hitting over .200 and are not supplying any power when they do put the ball in play. They also have to deal with other players who are outplaying them.

Tomas Nido is already better defender than Ramos and, at the moment, a better hitter as well. Manager Luis Rojas should look to ride the hot hand until he cools off or Ramos heats up. Dominic Smith has emerged as the Mets’ best power threat, and with the multiple options, the Mets have, Alonso is the odd man out for now. Luis Guillorme is white-hot at the plate, Jeff McNeil likely returns to left field during the series and a hot Robinson Cano at DH makes it tough to continue to play Alonso while the offense is cold.

Who Pitches the Last Two Games?

With the future of Steven Matz in the starting rotation as a significant question, Franklyn Kilome may make a start at the end of the series. In his only big-league outing, he allowed two runs over four innings while striking out five. Kilome is still an unproven option, but it is hard to think he will pitch worse than the 9.00 ERA Matz currently owns.

Jacob deGrom is also recovering a neck injury, but the Mets have been silent on his status. The injury was severe enough to scratch him from his start but no severe enough for an IL stint or rule him out for the last two games of the series. Each series has become a must-win for the Mets, and they will need their ace on their mound as often as possible.

Interesting Stats

Dominic Smith Batting Fourth in 2020: 6-for-15 (.400), 2 Doubles, 2 Home Runs, 6 RBIs, Walk, 3 Strikeouts

Luis Guillorme vs. RHP in 2020: 11-for-21 (.524), 2 Doubles, 5 RBI, 3 Walks, 3 Strikeouts

New York Mets OBP: .346 (2nd in MLB)

New York Mets OBP w/RISP: .296 (27th in MLB)

New York Mets: Late Comeback Wasn’t Enough in 4-3 Loss

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New York Mets, Brandon Nimmo

If there were a baseball version of the movie “The Replacements,” the Miami Marlins would be perfect for the role. After COVID-19 ran rampant through their entire roster, they went deep into their 60-man player pool to move to 7-1 with their 4-3 win against the New York Mets. 

The Mets’ inability to capitalize on their biggest scoring opportunity is the biggest reason why they fell to 5-9 on the season. After a run-scoring error and a J.D. Davis RBI single, the Mets had the bases loaded with only one out.

Dominic Smith had a solo-homer on the night but failed to hit a deep enough fly ball to get the tying run across. Wilson Ramos followed him with a lined shot up the middle, but Eddy Alvarez was able to knock it down. Ramos moves similarly to the average NFL offensive lineman, and it was an easy out for Ramirez to make.

An overlooked play in the game came during the third inning when Michael Conforto blooped a double into left field. Brandon Nimmo was the runner on first and did not notice when the ball trickled past left fielder Corey Dickerson. Instead of keeping his eyes on the ball, he assumed Dickerson would field the ball cleanly and slid into third instead of easily scoring. The mistake ended up being part of the difference in the loss.

One-Bad Inning

Michael Wacha wishes he could make the second inning of his start disappear. After striking out the side in the first inning, he allowed all four runs of the game in that second inning. There was a noticeable dip in velocity from in his fastball, which contributed to the poor second inning. Wacha was around 96-97 in the first but dropped a couple of miles per hour after.

Wacha adjusted after that and had a high strikeout game, recording nine of them on the night. He even struck out four in a row at one point, giving the Mets a bright ending to what looked like a poor start.

One of the Marlins replacements was their starter, Humberto Mejia. The rookie never pitched an inning above high-A but held his own in a bullpen game for the Marlins. Six of the seven outs he recorded were strikeouts, and despite sitting around 92-93 with his fastball, the Mets could not touch it.

A couple of positive for the Mets came from Chasen Shreve and Pete Alonso. Shreve gave the Mets 2.1 innings following Wacha, only allowing one walk and striking out five. His ERA is 2.84 an impressive 14.21 K/9 in 6.1 innings this season.

Alonso is slowly getting himself out of his season-long slump. He continued trending upwards, lining a double off the center-field fence, and recording a single to the opposite field. Most importantly is Alonso making use of the whole field and letting his power come naturally.

The Marlins have not announced a starter for Saturday’s matchup, but whoever it is will be facing David Peterson. The rookie is making his home debut and looks to continue his strong start to the season. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m ET.

MLB: Phillies-Blue Jays weekend series postponed; likely to impact Yankees

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The Marlins’ coronavirus outbreak, according to Commissioner Rob Manfred, hasn’t reached nightmare status, but is sure giving MLB a big headache. Miami and the Philadelphia Phillies haven’t played since the weekend, and as it turns out, the Phils won’t return to play on Saturday as it was previously scheduled.

A Phillies coach and a stadium staffer tested positive for COVID-19 just days after the Marlins played in town. Now, as a result, and despite no players testing positive, the team won’t play against the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend. That will likely affect the Yankees, as well, as we will explain.

Per Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reports the Phillies’ weekend series vs. the Toronto Blue Jays has been postponed. The two clubs were slated to play a doubleheader on Saturday and another game on Sunday, but that plan is now out the window.

Both the Marlins and the Phillies haven’t played since last Sunday, when they faced each other at Citizens Bank Park. Since last week, a total of 17 Marlins players plus two coaches have contracted the disease. MLB says the season isn’t in jeopardy, but this has to be an inconvenient turn of events for the league as it tries to navigate through the season.

MLB is maneuvering on the go

The Phillies, upon receiving the news of the two positives, canceled all stadium activity at the Citizens Bank Park, including a team workout.

“The Phillies have received the results of yesterday’s testing,” the team said in a statement. “While no players tested positive for COVID-19, there were two staff members that did test positive. One is a member of the coaching staff and one of a member of the home clubhouse staff. All activity at Citizens Bank Park has been cancelled today and until further notice.”

Citizens Bank Park was going to be the venue in which the Phillies and Blue Jays were going to play on the weekend. Now, MLB’s COVID-19 crisis has affected yet another team’s schedule: the Blue Jays.

Toronto remains with no home and now, with no opponent. It will play in Buffalo but the stadium isn’t yet ready.

As of now, the Phillies are scheduled to play the Yankees on Monday and Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, then Wednesday and Thursday at Citizens Bank Park against the Bombers. COVID-19 will have the last word about that four-game series.

Breaking News: Philadelphia Phillies likely infected by the Miami Marlins

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New York Yankees, Yankees, Joe Girardi

Jeff Passan of ESPN has reported that the MLB Philadelphia Phillies have canceled workouts today after a coach and clubhouse attendant tested positive for coronavirus. Activities are shut down “until further notice,” according to the team.

Joe Girardi‘s Philadelphia Phillies were exposed to the virus during a weekend series with the Miami Marlins.  Since the first day of the Marlins/Phillies series, more than half of the Marlin’s team has become infected by the virus, including some of the crew.

The incubation period for CV-19 is such that more positives for the Phillies are likely coming in the next few days.  They were scheduled to play the Toronto Blue Jays in the coming days.  That now likely will not happen. All of the baseball world thought or at least hoped that the two games postponed on Monday would be the end of this.  This new news put the future into even more unknown.

Further, the Marlin’s had another positive test today according to Ken Rosenthal.  That brings the total of Miami Marline infected to 17. MLB will wind their way through these outbreaks as it endeavors to complete a 60 game baseball season.

Stay with EmpireSportsMedia.com for future updates on the continuing baseball news.

 

 

MLB News: Dr. Fauci and Commissioner Manfred on the COVID crisis

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After the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies game was canceled yesterday, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Rob Manfred have both spoken out on the coronavirus outbreak that has affected the Miami Marlins who had their game with Baltimore canceled as well.  The Marlins over the weekend had 14 staff, including two crew test positive for the coronavirus.  Both the Phillies and the Marlins have been tested, and results have yet to be released.

Dr. Fauci on Good Morning America this morning talked about the virus outbreak. Fauci is the leading infectious disease expert in the country.

“Major League Baseball — the players, the owners, the managers — have put a lot of effort into getting together and putting protocols that we feel would work,” Fauci said. “It’s very unfortunate what happened with the Miami (Marlins).”

On the MLB Network baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred had this to say:

“Obviously, we don’t want any player to get exposed. It’s not a positive thing.” “But I don’t see it as a nightmare. … We think we can keep people safe and continue to play.”

“If the testing results are acceptable, the Marlins will resume play in Baltimore on Wednesday against the Orioles,” Manfred said.

Manfred said there are factors that would force MLB to alter plans.

“A team losing a number of players that rendered it completely non-competitive would be an issue that we would have to address and have to think about making a change,” he said. “Whether that was shutting down a part of the season, the whole season, that depends on the circumstances. Same thing with respect to league-wide. You get to a certain point league-wide where it does become a health threat, and we certainly would shut down at that point.”

The Nationals will face the Marlins over the weekend in Miami, and Nationals manager Davey Martinez is scared.  Martinez could be considered a person at high risk with existing conditions.  He missed time last season with heart issues.

“I’m going to be honest with you: I’m scared,” Martinez said. “My level of concern went from about an eight to a 12. I mean this thing really hits home now. … I got guys in our clubhouse that are really concerned, as well.”

Meanwhile, the New York Yankees await the test results of the Philadelphia Phillies so that they can decide on a path forward that may include having one or two doubleheaders at Yankee Stadium to get in the four-game series before the face the Boston Red Sox.

Joel Sherman
@Joelsherman1
Heard the #Yankees are leaving Philadelphia early this afternoon to head back to NY. They are going to practice at Yankee Stadium tonight
9:54 AM · Jul 28, 2020
Considering the fatigue factor, the Yankees will have to consider if playing one or two doubleheaders is advisable, or if one or two games will be made upon off days, which there are a precious few, or to tack one of the games onto the end of the season.  Future rescheduling problems will have to come under consideration as they are bound to happen as the season progresses.

 

MLB Analysis: It’s the health protocols dummy, are they being followed?

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As of the time of this writing, early in the morning, the New York Yankees lay in wait.  Everything is at a standstill after the Miami Marlins had 14 staff, including 12 players test positive for the coronavirus.  Marlins and Oriole game and the New York Yankees Phillies game were postponed.

The biggest problem facing MLB is people not following the rules, and that includes the general population, players, and even managers.  Right now, the most significant threat for the baseball season is the state of Florida where the Miami Marlins are from. It is no coincidence that Florida players were the first team to have a widespread outbreak.  There are over 10k people a day testing positive.  The worst is in Miami/Dade county, where the Marlins are located.

The state has handled the virus poorly, favoring the opening of the economy in exchange for accepting unacceptable death rates.  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has done little to protect Florida citizens, instead  leaving it up to counties and cities.  Without a statewide plan, the problem will not be solved.  Even in the counties with the tightest regulations (Miami/Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach), many people don’t wear masks. Beaches are packed, and social distancing is not being followed.

The only statewide ban is on bars being open.  Restaurants and other entertainment facilities are still open with 50% capacity regs.  That includes gyms, bowling alleys, concerts, and etc. Although this article may seem like one on the Florida situation, it’s not, it’s about the Miami Marlins and the environment they live in.

Could it be that one Miami Marlin player didn’t follow the MLB protocols and went into a restaurant or gym, caught the virus, and brought it home to his team?  Although it can’t be substantiated, that is most likely what happened. The 101 page MLB protocol pretty much protects the players, but not if the protocols are not followed rigidly.

If this season is to be completed, everyone must follow them always.  Is it being done?  The flat answer is no.  This past weekend as the 2020 baseball season opened, we saw that some followed protocols and some didn’t, everyone has to for the safety protections to work.  Even the New York Yankees are not following them.  In Sunday’s game at Nationals Park, I saw catcher Gary Sanchez spit several times, I saw balls that should have been thrown out stay in play.  I saw high fives. Some players in the dugout had masks, others didn’t.  Even manager Aaron Judge stopped wearing his mask properly. For most of the game, he did not have his nose covered.

And it is hardly just the Yankees.  On tv, I saw a St. Louis manager come to argue with an empire, no mask, and not staying six feet away. One team had a walk-off win and all the players piled on at home plate. I may have only seen the tip of the iceberg.  Most players are not wearing masks where social distancing can’t be practiced in packed dugouts. This practice is going on throughout baseball. Yesterday MLB issued even more strict regulations.  But they must be followed and enforcement is lacking.

Yankee Adam Ottavino let the cat out of the bag in a Zoom interview when he indicated that the locker room gang showers are being used.  He mentioned this because there was not any communal shampoo, and he had to go back to his locker to get his.

An example of the lack of enforcement is that players are supposed to stay in hotel rooms.  Of course, that is difficult for young men, but MLB only puts one player in charge of being sure that is followed. If every player followed the lead of Clint Frazier this would be a safer baseball world.

So where does that leave MLB going forward? The Yankees may forego the games in Philadelphia and play two doubleheaders at Yankee Stadium instead. The Marlins may forego their opening day at Marlins Park and play in Baltimore instead. When all the tests are known this morning it will give some direction to the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins.

One thing is very clear, teams in Florida, Texas, California, and more, where the virus is surging will have to follow health protocols to the letter, so they don’t carry the virus to uninfected teams if there is any chance of completing this short 60 game baseball season.