Michael Wacha

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.

New York Mets: Pitching Struggles Continue in Fourth Straight Loss

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Michael Wacha had nothing in his second start for the New York Mets, and it was evident from the first inning. It was the second straight night the Mets starter failed to pitch five innings, and their lack of offense led to a 7-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

The Mets never had a lead at any point during the game. The Braves started their scoring early with a Marcell Ozuna first inning, two-run home run to give the Braves a 2-0 lead. They added on to their lead in the second inning as back-to-back doubles from Tyler Flowers, and Ronald Acuna Jr. followed by an Ozzie Albies single, gave Atlanta a quick 5-0 lead.

Wacha was stuck in his mess all night. His lack of control and ability to put hitters away forced him to throw 96 pitches in the four innings he pitched. Once the Mets fell behind early, they played like a team who lost any life they had left.

Ugly Offense

The Mets only mustered one run, which came on a Robinson Cano sacrifice fly. Their offense struggled to drive in fields as they went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left ten runners on base. Despite the struggles as a team, Cano continued his hot hitting. Cano’s double was the only extra-base hit they had all night.

The one bright spot from the loss is the MLB debut for Franklyn Kilome. He came out of the bullpen following Wacha and pitched very well. Kilome kept the Braves hitters off-balanced and confused, throwing four innings, allowing two runs and striking out five without walking a batter. He also retired nine in a row to finish his night. Not only did he earn a future role but rested a struggling Mets bullpen.

Another bright spot is Jeff McNeil’s 12-pitch at-bat while the Mets were down 7-1 and with two outs in the ninth. McNeil continued to fight and work out a walk to extend the game another batter. It was not the type of at-bat the Mets have put together frequently and shows the focus McNeil has. Most players would have given up the at-bat to end the game.

The Mets attempt to stop their losing streak as David Peterson takes the mound in his second career start on Sunday. He faces off against Kyle Wright, and the first pitch from Truist Park is at 1:10 p.m. ET.

New York Mets Find Their Offense and Wacha Shines in 7-4 Win

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The New York Mets only needed four innings to surpass their scoring total from the first three games of the season. They did all of their scoring during innings 2-4 and used three home runs to fuel their 7-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The win was also Michael Wacha‘s first in a Mets uniform.

Two-run home runs from Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso in the second and third inning got things started. Both were monster shots but in different ways. Conforto’s traveled 434-feet while Alonso’s was a missile coming off the bat at 116 mph. Dominic Smith added a three-run homer in the fourth to extend the Mets lead to seven. Wilson Ramos also added a double and single to the Mets offense.

Splendid Debut

Michael Wacha had an opposite debut to Rick Porcello. He gave the Mets five strong innings, allowing five hits, striking out four and the only run coming on a Mitch Moreland home run. Wacha kept the Red Sox off balance throughout his start, using his changeup and cutter very effectively. It is a good sign for the Mets rotation, which had significant concerns after Porcello’s disastrous start.

Chasen Shreve pitched two innings following Wacha with the only blemish coming on a Xander Bogaerts home run. The line for Jeurys Familia was uglier than it was during the game. Outside of a Rafael Devers double, the Red Sox did not do too much damage.

A groundball Jeff McNeil could have thrown home in a closer game resulted in an out, and the other hit came on a seeing-eye single up the middle. Familia’s control was not as sharp as it was during his first outing, but his slider was very sharp.

Seth Lugo cleaned up the mess in the eighth and carried the momentum to the ninth inning to retired all four batters in his four-out save. Through the first two outings, it is evident that Lugo is already the best Mets reliever.

For Tuesday’s matchup, the Mets still have not named a starter as of 11 p.m. on Monday. The likeliest option is either David Peterson to make his MLB debut or a bullpen game. Whoever pitches will be opposed by Matt Hall from the Red Sox. The first pitch is at 7:30 p.m. ET.

New York Mets Series Preview: The First Two in Boston

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Two teams with disappointing starts to their season start a home and home, four-game series. The New York Mets travel to Boston to face the Red Sox as both teams come in at 1-2. Each team lost their opening series to the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles, respectively, and are dealing with starting rotation issues.

Probable Pitching Matchups

7/27 @ 7:35 p.m. ET: Michael Wacha (Season Debut) vs. Josh Osich (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

7/28 @ 7:30 p.m. ET: TBD vs. Matt Hall (Season Debut)

The first 17 innings of the Mets season looked very promising. Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz dominated the Braves offense, and the offense provided just enough support to give them a lead. All it took was one Edwin Diaz fastball to turn things around for the Braves. Starting with a Marcell Ozuna home run, the Braves outscored the Mets 18-2 in the final 11 innings of the series.

Wacha Debut

Rick Porcello struggled in his Mets debut, and Wacha hopes to answer the questions surrounding their starting rotation. He once was a promising young pitcher with the Cardinals, but the veteran is trying to revive his career with the Mets. Wacha pitched exceptionally well during summer camp and is hoping to ride the momentum through the rest of the 60-game season.

Wacha’s outing will have a lot on determining Tuesday’s starting pitcher. Since Corey Oswalt pitched in Sunday’s loss, signs indicated a bullpen game for Tuesday if Wacha gives the Mets 5-6 good innings. David Peterson remains an option for the Mets, but they have to remove someone from the 40-man roster to make room for him.

Struggling Offense

The Mets only scored five runs over the first three games. Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo are the only players who looked game ready at the plate. The rest of the Mets are still getting their timing and swings back into mid-season form. The Red Sox allowed seven runs in back to back losses and have a pitching staff in worse shape than the Mets. This would be a great opportunity for the Mets to kick start their offense.

One thing to look out for is what happens if the Mets have a lead late in the game. Edwin Diaz already has a blown save on the season, and the leash is extremely short, especially with the Mets starting slow. Another thing to look out for is the bat of Robinson Cano. The veteran is a career .335 hitter at Fenway Park. His 15 home runs are tied for second-most at any road ballpark for Cano.

New York Mets: Michael Wacha Dominates Intrasquad Game

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New York Mets, Michael Wacha

The New York Mets played another summer camp game to get themselves ready for their weekend exhibition series against the New York Yankees. Michael Wacha stole the show with a terrific pitching performance as he tries to assure the Mets he can fill Noah Syndergaard‘s absence.

Wacha pitched five no-hit innings, which included an extra batter in some of the innings. He struck out four batters on only 69 pitches, with the only baserunner coming on a Dominic Smith error. After the long layoff, the pitchers usually have the upper hand on the hitters. Wacha still looked sharp, his changeup strong as ever, and improved his curveball from 2019.

Any Offense?

Wilson Ramos and Ryan Cordell both added home runs in the matchup. The blue squad defeated the white squad 3-1 but also received encouraging signs just based on the players who could take the field. Jed Lowrie, Yoenis Cespedes, and Robinson Cano both played in the game and came out of it without any issues.

Cano and Cespedes also added hits for the blue team while J.D. Davis recorded the only hit for the white team. Lastly, the Mets release some of their fan cutouts that will be in the stands during the season.

Yankees and Mets’ stars played “secret” games in recent weeks to stay sharp

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New York Yankees, Yankees, Giancarlo Stanton

Coronavirus forced MLB to suspend the start of the season, which was scheduled for March 26, indefinitely. Uncertainty then broke into the scene, and players had to figure out ways to keep themselves in shape in case baseball came back eventually, which it did. That’s why a group of stars, including some in the New York Yankees and New York Mets, found creative solutions.

According to Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic, New York Yankees’ outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and New York Mets’ pitchers Robert Gsellman and Michael Wacha took part in “underground” baseball games in recent weeks to stay sharp with the start of the season in mind. Other known players to participate were aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander of the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros, respectively.

The group of players was led by Eric Cressey, who the Yankees hired this season to supervise their training, strength and conditioning programs. His wife Anna worked alongside him, and they all trained at Cressey’s gyms while eventually playing games.

“If people knew what we were doing, we would have had 10,000 people at Palm Beach Gardens High School to watch us,” Cressey told Ghiroli.

The Mets had several players taking part

The games featured strict social distancing rules that forbade sliding and included the use of up to 56 different baseballs. In one of those games, per SNY.tv, the Mets’ Gsellman started opposite his now-teammate Wacha.

Also in attendance were New York Mets’ hurler Noah Syndergaard, who was present to rehab his surgically-repaired right elbow. He will miss the 2020 season but will come back in 2021 in what will be his final year of arbitration eligibility.

Training camps are opening and all teams, including the Mets and the Yankees, will start hosting “Summer Camp” in preparation for the season that is slated to start on July 23.

New York Mets: Is the Starting Rotation Actually Set?

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Each day inches closer to the hope of baseball returning, and the New York Mets will have some crucial decision to make with their roster. Seth Lugo is a versatile weapon in the pitching staff and could sneak his way back into the starting rotation during this shortened season.

The original thought when Noah Syndergaard had to get Tommy John Surgery was Michael Wacha sliding in to take his place. As the season gets shorter and shorter, the idea of Seth Lugo moving into the rotation should have weight.

Reasons to Start Lugo

If Syndergaard were healthy, the urgency would not be as high. The Mets need to replace his production, and there is no guarantee Steven Matz, Rick Porcello, or Wacha could do the same. Lugo has a 4.06 ERA during his career as a starter, compared to 2.52 in the bullpen. His K/9 is three better as a reliever. A move to the rotation moves him from a dominant reliever to a solid starter.

There are concerns about Lugo’s workload as a reliever, which limited his usage early in the season. The extended period on the sidelines has allowed his injured elbow to heal. If the season is 100 games and everything works as planned, Lugo makes no more than 20 starts. His average 5.5 innings per start would equal 110 innings. It would be the most he has thrown in a season, but there are ways to limit the number.

The shortened season could include a roster expansion from 26 to 30. The Mets could implement a six-man rotation that includes Lugo in the mix. In that situation, he could pitch out of the bullpen late in the season as well. It would keep him around the 100 inning mark Lugo reached in 2017 and 2018.

Lugo could also remain in the rotation until the Mets acquire a starter. He spends half the season starting and the rest in the bullpen. It becomes another way for the Mets to get the most out of him.

There are plenty of avenues for the Mets to go with Lugo. Teams throughout baseball do not have weapons like these, and the Mets should make the most out of a shortened season.

New York Mets: Michael Wacha embraced technology to improve his game thanks to his dad

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Simeon Woods-Richardson

It seems like Michael Wacha has been around for ages. He was, after all, the MVP of the National League Championship Series back in 2013. But believe it or not, he is still only 28 years old. The New York Mets didn’t care about his 2019 struggles (4.76 ERA, 5.61 FIP) and signed him to a one-year deal this offseason. They believe he can return to form.

And Wacha himself explained to Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News that he has worked to fix his mechanics. He believes they got “out of whack” over the last couple of years.

As he told Thosar, Wacha wasn’t one for using technology to improve his performance, but with the help of his father Tom, he has decided to do it this winter.

He showed up to spring training throwing harder than at any point in the last year. It started by watching and analyzing videos of his mechanics with his dad.

The Mets have faith in him

Tom was the one who pulled up videos of Michael’s 2019 starts with the St. Louis Cardinals. They both looked at critical things such as release point, spin rate, arm slot and other mechanics.

“I’ve always just been like, I’m going to out-compete this guy,” Wacha said earlier in March. “I usually take it on myself and not really understand — OK, that’s a bad pitch because of this, and maybe this will work better because of the spin rate or the ride on this pitch.”

It all started before he signed with the New York Mets. After initially being on the outside looking for a rotation spot given that the team had Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, Steven Matz and fellow free agent signing Rick Porcello, he is now a sure thing to be in the top five because of Thor’s injury.

“My dad definitely pulled up quite a bit of the videos,” Wacha said. “He’s got some websites — I don’t even know where he looks it up. He’s got my release points at certain times during the year when I’m not pitching good. He was definitely getting into it this offseason and passing along some information to me. I think it was very helpful for sure.”

Wacha will try to improve on his 4.76 ERA and 1.563 WHIP. Let’s hope there is a season and he has a shot to do it.

New York Mets: The Effect the Delay Has on the Mets Starting Pitching

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

Before Coronavirus forced the MLB to put a halt on their season, the New York Mets were flexing their biggest muscle throughout Spring Training. Their starting pitching, headlined by back-to-back Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom, was close to unhittable.

All six starters the Mets could have featured all looked regular-season ready. After the Mets closed their facilities on Tuesday as a COVID-19 measure, it left the players to work out on their own. The season likely will not start until May, which forces the pitchers into unchartered territory. They face a second offseason but still have to keep themselves in shape if the season starts up again.

Starting Pitcher Battles

The biggest battle was between Steven Matz and Michael Wacha. Both hoped to emerge as the fifth starter while the other would be a reliever. Matz had the upper hand when Spring Training ended, but now he has to build up momentum again when the season resumes. It will be interesting to see the different ways the Mets players adjust to a sudden layoff with restrictions on where they can be.

One positive to take away is the extra time Dellin Betances, Michael Conforto, Yoenis Cespedes, and we guess Jed Lowrie have to rehab. All four of their injuries are severe ones to heal. They also were likely to all miss opening day. The extra eight weeks, at least, should give them all ample time to get themselves ready to go when baseball makes its triumphant comeback.

New York Mets: Nimmo, Rosario Heat Up in 3-2 Loss to Astros

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The New York Mets took on the Houston Astros in West Palm Beach for their 13th game of the Spring. It was a tightly contested pitchers duel throughout as Michael Wacha took the mound in his third Spring outing.

Things started great for the Mets as Brandon Nimmo led off the game with a triple of Lance McCullers. It was one of his two hits on the day, which moved his average to an even .400. Pete Alonso drove him in with a groundout to immediately give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

Amed Rosario provided an encore in the second inning with his first triple of the Spring, which also led off the inning. He now has hits in back to back games after his hitless start. Eduardo Nunez played the role of Alonso to drive in Rosario in the following at-bat. Those would be the only two runs the Mets mustered all game.

Wacha’s Outing

Michael Wacha spent his outing tiptoeing out of trouble throughout. After retiring the first two in the first inning, he back to back singles before escaping the inning. In the second, Wacha worked around a Carlos Correa double to keep the Astros off the board.

The trouble was too much to escape in the third inning. A George Springer single and stolen base followed by a Josh Reddick walk to set up runners on first and second with no one out. Wacha retired the following two hitters and seemed poised to get out of a third straight jam. Unfortunately, Michael Brantley got to him for an RBI single, which would be all Wacha allowed.

Over three innings, he allowed five hits, one run, a walk, and struck out two batters. It was not a dominant outing by any means, but he battled throughout.

Following Wacha, all minor leaguers took the mound. Yelfy Ramirez took the loss by allowing a walk-off home run to Chas McCormick to lead off the bottom of the ninth. The big concern comes from the 2-3-4 combo of Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, and Wilson Ramos. They all went 0-for-11 with four strikeouts and only produced the Alonso RBI ground out.

Steven Matz takes the mound at Port St. Lucie on Saturday when he faces the Washington Nationals. It will be interesting to see how he follows up on the performances from Wacha and Rick Porcello.