But none of those moments could compare to watching Harvey pitch.

Although I have been able to watch him dominate all season long on television, there is nothing like seeing the control and aggressiveness that comes from a Harvey pitching performance. You could feel the electricity in the air with every strikeout Harvey tossed (he would end up finishing the night with 6) even considering that barely half of the seats at Citi Field were filled for the Wednesday evening game.

What really drove home Harvey's affect on the Mets fan base though was the drama of the final inning. At first, it was unsure if Mets fans would see Harvey come out to finish up the game. But with a 5-0 lead and only 91 pitches under his belt, Harvey trotted out to the mound to try to end it. Harvey quickly took care of the first two batters (the above video is a Dexter Fowler swing-and-miss) before Rockies left fielder Charlie Blackmon came up.

With every present Mets fan on their feet cheering for a quick finish to the game's final batter, Blackmon sent a screeching fast ball right back to the mound to hit Harvey on the knee. The noise from the crowd couldn't have left the stadium quicker. 

Fortunately, Harvey was perfectly fine (or for as far as we now know) and came back to force a Troy Tulowitzi pop out to end the game. Matt Harvey finished the game with only 4 hits and 0 runs allowed over 9 innings for his first complete game shutout. Impressive, absolutely, but what will stay with me longer is just how quiet the stadium got upon the Fowler line drive hitting off Harvey's knee.

For a team and a franchise that has struggled so much in recent years, Harvey's dominance is one of the biggest rays of hope it could have asked for. Every Mets fan knows that if the Mets are to be taken seriously within the next five years, then Matt Harvey will have to be a huge part of that. And for a split second on Wednesday night, the Mets had that hope crushed with the thought of an injury to their rising star.

I don't really think that there are really any Mets fans who are taking Harvey for granted, per say, but it is nice knowing that in another down season like 2013 that a terrific performance is guaranteed at least once every five games. 

But then one plunk on the knee is all it takes to drive home that for the Mets to be any sort of successful in the next few years, Matt Harvey needs to continue to be consistent, dominant, and, above all, healthy.

A case for the third baseman’s Cooperstown chances

By Mike Corasaniti

Maybe it’s a good time to debate the legacy of David Wright as the New York Mets third baseman rests up on the 15-day disabled list.

Wright solidified another spot in Mets history shortly before his injury last week. He tied Mike Piazza for second most home runs as a Met with No. 220; just another accomplishment though for a man who’s legacy has been a hot topic this year.

Wright’s spotlight has shone brighter this summer with the All-Star Game coming to Citi Field. And his captaincy for the NL in the Home Run Derby only brought him more attention.

And so it has all recently begged an interesting question: Is David Wright worthy of the Hall of Fame?

The 30-year-old is now in his tenth season with the Mets. In his tenure, he has batted a consistent .300 (.301 at the time of his current injury), been named just the fourth captain of the Mets, and helped lead a run to the NLCS.

It is difficult at this point to imagine the Mets making it to a World Series within the next few years, let alone actually winning one. And it is sad to think that such a talent might be wasted on a team that does not seem to be returning to legitimacy quickly.

Many players have obviously made it to Cooperstown without ever winning a title. But could a player with only ten career postseason appearances qualify for the Hall of Fame?

Wright’s postseason numbers are not even impressive. He batted only .216 over 37 at bats through the 2007 NLDS and NLCS despite driving in New York’s lone run in the NLCS’s Game 7.

So the conversation then changes to if the Mets return to the playoffs.

Say in a few years that Matt Harvey leads a strong rotation and the general manager adds a few more offensive powers in the lineup to protect Wright. It would not be too outrageous (but maybe a little outrageous) to say that the Mets only need a few pieces like that to return to the playoffs and maybe even make a legitimate run.

That would make Wright the leader of a World Series champion team to accentuate his excellent player.

But then you have the discussion of individual awards.

Wright’s honors include 2 Gold Gloves, 2 Silver Sluggers, and seven All-Star Game appearances since 2006 (he missed out in 2011 due to injury). That alone would not be enough for serious Hall consideration.

It would indeed be a sad sight for Wright and Mets fans alike if the team could not bring itself together in the coming years to make a a solid playoff run. Wright have easily courted countless other teams years ago instead of signing long-term with New York. He stayed in Queens instead of chasing better chances at winning easily elsewhere.

To say that his years spent with the Mets without postseason success were a waste would be overdramatic. For a decade now, Wright has provided Mets fans quality baseball, good character, and a sense of stability throughout his already excellent career,

What would be a waste is to vote against a player like Wright, who has played like a Hall of Famer for his entire Met career, regardless of the success or failures of the Mets themselves.

By Mike Corasaniti

It’s been a while since I have been able to brag about being a Mets fan.

It’s not that I have ever had any issues staying loyal; the Mets have been my team since I’ve been able to understand the game of baseball. But when mediocre to not-so-great seasons begin to pile up, it becomes difficult to find a specific rallying point fighting for third place aside to give the fan inside of me some optimism.

It didn’t cross my mind that the player to give me hope would be a 37-year-old knuckleballer from Tennessee.

R.A. Dickey, one of the few bright lights for the Mets this season, is enjoying the best season of his career. He is near the top in all three pitching Triple Crown categories (wins, ERA, strikeouts) and is responsible for almost a third of the Mets wins this season. But how can one pitcher, on a team with nothing to play for for a sixth straight season, provide something to root for?
When it comes down to it, every fan needs a rallying point. Dickey may not be the most conventional rallying point out there, but it is pretty amazing that some old journeyman is inexplicably gunning down batters and winning games with some weird pitch. That alone is enough to give fans and supporters reason to say, “Well, we really suck this year, but at least Dickey could still win the Cy Young.”
The Mets, who haven’t had a Cy Young Winner since Dwight Gooden won 24 games in 1985, have indeed made it a little difficult for fans to keep rooting late into September, with October baseball always out of reach. One of the most difficult things about this season in particular is that the first couple of months offered so much promise. New York was flirting with first place in both the division and the Wild Card, up until the All-Star Break, David Wright was hitting what seemed like .400 through June and Johan Santana tossed the first no-hitter in franchise history.

But now, after the Mets and their bullpen unraveled into a below-average team, Dickey has become the clear face to stand behind. Forget about his incredible back-story. You still have a pitcher that should be in the twilight of his career performing as one of the most unhittable pitchers in all of baseball.

Truthfully, if it wasn’t Dickey, it would be somebody else. Maybe we would be hoping that Wright finishes the season over .300, or maybe fans would simply adopt the “wait ‘till next year” mentality. But this year, it is Dickey. And that is something pretty special for fans of all teams. It proves that hope can be found even in the strangest of places, that a dominant force can come out of a terrible team.

Everybody needs a rallying point, even and especially if that rallying point is a 37-year-old knuckleballer from Tennessee.



This article can be seen in The Daily Campus

If the New York Mets were only going to win one game in this series against the Cincinnati Reds, it was going to be this one.

Things were looking pretty good with Chris Young on the mound, who tossed 5.2 scoreless innings before getting into trouble in the sixth. The game was left in the hands of the Mets bullpen. 

Here are a few statistical reasons why that can’t happen this series, especially against the Reds:

• The Mets bullpen ERA is flirting with 5.00 (worst in baseball) while the Reds bullpen ERA is 2.66 (best in baseball).

• The Mets bullpen has lost more than 20 games for New York while Cincinnati’s has won more than 20 for the Reds.

• The Mets bullpen has given up almost 200 runs (third worst in baseball) while the Reds bullpen has barely given up 100 (again the best in baseball).
  

But then something strange happened: Ramon Ramirez actually got Drew Stubbs to ground out, getting the Mets out of the sixth inning unscathed but still tied 0-0.

Surely, soon enough, the pitching staff was going to send in someone to blow the game, but Bobby Parnell got the Mets through the seventh. And then Jon Rauch got the Mets through the eighth. Was the bullpen finally going to not just keep the game close but actually carry a struggling Mets offense?

Of course not.

Manny Acosta walked Brandon Phillips to start the bottom of the ninth inning before giving up a single to Ryan Ludwick that put runners on first and second with no outs. That was enough for Terry Collins to bring in Josh Edgin to replace Acosta. Then Jay Bruce came up and smacked one out and the game was over.

When all was said and done, New York’s pitching had held the Cincinnati offense to 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position (0-for-9 excluding the Bruce homer) with the Reds stranding 14 runners in total going into the ninth inning. In other words, the Mets offense had the perfect opportunity to steal one from the second-best (record speaking) team in baseball.

Instead, the Mets went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position while leaving 10 runners on base. And while Young did alright, starters for the Mets need to last more than 5.2 innings with the current state of the bullpen.

Hopefully Matt Harvey can last seven or eight innings tomorrow with a little more run support than offered Tuesday night. If not, it will be much tougher to imagine the team leaving Cincinnati with a win.


This article can be seen on Bleacher Report

Just when things were starting to look up, the New York Mets took a look at their upcoming schedule.

First up, starting Tuesday the Mets will have a three-game series at the Great American Ball Park against the Cincinnati Reds. Just as a reminder, the Reds are currently atop the NL Central with the second best record in baseball (69-46) and have more wins at home than anyone else in Major League Baseball (besides the Pirates who also have 36 home wins on the season).

Following that little Ohio getaway will be a trip to the nation's capital for another three games with the Washington Nationals. And in case you have forgotten who is currently sitting pretty in first in the NL East, it's the Nationals, the only team in baseball right now with more than 70 wins. But let's look at some positives before analyzing how terrifying the week ahead sounds for New York.

• The Mets somehow didn't blow their series finale Sunday evening against the Atlanta Braves.
• Following the toughest possible week in baseball, the Mets have the easiest possible week in baseball (four games against the Colorado Rockies followed by three against the Houston Astros, the two worst clubs in baseball, at home).
• R.A. Dickey has a shot to pitch in the same game this week as fellow Cy Young candidate Aroldis Chapman. If Dickey can give another great performance, and maybe have the Mets rough Chapman up a bit (not likely, but it would be nice), then that might look pretty good in the eyes of some voters.

While that last point may be the most enjoyable to dream about, it is probably the least possible, making the first three game series of the week that much more terrifying. Chapman is absurd this season. His ERA against National League teams this season is 0.17 and in his last 16 save appearances, he has recorded a save. That doesn't look good for a Met team who's run support has been all but non-existent since the All-Star Break.

Then there is the Nationals. On the bright side, Bryce Harper, the soon to be ultra Met Killer, has been slumping. Also on the bright side, the Mets most likely won't be seeing Stephen Strasburg or Ross Detwiler in the series. But the bright side probably ends there against a Nationals team that is 13-5 since sweeping the Mets in late July.

So what should we expect from the Mets this week? If trend analysis and reality tell us anything, then probably not much. Stellar pitching on the other side combined with offensive futility on the Met side tells me that if the team can pull out one out of six, we should be happy. But even that would put the team nine games under .500, a feat that not even a Rockies-Astros week could remedy.

It's a rough forecast, and even rougher when you consider that this may be the last shot the Amazins have to make any sort of Wild Card run. But the team has got a few bright spots to look forward to. And if they can make the most of them, then maybe the team will be able to head into next week with at least their eyes above water.


This article can be seen on Bleacher Report

It was terrifying, but the Mets pulled it out.

The New York Mets are now five games below .500 at 55-60 and have safely avoided a sweep at the hands of Atlanta in their own backyard. But what does/could this one game mean for the rest of the season? It's unclear. Mostly because of the way it happened.

Indeed, Jon Niese (9-6) was on point tonight, giving up just one run over eight innings. Indeed, Wright is starting to look like the shadow of his June self with 800th career RBI. And indeed, the Mets won a damn game, which is enough for me right now. But with a 6-1 lead going into the ninth inning, the Mets tried their absolute hardest to blow another one. Are you kidding me?

It's getting harder and harder to watch the ninth innings of games–any games–that the Mets are involved in. It's comical at this point. And in defense of Frank Franciso, he did come into the game with bases loaded, which is obviously tough in any inning with any sort of lead. But to come right in and walk to batters before giving up and extra base hit? Come on. 

If this game proves to be the spark that the Mets need, then I'll be the happiest camper out there. But it's hard to imagine scraping by like that turning into a spark.

Here's to hoping I'm wrong.