A Year With No Harvey Days May Be A Good Thing

The 2013 season just ended for the Mets and their fans.  But the 2014 campaign has already come to a close for Matt Harvey before it even began.  The Mets' All-Star right-hander has decided to undergo Tommy John surgery, which will be performed later this month by Dr. James Andrews.

Anytime a team loses its ace in the rotation, it's a tough blow to take.  But Harvey's absence might not be a bad thing for the Mets.  Allow me to explain.

Clearly, the Mets are going to need to acquire a starting pitcher to replace Harvey in the rotation, preferably an innings-eater.  Since Harvey is expected to be back in 2015, plus with the eventual call-up of Noah Syndergaard, Rafael Montero, or both (assuming they're both not traded), the Mets only need to sign a starting pitcher to a team-friendly one-year deal.  If the Mets are out of the playoff race by the trade deadline, that veteran starter suddenly becomes trade bait.  In 2013, Marlon Byrd (playing with the Mets on a one-year contract) and John Buck (in the last year of his three-year deal) parlayed fine seasons into an August deal with the playoff-bound Pirates.  That got the Mets a solid relief pitcher in Vic Black and a good infield prospect in Dilson Herrera.  The same thing can happen in 2014, but this time with a starting pitcher being traded instead of a right fielder and a catcher.

But what if the Mets actually compete for a playoff spot in 2014?  Well, then they just keep the starting pitcher to complement the younger, less experienced pitchers in the rotation.  Look at what the more experienced Bob Ojeda did to the younger Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling and Sid Fernandez when he became a Met in 1986.  And don't forget the contributions by the late Don Cardwell as a member of the staff in 1969.

Without question, Matt Harvey will certainly be missed next year.  But his absence is not the end of the world, nor does it signify the end of the 2014 season six months before it has even begun.

The Mets will begin the season with Jonathon Niese, Dillon Gee and Zack Wheeler in the starting rotation.  The fourth starter's position can be filled by a veteran on a one-year deal (Dice-K Part Deux, maybe?  The Harang-atan?  Bronson Arroyo and his sweatshirt?), while the fifth starter can be either Carlos Torres or Jenrry Mejia (remember him?).  If the fourth and fifth starters perform reasonably well - great!  They'll immediately become attractive to other teams.  If they aren't dependable, Syndergaard and Montero will be more than happy to replace them by June.

Best case scenario - the Mets remain strong in the starting rotation and can trade some of their excess pitching for more pieces that will eventually make the team more complete in all facets of the game.

Worst case scenario - the fourth and fifth starters remind us of Shaun Marcum and Aaron Laffey and are quickly replaced by Syndergaard and/or Montero, who gain valuable experience before Harvey returns in 2015.

There will be no Harvey Days in 2014.  But that doesn't mean Mets fans will be left without happy days next season.  The rest of the starting rotation will make sure of that.
 

A Little "Extra" Research

There's a whole lot of nothin' goin' on.

If you're as big a Mets fan as I am, then there's no doubt you've been getting very little sleep lately.  It's not because the Mets are playing so badly, they're making it hard to sleep.  On the contrary, the Mets have played very well over the past month, going 16-11 over their last 27 games (16-9 before losing their first two games in Pittsburgh).

No, my friends.  The reason why you've been losing a few Zs at night is because you're still up watching the Mets hoping for a few late-night Ws.  And with so many extra-inning games recently, you're probably looking forward to the All-Star Break for more than just the game.  You need it to reset your sleep patterns.

The Mets have played a dozen extra-inning games so far this season after playing just ten extra-inning affairs during the entire 2012 campaign.  The team is on pace to play 21 extra-inning games in 2013, which would be their highest total since they played 23 in 1986.  (The Mets went 13-10 in those 23 extra-inning contests.  The 13 extra-inning wins in 1986 are tied for the most in franchise history.  It was first accomplished by the 1971 squad, who went 13-9 when they needed overtime.)

The most games the Mets played in a single season that were tied after nine innings was 25, which they accomplished in 1978, going 8-17 in those extended games.  The 17 losses represent the highest total of defeats suffered by the Mets in extra innings in any one season.  In fact, the Mets have only played as many as 17 extra-inning games in 18 of their first 51 seasons.  Overall, the Mets have played 803 extra-inning affairs since their inaugural season, winning 380, losing 422 and tying one (a scoreless affair against the Phillies in 1965 that was called after 18 innings).  Their .474 winning percentage in games that go past nine innings is just slightly lower than their .478 winning percentage in all games, regardless of length.

So which teams do the Mets fare well against in extra-innings?  And which teams have the Mets' number once the game continues past the ninth inning?  The charts below list the five teams against whom the Mets have had the greatest extra inning success and the five teams against whom the Mets wished the game ended in nine innings (minimum 20 games vs. opponent).

Team	Mets’ Extra-Inning W-L Record vs. Team	Mets’ Extra-Inning Win Pct. vs. Team
Chicago Cubs	37-26	.587
Pittsburgh Pirates	46-33	.582
San Francisco Giants	35-31	.530
Miami Marlins	15-14	.517
Cincinnati Reds	23-23	.500

Note:  The Mets are undefeated in extra innings against the Los Angeles Angels (2-0), Toronto Blue Jays (2-0), Chicago White Sox (1-0), Detroit Tigers (1-0) and Oakland Athletics (1-0).  They also have a .714 winning percentage in extra innings against the Milwaukee Brewers (5-2).

Team	Mets’ Extra-Inning W-L Record vs. Team	Mets’ Extra-Inning Win Pct. vs. Team
Houston Astros	25-40	.384
Los Angeles Dodgers	20-31	.392
Philadelphia Phillies	33-51-1	.394
Mil./Atl. Braves	23-35	.397
St. Louis Cardinals	37-46	.446

Note:  The Mets are winless in extra innings against the Boston Red Sox (0-1) and Minnesota Twins (0-1).  They also have a .333 winning percentage in extra innings against the Colorado Rockies (4-8), Arizona Diamondbacks (3-6) and New York Yankees (2-4).


The Mets have already played four games that lasted a minimum of 15 innings this year, matching the team record originally set in 1968.  The team is 2-2 in those games, defeating the Diamondbacks in 13 innings and the Giants in 16, while losing to the Marlins in 20 and the D-Backs in 15.

Prior to this season, the Mets had only played in 46 games that went past the 14th inning in team history, with 34 of those games occurring prior to 1988.  Since the start of the 1998 season, games of extreme length have become as rare as a Shaun Marcum victory.  From 1998 to 2012, the Mets played four games that reached the 15th inning, the same number of 15+ inning games the Mets have played in 2013 so far.

How many more of these long extra-inning games can we expect?  How many total extra-inning games will the Mets play this season, period?  And how may more times will we go to bed wishing we hadn't stayed up to watch extra inning after extra inning?  It's just an "extra" concern fans of the 2013 Mets have to deal with.

Shaun Marcum's Season Is Done, Which Puts Him In An Exclusive Club

According to various sources, including Ed Coleman and Adam Rubin, Shaun Marcum's season is over.  Marcum has been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, which occurs when blood vessels or nerves between the collarbone and ribs become compressed.  This, in turn, can cause shoulder pain and a numbing of the fingers.

Marcum's final numbers were not exactly what the Mets hoped for when they took a chance on him this past offseason.  After combining to go 54-32 with a 3.67 ERA over his last five seasons, including a 7-4 mark and 3.70 ERA last year when he was a member of the Brewers, Marcum was 1-10 with a 5.29 ERA for the Mets.

That 1-10 mark puts Marcum in a rare club, one that he never expected to join.  Marcum is just the fourth pitcher in Mets history to finish a season with 10 or more losses while winning exactly once.

In 1962, Bob L. Miller lost his first 12 decisions before winning his final start.  His 1-12 record was almost duplicated three years later by Tom Parsons, who went 1-10 for the Mets in 1965.  Nearly three decades passed before the Mets had another pitcher with double-digit losses and a single win.  In 1993, Anthony Young lost his first 13 decisions of the season, just one year after losing his final 14 decisions.  Young finally earned a win on July 28, 1993, when a walk-off victory saved him from what would have become his 28th consecutive loss.  Young's sole victory was followed by three more defeats, giving him the worst one-win season in Mets history, at 1-16.

Bob L. Miller (1962):  1-12
Tom Parsons (1965):  1-10
Anthony Young (1993):  1-16
Shaun Marcum (2013):  1-10



By suffering a season-ending injury, Shaun Marcum's 1-10 record in 2013 is now etched in stone.  He has joined Miller, Parsons and Young to become one-win wonders.  The quartet have the only one-win, double-digit loss seasons in franchise history, with Marcum becoming only the second pitcher in nearly half a century to accomplish the feat.

Losing and the Mets have gone hand-in-hand for most of the franchise's existence.  Even pitchers who won with great frequency before coming to New York aren't immune to the losing bug.  Just ask Shaun Marcum.

Shaun Marcum's Winless Brethren

When the Mets signed Shaun Marcum to a one-year deal prior to the 2013 season, they thought they were getting a bargain.  After all, Marcum was one of the few pitchers in baseball with over 100 career starts who had a winning percentage over .600.  (At 57-36, Marcum had a .613 winning percentage in 149 starts.)

But Marcum has done everything but win for the Mets.  He's lost as a starting pitcher.  He's lost in relief.  He's lost after pitching seven shutout innings in a game that lasted longer than two games (the 20-inning loss to the Miami Marlins on June 8).  Through his first 11 appearances (9 starts) as a Met, Shaun Marcum is 0-9.  At least the Mets won his two no-decisions, so he has that to hang his hat on.  But that's not enough to keep him off an exclusive list.

Shaun Marcum is now the third pitcher in franchise history to begin a season with nine consecutive defeats.  Prior to this season, the only two hurlers to start a season with a goose egg in the win column and a nine under the "L" were Bob L. Miller in 1962 and Anthony Young in 1993.

Bob L. Miller started the Mets' inaugural campaign by losing his first 12 decisions.  After appearing in 32 games for the Mets in 1962 with nary a victory to show for his efforts (20 starts, 12 appearances in relief), Miller finally earned his first victory of the season in the Mets' last win of the year, beating the Cubs in a complete-game effort on September 29.  Miller defeated Cubs' starter Dick Ellsworth, handing Ellsworth his 20th loss on the season.  In doing so, Ellsworth became only the sixth Cubs pitcher to lose 20 games in the modern era of baseball (since 1900).

Miller left the Mets after the 1962 season and pitched for five first-place teams and three pennant-winners.  He won World Series rings as a member of the 1965 Dodgers and 1971 Pirates before coming back to pitch for the Mets in 1973 (his sixth first-place team and fourth pennant-winner) and 1974, where he fared slightly better than he did in 1962.  This time, Miller won two games in his second go-round in New York.

Anthony Young started the 1993 campaign with an 0-13 mark.  This came on the heels of a 2-14 record in 1992 in which he lost his final 14 decisions.  (Yes, that means Anthony Young began the 1992 season with a 2-0 record.)  Young was actually pretty decent during his 27-game losing streak.  He saved 16 games in between the two dozen-plus losses and had an extended period of dominance during a two-month stretch out of the bullpen.  From July 7 to August 28, 1992, Young made 20 appearances in relief for the Mets, allowing no runs in 23⅔ innings.  He also saved nine games, holding opposing hitters to a .154 batting average and no extra-base hits.  Basically, on the worst team money could buy, Young was a good buy.  He just couldn't buy a win.

On July 24, 1993, Young lost his 27th consecutive decision.  The loss dropped his record on the year to 0-13, making the hard-luck pitcher to first hurler in team history to begin a season with an 0-13 mark.  Four days after knocking Bob L. Miller out of the record books, Young was in line to lose his 28th straight after allowing an unearned run in the ninth inning to give the expansion Florida Marlins a 4-3 lead.  But run-scoring hits by Ryan Thompson and Eddie Murray not only took Young off the hook for the loss, it gave him his first win in 15 months.  It would also be his final win in a Mets uniform, as Young was traded to the Cubs prior to the start of the 1994 campaign.  He did, however, lose three more games as a Met before his trade to Chicago.

With losses in his first nine decisions, Shaun Marcum has turned the Miller and Young duo into a trio.  Surely, Marcum will notch a victory at some point this season.  But if he doesn't, he'll be the only Met to have a winless season with as many as nine losses.  In fact, there have been very few pitchers in Mets history with as many as four losses in a season that featured no victories.  And only two hurlers in club annals have ever completed a winless season with as many as five losses.  Those unlucky souls are:

• John Franco (1998):  0-8
• Oliver Perez (2010):  0-5
• Sherman Jones (1962):  0-4
• Phil Hennigan (1973):  0-4
• Rick Aguilera (1988):  0-4
• Jason Jacome (1995):  0-4
• Donne Wall (2001):  0-4
• Jose Lima (2006):  0-4
• Jenrry Mejia (2010): 0-4
• Pat Misch (2010):  0-4
• Collin McHugh (2012):  0-4

As denoted in the list above, no Met pitcher has ever finished a season with no wins and more than eight losses.  Should Shaun Marcum not receive credit for a victory in 2013, he would become the losingest winless pitcher in franchise history.  But even if he wins one game, he stands to join a very exclusive list - albeit not one to be proud of.

Since the franchise came into existence over half a century ago, only three pitchers have ever lost nine games or more in a season in which they emerged victorious just once.  If you've been paying attention to the rest of this piece, two of the three names should look quite familiar.

• Anthony Young (1993):  1-16
• Bob L. Miller (1962):  1-12
• Tom Parsons (1965):  1-10

(In case you were wondering, Tom Parsons lost his first four decisions for the Mets in 1965 before earning his sole victory of the season in a complete game shutout over the Cubs on July 5.  He never pitched again in the major leagues after the 1965 campaign even though he was only 25 at the time of his final appearance.  He toiled in the minor leagues in the Astros and Red Sox organizations for four years before leaving baseball for good following the 1969 season, the same year the Mets won a World Series championship without him.)

"D'oh!  I'm getting compared to Anthony Young!" (Photo by Paul J. Bereswill)

Shaun Marcum was signed by the Mets prior to the 2013 season in a move that was expected to bring a veteran arm into an otherwise young starting rotation.  But Marcum has been beaten to the victory column by every one of those young rotation members.  Even Zack Wheeler, who has made all of one start in the major leagues, earned a victory before Marcum.

Anthony Young.  Bob L. Miller.  Tom Parsons.  Shaun Marcum.  It's not a list of players Marcum expected to be associated with this late in the season.  And if Marcum doesn't earn a win at some point this season, John Franco might be popping the champagne cork at the end of the year.  It's too bad the champagne won't be for something to be proud of.

DJ Joey B Presents: A Scott Atchison Top Ten List

What's up, Mets fans?  It's time for our latest countdown.  Today, I'm spinning a special playlist for you.  You see, everyone's favorite AARP member, Scott Atchison, has been placed on the disabled list with bone spurs in his elbow.  He has been replaced on the active roster by Collin McHugh, a pitcher young enough to be his son. 

That's what the Mets want you to believe.  But this DJ knows better.

It's no secret that Scott Atchison has not been pitching well this year.  And after I reveal my special top ten list, it'll also be no secret what the real reasons are for the Mets reserving a room for Captain Graybeard at the DL Hotel.  Let's boogie!

Top Ten Reasons Why Scott Atchison Was Really Replaced On The 25-Man Roster:

10.  Julio Franco was upset that Atchison was about to pass him as the oldest player to ever don a Mets uniform.

9.  The Mets were afraid that the Geritol in Atchison’s locker would cause him to test positive for PEDs.

8.  Shaun Marcum felt uncomfortable that reporters were mistakenly calling him Scott Atchison.

"Hello, SNY viewers.  Please don't call me Scott Atchison.  I'm Shaun Marcum."

7.  There was no money in the budget for a Scooter to transport Atchison from the bullpen to the mound.

6.  Justin Turner was afraid he’d knock out Atchison’s dentures if Atchison ever did anything pie-worthy.

5.  Fred Wilpon found out that Atchison was the one stealing signs at the Polo Grounds when Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard ‘Round The World to take the pennant from his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers.

4.  When Jay Horwitz butt-dialed Scott Atchison, Atchison responded by saying he didn’t accept collect calls.

Scott Atchison doesn't accept collect calls?  He is a pitied fool.

3.  The Mets did not want turmoil in the clubhouse after Matt Harvey took offense to Atchison calling him a young whippersnapper.

2.  Atchison was taking up too much space on team flights by insisting on carrying his Betamax and 8-track tape players on every road trip. 

… and the No. 1 reason why Scott Atchison was really replaced on the 25-man roster is …

1.  Betty White kept calling the clubhouse asking when Atchison was getting off work. 

 "Scott!  Oh, Scott!  Don't you walk away from me!  I can hear your creaking joints all the way over here!"

Why Shaun Marcum Is Valuable To The Mets

Photo by Associated Press

Before I start, let me say that it would be foolish of me to think that the Mets' chances of remaining competitive - or at the very least, at or above .500 - rest on the oft-injured arm of right-handed starter Shaun Marcum.  If the Mets do well this season, it will more than likely be because the offense did better than expected or because Matt Harvey continued to pitch like a Cy Young candidate.

But Shaun Marcum might still have some value, even if he doesn't make every start between Saturday and the end of the season.  Here's why.

Shaun Marcum has always fared well against NL East teams.  Marcum has made 11 starts against the Braves, Marlins, Phillies and Nationals.  He has performed against his new division rivals as follows:

• vs. ATL: 1-1, 2.25 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 20 IP, 18 K, 5 BB, .183 batting average against
• vs. MIA: 0-0, 6.35 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 5.2 IP, 3 K, 1 BB, .304 batting average against
• vs. PHI: 2-1, 3.51 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 25.2 IP, 22 K, 7 BB, .248 batting average against
• vs. WAS: 1-0, 2.77 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 13 IP, 14 K, 3 BB, .156 batting average against

• Total: 4-2, 3.22 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 64.1 IP, 57 K, 16 BB, .217 batting average against

Not bad for 11 career starts against the teams he will face the most, right?  And if you take out his one bad start against the Marlins, Marcum has a 2.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and has held the opposition to a .207 batting average.

Shaun Marcum is in line to make his Mets debut against the Phillies - an NL East team - at Citi Field on Saturday.  Assuming he's fully recovered from his neck and bicep injuries, he will be counted on to provide for the Mets where stopgap Aaron Laffey could not.

Anyone can be better than Aaron Laffey was.  But not many pitchers are as good as Shaun Marcum has been against the NL East.  Marcum might not make every scheduled start for the Mets, but as long as the starts he makes are against the team's division rivals, the Mets might be able to get more out of Marcum than they expected.

It might be foolish to think the Mets' success in 2013 rides on the arm of Shaun Marcum, but it would also be foolish to think he can't do well against the teams he's always done well against.  Let's hope Marcum can stay healthy for as long as possible, especially if his next scheduled start is against an NL East rival.

Joey's Soapbox: Hope Springs Eternal As Winter Ends

Hi, everyone!  I'm Joey Beartran.  Did you miss me?  If you can believe it, I haven't written anything for this site in over two months.  But like the groundhog, I just popped my head out of my hoodie and declared that winter's over and spring has arrived.  And how do I know that?  Because Mets baseball is back and on the air!

When we last saw the Mets, R.A. Dickey was picking up his 20th victory in the Mets' last home game and Scott Hairston was hitting his career-high 20th HR in the regular season finale.  At that point, I should have had 20/20 vision and clearly seen that neither of them would play in a Mets uniform again.  And I would have been right, as Dickey was traded to Toronto for the man with a large P on his back and Hairston signed a free agent contract to lose repeatedly in Chicago.

Since Dickey and Hairston played their last games in New York (as well as Jason Bay, Andres Torres, Ronny Cedeño and a bunch of relief pitchers), I've done many baseball-related activities to keep active with the sport I love.

Are you ready for some Mets baseball?  I sure am!

In November, I went out to Seattle with my sister Iggy.  We took an awful tour of Safeco Field and attended a Seattle Seahawks game.  It wasn't the tour of Safeco that was awful; it was the tour guide.  I actually think Safeco is a beautiful stadium and can't wait to see Jason Bay suck there as much as he did at Citi Field.  At least he'll have company in Seattle, as his teammate from 2010 (Oliver Perez) is already a rusty staple in the Mariners bullpen.

In December, I wrote a letter to Sandy Claus asking for a number of presents underneath my blue and orange tree.  I asked for an upgrade to the bullpen (supposedly accomplished), a set outfield by Opening Day (Sandy Claus must have ignored that one), the re-signing of Scott Hairston (denied), Johan Santana making more than 21 starts (perhaps that's why he's missing time now rather than in the regular season), a dependable fifth starter in the rotation (thank you for Shaun Marcum) and patience with the team's minor league talent (I'll be patient as I await Sandy's decision on that).

In January, I was invited to attend a Q & A session with the Mets front office at Citi Field.  At this event, I met a man who bore a striking resemblance to Sandy Claus, but it couldn't have been him.  If it had been, I'm sure he would have mentioned receiving my letter when I asked him to pose for a photo with me.

Where are my presents, Sandy Claus?  I've been looking everywhere for them!

The calendar has now flipped to February.  Pitchers, catchers, infielders and a plethora of wannabe outfielders have descended upon the newly-renamed Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie for six weeks of spring training.  After nearly two weeks of hitting and fielding drills, as well as sharpening up those "fundies", the Mets will finally play an actual game against another major league team, taking on the division rival Washington Nationals today at noon on SNY.

This winter has been a harsh one for Mets fans and people in the Northeast in general.  We've seen a massive snowstorm.  We've seen the defection of our best pitcher and our slugging outfielder to other teams via a trade and free agency.  We've seen Jason Bay and Bobby Bonilla become our highest paid outfielders despite Bay taking his hustle and ineptitude to the Pacific Northwest and Bonilla not giving up his day job of being a Bronx tour guide.  We've seen it all this winter, but none of it matters anymore.  And why is that?

Because today we're seeing the Mets take the field.

It's time for this ice to melt away.  The Mets are back and they're here to stay!

It doesn't matter how much you think the Mets aren't going to compete this year.  It's irrelevant if you think the only race the Mets will be involved in is the race to finish ahead of the Marlins in the NL East.  Today, everyone is on the same page.  Today, no one player is better than any other player.  Today, the Mets play ball again.  And our hope springs eternal as another long, hard winter comes to an end.

Are you ready for some Mets baseball?  I've been ready since last October.  Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks (and an order of chicken nachos).  I'm so glad the Mets are back!