As reported last week, right-hander Hansel Robles had his suspension reduced from three games to two. The suspension stemmed from the quick pitch thrown at the Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp on September 30^th of last year. Robles appealed the suspension last year, and will serve the two games against the Kansas City Royals to open the 2016 season.

Robles’ return will be a welcome sight, as he looks to build off a strong rookie campaign and be a featured arm in Terry Collins’ bullpen this year. Robles, 25, has been in the Mets system since he was signed in 2008, before getting the call in late April last year to replace the injured Jerry Blevins. Robles finished the year with a record of 4-3, a 3.67 ERA in 54 innings pitched. He also pitched brilliantly in the postseason, making three appearances and not allowing any base runners while striking out four. This can be a building block towards Robles taking the next steps in his progression as a reliable late inning arm.

Robles is a fastball/slider reliever, who throws in the mid-90s and gets his fair share of swings and misses. Last year, Robles ranked 38^th among all qualified relievers at 10.17 K/9. That’s better than Jeurys Familia, who averaged 9.92 K/9 last season. His strikeout percentage also fared nicely last season, registering at 28.17%. That ranks better than the aforementioned Familia (27.9 %), Mike Dunn (27.7%), Jonathan Papelbon (21.5%), and Mark Melancon (21.2%). If Robles can develop his change-up into a pitch he feels more comfortable with (he only threw it 0.6% of the time last year according to Fangraphs) then I believe he can increase those strikeout totals from last year.

Missing bats is the name of the game, and Robles has the hard fastball/slider combination to do just that. His swinging strike percentage of 12.4% fared better than Drew Storen (12.2%), Melancon (11.8%), and Wade Davis (11.6%). He also fell within the top 50% of total contact made when swinging at pitches, at 75%. Robles was just a few percentage points away from Wade Davis (74.7%).

Even more encouraging was Robles’ batting average against, which registered a miniscule .188, good for 15^th amongst qualifying relievers. That’s better than many of the top arms in the game, including David Robertson (.195), Darren O’ Day (.197), Ryan Madson (.203), Familia (.206), and Ken Giles (.217).

Robles also limited the damage on the base paths, as evidenced by having the 7^th fewest hits against (37) and placing middle of the pack in walks (18). Combined, this placed Robles with the 26^th best WHIP at 1.02 last season, better than Tony Sipp (1.03), Craig Kimbrel (1.04), Sergio Romo (1.06), and Antonio Bastardo (1.13). Where Robles can improve is limiting the number of walks he allows (3.0 BB/9). A number that could help him is throwing more first pitch strikes, where he currently sits at 59.9% of the time. He also needs to learn to pitch behind in the count better, because when batters are ahead, his OPS against balloons to 1.001. When Robles is pitching with the count in his favor, that OPS plummets to .520.

Robles should be given several opportunities this season to pitch in high leverage situations in the 7^th and 8^th innings. What’s encouraging is that Robles pitched stronger in the second half of last year, lowering his ERA and WHIP, while seeing increases in K/9. Collins will get the chance to deploy newcomer Antonio Bastardo and Addison Reed in the late innings to setup for Familia. However, if one should falter, Robles’ advanced stats and strong performance in the postseason should give him a leg up on the competition.

Hansel Robles put together a four-out save in yesterday’s 3-1 Mets win over the Houston Astros. A very nice beginning for the hard-throwing reliever who will be counted on to help solidify the back end of the bullpen this season.

Manager, Terry Collins spoke with Anthony McCarron of the New York Times about Robles and his expectations for for the coming season.

“The more experience he gets, the better he feels out there,” Collins said. “He’s got a great arm. You saw two very, very good sliders there at the end of the game. “His pitches are getting better and I’ve said before we’re going to need some people when Jeurys (Familia) is off we got to find some guys to pitch in the back end of the bullpen. He’s one of those guys.”

Robles struggled with his command a bit yesterday, walking two, but he did register all four outs by means of strike out. He has the stuff to really make this bullpen a force to be reckoned with if he puts it all together.

Hansel will start the season serving a two game suspension for throwing near the head of Philadelphia Phillies catcher, Cameron Rupp.

In case you missed it in our minor league recap, lefty reliever Josh Edgin started the game for the St. Lucie Mets on Sunday as he began his rehab assignment.

Edgin allowed one run on a walk, single and sac fly before departing the game after 27 pitches thrown. He struck out one and registered two outs in his first relief appearance in over a year.

Attempting to come back from Tommy John surgery last Spring, Edgin has had no setbacks and is expected to rejoin the Mets bullpen around May 1 according to the team.

It will be interesting to see exactly how he fits in when that time comes, especially with how well Jim Henderson has been performing. The 33-year old righty is enjoying a renaissance of sorts, striking out seven of the nine batters he’s faced this season over three perfect relief appearances.

With Logan Verrett in the long relief and spot starter role, and high-priced arms Antonio Bastardo and Addison Reed assured of very long leashes, could Hansel Robles be on the bubble?

At a time when Mets fans were still clamoring for Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets made a move designed to sure up their bullpen when they signed Antonio Bastardo to a two year $12 million contract.

Generally speaking, the move was well received. While Bastardo was a left hander, he was not exclusively a LOOGY. For his career, he actually holds righties to a very respectable .211/.307/.331 batting line. Bastardo was a guy that the Mets could slot into the seventh or eighth inning. He was supposed to be a very important part of the Mets bullpen. So far, in 2016, it hasn’t happened that way.

After a terrific stint with the Mets last year, Terry Collins has handed the eighth inning to Addison Reed, naming him the setup man even before spring training started.

Additionally, after a terrific showing in Spring Training and an even better start to the season, Jim Henderson has seemingly locked down the seventh inning role.

To date, Bastardo’s role has been much less glamorous.

Bastardo’s first appearance came in a Mets 7-2 trouncing of the Phillies. It was Bastardo’s job to mop up the ninth inning. Last night, Bastardo was called upon to eat up a many innings as he could after Steven Matz lasted just 1.2 innings. Bastardo was the second guy in after Hansel Robles pitched the first 2.2 innings of relief.

It appears Collins feels more comfortable going elsewhere when he’s looking for a guy to get some important outs. It’s too early to say or suggest that’s he’s in the doghouse or that this current situation will continue, especially since the season’s only six games deep.

But the fact is Collins is looking to Reed and Henderson to get those critical outs as a bridge to Jeurys Familia. It’s not what anyone had in mind when the Mets signed Bastardo this offseason.

With all that said, there’s still a lot of games left to be played. As the season progresses, it’s very likely that Bastardo is going to get those important innings.  However, it does appear that Henderson has passed Bastardo up in the bullpen hierarchy and is looking more and more like another great under-the-radar signing by Sandy Alderson.

The Mets (17-10) were neutralized by the San Diego Padres (12-17) tonight at PETCO Park by a score of 5-3.

Pitching:

Jacob deGrom toed the rubber for the Amazin’s tonight, and was not his usual deGrominant self, yielding three runs on eight hits, while striking out just two and walking one.

Logan Verrett came on in relief of deGrom, and was hit hard, allowing two runs on three hits, including a home run from Derek Norris.

Hansel Robles then pitched the eighth inning for the Mets, and prevented throwing any more gas on the fire.

Offense:

For the second time in three games, the Mets were stymied by an unlikely candidate. This time, it was Colin Rea who made quick work of the Mets, not surrendering a hit until the seventh inning when Yoenis Cespedes finally broke the silence for New York.

Rea went 8+ innings, the only blemish coming on a Curtis Granderson home run in the ninth that broke up the shutout.

Former Marlin Brad Hand came on to close out the game for the Padres, and surrendered a two-run home run to the aforementioned Cespedes to make the game interesting, cutting the deficit to 5-3.

However, Fernando Rodney was able to stop the bleeding, saving the game for San Diego.

On deck:

The Mets will play the second game of their four game series tomorrow, with Noah Syndergaard (2-1, 2.51 ERA) getting the ball for the Mets, and will be opposed by Drew Pomeranz (2-3, 2.48 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 10:40 PM.

New York Mets reliever, Hansel Robles, was left with the duty of bringing the game to extra innings Tuesday night. He entered the ninth in a tie at two, but was unable to get the game to the tenth.

One strike away from ending the ninth, Hansel Robles was first flashed a slider from catcher, Kevin Plawecki. He shook it off. Robles wanted to challenge, Trayce Thompson with his fastball.

“I put the slider down,” Plawecki said. “Ultimately, I want my pitcher to have conviction with what he’s throwing. And if he doesn’t feel comfortable throwing his slider in that situation, then I’ve got to trust him on that. The situation was what it was. … We left the ball up and they took advantage of it.” (ESPN)

Robles’ fastball was left up in the zone, and Thompson delivered it over the fence for the game clinching 3-2 win. It was his second homer in consecutive games against the Mets.

“I’m very confident in my fastball,” Robles said through an interpreter. “I tried to get him confused, but he adjusted and came through.”

It is hard to fault Robles as he has been quite successful out of the pen so far this season. He has pitched to a 1.93 ERA. Robles has struck out 18 batters in 14 innings while pitching to a 1.29 WHIP.

Jacob deGrom settled in after allowing two runs on two doubles and a sacrifice fly during the first inning but the New York Mets eventually lost 3-2 on a walk-off home run by Trayce Thompson off Hansel Robles in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Hansel Robles Pitch Selection & Movement

Prior to Thompson’s home run, Robles was attacking the strike zone with two-seam fastballs at 96 mph and hard sliders at 87 mph, throwing 12 of his previous 14 pitches for strikes (outstanding 85.7% strike rate).  Robles gave up the home run on a 1-2 count with a 96 mph belt-high fastball over the middle of home plate.

Robles should have thrown a 96 mph fastball on the inside corner, preferably not for a strike in on Thompson’s hands, to discomfort Thompson in the batter’s box.  This would setup the slider catcher Kevin Plawecki originally called, low and on the outside corner from Thompson which Robles shook off.

Regardless of pitch selection or game plan, Robles home run pitch was simply a poorly located 96 mph fastball which ran from belt-high on the outside corner to belt-high over the middle of the plate.

One issue with Robles given his current arm slot and release point is gripping his fastball as a four-seam fastball forces his fastball to run like a two-seam fastball.  Normally, more movement is positive.  The issue is his fastball runs from left to right like a two-seam fastball but doesn’t sink or drop down in the zone like a two-seamer.  This makes Robles’ fastball tougher to command and creates less room for error when he lacks fastball command.

Simply, if Robles was able to sink his fastball against Thompson, the location of the pitch would have been approximately knee-high resulting in soft contact off the end of Thompson’s bat.

I’m not sure changing Robles grip to a true two-seam fastball in the middle of the season is possible but this is something Robles should work on during bullpen sessions with pitching coach Dan Warthen.  Over the course of the season, it would allow Robles ground ball rate to go up, which besides strikeouts per nine innings to walks per nine innings ratio, is the most important stat for a relief pitcher.

Jacob deGrom (ND) 7.0 IP, 2 R, 8 H, 4 SO, 0 BB

DeGrom continued attacking hitters amassing a 68.9% overall strike rate, keeping his fastball and off-speed pitches low in the strike zone.  Additionally, he showed excellent command with his off-speed pitches which created thirteen of his twenty-one outs and accounted for zero of his eight base hits allowed.

Despite pitching low in the strike zone, some of his pitches, predominately his fastballs, are moving back over the middle third of home plate much like his last start against the San Diego Padres.  DeGrom keeping his fastball on the corners of home plate during last season is the difference between last year’s Cy Young caliber dominance and this year’s all-star caliber success.

Juan Lagares Leading Off

Lagares had four strong at-bats, Lining-out in the first inning, battling back to a full 3-2 count in the second inning and two base hits later in the game.  Great teams have great depth.  Probability shows us one of the outfielders will eventually need a few consecutive games off or a 15-day DL stint making it great to see the Mets have competent backups.

Stat of the Night

Once again, Mets hitters threaten opposing pitchers all night but can’t get timely hits going 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.  The Mets are tied for last in MLB (30^th in MLB) in batting average with runners in scoring position at .211.

Since 2001, these are how the World Series champions finished the regular season in batting average with runners in scoring position:

1. Thirteen of fifteen ranked in the top 15 in MLB
2. Nine of fifteen ranked in the top 10 in MLB
3. Five of fifteen ranked in the top 5 in MLB
4. Three of fifteen led MLB

Follow Chris Zaccherio on Twitter @ziography for more Mets insight going beyond statistics.

Mets reliever Hansel Robles has a sprained right ankle, manager Terry Collins told reporters after Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Collins said he didn’t believe the injury was serious and that he would be fine by Friday.

Robles, who was coming off two brutal outings, came in to pitch the 12th inning. After getting the first out, he hurt his ankle while in a 3-2 count to the next batter.

Following a visit from the trainer and Terry Collins, Robles was removed from the game and replaced by Logan Verrett who got the out and completed the inning.

Original Report

During the 8th inning of last night’s game, Hansel Robles blew the Mets 5-4 lead after allowing a two-run homer to White Sox shortstop Tyler Saladino.

The loss was Robles’ third of the season, and it’s the second straight outing where he struggled mightily. He has a 23.18 ERA in his last two appearances as he’s yielded four home runs and four walks in his last 2.1 innings pitched.

“I haven’t been able to locate my pitches,” Robles said through a translator. “And I’ve paid the consequences for not locating.” (Newsday)

During this stretch, Robles’ ERA has increased to 3.52. His ERA was 1.31 after his scoreless appearance last week against the Nationals.

After the game, Terry Collins told reporters Addison Reed  wasn’t used in the 8th inning because Jeurys Familia was getting the day off.

But the Mets’ entire bullpen has not pitched well of late either. They have combined to allow 20 earned runs in their last 21.0 innings, which amounts to a  8.57 ERA.

While Robles has been a major part of this problem, it’s clear that the rest of the bullpen needs to start preforming better as well.

In 54 innings last year, Robles posted a 3.67 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP and 10 K/9.

After the Atlanta Braves took a broom to the Mets at Citi Field last weekend, the Amazins got the perfect antidote from their bullpen after Kansas City Royals leadoff batter Whit Merrifield ripped a liner off of Bartolo Colon’s right thumb.

“The first thought that popped into my head was, ‘God, please don’t let this be a broken thumb,’ because I just had never been hit there before,” Colon said through an interpreter.

A manager’s worst nightmare turned into a sigh of relief as Hansel Robles came to the rescue allowing one earned run and striking out six in a career high 3 2/3 innings.

Jerry Blevins, Erik Goeddel, and Addison Reed, were a well-oiled right and left throwing machine, surrendering one hit between them, besting the best relief corps in the business.  Then the ninth inning belonged to Jeurys Familia who clinched his 23^rd major league leading save.

“Those are the kind of games, I really believe, that you should grow from,” manager Terry Collins said. “Our bullpen had a tough weekend. And they came back tonight certainly in an unexpected situation.”

It wasn’t a night filled with the Mets greatest hits, but solo shots by Asdrubal Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedes was all that was needed to beat the boys in royal blue 2-1.

A positive piece to NY’s injury plagued puzzle was the return of catcher Travis d’Arnaud, activated from three months on the disabled list, he showed signs of a full rotator cuff recovery, gunning down the speedy Alcides Escobar trying to steal second in the first.

Next up, Noah Syndergaard will take the mound on Wednesday on six days rest against the left-handed hurler Danny Duffy, who will try put a damper on the mighty Thor’s attempt at six straight decision wins.

Mets Diamond Dust

– X-rays on Bartolo Colon were negative and the team says he suffered a bone bruise on his right thumb. Terry Collins said they will know more in the morning when asked if he would miss his next start. “It swelled up on him pretty fast out on the field. We’ll see how he is tomorrow. If he has trouble moving it tomorrow, we’ll have to certainly take a look at that.”

– Right-hander Logan Verrett was scratched from his start for Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday night and will be available to step in should the Mets need a fresh arm.

– With Asdrubal Cabrera’s solo homer in the first inning, the Mets have now hit 17 first-inning home runs, the most in the majors. New York has outscored its opponents, 39-22 and is 28-11 when scoring first.

– Yoenis Cespedes hit a solo home run in the fourth inning for his 18th homer of the season. Over his last 12 games, Cespedes is batting .356 (16-45) with three home runs and seven RBI. He’s also driven in a run in four of his last five games and seven of his last 11 games.

– Jeurys Familia is a perfect 23-for-23 in save opportunities this season and is tied for the major league lead in saves. He has now saved 39 consecutive games in the regular season dating to August 1, 2015, extending a franchise-record.

Manager Terry Collins told reporters during his pregame press conference, that the swelling in Bartolo Colon‘s thumb has subsided considerably.

The team now expects him to make his regularly scheduled start on Sunday, when the Mets will play the Braves in Atlanta.

Original Report – June 21

Bartolo Colon was removed from the game after being struck in the right thumb by a line drive to the mound off the bat of Royals leadoff hitter Whit Merrifield.

Colon walked off the mound holding his thumb and grimacing in pain as Terry Collins and trainer Ray Ramirez rushed to tend to him. He was immediately removed from the game and taken into the clubhouse for X-rays.

Update:X-rays on Bartolo Colon’s thumb were negative and the Mets are calling it a contusion.

Hansel Robles came into the game to replace Colon, but what a terrible way to begin a stretch of 20 games in 20 days for the Mets and their bullpen.

The Mets had called up Sean Gilmartin before the game, but he threw 100 pitches and went seven innings on Sunday. So the pitcher they added today is essentially unavailable.

A review of the latest turn through the Mets starting rotation:

Best Start: This is the essence of having a top of the line rotation that’s struggling. Each of the young starters finished six innings and allowed three runs or less…

But were any of them dominant? Did any of thease performances dazzle you or, to quote the great Mean Gene Okerlund, show the intestinal fortitude of a champion?

While Noah Syndergaard did throw well despite arm troubles, I’m going to go with Steven Matz and his six innings against a pesky Atlanta Braves team that seems to suddenly have the Mets’ number.

Worst Start: The stat line makes this one rather easy. By only recording one out on Tuesday, Bartolo Colon set up one Mets reliever for some huge success…

Best of the Bullpen: and Hansel Robles showing off a 95 MHP fastball with an offspeed pitch that baffled one of the best contact teams in baseball. Six strikeouts in 3.2 innings against the Royals is similar to a 15-strikeout performance over 8 innings IMO.

Robles was easily the best pitcher in a Mets uniform this week, but early on I felt like I jinxed the entire unit after praising their numbers during my Week 13 review…and then watching the Braves beat both Jim Henderson (blown save) and Addison Reed on Saturday, then score three runs against Antonio Bastardo and Robles on Sunday. But the group effort they

But the group effort they put together in relief of Big Sexy and getting the final nine outs for Noah Syndergaard the following day said a lot. And did I forget to mention that Jeurys Familia set a team record with his 24th straight save to start the season?

Next Big Thing: While the sweep at Citi Field means most Mets fans aren’t looking past the Braves this weekend, it’s hard not to notice three games in Washington followed by four at home against the Cubs coming up. Whether it was gamesmanship or general concern that caused Terry Collins to switch Colon and Thor around this week, the result is our Norse god is scheduled to start the series against the Nationals and face Jake Arrieta on a Saturday night that’s certain to be a sellout.

I gotta tell ya, it’s pretty difficult to tackle this next subject because the Mets bullpen ranks No. 1 in the National League with a 3.01 ERA this season.

The Mets bullpen also has a solid .223 Batting Average Against and own the best Save Percentage in the majors at 81.02. In my opinion, Save Percentage is a much better metric to gauge the overall effectiveness of a team’s bullpen than saves alone which is a pretty meaningless and hollow statistic, mostly because it provides absolutely no context.

Anyway, let me get to my root motivation for this article and that is the ongoing ineffectiveness of left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo. The last time I brought this up I was met head-on with the “It’s only May” defense by many of our readers.

Newsflash: I wish all of you a Happy 4th of July weekend.

After Sunday’s dreadful performance, Bastardo leaves me questioning his role on this team.

After a solid performance by Bartolo Colon who held the Braves to just one run through seven, that one run coming off a solo homer by – who else – Freddie Freeman, the veteran right-hander’s day was done after only 84 pitches.

When Bastardo came in to start the eighth inning, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and immediately I thought…. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

Bastardo then proceeded to allow three earned runs to cross the plate without even recording one singular out.

In his last 13 relief appearances, our high-priced reliever has surrendered 14 earned runs in 12.1 innings for a 10.22 ERA. He now has the worst ERA in the bullpen at 5.46, more than a full run higher than Jim Henderson who has the second worst mark with a 4.24 ERA.

“Physically, everything is OK. I’m just having some trouble with my fastball command and just locating my pitches. I need to make some mechanical adjustments,” Bastardo said after the game.

But therein lies the issue at stake, Bastardo has always had trouble with his control and command. This is not something new, but rather something that has plagued him throughout his eight-year MLB career.

On Sunday, Terry Collins told reporters that it’s all about Bastardo commanding his fastball. “When he falls behind on his fastball, it gets him in trouble and that’s what he’s been doing,” Collins said.

Thank you Terry for pointing out the obvious cause and effect that can be applied to just about any pitcher in the league.

Here’s what our esteemed manager fails to grasp… This is a career norm for Bastardo, who usually has brief streaks of dominance in any season, but always slips right back into this pattern where he completely loses his command.

So my question is as follows… Knowing what we know about Bastardo, how many more times will we continue see him in such high-leverage situations – especially in a one run game with everything on the line?

How many times will Collins continue to stick his hand in the fire and get burned?

Can we expect to see Bastardo emerge out of the bullpen gate in the seventh inning of a tied game in the Nationals series?

The good news is that the Mets have several better options that can probably handle late inning duties, chief among them the ever-improving Hansel Robles who keeps climbing the team’s chain of command in the pen.

Yes, I understand that the Mets are still obligated to Bastardo through 2017 given the two-year $12 million dollar deal he signed before the season. But that doesn’t mean we need to keep trotting him out there in critical situations while the Mets are locked in a fierce battle for the NL East title – a title that could end up being decided by just one game.

The New York Mets opened up the week of June 19-25th with a crushing loss at the hands of Julio Teheran, who one-hit the Mets in a complete game shutout, winning 6-0. The Mets were swept by the Braves in that weekend series, scoring a total of only four runs at home. They dropped to six games back of the division leading Washington Nationals, and needed to put together some series wins and take advantage of the Nationals seven game losing streak (stretching from June 18th to June 25th).

The World Series Champion Kansas City Royals were next up; making a quick two-game stop at Citi Field. The Mets were able to take both games midweek, getting tremendous bullpen help in Tuesday’s win after Bartolo Colon was forced to leave the game in the first inning after second baseman Whit Merrifield ripped a liner off of Colon’s right thumb.

The next night Noah Syndergaard toed the rubber, and delivered a mediocre start compared to some of the gems he’s tossed, pitching six innings while giving up three runs. The bullpen was once again superb, and infielder Matt Reynolds hit his first major league home run, and the Mets held on to a 4-3 win.

The Mets also saw the return of catcher Travis d’Arnaud, whose been on the disabled list since April 25th due to a strained rotator cuff. He got his first hit in Friday night’s game, while driving in three runs. The team also made several roster moves on Saturday, demoting left-fielder Michael Conforto to Triple A Las Vegas, while calling up top prospect Brandon Nimmo to take his spot.

Conforto had been struggling mightily the past eight weeks, and over his last 30 games put up a slash line of .135/.210/.292 with 31 strikeouts. The team also announced the signing of former Met shortstop Jose Reyes to a minor league contract, hoping he could provide the team a spark at the top of the lineup, while infusing some speed into the team who’s second to last in stolen bases in baseball (14).

For the week, the Mets went 4-2, and now sit three games back of the Nationals heading into their three game set in D.C. It’s sure to be a huge series which could ultimately make or break this team heading into the first week of July. For now though, here are your Players of the Week, brought to you by MMO.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: JAMES LONEY

The offensive player of the week goes to first baseman James Loney, who had a strong week both at the plate and in the field. Loney went 7-for-21 with a home run, double, three runs scored, four R.B.I. and two walks at the plate. Loney registered a hit in every game except the Sunday one-hit gem by Teheran, and has posted a strong season line of .302/.362/.453 after Sunday’s loss to the Braves.

He’s also contributed some fine defense at first, making some long stretches from the first base bag and scooping up some errant throws, including the last out of Friday night’s win when Jace Peterson struck out on a pitch that went past d’Arnaud. As Peterson was racing to the bag in the bottom of the ninth, d’Arnaud raced near the backstop to secure the ball, toss it to Loney at first who had to stretch to his right and keep his foot planted on the bag. The play would be challenged by the Braves, but held up in the Mets favor, and for their 8-6 victory.

Loney also launched his second home run on the year in Friday’s win, crushing a hanging breaking ball off RHP Aaron Blair into the Braves’ bullpen in right, giving the Mets an 8-0 lead in the top of the fifth. Those runs would end up being the winning runs, as the Braves made a valiant comeback in the bottom of the fifth, scoring six runs off of Steven Matz.

Loney has been a solid addition to this team, especially considering the injury to Lucas Duda and the news earlier this week that he has yet to begin any baseball related activities, and being limited to riding the exercise bike. Loney has given the Mets a legitimate hitter and a much better option than the likes of Eric Campbell, who posted a wRC+ of 45 in 30 games, compared to Loney who in 23 games has a 127 wRC+, along with less strikeouts and an almost 100 point difference in on base percentage.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK: HANSEL ROBLES

Hansel Robles earns the nod for pitcher of the week, after delivering a brilliant performance against the Royals after Colon left in the first inning due to injury. Robles limited the Royals to one run on five hits, with one walk and six strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings pitched, earning his first win of 2016. Robles flashed a great slider that night, with four of his six strikeouts coming via the slider, and got lots of swing and misses while mixing in his mid-nineties fastball. The 3 2/3 innings pitched were a career high for Robles, along with the six strikeouts.

Robles was also called upon in Friday’s game with the Braves, coming in after Steven Matz gave up six runs in the bottom of the fifth. With runners on first and second and one out, Robles was able to get out of trouble by getting Jeff Francoeur to fly out to right, and then striking out Nick Markakis on four pitches. Robles would end up tossing 2 2/3 innings, allowing no runs and no hits, while striking out two, earning his second win in a matter of three days.

Robles has been strong in June, throwing 13 1/3 innings while giving up only three earned runs, striking out 17 batters and not allowing a home run this month. He’s lowered his season E.R.A. from 3.52 at the end of May, to 2.97. He’s been a solid arm for the Mets out of the pen, a good sight considering Jim Henderson‘s D.L. stint, and Antonio Bastardo struggling in his last 15 games to the tune of a 9.00 E.R.A. and a 2.00 WHIP.

The Mets were armed and not dangerous in a two rain delayed 5-0 loss against the Nationals in D.C. Mother nature limited Matt Harvey to 3 2/3 innings, depriving the right-hander from seeing a little more light at the end of his dark and demoralizing tunnel.

Manager Terry Collins said Harvey (4-10) was outstanding despite being the hard-luck loser.

“It would have been great for him to go a few more innings because tonight was some of the best stuff he’s had all year,” Collins said. “Tonight he had it. Tonight he had things going. His arm was working great, he just felt good on the mound.”

Surrendering only one run in his stunted stay, Harvey handed the baton to the recently reliable Jerry Blevins and Hansel Robles. But the duo gave up four runs between them, while the Mets bats belted their rendition of Silent Night.

As New York sinks deeper in the NL East standings, now five games back and in third place, the entire team’s walk up song should be, Free Fallin’.

With the musical chairs of changes to the Mets line-up, the round trip tickets to and from Las Vegas, along with the uncertainty of Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz’s elbows, the Mets are mired in a precarious state of mind.

Baseball’s top prospect Lucas Giolito delivered a dandy of a four shutout inning debut allowing a single and walk to Curtis Granderson.  He kept the rest of the Mets off balance and off the base paths with a combination of change-ups, fastballs and curves.

The Mets had a golden opportunity to do some damage in the 6^th when they loaded the bases with one out against relief pitcher Yusmeiro Petit. But Dusty Baker pulled Petit for Oliver Perez who struck out James Loney, then retired Wilmer Flores on a fly ball to center, recording his second win of the season.

On the Mets floundering offense Collins lamented, “I’m scratching (my head) a little bit. But we’ve got to make sure these guys stay upbeat.”

Well, to avoid a sweep, Logan Verrett has some big cleats to counter facing Max Scherzer, as he gets a spot start in lieu of the bone spurred Steven Matz. Verrett has come through for the Mets before, but in his latest spot starts he has been found wanting.

The Mets certainly need a win tonight to calm the masses which are getting loud and boisterous – and not in a good way. Another loss and they limp home to Citi Field to begin a four game series against the National League’s best – the Chicago Cubs – who lead the majors with 25 wins on the road.

The New York Mets (48-41) defeated the Philadelphia Phillies (42-49) by a score of 5-3 at Citizens Bank Park Friday evening. With a Washington Nationals win, the Mets will remain six games back of the division lead.

Pitching:

Bartolo Colon was on the hill for the Mets tonight and he was very good early. After making the trip across country to the All-Star game and not being able to get in the game, Colon came out firing tonight. Colon had a perfect game going with one out in the fifth. All in all, Colon went 5.2 innings giving up three runs, walking two, and striking out four.

Everything was going great for Colon until the bottom of the sixth inning. With the Mets up 4-0, the wheels fell off. After Colon got Jimmy Paredes to ground out, Odubel Herrera was able to reach first base on a throwing error by James Loney. Peter Bourjos made the Mets pay for the error as he followed with a triple to score Herrera. Colon was then able to get Maikel Franco to ground out but Bourjos would come in to score the Phillies second run.

The Phillies weren’t done yet. Tommy Joseph followed with a single, Cameron Rupp walked and Cody Asche then followed with a single to score Tommy Joseph.  Colon’s day was done after that.

Hansel Robles came in to finally record the last out and get the Mets out of the inning.

In the top of the seventh, Terry Collins used three relievers to get through the inning. Hansel Robles, Jerry Blevins, and Addison Reed all recorded an out to get through the scoreless inning.

Addison came back on in the eighth and pitched another 1, 2, 3 inning. Addison Reed is a stud.

Jeurys Familia came on to shut the door in the ninth. Familia put them down in order for his 32nd save in 32 chances this year.

Offense: 

Juan Lagares put the Mets up 1-0 in the top of the third. Lagares, filling in for Yoenis Cespedes, hit a moon shot over the left center field wall.

In the top of the sixth, the Mets added on a few more. Asdrubal Cabrera lead off the inning with a single to center fielder Odubel Herrera. Curtis Granderson followed with a single of his own to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Neil Walker was next and he cleared them all, hitting his 16^th home run of the year over the left field wall to put the Mets up 4-0.

The Mets played some small ball in the top of the seventh to manufacture another insurance run. Juan Lagares worked a walk to lead off the inning. With Alejandro De Aza batting, Lagares took off and stole second easily. De Aza worked a tough at bat and was able to hit a long fly ball to the warning track to let Lagares tag and go to third. Lagares was running on contact and when Reyes grounded out to the short stop, Lagares was already home long before the throw could come home giving the Mets a 5-3 lead.

Notes:

Jeurys Familia has saved 48 consecutive regular season games, the fifth longest streak in Major League history.

Zack Wheeler has thrown twice since his latest setback.  He is expected to start an assignment soon.

Sandy Alderson mentioned relief pitching would be a priority at the upcoming deadline.

Noah Syndergaard is feeling like he “has a new arm” after his latest bullpen session.

Lucas Duda is slated to start baseball activities next week.

Yulieski Gurriel signed with Astros to a 5-year, $47.5 million dollar deal.

JZ Player of the Game:  Juan Lagares. Lagares, who wasn’t expected to play tonight, was the difference tonight filling in for Cespedes. Lagares hit a home run, walked twice, and scored twice.

On Deck: 

The Mets will play their second game of a three game set with the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizen’s Bank Park tomorrow evening. The game has a start time of 7:05 PM. Logan Verrett (3-6, 4.34 ERA) looks to keep the Mets rolling against Jerad Eickhoff (6-10, 3.80 ERA).

Bartolo Colon sailed through the first four innings of the Mets’ 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies to kick off the second half of the season before running into trouble. Big Sexy gave way to the bullpen with two outs in the sixth, who as they have done many times this year, dominated the rest of the way.

“Everything worked out for the most part,” Colon said through an interpreter. “Just around the fifth and sixth inning, I got a little tired. That’s when things got a little complicated.” (MLB.com)

With two on and two-out, Hansel Robles relieved Colon. The Phillies threatening to tie the game, Robles quickly came in and was able to get Freddy Galvis to pop out to end the threat. Robles would continue on to pitch the seventh, before giving way to Addison Reed with two outs.

Reed of course did what he seems to do best this season and that is dominate the opposition. He made quick work of Bourjos in the seventh and went on to pitch a perfect eighth inning to pave way for Jeurys Familia.  Reed has been stellar this season, pitching to a 2.02 ERA and accumulating 53 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched to go along with a WHIP of 0.88.

Familia made quick work of the Phillies, going right after them, striking out two of the three batters he faced to earn his 32nd save of the season. His streak of consecutive saves has now reached 48 as he passes Brad Lidge for sole possession of fifth place on the all-time consecutive saves list.

The 3.1 innings of scoreless relief helped the Mets get the second-half of the season started off on the right note as they look to scratch and claw their way back to the top of the NL East. If the bullpen is able to perform this well to go along with the great starting staff, the team could go on quite a run at just the right time.

The New York Mets faced a nine game road trip to open the second half of their season following the All-Star break, starting with three games in Philadelphia, followed by three in Chicago, and then three in Miami. The Mets took the first series two games to one against the Phillies, dropped the Cubs series, and won two out of three against the Marlins to take their third series out of four against their NL East foe. They still remain a half game back in the Wild Card and second place in the NL East.

For the week of July 18-24, the Mets split the six games played against the Cubs and Marlins. They finally return home for a nine-game home stand, plus two more games against the New York Yankees in the Bronx. The trade deadline also looms as August 1 inches closer and closer, as fans wait with bated breath to see if Sandy Alderson and Co. can bring in some last minute additions (bullpen, starter, bench/role player) to hopefully propel them to another big second half like they had last season.

As we anxiously check MLB Trade Rumors and other various sites for news and notes on any potential trades, here are MMO’s Players of the Week for July 18-24.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: JOSE REYES

Jose, Jose, Jose! Jose Reyes gets the nod for Offensive Player of the Week as he sparked a charge atop the lineup, going 7 for 26 with four runs scored, two triples, a double, two RBI, and a stolen base. Since his return to the Mets, Reyes has recorded at least one hit in 11 of 15 games played, and reached base safely in 13 of them.

Reyes’ biggest contribution came in Friday’s 5-3 win against the Marlins in Miami. Reyes opened the game with a double on a 0-1 fastball from LHP Adam Conley. Reyes then promptly stole third while Yoenis Cespedes was up at bat, his third steal of the season. Reyes then trotted home easily when Cespedes hit a sac fly to center, giving the Mets an early 1-0 lead.

In the fourth, Reyes drove in Travis d’Arnaud with an RBI single, giving starter Logan Verrett a 2-0 lead. And just like deja vu, Reyes opened the seventh with a leadoff single, and moved to third on a Granderson single to center. On the first pitch of his at bat, Cespedes hit a towering fly ball to left-center field off reliever David Phelps, once again plating Reyes and giving the Mets a 3-2 lead after the Marlins tied the game in the sixth on a two-run homer off the bat of Christian Yelich.

After the game, Verrett summed up Reyes’ contributions best: ”He’s like a can of Red Bull bottled up into a human being,” starting pitcher Logan Verrett said. “That’s something that we were lacking. He brings that energy to the field every single day.”

Reyes has been a big boost for this Mets team that was lacking speed and at times energy, something Reyes has more of than most players combined, and has been a solid pickup for them. With a low risk high reward feel to the signing, he certainly seems to be getting back into a groove with the team he grew up with, something that can’t be discounted and just goes to show how a change of scenery is sometimes for the best.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK: HANSEL ROBLES

Hansel Robles has evolved into Terry Collins‘ trusted seventh inning reliever, compiling another strong week in three appearances. Robles tossed 4.2 innings, giving up two hits, no runs or walks, while striking out four. His season totals are excellent as well, now with a record of 5-3 with a 2.61 ERA, seven holds, all while averaging close to 11 strikeouts per nine innings.

With the game tied at one during Tuesday night’s 2-1 win against the Cubs, Robles came on in the seventh to replace Jerry Blevins, and was entrusted to keep the game tied. Robles had the heart of the order to deal with in Javier Baez, Tommy La Stella, Kris Bryant, and Anthony Rizzo. Robles induced a ground ball out from Baez, followed by a fly-out to left from La Stella. Bryant singled to left on a 0-2 fastball, but Robles zeroed in and promptly struck out Rizzo on three fastballs to end the inning. Robles worked a scoreless eighth, retiring Ben Zobrist, Wilson Contreras, and Jason Heyward on nine pitches.

The Mets would go on to take the lead in the ninth, calling upon Jeurys Familia to close out the game and give Robles his fourth win of the season.

Robles was tasked with holding another tied game on Friday night against the Marlins, coming in to relieve Verrett in the bottom of the sixth after Yelich tied the game at two. Robles gave up a hard single to Giancarlo Stanton on a 3-2 fastball to left, however, Stanton was trying to take second on the strong arm of Cespedes, who didn’t appear to realize Stanton was trying to advance. As Cespedes tossed the ball back into Neil Walker at second, Walker spun around and tagged Stanton for the second out. Marcell Ozuna lined out to Reyes at third to end the inning, and Robles worked a clean 1-2-3 seventh, as the Mets regained the lead in the seventh. Robles picked up his second win in four days, and his fifth of the season.

With Robles appearing in Sunday’s series win against the Marlins for his 42nd appearance, he’s on pace to bypass last year’s mark of 57, and is just 5.2 innings away from tying his total last season of 54. The back end of the bullpen with Robles, Addison Reed, and Familia is one of the strongest in baseball, and has been a joy to watch after years of not having a shutdown pen. The Mets team bullpen ERA ranks 5th in baseball at 3.14, 4th in FIP at 3.59, 6th in holds with 56, and 7th best K/9 at 9.35 as of Sunday night.

There were fireworks in the Bronx Wednesday night, and I am not just talking about how the Yankees lit up the scoreboard in their 9-5 victory over the Mets. Mark Teixeira had some disagreements with his cross-town rivals.

It started off innocently enough, Teixera hit a three-run shot off of Steven Matz to put the Yankees up by a score of 6-3. In his next at-bat against the southpaw Matz, he threw a pitch that got away and hit Teixeira’s lower left leg. Things quickly escalated with both benches and bullpens clearing, nothing though came of it.

“I know Matz is a good kid, but when you hit a home run and the next pitch is not even close to the plate and hits you, it just looks bad,” Teixeira said. “So I just told him I didn’t appreciate it. If it was on purpose, it was uncalled for. If it wasn’t, it just looked really bad.” (ESPN)

Matz though advised that this was not a purpose pitch, it was one that just got away.

“I honestly didn’t do it on purpose. It was a bad time for the ball to get away from me. But I can understand why he was upset.”

That though would not end the drama on the night for Teixeira and the Mets. Enter the seventh inning and Hansel Robles. Teixeira was leading off second base and toying with Robles on the mound, who had thought he had stolen the Mets signs.

“That was funny,” Teixeira said. “After three or four pitches, I realized that he is, like, staring at me, and he thinks I have his signs. He’s staring me down. I couldn’t hear [what he was saying] because of the crowd, so I just started having some fun with him. I didn’t have his signs. I was breathing. I was just having some fun with him.”

“It got worse and worse. He kept staring at me more and more and yelling stuff, so I just started having some fun. If it was that bad, change your signs. I think everyone told him at the mound, ‘Bro, he doesn’t have your signs.’ It was just funny. I think we got a kick out of that one.”

Robles was made to look like a fool on the mound, as Teixeira just completely played with his mind. Robles could be seen yelling at Tex as he exited the game with him on third base at the time.

“I tried telling him when I was coming off the field … ‘Play baseball tough,’” Robles said. “You don’t need to be picking up signs. I got a little upset. That’s not the way you play baseball. You have to play baseball as a man.”

A very interesting turn of events where the Mets just looked bad all around. With the Subway Series wrapping up tonight in the Bronx, it is hard not to wonder if anything else spills into the game’s festivities.

With the Mets having an opportunity to sweep the lowly Phillies Sunday, Terry Collins made a questionable call to the bullpen. With bases loaded and nobody out, Hansel Robles was called upon to try to clean up the mess. The problem is though that Robles has not been effective at all in the month of August.

In 13 innings this month, Robles had given up 14 runs (all earned) on 15 hits and ten walks for an atrocious 9.69 ERA. Not the guy you want in with the game on the line. On top of all the hits and runs, he has walked 11 batters now in 13 innings this month. Anyone but Robles may have been a better choice here.

Robles of course would allow all three inherited baserunners to score, giving the Phillies a 4-1 lead, one that the Mets would not be able to come back from. A sweep was well within their reach, Robles though took the wind out of the Mets’ sails.

At a time of the season where every game is crucial, mistakes like this cannot be made. One of Collins’ biggest problems has always been his inability to properly navigate through the bullpen. This was just another unfortunate case of going to the wrong guy at the wrong time.

With the bullpen being completely taxed heading into Friday night’s game, the Mets needed someone to step up to provide some relief. Hansel Robles was up to that task in Friday night’s 10-5 win over Philadelphia.

In what seemed like another game between the Mets and Phillies that included unlimited pitching changes, Robles was finally the one able to stabilize the ship.

Hansel pitched 2.2 scoreless innings while not allowing a hit or any walks. He struck out three batters and earned the first save of his career in what was an outstanding performance.

“It’s a source of pride for me to be able to do that,” said Robles, who earned his first career save. “I hope I get a chance to help out like that again.” (NY Post)

In his last 10 games dating to August 30, Robles has allowed one run in 13.1 innings.  Hansel is getting hot again as the team searches for reliable bullpen arms in the final stretch of the season.

Overall on the season he has pitched to a 6-4 record with an ERA of 3.54. Robles has struck out 83 batters in 76.1 innings, while pitching to a WHIP of 1.36.

It has been an up and down year for the electric reliever. When he has been hot, he has been really hot and when he has been cold, he has been really cold.

Hopefully for the Mets, Robles is in the midst of another lengthy hot stretch as they need as many reliable options as they can get in the pen. Especially with the team not having too many starters who have been able to pitch deep into games.