Schwei: Expect Mets' Jose Reyes To Stay Red Hot

By John Schweibacher
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Jose Reyes continues his outstanding 2011 season and if history is any indication, the Mets shortstop is in for even more success as the calendar unfolds.

Here are some of Reyes' career numbers for July and August:

Reyes' .312 July batting average is his best for any full month as is his .348 career on-base percentage in August. Reyes' August slugging percentage (.470) and his his 76 August steals are also career monthly bests.

September has not been as kind to Jose Reyes:

All of these totals represent the lowest monthly totals for Reyes in any month for his career.

Reyes reached the 100 hit mark in a season faster than any player in Mets history, 66 games, topping Lance Johnson who got to the century mark in 72 games back in 1996. Reyes is also on pace to top Johnson's club record of 21 triples from that '96 season but the Mets shortstop already has 12 three-base hits in 2011, matching the 5th-best in team history:

Most Mets Triples in a Season:

•Lance Johnson 21 1996
•Jose Reyes 19 2008
•Jose Reyes 17 2005
•Jose Reyes 17 2006
•Jose Reyes 12 2007
•Jose Reyes 12 2011
•Angel Pagan 11 2009
•Mookie Wilson 10 1984
•Jose Reyes 10 2010

Reyes has now hit 18 triples at Citi Field, the most by any player. Only four Mets (including Reyes himself) had as many or more three-base hits at Shea Stadium:

Mets Triples at Shea:

•Jose Reyes 31
•Bud Harrelson 29
•Cleon Jones 22
•Mookie Wilson 19
•Darryl Strawberry 16

Mets Triples at Citi Field:

•Jose Reyes 18
•Angel Pagan 13
•David Wright 6
•Daniel Murphy 5
•Jason Bay 4

The Mets host the Oakland A's and then head to Arlington to meet the Texas Rangers as interleague play continues this week.

In 2007, the Mets swept the A's in Oakland's only trip to Flushing since interleague play began. The A's took two of three in Oakland in the only other regular season match-up between the two teams back in 2005.

The general manager of the Oakland A's is Billy Beane, who succeeded current Mets GM Sandy Alderson following the 1997 season.

Beane was drafted by the Mets in the first round of the 1980 June draft, the 23rd overall selection, the same year they chose Darryl Strawberry with the first overall pick.
Beane appeared in just 13 games, making only two starts as an outfielder for the Mets, as a September call-up in 1984 and 85.

Beane's first major league hit was a single against the Phillies' Jerry Koosman (who proceeded to pick him off) on September 26th, 1984 at Shea.

Beane was traded to the Minnesota Twins in January of 1986 in the deal which brought Tim Teufel to the Mets and after stops in Detroit and Oakland, finished his career having played in 148 games over six seasons.

Beane is one of three former Mets who went on to become major league general managers, including his teammate Ed Lynch (Cubs, 1994-2000) and Jerry DiPoto, who served as an interim G.M. with Arizona in 2010.

The Mets have faced the Rangers only once before in Texas, winning two out of three in Arlington back in June of 2003. Jose Reyes made his major league debut in that series, going 2-for-4 in his first game and collecting his first career hit against former Mets pitcher John Thomson. The only other Mets series with the Rangers came three seasons ago at Shea Stadium with the Mets taking two of three.

Schwei's Runs, Hits and Errors:

Runs: Mets Starters. 8 and 3 with a combined earned run average of 1.77 over their last 15 games.

Hits: Justin Turner. 27 runs batted in his last 31 games. Only Washington's Danny Espinosa has more RBI's among N.L. rookies.

Errors: Jason Bay. Mets LF has now gone a career-high 88 at bats without an extra-base hit, a double vs. Washington back on May 19th, and is batting just .176 (9-for-51) in June.

Will Reyes top Lance Johnson's triples record? Make your prediction in the comments below...