Schwei's Mets Notebook: The Mets Can't Hit, No Days Rest And More
By John Schweibacher
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The New York Mets ended their homestand with a whimper, dropping the final two games of their four-game set with the Chicago Cubs.
The Mets had just 16 hits in splitting the four-game series with Chicago, and have had four hits or fewer in five straight games including their three hits against Washington in the final game of that series last Thursday.
The five-game run matches the club's longest streak. The Mets went five straight games with no more than four hits in 2004 and 1963, but the Mets went 0-5 in each of those previous stretches.
Carlos Torres made the emergency start Monday, and while it was reported that he became the fourth pitcher in franchise history to make a start on no days of rest, he was actually just the third.
He did join Dan Wheeler (2004) and Craig Anderson (1962), but not Kevin Kobel (1979). Kobel actually made his start on four days of rest after having recorded the final out of a suspended game from the night before immediately prior to the Mets' scheduled game with Houston, so Kobel's relief and starting appearances were on the same day.
The Mets beat the Cubs, 7-3, Saturday night at Citi Field behind Jonathon Niese, who became the seventh left-handed pitcher to win at least 50 games for the Mets:
• Jerry Koosman: 140-137 (.505)
• Sid Fernandez: 98-78 (.557)
• Al Leiter: 95-67 (.586)
• Jon Matlack: 82-81 (.503)
• Tom Glavine: 61-56 (.521)
• Bobby Ojeda: 51-40 (.560)
• Jonathon Niese: 50-48 (.510)
The Mets beat the Cubs, 3-2, Friday night in the opener of their four-game series with Chicago. Eric Campbell, who started in left field, hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning in the win.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, coming into Friday night's game, Mets left fielders combined for only five homers and 33 runs batted in, both figures being the lowest in the major leagues.
Here are the home run and runs batted in totals for Mets left fielders so far in 2014:
• Eric Young, Jr.: 1 HR, 12 RBIs
• Chris Young: 1 HR, 11 RBIs
• Andrew Brown: 2 HR, 5 RBIs
• Eric Campbell: 1 HR, 4 RBIs
• Kirk Nieuwenhuis: 1 HR, 2 RBIs
• Matt den Dekker: 0 HR, 2 RBIs
• Bobby Abreu: 0 HR, 1 RBI
By sweeping the Mets in their three-game series last week at Citi Field, the Washington Nationals set the record for consecutive road wins vs. the Mets with 11.
Here are the all-time streaks of nine or more consecutive road wins against the New York Mets:
• 11: Washington Nationals (6/30/13-8/4/14)
• 10:Atlanta Braves (6/12/91-9/1/92)
• 9: St. Louis Cardinals (7/2/67-6/30/68)
• 9: St. Louis Cardinals (8/7/79-6/4/80)
• 9: St. Louis Cardinals (8/9/82-6/20/83)
Adam LaRoche hit a two-run homer in the first inning of Washington's 4-1 win over the Mets last Thursday night. LaRoche has hit 12 home runs against the Mets over the last three seasons -- four in 2012, four in 2013 and four this year. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only other players who have hit four or more home runs against a particular team in every season from 2012 through 2014 are Yoenis Cespedes (vs. Seattle), Chris Davis (vs. Toronto), Edwin Encarnacion (vs. Boston) and Andrew McCutchen (vs. Cincinnati).
Here are the active career home-run leaders against the New York Mets:
• 40: Ryan Howard
• 33: Chase Utley
• 30: Jimmy Rollins
• 27: Adam LaRoche
Dillon Gee and Stephen Strasburg matched up in the final game of the three-game series between the Mets and Nationals last week at Citi Field, just as they did back on Opening Day.
It was the first time since 1990 and the eighth time overall that the starting pitchers in the Mets' season opener had a rematch in the same ballpark later on in the same season:
• 2014: (Was at Mets) -- Stephen Strasburg vs. Dillon Gee
• 1990: (Pit at Mets) -- Doug Drabek vs. Dwight Gooden
• 1986: (Mets at Pit) -- Dwight Gooden vs. Rick Reuschel
• 1979: (Mets at Chi) -- Craig Swan vs. Rick Reuschel
• 1976: (Mets at Mtl) -- Tom Seaver vs. Steve Rogers
• 1974: (Mets at Phi) -- Tom Seaver vs. Steve Carlton
• 1970: (Mets at Pit) -- Tom Seaver vs. Steve Blass
• 1963: (Stl at Mets) -- Roger Craig vs. Ernie Broglio
Schwei's Runs, Hits and Errors:
Runs: Vic Black -- The Mets' reliever has stranded 21 consecutive inherited runners and 23 of 24 for the season.
Hits: Daniel Murphy -- The Mets' second baseman leads the National League with 152 hits.
Errors: Jenrry Mejia -- The Mets' closer has given up 15 hits and seven runs in nine appearances in August.
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