#edwindiaz

By Monte Perez: Get Your Mets Gear Here Just click The New York Mets (79-44), travel to the Bronx to take on the New York Yankees (74-48). The teams will play 2 games Monday and Tuesday night. This Subway Series consists of organizations going in the opposite direction. The Mets, despite being without two starting pitchers and two starters in Luis Guillorme and Eduardo Escobar beat the Philadelphia Phillies on the road, 3 out of 4 games.  The Yankees have the worst record in MLB since the trading deadline. Manager Aaron Boone lost it in the press conference on Saturday, saying that if his team does not hit, they cannot win. Thanks Captain Obvious.

Photo Credit: (SportsNet.Com). 5 Things to Watch for in the Subway Series: - Pitching: Over the next two games the Mets will start Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom. Scherzer is 9-2, he has 134 strike outs and has an ERA of .215. deGrom has pitched in 4 games since coming off his injury. He has been spectacular. The two-time Cy Young winner is 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA and  had 37 strikeouts in 23 innings. Normally pitchers struggle with control when they miss time due to an injury. Not deGrom, he has only walked 1 batter. - Have the Yankees tuned out Aaron Boone: 2 months ago, they were talking World Series or bust for the Bronx Bombers. Now, this team is just trying to put together a winning streak. The Yankees have look lost at the plate and the frustration is starting to show through the manager and players - Stats that cannot be ignored: The Mets are 8-1 in their last nine games on Monday. The Yankees are 0-6 in their last six interleague games. The over is 5-1-1 in the Mets last seven games against the American League East. - The Jeff McNeil factor: If you don’t follow the Mets, you probably don’t realize how good and valuable McNeil has been to the team this season. McNeil is 4th in the National League in batting average (.321) , plays multiple positions, and the Mets bat him 1-7 in the lineup. The 2nd basemen has been on an absolute tear in August, hitting .425/.454/.650 with 12 doubles, two homers, 13 runs scored, and 11 RBI in 21 games. He has been their most consistent player all year long and no one talks about him. - Bullpen: Edwin Diaz struggled on Sunday before closing out the Phillies. It was the first time he has pitched in 5 games. He should be available for both games if needed. Seth Lugo wasn't used on Sunday after tossing 1.1 innings on Saturday, and Adam Ottavino was also not used on Sunday.

By Monte Perez: Get Your Mets Gear Here Just click The New York Mets won 4 out of 5 games this weekend against the World Series Champions, The Atlanta Braves. The Mets have a 6.5 game lead in the National League East. The Yankees and Mets are tied for the second-best record in Major League Baseball, 70-39. This team is 12-4 since the all-star break and are clicking on all cylinders. Buck Showalter’s team has done a masterful job of getting starting pitchers to leave games early. Buck's team  is 1st in the Major Leagues, getting pitchers to throw an average of 19 pitches in the first inning of each game. In 4 of the 5 games last weekend the Braves pitchers lasted 6, 4.2, 6, and 2.2 innings. Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom started the last two games , and they were both spectacular. On Saturday, Scherzer pitched 7 shutout innings, gave up 4 hits, 0 runs and struck out 11 batters. deGrom made his second start of the season on Sunday and dominated the Braves entire lineup. He pitched 5.2 innings, struck out 12 batters, and gave up a 2-run homerun.  deGrom's first 18 sliders thrown, the Braves swung and missed all 18 times. Mets fans couldn’t have asked for two better starts against one of the best offenses in the league. New York’s pitchers are first in the National League averaging 9.62 strikeouts per game. Edwin Diaz is the best closer in the game and it is not even close at this point. In 45 innings pitched he has 91 strikeouts, a 1.39 earned run average and 26 saves.

Photo Credit: (Yahoo.Sports). Pete Alonso is my choice for the Most Valuable Player. He has 29 home runs, 95 RBIs, 44 walks and is batting .283. Francisco Lindor could win come back player of the year. After pressing and struggling last season, he is having a monster year. He is batting .270, leads the team in walks with 45, has 19 home runs, 17 doubles, 77 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He should win the gold glove award at short stop as well. This offense is 4th in hits, 3rd in runs per game, 4th in batting average and 3rd in One Base Percentage. New York has overcome numerous obstacles this season. They are beating teams like the Yankees and Braves that normally dominate them. They are playing with confidence, consistency, and hunger we haven’t seen since the 1986 World Series Champions. Showalter should win manager of the year. You rarely see this team make a throwing error, a running mistake or mental error. Everyone is contributing in some way. The Mets never play down to their competition. They take every at bat, inning, and series seriously and have a killer instinct. Thy have patient hitters that work the count, great starting pitching and a lights out closer. Those are 3 recipes to get to the World Series. Since week 1 of the season, I have said this team is special. They are proving me right. Mets fans… Ya Gotta Believe!