Full Count

New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey, right, reacts as Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of the baseball game at Citi Field Wednesday, May 22, 2013 in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

With the Mets playing an afternoon game against the Reds today at Citi Field, I thought I’d wait until after Matt Harvey’s start to post.

Let’s take a look at how Harvey Day played out.

First of all, the Reds scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to win, 7-4. (Ike Davis decided not to try to field a Brandon Phillips smash down the first base line…it was ruled fair and Shin-Soo Choo scored the game-winning run on the play…)

Harvey wasn’t totally terrible today, but it was far from what Mets fans have begun to expect from the young righty. Over 6 1/3 innings, Harvey allowed nine hits, four runs, walked three and struck out six. Zack Cozart accounted for four of those hits – two of which were doubles. Joey Votto hit a 2-run home run.

Of Harvey’s 112 pitches, 57 were fastballs. He threw those at an average velocity of 96.5 MPH, topping out at 98.97.

Via Brooks Baseball

I don’t think there’s too much to worry about with Harvey based on this start. For whatever reason, Cozart had his number today. Perhaps that had something to do with Joey Votto batting behind him…perhaps Cozart caught Harvey looking ahead somehow.

Harvey’s command of the strike zone was pretty good, as he threw 60.7 percent of his pitches for strikes. He also had 9.8 percent swings and misses, which was a good sign amid all the contact he gave up.

The problem on Wednesday, of course, was Ike Davis and the bullpen. Davis was 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and the defensive miscue at first. Scott Rice and Brandon Lyon did fine jobs in the seventh and eighth innings, but Bobby Parnell walked two, gave up three hits and took the loss.

If there was one bright spot, Rick Ankiel was 3-for-4 with two doubles, one triple and two RBI.

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The Mets host Atlanta for a three-game series beginning Friday. After that, it’s two games at home against the Yankees before the Subway Series shifts to the Bronx with two games at Yankees Stadium.

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The Yankees weren’t able to pull out another extra inning win in Baltimore, as Nate McLouth’s walk-off shot in the 10th inning off Vidal Nuno was the difference in the O’s 3-2 win.

Chris Dickerson hit solo home runs off Phil Hughes in the third and fifth innings for the O’s first two runs.

It was the latest in a long line of hard to define starts for Hughes. On one hand, he went six innings and gave up two runs on five hits, two walks and five strikeouts. Technically, it’s a quality start.

Let’s dig into the numbers a bit deeper. Of his 102 pitches, 70 were strikes. Of the strikes, 19 were looking and 12 were swinging. Hughes got 15 fly ball outs and three each of the line drive and ground ball variety. If you look at Hughes’ strike map, you can see all of the strikes high in the zone, especially the ones outside over the plate for left-handed hitters.

With five left-handed hitters in the Baltimore lineup, it’s tough for Hughes to find a compliment to his fastball. He’d rather not throw the slider or curve to lefties, so that leaves the changeup, which he only threw seven times. And simply put, he has to get the ball down. He’s lucky that some of Baltimore’s other left-handed hitters didn’t do more damage to those high pitches.

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Elsewhere in baseball…

• Mike Trout hit for the cycle last night in the Angels’ 12-0 win over Seattle. He became the youngest player ever to do that in the American League at 21 years and 287 days old. He’s just the 17th player to hit for the cycle and steal at least one base in the same game.
  

  Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout (27) acknowledges the crowd after he hits a solo home run in the eighth inning, hitting for the cycle against the Seattle Mariners during a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2013 in Anaheim. The Angels won the game 12-0. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

• Jose Quintana took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in the White Sox’s 3-1 win over Boston.
• Max Scherzer gave up two hits and struck out seven over eight innings in the Tigers’ 5-1 win in Cleveland.
• Yeonis Cespedes hit a home run and Dan Straily outdueled Yu Darvish in Oakland’s 1-0 win in Arlington.
• Evan Gattis hit a two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and the Braves beat the Twins in 10, 5-4.
• Zack Greinke lost for the first time at Miller Park as the Brewers beat the Dodgers, 5-2.
• Jason Grilli picked up save No. 18 in the Pirates’ 5-4 win over the Cubs.
• Pablo Sandoval’s 10th inning homer lifted the Giants to a 4-2 win at home over the Nationals.

The Yankees won their third straight Monday night in Baltimore, doing it in typical 2013 fashion.

Robinson Cano hit his 13th home run of the season, but David Adams, Lyle Overbay and Travis Hafner also homered – with Hafner’s opposite field shot in the ninth tying the game at 4-4.

In the 10th inning, Ichiro and Vernon Wells hit back-to-back doubles to open the inning. Hafner later singled in Wells for an insurance run.

It’ll be an interesting decision the Yankees will have to make when Mark Teixeira returns from the DL sometime in the next few weeks. He’s slated for an early June return, but that depends on how his rehab goes between now and then.

Assuming the Yankees carry 12 pitches, that leaves room for 13 position players.

c: Two – Stewart and Romine for now, Cervelli when he returns

1b: Overbay…until Teixeira returns

2b: Cano

3b: empty for now…until Youkilis and A-Rod return

ss: empty for now…until Nunez and Jeter return

of: Ichiro/Wells/Granderson/Gardner/Francisco

dh: Hafner

utility: Nix/Brignac/Adams

It’s going to be very hard for the Yankees to carry Teixeira, Overbay and Hafner all on the same roster, as only two of them would be able to play in any given game. Still, the Yankees are going to have to replace five players from this current group of 13 by some point in August.

I think the Yankees would be willing to go with a four-man outfield for a stretch, knowing all four will rotate playing time. That means Francisco is expendable.

As far as I understand, David Adams still has minor league options, so he can be sent down and called up later. Yet players such as Hafner, Overbay, Nix and Brignac can’t be shipped off to Scranton. Once they’re gone, they’d have to clear waivers before accepting a minor league role. It’s going to be a series of tough decisions for general manager Brian Cashman…and it will be interesting to see just how different the Yankees lineup looks on Labor Day as compared to memorial day.

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New York Mets' Ike Davis throws his bat after striking out to end the sixth inning of the National League MLB baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field Sunday, May 12, 2013 in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Shaun Marcum gave up three runs in the first inning and he gave up a solo shot to Jay Bruce in the sixth inning as the Reds beat the Mets at Citi Field, 4-3.

Ike Davis was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, dropping his average to .152. Terry Collins removed Davis from the game in the seventh inning as part of a double switch.

Davis has struck out in 31.2 percent of his plate appearances this season. He had struck out 24 percent of the time last year and in 20.8 percent of his plate appearances in 2011. He might be getting a little more aggressive to try and break out of his slump, but it isn’t working. Davis is swinging at 43 percent of first pitches – he’s probably getting more first pitch fastballs than before, but still – and he’s only making contact 70 percent of the time, a career low.

With the Mets’ first base options limited – Justin Turner is a utility guy, not an everyday first baseman; Lucas Duda could play first, but who then plays the outfield? – the Mets are almost stuck with Davis right now. Don’t be surprised if Terry Collins gives him a few days off in a row to try to get him right for the four-game Subway Series with the Yankees coming up next week.

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Elsewhere in baseball…

• The craziest game of the day happened in Cleveland. Endy Chavez had a pinch-hit home run in the top of the ninth to give the Mariners a one-run lead. In the bottom of the ninth, with two out, Mariners closer Tom Wilhelmsen couldn’t catch a ball on a 3-1 play at first base, allowing the Indians to send the game to extras. Justin Smoak broke the tie with a solo shot in the top of the 10th, but Yan Gomes’ second home run of the day in the bottom of the frame was a walk-off winner for Cleveland. The Indians have won five straight.
• The White Sox handed Jon Lester his first loss of the season as Chicago beat Boston, 6-4. Adam Dunn’s three-run homer in the first inning got the White Sox on the board.
• Matt Dominguez hit a three-run homer to lift the Astros to a 6-5 victory over the Royals.
• R.A. Dickey outdueled Jake Odorizzi, who was making his Tampa Bay Rays debut, as the Blue Jays won, 7-5.
• Patrick Corbin improved to 7-0 in the Diamondback’s 5-1 win at Colorado. Corbin has a 1.44 ERA and has allowed 43 hits in 62 1/3 innings.
• Cole Hamels struck out 10 and allowed two runs over six innings, but he still lost, as the Marlins beat the Phillies, 5-1. Hamels is 1-7 with a 4.45 ERA. He’s signed through 2018 – with an option for 2019 – but you have to wonder if the Phillies might be interested in trading him if they continue to fall out of contention.
• Clayton Kershaw struck out five and allowed three hits in a complete game win at Milwaukee, 3-1.
• The Giants collected 17 hits off Washington pitching in an 8-0 win in San Francisco.

Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera (24) slaps hands with teammate Prince Fielder (28), after hitting his second home of the game, in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers Sunday, May 19, 2013, in Arlington. (AP Photo/John F. Rhodes)

Miguel Cabrera had himself quite a night on Sunday against the Rangers on national TV, even though it wasn’t enough. The Rangers won, 11-8.

Cabrera was 4-for-4 with three home runs, five RBI and one walk.

Coming off his triple crown season in 2012, Cabrera is leading the league with a .387 batting average and 47 RBI. He has a 7-RBI lead over Chris Davis of Baltimore and has a 31-point lead in the batting title over James Loney of Tampa Bay. He has 11 home runs, which places him in a tie for fifth with Nelson Cruz of Texas. Heading into Monday’s games, Davis, Robinson Cano, Mark Reynolds and Edwin Encarncion are all tied with 12 homers.

Could Cabrera possibly win the triple crown again? It’s never been done by a single player in back-to-back seasons.

First, he’s in good position by giving himself such a large lead in the batting title already. Loney can’t possibly keep up this pace, but I suspect Alex Gordon and Dustin Pedroia (both at .343) as well as Joe Mauer (.342) will be in the mix by the end of September.

Second, Cabrera shouldn’t have a problem leading the league in RBI if he stays healthy. With Torii Hunter (.350 OBP), Austin Jackson (.333) and Omar Infante (.344) all options to hit in front of him, Cabrera will have plenty of baserunners to drive home.

I think Cabrera’s toughest challenge will be in the home run category. On one hand, there are plenty of other sluggers having good years. On the other, one has to wonder when Cabrera gets the Barry Bonds treatment and simply stops getting pitches to hit. That  could cut into his homer total as well, although he does have Prince Fielder as lineup protection.

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In New York news, the Yankees begin a series in Baltimore tonight. It’ll be CC Sabathia against Freddy Garcia. Garcia, who flirted with a no-hitter in his season debut against Anaheim, is 0-2 with a 5.51 ERA in three starts. Garcia is 5-4 with a 4.09 ERA in 12 lifetime starts against the Yankees.

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The Mets send Shaun Marcum to the hill against the Reds in a series that begins tonight in New York. The Reds are 26-18 and 2 1/2 games back in the NL Central race.

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Elsewhere in baseball…

• Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton were a combined 1-for-11 with four strikeouts, but the Angels beat the White Sox, 6-2.
• Matt Joyce and Luke Scott hit solo home runs in Tampa Bay’s 3-1 win at Baltimore. Joyce’s homer was contested via instant replay. Video showed that the ball had hit the foul pole.
• Justin Masterson again pitched brilliantly and Felix Hernandez was done in by some defensive miscues as the Indians beat the Mariners, 6-2.
• John Lackey allowed one unearned run on one hit over six innings as Boston beat Minnesota, 5-1. The Twins have dropped five straight.
• The A’s scored once in the bottom of the seventh and once more in the bottom of the eighth to beat Kansas City, 4-3. Yeonis Cespedes’ solo homer in the eighth was the deciding run.
• The Braves scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to beat the Dodgers, 5-2.
• Barry Zito gave up five runs on 11 hits in 5 2/3 innings in Colorado’s 5-0 win over the Giants.
• Erik Kratz and Freddy Galvis hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the ninth off Aroldis Chapman in the Phillies’ 3-2 win over the Reds.
• A Pedro Alvarez home run in the fifth inning was all the offense the Pirates needed in a 1-0 win against the Astros.
• Dan Haren was hammered for nine hits and seven runs over five innings in the Padres’ 13-4 win over the Nats.
• The Cardinals had four straight RBI hits in the fourth inning and beat the Brewers, 4-2.

The Mets snapped a six-game skid yesterday with a 5-2 win against Adam Wainright and the Cardinals in St. Louis.

The best part of the game was Daniel Murphy‘s disappearing double trick…check out the GIF below. Murphy lashed a ball down the right field line and it fell exactly between a small crack in the wall for a true ground-rule double. (Semantics note…a ball that simply hits the warning track and bounces over the fence is an automatic double. This was a Busch Stadium quirk, making it a ground-rule double).

GIF via CBS Sports

Matt Harvey is on the mound as the Mets play a second straight day game, this time against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

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The Yankees suffered a 3-2 loss to the Mariners last night and it was costly. Andy Pettitte came out early with a “tight left trapezius muscle.” At this point, Pettitte sounds like he’s day-to-day and should avoid the DL.

Catcher Chris Stewart had a left groin strain running the bases late in the game and he was removed for backup Austin Romine. The Yankees do not have another catcher on the 40-man roster, so they would have to make a move if Stewart can’t play tonight against Toronto. Bobby Wilson, the former Angels backup playing at Triple-A Scranton, would need to be added to the 40-man if he were to be called up. The Yankees could release Ben Francisco or put one of the current guys on the 15-day DL (Chamberlain, Nova, Nunez or Youkilis) onto the 60-day DL to free up a space.

Even if Stewart is day-to-day, it’s tough to play with just one catcher on the roster. Perhaps Vernon Wells, who has filled in at second and third base, could don the shinguards?

It’ll be Hiroki Kuroda against Mark Buehrle at the Stadium tonight. In his career at the old Yankee Stadium and the new version, Buehrle is 1-4 with a 5.40 ERA.

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Elsewhere in baseball…

• The White Sox scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning in a 5-4 win at Anaheim. One run scored on a wild pitch and another came on a bases-loaded walk to Jeff Keppinger. It was Keppinger’s first walk of the season in his 141st plate appearance. He is hitting .188. Yikes.
• Boston scored three runs in the top of the ninth as Rays closer Fernando Rodney walked four and gave up three runs in 2/3 of an inning. The Red Sox won, 4-3. Rodney, who was terrific for all of 2012, has a record of 1-2 and has already blown three saves.
• The Yu Darvish/Justin Verlander duel didn’t exactly live up to expectations in Arlington. Verlander gave up eight runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings and Darvish gave up four runs, but he lasted right inning in the Rangers’ 10-4 victory. Darvish threw 130 pitches in the game. He’s thrown an MLB-high 985 pitches but is only fifth in innings pitched (60 2/3).
• Matt Cain allowed three runs in the second and three more in the third, but he struck around long enough to pick up a win in the Giants’ 8-6 win in Denver.
• Brandon Phillips had a sac fly and Jay Bruce a two-run double in the top of the 10th inning off Marlins closer Steve Chisek in the Reds’ 5-3 victory in Miami.
• Steven Strasburg pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in his major league career and Bryce Harper hit his 11th home run of the season in the Nationals’ 6-2 win at San Diego.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes walks off the field after being pulled from the game during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium in New York, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Yankees fans had seen a bit of “good” Phil Hughes this season, but Wednesday’s start against the Mariners was “bad” Phil.

Hughes gave up seven runs on six hits and two walks on 36 pitches and was pulled with two out in the top of the first. Seattle went on to win, 12-2.

Here’s Hughes’ strike zone map from last night. He had some pitches way out of the zone and some way too close to the middle of the plate. (Your view here is behind the plate, so the green dots on the left are outside to left-handed hitters).

He threw 25 fastballs with an average velocity of 93.5, but only got one swing and miss in his entire outing. I think that was Hughes’ biggest problem of the outing. He’s not a groundball pitcher, so he needs to miss bats if he’s going to come into the strike zone like this. If he isn’t getting any swings-and-misses, those balls are going to the outfield. Against a lineup like Seattle’s, which has power, and in a ballpark like Yankee Stadium, which gives up home runs, it’s a poor combination.

Via BrooksBaseball.net

Let’s take a look at Hughes’ last great start: May 4 against the A’s. Hughes went eight shutout innings, gave up four hits, walked two and struck out nine.

He threw 118 pitches, averaged 93.3 on his fastball and got 19 swings-and-misses.

Here is his strikezone plot from that game:

He only had two pitches in the strike zone put in play for hits – and both of those were about belt-high and over the heart of the plate. You can see, when comparing this to last night’s chart, that his pitches out of the zone generally aren’t out by much.

Unlike some of the other pitchers in baseball that have struggled this season largely because of a lack of velocity – R.A. Dickey, Roy Halladay and to an extent, CC Sabathia – Hughes is struggling because his command comes and goes. If he can be near the edges of the strike zone as he was in the Oakland game, he can be a useful starter for the Yankees. But if he’s either way outside or right down the middle, as he was on Wednesday, he’s just going to be pitching batting practice.

It’s a big year for Hughes, who is a free agent at season’s end. The Yankees are probably going to lose Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda to retirement, but Michael Pineda and David Phelps are looking like locks for the 2014 rotation. That might leave Hughes on the free agent market – and it might not be a bad idea for him to try to reinvent himself somewhere else in a pitcher’s park.

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The Yankees and Mariners continue their series tonight. It’s former Yankees pitcher Hector Noesi against Pettitte at 7 p.m. Noesi was part of the trade that brought Pineda to New York.

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The Mets are in the middle of a day game in St. Louis right now and they lead the Cards, 2-1, in the bottom of the fourth. In the midst of a six-game losing streak, the Mets could really use the win. They’d also like to get Jon Niese going, as he leads MLB in walks per nine innings.

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Elsewhere in baseball…

• Former Hudson Valley Renegades starter Wade Davis pitched into the sixth inning and improved to 3-3 as the Royals beat the Angels, 9-5. The Angels are 10 games below .500 at 15-25.
• The Astros scored two runs in the top of the ninth to beat the Tigers, 7-5.
• Adam Dunn hit a pair of home runs in the White Sox’s 9-4 win in Minneapolis.
• Nelson Cruz hit a home run and made a great diving catch in right field to lead the Rangers to a 6-2 win at Oakland.
• David Price left Wednesday’s game against the Red Sox in the third inning with left triceps tightness after giving up four runs on five hits. Boston won, 9-2. The Red Sox and Orioles are both two games behind the Yankees in the AL East. Tampa Bay is 4 1/2 games out of first place.
• Zack Greinke was sharp in his return from the DL, allowing five hits, one run, no walks and he struck out four over 5 1/3 innings in the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over the Nationals.
• The Marlins and Reds both managed 11 hits in last night’s game, but Cincy scored four runs and Miami was shut out. The Marlins grounded into two doubles plays, went 1-for-10 with men in scoring position and left 12 runners on base.
• Cole Hamels fell to 1-6 as Middletown’s Mike Aviles and Nick Swisher took him deep in the Indians’ 10-4 at Philadelphia.
• Wandy Rodriguez outdueled Yovanni Gallardo in the Pirates’ 3-1 win over the Brewers. Jason Grilli picked up his 16th save. Grilli, who has pitched for six teams in his 11-year career and spent most of 2011 in the minor leagues, has been one of the best closers in baseball this season.

New York Yankees' Lyle Overbay watches his sacrifice fly off of Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Charlie Furbush in the seventh inning of a baseball game at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, May 14, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

The Yankees beat Felix Hernandez and the Mariners on Tuesday night, which was win No. 25 this season. That put the Yankees in a tie for the MLB lead with Texas and St. Louis, teams that also have 25 wins.

Felix Hernandez gave up five hits, one run and struck out eight over six innings, but he came out after throwing 97 pitches. Hernandez was also clipped in the back of his right knee by Lyle Overbay in a strange play at first base that resulted in Overbay taking the base even though the throw beat him to the bag.

It’s an obstruction call in the rulebook (Hernandez obstructed Overbay’s path to first base, so he was awarded the bag) although the two former players – Al Leiter and David Cone – and Michael Kay in the Yankees TV booth apparently don’t know the difference between obstruction and interference…but that’s a story for another day.

Robinson Cano hit a 2-run double off Charlie Furbush in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 3-3. Overbay put the Yanks ahead with a sac fly that scored Cano.

Tonight, the Yankees send Phil Hughes to the mound against Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma (4-1, 1.74 ERA).

Update, 3:40 p.m.: The Yankees have called up David Adams from Triple-A Scranton. He is expected to be in the lineup tonight. No word yet on the corresponding roster move, but it figures to be Chris Nelson, who plays the same positions as Adams – second and third.

Adams was once a highly-regarded prospect in the Yankees’ system after being drafted in the third round in 2008 out of the University of Virginia. He was key to a proposed Cliff Lee trade with the Mariners, but Seattle had some injury concerns with his ankle allowed the deal to fall through.

This spring, Adams was released from the 40-man roster to make room for Vernon Wells. He wound up resigning with the Yankees and was sent to Triple-A Scranton. MLB rules prevented him from being added to the 40-man roster again until May 15, which is coincidentally Adams’ 26th birthday.

Adams has played well at Scranton, hitting .316 with three home runs and 12 RBI – and six doubles – in 113 plate appearances. He’s struck out 19 times and drawn 13 walks. He’s played mostly at third base this season, but spent the majority of his minor league career at second before that.

He will provide some punch in the lineup at third base until Kevin Youkilis returns.

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St. Louis’ John Gast gave up four runs on six hits over six innings in his major league debut, but it was enough for a win as the Cards beat the Mets, 10-4. Dillon Gee was tagged for nine hits and six runs over four innings as he fell to 2-5 and his ERA rose to 6.13.

Off the field, there are two big Mets stories right now.

One, manager Terry Collins said on Tuesday that he “doesn’t answer to the fans” in responding to questions about Jordany Valdespin’s role in the Mets’ clubhouse. Collins, of course, is right. Nobody knows the inside of the clubhouse like he does, but it’s always dangerous to start talking about the fans in his press conferences. With the Mets’ season quickly heading nowhere fast, Collins may have put himself on the hot seat with this comment. It’s hard to blame much, if any, of the Mets’ shortcomings over the past few years on the manager – it’s a matter of lack of talent – but this isn’t going to help Collins’ case when the Mets miss the playoffs this year.

Two, pitching prospect Zack Wheeler has a sore right collarbone and is in New York for testing. Wheeler, 22, had been pitching pretty well lately for the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He was probably due for a callup at some point after the All-Star break, but this setback could delay Wheeler’s big league debut.

The Mets face St. Louis’ mega-prospect Shelby Miller tonight. Miller is 5-2 with a 1.58 ERA and is probably the leader in the clubhouse in the NL Rookie of the Year sweepstakes so far. The Mets send Shaun Marcum (0-3, 8.59 ERA) to the hill.

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Elsewhere in baseball…

• The Angels handed Jeremy Guthrie his first loss of the season last night in a 6-2 win in Anaheim.
• Jim Johnson blew a save as the Padres beat the Orioles, 3-2. It was his first since July 27 of 2012.
• Joe Nathan needed 31 pitches to record his 12th save in the Rangers’ 6-5 10-inning win at Oakland.
• Matt Moore improved to 7-0 in Tampa Bay’s win over Boston. He struck out eight, walked two and threw exactly 100 pitches over six innings. He’s allowed 29 hits in 48 innings, but he might not be quite Cy Young material yet. Moore’s allowed seven home runs and walked 25 while striking out 51.
• R.A. Dickey struck out 10 over six innings and the Blue Jays pounded Barry Zito for 12 hits and eight runs in a 10-6 win over the Giants.
• Patrick Corbin gave up three hits over seven innings (he did walk five) to improve to 6-0 in the Diamondback’s 2-0 win over the Braves.
• Clayton Kershaw mowed down a Bryce Harper-less Nats lineup in the Dodgers’ 2-0 win against Washington.
• Domonic Brown and Kevin Fransden homered in Philly’s 6-2 interleague win over the Indians.
• Andrew McCutchen hit a walk-off home run in the 12th inning as the Pirates beat the Brewers, 4-3.

Curtis Granderson's right forearm was broken during this pitch thrown by Toronto's J.A. Happ in spring training. (AP photo/Matt Slocum)

Curtis Granderson will return to the Yankees tonight as the team takes on Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners at the Stadium. He’s playing left field and batting cleanup. Granderson was hit by a pitch early in spring training and suffered a broken right forearm.

He had recently been playing for Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre and did well there, collecting eight hits in 20 at-bats, with one home run and three RBI.

Granderson had a strange 2012 for the Yankees. He hit 43 home runs and drove in 106 runs, but his average fell to .232 and he struck out 195 times in 596 at-bats. In 2011, he led the AL with 136 runs scored and 119 RBI.

With Granderson returning to the lineup and Vernon Wells playing so well, it probably means that Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki will more often than not be the ones squeezed out of the lineup. The Yankees optioned Brennan Boesch to Scranton on Monday. Right-handed hitting Ben Francisco remains on the 25-man roster for now, but he’s becoming more and more expendable by the day.

Granderson had averaged 42 home runs and 158 games played over the last two seasons. The Yankees would probably be lucky to get 100 games out of Granderson the rest of the season (they have 124 left on the schedule, including tonight’s game). If Granderson can keep up his pace from the last two seasons, he’d produce 27 homers and 71 RBI through the rest of 2013. I think the Yankees would take that.

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Rick Ankiel #16 of the New York Mets misplays a fly ball hit by Ty Wigginton #12 of the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh inning at Busch Stadium on May 13, 2013 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals beat the Mets 6-3. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

The Mets’ latest outfield acquisition, Rick Ankiel, had an interesting night in St. Louis in his Mets debut. He was 0-for-3 at the plate with two strikeouts, but he did draw one walk and score one run. He also made a misplay in center that led to a 3-run Cards rally. It appears Ankiel will play most days in center against righties, but it might not be long before his offense forces the Mets to make a decision.

Ankiel can hit for power. He had five home runs in 62 at-bats with the Astros earlier this season. He’s just not good at swinging at pitches in the strike zone. Ankiel walked three times with the Astros. He struck out 35 times.

It’s hard to imagine Ankiel suddenly becoming more cognizant of the strike zone, but he could stand to be more selective. Anyway, it’s not like this was a move that’s going to put the Mets over the top.

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Elsewhere in baseball…

• Joe Blanton fell to 0-7 as the Royals tagged him for 12 hits and seven runs over 4 2/3 innings in an 11-4 win in Anaheim. The Royals had 19 hits in all – none of which went over the fence.
• The Twins continued to exceed expectations, beating the White Sox, 10-3. Aaron Hicks hit two home runs and also made a great catch in the outfield.
• A.J. Griffin struck out eight over seven innings as the A’s beat the Rangers, 5-1.
• Justin Upton hit his 13th home run of the season in the Braves’ 10-1 victory in Arizona.
• The Cubs won their third straight, beating the Rockies, 9-1. Earlier in the day, Chicago locked up hard-hitting first baseman Anthony Rizzo to a long-term extension that will keep him at Wrigley Field until 2021.
• The Nationals beat the Dodgers, 6-2, but paid a price in the win. Bryce Harper crashed into the right field fence at full speed after misreading a fly ball. He had some stitches, but was not concussed and is day-to-day.
• A.J. Burnett struck out six, didn’t walk anybody and pitched seven innings, but it wasn’t enough for the Pirates, as the Brewers pulled out a 5-1 win in Pittsburgh.

If 2012 was the year of the no-hitter – there were seven in the MLB last year, which includes three perfect games and a combined no-hitter – 2013 is shaping up to be the year of the near-no-hitter.

Chicago White Sox starter Chris Sale throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, May 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chris Sale threw a one-hit gem in the White Sox’s 3-0 win over the Angles on national TV Sunday night.

Cardinals rookie Shelby Miller threw a one-hitter on Friday against the Rockies. Miller actually retired 27 straight after allowing a leadoff single to Eric Young Jr. in the top of the first inning.

Jon Lester of the Red Sox also threw a one-hitter on Friday, as Boston beat the Blue Jays, 5-0.

Last Tuesday, Matt Harvey threw a one-hitter, but took a no-decision when the Mets couldn’t score any runs through nine innings.

On April 26, Jordan Zimmermann of the Nationals threw a one-hitter against the Reds.

And who could forget Yu Darvish‘s perfect game bid being broken up with two outs in the ninth inning on April 2?

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Those are only the guys who came oh-so-close. There have been some other no-hit bids snapped in the late innings as well.

On Saturday, St. Louis’ Adam Wainright didn’t give up a hit until there was one out in the eighth. He finished with a complete game two-hitter.

On Sunday, Colorado’s Jorge De La Rosa pitched 6 2/3 hitless innings before the Cardinals got on the board.

This afternoon, Justin Masterson pitched a complete game shutout against the Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader…the latest in a long line of great performances by starting pitchers this season.

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I don’t have any answers as to why there have been so many no-hitters and perfect games recently – and near no-hitters – but I’m not complaining. It makes for some pretty compelling games.

The New York Times reported that total strikeouts in the MLB have risen each of the past seven seasons.

The rise of the pitcher most likely has something to do with advanced PED testing. Fewer home runs and fewer extra base hits mean fewer runs, allowing pitchers to stick around longer in games and lower their ERAs.

Still, why the increase in strikeouts? I can see a correlation between PEDs and power, but PEDs and simple contact?

Well, with PITCHf/x being widely available both online and on most TV broadcasts, some think there might be more pressure on home plate umpires to call strikes. They’re being judged – by a huge audience – like never before. Perhaps it works in the other direction as well. Since pitchers have such a deep pool of batter data at the fingertips, not to mention video, it’s possible that catchers, pitching coaches and pitchers are just getting smarter at calling the right pitch at the right time.

Consider: the Yankees are a great example of a team that has had to play a subpar lineup with so many stars on the DL. Not that the Yankees are really struggling for offense, but it’s certainly not the lineup that Yankees fans – or opposing pitchers, for that matter – have come to expect over the last 20 years. Other, more frugal teams might be playing younger players that aren’t ready for the big leagues in an effort to save money on veteran free agents.

With so much emphasis put on taking pitches in this OBP-obsessed Moneyball era, many hitters are probably falling behind in counts and hoping for balls late in an at-bat rather than swinging at hittable strikes early in counts. If pitchers know hitters are going to take the first pitch, you might as well fire a strike in there and get ahead.

Whatever, the reason, I think great, dominant pitching is good for baseball. It shortens the games. It makes managers make tough decisions on the regular basis as far as hit-and-runs, stolen bases, etc. It leads to some high drama as pitchers chase no-hitters, perfect games and shutouts.

Will the bats heat up as we move into the summer? It’s possible, but I think we’ve entered an era of the pitcher…at least until hitters make adjustments and find a way to catch up.

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In New York roster moves today, the Yankees have optioned Brennan Boesch to Triple-A Scranton in between games of today’s doubleheader against the Indians. It’s very possible that Curtis Granderson is recalled on Tuesday.

Also, the Mets are reportedly interested in outfielder Rick Ankiel, who was recently DFA’d by the Astros. Ankiel, who has a great arm in the outfield, struck out 35 times in 65 plate appearances for Houston this season….actually, this just in….it appears Ankiel will join the team tonight in St. Louis. So Ankiel adds some left-handed power threat for the Mets, but he simply strikes out too much to be useful at the major league level. Perhaps the Mets could try him in the bullpen?

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What to watch tonight…

• The Yankees and Indians are playing two after a few games were rained out in Cleveland in early April. Cleveland won the first game, 1-0.
• Oakland, now six games back of the Rangers, hosts Texas in a series early this week. It’ll be A.J. Griffin and Justin Grimm tonight.
• The Angels, 10 games out in the AL West, and the Royals, 1 1/2 games behind in the central, meet tonight on the west coast.
• Jeremy Hefner goes for the Mets to start a series on the road at St. Louis. The Cardinals have an MLB-best 3.03 ERA so far this season.
• A.J. Burnett takes the hill for the Pirates against Milwaukee. Pittsburgh has a five game lead on the Brewers, but the Bucs trail both the Reds and Cardinals in the NL Central.
• Jordan Zimmermann (6-1, 1.59) has quietly been one of the best starters in all baseball this season. He’ll pitch for the Nats tonight at Chavez Ravine against a Dodgers team that finds itself seven games out in the NL West on May 13.

Another day, another umpire controversy in Major League Baseball. This one was baffling.

Last night in Houston, the Astros, leading 5-3 in the top of the seventh, went to the bullpen. Houston brought in Wesley Wright to face J.B. Shuck of the Angels. The Angels pinch-hit with a righty, Luis Jimenez. The Astros responded by going to the bullpen again, bringing in Hector Ambriz.

Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia questions the umpires on a Houston Astros pitching change in the seventh inning of a baseball game Thursday, May 9, 2013, in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

The problem is, Rule 3.05b clearly states that any pitcher that enters the game must pitch through at least one at-bat before being replaced. It can take one pitch, a walk, a home run…anything that results in the next batter coming to the plate before another pitcher can be summoned.

So, there were a number of crazy things that happened here.

1) Astros manager Bo Porter doesn’t understand Rule 3.05b, which was clear in his postgame comments. He believes that a team can switch in a pitcher at any time, which clearly isn’t true.

2) The umpires a) either didn’t know Rule 3.05b themselves, which if true, is insane, or b) failed to enforce the rule. Either way, that’s a huge problem. It’s one thing for the umpires to make a mistake on a judgement call, as they did on Oakland’s would-be home run earlier this week in Cleveland. It’s another to completely fail to enforce the rules of the game. It would have been an easy solution. All they had to do was to tell Porter that Wright had to go back on the mound and send Ambriz back to the bullpen, at least for Jimenez’s at-bat. It would have been that simple.

3) Angels manager Mike Scioscia argued and played the rest of the game under protest – the Angels won, 6-5, so it was a moot point. He also had to burn Luis Jimenez, who never got a plate appearance and never appeared in the field, because of the improper interpretation of the rule. That’s tough to do in an NL park, especially if you plan on pinch-hitting for a pitcher later…or double switching…or if the game went extra innings.

Crew chief Fieldin Culbreth declined to talk to the media after the game. (EDIT, 5:00 p.m.: MLB just announced that Culbreth will be suspended two games for “misapplication of Official Baseball Rule 3.05(b).” He and the rest of the crew will also be fined)

Today, MLB confirmed that the umpires blew the call.

In the end, the Angels won the game, so it’s not a total travesty. Still, what if this happened during the pennant race? During the playoffs? It’s clear that MLB must do something to get the umpires do a better job. Maybe it’s more training. Maybe it’s adding more crews and giving more days off during the season. Personally, I’d never go nuts over an umpire missing a judgement call. That’s just part of the game…even if you are Armando Gallaraga…or the Oakland A’s this past week. In this case, when the umpires failed to uphold one of the most simple rules of the game, it’s a different story.

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In New York news, Mike Baxter had his second walk-off pinch hit of the week as the Mets topped the Pirates, 3-2. No player in baseball had two pinch-hit walk-off hits in all of 2012.

CC Sabathia only pitched four innings because of a rain delay in Denver, but the Yankees got five scoreless innings of the bullpen to beat the Rockies, 3-1.

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Elsewhere in baseball… 

• Jeremy Guthrie improved to 5-0 and lowered his ERA to 2.28 as the Royals beat the Orioles, 6-2.
• Glen Perkins picked up save No. 8 as the Twins knocked off the Red Sox, 5-3. With both the O’s and Red Sox losing, the Yankees moved into a 3-way tie for first in the AL East.
• Scott Kazmir struck out 10 and the Indians hit three home runs in a 9-2 win over Oakland.
• 2012 Cy Young winners David Price and R.A. Dickey met in St. Pete, but this game was decided by the bullpens. Luke Scott drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th to give the Rays a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays.
• Cole Hamels pitched well – 6 hits, two runs and three strikeouts over six innings – but he also walked five and fell to 1-5 as the Diamondbacks beat the Phillies, 2-1.
• Brian McCann hit his first home run of the season in Atlanta’s 6-3 win in San Francisco.
• Washington scored three runs in the first and two more in the second in a 5-4 win over the Tigers.

New York Yankees' outfielder - and part-time third baseman - Vernon Wells runs after hitting a 2-run home run against the Colorado Rockies during their inter-league MLB baseball game in Denver, Colorado May 8, 2013. (REUTERS/Mark Leffingwell)

Joe Girardi had quite the evening as Yankees manager on Wednesday in Denver.

First, Girardi decided to put starting pitcher David Phelps in the No. 8 slot in the batting order, leaving catcher Austin Romine to hit eighth. Girardi’s reasoning for that was that he didn’t want to bunch lefty-hitting Brett Gardner, Robinson Cano and Ichiro Suzuki in order.

The Yankees pinch-hit for Phelps with Ben Francisco with a runner on third and two out in the top of the seventh. Francisco grounded to third to end the inning.

Second, with a short bench – Eduardo Nunez is on the active roster but not playing with ribcage soreness – Girardi was left without a third baseman when he used Travis Hafner to pinch-hit for Chris Nelson in the ninth. That meant Vernon Wells made his first professional appearance at third in the bottom of the ninth in a one-run game. Wells had one chance and he made the play to first as the Yankees hung on for a 3-2 win.

The Yankees, now 19-13 and one game behind Baltimore and Boston in the AL East, play a day game at Colorado this afternoon to wrap up the series. After that, they’ll head to Kansas City.

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Jeremy Hefner gave up eight hits and four runs over six innings as the White Sox beat the Mets, 6-3. Jake Peavy pitched into the seventh inning and struck out six to improve to 4-1 for Chicago.

Dillon Gee takes the mound tonight as the Mets begin a series against Pittsburgh. The Pirates, at 18-15, are tied with the Reds at three games behind St. Louis in the NL Central. A.J. Burnett, who has pitched like the Pirates’ ace this year, won’t pitch in this series. Matt Harvey takes the mound on Mother’s Day for the Mets.

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Elsewhere in baseball…

• There was a controversial ending in Cleveland last night. Adam Rosales hit a long fly ball to left field, which hit off the high wall. The umpires originally ruled it a double, but TV replays showed that it had hit above the yellow line, meaning it should have been a game-tying home run. The umpires took a look at the replay, but still ruled it a double. MLB today admitted that the umpires blew the call, but the results of the game will stand as final. The Indians hung on for a 4-3 win. Those two teams are playing this afternoon, with Cleveland jumping out to an early 9-0 against A’s starter Bartolo Colon.
• The Twins pounded out 20 hits – and David Ortiz saw his hit streak stopped at 27 games – as Minnesota beat Boston, 15-8. Baltimore beat the Royals in Baltimore to move into a first-place tie in the AL East.
• Joe Blanton dropped to 0-6 as the Astros beat the Angels, 3-1. Bud Norris gave up nine hits over eight innings, but the Angels’ only run came on a Josh Hamilton solo shot. The Angels grounded into four double plays.
• A night after J.A. Happ left in the second inning after being struck in the head by a line drive, Ricky Romero recorded just one out as the Rays beat the Blue Jays, 10-4. Toronto made a number of roster moves today – sending Romero to Triple-A Buffalo – to cover for a stressed bullpen.
• Dan Uggla hit a pair of home runs as the Braves topped the Reds, 7-2.
• The Dodgers made three errors and the Diamondbacks scored a pair of runs off Clayton Kershaw in a 3-2 win at Chavez Ravine.
• Joe Nathan picked up save No. 9 as the Rangers beat the Brewers, but Texas will put catcher A.J. Pierzynski on the DL. Geovany Soto would become the everyday starter.
•  King Felix outdueled A.J. Burnett as the Mariners got a 2-1 win in Pittsburgh. Jesus Montero’s solo shot put Seattle ahead.
• Andres Torres’ walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth lifted the Giants over the Phillies, 4-3.
• Bryce Harper hit his 10th home run in the Nats’ 3-1 win over the Tigers.