I didn't see all of Johan Santana's no-hitter last night (props to my 12-year-old for the heads up in the sixth inning), but I saw the important parts. The parts baseball fans won't soon forget. Mets fans have waited since the team was born in 1962, have waited through 8,019 regular-season games before No. 8,020 was the first.
New York Post columnist and St. Bonaventure grad Mike Vaccaro penned his usually brilliant column here, Of course, there's one tiny detail my longtime friend left out: He was home in Jersey when the game started, hopped in his car at the end of the sixth inning. Scroll down in his Twitter feed to see his entries from when he left at 8:29 to when he arrived at 9:17. Classic stuff. Folks in the New York media always fretted missing that first Mets no-hitter. That need not worry anymore
The whole thing was a terrific memory for the Mets-Bisons relationship too. Mets manager and Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Terry Collins will forever be remembered for his gut-wrenching call to leave Santana in, and for his emotional postgame presser where he broke down a couple of times hoping Santana will be all right in the coming days. Read Vaccaro on that part of the discussion and also give a look to the thoughts of Ian O'Connor of ESPNNY.com
There's catcher Josh Thole, who will forever go down as the man who called the game, caught the final strike, gave Santana the first hug and even had some of his gear authenticated by the Hall of Fame. And did it all one day after catching Chris Young's rehab start for the Bisons in Coca-Cola Field.
How about all the outs? Here they are from MLB.com. Great stuff.
How about a scoreboard salute? This is what the board at Citi Field looked like after the final out, as pictured in the Post.
The Mets are finding out that 40-man roster spots are pretty scarce these days, so the precious space is going to go the players who perform in Buffalo and New York. Those that don't are going to be left on the outside and might end up in another organization.
Such is the case today for pitcher Chris Schwinden, who has been taken off the 40-man and placed on waivers so the Mets could create a spot for the callup of red-hot Bisons reliever Elvin Ramirez. You would think a young pitcher like Schwinden would be of interest to other teams looking for some depth.
Schwinden was 8-8 with the Bisons last year and was the winner of the Warren Spahn Award as the team's most valuable pitcher. He's 3-4, 2.59 with Buffalo this year while suffering from a chronic case of no run support. With the Mets, however, he failed to capitalize on a chance in the rotation and is 0-1 with a 12.46 ERA.
The assumption here is the Mets don't want to lose Schwinden but they need 40-man spots so somebody has to go and maybe he sneaks through waivers and returns to the Herd. Manny Acosta was designated for assignment and has accepted a trip to Buffalo.
Josh Thole is re-joining the Mets today and Rob Johnson will be coming to Buffalo with Mike Nickeas staying in New York (both had minor-league options). In the next couple of weeks, the Mets will have to create 40-man slots for rehabbing Bisons reliever Pedro Beato and Chris Young, who started yesterday and is now expected to make two more starts with the Herd. You wonder what that means for current Bisons on the 40-man like Josh Satin or the injured Zach Lutz.
Even though he's 6-foot-10, don't think Randy Johnson when you watch Chris Young. He doesn't overpower you. He beats you with guile. With six shutout innings in Thursday's 3-0 loss to Columbus, Young (left) sent the New York Mets a strong message he could be ready to go a year after shoulder surgery.
"If he feels good, I think he's ready for the big leagues," said Bisons manager Wally Backman. "Maybe he needs another start. If that's what he wants to try to sharpen up a couple things. We're basically going to leave that up to him and tell us how he feels."
"I'll do what's best for the New York Mets. We'll sit down and discuss it," Young said. "We're trying to win a championship there. That's most important. The team is off to a great start and obviously I want to be a part of it.
I feel good and given the results today I feel like I'm pretty close to being ready. We'll sitdown and talk and see what they feel is appropriate. If it's here, that''s great. If it's in New York, I'll be ready to help win a ballgame there."
Catcher Josh Thole said he felt the ball was coming out of Young's hand even better than early last year before his surgery so that's another good sign. An hour or so after the game, Thole and Elvin Ramirez were called up by the Mets. Struggling reliever Manny Acosta, meanwhile, has accepted his assignment to Buffalo.
Click below to hear audio from Young, Thole and Backman.
Chris Young
Josh Thole
Wally Backman
As for the Triple-A All-Star Game, the International League released the first set of ballot leaders in online voting for the game July 11 in Buffalo and Bisons pitcher Matt Harvey and shortstop Omar Quintanilla (currently in New York) are leading at their positions, while Matt Tuiasosopo is one of the top three outfielders. Josh Satin (1b), Valentino Pascucci (dh) and Fernando Cabrera (relief pitcher) are all third.
The overall IL vote leader is Columbus outfielder Matt LaPorta. The top pitcher is Toledo's Chris Bootcheck. Voting ends June 22.
Greetings from sun-splashed Coca-Cola Field, as the Bisons will wrap up the longest homestand in their history -- a 16-game, 17-day affair -- with today's 10:35 a.m. game against the Columbus Clippers. It's the annual School Kids Day game, with more than 10,000 children expected to be on hand.
The Bisons have won the first three games of the series, and are trying to make this the third straight four-game sweep between the teams in Buffalo. The Bisons took all four meetings against the Cleveland affiliate in 2010, while the Clippers won all four here last year. The Bisons are 31-22, and a win would push them a season-high 10 games over .500, their first time at that mark since Aug. 28, 2010.
The Bisons are 9-6 on the homestand thus far (although the four-game split with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre officially counts as road games). Outfielder/3B Matt Tuiasosopo (.309-2-12) and OFs Corey Wimberly (.304) and Fred Lewis (.300-2-7) have been stars on the stand. Valentino Pascucci has forged a 24-game on-base streak, although he's batting just .220 (11-50). Wimberly will DH today after feeling a tweak in his arm while throwing from the outfield last night (9:30 a.m. update -- Wimberly scratched and Michael Fisher will dH)
Starter Matt Harvey and reliever Justin Hampson are both 2-0, setup man Elvin Ramirez seems headed to New York at any moment because he's made 11 straight scoreless appearances overall, and closer Fernando Cabrera has three saves on the stand.
There is plenty of interest in Young's start in New York, and today's game will be shown live nationwide on MLB Network. Really good exposure for the Bisons and for broadcaster Ben Wagner. Locally, however, the MLB Network broadcast is blacked out because the feed is simply the one being used on Time Warner Cable Sportnet. So if you're a Time Warner customer, you can watch the game as normal on Channel 13. If you're on FIOS (like I am), DirecTV or Dish, you're outta luck.
That's just absurd. There are two Bisons game this season -- two. Time Warner should be allowing them into everyone's homes in Western New York. The Bisons should be demanding it. And if the words "Time Warner" come through to a viewer on FIOS or DirecTV 100 times in three hours, how exactly is that a bad thing?
But I digress. Television, especially cable, in this market continues to be utterly goofy. Here's today's lineup for the Bisons:
Corey Wimberly, dh Michael Fisher, dh Josh Thole, c Valentino Pascucci, rf Fred Lewis, lf Matt Tuiasosopo, 3b Josh Satin, 1b Brad Emaus, 2b Raul Reyes, cf Sean Kazmar, ss --- Chris Young, p
Mets pitching prospect Jenrry Mejia will don a Buffalo Bisons uniform for the first time in more than a year tonight as he continues to make his way back from Tommy John surgery.
Mejia's comeback hits the Triple-A level after four comeback starts, two at Class A St. Lucie and two at Double-A Binghamton. He's gone at least five innings but no more than six in four of those startsq.
Mejia left Buffalo's April 29, 2011 game at Rochester after four innings upon experiencing discomfort in his right elbow. He was diagnosed with a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament and underwent surgery three weeks later. The 22-year-old righty from the Dominican Republic entered 2011 as the organization's top-rated prospect by Baseball America.
This is the third game of the four-game set with Columbus, with the Bisons having won the first two. The series concludes at 10:35 tomorrow morning.
Tonight's Lineups
COLUMBUS
Ezequiel Carrera, cf
Jason Donald, ss
Cord Phelps, 2b
Matt LaPorta, lf
Jared Goedert, rf
Russ Canzler, 1b
Beau Mills, dh
Andy LaRoche, 3b
Matt Pagnozzi, c
***
David Huff, p (3-1, 3.08)
BUFFALO
Corey Wimberly, cf
Josh Thole, dh
Valentino Pascucci, rf
Fred Lewis, lf
Matt Tuiasosopo, 3b
Josh Satin, 1b
Brad Emaus, 2b
Lucas May, c
Sean Kazmar, ss
*****
Jenrry Mejia, p (0-0, 0.00)
Folks in New York want as much information on Matt Harvey as they can get every time he pitches for the Buffalo Bisons. Of course, sometimes, I've got to stick with the game if the outcome doesn't involve Harvey very much.
Such was the case Tuesday as Harvey, the Mets' No. 1 draft choice in 2010, pitched six innings but got a no-decision in Buffalo's 3-1 win over Columbus. My story centered on new cleanup man Matt Tuiasosopo driving in the winning run in the two-run eighth. So for those of you looking for Harvey info, especially if you reside in one of the five boroughs, here are some stats and thoughts:
---Harvey is 5-1, 3.94 in 11 starts. He's given up 54 hits in 59 1/3 innings, struck out 56 and walked 26. Opponents are batting .240 against him. Strangely, lefties are at just .207 while righties are at .263.
---Harvey still has some command issues (four walks tonight, equaling his season high set on Opening Day) and doesn't use his changeup a whole lot. His best one came in the fifth, when 2011 IL MVP Russ Canzler took a 79-mph pitch for strike three. Harvey's velocity was lower in Tuesday's start, ranging from 88-91. He did not stay in the 92-94-mph range we've seen, clearly opting for more control with less velocity. And it worked well in a 10-pitch first inning and a nine-pitch fourth.
---Talked to a couple scouts pregame and they're in agreement that Harvey will be a good major-league pitcher. Is he a future No. 1 starter? At this point, no. But he's a solid No. 3. And if he can master secondary pitches, and use them more, there's plenty of room for him to rise up the ladder.
---Harvey is clearly getting better as the season moves along. His ERA in April was 4.85 in five starts and opponents hit .269 against him. It was 3.24 in May in six starts and the opposing BA was just .215. And he's not finding trouble right away in innings either, as leadoff batters are just 9 for 55 (.164).
---I liked how Harvey retired nine of the next 10 hitters after walking two straight in the second inning. ""He just lost his rhythm a bit," said manager Wally Backman. "And then he seemed to fight through it and get better."
---One area of stat concern that needs more study: Harvey's ERA in innings 1-2-3 is 2.45. In innings 4-5-6, it balloons to 6.04.
---So far, the Mets are playing this one perfectly. Don't rush the guy. Get through the Mike Pelfrey opening with the Chris Schwindens, Miguel Batistas and Jeremy Hefners of the world for as long as you can. Frankly, I want Harvey to have a chance to pitch in the Triple-A All-Star Game in his home park. He should make at least 20 starts in Buffalo this season. Then we'll see.
The Bisons play the second game of their four-game set tonight against Columbus in Coca-Cola Field and old reliable Omar Quintanilla will be starting at shortstop at Citi Field for the Mets against the Phillies. Quintanilla, who is manager Wally Backman's choice as Herd MVP thus far, had played in 48 of Buffalo's first 51 games (second on the club to Josh Satin's 49). He was batting .282 and was suprisingly second on the team to Valentino Pascuci in both home runs (6) and RBIs (27).
Quintanilla, who has big-league time with the Rockies and Rangers, and pitcher Chris Schwinden were both called up by the Mets late Monday afternoon. The Bisons have added reliever Jeff Stevens off the disabled list and shortstop Sean Kazmar from Double-A Binghamton, where he was hitting just .236 with one homer and nine RBIs. Kazmar has spent the last three years in Triple-A with Portland (San Diego) and Tacoma (Seattle) and played 19 games for the Padres in 2008.
Matt Harvey (5-1, 4.22) is on the mound for the Bisons tonight, looking for his sixth straight win. If he gets it, the Mets' top pitching prospect would rejoin Syracuse's Zach Duke in a tie for the IL victory lead (Duke improved to 6-2 today by pitching six innings in the Chiefs' 6-2 win at Louisville). The Bisons have had a six-game winning streak by a pitcher 10 times in their modern era, last by Nelson Figueroa in 2009. Harvey is 3-0, 3.62 in his five May starts with 27 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings.
In other transaction news, Mets catcher Josh Thole, on the road back from a concussion, is due to be here Wednesday and will serve as the DH. Thole will then catch Chris Young's start Thursday morning.
Here's the Bisons' lineup tonight:
Corey Wimberly, cf Fred Lewis, lf Valentino Pascucci, dh Matt Tuiasosopo, rf Josh Satin, 1b Brad Emaus, 2b Lucas May, c Michael Fisher, 3b Oswaldo Navarro, ss --- Matt Harvey, p
Columbus is in town for a four-game series that opens at 2 this afternoon. The Clippers (Cleveland) have won three straight to improve to 5-5 in their last 10. The Bisons also are playing .500 ball over that stretch.
COLUMBUS (24-25)
Ezequiel Carrera, cf
Jason Donald, ss
Cord Phelps, 2b
Matt LaPorta, dh
Jared Goedert, lf
Chad Huffman, rf
Russ Canzler, 1b
Andy LaRoche, 3b
Matt Pagnozzi, c
******
Zach McAllister, p (3-1, 2.83)
BUFFALO (28-22)
Corey Wimberly, cf
Fred Lewis, lf
Valentino Pascucci, dh
Matt Tuiasosopo, 3b
Josh Satin, 1b
Jordany Valdespin, 2b
Lucas May, c
Dustin Martin, rf
Omar Quintanilla, ss
****
Dylan Owen, p (2-2, 3.19)
It looks like pitching is going to be the focus this week in Coca-Cola Field. Bisons right-hander Chris Schwinden meets Scranton veteran Ramon Ortiz in the wrapup of the four-game series against the Yankees today. Ortiz, remember, pitched eight games for the Bisons in 2010 and was a 15-game winner for the 2002 Anaheim Angels. He was also the winner of Game Three in the 2002 World Series at San Francisco.
The Columbus Clippers hit town Monday for a 2:05 game and the teams have just finalized the pitching matchups that feature some good names. Zach McAllister, just back from Cleveland after going 1-1 in four starts, goes for the Clippers on Monday. Mets megaprospect Matt Harvey looks to move to 6-1 on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, Jenrry Mejia makes his first Triple-A start in more than a year after Tommy John surgery against David Huff, a standout for the 2008 Bisons.
On Thursday morning, in a 10:35 start on MLB Network, 6-foot-10 right-hander Chris Young will make his Buffalo debut on the road back from shoulder surgery. He was 1-0, 1.88 in four starts for the Mets last year before the injury. Young won 39 games in the big leagues from 2005-2008 with Texas and San Diego.
Here's today's lineups for the finale with Scranton, with the Bisons again batting as the visitor:
Buffalo Corey Wimberly, cf Fred Lewis, lf Josh Satin, 1b Valentino Pascucci, dh Matt Tuiasosopo, rf Jordany Valdespin, 2b Lucas May, c Michael Fisher, 3b Omar Quintanilla, ss --- Chris Schwinden, p
Scranton-WB Kevin Russo, lf Matt Antonelli, 2b Steve Pearce, 1b Jack Cust, dh Brandon Laird, 3b Colin Curtis, cf Francisco Cervelli, c Cole Garner, rf Ramiro Pena, ss --- Ramon Ortiz, p
It's been a pretty entertaining three games for the Bisons and Yankees so far in Coca-Cola Field, Scranton's "home" for the weekend. The Bisons survived to win Saturday, 8-7, as closer Fernando Cabrera got out of a ninth-inning jam -- including a key strikeout of Jack Cust, Friday's walk-off hero.
Nice pitching matchup Sunday as Chris Schwinden goes for the Herd against Scranton veteran Ramon Ortiz, who made eight starts for the Bisons two years ago and went 15-9 for the 2002 World Series champion Anaheim Angels.
