May 15, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Detailed view of an official MLB baseball in a glove in the Atlanta Braves dugout prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Seaver got the start for the Mets and only lasted six innings.  The Franchise allowed three runs (two earned) on nine hits before departing. At that point, the Mets trailed 3-1.  However, they added single runs in the seventh and eighth to tie things at 3.  Incredibly, that’s how the score remained until the top of the 19th.

Cleon Jones singled to lead off the inning, and was immediately driven in on a double by Rusty Staub as the Mets went in front 4-3.  Later in the inning, Ken Boswell delivered an RBI single and Ed Kranepool stroked a two run double that extended New York’s lead to 7-3.  In the bottom of the frame, Jim McAndrew worked around a two out single to toss a scoreless frame and secure the victory.  The game took Five hours and 42 minutes.

Here’s the box score and starting lineups from the game:

Next Up:

The Mets play the second game of their set against Los Angeles tomorrow.

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Zack Wheeler is “Two or Three” Starts Away:

Yesterday afternoon, Mark Hale of the New York Post, citing a Mets source, reported that Zack Wheeler will be promoted to the Mets after two or three more starts in AAA.  Later, Andy Martino of the Daily News confirmed Hale’s report.  The fact that Wheeler is expected to make his major league debut in a few weeks is far from a surprise.  A few nights ago, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson intimated as much when he joined Ron Darling and Gary Cohen in the broadcast booth for an in-game interview.

Feb 23, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (65) throws in the third inning during a spring training game against the Washington Nationals at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Alderson has maintained since before the season that Super Two status wouldn’t be the deciding factor as far as Wheeler’s date of promotion.  However, it’s clear that at this point, the Mets will wait until the Super Two date has passed to make the call for Wheeler.  They’ve waited this long, and there’s simply no reason to risk Wheeler meriting Super Two status and the extra year of salary arbitration that would come with it.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, the projected Super Two cutoff date is June 3rd.  Assuming Wheeler stays on regular rest, it’s likely that his debut will be either June 6th (in Washington), June 11th (at home against the Cardinals), or June 16th (at home against the Cubs).  If the Mets alter his schedule, they could potentially call him up during their five game series in Atlanta that begins on June 17th.

If I had to guess, I’d expect the Mets to wait until either June 11th or June 16th to promote Wheeler (to be certain that he doesn’t qualify for Super Two status). That would mean three or four more AAA starts for Wheeler before he says goodbye to Vegas.

Ike Davis is on Thin Ice:

Ike Davis, who is 1 for his last 38 and is hitting .147 with a .236 OBP, is still with the Mets.  Despite his offensive struggles and his recent lapses in the field, Davis is still with the club.  His time, however, may be running out.  According to the beat reporters, if Davis doesn’t break out of his slump this weekend against the Braves, he’ll likely be demoted to AAA Las Vegas.

Frankly, I was surprised that Davis wasn’t sent down yesterday during the team’s off day.  I realize that Davis rebounded from his nightmarish start last season, but this year feels different.  In addition to his woeful offensive production, Davis is costing the Mets in the field.  If the errors Davis was making at first base were aggressive errors, it’d be understandable.  However, the miscues Davis is making have been of the head scratching variety.

Regardless of what Terry Collins says, Davis is clearly allowing his offense to negatively impact his defense.  In addition, unlike last year, the fans have started to lustily boo Davis after each out he makes.  I hope Ike breaks out of it and starts spraying line drives all over the field this weekend.  If he doesn’t, though, it’ll be time to send him down.

Jenrry Mejia Solid in Second Rehab Start:

Yesterday in St. Lucie, Jenrry Mejia made his second rehab start.  Over five innings, Mejia allowed two runs, walked one, and struck out eight.  The Mets have been switching Mejia back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen over the last few seasons, but the expectation is that he’ll be a bullpen option when he’s ready to contribute again at the big league level.

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May 22, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy (28) hits a sacrifice fly against the Cincinnati Reds during the fifth inning of a game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

As part of the desperate search for good news that has become a daily routine for Mets fans, the question should be asked if Daniel Murphy will get a spot on the National League All-Star team. David Wright and Matt Harvey are almost certainly locks for a Midsummer Classic appearance, and with Major League Baseball maybe looking to put as many home players as they can in the game, Murphy calling Citi Field his baseball home may be enough to tip the scales in his favor. But will he get the nod? And more importantly, would he deserve it?

At first glance I’ve been tempted to, and often have, exclaimed, “Why, of course!” With his numbers as rock-solid as they are and skills with a glove up to major-league standards, why shouldn’t he get to shine in the limelight of playing at home in his first All-Star Game? Indeed, Murphy does have a good slate of statistics: his .302 batting average is second amongst all NL second basemen, his 14 doubles are fourth in the entire league, and he has turned an NL-best 30 double plays.

But Murphy is far from the only second baseman with the numbers to earn him one of baseball’s Golden Tickets. While Daniel’s second half of May has been superhuman, Marco Scutaro of the Giants has been superhuman the whole month. In 18 May games, Scutaro is hitting .453 with a 1.119 OPS, 14 runs, five doubles, two triples, a home run, and 7 RBIs. His resulting .331 season average puts him miles ahead of every other NL second baseman, Murphy included.

May 8, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Matt Carpenter (13) hits a triple against the Chicago Cubs during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

Meanwhile, a handful of other middle (infield)-men who bubble under Murph in batting average do overtake him in other highly-regarded stats. The biggest threat comes from Matt Carpenter of St. Louis, who is hitting .300 and leads N.L. second basemen in doubles (15), OPS (.828), and WAR (2.0). Murphy ranks only fifth in OPS (.798) and fourth in WAR (1.3); his biggest shortfall in the former category is a lack of walks – he’s drawn only eight bases on balls all season, second to last for regulars at his position, putting him at a too-low .333 OBP.  That drags down his very good SLG (.465 to Carpenter’s .441) when combined into OPS.

Carpenter is just in the lead of a pack that’s nipping at the heels of our protagonist. Cincinnati’s Brandon Phillips boasts a position-leading 40 RBI’s, nearly double Murphy’s total of 21. Jedd Gyorko is quietly giving the Padres a good effort and has an .801 OPS to show for it. And as always, lurking in the shadows is Chase Utley of the Phillies, older but still effective with seven home runs and a position-leading .475 SLG. Phillips and Utley also have the name recognition that is so crucial in fan voting, and there is nothing residents of Philadelphia would take delight in more (except maybe a decent Eagles team) than seeing their guy starting at second base in an All-Star Game hosted by their hated New York rivals.

So let’s answer both questions. First, does Daniel Murphy deserve to be an All-Star? He’s borderline, strong in a lot of categories but not the best in any of them, and that constitutes an emphatic “maybe” (as emphatic as that word can sound). Second, will Daniel Murphy make the All-Star team? With Scutaro, Phillips, and Utley as competition, probably not on the fan vote. It would take selection by the National League manager, San Francisco’s Bruce Bochy, for that dream to be realized.

Keeping up his hot streak would go a long way towards earning that selection, and that’s all Murph can really do at this point. With his team in the toilet, Daniel Murphy’s daily mission is to give it his all and produce as many small victories as he can. Maybe those small victories will eventually start showing up again in the win column of the New York Mets.

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