Rafael Montero promoted to Las Vegas, for what that’s worth.

May 19, 2013 5:21 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@AdamRubinESPN

Adam Rubin

According to Lynn Worthy, who covers the Double-A Binghamton Mets for the Press & Sun-Bulletin newspaper, the promotion may just be a short term arrangement.

Montero’s Las Vegas start looking like a spot start situation. #BMets expect to have him back in their rotation.

May 19, 2013 5:36 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@PSBLynn

Lynn Worthy

Montero was 4-3 with a 3.47 ERA for the Binghamton Mets, with 54 strikeouts and just 6 walks in 46 2/3 innings of work.

Toss out a horrendous outing on May 1st in which he allowed 7 ER over 6 2/3 innings and his ERA would be a full point lower, making his overall numbers look nearly as dominant as his strikeout total.

Mets MiLB: Rafael Montero (4-3, 3.47) leads the Eastern League in strikeouts with 54. He’s allowed just 6 BB’s in 46.2 IP (8 games). @bmets

May 14, 2013 12:21 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@heelsonthefield

Jessica Quiroli

There’s no doubt that Montero’s been turning heads ever since this Spring but it seems unlikely that this regime would rush any of their prospects and I’d be surprised if they didn’t approach this situation as they have others in the past.

@jedleyq Montero has just 8 starts at Double-A. Harvey has 12. Wheeler had 19. #Mets

May 19, 2013 5:40 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@PSBLynn

Lynn Worthy

Photo by Michael G. Baron

In any case, it would be exciting to see the youngster get a call up in September as the future of the Mets pitching staff could be in very good shape should he make good on the attention he’s drawn throughout this season.

Murph, who went 2-4 yesterday and is now hitting .368 (14-38) with three doubles and eight RBI in 10 career games at Wrigley, has raised his average to over .300 for the first time since April 26 and will look to keep things going today against fellow lefty Travis Wood.  The 28-year-old has never faced Wood but boasts a .295 avg against southpaws.  Wood, meanwhile, will make things tough on Murphy and the rest of the Mets today as he enters the contest with a 4-2 record and a sparkling 2.03 ERA.

Prior to yesterday’s contest against the Cubs, Mark Simon of ESPN New York made the following tweet, which included a heat map for Murphy heading into the game.

There is hot, red hot, and then there is Daniel Murphy’s last 5 games … http://t.co/JI9Wdt6oxX

May 18, 2013 12:28 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@msimonespn

Mark Simon

The prospects of the Mets, who rank 28th in baseball with a .231 team batting average, breaking out of their offensive funk today against Wood and the Cubs don’ exactly seem likely but Murphy and David Wright are a combined 23-48 over their last six games and if the middle of the line-up is hot, anything can happen.

I can see how that makes sense, I mean you know more about the team you root for than any other, but it’s hard to put aside being a fan when you’re betting and that can complicate things.  So for now, if I feel like betting on the Mets games, I’ll wait till Matt Harvey is on the mound or stick to the over/unders.

For today’s series finale against the Cubs it’s hard to bet confidently on Dillon Gee (2-5, 6.13 ERA), especially when he’s squaring off against Travis Wood.   Wood is 4-2 with an ERA of 2.03 and has given up 3 or less runs while going at least 6 innings in all 8 of his 2013 starts.  Wood was also 2-0 with 1.38 ERA against the Mets last season and New York is hitting just .233 against lefties this season.

So, not wanting to bet against the Mets, maybe sticking with the over/under bet is the way to go for this game.  The over has hit in 7 of NY Mets’ last 9 games when playing in Wrigley and in 5 of the last 6 home games for the Cubbies (7 of the last 9 while playing the Mets at home).  The over it is!

Of course, if after looking over all the online betting sites and comparing the latest odds on the Mets you decide that no play is the right play for you, trying your luck on a game of baseball slots at an online casino like Gaming Club is another option.  One of the best of these baseball slots games is undoubtedly ‘Hot Shot’, a five reel, nine pay line video slot.  From the minute you start it is baseball all the way, with the reel icons being of familiar baseball sights like pitchers, hitters, catchers’ mitts and a baseball, all set against the background of a lush green field. The sound effects utilized in Hot Shot are another reason why it is such a good game, with crowd sounds heard throughout, but rising from a murmur to a roar when you score a win with the gold trophy scatter symbol – while normal winning reels are greeted by the sound of a bat whacking a baseball. You stand a pretty good chance of winning money by playing Hot Shot too, thanks to the nine pay lines and the presence of a wild symbol (the burning baseball).  If nothing else, maybe some slots will help take your mind off the Mets on-field woes, if only for a little while.

Bobby Parnell bidding for his fourth save, and 1st since May 1. Had not had save chance since then.

May 16, 2013 4:35 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@AdamRubinESPN

Adam Rubin

When you look atop the National League save leaders you’ll see Jason Grilli with 16, Rafael Soriano with 12 and even the likes of Jim Henderson and Kevin Gregg before you scroll down and see Parnell.  That’s because even after coming in tonight and successfully protecting a 3-run lead against the Cardinals, the Mets closer still has just 4 saves on the season, making him one of the better kept secrets around baseball.

Here comes Bobby Parnell. The Mets have a closer. Who knew?

May 16, 2013 4:32 pm via Mobile Web (M2)ReplyRetweetFavorite

@NYPost_Mets

Mike Puma

Somewhere hidden within that low tally rests the stats that prove just how dominant Parnell has been this season, which marks his first opportunity to be New York’s closer right from opening day.

The earned run average, the WHIP, the K:BB ratio have all stood out for #39 in 2013 and it’s easy to see why his emergence this season transcends his saves total.

Photo by Michael G. Baron

Fans in Queens may finally be starting to feel like they have a ‘lights out’ option at the back of the bullpen and that’s not something Mets fans are used to.  When this season is over and the Metsecutives try to found out what went wrong and what can be salvaged as they look to make things right, it would be nice to be able to check off the 9th inning from the ‘to do list’.  Bobby Parnell is giving the front office and the fan base every reason to do just that.

Rick Ankiel, who signed with the Mets earlier in the day after clearing waivers, nearly robbed Ty Wigginton of a pinch-hit double to open the bottom of the seventh with what would have been a nice diving grab. The blooper, however, popped out of Ankiels glove upon contact with the ground.  Ankiel, who was using Jon Nieses glove, believed with his own glove he would have held on to the ball.

“I don’t want to make excuses about the glove, but I do feel if I had my own glove I would have made the play,” Ankiel said. “I got my glove on it, I should have made the play.”

Wigginton later scored the go-ahead run after Matt Carpenter drilled a comebacker off New York reliever  Scott Rice, which deflected into foul territory.  Mets catcher John Buck retrieved the grounder leaving home plate vacant, allowing Wigginton to score easily from second base, giving the Cards a 4-3 lead.

Later in the frame, Scott Atchinson relieved Rice and served up a two-run bomb to Matt Holiday, putting the game out of reach, 6-3.

NEW ADDITION: Ankiel was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk during his Mets debut.

THEY GOTTA WIN SOONER OR LATER: Dillon Gee will take the mound for the Mets tomorrow night at 8:15 p.m. in St. Louis. He will oppose John Gast.

Yesterday, pitching against the Albuquerque Isotopes, the 23-year-old earned a no-decision while turning in 7 1/3 quality innings of work and striking out seven.

Over his last three starts, Wheeler has pitched 20 innings and given up just three earned runs (good for a 1.35 ERA) while striking out 19 and walking just three.  I feel like the walks are the key thing to monitor here and yesterday’s performance came in front of a team instructor who, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, gave the prospect high marks.

Photo by Michael G. Baron

Zack Wheeler’s latest Triple-A start earned him a great review from instructor Guy Conti.

“Guy [Conti] said it was very impressive. He thought [Wheeler's] composure and demeanor on the mound were really impressive. The numbers speak for themselves but he said, ‘Terry [Collins], he handles himself really, really well,’” Mets manager Terry Collins said Sunday before the Mets faced the Pirates. “That all comes with confidence that he’s pitching good — for me. I heard early in the season the opposite. Obviously he’s happy with the way his mechanics are and where he’s at. That confidence is building.”

No matter how well Wheeler throws the ball down on the farm or how much fans clamor to see him in Queens, I just don’t see it happening until after the Super Two cutoff date, which is some time in June.  Even if Terry Collins wants him up with the team now, it’s a business decision at this point with the team’s long term financial future in mind and that’s not going to change regardless of how much fans, coaches, or the media wants it to.

Collins on fans wanting Zack Wheeler in New York: “I’d like to have Pujols too, but we don’t have him.” #Mets

May 10, 2013 10:30 pm via Twitter for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@AnthonyDiComo

Anthony DiComo