Baseball Guru
06-21-2006, 11:48 AM
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/preview?gid=260621121
Game Info: 7:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 21, 2006
TV: ESPN, SNY
Currently: Flushing, NY Temp: 83° F
By NICOLINO DI BENEDETTO, STATS Writer
Jose Reyes is developing into the shortstop and leadoff hitter the New York Mets hoped he would be. He leads the first place club in the NL East into the third of a four-game set with the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
Reyes -- the reigning NL co-player of the week along with New York third baseman David Wright -- is 17-for-34 (.500) with seven doubles and 11 runs scored in the last eight games, with the Mets (44-26) going 5-3 over that span. He leads the majors with 30 stolen bases and his 59 runs are tops in the National League.
"He's developed faster than most people would have thought," Mets manager Willie Randolph said of the NL's current leader among shortstops in All-Star voting.
The 23-year-old Dominican Republic native went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in a 9-2 win over the Reds on Tuesday. The victory moved the Mets 9 1/2 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East -- the largest division lead in baseball.
While the homegrown Reyes is becoming a star for the Mets, shrewd offseason acquisitions have helped the team to the best record in the NL.
Xavier Nady, whom the Mets acquired from the San Diego Padres for Mike Cameron in November, had two homers and three RBIs Tuesday in his second game back after undergoing an appendectomy and missing 18 contests.
"It's nice to get back," Nady said. "The first two at-bats, I felt I made some adjustments in my swing and my leg kick, maybe spread out a little more and got started a little earlier.
"Being out because of your health, it's not fun on the couch, wondering when you'll get back, wondering why it happened."
The right fielder has 11 home runs and 25 RBIs for the Mets after hitting a career high 13 homers with 43 RBIs in 2005.
Another impressive young Met is Wednesday's starter Alay Soler (2-1, 3.00 ERA).
The 26-year-old rookie gets his fourth chance to win his first game at Shea Stadium when he faces the Reds for the first time.
The right-hander is 0-1 with a 5.29 ERA over three home starts, while earning a 2-0 mark with a 0.56 ERA in two road outings.
The Cuba native allowed two runs -- one earned -- with four strikeouts and two walks over six innings of a 6-3 Mets' home loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.
The Reds (38-33) will give Joe Mays (0-0, 1.29) his first start with the team and a chance for his first win since last August. He has three relief appearances -- all in Cincinnati losses -- since his contract was purchased from Triple-A Louisville on June 6.
Reds manager Jerry Narron turned to the right-hander after Brandon Claussen was placed on the disabled list on Saturday with tendonitis in his shoulder.
Mays was released by the Kansas City Royals on May 16 after going 0-4 with a 10.27 ERA in 23 2-3 innings over six starts while only reaching the sixth inning once.
The Reds hope Mays can help them win for the third time in the last 12 games.
The slump has dropped Cincinnati, which held a half-game lead on June 8, five games behind the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals.
Game Info: 7:10 pm EDT Wed Jun 21, 2006
TV: ESPN, SNY
Currently: Flushing, NY Temp: 83° F
By NICOLINO DI BENEDETTO, STATS Writer
Jose Reyes is developing into the shortstop and leadoff hitter the New York Mets hoped he would be. He leads the first place club in the NL East into the third of a four-game set with the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
Reyes -- the reigning NL co-player of the week along with New York third baseman David Wright -- is 17-for-34 (.500) with seven doubles and 11 runs scored in the last eight games, with the Mets (44-26) going 5-3 over that span. He leads the majors with 30 stolen bases and his 59 runs are tops in the National League.
"He's developed faster than most people would have thought," Mets manager Willie Randolph said of the NL's current leader among shortstops in All-Star voting.
The 23-year-old Dominican Republic native went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in a 9-2 win over the Reds on Tuesday. The victory moved the Mets 9 1/2 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East -- the largest division lead in baseball.
While the homegrown Reyes is becoming a star for the Mets, shrewd offseason acquisitions have helped the team to the best record in the NL.
Xavier Nady, whom the Mets acquired from the San Diego Padres for Mike Cameron in November, had two homers and three RBIs Tuesday in his second game back after undergoing an appendectomy and missing 18 contests.
"It's nice to get back," Nady said. "The first two at-bats, I felt I made some adjustments in my swing and my leg kick, maybe spread out a little more and got started a little earlier.
"Being out because of your health, it's not fun on the couch, wondering when you'll get back, wondering why it happened."
The right fielder has 11 home runs and 25 RBIs for the Mets after hitting a career high 13 homers with 43 RBIs in 2005.
Another impressive young Met is Wednesday's starter Alay Soler (2-1, 3.00 ERA).
The 26-year-old rookie gets his fourth chance to win his first game at Shea Stadium when he faces the Reds for the first time.
The right-hander is 0-1 with a 5.29 ERA over three home starts, while earning a 2-0 mark with a 0.56 ERA in two road outings.
The Cuba native allowed two runs -- one earned -- with four strikeouts and two walks over six innings of a 6-3 Mets' home loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.
The Reds (38-33) will give Joe Mays (0-0, 1.29) his first start with the team and a chance for his first win since last August. He has three relief appearances -- all in Cincinnati losses -- since his contract was purchased from Triple-A Louisville on June 6.
Reds manager Jerry Narron turned to the right-hander after Brandon Claussen was placed on the disabled list on Saturday with tendonitis in his shoulder.
Mays was released by the Kansas City Royals on May 16 after going 0-4 with a 10.27 ERA in 23 2-3 innings over six starts while only reaching the sixth inning once.
The Reds hope Mays can help them win for the third time in the last 12 games.
The slump has dropped Cincinnati, which held a half-game lead on June 8, five games behind the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals.