2015 New York Mets

I read that we gave up three of our top 30 prospects...no one even in the top 10 and no current major leaguers.

How good do you feel for Wilmer Flores. Biggest hit of the season.

The hard part is over: Time for Mets to prey on the weak
By Mike PumaAugust 1, 2015 | 12:50am



A month ago we used this space to set a modest goal for the Mets in July: A winning record.
The fact manager Terry Collins’ crew entered Friday night 12-12 for the month with a chance to get that final notch represents success, given the caliber of competition the Mets faced.
In this case, the Mets took punches from the Cardinals and Nationals immediately following the All-Star break, but their success against the Giants and Dodgers was noticeable.
Maybe the best thing that happened to the Mets was the trades that brought Kelly Johnson, Juan Uribe and Tyler Clippard, supplying experience to a team that had over-relied on young players.
For August, the Mets have to devour opponents who are nowhere close to the playoff race. The Mets will play meaningful August games for the first time in seven years, and that’s a start.

First a review of the Mets’ respectable July:
MVP: Curtis Granderson
In a lineup that largely has been overrun by anemic bats, the veteran outfielder has provided a stable presence atop the batting order. Granderson entered Friday with a .785 OPS for the month — good, but not great — and has lately avoided the kind of prolonged slumps that plagued him in his first season-plus with the Mets. Granderson doesn’t lead the team in homers, but he has been the Mets’ most consistent power threat.

LVP: Juan Lagares
The Gold Glove center fielder’s game has regressed to the point the Mets appear ready to move on if they can find a trade that makes sense. Most maddening to Mets officials has been Lagares’ inability to handle right-handed pitching: He entered Friday with a dreadful .579 OPS against righties. Lagares hasn’t been the same player defensively, only leading to speculation his right elbow strain (which could require Tommy John surgery) is affecting his overall game.
Looking ahead
The toughest part of the schedule is behind the Mets, who will spend most of August facing sub-.500 teams. Later in the month, the Mets begin a stretch of 13 straight games against the Rockies, Phillies and Red Sox, all of whom are last in their respective divisions. The Rockies also have a four-game visit to Citi Field before that stretch. Other than the Nationals series this weekend, the Mets will face a potential playoff team when the Pirates come to town for three games.

Toughest managerial decision
The bullpen had been so dependable in the first half of the season, but now appears vulnerable, following Jeurys Familia’s recent struggles and Jenrry Mejia’s second PED suspension of the year. Will manager Terry Collins stick with Familia in the ninth inning or soon look to veteran Tyler Clippard to fill the role? Bobby Parnell’s velocity also has been a concern. Collins has to figure out how the pieces might fit.

5 key stats
3: Homers by Lucas Duda on the road this season. His other 15 came at Citi Field.
5: Scoreless starts of at least 7 2/3 innings this season by Jacob deGrom — the most in the majors.
12.8: The Mets’ defensive WAR, according to Fangraphs, which ranks seventh in the major leagues.
23: Strikeouts in 321 plate appearances for Daniel Murphy, giving him the second-best ratio in the NL (one strikeout in every 14 at-bats.)
88: Days spent on the disabled list this season by Travis d’Arnaud, who returned to the Mets’ lineup on Friday.

Game of the month
Mets 4, Giants 1, July 8

Jacob deGrom fired a two-hitter over eight innings with 10 strikeouts to help the Mets complete their first winning road trip of the season with four victories in six games against Los Angeles and San Francisco. Eric Campbell hit a two-run homer in the ninth to give the Mets a cushion.