GAME FIVE: Mets 6 - Reds 3 - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Looking to see if they could string together two wins in a row, The Mets sent Dillion Gee up against The Reds in the second game of this weekend series.

THE GOOD
DILLON GEE: Except for one (admittedly big) mistake on Opening Day, Gee pitched quite well. Today he had a similar outing with pretty much the same type of mistake, but overall it was a good job, keeping the Mets one bright spot in 2014 so far to be it's starting pitching. He's not Harvey, and in the long run I think Wheeler and Syndergaard will both be better, but Gee is a very bright spot for what should prove to be a very strong rotation.

CURTIS GRANDERSON: Despite the rough first couple of games at the plate, I haven't wavered in my thought that I'm quite glad Granderson is here. I don't expect 40+ home runs (heck, I don't expect much more than 28-30 overall), but he will provide protection in the lineup for Wright and will be a presence in the lineup that opposing pitchers will respect. His two-run shot in the 6th was a nice start.

THE BULLPEN: Two pitchers, (Rice and Torres), 1.2 innings, 3 Ks and NO RUNS. It's a Christmas Miracle.

IKE DAVIS: Two days after he lost the first base job to Lucas Duda, Davis makes himself relevant again with his ninth-inning walkoff grand slam. I'm a Davis supporter, so I hope he can fight his way back into everyday play. We shall see.

THE BAD
THE BATS: The final score is a little misleading because six runs makes it look like a healthy offensive day, but the first half of the game the Mets bats were as anemic as a Karen Carpenter luncheon. For the second day in a row, all scoring came via the long ball. The Mets are going to have to improve their situational hitting.

LUCAS DUDA: One day after his two-homer/four RBI day, Duda went 0-4 with three strike-outs. I told you yesterday that you shouldn't count on many days like Friday night for him.

THE CATCHING POSITION: Anthony Recker didn't hit any better than d'Arnaud has, and The Mets' catchers haven't had a hit all season.

THE UGLY
ERIC YOUNG JR.: Finally got a hit, but the Mets leadoff man is hitting a disturbing .063 for the season. That's not setting the table... that's not even in the kitchen

No Winn Situation

With Curtis Granderson returning to the Yankees roster after his DL stint with a Grade 2 strain of the left groin, room had to be made. In a move that sort of surprised a number of people, me not being one of them, the Bronx Bombers decided to cut outfielder Randy Winn.

Winn signed a one year, 1.1 million (plus incentives) contract this off season and became a part time player for the first time in his 13 year career. He struggled mightily in that role, batting .213 with 1 homerun and eight RBIs in 61 at-bats.

Winn wasn’t expected to be cut when Granderson returned… many figured 25 yr old Kevin Russo would get sent packing back to Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, but the Yankee brass feels Russo has played well subbing for Marcus Thames, who is down with an ankle injury. Russo’s numbers aren’t overly impressive himself though… he’s batting .250 with 0 homeruns and 4 RBIs in 20 at-bats, but Manager Joe Girardi likes Russo’s flexability to play the infield and outfield.

Winn was brought in by the Yankees to platoon with Brett Gardner with the expecation he would play against lefties, but Winn went 0 for 11 against lefthanded pitching. Winn never seemed confortable in a part time role and his struggles were evident from day one. As I said when the signing happened, this one was a total mistake. The Yankees got lucky to be able to sign Thames to a minor league deal and he makes much more sense for them (his ankle injury not withstanding). The Yankees themselves realized their mistake, cutting Winn so early in the season and keeping Russo who really hasn’t shown any reason to believe he’s going to be much of a contributor down the line.

The Yankees can afford to make such mistakes though, and it’s a smart move to cut their losses now.

As for Winn, he’ll likely go home and see if someone else will come knocking. Seeing as the Yankees will pay all but the major league minimum of his 2010 contract, Winn will likely get a shot from someone looking to see if a veteran presence can help their club.