On-Base Perception

Mets pitching prospect Zack Wheeler racked up a season-high eight strikeouts on Sunday afternoon. However, he did not factor into the decision despite delivering his best performance of the season.

Pitching for Triple-A Las Vegas, Wheeler allowed three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings against Colorado Springs, an improved effort after two erratic starts.

Wheeler, 22, battled command...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Frigid temperatures and snow flurries forced the postponement of Sunday's scheduled Mets-Twins matchup. The game will be made up Aug. 19 at 1:10 p.m. on the way back from a West Coast road trip. It will be the Mets' 11th road game in 11 days.

With the postponement, the Mets could have skipped fifth starter Aaron Laffey in the rotation. Instead, Laffey will...

Ike Davis was batting .136 and the Mets were facing lefthander Cliff Lee. The decision seemed easy enough for Mets manager Terry Collins: Keep the lefthanded-hitting Davis on the bench.

The decision to hold Davis out of Tuesday’s 8-3 loss to the Phillies continued a trend started last September when the Mets often benched Davis when there was a lefty on the mound.

On the surface, it...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Following last night's 16-5 victory over the Twins, Mets manager Terry Collins shook hands with his players. They felt like ice cubes. It shouldn't be as bad on Saturday afternoon, when the Mets and Twins will play in 35-degree weather around first pitch.

However, the Mets might not see even passable weather for the next five days.

Forecasts are calling for an 80 percent...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Jordany Valdespin has excelled in the leadoff spot. He also looked good on Friday night patrolling the wide expanse that is center field here at Target Field. On the Mets' current road trip, Valdespin is 6-for-12.

Just as he was in camp, Valdespin is swinging one of the hottest bats on the team.

Yet, against Twins lefthander Scott Diamond on Saturday, Valdespin will watch...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Snow flurries blanketed Target Field on Friday night as the Mets took batting practice. But even with the stands nearly empty, it appears that the Twins intend to begin this game as scheduled at 8:10 p.m.

The Mets will have three days of the designated hitter and Lucas Duda will get those duties first. However, manager Terry Collins said he will spread around his use of the...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Give it to the Target Field grounds crew. A few hours to first pitch and there wasn't even a trace of snow in the stadium or on the playing field. Whether it stays that way is the big question.

When the Mets and Twins are scheduled to play at 8:10 p.m. (ET), forecasts are calling for 36 degree temperatures and snow flurries. The Mets are making their first-ever visit...

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Mets make their first trip to Minnesota since 2004 when they begin a three-game set on Friday night against the Twins. Weather permitting.

Forecasts are calling for first-pitch this weekend temperatures ranging from the upper-30s to the low-40s with a chance of rain and snow on Saturday evening. And unlike the Mets' first visit to Minneapolis, the Twins have replaced the...

The chest-thumping, high-energy, error-prone second baseman/shortstop/outfielder/pinch-hitter/everything-in-between for the Mets is a Rorschach for observers. Different eyes, with different biases, see different possibilities.

Can Jordany Valdespin be a valuable member for the 2013 squad and beyond? Or is he just another energetic career minor leaguer who hit a few home runs at just the right...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Aside from a few tweaks over the years, the script on the Mets' home uniforms have remained generally unchanged since 1962, the franchise's inaugural season.

However, there was a two-year period in which the home "Mets" underwent a relatively significant change -- the addition of a tail under the lettering.

The Mets will wear those distinctive uniforms on Tuesday...