New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler pitches in the first inning in the second baseball game of the doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves Tuesday, June 18, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Todd Kirkland)

It was just a regular doubleheader against the Braves in Atlanta on Tuesday, but it might have been the highlight of a pretty dismal Mets season in 2013.

Matt Harvey took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in the first game – and despite a meltdown in the late innings, the Mets hung on for the win.

In the nightcap, Zack Wheeler made an awfully impressive major league debut, striking out seven over six innings to earn his first big league win.

For a look behind the scenes, I’ll start with Harvey.

He threw 65 fastballs at an average velocity of 97.2 miles per hour. His fastest pitch was clocked at 100.85 MPH. Of the 27 sliders he threw, he got 10 swings and misses. He threw his curveball 15 times, with 14 of those counting for strikes. It’s one thing to throw hard and it’s another to throw strikes, but Harvey is managing to do both and that’s what makes him special.

Wheeler wasn’t as dominant as Harvey, as he walked five and allowed four hits in his six innings of work. He threw 71 fastballs at an average speed of 96.2 MPH – he maxed out at 98.4 – but only threw 55 percent of those for strikes. He threw 15 slides and 12 curveballs, but only 44 percent of those went for strikes. Wheeler only had one swing and miss at those 27 breaking balls. He did get 12 swings and misses on his fastball.

Zack Wheeler strike zone plot (6/18/13) via BrooksBaseball.net

As you can see in Wheeler’s strike zone plot, which gives you the catcher’s perspective, he didn’t miss high very often, which is a good sign. His biggest problem here was the outside corner against left-handed batters.

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Time will tell with these two pitchers. Despite being out of the playoff race, the Mets will certainly be interesting any time Wheeler or Harvey start the rest of the season.

The question for Harvey will be his durability. He’s actually increased his velocity across the board each month this season. Will that continue into the summer? Will he plateau out at his current velocity? Will he start slowing down as things heat up? Can he physically handle a full 30-start workload?

For Wheeler, the question will be if he can maximize his non-fastball pitches against major league hitters. His fastball baffled the Braves batters last night, but that might have been more a factor of playing three games in 24 hours than anything else. He needs to start throwing his breaking pitches for strikes and putting them in a sequence where he’s getting swings and misses on them as well.

Will the Mets be able to assemble a major league team – a few hitters and a bullpen – around these guys in the near future? Or are their peak years going to be wasted?

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The Yankees play a doubleheader against the Dodgers today at Yankee Stadium. Phil Hughes starts the late game tonight and he’s had a string of good start, bad start, good start performances. He took the loss in his last outing at Oakland, so he’s due for a good performance tonight, but the Dodgers’ power-packed offense might have something to say about that.

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What to watch tonight…

• A pair of former Hudson Valley Renegades square off tonight when Jeremy Hellickson and the Rays face Ryan Dempster and the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Boston won both games of a doubleheader on Tuesday, increasing its AL East lead to 2 1/2 games. Tampa Bay is now 7 games back.
• On the west coast, Joe Saunders and the Mariners face C.J. Wilson and the Angels. Saunders has been great at Safeco Field (4-2, 2.53 ERA), but he’s been dreadful on the road (1-4, 7.58 ERA). Will he fare better in his old home ballpark in Anaheim?
• The Padres and Giants play an afternoon game in San Francisco. The Padres are in fourth place in the NL West, but they’re just two games out of first.
• Jeff Locke (6-1, 2.19 ERA) and the Pirates play the Red and Bronson Arroyo in Cincy. The Reds are 2 1/2 games behind St. Louis in the NL Central and the Pirates are just a half game back of the Reds.
• Shaun Marcum (0-8, 5.43 ERA) tries to follow in the footsteps of Harvey and Wheeler tonight against Kris Medlen and the Braves.
• Update: I forgot to mention that the Mets made some news after Wheeler’s start. The Mets acquired Eric Young, Jr. from the Rockies for pitcher Collin McHugh. Collin Cowgill was designated for assignment. Young Jr. gives the Mets some depth in the outfield, especially in center. Young has played second base in the past, but not seriously since 2010. Through 57 games with the Rockies, he was hitting. 242 and had stolen eight bases in 12 attempts. Young had hit .316 last year and wasq 14-of-16 in steal attempts, but his breakout season didn’t carry over into 2013. He should get regular playing time as a 28-year-old. Young isn’t a major factor for the Mets’ future, but he could prove to be useful as a super utility guy if he can also play second base.

Zack Wheeler of the New York Mets. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Today marks the debut of two big-time prospects at the major league level.

Zack Wheeler is set to make his MLB debut tonight in the second game of a doubleheader against the Braves. It could be postponed or delayed by thunderstorms.

Wheeler, drafted 6th overall in the 2009 draft by the Giants, came to the Mets in the Carlos Beltran trade in 2012. In his four minor league seasons, he’s 28-20 with a 3.56 ERA in 81 appearances, 73 of which were starts. He’s struck out 104 batters in 101 2/3 career innings at Triple-A.

In the American League, Wil Myers debuted this afternoon in right field for the Tampa Bay Rays in a doubleheader at Boston. Myers was acquired in the James Shields trade this past offseason. Myers, a third round pick in 2009, has spent five years in the minors, batting .300 with 78 home runs and 316 RBI in 1,933 plate appearances. He hit .297 with 38 home runs and 136 RBI in 163 games at the Triple-A level.

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Wheeler won’t do much to reverse the Mets’ fortunes this season, but it should be a good test for him to pitch in the majors for half a season. If he is as advertised, he and Matt Harvey should pack a nice 1-2 punch at the top of the Mets rotation for years to come.

Myers, on the other hand, could well wind up playing a major role in the AL East pennant race. Tampa Bay, currently five games out, is just slightly above the league average in most offensive categories. Myers could add a bit of punch to a lineup that doesn’t have much else beside Evan Longoria on most days.

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Tampa Bay Rays' Wil Myers bunts during batting practice before the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox in Boston, Tuesday, June 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

The Yankees were off last night. They begin a two-game set against the Dodgers tonight at Yankee Stadium

The Mets, on the other hand, were delayed more than three hours by rain, but finally started their game against the Braves at almost 11 p.m.

Dillon Gee took the mound in the bottom of the ninth with a one-run lead and was three outs away from a complete game shutout. Three batters later, the Mets were 2-1 losers.

Gee retired Jason Heyward to open the inning on a groundout to second. Justin Upton followed with a single to left. Freddie Freeman ended the game with a walkoff home run to right.

Despite the tough luck loss for Gee – I imagine Terry Collins was trying to save the bullpen for today’s doubleheader – it was his fourth straight strong start. He had won each of his three previous outings, pitching into the seventh in each one. He had pitched into the seventh in just one of his first 10 starts of the season.

The Mets’ rotation gets a bit stronger the rest of the season with the addition of Zack Wheeler, but if Gee can continue to pitch deep into games, that makes the rotation stronger. Gee’s resurgence may also give the Mets an opportunity to flip Shaun Marcum to a contender at the trade deadline, although Marcum hasn’t exactly increased his value this year.

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What to watch tonight…

• Phil Hughes takes the mound for the Yankees tonight against the Dodgers’ Hyun-jin Ryu.
• Zach Britton starts for the Orioles in Detroit against Justin Verlander and the Tigers.
• Oakland’s Jarrod Parker, who has pitcher better as of late, pitches against Texas’ Yu Darvish in a key AL West game.
• Cliff Lee, who has been great for an awful Phillies team this year (8-2, 2.55 ERA) faces Ross Detwiler and the Nats.
• San Diego has jumped one half game in front of San Francisco in the NL West standings. The teams meet again tonight as Andrew Cashner will pitch for the Padres against Matt Cain and the Giants.

Darryl George talks with the press at Hudson Valley Renegades media day on Thursday at Dutchess Stadium. (Tom Bushey photo/Times Herald-Record)

Here at the Times Herald-Record, we plan on running a bunch of stories on the Hudson Valley Renegades every Sunday. In today’s paper, I featured Renegades infielder Darryl George, who is the only Australian-born player in the Tampa Bay Rays’ minor league system. Follow that link to get George’s take on what it’s like to grow up in a country dominated by cricket and Australian Rules Football.

I also wrote a notebook with some newsy Renegades items from media day.

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In major league action, both the Mets and Yankees had pretty interesting ninth innings on Sunday afternoon.

The Mets, playing host to the Cubs, allowed one run in the first and two more in the fifth on a crazy play that involved two errors. Chicago carried that lead into the bottom of the ninth and gave the ball to Carlos Marmol, their beleaguered closer.

Marmol gave up a leadoff home run to Marlon Byrd. Lucas Duda walked, John Buck singled and Omar Quintanilla laid down a sac bunt, setting up Kirk Nieuwenhuis’ walk-off 3-run homer.

For the Yankees, CC Sabathia took the mound in the bottom of the ninth with a six-run lead, looking for a complete game shutout. A few minutes later, the Yankees were on their second reliever of the afternoon and the Angels had the game-winning run standing on second base.

Mike Trout led things off with a double…and the Angels wound up scoring five runs and loading the bases, bringing Albert Pujols to the plate with two out. On an 0-2 count, Pujols couldn’t check his swing on a high, inside pitch and the game was over.

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What to watch this week…

• The Yankees have an off day on Monday, which will let the team evaluate Mark Teixeira’s ailing wrist. They may be able to get him right with a few days off, but a DL stint or even season-ending surgery could be in his future. They host the Dodgers for two games beginning Tuesday. After that, it’s a four-game series against Tampa Bay, just two games behind in the AL East. The Yankees close out the homestand next week with three games against Texas.
• The Mets will add Zack Wheeler to the rotation at some point this week. He’s slated to start Tuesday night against Paul Maholm. They start the week with five games in Atlanta – Tuesday is a doubleheader – and wrap up with three at Philadelphia.
• The Rays and Red Sox play an series early in the week. Tampa Bay has announced that it will recall outfielder Wil Myers from Triple-A Durham. He figures to see most of the playing time in a corner outfield spot the rest of the way.
• Other early-week series to watch: Pirates-Reds/A’s-Rangers/Giants-Padres.
• Over the weekend, the Red Sox and Tigers will meet. The Rangers and Cardinals will play an interesting interleague series.

The Hudson Valley Renegades held their annual media day on Thursday.

Here’s a story I wrote on pitcher Jaime Schultz, who was a 3-sport high school star in the Hudson Valley just a few years ago.

Kevin Gleason talked to new Renegades skipper Michael Johns about the path these young players face on their way to the major leagues.

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In today’s news, suspensions and fines were handed down in the aftermath of the Dodgers-Diamondbacks brawl earlier this week.

For Arizona: Ian Kennedy got a 10-game suspension for throwing at the head of Zack Greinke. Eric Hinske got five games and manager Kirk Gibson was suspended for one game. Miguel Montero and Gerardo Parra were fined.

For Los Angeles: J.P. Howell and Skip Schumaker got two games apiece, as did hitting coach Mark McGwire. Ronald Belisario and Don Mattingly received one game apiece. Greinke and Yasiel Puig were fined. The Dodgers were fined for having players on the DL be involved in the on-field fracas.

The coaches will serve their suspensions in the coming days. The players are allowed to appeal, so they’ll likely be in action over the weekend before any additional rulings are made.

A young Arizona Diamondbacks fan, left, and a young Los Angeles Dodgers fan play fight during the Dodgers' baseball game against the Diamondbacks, Wednesday, June 12, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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The Yankees lost in pretty agonizing fashion on Thursday afternoon in Oakland, falling 3-2 in 18 innings.

New York scored its two runs on Robinson Cano’s first inning home run. The Yankees left 14 men on base and were 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

The four hitters behind Cano in the lineup – Mark Teixeira,Travis Hafner, Kevin Youkilis and Vernon Wells – were a combined 0-for-28 with 12 strikeouts.

Oakland starter Jarrod Parker scattered five hits over eight innings of work. The A’s used six relievers the rest of the way, with Jesse Chavez pitching the final  5 2/3 innings to earn the win.

Hiroki Kuroda allowed two runs on two hits over eight innings and four relievers followed him with seven more scoreless innings, including six innings out of Adam Warren. Preston Claiborne pitched well for one inning, but he allowed a baserunner in the 18th and Joe Girardi then called on Mariano Rivera. Rivera gave up two hits – he also intentionally walked one batter – including Nate Freiman’s walk-off single.

The Yankees play three games at Anaheim this weekend and will get a day off on Monday as they travel back to New York for a homestand against the Dodgers, Rays and Rangers. The Angels are 10 games under .500, but certainly have the offense to win a few games against the Yankees’ battered bullpen. Should be an interesting weekend for the Yankees.

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Thursday was Harvey Day for the Mets and despite another strong start from their ace, the Mets lost to the Cardinals, 2-1.

Harvey pitched seven innings, allowing one run on five hits, one walk and seven strikeouts. Scott Rice allowed another run in the eighth. The Mets tacked on one run in the bottom of the ninth on a Marlon Byrd home run, but it was too little too late.

It was Harvey’s first loss of the season.

Thursday was likely the end of Zack Wheeler’s career in the minor leagues, as he’s set to be called up for a start next week in his home state of Georgia against the Braves.

Some scouts say he has even better stuff than Harvey, but we’ll see how that translates to the big leagues over the second half of the season.

Mets fans must be wondering when the team will develop some bats to go along with what looks like what could be one of the game’s top 1-2 punches.

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What to watch tonight…

• It’ll be Andy Pettitte against C.J. Wilson tonight on the west coast as the Yankees and Angels begin a 3-game set.
• Shaun Marcum (0-7, 4.96 ERA) pitches against Edwin Jackson and the Cubs tonight at Citi Field. Marcum figured to be trade bait for the Mets this July, but he hasn’t done much to make himself a valuable chip at this point.
• The Nationals, surprisingly just one game over .500, begin an interleague series at Cleveland tonight. The Indians, also a bit of a surprise this season, are now one game under .500 at 32-33.
• The White Sox and Astros reenact the 2005 World Series tonight in Houston.
• The Brewers, already 15 1/2 games back in the NL Central, play tonight at Cincinnati.
• The Giants begin a series at NL East-leading Atlanta.
• Jake Westbrook and the Cardinals square off against Jose Fernandez and the Marlins tonight in Miami.

Hudson Valley Renegades pitcher Jaime Schultz answers a question during media day at Dutchess Stadium on Thursday, June 13, 2013. (Tom Bushey photo/Times Herald-Record)

FISHKILL – The Hudson Valley Renegades held their annual media day today at Dutchess Stadium. I caught up with Jaime Schultz, a 14th round draft pick who grew up about 90 miles to the north in Castleton-on-Hudson in Rensselaer County. Look for that story in Friday’s paper.

We’ll also have additional Renegades coverage in Sunday’s paper. I had an interesting conversation with infielder Darryl George, who grew up in Carlton, Australia. I also spoke with pitcher Aaron Griffin, the younger brother of Oakland A’s pitcher A.J. Griffin. That and more coming Sunday.

For now, here’s the Renegades’ roster for the 2013 season. There are still a few draft picks out there yet to be signed. I imagine some of them will also be assigned to Hudson Valley at some point.

PITCHERS

Ely Echarry, RHP

John Farrell, RHP

Aaron Griffin, RHP

Ben Griset, LHP

Andrew Hanse, RHP

Jordan Harrison, LHP

Chris Kirsch, LHP

Derek Loera, LHP

Corey MacDonald, RHP

Austin Pruitt, RHP

Colton Reavis, RHP

Jaime Schultz, RHP

POSITION PLAYERS

John Alexander, 1B

Ismel Antunez, OF

Patrick Blair, SS

Johnny Field, 2B

Darryl George, INF

Granden Goetzman, OF

James Harris, OF

Oscar Hernandez, C

Ryan McChesney, C

Julian Morillo, INF

Omar Narvaez, C

Jonathan Quinonez, INF

Ariel Soriano, INF

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The Renegades open the season on Monday in Aberdeen. The home opener at Dutchess Stadium is set for Friday, June 21, a 7:05 p.m. start against Staten Island.

There will be a handful of players called up from extended spring training in Florida. A list of the extended spring guys is available here. Some of those players will be assigned to the Appalachian League as well. Alex Moshier, Ian Kendall and Matthew Spann were all here last year…so I think they’d skip over the Appy League.

The Rays aren’t going to send any players selected out of high school straight to Hudson Valley, so that leaves us with the college players picked in trying to build a roster.

One player we know for sure will be here is right-handed pitcher Jaime Schultz. He played high school baseball at Maple Hill in Rensselaer County before attending High Point University in North Carolina. Schultz can throw in the 90s, but he’s had some issues with his control in the past. I’d imagine the Rays try to groom him as a late-inning reliever, but he also started games in college.

One of the Rays’ first round picks was Arkansas’ Ryan Stanek, who was taken 29th with the pick the Rays earned for letting B.J. Upton leave in free agency over the winter. Stanek was highly-rated on many experts’ draft boards, but he slipped to the bottom of the first round. He pitched in the 2012 College World Series. If the Rays can make the money right, Stanek should sign by the mid-July deadline and would likely be assigned to Hudson Valley’s rotation.

Aaron Griffin, a 10th round pick out of Loyola Marymount (Calif.), is the younger brother of Oakland A’s pitcher A.J. Griffin. Scouts say he doesn’t have the greatest stuff in the world, but he grades high in terms of pitchability, meaning he gets the most out of what he has. He just finished his senior year at LMU, so he should sign and would likely be a fit in Hudson Valley.

The round out some of the pitchers, the Rays picked a pair of players that had wildly different college seasons. John Farrell, who was taken in the 21st round out of William & Mary, led the CAA with 116 2/3 innings pitched, going 11-3 with a 2.70 ERA. Stone Speer has a great name, but his 2013 season didn’t live up to expectations. Speer, a 25th round pick out of the University of New Orleans, was 1-8 with a 6.26 ERA. I would expect that we could see both of those pitchers in a Renegades’ uniform this summer.

Arizona left fielder Johnny Field tracks and catches a fly ball hit by South Carolina's Grayson Greiner in the third inning of Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., Monday, June 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Eric Francis)

Now for some of the position player possibilities…

Johnny Field, a fifth round pick from the University of Arizona, could easily be one of the Renegades’ starting outfielders this season. He was a college teammate of Joey Rickard, who played here last year.

Ty Young, who plays third base at Louisville and was drafted in the 7th round, will likely sign when his college season is over. The Cards are still alive in the College World Series. He projects as a second baseman in the pros.

Coty Blanchard, a 15th round pick from Jacksonville State, played quarterback in college before committing to baseball full-time. He played both shortstop and outfield in college.

Hudson Valley could be home to one of baseball’s walk machines, Pat Blair. A 12th round pick out of Wake Forest, Blair is fourth among Division I players with 57 walks drawn in 55 games. He drew 46 walks in 57 games in 2012. A senior shortstop, Blair should sign and could be a fixture at the top of the Renegades’ lineup in 2013.

One player to watch is Hunter Lockwood. He played one season at Oklahoma in 2012 before transferring to Weatherford (Tx.) Junior College in 2013. Lockwood hit 11 home runs in 2012 and was named to the All-Big 12 freshman team, but he switched schools because he wanted to catch more. He has some eligibility left and doesn’t need to sign, especially if Tampa Bay doesn’t view him as a catcher.

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I’ll know more tomorrow, so look for a roster and some notes from media day on the blog at some point on Thursday afternoon.

I’m going to take a look at who the Yankees and Mets selected, as well as the Tampa Bay Rays’ picks. The Rays’ selections might wind up playing locally for the Hudson Valley Renegades.

Eric Jagielo (right) playing for Notre Dame this spring. (AP photo)

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Yankees

The Yankees had four picks through the first 73 selections, taking two college players and two from high school.

26th – Eric Jagielo, Notre Dame, 3B, bats left, throws right.

Jagielo was the No. 1 prospect in the Big East and was ranked No. 30 by Baseball America heading into the draft. He’s got plenty of power in his left-handed bat, which would be a good fit at Yankee Stadium. He’s also played some outfield in college, which might give him some flexibility as he moves up through the Yankees’ system.

Look for him to start this summer with the Staten Island Yankees. He could wind up in the Bronx sometime by late 2015 or early 2016.

32nd – Aaron Judge, Fresno State, OF, bats right, throws right.

Another power hitter, the 6-foot-7 Judge won the college baseball home run derby in 2012. He was the No. 6 prospect in the 2012 Cape Cod League, as ranked by Baseball America.

Will his power translate to wooden bats and better pitching? Will he be able to contribute enough hitting for average, playing defense, etc. to make up for a drop in power? He’s probably due in the big leagues around 2016.

33rd – Ian Clarkin, James Madison High School, San Diego, Calif., pitcher, bats left, throws left.

Clarkin was 9-2 with an 0.95 ERA in high school this spring. He struck out 133 in 73 innings and has a great curveball. Throw in a low 90s fastball and it’s easy to see why he’s drawn comparisons to Clayton Kershaw.

At 18, Clarkin is a ways away from the big leagues. Depending on how he advances through the system, he’s on pace to reach the majors by the end of 2017 or early 2018.

66th – Gosuke Katoh, Rancho Bernardo High School, Calif, 2B, bats left, throws right.

Katoh was naturally a right-handed hitter, but he switched sides to emulate Ichiro Suzuki. He had 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 31 RBI in 33 high school games this spring.

Right now, Katoh has Robinson Cano blocking his path to the Bronx. It’s possible he later moves to shortstop or an outfield spot, but he’ll likely play second base through the low minors.

Mets

The Mets used their first two picks to take high school players from the west coast.

11th – Dominic Smith, Junipero Serra High School, Calif., first base, throws left, bats left.

Smith has drawn plenty of comparisons to Darryl Strawberry for his left-handed power swing. Mets scouts liked his approach at the plate and also praised his defense at first base.

48th – Andrew Church, Basic High School, Nev., pitcher, bats right, throws right.

Church actually didn’t play at Basic High this spring, as he was ruled ineligible after transferring. He has a curveball, slider and changeup to go along with a mid-90s fastball. He’s 6-foot-1, 185.

Church also has a college commitment, so it will be interesting to see if the Mets can offer him enough to sign him. It sounds like he could really use three years at college before he takes a leap into the pros.

Rays

Tampa Bay had three picks on Thursday. With the 21st selection, they took Nick Ciuffo, a shortstop from Lexington, S.C. With the 60th pick, they chose Riley Unroe, a shortstop from Riley Desert Ridge High School in Arizona.

Those players won’t be with the Renegades this summer, but they might be here in two years or so.

With the 29th pick, Tampa Bay took Ryne Stanek, a right-handed pitcher who was 10-2 with a 1.39 for the Arkansas Razorbacks this spring. He’s got a fastball in the upper 90s and a slider and curveball. Stanek had first-round talent coming out of high school in 2010, but he slipped to the third round and decided to go to college instead. Assuming he signs, he should pitch for the Renegades this summer.

Arkansas starting pitcher Ryne Stanek delivers to a Wichita State batter in the first inning of an NCAA baseball regional game in Manhattan, Kan., Saturday, June 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Jeff Tuttle)

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One other guy to watch is No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel of Stanford. Taken by the Astros, it’s possible he winds up in the New York-Penn League as well with Houston’s affiliate in Troy, the Tri-City ValleyCats.

New York Mets' Ike Davis watches his first-inning two-run single off New York Yankees starting pitcher David Phelps (41) in an interleague baseball game at Yankee Stadium in New York, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

The Mets beat the Yankees for the third straight game on Wednesday night, scoring a 9-4 victory as the 2013 Subway Series shifted to Yankee Stadium.

Jeremy Hefner won for the first time this season (now 1-5) and David Phelps could record just a single out for the Yankees (four hits, two walks, five runs).

On Tuesday night, Mariano Rivera blew a save for the first time this season as the Mets rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth in a 2-1 win at Citi Field. It was the first time in Rivera’s career that he blew a save without recording a single out.

Matt Harvey struck out 10, walked none and allowed one run on six hits over eight innings in the no-decision.

In the first game of the series – on Memorial Day Monday – the Mets also won by a 2-1 score. David Wright’s home run in the seventh off Phil Hughes tied the game at one. The Mets struck for the go-ahead run off David Robertson in the eighth.

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The Yankees are now one game behind Boston in the AL East standings. Baltimore is 2 1/2 games behind Boston and a surging Tampa Bay squad is now just three games out.

The AL East race is shaping up to be a good one as we head into the summer months…even though the Blue Jays are already pretty much out of it.

The Yankees are due to get Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis back in the lineup soon, but that’s going to force GM Brian Cashman into some tough choices. With Teixeira, Travis Hafner and Lyle Overbay only able to play some combination of first base and DH, that means decreased playing time for Overbay and Hafner – if not outright release for one of them – both of whom have been great surprises in 2013. Youkilis’ return probably means David Adams heads back to Triple-A.

The Mets and Yankees close out the Subway Series tonight. On Friday, the Yankees begin a weekend series at home against the Red Sox. After that, the Indians come to town for three games. On June 6, the Yankees begin the dreaded West Coast road trip with 10 games in 12 days at Seattle, Oakland and Anaheim. They’ll close out the month with series against the Dodgers, Rays, Rangers and Orioles.

Where will the Yankees sit in the AL East standings by the end of June?

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The Mets, on the other hand, are nine games back in the NL East, even after this current four-game winning streak.

Starting pitching prospect Zack Wheeler turned 23 years old today. He’s 3-1 with a 4.13 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A Las Vegas, which has perhaps the most hitter-friendly park in all professional baseball. In 52 1/3 innings, he’s allowed 49 hits and struck out 53. His biggest problem right now is control. Wheeler has walked 23.

As the pennant races drag on this summer, the Mets won’t be thinking playoffs. But Wheeler might make his debut in the majors at some point and that’s probably the most excitement Mets fans can expect over the rest of the 2013 season. If he can do even a fraction of what Matt Harvey did in his debut last summer, that might at least make things interesting heading into 2014.

The Yankees send David Phelps to the mound tonight as they start a series in St. Pete against the Rays.

It’ll be Jeremy Hefner against Kris Medlen as the Mets begin a series at home against Atlanta (weather permitting, I suppose).

Kevin Gausman. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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Of the five games yesterday, there was one debut of note.

Baltimore called up 22-year-old Kevin Gausman from Double-A to start against Toronto. Gausman took the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits over five innings. Toronto won the game, 12-6.

Gausman, who was picked No. 4 overall in the 2012 draft out of Louisiana State, only made 13 career starts in the minors. He was well-groomed in a strong college program and can throw his fastball in the mid- to upper-90s. The Orioles had 11 different starting pitchers through their first 47 games, so it’s no surprise that they called on Gausman so soon. If he can deliver as promised and Dylan Bundy, the No. 4 pick in the 2011 draft, comes back strong from an elbow injury, the Orioles might finally put up a strong rotation to go along with their hard-hitting offense.

Thursday, Gausman averaged – averaged! – 97.3 MPH on his fastball. He peaked at 99.5 MPH. He only got three swings-and-misses on the 63 fastballs he threw. Gausman got four whiffs on his changeup (average speed: 84.25), which he threw just 15 times.

The Yankees next play Baltimore the last three days of June, but the Bombers are likely to run into Mr. Gausman many times over the next few years.

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In Mets news…Jeremy Hefner enters tonight’s start with an 0-5 record and a 5.00 ERA. He’s actually been much better than his record would indicate, as the bullpen has blown a bunch of games in which he’s pitched.

In his first start of the season, Hefner allowed one run on five hits over six innings…and lost. Miami scored five runs in the top of the seventh and the Mets could never recover.

Hefner suffered a similar fate later in April, going eight innings, walking none, striking out eight and allowing two runs on four hits…and lost. The Mets managed just one run in that 2-1 loss to the Marlins.

New York Mets starter Jeremy Hefner pitches during the first inning of the baseball game against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, May 8, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Hefner has three no-decisions. He’s allowed three runs or fewer in each of those games, but the Mets still couldn’t help him out with the bats.

Really, only two of Hefner’s starts could be classified as “poor.” He allowed five runs in three innings in a 7-3 loss to the Phillies in early April.

In his last start, he gave up four runs over four innings at Wrigley field in a loss.

Still, the Mets have scored a grand total of 25 runs in Hefner’s eight stats this season. They’ve lost every game he’s started.

Hefner’s allowed 42 hits in 45 innings and has nearly a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (30:18). He has allowed eight home runs this season, but two of those came in a one-inning relief appearance during the crazy snow week of doubleheaders in Colorado.

The Mets have played poorly when Hefner has started this season, but it hasn’t quite been Hefner’s fault. Still, he’ll need to keep the ball in the park tonight against a homer-happy Braves lineup.

Elsewhere in baseball…

• Cleveland beat the Red Sox, 12-3. Indians skipper Terry Francona made his return to Fenway Park after spending the 2012 season in the broadcast booth.
• The Angels scored all of their runs via the home run in a 5-4 win at Kansas City. Joe Blanton (1-7, 6.19 ERA) won his first game of the year.
• Edwin Jackson fell to 1-7 as the Pirates two runs in the first and two more in the second in a 4-2 victory over the Cubs.

New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey, right, reacts as Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of the baseball game at Citi Field Wednesday, May 22, 2013 in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

With the Mets playing an afternoon game against the Reds today at Citi Field, I thought I’d wait until after Matt Harvey’s start to post.

Let’s take a look at how Harvey Day played out.

First of all, the Reds scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to win, 7-4. (Ike Davis decided not to try to field a Brandon Phillips smash down the first base line…it was ruled fair and Shin-Soo Choo scored the game-winning run on the play…)

Harvey wasn’t totally terrible today, but it was far from what Mets fans have begun to expect from the young righty. Over 6 1/3 innings, Harvey allowed nine hits, four runs, walked three and struck out six. Zack Cozart accounted for four of those hits – two of which were doubles. Joey Votto hit a 2-run home run.

Of Harvey’s 112 pitches, 57 were fastballs. He threw those at an average velocity of 96.5 MPH, topping out at 98.97.

Via Brooks Baseball

I don’t think there’s too much to worry about with Harvey based on this start. For whatever reason, Cozart had his number today. Perhaps that had something to do with Joey Votto batting behind him…perhaps Cozart caught Harvey looking ahead somehow.

Harvey’s command of the strike zone was pretty good, as he threw 60.7 percent of his pitches for strikes. He also had 9.8 percent swings and misses, which was a good sign amid all the contact he gave up.

The problem on Wednesday, of course, was Ike Davis and the bullpen. Davis was 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and the defensive miscue at first. Scott Rice and Brandon Lyon did fine jobs in the seventh and eighth innings, but Bobby Parnell walked two, gave up three hits and took the loss.

If there was one bright spot, Rick Ankiel was 3-for-4 with two doubles, one triple and two RBI.

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The Mets host Atlanta for a three-game series beginning Friday. After that, it’s two games at home against the Yankees before the Subway Series shifts to the Bronx with two games at Yankees Stadium.

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The Yankees weren’t able to pull out another extra inning win in Baltimore, as Nate McLouth’s walk-off shot in the 10th inning off Vidal Nuno was the difference in the O’s 3-2 win.

Chris Dickerson hit solo home runs off Phil Hughes in the third and fifth innings for the O’s first two runs.

It was the latest in a long line of hard to define starts for Hughes. On one hand, he went six innings and gave up two runs on five hits, two walks and five strikeouts. Technically, it’s a quality start.

Let’s dig into the numbers a bit deeper. Of his 102 pitches, 70 were strikes. Of the strikes, 19 were looking and 12 were swinging. Hughes got 15 fly ball outs and three each of the line drive and ground ball variety. If you look at Hughes’ strike map, you can see all of the strikes high in the zone, especially the ones outside over the plate for left-handed hitters.

With five left-handed hitters in the Baltimore lineup, it’s tough for Hughes to find a compliment to his fastball. He’d rather not throw the slider or curve to lefties, so that leaves the changeup, which he only threw seven times. And simply put, he has to get the ball down. He’s lucky that some of Baltimore’s other left-handed hitters didn’t do more damage to those high pitches.

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Elsewhere in baseball…

• Mike Trout hit for the cycle last night in the Angels’ 12-0 win over Seattle. He became the youngest player ever to do that in the American League at 21 years and 287 days old. He’s just the 17th player to hit for the cycle and steal at least one base in the same game.
  

  Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout (27) acknowledges the crowd after he hits a solo home run in the eighth inning, hitting for the cycle against the Seattle Mariners during a baseball game Tuesday, May 21, 2013 in Anaheim. The Angels won the game 12-0. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

• Jose Quintana took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in the White Sox’s 3-1 win over Boston.
• Max Scherzer gave up two hits and struck out seven over eight innings in the Tigers’ 5-1 win in Cleveland.
• Yeonis Cespedes hit a home run and Dan Straily outdueled Yu Darvish in Oakland’s 1-0 win in Arlington.
• Evan Gattis hit a two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and the Braves beat the Twins in 10, 5-4.
• Zack Greinke lost for the first time at Miller Park as the Brewers beat the Dodgers, 5-2.
• Jason Grilli picked up save No. 18 in the Pirates’ 5-4 win over the Cubs.
• Pablo Sandoval’s 10th inning homer lifted the Giants to a 4-2 win at home over the Nationals.