Mets Top Prospect Matt Harvey To Make MLB Debut Thursday

Matt Harvey, one of the New York Mets' top pitching prospects, will make his MLB debut Thursday when the Mets open their four-game series against the Arizona Diamondback on the road. Harvey, 23, will replace Miguel Batista in the rotation. Batista was designated for assignment Sunday.

Here is what John Sickels of Minor League Ball had to say about Harvey in his rundown of the Mets' Top 20 prospects for 2012:

1) Matt Harvey, RHP, Grade B+: He can be a number two starter and someone to build around. Some evaluators see him more as a closer if his changeup remains erratic, but I'm cutting him some slack on that issue and am optimistic.

Harvey was the Mets' first-round pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. He is 7-5 with a 3.68 ERA this season with Triple-A Buffalo. He has 112 strikeouts in 110 innings.

For more on the Mets, please be sure to check out our blog Amazin' Avenue and SB Nation New York for all the latest news and updates.

Mets Vs. Dodgers Final Score: New York Loses In 12 Innings, 8-3

The New York Mets lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-3, in 12 innings on Sunday at Citi Field. The Mets dropped all three games in the three-game set.

The Dodgers scored first when Juan Rivera hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning. The Mets put one run across in the bottom of the inning on a Josh Thole RBI single. Andre Ethier's RBI single gave the Dodgers a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning. Dale Murphy got one run back for New York in the seventh inning on an RBI single. Ike Davis' ground out to first in the ninth inning allowed Ruben Tejada to score.

After the 10th and 11th innings went by without any runs scored, the Dodgers exploded for five runs in the top of the 12th. Matt Treanor hit a two RBI single which was followed by a Luis Cruz RBI single and a two-RBI double by Adam Kennedy.

Jon Niese got the start for the Mets and went seven innings, giving up eight hits and three earned runs while striking out three batters. Nathan Eovaldi started for the Dodgers and went 4 1/3 innings. Eovaldi struck out a season-high seven batters while giving up seven hits and one earned run. The Dodgers brought in Javy Guerra to close out the ninth but he gave up two hits, a walk and an earned run which extended the game to extra innings. All five of the earned runs in the 12th inning were given up by Ramon Ramirez, who also gave up five hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings. Ramirez took the loss. Josh Wall got the win for the Dodgers for pitching a scoreless 11th inning. He allowed only one hit.

The Mets (47-48) will begin their next series on July 23 against the Washington Nationals (55-39) at Citi Field.

For more on the Mets, please be sure to check out our blog Amazin' Avenue and SB Nation New York for all the latest news and updates.

Mets (47-47) Vs. Dodgers (51-44) Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers

Losers of seven of their last eight since the All-Star break, the New York Mets will look to try and salvage at least a victory in its series finale Sunday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers (1:10 p.m. ET on TBS). The Mets have dropped the first two contests of the three-game set and are currently at the .500 mark (47-47) for just the second time this season.

Rookie pitcher Jon Niese (7-4, 3.58 ERA) will be called upon to help New York bounce back. Niese, who's is coming off a solid seven-inning, one-run performance a few days ago, will oppose Dodgers' Nathan Eovaldi (1-6, 4.33 ERA).

This will be the last time this season the Mets and Dodgers meet this season. The winner takes the season series between the two clubs.

For more on the Mets, please be sure to check out our blog Amazin' Avenue and SB Nation New York for all the latest news and updates.

Mets-Dodgers Final Score: New York Falls Again To Los Angeles, 8-5

The New York Mets (47-47) are free-falling, losing once again on Saturday afternoon to the Los Angeles Dodgers (51-44) at Citi Field, this time by an 8-5 score.

With the defeat, the Mets fall to .500 for the first time since they were 8-8 all the way back on April 23.

Miguel Batista (1-3, 4.82 ERA) got the start and was knocked around in three innings, surrendering four runs (all earned) on five hits and three walks. Jeremy Hefner didn't fair much better in relieving Batista, giving up two runs in as many innings.

R.A. Dickey also made a cameo appearance out of the bullpen and was hit hard, allowing a two-run homer to Juan Uribe in his only inning of work. New York had scored a pair of runs to close the gap to one in the bottom of the eighth before Uribe restored the cushion.

The only Mets with multiple hits were Ronny Cedeno and Scott Hairston, both collecting two on the afternoon. Cedeno blasted New York's lone home run of the day, his second of the year.

Chris Capuano picked up his 10th win of 2012 for the Dodgers, throwing seven solid innings, only watching three runs go on the scoreboard.

For more on the Mets, please be sure to check out our blog Amazin' Avenue and SB Nation New York for all the latest news and updates.

Johan Santana Injury: Mets Place Pitcher On 15-Day DL With Right Ankle Sprain

The New York Mets have placed Johan Santana on the 15-day DL with a right ankle sprain, the team reported via Twitter. Santana struggled in the series opener vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving up six runs on seven hits while throwing 72 pitches in just three innings in the 7-6 loss. It was the third straight start in which he gave up six or more runs.

Comments from Mets Manager Terry Collins to the official Mets website indicated that Santana was "not hurt" but that he might look for ways to ways to rest and re-energize the pitcher, mentioning the DL as a way to avoid two starts. Right handed pitcher Jeremy Hefner was called up from Triple-A Buffalo. He has appeared both as a starter and as a reliever this season.

Stick with this StoryStream for more on Santana's injury and the Mets vs. Dodgers series. For all things Mets, head over to Amazin' Avenue.

Mets (47-46) Vs. Dodgers (50-44) Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule And Probable Pitchers

The New York Mets will turn to Miguel Batista (1-2 4.33 ERA) to turn things around after Johan Santana was blasted in Friday night's 7-6 loss. He'll be taking on Los Angeles Dodgers' starter Chris Capuano (9-5 2.75 ERA) in Game 2 of this three-game series. The Mets desperately need a win, having lost eight of their last 10 and fallen to 4 1/2 games out of the Wild Card race.

Batista is 4-0 in his last five starts vs. the Dodgers, but has not faced the team since 2006, when he was a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mets last saw Capuano in a 3-2 victory from late June, with Capuano giving up all three runs.

Date/Time: Saturday, July 21 1:10 p.m. ET

Television Coverage: WPIX

Streaming Coverage: MLB.tv

Stick with this StoryStream for scores, news updates and more from the Mets vs. Dodgers series. For all things Mets, head over to Amazin' Avenue. For the Dodgers perspective, check out True Blue LA.

Mets-Dodgers Final Score: Johan Santana Blasted Again As Mets Fall 7-6

Johan Santana all of a sudden has morphed into the pitcher we all feared he would be like entering the season, the latest beat down coming from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 7-6 win over the New York Mets on Friday night.

For the first three months, the Mets' left-hander looked invigorated. He was throwing with some unexpected low-90s pop. He was durable, showing no ill-effects of the shoulder surgery he had about two years ago. His numbers bore that out, as he never had an ERA above 3.09 in that timeframe, tossing 98 innings with 93 strikeouts and a 6-4 record.

Lately, Santana has been a shadow of himself, though. His fastball, in the mid-80s, lacks life, his pitches crispness. The latest example was the six earned runs he gave up in three innings on two home runs, three walks and seven hits Friday at Citi Field. It's the third straight start he's given up six or more runs, and the first time a Mets starter has done that since Pedro Astacio ten years ago. The Mets were the feel-good story of the first half of the season because of their strong starting pitching, led by the the former Cy Young award winner and All-Star R.A. Dickey. Now, though, it looks as if the lefty needs some time off to really recharge his batteries.

Santana's struggles were enough to put the Mets into a hole they could never fully climb out of. The Mets were resilient, scoring twice in the first after Santana gave up three. But the runs kept coming for Los Angeles, as one scored in the second and two more crossed the plate in the third.

Pedro Beato's two innings of scoreless relief kept the game within reach, as the Mets clawed their way back with an RBI double from Daniel Murphy in the fifth and an RBI single by Scott Hairston in the sixth. But Ramon Ramirez, in his second inning of work, gave up a run to put the Mets behind by three.

As the Mets have demonstrated throughout the year, they won't go away without a fight. Pinch-hitting specialist Jordany Valdespin came up to the plate and cracked a two-run home run to put the Mets within striking distance. However, after getting a guy on in the eighth and ninth innings, the Mets were unable to get him home to knot the game.

The loss keeps the Mets (47-46) seven games behind the National League East-leading Washington Nationals and drops them 4 1/2 back of a Wild Card spot.

Mets (47-45) Vs. Dodgers (49-44) Preview: Game Time, TV Schedule, Probable Pitchers