Kummerkasten » Predators hold the 11th pick in the draft

WASHINGTON -- Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler was working in and out of trouble in the early going against the Washington Nationals, walking four batters and allowing a run on a wild pitch. So he asked catcher Travis dArnaud and pitching coach Dan Warthen a simple question: "Do you all see anything?" Warthen went into the clubhouse to check some video from Tuesday nights game and noticed Wheeler was "collapsing" instead of "throwing downhill," as the right-hander put it. Thanks to that mid-game adjustment to his delivery -- and Washingtons own miscues, including one runner hit by a batted ball and another thrown out at the plate -- Wheeler pitched 6 2-3 innings to win his fourth consecutive decision, helping the Mets beat the NL East-leading Nationals 6-1. "I didnt have my best stuff. And it wasnt very fun. But youve got to find a way through it," said Wheeler (7-8), who contributed a broken-bat RBI single at the plate. "Youre mad at yourself, and youre trying to figure out what it is. I wouldnt say its mentally draining, but its just frustrating." Relying on a fastball consistently in the high 90s mph because his curveball wasnt working, Wheeler was good enough on a muggy night when the temperature was 85 degrees at first pitch. The righty went 3-8 with a 4.45 ERA in his first 16 starts, but is 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA in seven appearances since June 30. "This kid has really, really gotten better," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "I mean, as he continues to improve, the skys the limit." Said Washingtons Jayson Werth: "That was the best Ive seen him. I dont know how many times Ive seen him, but his velocity was a lot higher than I remember." Werth led off the sixth with a double. When Adam LaRoche followed with a single to left, third base coach Bob Henley sent Werth home. Left fielder Eric Campbell threw out Werth with a one-hop toss; the call stood after a replay review to check whether dArnaud blocked the plate. "It changed the whole game right there," said Daniel Murphy, who pushed New Yorks lead to 4-1 with a two-run single in the seventh off Drew Storen. Nationals lefty Gio Gonzalez (6-8) was charged with four runs and six hits over six-plus innings. He put two runners on to begin the seventh, then shook his head as he walked off the mound when manager Matt Williams yanked him with Wheeler coming to the plate. Asked if he was upset that he was removed there, Gonzalez replied: "I wanted to face the pitcher, yes." TRAINERS ROOM: Mets: Closer Jenrry Mejia "tweaked his back" in Mondays loss against San Francisco, Collins said, calling the relievers status day to day. Right-hander Matt Harvey, recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery, threw off a mound for the first time since the operation, and Collins said the pitcher felt fine after Tuesdays session in Florida. Nationals: Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, on the DL since injuring his right hamstring July 22, has a grade-three strain and could miss six weeks, general manager Mike Rizzo said. Williams thinks Zimmerman -- who began walking on a water treadmill Monday -- could return during the regular season. UP NEXT: Mets: Wednesdays starter, left-hander Jonathan Niese (5-7, 3.24 ERA), lasted only four innings in his last appearance at Nationals Park, allowing five runs in a 5-2 Mets loss May 16. Nationals: The Nationals start righty Doug Fister (10-3, 2.68 ERA). Might second baseman Danny Espinosa get back into the lineup after giving way to trade deadline pickup Cabrera? Espinosa is 5 for 12 (a .417 average) against Niese. WHAT A CATCH: Mets centre fielder Juan Lagares ended the seventh with a head-first diving catch of a sinking liner by Denard Span. Lagares got the wind knocked out of him on the play and was checked on in the outfield by Collins and a trainer but stayed in the game. Nike Air Max 270 Ispa Black . Solomon Elimimian did not make the trip with the team after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury in the teams regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders. Nike Air Max 270 React Electro Green . The 49ers announced the deal Thursday. San Francisco selected Kilgore in the fifth round of the 2011 draft out of Appalachian State. He has played in 33 regular-season games, plus all six playoff games the last two seasons. http://www.max270cheap.com/.ca NHL Power Rankings, finally overtaking the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks, who rank second and third this week. Air Max 270 Off White For Sale . At this point, even he isnt sure when it is going to stop. The right-hander dropped his fourth straight decision in Los Angeles 6-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night, leaving his status very much in doubt as the Dodgers prepare for the stretch drive. Air Max 270 White Cheap . -- League scoring leader Anthony Mantha had two goals and two assists to lead the Val-dOr Foreurs over the Blainville-Boisbriand Phoenix 6-3 on Wednesay in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play on Wednesday.With the NHL Draft coming up on June 27 and free agency opening on July 1, discussions between NHL general managers are already heating up towards a busy off-season. Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Farewell to Broadway? Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe reports that the New York Rangers are considering using a compliance buyout on centre Brad Richards. Ricards is 34-years-old and has six remaining on his current deal that carries an annual cap hit of $6,666,667. The former Conn Smythe-winner is unlikely to see out his full contract and, if he were to retire early, the Rangers would be on the hook for the remainder of the deal as per the new CBAs cap benefit recapture penalty. This would effectively mean that the Rangers would be carrying dead money against the cap, something that would cripple any club. Since the implementation of the compliance buyout option, teams have used it for 15 players including Richardss former Tampa Bay Lightning teammate, Vincent Lecavalier. Not so Wild about Vanek? Thomas Vanek is no longer a sure thing for the Minnesota Wild, so says Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The connection to Minnesota for Vanek is obvious.dddddddddddd. Vanek starred for a the 2003 NCAA Champion Minnesota Golden Gophers, winning the Frozen Four MVP and became the first-ever freshman to do so. Still, Russo believes that the emergence of the Wilds young core that helped upset the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs, coupled with Vaneks poor post-season with the Montreal Canadiens means that the team has cooled its interest in the Austrian. Vanek had five goals and five assists in 17 playoff games for the Canadiens. Getting Drafty in here? Josh Cooper of the Tennessean writes that the Nashville Predators could be looking at acquiring a second first-round pick in this months NHL Draft. The Predators hold the 11th pick in the draft, but also have two second-round selections (numbers 42 and 46 with the latter gained from the Detroit Red Wings as part of the David Legwand trade) and could use both of those to grab a second pick in the first round. Poile says that no movement will happen until the actual day of the draft. The last time the Predators had two first-rounders was in 2008, when they selected Colin Wilson and Chet Pickard. ' ' '