for breaking news visit www.timesnewsweekly.com JULY 30, 2015 • times 51 WITH TRADE DEADLINE NEARING, METS MAKING UPGRADES BY THE RIDGEWOOD TIMES STAFF [email protected] @Ridgewood Times Having already acquired a bullpen pitcher and two infielders, the Mets— in their first playoff push since they left Shea Stadium—are looking for more help. Reportedly, the franchise—which, as of the afternoon of July 28, sat two games behind the first place Washington Nationals—is looking to acquire an outfield bat to put a charge as the Amazins’ look to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Several baseball writers have linked the Mets to ongoing talks for outfielders Saratoga Race Course will be the focus of the racing world this weekend as the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes is set to pay out $600,000 in preparation for the Grade 1 $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 29. Saturday’s Jim Dandy Stakes is expected to draw a solid lineup including Grade 1 winners Texas Red, Materiality and Frosted, as well as Grade 2 winner Upstart. Texas Red won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at odds of 13-1 last fall and has run second in both his starts this year, the Grade 2 San Vicente and Grade 3 Dwyer. Materiality has been off the board since winning the Florida Derby in March, while Frosted rebounded from a disappointing winter to take the TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial and run fourth in the Kentucky Derby and second in the Belmont Stakes. Unraced since finishing last of 18 in the Derby, Upstart beat Frosted in the Grade 2 Holy Bull and came in second in both the Florida Derby and Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. Grade 2-placed Frammento and Easy Goer Stakes winner Japan are also expected, while Belmont third-place finisher Keen Ice and Grade 3 Pegasus runner-up Tekton are possible. Noticeably absent from the Jim Dandy Stakes is Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, who will be running on Sunday in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. Other races on Saturday’s card at Saratoga include the Grade 1, $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap for sprinters with Stonestreet Stables’ Rock Fall looking to stretch his winning streak to six in the six-furlong event; the Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam for 3-year-old sprinters; and the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green on the inner turf. sports ORTHODONTICS WWW.GLENRIDGEORTHODONTIST.COM Est. 1976 FREE* Consultation and Exam Medicaid Approved Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics 65-34 Myrtle Ave., Glendale, NY 11385 Most Insurance Accepted As Partial or Full Payment 1-718-381-2965 1-718-386-8728 ©Times Newsweekly 2015-GLENRIDGE WWW.GLENRIDGEORTHODONTIST.COM Vincent J. Bilello, D.D.S., ABO Diplomate, Specialists in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics including Justin Upton of the San Diego Padres, Jay Bruce of the Cincinnati Reds and Gerardo Parra of the Milwaukee Brewers. Newsday reported on July 28 the team may wait until up to the trade deadline at 4 p.m. on July 31 to make another trade. Meanwhile, showing that the team wasn’t sitting on its hands as many fans feared, the Mets picked up righthanded reliever Tyler Clippard from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor-league pitching prospect Casey Meisner. A former Yankee, Clippard — who had 17 saves for the A’s prior to the trade — is looked to help reinforce a Mets bullpen led by closer Jeurys Familia and Bobby Parnell. The trade came four days after the Mets acquired infielders Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson from the rival Atlanta Braves for two minor-league pitchers. The new additions, combined with the Mets’ promotion of outfield prospect Michael Conforto, put a charge into what had been one of the weakest lineups in baseball. Conforto went 4 for 4, and Johnson added a home run, in a 15-2 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 25, while Uribe hit a walkoff single to give the Mets an extra-innings 3-2 victory on July 26. The Mets wrap up a three-game series against the Padres as Citi Field on July 30 before the Nationals come to Queens for a critical three-game showdown this weekend. Photo via Facebook/New York Mets Michael Conforto is contributing early to the Mets’ playoff push. Big names line up for the Jim Dandy Stakes
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