Tag: marlins

I Fell Asleep For The Good Of The Team

On By themetssiah2 Comments


Final Score (in 16 innings): Mets 9, Marlins 8

I had dinner plans last night, and the restaurant had no TV. I figured I’d miss 80% of the game and occasionally tune out during the meal to get the game highlights on my phone. I never would have thought that by the time I returned home I’d have three hours of baseball left to watch.

Dinner Recap: At the restaurant I let out a frustrated grunt and aggressively dipped my bread in oil when Robert Gsellman gave up a first inning grand slam to Marcell Ozuna. I pumped my fist and ordered another cocktail when Travis d’Arnaud drove in 3 runs with a triple and Curtis Granderson added an RBI single to tie the game in the second inning. And yes I watched replays at the table of Yo’s third and fifth inning solo shots and the Wilmer Flores third inning solo job.

Gsellman And The Stinky Josh: The lead didn’t feel safe. It felt like Gsellman was a risk to fall apart at any time, and the bullpen has been used so much lately I figured every arm was a liability to some degree. The Gsellman meltdown occurred in the 5th inning. By the time Terry woke up and pulled him from the game it was 7-6 Mets. Then instead of turning to Jerry Blevins to face a big lefty in a pivotal spot, Terry went with stinky Josh Edgin who gave up two runs on two hits. I’ve seen enough of Edgin. He’s officially the worst lefty in the pen and the stinky Josh. He needs to go.

I’m Back: By the time I made it home it was the top of the 7th. Yoenis Cespedes had reached base on a wild pitch strikeout, and he advanced to second on another wild pitch. With two outs Jay Bruce hit a single to left field and Yo decided to challenge Marcell Ozuna’s arm and try to score. He was initially called safe but the play was overturned upon replay review.

To Hell With MLB And The Yo No Hustle People: My only thoughts on that play are:

  1. Yo should have slid into home (duh).
  2. Neil Walker should have been signaling for him to slide.
  3. MLB was wrong to overturn the call. The replay office sucks, and they change their definition of incontrovertible (irrefutable? Whatever word they use) evidence every single game. Pathetic.
  4. If you’re one of these people who saw that non-slide at the plate and took that opportunity to talk about how Yo didn’t hustle to first base on the wild pitch third strike and how he didn’t slide back into second base when the pitcher threw over and how he doesn’t hustle in general then I hate you. The guy is going to hit 40 home runs this year and he needs his fragile legs intact to support his enormous freak upper body. Let him play the way he plays and shut the hell up.

Early Hero: In the 8th inning with two outs Travis d’Arnaud singled up the middle and then Michael Conforto came in as a pinch hitter. He launched a clutch game tying pinch-hit triple. Play the man. It’s that simple.

The Pen Is Dead: From that point on the Mets offense shut down, and we got to watch all the relievers destroy their arms in April. Fernando Salas went two innings, Addison Reed went two, Tommy John guy Josh Smoker went three innings and Hansel Robles went two innings and made his fourth appearance in a row. Unbelievable performance by all of these relievers but Jesus Christ they must be shot. We’re going to need some reinforcements and a few complete games from our starters to help revive them.

Late Hero: I went to bed after the top of the 15th inning for the good of the team. I knew that if I stayed up Robles was going to blow the game, but if I slept there was a chance we’d hit a go ahead homer. I made the right call because Travis “Four Hit” d’Arnaud crushed a game winning solo shot in the 16th inning. I’m still shocked we won. I feel like we always come out on the losing end of those marathon extra inning games. Big win.

Today: Noah Syndergaard faces Edinson Volquez. Let’s make it a six game winning streak tonight.

The Mets Better Watch Their Backs

On By themetssiahLeave a comment



Final Score: Mets 5, Marlins 2

The Mets concluded one of the most emotional series in recent memory by winning last night’s rubber game against the Marlins. Seth Lugo gave the Mets another decent outing, Jay Bruce continues to show his previously lost power, and Curtis Granderson reached base five times. After watching some of the video from the Jose Fernandez funeral on Wednesday, I’m honestly amazed the Marlins were able to suit up and take the field for these games. I really wish they could just call it a season a focus on grieving. I’m happy the Mets handled this series the right way, and now they can focus on finishing strong against the Phillies.

Which brings me to my next point. The Mets better watch their damn backs.

The Phillies are horrible and have nothing to lose. They basically said they’re coming for us. The Mets better keep their heads on a damn swivel. Terry better wake the hell up. Watch out for dirty pitches, late slides, and every other form of cheating that the Phillies can use this weekend in the hopes of ruining our chances of clinching this Wild Card playoff berth. Protect Yoenis Cespedes. Double the number of pads on Yo’s elbow and have Ty Kelly and Eric Campbell guarding him at all times since they serve no other purpose.

Loney In, Duda Fine: Lucas Duda was supposed to start at first base last night, but he was scratched with back soreness. It’s unfortunate because Terry had just appointed Loney his special assistant in charge of reminding him to pinch run for slow guys. I’m sure Duda’s back is fine. The Mets promised he was fine when they rushed him back from the DL, so I obviously believe them. They never lie about injuries ever. Anyway, it worked out because James Loney hit a two-run homer in the second inning to tie the game after Lugo had surrendered a two-run shot to Martin Prado in the first inning.

Lugo: Seth Lugo pitched 5.1 innings and other than the two-run homer to Prado he was fairly effective. He walked three Marlins and gave up five hits. He was definitely forced to escape a few jams. People were angry with Terry for his quick hook because Lugo had a low pitch count when he was removed. In theory I agree that Terry should have left him in the game a bit longer. But I also read that fatigue has been an issue with Lugo because he was previously a reliever. In this particular case I trust Terry. I assume he had some insider knowledge. It worked out because the pen shut the Marlins down. Seth Lugo also had some nice ABs and added a two out double in the fourth inning. Jose Reyes drove him in with an RBI double of his own to make it 3-2 Mets.

Bruce is Loose: In the fifth inning, Curtis Granderson singled and then Jay Bruce followed that with a two-run homer to make it 5-2 Mets. Fans can sit there and debate all day whether Michael Conforto was “cheated” out of ABs while Bruce was struggling. The bottom line is what I said weeks ago. Bruce is an established streaky veteran slugger, and he was on an ice cold streak. The Mets were always going to continue playing him in the hopes that his bat would heat up during the final weeks/the playoffs. Well it looks like that’s actually happening.

Hot For Grandy: Curtis Granderson had four hits and a walk in this game. A hot Grandy is one of the most welcome sights of the season. Grandy is getting on base and Bruce is rediscovering his power stroke while hitting behind him. I like the sound of that.

Loving This .350 Thing: T.J. Rivera had another hit last night. I must say, I’m a big fan of his whole guy batting .350 thing. He’s been mashing for around 100 ABs now, and he hasn’t slowed down much. I really hope he continues to rake. At least keep it up in the short term. That would be oh so sweet.

Unlimited Innings: Hansel Robles, Fernando Salas, Addison Reed, and Jeurys Familia shut down the Marlins. Fernando Salad has been fantastic since his arrival. Salas/Reed/Familia are all among the league leaders in innings pitched out of the pen. Pray for their arms. We need them now more than ever.

Bartolo Shagging Fly Balls: Bartolo Colon supposedly has a strained tendon in his foot and before last night’s game he was in the outfield shagging fly balls. Next thing you know the Wilpons will be challenging Tolo and Thor to a pickup basketball game. Ummm let’s keep the non-pitching activities to a minimum okay Tolo?

I Like It: The Mets need to handle their own business this weekend. But the Dodgers play the Giants and they are shooting to have a better record than the Nationals so they can have home field advantage in the NLDS. The Cardinals play the Pirates, and I have to believe the Pirates will be extra bitter this weekend considering the letdown this season has been for them. Nothing is guaranteed but I like these matchups. I like our chances.

The Thor Debate: Terry actually said before the game that he was debating whether he’d prefer Noah Syndergaard on the mound in a road Wild Card playoff game or some other pitcher going at Citi Field. Let me clear this one up for you Terry. You go with Thor. Sometimes I feel like I’d rather have a random Mets fan in the stands making the big decisions. Moron.

Tebow: In Tim Tebow’s first at-bat in the instructional league he hit an opposite field homer off of a left-handed pitcher. In his second AB he grounded out. In his third AB he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right-hand of the Father.

Today: Day off today. Rest. Let’s crush Philly. Let’s clinch. Please finish this the right way Mets.

Mets Need To Finish Strong

On By themetssiah1 Comment
Let’s go baby! Four more! Four more!

Final Score: Mets 12, Marlins 1

The Marlins were emotionally drained after Monday’s game, and it showed last night. For the most part Thor cruised, and the Mets put up 12 runs against the Marlins pitching staff. Here’s the bottom line. There are four games left. The Mets are 0.5 games up on the Giants for the first Wild Card and 1.5 up on the Cardinals. Win and we’re in. We own the home field tiebreaker against the Giants. So if we coast, we host. Winning the final four games is obviously easier said than done. But I’ve tried reading all the Wild Card tiebreaker scenarios. I’m done with tiebreaker talk. Win out. No excuses. Finishing the season with 88 wins would be a decent accomplishment considering all the injuries to the pitching staff. Pray.

Strep-less Wonder: Noah Syndergaard pitched 6 innings and gave up 1 run on 5 hits with 8 Ks. His velocity was slightly down. Hopefully that was due to some residual fatigue after his battle with strep throat. He also had two hits in the game. We need to clinch before Sunday. We need Thor for the Wild Card game.

It’s Still About Homers: Jay Bruce hit a two-run homer in the second inning to make it 2-1 Mets. Bruce had two hits last night. If he’s coming out of his funk, the league better watch out. That’s assuming we actually win enough games to continue playing beyond Sunday. Yoenis Cespedes hit a two-run bomb to left center field in the third inning to make it 4-1. It was a classic Yo blast and bat flip situation.

It Was About RISP Until It Wasn’t: The Mets were 0 for 9 with RISP until the 8th inning when they broke the game open. Curtis Granderson hit a two-run single to make it 6-1 and with two outs Lucas Duda hit a bases loaded double that scored three more runs to make it 9-1. The Mets piled on 3 more runs in the 9th inning. Grandy added another double.

Bent Ankle: Jose Reyes rolled his ankle in the 8th inning after he hit a double and slammed on the breaks after rounding second base because Ty Kelly was holding at third base. Jose shook it off.

Why No Subs?: The Mets continued to play Asdrubal Cabrera and Jose Reyes until the end of the game despite having a huge lead. They also pitched Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia in a blowout. After all, we definitely need to get the league’s most overworked relievers more work.

It Changes Everything: A healthy Lucas Duda and hot Jay Bruce would really stretch out this Mets lineup. When the home run ball is flying out, the idea of adding two more all or nothing sluggers to the mix feels like a genius move in theory. I’m salivating at the prospect of a home run fueled playoff run. For now I’ll take a home run fueled five game winning streak to finish the season.

The Pitchers Are Injured: Yesterday, the Mets announced Steven Matz will miss the rest of the season. I announced it a week ago. They also mentioned that Bartolo Colon hurt his foot running the bases two weeks ago and is playing through a sprained tendon. Try not to put too much weight on it Tolo.

Today: Seth Lugo pitches tonight. I’m excited to see more of that Lugo curve. Another top notch performance from Lugo will really help calm the nerves before this must win final weekend in Philly. A loss will set off the Panic City alarms.

The Marlins Won For Jose Fernandez 

On By themetssiahLeave a comment



Final Score: Marlins 7, Mets 3

The Marlins were always going to win last night’s game. I know life doesn’t always have a happy fairytale ending. The world isn’t a fair place. It’s never fair when someone so young, charismatic, and talented is taken from the earth at 24 years old. But the Marlins were always going to win. I knew it. I knew it because when life refuses to give you the storybook feel good ending you crave, baseball often does. It was a night where all baseball fans needed the Marlins to come through in a big way. And they did it. They did it for Jose Fernandez. To honor him. The baseball gods made sure of it. They inspired the Marlins. They gave them the strength and energy to win this game after one of the most emotional pregame tributes I have ever witnessed. Dee Gordon set the tone right away with his clutch and moving lead-off homer. He came up to the plate from the right side to honor Jose and then channeled Jose’s strength when he hit his home run to right field off of Bartolo Colon. The Marlins then piled on 6 more runs over the first 2.1 innings. That was all they needed to win. Last night’s Marlins victory was for the people of Miami, the people of Cuba, and the Marlins organization. Hell, it was for all of baseball.

Game Notes: Bartolo Colon was rocked. He gave up 7 runs on 8 hits over 2.1 innings. He better shake last night’s performance off because the Mets need the elite Bartolo if they have any hope of finishing this week strong and making the playoffs. Marlins starter Adam Conley has really owned the Mets this season. I have to be honest, without Wilmer Flores our lineup against lefties stinks. Nobody wants to face Madison Bumgarner under any circumstances, but if the Mets plan to play a Wild Card game against MadBum with Eric Campbell in the lineup then someone needs to hide Soup’s car keys on October 5th so he can’t get to the game. Lucas Duda came in the game as a pinch hitter in the 5th inning, and in the 8th inning he hit an RBI single. Let’s just start Lucas the rest of the way okay? Terry?!? Can you hear me?!? Lucas should play if he’s healthy. Asdrubal Cabrera also had two more hits. He drove in two runs with a double in the 5th inning. There are no more words left to describe how hot Cabby is.

Tonight: The Mets need to move on and refocus on winning baseball games. The Cardinals lost yesterday to the Reds. I’m always quick to criticize the Mets, but the Cardinals and Giants really don’t deserve a playoff berth. They have been awful. The Mets need to come out strong and prepared tonight. Based on everything I’ve read about his character and personality, Jose Fernandez would want these teams on the field competing as we approach the end of the season. The Mets need to continue honoring his memory by taking the field tonight and competing at the highest level. RIP Jose.

DeGrom’s Not Right

On By themetssiahLeave a comment


Final Score: Marlins 6, Mets 4

For the third straight outing Jacob deGrom didn’t have his best stuff or his command. The Mets also rested Yoenis Cespedes and Asdrubal Cabrera in this series finale. So they essentially conceded the game. The Mets may have won 3 out of 4 against the Marlins, but as I said yesterday another poor deGrom start is cause for concern.

DeGrumpy: Jacob struggled to get through 5 innings. He gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. That ain’t the Jake we all know and love. He waved for the trainer when he departed the game. Obviously the fans freaked out but he said after the game he was healthy. He said his problems were mechanical. That’s what Matt Harvey said for months.

The Bruce Is Loose?: With the Marlins up 3-0 in the 6th inning, Jay Bruce smashed a solo homer. Bruce is slowly starting to come out of his funk. He’s really exactly like Lucas Duda. He gets pull happy and looks lost at the plate for long stretches. Then he gets a couple of opposite field knocks. Before long he’s mashing dingers again.

Smoker For Two?: So Terry brought in Josh Smoker in the 6th inning and he pitched a 1-2-3 inning with 2 Ks. But then he brought him out for the 7th inning, and he was crushed. He gave up a single to Ichiro Suzuki, a walk to Martin Prado, and a three-run shot to Christian Yelich to make it 6-1 Marlins. Terry saw that Smoker throws 95+, and he’s overusing him like crazy. Back to back to back days and multi-inning appearances. The guy is a regular one inning type of late inning reliever Terry. Don’t kill him/put him in a position to fail.

Filling Stanton’s Shoes: Speaking of Christian Yelich, he really played the role of Giancarlo Stanton Metkiller in this series. And we were more than willing to let him beat us. At least all his hits and homers only equated to one Marlins win.

The Lost Inning: In the 8th inning, Curtis Granderson doubled, Kelly Johnson singled, and then Jay Bruce hit an opposite field single to score Grandy and make it 6-2. The Mets had a rally cooking. Then the Marlins made a pitching change and brought in Kyle Barraclough. He promptly walked Wilmer Flores to load the bases with nobody out. Michael Conforto came up and hit a ball right in front of home plate. The catcher stepped on home for one out and then threw Conforto out at first for the double play. It was the worst thing he could have done. Then the Mets pinch hit Cespedes with runners on second and third and he struck out. I suppose the Mets could have brought Yo in to pinch hit for Conforto with the bases loaded. But they both blew it. Whatever.

Out Of Position: Right after Yo pinch hit for James Loney, Terry brought in Rene Rivera to play first base. So we expand the rosters and now we have guys playing out of position? Right. Makes sense. Great roster management Terry.

Cabby So Hot Right Now: Asdrubal Cabrera pinch hit in the 9th inning and launched a two run homer to make it 6-4 Marlins. The Mets couldn’t spark a rally after that homer though, and they lost. Cabrera needs that knee to magically heal ASAP. He’s so hot he could hit a homer in his sleep right now.

Video Tribute: If the Mets fire Ray Ramirez at the end of the season I hope they give him a video tribute with all his best injury moments set to the song “O Fortuna”.

Stinko d’Arnaud: Has anyone figured out why Travis d’Arnaud stinks this year? Is he just hiding an injury? Is there a running theory?

Today: Well in the end it still comes down to beating the Nationals. Noah Syndergaard pitches tonight. The Mets must stay in the WC race and win 2 of 3. Let’s go Mets.

Are You Not Entertained?

On By themetssiah2 Comments


Final Score: Mets 5, Marlins 2

Here’s where I’m at right now. The Mets have played entertaining baseball over the last 10 games or so. The team is now 1.5 games behind the Cardinals for a playoff spot and “in the race”. Sure the death toll rises every single game. We lost Neil Walker last night for the rest of the season. But all that said we are fun to watch right now, and that’s what I wanted all season. My desire for the Mets to be a part of baseball’s elite class of teams like the Cubs went out the window in like June. Once Matt Harvey and Lucas Duda went down it was clear that this season was not going to be some easy coast to the finish line situation. But in May, June, July and early August I begged to be entertained. The Mets tortured us during those months. Unwatchable. And now they are fun again. If the Mets plan to be fun from today until the last game of the regular season then I’m all in.

Error City: This game started with sloppy error filled Mets baseball. In the first inning Jose Reyes let a ball go right through his legs at third base and straight into left field. Bartolo Colon was able to get out of the inning unscathed. However in the second inning, Ichiro Suzuki hit a leadoff single and advanced to second base on a pickoff throwing error by Bartolo. Then J.T. Realmuto hit a soft grounder to Reyes at third base, and he made a wild throw to first base. Ichiro scored and Realmuto ended up at second base. Those errors gave the Marlins a 1-0 lead.

Again With The Fight: The Mets immediately fought back and Wilmer Flores hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second inning to make it 2-1 Mets.

Take The Good Sex With The Bad: Bartolo Colon pitched 7 innings and gave up 2 runs on 7 hits. Another great game from Mr. Rubber Arm. Unfortunately for the Mets, he came up to hit in two really big spots and ultimately destroyed scoring opportunities. In the second inning after the Flores dinger, Jay Bruce and Travis d’Arnaud hit singles. Colon came up with runners on first and second with one out. Terry should have had him bunting. I know he’s not a great bunter but you have him bunt. You can’t allow him to hit into a double play which is exactly what he did. Then in the fourth inning Bruce, d’Arnaud, and Kelly Johnson hit back to back to back singles to load the bases. Terry should have told Bartolo to take every single pitch. After hitting into a double play last time up you can’t let him do it again. But Terry let him swing and Tolo hit into a double play. Dumb call. Killed the rally. Tolo also let up a game typing solo shot to Christian Yelich in the 6th inning to make it 2-2.

The Big Shot: In the 8th inning, Yoenis Cespedes singled off of A.J. Ramos and then Ramos walked Curtis Granderson. Ramos proceeded to retire Flores on a fly out that advanced Yo to third base, and he also retired Jay Bruce who failed to lift a sac fly to the outfield. Ramos then walked d’Arnaud, and Kelly Johnson came up in a potentially game changing spot with two outs and bases loaded. Johnson laced a double down the right field line and the right fielder bobbled the ball along the wall. Everyone scored and it was 5-2 Mets. Jeurys Familia slammed the door with that lead and that was that.

New Arm: Last night the Mets traded Brooklyn Cyclones pitcher Erik Manoah to the Angels for reliever Fernando Salas. Salas is a veteran middle reliever. He’s pitched well in the second half this season. It’ll be nice to have an extra arm in the pen. Hopefully he magically becomes a stud like Addison Reed did. I trust Sandy and his waiver wire expertise.

Just Pray: As I said above, let’s not dwell on the negative. Forget the injuries. Forget about Neil Walker being put in a body bag. Forget about Asdrubal Cabrera and his bum knee. Don’t worry about Steven Matz and his elbow/shoulder woes. Are they all going to wind up on the DL and out forever? Probably. But this is just one of those seasons where nothing goes our way. Let’s just watch whoever is left and see where we are at the very end. In all likelihood the season will come down to the final game, and it will be devastating like in 2007.

Let’s Be Clear: I’ve already seen some crazy talk about Jay Bruce because he’s had a poor showing in 100 ABs or whatever. Let’s be clear. The Mets shouldn’t buy out Jay Bruce’s contract under any circumstances. They must pick up his 2017 option. Keeping Yoenis Cespedes and Jay Bruce is the only acceptable course of action. You don’t let a 30 home run hitter who you just gave up a big prospect for leave because he had a rough month and a half. You keep Bruce. If you want to trade him before the 2017 season or during the season then fine. But you keep him.

Last Minor Note on Neil: I didn’t want to talk about this yet, but I’ll throw it out there. I think before this injury news there was almost a 0% chance that Neil Walker would accept a qualifying offer. Now there’s a chance. There is a chance that teams will be scared off by the fact that Neil had back surgery, and he may want to have another crack at a walk year. We may see Neil Walkyear again.

The Wave: Noah Syndergaard tweeted something negative about doing the wave at baseball games so I figured I’d give my thoughts. My beef with the wave is twofold. 1) As a lazy man I prefer sitting to standing 2) I don’t like when people block my view for no reason. So I’m against the wave. That being said, if kids like the wave and disinterested game attendees like to periodically grunt and swing their arms like a bunch of idiots, who am I to stop them? Swing away you fools.

Today: Jacob deGrom pitches today. If deGrom looks healthy and rested during today’s start the positivity meter is going to explode. If he takes another dump on the field, we may not be in great shape after all.

Josedrubal Granderpinch Wins It For Mets

On By themetssiahLeave a comment


Final Score: Mets 7, Marlins 4

The streak is on baby. The Mets are 8-4 since the start of that San Francisco series. The Mets have officially leapfrogged the Marlins in the standings and are tied with the Pirates. Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera are smoking hot and combined for 6 hits to fuel last night’s win. Curtis Granderson hit two home runs in a game he didn’t even start. Wilmer Flores  has contributed regularly as Mr. Fill-In. And Seth Lugo more than did his job as he represented team young arms. Keep it up.

Mistake Out The Gate: Seth Lugo gave up a double to Martin Prado in the first inning. Then he made a pitch on the outer half of the plate to Christian Yelich that was crushed for an opposite field two-run shot.

March Right Back: Unlike the May, June, July, and most of August Mets, the new Mets came back right away. Jose Reyes hit a leadoff single and then bum knee Asdrubal Cabrera launched a two-run blast. He immediately tied the game at 2. Then with two outs and Jay Bruce on third, Wilmer Flores hit an RBI single to give the Mets a 3-2 lead. I can’t believe the team scores now. I can’t believe they hit with men in scoring position. They have fight. It’s really nice. Hot bats will do that for a team.

Lugo Pulled, Grandy Pulls: Other than his first inning mistake, Lugo pitched a nice game. He went 6 innings and gave up those 2 runs on 5 hits. Terry yanked him with under a 100 pitches because he’s still being stretched out as a starter. Then in the bottom of the 6th inning, Grandy pinch hit for Lugo and hit a solo homer to make it 4-2 Mets.

Wake Up Teufel: After Grandy’s dinger, the Blonde Bros aka the Blonde Bombers both reached base. Reyes doubled and Cabrera walked. After Yoenis Cespedes grounded out the Marlins intentionally walked Jay Bruce to load the bases for Alejandro De Aza. De Aza smacked an RBI single to right field, and Tim Teufel for some reason was waving home bum knee Cabrera. First of all Cabrera probably would have been gunned down at the plate. But he didn’t even try because his knee is shot. Unfortunately Bruce saw the signal and ran to third and Cabrera was tagged out at third for the second out. The De Aza RBI made it 5-2 Mets, but the blown send call squandered a chance for more runs. What is Tim Teufel doing? How does he forget Cabrera’s knee situation? I mean Jesus Christ it’s all I’m thinking about when he’s up at bat or on the bases. Even Keith Hernandez in the booth can’t stop talking about it. The coaching staff is forgetful? Jesus. What a joke.

Another Blast: In the 7th inning Grandy added a two-run shot. His second homer in a game he didn’t even start. Also all the postgame talk was about how Grandy is on pace to post the lowest RBI total for a guy with 25+ homers of all time. I talked about that weeks ago, but it’s finally gone mainstream. But forget these negative records. What if Grandy wakes up in September? What if he gets hot? Please let him take off.

Robles?: Hansel Robles pitched two scoreless innings. I must say, I thought it was a bad idea to bring him into a close game because he’s been so bad lately. But the Marlins bats are so cold, and he came through with two nice innings.

Henderson Can’t Finish: Jim Henderson couldn’t pitch a scoreless 9th inning. He gave up 2 runs before being yanked for Jeurys Familia with two outs. Familia ended the game on 3 pitches.

The Death Count News: Obviously only death can pay for the Mets newfound life. So before the game they announced Neil Walker has a mystery back condition. Then they all refused to talk about the problem until today. So yeah it sounds really bad. They said he may play the rest of the season or he may not. What? Steven Matz is also being scratched from his start this week. Shoulder impingement or something. We should probably shut him down. They’ll kill him before they shut him down. Also Asdrubal Cabrera’s knee is still really bad. He just said that he’s going to play and suck it up. Give him the shot doc. Numb that knee and let’s go.

Coreless: One final note. I certainly don’t feel bad about it because it’s helping the Mets in a big way. That being said, the Marlins offense without Giancarlo Stanton is just a Yo-less Mets lineup. It has recognizable faces in it and many of the bats have real credentials. But without Stanton none of that matters. He’s the heart. He’s the core. He’s the big threat that brings it all together. Now let’s win the series. It would be embarrassing to split against a Stanton-less Marlins team.

Today: Bartolo Colon pitches tonight. Let’s win as many games as we can while we have Yoenis Cespedes and a hot Josedrubal Granderpinch. Also pray for Neil’s back. We’ll never pay him now that the Wilpons have this back excuse. Goddamn.

Walk-Off Yo Bomb

On By themetssiah1 Comment


Final Score: Mets 2, Marlins 1

To be honest, I needed this win. Monday sucked at work. Then I came home, and my upstairs neighbor apparently spilled a bunch of water all over his bedroom floor. That water then proceeded to leak all over my bedroom ceiling. So if Jose Fernandez shutout the Mets I was ready to start punting couch cushions while screaming “Serenity now!” But Yo saved my day. The Fernandez shutout became unlikely because 1) he wasn’t at his sharpest and 2) the umpire had a horrendous strike zone. Jose’s pitch count was too high and the Mets got to the Marlins pen. And then Yoenis Cespedes did what he does. He saved the day with a 10th inning, 2 out, walk-off solo homerun.

Organizational Incompetence: Before we get into this game, it’s important to highlight how the incompetent Mets organization set the team up to fail. Their poor decision making really almost ruined the team’s chances at a victory last night. On Sunday, Robert Gsellman started and pitched 6 innings. He now serves absolutely no purpose on the roster for at least 5 days. The obvious demotion to make room for last night’s starter Rafael Montero was Robert Gsellman. Gsellman would have to do his league mandated 10 day minor league stint because of the demotion, but it doesn’t matter with rosters expanding on September 1st, and also with the healthy return of Steven Matz and Jacob deGrom.

Instead of that decision, the Mets demoted infielder T.J. Rivera while Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera are supposedly unavailable with injuries. They left the team with a two man bench. Why? Terry said before the game it was because of a miscommunication. He literally said that he thought Asdrubal or Neil would be available and didn’t know they were going to sit until after the roster decision was made. Baffling incompetence by Terry, Sandy and all of these mooks. Unreal.

Kidcaster: Also on a lighter note, early in the game SNY did their annual Kidcaster thing where they let some 8 year old son of a rich network executive do the play by play. The kid last night was great. I can’t imagine being composed while sitting in the booth with Gary, Keith, and Ron now let alone at 8. Anyway, the Kidcaster reminded me of something. Remember when the Mets refused to meet Bobby Ojeda’s SNY contract demands and replaced him with Kidcaster Nelson Figueroa? They replaced their postgame bulldog with puppy dog Nelson Figueroa over dollars and cents. Ridiculous. Nelson is fine, but I’m team Bobby for life.

Umpire Sucked: Anyway, this game was a pitcher’s duel with a bunch of walks. The walks all stemmed from the fact that the home plate umpire sucked. One of the worst balls and strikes umps of the 2016 season. Jose Fernandez had 4 walks and Rafael Montero had 6. With all those base runners I never thought in a million years Montero would make it through the second inning let alone pitch 5 scoreless innings. But he did. He got through 5 innings without surrendering a run. I thought Montero was going to blow the game in the 5th with two men on and one out, but he induced a double play. Once Montero tossed 5 scoreless and Fernandez was pulled with over 100 pitches through 6 scoreless the game became a must win for the Mets. Good teams take advantage of opportunities to win a close game against another team’s ace.

Are You Kidding Me?: In the bottom of the 5th inning with one out, Terry Collins pinch hit Jacob deGrom against Jose Fernandez because of our short bench, and also because he’s a moron. I get that deGrom can hit. But there is almost no situation where it’s appropriate to bat our franchise starting pitcher against a guy who throws 97 MPH. You’re telling me the possibility that deGrom pokes a single into the outfield and gets a one out base runners makes it worth the risk of Fernandez losing a pitch up and in and breaking deGrom’s goddamn hand?!? The only time I’m okay with deGrom pinch hitting is a do or die one game playoff with no position players left on the bench. And you know what? DeGrom is starting a game like that and unavailable to pinch hit in that spot anyway so it’s a moot point. Montero should have pinch hit for himself and struck out on 3 pitches and then come out of the game. In the end nothing happened. Thank God.

Umpire Sucked 2.0: Wilmer Flores had a chance for a big hit with two men on and one out in the 6th but he flew out. Jerry Blevins pitched a scoreless 7th. It should have been a 1-2-3 inning but the ump squeezed him on a 2 strike pitch to Martin Prado.

The Cespedes Route: In the 8th inning, Addison Reed coughed up the first run of the game. Old man Ichiro Suzuki sliced a double to center field. He’s so damn good. Legend. Then Xavier Scruggs hit a frozen rope double to Yo in left field. It was a double off the bat and it made it 1-0 Marlins. Yo took a strange route to the ball but had no chance to catch it regardless. That didn’t stop mooks on Twitter from questioning his skills and decision making. I guess you can’t stop the haters no matter what you do. But the fact that Yo has Mets fan haters blows my mind.

The Home Plate Collision: In the bottom of the 8th, our second best remaining hitter Jose Reyes hit a leadoff double to right field. He then advanced to third on a Alejandro De Aza fly out. It’s funny but before this inning I was thinking of making some joke in this post about how the Mets broke their consecutive games with an injury scare streak. Unfortunately that joke was flushed down the toilet when Reyes scored on a wild pitch and pitcher A.J. Ramos dove into his back at home plate. Ramos had no play, but he managed to tackle Jose as he slid into home.

I thought Jose was dead. I thought we’d be tossing him into a shallow DL grave right next to his blonde friend Asdrubal Cabrera. Goodbye Blonde Brothers aka Blonde Bombers aka Bleach Boys aka Team Lannister. But luckily Jose shook off the collision and stayed in the game. His speed created a run, and it tied the game at 1. Also for the record, if he had to come out of the game the Mets had no infielders left on the bench and probably would have put Rene Rivera in the infield or something. The unfathomable roster management blunders need to be highlighted as much as possible.

Burn The Damn Bench?: Speaking of roster management blunders, in the 9th inning Terry pitched Jeurys Familia and then with two outs in the bottom of the 9th he pinch hit Rene Rivera for him with two outs. Then Mattingly went to the righty reliever and Terry burned the backup catcher and brought in ice cold Jay Bruce. Terry was crossing his fingers that the pulseless Jay Bruce would hit a walk-off shot. Instead he lined out to first and left the Mets with no bench players for extra innings. I bet if the Kidcaster was still in the booth he would have called Terry a dumb stupid doo-doo head.

The Goddamn Walk-Off: Josh Smoker pitched a clutch 1-2-3 top of the 10th inning  and then with two outs Yo saved the day with his walk-off blast. Pay Yo. Do I need to say anything more? If you want to know how I feel about Yo read every one of my posts. Pay Yo.

Grandy Was Involved: Curtis Granderson reached based 3 times last night with a hit and two walks. I’m sure Terry will finally start benching him in favor of Jay Bruce now.

Sorry I Killed Robles: Before the game Steve Gelbs asked Terry “Why is Hansel Robles struggling?” Terry basically responded: “His arm is tired” aka “I killed him.”

Loser: Daniel Murphy no longer leads the NL in batting average?!? Wow what a pathetic loser. I knew he’d be a bust.

Today: Seth Lugo pitches tonight. Hopefully Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera are back in the lineup. Win! Win! Win!

They’re Back Baby!

On By themetssiah1 Comment

Final Score: Mets 3, Marlins 0

A big road series win against a division rival for the New York Mets? Yes sir. Steven Matz, Michael Conforto, and Jose Reyes with big performances? Hell yes. What a great way to end the weekend. The dog days of summer still lie ahead, but this was a key win to get under our belt before heading home for a huge home series against the Wild Card contending Cardinals.

Matz Was Back Baby: Steven Matz was 0-5 in the 9 starts before Sunday’s matinee. But Matzy got the W in this game. He went 6 innings, gave up just 4 hits, and struck out 6. He pitched through his bone spurs. His velocity was there all game. I really hope he can continue to push through these damn spurs. We need him out there on the mound putting up zeroes.

We Shut Down Stanton: Giancarlo Stanton went 0 for 3! We shut him down! Matz retired him with a man on in the third inning and two men on in the fifth inning. Reed even struck him out with a man on second in the 8th inning. It was nice to see Stanton walking back to the dugout with his head down for a change instead of seeing him admiring a ball he just sent into orbit.

Just Sign Him: Martin Prado went 3 for 3 with a walk. He’s been killing the Metsies this season. We should probably just sign him in the offseason. We need to find a way to get these Met killers off of the streets and on to our roster.

Conforto Was Back Baby: Michael Conforto went 2 for 2 and made a diving catch in center field in this game. If his bat is working, then the Mets are going to play him in center field and cross their damn fingers. It’s certainly promising to see him make a gold glove caliber play in his first career start.

Jose Was Back Baby: In the third inning, Michael Conforto singled and advanced to third on two straight productive outs. Then Jose Reyes slashed an RBI triple making it 1-0 Mets. Jose certainly was in vintage spark plug speed demon form this weekend.

Insurance Again: The Mets added two runs in the eighth inning on two straight RBI singles from Yoenis Cespedes and James Loney. I couldn’t believe the Mets scored any runs in this game let alone runs late in the game on clutch hits with runners in scoring position. I had my TV muted at the time of the late inning rally because I was on the phone. I’m going to experiment with TV muting going forward to see if there’s any correlation between silence and run scoring. I’ll miss Gary, Keith, and Ron, but I have to do my part to help boost this offense.

The Pen Never Left: Hansel Robles, Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia combined for 3 scoreless innings of relief to close this one out. If we get to say that a lot in August and September, we’ll be celebrating a playoff berth. I have a feeling that by the end of this week the Mets will have a new face in the late inning relief conversation. My sources tell me Assistant GM John Ricco aka Ricco not so suave is working the hell out of the phones leading up to the August 1st trade deadline.

Lucroy: Speaking of trades, Kristie Ackert of the Daily News says the Mets are in the Jonathan Lucroy trade conversation. She said Travis d’Arnaud is the piece being floated by the Mets along with prospects. The idea of adding Jonathan Lucroy is very appealing to me. Travis is great, but he’s Mr. Glass. I’d obviously love to have the more durable Lucroy. Let’s see how this plays out this week as the hot stove heats up.

Tomorrow: The Mets kick off a big three game home series against the Cardinals tomorrow night. Noah Syndergaard vs. Carlos Martinez. Let’s hope this game goes better than Saturday’s battle of the aces between Jacob deGrom and Jose Fernandez.

Mets Lose Battle Of The Aces

On By themetssiahLeave a comment

Final Score: Marlins 7, Mets 2

It’s a good thing the Mets won on Friday. Friday was the must win game in this series because the odds of beating Jose Fernandez at home are pretty damn low.

Battle Of The Aces: Jose Fernandez went 7 innings and gave up 2 runs on 7 hits. Other than a Yoenis Cespedes RBI single and James Loney sac fly in the third, the Mets didn’t score against him or the Marlins pen. The Mets had opportunities to score in the first, fifth and eighth inning but just couldn’t execute. Jacob deGrom got rocked and chased from the game in the fourth inning. He gave up 5 runs on 10 hits. He just didn’t have it last night and left everything over the middle. His velocity plummeted prior to getting pulled. I don’t even want to think about the outing. Too painful. Let’s just move on.

Stanton Won’t Stop: Giancarlo Stanton hit a two run homer in the third that gave the Marlins a 3-2 lead, and it was a permanent lead. He added an RBI single in the fourth inning and went 4 for 5 with 3 RBIs. He just won’t stop crushing the Mets. As I’ve been saying all season, maybe we should be careful with him and avoid pitching to him? Maybe? Just a thought.

Walker and Cabrera: Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera were both 0 for 4. Cabrera came up in the first inning with two men on and did nothing. He came up with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth inning and did nothing. He’s 0 for his last 31 with runners in scoring position. The bottom line is Walker and Cabrera have not executed when the Mets need them to come up big. Walker hasn’t done anything offensively since April. Dilson Herrera is still raking in Vegas. It’s starting to get to the point where the Mets need to consider putting Walker on the bench and giving Herrera a shot.

It Happened: Michael Conforto played center field during this game in garbage time. I still can’t believe the Mets are going in that direction. One of the most ridiculous things about the Conforto move is that the Mets refused to move Neil Walker to third base or first base. Let’s move Conforto to center and Lucas Duda to left and let’s stretch Jeurys Familia out as a starter, but…DON’T MOVE WALKER. The Mets wouldn’t try an MLB veteran at a new position, but they’ll move a struggling young prospect to a new position in real time at the major league level. The organization can really be incompetent sometimes. Well basically all the time.

Today: Obviously the Mets need to win this road series today against their divisional foe. Hopefully Steven Matz can pitch through his bone chips. Pray.