Monthly Archives: June 2019

Brodie Van Wagenen Getting Wilmer Font To Help The Bullpen Was The Icing On The Cake For The 2019 Season

25 Jun

Wilmer Font
Newsday.com:

And then Tuesday night happened. In one-third of an inning during the Mets’ 7-5 loss to the Phillies, Wilmer Font allowed two inherited runners and three of his own to score and nearly hit Scott Kingery in the head with a pitch, triggering warnings to both teams, who have already cleared the benches this season.

The Mets (37-43) have dropped three in a row and are six games below .500 for the first time this year.

It was a harsh reminder that Font, 29, has a 6.09 career ERA, and this bullpen is a lot more than a couple of good weeks from a journeyman swingman away from turning itself around. Mets relievers have a 5.48 ERA this year, 28th in the majors. In June, that mark is 7.44.

I’m not hip to everyone who might’ve been available at the time, but I’m 99.9% sure that the GM across the river, Brian Cashman, wouldn’t have acquired a guy with a lifetime 6-plus ERA to ‘help’ his beleaguered bullpen.

The Mets Should Let Mickey Callaway Finish The Season

25 Jun


I just don’t see any turnaround to this team. They’re 5 games under .500 as I write this and 9 games out of first place. The bullpen for the most part sucks. Why Robinson Cano is hitting No. 3 in the lineup while batting .230 is beyond reason. Cespedes gets into a freak accident and is done for the season. Dominic Smith is coming back down to earth. The starting pitching is maddeningly inconsistent. And if they’re going to be sellers soon, they might as well try to get the best trade possible for Zack Wheeler. That said, Sunday’s incident with Mickey Callaway and Jason Vargas just highlights, once again, the bleak attitude that this team has dealt with for 30-plus years. And since ownership and the new GM aren’t going anywhere soon, why not just let Mickey finish the season, fire him afterwards and hire Joe Girardi.

The Mets Bullpen Is Killing The Team

15 Jun


Why your set-up man, who happens to have a 6-plus ERA, is still being used in tight situations is beyond me.

NYPost.com:

In the span of 24 hours, they went from feeling good, headed to what looked like their sixth victory in eight games, to getting swept in a makeshift doubleheader and once again fading away from .500 and falling a season-high 7¹/₂ games behind the red-hot Braves in the NL East.

“In the moment, obviously, it brings you down,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “I’m sure everybody’s feeling pretty crappy right now, but they’ll come in tomorrow like they always do and battle and grind.”

In both instances, the bullpen delivered the dagger, ruining potential victories. First it was closer Edwin Diaz, who coughed up the lead Thursday night before the game was suspended due to heavy rain, and then, after the game was resumed Friday, allowed a run-scoring single to Paul DeJong in the 10th inning of a 5-4 gut-punch defeat.

DeJong got to another of the Mets’ arsonists in the nightcap, homering off Jeurys Familia to pull the Cardinals even in the eighth, and Dexter Fowler followed soon after with a three-run shot off the former closer to cap the ugly inning and send St. Louis to a 9-5 win.

RELATED: Five Mets bullpen options to target in a trade this summer

Pinch-Hitting Jeff McNeil For Amed Rosario Was A Bold Move By Mickey Callaway

7 Jun


This is the type of situational managing that you like to see. Sure, Rosario is your starting shortstop and he’s been hitting well all year long. But he also strikes out a lot and with the Mets behind a run with two runners in scoring position in the 7th inning, the scenario screamed for putting up somebody with a batter chance of putting the ball in play. And even with the risk of hurting Rosario’s ego, Callaway made the right move by pinch-hitting him with McNeil and it paid off.

Mickey Callaway Really Screwed Up Last Night

5 Jun

Noah Syndergaard Mickey Callaway
NYPost.com:

Mickey Callaway referred to the rotation as the Mets strength yet again before Tuesday night’s series opener against the Giants, and he indicated how important it was for the starters to get on a roll of excellence to carry the team.

A few hours later, Noah Syndergaard was on an excellent roll and the Mets manager was removing him from the game, the latest evidence that even nearly 1 ¹/₂ years into the job, Callaway still has trouble making decisions under stress. You know who agrees with that assessment?

Mickey Callaway.

Because after what turned into a 9-3, 10-inning loss, Callaway first gathered his players to express in Syndergaard’s word “remorse” about the decision while taking responsibility for the loss and then publicly conceding, “I’d like to have that [decision] back.”

That might be true about the Wilpons and Brodie Van Wagenen when it comes to their choice to stick with Callaway as manager. Three days after removing Jacob deGrom over the ace’s objections and going to a sketchy bullpen that would end up blowing the game, Callaway did the same Tuesday with Syndergaard with the same results. This is the Robinson-Cano-not-running-out-balls-twice of managing. Once, you are not crazy about it, but the second time reaches inexcusable.

Honestly, while I was surprised when Callaway came out to pull Syndergaard last night, I thought that with Lugo having pitched so well of late, we’d be ok. Well, not only was I wrong, but with Gary Cohen reminding us that the Giants one strong point was their bullpen, I just knew that the Mets were likely going to lose. What’s also disturbing tho is Callaway’s lack of being aware in the moment and that’s the biggest reason to ax him.