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.
Mike Francesa w/former Mets Pitcher Jerry Koosman Ahead of 50th Anniversary Celebration of 1969 Team
Pete Alonso Ties Darryl Strawberry’s Rookie Mark for Home Runs
Remember, the Mets were seriously thinking about leaving Alonso in minors before Opening Day. Now Alonso is on a pace to hit 54 HR’s this season.
The Mets Bullpen Is Killing The Team
Why your set-up man, who happens to have a 6-plus ERA, is still being used in tight situations is beyond me.
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.
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Mets Need To Get To and Stay Above .500
Nice series win over the Rockies. But if the Mets are serious about winning this year, it’s time we win more series, get above .500 and make a real run at winning the division. So a split of this brief Yankees series won’t be enough, let’s win two.
Pinch-Hitting Jeff McNeil For Amed Rosario Was A Bold Move By Mickey Callaway
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.
Braves Sign Dallas Keuchel
Well, now Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel are signed to other teams that aren’t the Mets and if we fail to make the post-season this year (and Kimbrel and Keuchel end up having good years), the onus will most likely fall on Brodie Van Wagenen for not doing more to help the team win.
Jason Vargas Is The New Mets Ace
I’m only kidding. Jacob deGrom is still our ace. But damn if, with a beleaguered bullpen, that complete game shutout wasn’t absolutely needed last night.
Mickey Callaway Really Screwed Up Last Night
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.
Time To Take Jeurys Familia Out Of The Set-Up Role
Familia’s a head case right now and his inability to pitch 1-2-3 innings and constantly get himself in and out of trouble has grown tiresome and is costing the team. Plus, the set-up role is too important to take for granted, esp. while the team struggles. I say put Robert Gsellman there. Gsellman doesn’t care how he’s used and he’s better than Familia at getting strikeouts.
That Was A Painful Loss To The Dodgers Last Night
That 9th-inning meltdown by Edwin Diaz was not only shocking, but it took away all the feelgood moments from the game. Including a solid, 7-inning start from Noah Syndergaard, 2 HR’s from Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith proving once again that somehow, someway, the Mets need to find a way to keep him in the starting lineup. Of course, if the Mets can come back today and get a split of this series, it’d erase the bad taste in my mouth.
Michael Conforto’s Grand Slam Leads Mets To Win Over Dodgers
The Dodgers are so good that taking a game out of L.A. is good enough for me. I just didn’t want the Mets to get swept. By the way Steven Matz isn’t getting near enough credit for how well he’s pitched so far this year. Take away that one awful start in Philly and the guy’s been an ace.
All-Star Slugger Bill Buckner Dies at 69
Bill Buckner was much more than Game 6 and it wasn’t his fault (Dave Stapleton should’ve been playing 1st and as many foregt, there was a Game 7) the Red Sox lost the ’86 World Series. Buckner was a batting champ, an All-Star and had a long and distinguished career. Still, it was a good thing that he and Red Sox fans were able to reconcile before he passed and how awesome was it for Larry David to show Buckner’s ‘true spirit’ in that infamous Curb Your Enthusiasm episode years back.
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