10/31/15

Mack’s Morning Report – 10-31-15 – 7 Train, Game 3



Good morning.


Mack's Mets ‏@JohnMackinAde  Port Orange, FL - @kevinburkhardt  - we miss you Kevin but we also are all very proud of you

 Kevin Burkhardt ‏@kevinburkhardt  -  thanks John. Means a lot


Cute story on the Mets –

Anecdotally, there are two main spots on the walk from the 7 train to Citi Field where people start making noise before a Mets playoff game. The first is on the initial descent from the elevated platform, during the shoulder-to-shoulder rush down a blind flight of gray stairs and into the concrete breezeway that is the Willets Point-Mets subway station. This is where you get the little flarings-up of Let's Go Mets chants, which echo satisfyingly in the tight stairwell but dissipate as the crowd empties into the wider space and adopts the cutback-heavy broken-field walking approach favored by New York pedestrians with someplace to be.

Mack – One of the things I am really enjoying this week is all the articles being written by writers that normally never have a kind word to say about the Mets.



On Game 3, what can I say? On one hand, I’m thrilled the team that I root and write for is in the World Series; however, I had hoped they would have played a little better in the first two games than they nad.

However, let’s give the Royals credit. They can hit up and down their lineup and don’t seem to have any trouble tagging ‘The Big 3’ and their fastballs. Still, the Mets have played sloppy baseball, something you should be past doing once you’ve reached this far into a season.

I guess we will never find out if Thor’s dust ball on the first pitch of the game was intentional, but it sure gave the Royals a reason to come out swinging.

Still, two Mets two-run homers (David Wright, Curtis Granderson) and a timely infield single by Michael Conforto did give the Mets a 5-3 lead after four innings.

It’s almost as if Noah Syndergaard had to give up three early runs to set up his fastball so his secondary pitches could take over later on in the game.

It sure looked like Terry Collins made another decision in the sixth inning that Reese Kaplan would write a post on. I really though leaving Syndergaard in after loading the bases was a bad move, but the (cough) Gold Glove (cough) fielding shortstop Wilmer Flores might have saved the outcome of Game 3.

This was followed by what turned out to be another great decision by the Mets, activating Juan Uribe for the World Series. His opposite field single scored the sixth Mets run… followed by Wright’s two-run single… and all of a sudden it looked like the victory was in hand.

The strange thing about this game was that I never felt that the lead was safe. Maybe it’s just the years of losing that just set me up for the fall I was waiting for the entire night.


18 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Sweet, sweet win. Totals now know this will be a true battle. The real Mets showed up, Thor showed they are human, we love Uribe, Conforto finally got a break, Grandy is beautiful with the glove AND bat, bullpen looked great....

And DAVID WRIGHT WAS AWESOME.

Oh, I forgot Gold Glove candidate Wilmer Flores. He can play shortstop.

Tonight, Murph and Duda's turn, with the kid from Suffolk County's Ward Melville HS on the mound, Stevie Matz. Time for Chris Young to be knocked down to size.

Tom Brennan said...

"Totals" means Royals.

Unknown said...

Some honest to God good old fashioned hardball or as close to it as we'll ever see again. Way to go Noah!!!! Beautiful game and what is it about our Mets and game 3's in the World Series...don't know but we'll take it. Mack I agree about how no lead is safe certainly after Familia's game one blowup as we as Met fan's are conditioned to bullpen collapses so last night we finally had as close to a laugher as we'll see. YC certainly doesn't look the same and his numbers since mid-Sept. aren't pretty. Maybe his shoulder is worst than expected which just makes Rusty's performance in the 73' series all the more amazing after all he couldn't even lift his arm. I can see the headlines now after tonight's win: EVEN STEVEN! Mets tie KC after Matz masterpiece....sounds good right...LETS GO METS!

Mack Ade said...

Gary -

No one is going to complain about any aches and pains at this point in the post season. It seams to me that Cespedes hasn't been the same since he was hit back in the regular season. And we all have observed how limited Lagares' range is right now.

We'' see after one of these guys win four games.

Ernest Dove said...

Awesome game 3...............
I keep believe there were some self hating Mets fans out in social media who refuse to enjoy this.
I had somebody (not a usual macks mets reader) tell me yesterday that my post lacked credibility because I didn't bash David Wright. It was his opinion that Mets should bench David in favor of Uribe for game 3.....and a few people agreed with him......
We really are a strange bunch as a whole as Mets fans.........
The Mets can win the world series and some fans this winter will bash management if they don't sign/keep certain guys....I guess it is what it is....
Go Mets !!!!!

Dallas said...

People were talking about Thor not pitching well first two innings. Although not 100% sharp most of the first two innings were a combo of 2 missed strikeouts by the umps, bloops, broken bat singles, check swing singles, passed ball and a double play that wasn't turned. There were only a couple of well hit balls and one was after what should have been strike 3. Anyways doesnt matter because the job got done in the end. Was an exciting fun game. The series has been pretty even so far we would be major favorites if game 1 had gone our way.

Tom Brennan said...

Read that Thor basically said, yeah that pitch was deliberate, and if they don't like it, I'm 60 feet, 6 inches away and I'm ready. I love that attitude, and I'd not want to mess with that hombre, and that is a toughness we need from all our starters here on out. This team tends to be "nice", so it is great to see tough attitude. This is for all the marbles.

Reminds me of when Adrian Dantley or Mark Aguirre joined the Pistons - first team practive he drove lane, got slammed to the floor by Rick Mahorn, who then screamed at him in a expletive-filled tirade, basically saying this is our team, you play our way. They won a few championships being the Nasty Boys.

Just stay out of fights, Mets, as Moose Ka Ka looks to be itching to start a rumble, and they better not throw at Thor after this.

Mack Ade said...

Ernest -

You never really win over all the Mets fans, especially the young ones who have very little history with this team and yet posts on Twitter like they have been around since The War of 1812.

Mack Ade said...

Dallas -

And what about that ever changing strikezone?

Michael S. said...

As has been mentioned, Thor was getting squeezed by the home ump...no consistency in that K zone and he was essentially robbed of two strikeouts and could've easily only given up one run.

The dude has brass and I love it, that's the fighting spirit the team needs and I hope the rest of the staff took notice. The Royals have been whining about that pitch as if they never throw inside. They're talented but it seems they're also entitled sissies. Keep the pressure on and they will fold, they're not super humans and we could just as easily be up 2-1 right now.

Noah's quotes after the game were stone cold and perfect.

Michael S. said...

Moustakas is on my s-list of opposing players I'd like to see plunked in the back. We see how he responds after an inside pitch, I hope Matz runs one just under his chin to rattle him.

Mack Ade said...

Michael -

The thing I like the most about Game 4 is facing Chris Young again. The Mets got to see him some already this series which will translate big.

I also expect to see both Niese and Colon tonight,

Michael S. said...

My thoughts exactly Mack. Young already pitched this series, is on short rest, suffers the second or third time through the order, and never pitches deep. I don't want to set expectations but the Mets have the opportunity to knock him around and sit him down early. Plus, Yost has been burning through his pen at an alarming rate, the sooner we get to them the better.

I love Matz and his stuff, but with his lack of experience and abbreviated postseason appearances so far I'd like him on a short leash. A Matz-Colon-Niese L/R/L combo effort could fit the bill tonight, especially since our starter-relievers didn't have to pitch last night.

Michael S. said...

By way, was I the only one fooled in that Cespedes SF? For a split second I thought he got all of it.

Michael S. said...

*on

bgreg98180 said...

Michael

I think what you saw on Cespedes SF not going further may be a result of whatever shoulder injury he has/had.
It could be that he did get all of it but his strength is just not the same at the moment.

It is good to see David Wright get that homerun last night. I am so glad that he has at least 1 significant moment in this World Series. I look forward to a few more.

Glad to see Syndergaard pitch to his strengths and make the Royals try to prove they could beat him at his game.

Stubby said...

The pitch that got away was a curve ball. Nobody who throws 100mph makes a "message pitch" out of an 88mph curve ball. Tom, what you've read is a composite interpretation. Before the game, Thor told reporters he had a game plan. After the game he didn't say the pitch was intentional. He just said, if they've got a problem with me, I'm right there--60 feet 6 inches away. The writers put the two together to make it seem as though it was intentional. Again, nobody who throws 100 mph is throwing an 88mph curve ball as a "message pitch". Even the Royals know that. I suspect his game plan was simply to pitch inside, which he was doing early on, breaking bats. When that didn't work out so well, he switched to pitching outside more, which worked better.

And, yes, Michael, I thought the Cespedes drive was gone. I was shocked it was as far from gone as it was.

Has anyone else noticed that this series, thus far, is mirroring eerily close to '86? Though the ballparks and final scores are different, the winners and margins of victory have been the same, so far. Could we see Mookie and Buckner in Game Six? Just asking.

bgreg98180 said...

Stubby

I'm not sure if you are mentioning Syndergaard ' s 1st as an 88mph curve in jest or not. (One of the limitations O's the written word instead of in person)
But I had to rewatch the pitch to make sure I remembered what I saw correctly.

That 1st pitch was 98 mph.

Imagine if a pitcher had a 98mph curve ball.
Yikes!