Tom Brennan - JAKEY BREAKY, PITCHING PUTZES, AND ALONSO BOMB-SO
Hey, did you miss it?
Mets scored 8 runs in a Jake deGrom start.
Formula for success, right?
Except - Mets lost by 6 runs, 14-8.
First, I have a bone to pick with major league baseball.
April has very unpredictable weather.
The Mets played Sunday in Queens, and the Twins played in nearby Philly.
Why not schedule the first game of the series on Monday, have a day off Tuesday, and play the finale Wednesday, rather than the day off on Monday, when neither team had far to go after Sunday's game?
This way, if the weather on Monday sucks, you reschedule for Tuesday.
Monday night's weather was beautiful for baseball - and, predictably, and right on cue, last night's weather sucked.
Did the wet, chilly weather affect deGrom? Last I checked, he's human, so perhaps it did.
So Jake allowed 6 runs and 3 homers in 4 innings. Did the pen pick him up? Really? This is the back end of the Mets' pen, what do you think - are you delusional?
8 runs from the pen and 3 more homers in 5 innings. Ugh!
Last I checked, with the Math skills the nuns inculcated into me, if the pen could have thrown 5 shutout innings in relief of Jake, and the Mets scored 8 runs, the Mets would win 8-6.
So, the pen is a problem. As it was in 2017. And 2018.
The team needs more competent pitching. Brodie should do what Brodie does, and deliver it.
Rob Gsellman allowed 3 runs - he has allowed nearly 6 runs per 9 innings in 2017, 2018, and 2019, in over 200 innings. Can he do the job? Stats say no.
Jason Vargas put the game out of reach when he allowed 4 runs in the 9th. Are the Mets being fools to entrust him with a major pitching role?
Still early, but the evidence is building that he should be a # 5 pitcher - for Baltimore.
Still early, but the evidence is building that he should be a # 5 pitcher - for Baltimore.
It's early and stats that are bad can look really bad - but Lugo, Wheeler, Gsellman, and Vargas in 25 2/3 innings, have allowed 38 hits and 15 walks, 33 runs and 4 homers.
That's a million miles of ugly, folks.
That's a million miles of ugly, folks.
ON TO THE HITTING:
Homers excite Homer, that much I can tell you.
Homer happy Pete Alonso is bombing, with 2 more homers last night - now has 5 homers, 14 RBIs and a .385 average. Add his spring stats and season stats together, and you get the following:
40 for 110 (.364), 21 runs, 9 homers, 25 RBIs, 7 walks.
Pete sounds like an All Star caliber hitter to me. How about you?
It will be interesting to see what he does with the likes of Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil in the line up with him. Conforto is looking like a future All Star again, hitting .375 with 3 homers so far, Nimmo seems to have shaken off the brutal start, with 3 for 7 (all extra base hits) and a walk in his last two games, as he tries to reclaim his status as the guy who had an excellent .404 on base % last season, and McNeil, even after an 0 for 4 last night, is hitting in the neighborhood of .350, with a .469 OBP.
Hitting should be great - it has produced 6 runs per game so far - but the pitching needs repairs. Brodie, don't wait too long.
Oh, as an article footnote, Travis d'Arnaud returned and went 0 for 5. He should change his name to Travis Ramos, as it might just help the bat. But he did throw out 1 of 2. Maybe the arm is no longer a wet noodle.
IMO...
ReplyDeleteevery team complains about scheduling when they lose...
right now the Mets have one of the best hitters 1-6 in the game
we really need a shot in the arm pitcher wise
Mack, we agree on hitters and pitchers - in fact, I think this team hitting-wise could rival any Mets team ever if Lowrie and Cespedes return this year.
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine a line up with Nimmo, Cano, Rosario, Alonso, Conforto, Ramos, McNeil, Lowrie, and Cespedes - well that is 9 guys, but one sits every day and the other 8 play.
Frazier? Who knows. Todd is 4 for 20 and walk in St Lucie. Next Chris Davis?
I also think that the Mets may not have been scheduled for Monday due to the NCAA final game. But I just think that if both teams are already local, and April historically has lots of wet weather, I would have played Monday, with an off day Tuesday, especially for Minnesota, whom they only play one series this season in Citifield. Lousy on Monday? Easy: just play on the Tuesday scheduled off day.
There is not a ton of help on the pitching horizon. Both Corey Oswalt and Chris Flexen are still in that prospect stage. Drew Gagnnon has moved from prospect to suspect despite one strong appearance. Hector Santiago is the pitching equivalent of Gregor Blanco.
ReplyDeleteIt appeared as if Paul Sewald was back from the pitching dead when I saw 3 games and a 0.00 ERA, but it's with just 2 Ks, 5 hits and a walk in 4.1 IP.
Off Topic (slightly)
ReplyDeleteThe MLB.com Mets site used to have a Minor League affiliate page. You could go to any level for Roster, States, Schedule (& gameday box scores thru schedule calendar). It had summaries of top farm ave, HR, ERA, K;s etc. and a top prospects link In short a great page that kept me safely occupied for hours.
And via the "Team" heading you could go to a similar page for every MLB club.
Now I can only find the prospects feature, no affiliate roster, stats, etc. Am I missing something or the MLB.com just screw us?
Hobie
ReplyDeleteThey changed (screwed) it up.
The closest we have is:
https://www.milb.com/scores
open up the ORGANIZATION box and scroll down to the Mets
click on that and each days/nights game results can be viewed in real time
Hobie, I am not sure either. I cannot seem to find one page with all minor league Mets teams' scores in one place any more.
ReplyDeleteIf I google St Lucie stats milb, it takes me where I can click directly to their stats page.
Tom -
ReplyDeletewe are one game out of first place
Michael Baron - @michaelgbaron
ReplyDeleteMets pitching, first 10 games:
Starters: 4.33 ERA, averaging just over 5 1/3 IP per start.
Relievers: 6.37 ERA, averaging just under 3 2/3 IP per start, 4.33 BB/9 IP.
Staff has a 5.14 ERA overall, allowing 6.1 runs per game.
Mack, get another real pitcher or two and we will go back into first place - and stay there.
ReplyDeleteDid you see those Alonso homers - both opposite field, both towards the end of the bat.
ReplyDeleteJust like some guys can jump super high, like basketball player David Thompson used to, with his 50 inch vertical leap, and other equally athletic looking guys not so high, I think Alonso not only has power because he is big - he has superior power beyond just his size. Many balls that for other hitters would just be fly ball outs for him will be homers, for that reason.
We all have to remember he did not have a lot of minor league at bats before coming to the majors - he may have only been scratching the surface last year.
He may be one of THOSE hitters. The ones we never seem to get.
Conforto showing big time power too - no Yankee Stadium cheapies for him.
It's always tempting to jump to conclusions based on small samples, so let's have a little patience hete.
ReplyDeleteAs Mack pointed out, even with all the pitching negatives that Tom has pointed out, we're a game out of 1st. With the disappointing #s of the pen, we still have a closer who hasn't given up a run so far. And with Thor's worse than expected #s, Matz (whom no one mentions) has ERA and WHIP that are miniscule.
To use a cliche, it's a marathon, not a sprint, and we're barely out of the gate. Didn't we learn from last year that the first 12 games mean nothing out of context?
If we're still struggling after a month, then it might be time for changes. Not yet.
"Act in haste, repent at leisure"
Hi Mack:
ReplyDeleteWatching last night, you could tell Jacob doesn't feel comfortable throwing to d'Arnaud. His career ERA with Travis is a full higher than with any other catcher. With all the new stats guys BVW hired they had to have scene that? With Mondays off day why in the world didn't Ramos start!!
Are they upset that Jacob wanted Mesoraco? hope that's not it!
Either way its just one game ,but to me a head scratching game.
With your ace on the mound you should have your best lineup behind and infront of him.
Steve
I can dismiss Jake's clunker as "one of those days", but the middle of the bullpen looks pretty abysmal, so far.
ReplyDeleteI still want Dallas Keuchel, by the way.
Bill, love that "act in haste, repent in leisure." i' be been repenting leisurely since 1962. LOL
ReplyDeleteRamos should be Jake's catcher for .300 or so reasons
ReplyDelete