Tom Brennan - OH...VARGAS!

"OH, VARGAS!!!!!"  WAIT, NO, MA, IT JUST SLIPPED OUT!

If my mother were to have walked by when I was watching Jason Vargas pitch, and I yelled "OH, VARGAS!", she would have thought I was cursing, and like any good Irish Catholic mother not wanting her son to swear in the house, threatened to wash my mouth out with soap.

Here we go again in 2019, with the back end of the pen and rotation looking like one ugly rear end.  Vargas, absent the hamate-bone-injury-made-me-rusty excuse this year, has pitched in 3 games and allowed 14 hits, 4 walks, and 10 runs in 6.1 innings - ERA 14.21.  I've seen enough of JV - how about you? Time to release him and swallow the rest of the contract? I dunno...I'm just a writer. Ask Brodie VW.

Of course, that assumes the Mets have a suitable replacement. Corey Oswalt, however, allowed 6 hits and 4 walks, not to mention 5 runs, in 3.2 relief innings. 

My brother Steve texted me again - you guessed it - Oswalt Sucks! With an ERA of 12.27, who am I to disagree?

In comes Lord Avilan of Yorkshire.  The  kind of Lord in those medieval flicks who you hope never becomes King...and who makes me shout, OH LORD, and get threatened with another washing of the mouth with soap already. 

He was also unsuccessful, and in 6 substandard outings is the man who has surrendered 11 hits, 3 walks, and 8 runs in 5.2 IP. ERA Of 12.71.

So that fine trio in 15.2 innings this year has surrendered 31 hits, 11 walks, and 23 runs.  And they're here because....you fill in the blank...I can't...Mom's in the next room.

The Mets' hitters remain delightful. Averaging nearly 7 runs per game, they scored 7 more last night.

Dominic Smith has a pinch hit, making him 8 for 17 (.471, with a .550 OBP). Had he hit like this last year, fans would have embraced him as the team's full time first baseman, rather than this year's back up. 

1B Pete Alonso had a hot, but Lumbering Pete tried to scoot from 2nd to 3rd on a ball rolling away from the catcher. Fellow slo-mo  runner Wilson Ramos was likely in the dugout slowly and knowingly screaming "NOOO!" Pete headed back to the dugout.

Jeff McNeil had a ho-hum night, going 2 for 5. I personally do not understand why he is not on a 3 hit nightly minimum yet. Bartender!!

Nicely, TDA was A OK, with a hot, 2 runs, and an RBI. Of course, there was a throwing error, you didn't think he'd have a flawless game behind the dish, did you?

And Lagares and Broxton got on twice apiece. Nice. But Keon has 12 Ks in 23 PAs,  an unsustainable, but not surprising, Keon K rate.

Back to the game...after Vargas got 1 out before being pulled, the Mets trailed 4-0 after 1, and during the inning, Callaway went away after being tossed for arguing balls and strikes.

Mets answer back with 4 in the second, but Bad Ozzie allowed 4 more to the Braves in the second. Eventually, Mets "pitchers" allowed runs in double digits, which cause me to raise the two middle digits on my hands while screaming, "Oh, VARGAS!"  Mom showed up with the soap again...I'm watching the game somewhere else from now on. Soap does NOT taste good!

11-7 final, and the Mets (9-5) have now lost 3 games in a week where they scored at least 7 runs, but allowed 11 or more...a very disturbing trend that needs to be fixed.

Even Mom agrees, I swear.

Jake today. He wants his 7 runs today, too, and he promises a win if he gets them.