The Tom and Mack Recap - May 17, 2022
Going into today's doubleheader, one could feel a touch of trepidation.
Coming of their first season's series loss to the Mariners. Downer.
Marte? Out on bereavement - sorry for your loss, Starling.
Megill hurt, May hurt, McCann hurt.
(Does it have something to do with the letter M?)
Nimmo fouls a ball off his leg and leaves game 2.
deGrom? Cautiously optimistic health update, giving us moderate confidence that his arm is not about to fall off, but no concrete assurance as to when the heck he will actually return.
Mack and I remain tied with deGrom in 2022 in innings pitched, and we're proud of it. Keeping pace with a 2-time Cy Young winner is hard work.
We do, however, write far more than Jake.
Question:
Can the Mets continue to succeed when Jake, Nimmo, Marte, May, Megill, and McCann are all out?
Time for the Green-Haired Wonder to finally carry this squad a bit. (OK, his hair is blue, picky, picky. But he is hitting .229 as a Met after 163 games - gives ya the warm and fuzzies, huh?)
The Mets were starting this series after a Monday rainout with a Tuesday doubleheader - going with their "TW starters" - Trevor Williams and Taijuan Walker - not what many fans would consider to be their strongest fellas.
But Trevor was outstanding for his 4 shutout innings, eventual winner Jake Reed for boffo for his two innings, and Lugo, Smith, and Diaz strong for an inning each - the only run surrendered being on a Paul Goldschmidt opposite field HR off of Smith, on a 96 MPH heater about 4-6 inches off the plate - tip of hat to Goldie there.
Edwin did surrender a hit and walk - giving fans butterflies - but he knew that for him to escape game one with the same 1.69 ERA as Smith, he had to not allow a run. He didn't, and fanned his usual 3 batters for his outs, giving him 30 over 16 innings. Can you imagine in 1969 having a reliever with 30 Ks in 16 innings? No such animal in 1969.
Save # 9 for Edwin, hold # 9 for Smith - a couple of "1.69/9" clones.
Hitters chastised by me in writing as recently as just this AM - Dom Smith and Eduardo Escobar - combined to go 4 for 7. I'm glad I got them going - "Brennan said WHAT??" - it happens all the time LOL. Glad to help.
Jolting Jeff McNeil added two hits, including a key RBI double, and Jankowski drove in a run, too - that guy deserves his own shirt.
3-1 win. Sweet.
My only gripe is I think baseball rules should allow starters to pick up wins after 4 innings, not 5 as is currently the case in our yank-the-starter mentality in baseball today. Had it been that way, Williams would have gotten a well-deserved win. Many fans expected him to falter, except he was the one that made Cards hitters falter.
9 innings, 6 runs allowed, 13 Ks, just one run for our pitchers - hot dog, bro'.
Game 2?
A see saw battle...Taijuan was solid enough if they'd hit for the dude, but the Mets, who were down 3-2 in the 8th, get a double gift in the 8th on a flubbed pop up with Lindor at bat (later walked) and a swinging strike 3 passed ball on Escobar, followed by a clutch opposite field RBI single to tie things at 3.
But in the 9th, Escobar who had homered and was the beneficiary of the swinging strike 3 Cardinal blunder, made a blunder of his own on a check swing grounder that he triple-clutched on, allowing the speedy O'Neill to beat the throw, driving in the lead run, allowing the Redbirds to take a 4-3 lead.
The Mets came into the bottom of the 9th with a tie for the most 9th inning runs in baseball, and the most 9th inning hits, and picked up a Smith walk, a Guillorme hit. But Canha fanned, and so did a certain $341 million man whom I will not identify by name (swinging big, missing big) to end it, leaving that tying run in scoring position and falling a run short.
4-3 loss. This one felt like a return to 2021.
In the minors:
A brilliant outing by Miraculous Mike Vasil for St Lucie (just 2 hits, 1 unearned run, 11 Ks; 3-1, 1.85, 0.94 WHIP on the season) and Omar de los Santos stole THREE more bases, upping his remarkable early-season total to 20 in his game # 28 (a Rickey Henderson-like pace of 115 over 162 games), and added 3 RBIs.
Hit-machine Alex Ramirez pumped 2 more hits (47 hits in 31 games, .362). Kind of made me wish he was batting with 2 outs in the 9th in Queens instead of Lindor.
Ronny Mauricio homered (5) in AA.
While relentless Wyatt Young got on base 2 more times. The neophyte Young has remarkably been on base 52 times in 30 games this year.
100 MPH reliever Michel Otanez fanned 3 more in 1.1 innings in his emerging, fine season. In AAA, Nick Plummer hit his 6th in just 80 at bats, with 20 RBIs (.275).
Lastly, a shout-out to reliever Hunter Parsons in Brooklyn. 14.2 innings, 20 Ks, and an ERA of 0.00 after 2 scoreless tonight. A 19th rounder in 2019 who is pitching like a first rounder this year.
23 comments:
My thoughts
1. One more thing on Jake before we go forward
I believe this is all age related. No body when it.hits the mid 30s can maintain a constant throwing of 99-100 fastballs.
These are not 94-95. They are stupid 99-100.
If he keeps doing this he will never pitch a full season again.
Game one
Loved the 4 innings from Williams. Didn't expect more.
Reed. Wow. Where did he come?
Still concerned about the limited offense but I'll take the win.
Game two
This was a game that we deserved to lose.
We also now lead the NL in runners left on base.
What was it, 5 hits?
GTFOH
Even 2 homers isn't enough against a team this good
Note to Buck. Give Drew a couple of days off.
Mack, if Jake does not modulate, which if healthy he can, I agree - the next injury will not be far behind the current one.
There was only one Nolan Ryan.
Warren Spahn was crafty and pitched forever.
As I tend to get negative more and more these days, it still stuns me that Wyatt Young, who basically was in the Mets' instructional league last year, has played 30 games this year in the high minors and gotten on 52 times. Really unheard of - I simply cannot think of any player ever who pulled something like that off.
Minors
We prayed for Ronny Mauricio to develop power and he has. Last night's homer cleared the batting tunnels.o
past the fence.
Don't trade him like we did Gimenez and target him as our future second baseman.
Mike Vasil continues to prove everyday that we drafted a slew of great future pitchers last year.
7 innins. 10 strikeouts. Zero earned runs.
I really don't think he will be back this season
And what did that get him?
I guess Dom cleaned the CPAP machine the other night. He looked more awake yesterday.
May I contribute: Jaylen Palmer hit his first homerunlast night, and struck out three times in four plate appearances. Like Babe Ruth said, swing hard in case you hit it.
Vasil was oitstanding: 2 hits, ZERO walks, 11 K’s, 85 pitches in 7 innings.
Escobar had an easy play to make if he looked the grounder into his glove.
We have heard rumors of Lindor being vulnerable with high velocity, but wow. I hope he can fix that, but I don’t see it.
I hope so.
Would love you to contribute to this report every day.
9th inning.2nd.game. you just can't have 2 of your top hitters end the game swinging at balls.
Gus, Palmer tried the Bartolo Colon approach - eyes closed, clocked one of them. 41 Ks in 76 official at bats. Officially, that's real bad.
Gus, Lindor has to adjust. Yes, they blow high pitches past him. Accept it - and adjust, Francisco.
Going way back, Jerry Grote couldn't hit a lick, then totally changed his stance and approach. It saved him from being Tomas Nido. If Lindor does not adjust, and he gets a little older, it will get ugly fast. Like Chris Davis on the O's? Possibly - except Lindor has the bigger contract by far.
I was on Facebook critiquing Lindor today - so many fans stick up for him. The first 3 or 4 of his 11 years contracted for here should be his optimal ones - .229 after 163 games? Big worries.
My solution - cancel the contract and give McNeil, Nimmo and Lindo a total of $341 million over the next 10 years. Then we might get our money's worth.
Lindor will be a star or an albatross but what he will also be is our shortstop for a long long time
2 years away from:
3B Baty
2B Mauricio
C Alvarez
Mack, what no Wyatt Young as Mets' SS? :)
Luis G will perhaps be at risk if Young keeps it up. Salary will start to become an issue for Luis as a utility guy.
For the first time, I am starting to wonder if Omar de los Santos is a 2024 Mets outfielder along with Alex Ramirez.
Omar has stolen 20 of 21 in just 28 games this year, and in his minors career, 486 at bats, 21 doubles, 11 triples, 10 HRs and .280/.343/.430 with 47 swipes in 51 tries. If he holds down the Ks (1 every 3 plate appearances this year), he could be a quick ascender. But even with the Ks, he is hitting .302.
Weirdly, and I am seeing this a lot, he is a righty hitter hitting .333 vs righties and .182 (4 for 22) vs. lefties.
Mack agreed. Gus ought to join the writers for this Daily Recap, if he is so inclined.
My guess:
Ramirez is the real deal.
Want to keep McNeil but where do we play him when Mauricio graduates?
Ditto Vientos.
And 3 current Lucy starters will be rotation ready in 2024
That's how.you solve the salary totals
EVERYONE can become part.of these reports
Mauricio in left?
Notice our last three losses were against Lefty starters.
Before yesterday's double-header, I was hoping we could at least get a split. Spot starter plus a guy (Walker) who's up and down, it did not look promising.
After yesterday's double-header, I was bummed that we didn't sweep. Great game 1 victory and then a couple nice come-backs but just not enough. It's amazing how your emotions follow your expectations.
And speaking of emotions, Lindor has to be feeling this May swoon. Sure, we're all mad because of the amount he gets paid, but he expects more of himself than we do. Confidence is a powerful thing, and if you lose it bad things happen to good players. Glad Buck stood up for him at the post-game. We paid for this guy, and he is doing a lot of smart baseball things, so let's not break him down any more than he is already doing to himself.
You make sense Paul.
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