Tom Brennan - The Mack Report

 

THE MACK REPORT - SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 

METS LOSE: 

Max, Ottavino and Edwin were outstanding (when aren't they), allowing a single run thru 8, but the Mets offense snoozed and so it was 1-1 headed to the 10 with Givens on the mound and the automatic runner on 2nd.  Alex Bohm drove him in with a sac fly.  (I hate this man on 2nd thing, what's wrong with starting an inning with a man on first?)  Anyway, he throws a ground out, fly out, and a strikeout and heads to the dugout down 2-1.  

Herr Vogelbach started bottom 10 on 2nd base and in came David Robertson, who many Mets fans wanted the Mets to get and not the Philly Cheese Steaks.  Canha flew out to right, and Vogie crossed over to 3rd.  But Tyler Naquin does the unpardonable, and struck out looking!  Two out.  Vogelbach decided to not try to steal home, which turned out to be a mistake, as Luis Guillorme grounded out, game over, Phillies win.  

We all love Luis, but he is hitting just .181 with RISP in 2022.  Hence, his quite sub-par 13 RBIs in 284 plate appearances.  I guess we shoulda grabbed Robertson.

Atlanta won a close game, 4-3.  Race tightens a bit.

Eduardo Escobar came out of the game early with a side strain, and Jeff McNeil with a finger cut, and hopefully neither is hurt much, but if either is, perhaps we will see Mark Vientos called up.  Disturbing, nonetheless.

SYRACUSE: Jose Butto AAA debut, 5 innings, 3 runs, 5 hits, not bad.   Trailing 3-0 in the 8th, the S-Mets hit the scoring column, as Frankie Alvarez singled in Terrence Gore, then Daniel Palka doubled - tying runs in scoring position, with one out, but Vientos and Plummer, who both tend to fan a lot, fanned, leaving it at 3-1 heading into the 9th.  Mark was 0-4, with 3 Ks.  No 9th inning rally, just a 3-1 loss.

BINGHAMTON:

Binghamton led 1-0 in the 6th (you know who, yes that Wyatt Young guy, had a hit and walk in his first 3 PAs).  Bingo led 2-0 into the 9th, with both runs scored by Brandon McIlwain.  In came Jordan Yamamoto to try for the save, and after retiring the first 2 hitters he hit the next guy to bring the tying run to the plate in pinch hitter Conner Scott.  He went to 2-0 before inducing a game-ending ground out for the save.

0-9 Jose Chacin was dynamite in relief with 4 scoreless and 7 Ks and is now happily 1-9.

BROOKLYN: 

Junior Santos gave up 10 hits and 5 runs in 6 innings; he seems quite hittable.  Trailing 7-1 in the 9th, the Cyclones loaded 'em up but Sherveyn Newton popped out to end it.  Hard to score when your 7th, 8th, and 9th hitters, who will go unnamed, are hitting .175, .169, and .188 and unsurprisingly go 1 for 12 with 6 Ks.  Nine against 6 is tough.

ST LUCIE: 

Layonelle Ovalles made his debut after fine pitching in the FCL.  He found out this level is tougher, allowing 6 hits and 4 runs in his 3 IP.  Omar De Los Santos hit his 13th in the first stanza.  Carlos Dominguez (.244) brought his batting gloves tonight - 4 hits, including his 18th HR, and there were 2 hits apiece by Blaine McIntosh, Omar, and .300 hitting Raul Beracierta.  McIntosh signed out of HS for $125,000 in the 13th round in 2019; I think it may well prove to be a good investment.

On a very unusual note, Kolby Kubichek pitched for the FCL team this morning - well, he didn't really, because while he was in the box score for the FCL Mets, he did not pitch!  Then he pitched in relief in his St Lucie debut tonight instead.  

Two games, same city, same day, different leagues!  Amazingly, he allowed 2 runs in 3 innings while throwing 53 pitches AFTER almost pitching this morning!  He trailed 8-7, until Brennan fave Junior Tilien led off the 9th with his 12th HR to tie it at 8 all.  

With 2nd and 3rd and two out, mighty Eduardo Salazar strode to the plate and smashed, and no doubt obliterated, a 3 run blast for his first St Lucie HR and an 11-8 lead!   All in the 9th against a Clearwater pitcher who'd been almost unhittable this year.  Kudos.

Benito Garcia pitched a scoreless 9th for his first St Lucie save, and Kolby Kubichek grabbed the win in his Lucie debut!

FCL Mets:

A 2-0 loss, but two interesting pitching notes.  Jawilme Ramirez went 3 scoreless and now has a 0.90 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in 40 innings.  Maybe there is something there.

Levi David fanned 4 in 1 official inning, which is clearly a rarity, but surrendered a 2 run HR in the low-scoring loss.  Hey, what's the last time Edwin Diaz fanned 4 in one inning?

18th rounder in 2022 Chris Santiago debuted with a scoreless inning, walking one.

26 year old SS Manny Rodriguez has not hit well, just .179 this year, mostly in AA and AAA, and apparently, he is pitching in the FCL to perhaps try to convert to pitching instead.  He threw a scoreless 1-2-3 inning, fanning one. M Rod hopes to be the next K Rod, perhaps?

Luis Rodriguez threw a scoreless inning - in 14 relief appearances, L Rod has a tidy 1.55 ERA.

2021 18th rounder Kolby Kubichek threw a scoreless inning (see also St Lucie above).  In 9 FCL appearances, he has an ERA of 1.15 and a WHIP of 1.15.  Nice symmetry.

Catcher Andriel Lantigua (18) breathed a sigh of relief today, as he came into the game with 4 hits in 37 at bats, but went 2 for 3 today to raise his average to .125.  Hey, he's 18 and not in the DSL, so that's a plus.

DSL:

Two low scoring games - 1-0 loss and 3-2 win, both 7 inning games.  "Where have all the hitters gone?" Vicente Lupo just asked me.

SUSPENDED: Fernando Tatis, Jr, for performance enhancers...EIGHTY GAMES.  Too much time spent earlier this year with Robbie Cano?  I'm sure there is no connection there, don't you know.