7/9/24

SAVAGE VIEWS – THIS AND THAT

PETE ALONSO – ALL STAR

Most Met fans would agree that Pete does not deserve selection while both Lindor and Nimmo have been producing at a higher level. Picking him solely to have him perform in the Home Run Derby is simply wrong. Pete should be embarrassed.

RISING NATS AND BUCS

Both the Nationals and the Pirates are teams on the rise with terrific young pitching.  James Wood looks like a future star and the Nats have some good looking prospects on the horizon.  The Bucs, on the other hand, need to strengthen their anemic offense.  It’s clear that if the Mets wish to remain competitive, starting pitching needs to be improved  No team can survive when SPs are unable to go deep in games.

TAKE THE TRAINING WHEELS OFF

Carlos Mendoza now has half a season under his belt but has not progressed enough as a major league manager.  As I’ve stated before, I want him to succeed.  I’m tired of the merry-go-round of bringing in a new manager every two years.  However, a lot of his decision making has been questionable.

·       DJ Stewart has been getting semi-regular playing time usually batting in the five or six hole.  When he is in the lineup, one of Taylor, Iglesias, or Vientos is sitting. Makes no sense.

·       A couple of times this past week Jose Butto came in out of the pen and was pulled prematurely despite being effective. This happened when we had a short and overtaxed pen.

·       How about Houser pitching to Winkler. Just like Bobby Thomson owned Ralph Branca, Jesse Winkler owns Adrian Houser.  Prior to this at bat, Winkler had 5 home runs against Houser in 22 at bats.  Now he has six in 23 at bats.  Why would you ever let Houser pitch to a guy like that in a tight game.

·       In a game against the Nats, Ottavino gets the first two outs and then gets pulled in favor of Diekman with a left-hand hitter coming up.  Turns out CJ Abrams hits lefty pitching better than righties. Again, the results were predictable. 

·       Christian Scott gets the call to face the Nats and is pitching rather effectively into the sixth.  Prior to his recall he had been on a pitch count in Syracuse.  In this game he runs out of steam and yet Captain Hook left him in the game too long and the results were unpleasant.

·       In Sunday’s game, Manaea pitched six strong innings and should have been given a chance to go seven. Instead the over-worked pen was asked to save the day again.  Nunez had just struck out Reynolds, the most dangerous guy in the lineup, when he was replaced by Diaz. Asking Diaz to get a four out save was not the most appropriate move to make given his recent track record.

·       When Mendoza pulled Peterson after 87 pitches on Saturday, I think he set a record for the fastest sprint from dugout to mound. Good to see Carlos in such good physical shape.

The problem is that Mendoza continues to make poor bullpen decisions. It’s time to ask more from our SPs.  Some guys are capable of giving you more than 90 pitches a game and others are not. Time to figure out who’s who.

The above was written prior to Monday’s game.  I just got back from an appointment and see Scott was removed after 77 pitches and Orze brought in to get out of the inning. I think I’ve said enough. No more comments from me this season on Mendoza’s management ability.

Finally, let me wish my beautiful bride a happy 80th birthday.

Ray

July 9, 2024

12 comments:

Mack Ade said...

I have a lot to say about pitch count on Sunday

Tom Brennan said...

Great Scott! Let him pitch.

Mets, as of today, have to resolve to stop throwing away winnable games.

Viper said...

That's what you get with a new manager. I agree with you that his managing of the BP leaves a lot to be desired.

What's the point of having a pitcher like Butto, who is a starter and therefore, can go multiple innings and not use him properly?

I am always thinking Scott pitches ...say six innings then you bring in Butto for two and play Russian Roulette by having Diaz close it or blow it.
Or if Butto looked good, just have him pitch the 9th too.

Viper said...

Tom,
This is why I have said before that the Mets have no consistency. They throw away too many games they should win.

Diaz is an enigma. Rarely gets thru the 9th cleanly. If the Mets find a team interested, they should trade him. He lost his gravitas and is now part of the problem.

TexasGusCC said...

Ray, happy birthday to your beautiful bride! Hope she has many more!

And as for your article, YES!

He has alot to learn about handling pitchers. Isn’t the pitching coach supposed to help? Or the bench coach, that used to be a catcher?

Tom Brennan said...

Viper, I hate to suggest it, but if Oca and Fujinami keep throwing almost all strikes as they have, maybe Edwin gets dealt elsewhere. I’d imagine both will pitch tonight in the high minors.

Tom Brennan said...

Ray, happy birthday to DA WIFE, and many more.

Tom Brennan said...

Off topic, but folks were asking what Mets minors teams are playing this week. All of them are playing today, led by 2-7, 4.50 Tyler Stuart. Now, if they hit for him, maybe he’d be 7-2, 4.50.

D J said...

I realize the manager calls the shots regarding removing the pitcher, but is the pitching coach providing input into how well the pitcher is throwing and maybe when he needs to be removed or pitching another batter? Is that part of the problem?

Rds 900. said...

Got to wonder who's making the BP decisions.

bill metsiac said...

Yes, apparently the MILB Scoreboard site was mistaken. As ofvyesterday, thry dhowed only Syracuse playing for the rest of the week.
They've since corrected their error.

bill metsiac said...

Very true. Is it the mgr, with or without input from tge PC, or is it the POBO, using data from the Analytics Dept?