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
I have a lot to say about pitch count on Sunday
ReplyDeleteGreat Scott! Let him pitch.
ReplyDeleteMets, as of today, have to resolve to stop throwing away winnable games.
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.
ReplyDeleteWhat'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.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteThis 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.
Ray, happy birthday to your beautiful bride! Hope she has many more!
ReplyDeleteAnd 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?
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.
ReplyDeleteRay, happy birthday to DA WIFE, and many more.
ReplyDeleteOff 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.
ReplyDeleteYes, apparently the MILB Scoreboard site was mistaken. As ofvyesterday, thry dhowed only Syracuse playing for the rest of the week.
DeleteThey've since corrected their error.
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?
ReplyDeleteGot to wonder who's making the BP decisions.
ReplyDeleteVery true. Is it the mgr, with or without input from tge PC, or is it the POBO, using data from the Analytics Dept?
Delete