Tom Brennan: Citi Fences Beget Citi Slumps; And…Scores and Other Fascinating Sunday Stuff

 Citi Dimension Issues Can Be Too Deep For Some To Comprehend

CITI FENCES BEGET CITI SLUMPS

In March and April, well struck Citi fly balls tend to die on the warning track, or at best, bang off the wall, at the spacious ballpark in Queens. 

As you may recall, in one early home game where the Mets were trailing by a run, Jorge Polanco flew out to the top of the wall with a man on base to end the game and down a run. What would’ve been a win of thrilling proportions was just another loss at City field. 

There have been several of the well struck Mets balls of late that could’ve turned the tide at the park. But… the decision makers decided that Citi Park should be decidedly pitcher-friendly early and late in the season, and just neutral the rest of the time.  

Which is why almost every season, you will see the Mets hitting roughly 7th in overall batting average on the road and roughly 17th in overall batting average at home.

As you may recall, on opening day, the Mets trashed the great Paul Skenes and scored 11 runs at home. There was Citi euphoria. 

Six home games later, the Mets are hitting .226 at home through Friday, With just four home runs in seven home games, and several near misses (Polanco, Lindor, Taylor, Benge…and others?) that the winds and cold prevent prevented from clearing the fences. 

On the road? 

As usual, Mets hitters are, relatively speaking, road warriors, hitting .252.

Yeah, but those Citi fences? Leave them right the heck where they are. 

Mets fans love to lose low scoring games, and repeatedly watch anemic offense.

Also, I imagine that David Stearns does all kinds of season stress test testing for the roster, including what would happen if such and such happened in the first month of the season.

I will bet, however, that his stress test scenarios did not include missing Juan Soto for an extended period of April time, having Francisco Lindor with zero RBIs in the first 14 games, having Sean Manaea barely able to hit 90 miles an hour while most of the Mets’ minor league pitchers can throw miles per hour faster, and having Clay Holmes tweak his hamstring, and then the spiraling squad having to face a run of upcoming games against top 10 MLB teams, like Sugar’s new LAD squad.

The stress test would’ve held up a whole lot better, I believe, if he had just kept Brandon and Jeff. 

And less stress if he/they moved those fences in 5 feet, to make the park hitter-neutral over an entire season. And not collectively punishing to Mets hitters. Long outs can really foster team-wide hitting struggles.

On Saturday, Senga got cremated in his start 7 runs, 8 outs. I imagine he is back out of sync and will need 3 to 6 months to rediscover his form.

The S.S. Met vessel is violently rocking in scary waters. Who can we the fans rely on, when it isn’t even tax day yet?  McLean, the pen (except for Leave It To Beaver Weaver, in whom I am not a believer after back-to-back crumbles), Alvarez, Bichette, Robert, and perhaps the seemingly rebounding Benge. Vientos, 0-5, is an enigma yet and still.  

Kimbrel debuted nicely. A scoreless frame. But his fastest pitch was 93.1, so he is not the prime time velocity master any longer.

Ex-Mets Jeff McNeil and King Carlos Cortes came up big against their former employer. Cortes rocked a 3 run blast off of the out-of-sync hurler. 

End result? 11-6 loss.

Here’s my own stress test planning: 

When Mets’ losing gets too stressful, I have pre-decided to shut the TV off. 

This just in: 

“Mets Change Team Name to Bad News Bears.”

Misery, of course, loves company, as the Yanks have also lost 4 straight.

What do you think Edwin Diaz of the now 11-3 LA Dodgers must be thinking?  I think this: “I AM SO GLAD I LEFT!”  He needs to avoid gleefully pinching himself too much so he can stay healthy.

As Bill O’Reilly would say, “and that’s my memo”. Except, there’s more.

HERE’S SOME OTHER FANTASTICALLY FASCINATING STUFF

Saw this:

“Could the Pirates have the Number 1 prospect 3 years in a row? Seth Hernandez’s night is done! 4.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 7 Ks

Fastball topped 101. Nasty!!!”

So I looked at his stats, and so far, the 6th overall pick of 2025 has thrown 7 pro innings: 1 run, 15 Ks. “I’ll take two of those, please.”

The Pirates sure appear to be on a major draft success super-surge. Skenes, Konnor, and not Seth H. Youza!

MOVING ON…

Biggest negative hitting surprise tandem so far in 2026?

MVP caliber teammates, 60 HR Cal Raleigh and former ROY Julio Rodriguez, through Thursday, were both 7 for 49 (.143), and in those 98 combined at bats, had just one HR and 2 doubles.

Others were struggling too, thru Thursday - here are a few:

Last year’s big hitting surprise, Seattle’s Josh Naylor, was just 5 for 48.

Former MVP Ronald Acuna thru Thursday? Hitting .204 with 2 RBIs in 58 PAs. Our former mini Met, Luisangel Acuna, is hitting better.

Former bashing Mets teammates Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor had only 3 total RBIs and were hitting roughly .160 in 115 combined at bats. And, then, neither had a Friday RBI, either. Lindor on Saturday? Up 5 times, no RBIs. We need fewer alibis and lots of RBIs from Frankie.

- Baseball sure can be a funny game.

And how funny is this outcome in a game played in frigid conditions?

“AA Portland’s pitchers — New Hampshire’s opponent for a six-game series — combined for many walks, and wild pitches and hit batters, paving the way for the Fisher Cats to score its first eight runs in the second inning without recording a single base hit.” 

Eventually, they scored 10 runs on just a single hit that inning. 

Heavy snow was removed from the field that morning to allow the icy affair to be played. The three frostbitten fans in attendance were rushed to nearby hospitals after the game to raise their body temperatures.

Bring your woolies, not your wife, unless you enjoy a lot of marital strife.

10 runs on one hit?

Well, Binghamton tried that, too, on Friday, but were only able to score 13 runs on just 8 hits.

In 42 degree, windy Saturday weather, more craziness, as the Ponies won 7-6, but the real story seems to be the results of playing in such weather: 

23 walks, 3 hit batsmen, and 28 Ks for the two teams.  54 plate appearances in one game where hitters did not put the ball in play.

JT Schwartz had the best game for these Bingos, with 2 hits, 2 walks, 3 RBIs and zero Ks. Love your AJ Ewing…he is GETTING IT DONE! 

Bingo Saturday LOBs? 16. They all got arrested for loitering after the game.

On Friday, Brooklyn’s “K Klones’” first 7 batters fanned in just the first two innings. Hard to do, but they pulled it off.

15 overall Ks on Friday, again, but they won 6-4 in extra innings. 

On Saturday, the Clones entered the 9th trailing 3-2, ended the 9th tied 3-3, despite TWO batters reaching base on interference calls on Gutierrez, and added 3 runs without a hit in the 10th to win 6-3!  

Ronald Hernandez had 3 walks and a key triple in the 9th, and Mitch Voit added a single and two doubles. 

The win went to 26 y/o Danis Correa. He threw 2 much needed scoreless frames. 

I will henceforth call him Chick Correa because I like his winning jazz. 

Oh…”just” 13 Cyclones hitter Ks in the latest extra inning game. Which may indicate downward K progress.

It was 90 Ks in 6 games.  Now it is up to 103 Ks in 7 games.  

That may or may not not be a pro ball record, as I read this as one example: 

“Mariners are the 3rd team ever to strike out 75+ batters in a 5-game span, joining the 2019 Rays and the 2019 Red Sox”

And, oh yeah, I almost forgot…

Syracuse? They were demolished.  On both Friday AND Saturday.

RYAN CLIFFORD WATCH: 43 at bats, 23 Ks, 2 RBIs. SWING!

Did you happen to notice who else was demolished?  Brandon Sproat. 

In his first two Brewers outings:

6.2 innings, 4 HRs allowed, 10 hits, 7 walks, 11 runs. 

That is the definition of UGLY.

St Lucie lost on Friday, too, but Elian Pena is a very bright light, starting out 9 for 24, with 3 walks versus just 2 Ks. One of those 2026 hits was an absolute bomb of a home run. Then, Saturday’s game ended in a 9-2 loss. But Pena was 1 for 2 and a walk. He Is Amazing. 

There was also a 11-4 win in a make up of a rain out on Saturday. Pena DNP. PHAM? He played both ends and is ramping up. We need his bat in Queens, do you agree? Well, he is 2 for 10 and 2 walks so far, so rust still remains.

And, as Bill O’Reilly would again say, “and that’s my memo”.  

He says it more than once, so I can say it more than once in this post, too.

NOW…Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to church I go. 

Where messages are deep, but the “ballpark dimensions” are just right.

Tom Brennan- Why Don’t the Mets Develop More Quality International Pitchers?

Jenrry Mejia Topps Baseball Card

Jenrry was every Mets fan’s favorite international hurler.
After all, like few others, he got to “three strikes, you’re out!”

INTERNATIONAL PITCHERS…

QUESTION: WHY NOT TRY TO SIGN 

CENTRAL AMERICAN PITCHING STUD TEENAGERS?

I saw this list of MLB international players in MLB. Go ahead and click it.

MLB INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS

Excluding Cuba and Asia, which tend to be different animals involving asylum seekers and seasoned Asian stars, there are some international pitchers listed in it, some of whom are very good, but it seems that the vast majority of MLB pitchers (again, excluding Cuba and Asia) are continental U.S. born and bred, and come in through the annual draft process.

Why? 

I think, offhand, it is for three reasons:

1) It is harder to evaluate the long-term trajectory of a 16-year-old pitcher hurling overseas at signing time than it is to project the long-term trajectory of an 18-21 year old pitcher that can be scouted right here by everyone in the states.

2) I think the way arms break down in this day and age, trying to extrapolate the long-term health of a 16-year-old kid is a lot harder than trying to do the same thing with an 18 to 21-year-old kid. I know that I would, as a team owner, want to expend funds on lower risk assets, which still have high rewards.

3) I surmise that baseball teams know there is a strong correlation between pitcher success, and pitcher body size. I think that overall, the average pitching prospect in the US has a significantly bigger projectable frame than the average pitching prospect from Central America. So it makes more sense to shop for future pitchers in a geographic market where guys tend to be larger than from another geographic market.

Each team only has so much international money to spend. And spending it on international pitchers seems to be a whole lot more risky than spending it on international bats for the aforementioned reasons.

Anyway, that’s my off-the cuff take. What’s yours?

Austin Powers I am sure would know exactly, given that he is an “international man of mystery.”  

But what is YOUR take?

Austin’s? Oh, behave…Baby. Behave.

You “behave” by spending $ wisely. 

Don’t waste it on international noodle arms - baby.

Another Brennan article later this AM….let’s write two.

John From Albany: 40 Years Ago - Keith's Error Leads to Loss in Philly, 4/12/1986

 

NY Newsday 4/13/1986

1986, the last year the Mets won the World Series.  This daily post will detail the game by game journey to that Fall Title.  Click here for More Mets History and Calendar Classics.

Year: 1986; Game #3; Saturday,  Apr 12, NYM 8 @ PHI 9; boxscore; 14 innings; WP: Hudson; LP:  Niemann; Time: 05:03;  DAY,  Attendance: 22,737; Record: 2-1; Standings: 2; Games up/behind: 1.5; L-wo; 

Lenny Dykstra CF; 4 for 5; 1 run; 2 RBIs; 1 walk; Tim Teufel 2B-3B; 2 for 7; SH; 3 RBIs; 1 walk; Keith Hernandez 1B; 0 for 7; 2B; 1 K; Gary Carter C; 2 for 6; SF; 1 run; 1 walk; Darryl Strawberry RF; 0 for 6; 2B; 1 walk; 3 Ks; George Foster LF; 3 for 7; 2B; 1 run; 1 K; Ray Knight 3B; 3 for 5; 2B; 3 runs; 2 RBIs; Randy Niemann P; 0 for 1; Rafael Santana SS; 1 for 6; 1 run; 1 walk; 1 K; Sid Fernandez P; 1 for 2; Kevin Mitchell PH; 0 for 0; Danny Heep PH; 1 for 1; 1 RBI; Howard Johnson PH; 0 for 1; 1 K; Wally Backman 2B; 2 for 2; 1 run; 1 walk; Sid Fernandez; 4.1 innings; 4 runs; 4 ERs; 2 hits; 7 walks; 4 Ks; Ed Lynch; 1.2 innings; no runs; 2 hits; 1 K; Bruce Berenyi; 1 inning; no runs; 2 hits; Roger McDowell, H (2); 1.1 innings; 3 runs; 2 ERs; 3 hits; 1 walk; 1 K; Jesse Orosco, BS (1); 2.2 innings; no runs; 2 hits; 3 walks; 2 Ks; Randy Niemann, L (0-1); 2 innings; 2 runs; 2 ERs; 6 hits; 3 walks; 

National Pastime.com: In a humiliating 9–8 extra-inning loss against the Phillies, the Mets blow a three-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, thanks, in part, to Keith Hernandez's error allowing the leadoff batter to reach base, opening the floodgates to Philadelphia's comeback. Six years, the New York first baseman's Veterans Stadium miscue (albeit placed in the wrong season and different venue) becomes the background of a conspiracy theory detailed in an hour-long Seinfeld episode, The Boyfriend.

After Keith's error, Roger McDowell K'd John Russell but walked Von Hayes.  Steve Jeltz followed with a triple that made it 7-6.  Jesse Orosco came in and allowed a single to Garry Maddox that tied the game up.  Mets took an 8-7 lead in the 14th as Tim Teufel singled in Wally Backman but Randy Niemann allowed 4 singles and a walk - not retiring a batter as the Phils scored two for the win.  

NL East Standings 4/12/1986

Tm	W	L	W-L%	GB	RS	RA	pythW-L%
STL	4	0	1.000	--	21	7	.882
NYM	2	1	.667	1.5	21	18	.570
PHI	2	2	.500	2.0	25	27	.465
PIT	1	2	.333	2.5	9	10	.452
MON	1	3	.250	3.0	10	24	.168
CHC	1	3	.250	3.0	9	13	.338

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/12/1986.

RVH - 1 is the lowliest number…

 

There’s something particularly stark about a stretch like this, not because it defines a season, but because it strips everything down to its simplest, most unforgiving truth.

One run per game.

That’s where the Mets find themselves over the last three games, a three-day span that reads less like a slump and more like a stall. The offense hasn’t just cooled, it has constricted. What was once a functioning system has tightened into something far less dynamic, far less dangerous, and VERY BORING….

Across 27 innings, the Mets have scored just three total runs, averaging exactly 1.00 per game. The underlying numbers tell the same story with little room for interpretation. A .222 team OBP and a .472 OPS over that stretch reflect a lineup that isn’t just failing to produce, it’s failing to sustain.

The most telling number, though, might be the simplest one to overlook.

1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

That’s not just inefficiency. That’s opportunity slipping through, inning after inning. Twenty runners left on base over three games reinforces the same point, the Mets have not been shut down completely, they’ve just been unable to finish anything they start.

There are pockets of resistance. Brett Baty and Bo Bichette have both found ways to get on base, posting OBPs north of .350 in this window. Luis Robert Jr. added the lone home run, one of just two extra-base hits across the entire stretch. But those moments have existed in isolation, not as part of a broader offensive rhythm.

And that’s the issue. Nothing is connecting.

The middle of the order, typically the engine, has gone quiet. Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos have combined for just three hits in 25 at-bats, a .120 average that leaves a noticeable void where production usually lives. When that core stalls, everything behind it starts to feel heavier, more forced.

The result is a lineup that feels compressed, lacking both flow and separation. There’s no sustained pressure, no long innings that build toward something. Just brief flickers, followed by outs.

Baseball seasons are long, and three games rarely carry lasting meaning. But within the daily cadence of 162, stretches like this stand out precisely because they reduce everything to a single number.

One run. For now, that’s the reality.