BASEBALL IS BACK - YOU MAY PROCEED TO PINCH YOURSELF.
OR WINK - THE CHOICE IS YOURS
Thoughts on Mets performers this week:
MONDAY:
Blade Tidwell reportedly hit 99 on the gun (yay), but in 2 innings gave up 4 hits and a walk, and 3 runs (on a 3 run jack), while fanning just 1.
- In 3.2 career spring IP, his ERA is 14.73. Batters are .421 in that span.
Joander Suarez coughed up 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk and took the loss in a 7-4 defeat.
Pete (you know who - no last name needed) doubled in 2 and walked a few times.
Mark Vientos got hit by a pitch. Being that these are the Mets, I googled it and was quite relieved to find out he didn't require last rights to be administered, so perhaps the Mets injury bug is eradicated.
Doug Orellana gave up a solo home run in his one inning - but fanned 3.
Chris Williams (106 MPH) and Jose Azocar (108.5 MPH) went DEEP, baby, DEEP DEEP DEEP, with solo shots.
Jose Butto and Senor Brazaban tossed perfect innings, with Huascar fanning 2.
No one, to my knowledge, got injured.
TUESDAY:
An 8-5 loss. Reed Garrett threw a scoreless frame. Seven other guys, all named Who, pitched the rest of the game, allowing the 8 runs.
Baty 2 for 3, including a HR? What? He may turn out to be the MVP with an SUV.
Acuna had a hit. A run. An RBI. A steal.
Siri homered and walked. Alexa clapped.
Jared Young 2 for 2.
Jett 1 for 2.
No apparent new injuries!
WEDNESDAY:
Mets lose 4-1. Phillies and Braves, meanwhile, each scored 9 runs. Early it is.
One RBI. Who else? Alonso.
Felipe de la Cruz and Ben Simon pitched poorly. Some jitters, no doubt.
McNeil’s first spring hit (.125). Lindor now 0-8.
Anthony Gose has been sharp, as has Daniel Juarez.
- Gose: 2 perfect one inning outings so far.
- - A 34 year old lefty Billy Wagner? Why not?
- Juarez: 1.2 scoreless innings so far this spring. Nice.
PAUL BLACKBURN THREW A SCORELESS INNING.
He is throwing his hat in the ring already, a good sign. Who would have thought last week that he would be pitching and Manaea and Montas would not.
MARTE STILL HAS SORENESS IN HIS KNEE FROM LAST SUMMER:
Which is why he has not been in any boxscores. Doesn’t give one the warm fuzzies.
Will he be ready by opening day? Your guess is as good as anyone’s.
He may look ripped, but his record says he is fragile.
25 comments:
Two short days to March. Thank goodness. Baseball, daylight savings time not far off, warmer temps. Kick winter to the curb.
Who is Chris Williams?
Sterling Marte has soreness in his knee from last summer? At some point you have to call bullshit on this guy. Did anyone know that?
The Braves and Phillies are pissed but too bad.
Isn't he the singer in Coldplay?
By the way
Jonah Tong yesterday in AA game:
SIX HITLESS INNINGS
Gus, Marte has turned into a combination of Giancarlo Stanton and Yoenis Cespedes. Chris Williams? The Mets have a bunch of 28-32 year old pitcher retreads in camp trying to squeeze a few more MLB innings in before they hang up the cleats. Williams is 28 anda former 8th rounder.
Notably, none of these marginal guys pull their lats or obliques.
Wow on Tong. He will be a real goodie. Do you remember his first AA outing last year? Six perfect innings, 9 Ks.
If Marte was a horse, I think they would take him out to pasture and shoot him. Or retire him to the STUD farm. I think that's why they got that guy from the Cubs. For insurance in case he's not ready for opening day.
Why is Tong pitching 6 innings in spring training? Seriously, with the rash of injuries I'd have him in bubble wrap.
Joe, that is a puzzler. Maybe it took Tong 50 pitches.
Marte is a prime example why if a player on a long term contract spends over, say, 25% of his contract on the IL, there should be a clawback of some amount - say, 10%.
Tom, I was thinking/hoping the same thing about Tong.
The sad thing about baseball and these long term contracts, is that once they get paid a zillion dollars, they lose the incentive to push themselves. I guess Pride is no longer a virtue. Imagine if these players had to actually perform every year for their paycheck.
Think of Mickey Mantle playing with a damaged knee.
Mike Mayer recently reported that Bryce Montes de Oca underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and again late last year for the second time.
Steve Sypa, however, wrote that Bryce had TJS in high school in April 2013 which, if true, makes him a three time loser.
He was drafted in 2018, but did not pitch until 2021 due to what I thought was also TJS, but apparently was Montes de Oca undergoing multiple unspecified non-TJS surgeries to his arm, shoulder, back and knee.
He’ll be 30 in April 2026, before he most likely could return from the latest surgery. I would suggest focusing on another line of work.
Before his arm falls off. I think at this point he's done.
On the flip side of Tong is Blackburn. You'd think that a guy that threw 7 pitches to get out of the first inning would start a second inning. A seven pitch perfect inning deserves another.
On the catching depth charts, I am guessing Chris Williams is #3, with Hayden Senger #4. That eases my mind as I was worried about who would get the playing time if Alvarez needs a 3 week break.
I think the Coldplay guy is surnamed Martin . .(or the former Mr. Gwenyth Paltrow)
I still get nightmares thinking of Blackburn's last outing of 2024. It looked like Ukraine-level shelling.
Big question: can anyone think of a really high strikeout hitter besides Aaron Judge that turned it around? Judge still fans a lot but he is Judge
No, I can't. That doesn't bode well for Siri or the new outfielder they got from the Cubs.
JoeP, I said it from the fist Siri day. His #s look just like Keon Broxton. Which isn’t reassuring. That dude should come up with a new hitting plan when he gets to 2 strikes. Or his remaining career might be short
Tom, he said he has made adjustments over the winter. They all say that. Like you said, unless he cuts his K rate by 40%. He will always be a defensive replacement. Only time will tell.
JoeP, he has to make drastic 2 strike adjustments. Once he gets to 2 strikes in his career, as I recall it, he hits .130 and fans 57% of the time. Whew!
If you choked up and slapped the ball, how could you do worse on two strikes? You’d almost have to do better. Keep in mind that all of baseball probably hits between .180 and .190 overall with counts of 2 strikes, so it isn’t easy. But .130 is a joke.
Mack, who told you this? How is any pitcher allowed to throw 6 innings in February, no matter how quick each one was? Just the warmups alone are 50 pitches. No matter what the player says, any coach that lets a pitcher throw that many in February isn’t doing their job and should be talked to, at least.
Guaranteed contracts suck for everyone but the player and you can quote me on that and I'm not voting for Marvin Miller for the HOF screw him.
Gus, I just googled it and there was a video stating he threw 6 innings in his AA debut. That was in June 2024. I'm wondering if that's what Mack saw.
Sorry, it was 5 months ago.
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