Paul Articulates – What a relief it is!

There was an Alka-Seltzer commercial in the 1970’s that used the jingle, “Oh, what a relief it is!”  This isn’t a commercial, but it is a great feeling for Mets fans to see at least temporary relief from a terrible streak of 14 losses in 17 games.

This team is way too talented to lose that many games in such a short span, but in the game of baseball anything can happen.  And just when you thought that you could not bear to watch another Mets game after the afternoon collapse, good fortune shined down upon them in the nightcap.  

First, a seemingly innocuous bouncer hit by Hayden Senger goes off the pitcher’s glove and hits the ground with a tricky spin that eludes the Brewers infielder standing on the bag to end the inning.  A few pitches later, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor have gone back-to-back with home runs that ignited the dormant Citi Field crowd.

Then, the Mets’ bullpen comes through to save the day for Blade Tidwell’s first MLB victory and a stopper to the slide.

Now, with the weight lifted from the shoulders of the entire active roster, the Mets can go out tonight and play a baseball game.  Not a must-win, pull out all the stops variety game, but just one of the 162.  This is because last night the sound of the crowd when Nimmo’s grand slam dropped in the stands was not only a roar of approval, but a collective sigh of relief.  I think the fans needed this just as much as the players.  Sometimes you just need to know that the ball bounces your way, too.

Is Paul predicting the end of the losses and the beginning of a long winning streak?  No, I am not Nostradamus. But I think a lot about the players’ state of mind and I think that last night’s win removed a huge mental burden from them because they proved (to themselves) that they could hit with RISP; that the ball sometimes bounces their way; that the bullpen can shut down an opponent’s rally; and most importantly that the NY fans still love them.

During that “horrendous” streak, the Mets’ division rivals failed to properly take advantage.  In the last 20 games, while the Mets were going 6-14, the Phillies were 12-8 and the Braves were 11-9.  So a few games were lost in the standings, but it was not as bad as it could have been.  With only a few games until the all-star break, New York is just 2 games out of first place and there is a ray of hope on the horizon that the key injured starters will be back.

Moving forward, the Mets have some choices to make.  Do they continue with the modified lineup with Nimmo batting first and Lindor second, or revert to the Lindor leadoff precedent that Carlos Mendoza started last year?  Do they keep Blade Tidwell in the pen or promote him to starter in place of an ineffective Paul Blackburn?  Do they keep Baty at third or continue to rotate players through that spot?  The superstitious folks out there would say that he has to play the same lineup again, but I don’t expect to see Lindor as DH again, so just throw some salt over your shoulder and hope it works.