The all-star break is over, and the Mets have given us a small gift to thank us for continuing to watch. A series win in Philadelphia felt good after months of frustration.
This doesn't mean that the team has transformed itself into a competitor for the playoffs, but it is a small victory amidst a failed campaign that showed some signs of hope for future seasons.
In Philadelphia, where the fences are close and the winds are kind, the power lineup that the Phillies field typically generates a lot of runs. Our two young righty pitching studs, Nolan McLean and Christian Scott held down that powerful lefty lineup in games 1 and 3 of the series. That is no easy feat, and it shows what can happen when those pitchers are working their craft. On Thursday, Scott held the Phillies to 3 hits and no runs across the first six and on Sunday McLean held them to two hits and no runs through six. The Mets won both of those games handily with their confidence bolstered by such great pitching performances.
I can only hope that as Zac Thornton matures as a pitcher, he can deliver similar performances from the left side. That may be a bit further into the future, as he still has some experience to gain at this level.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team (except Soto, Benge, and Ewing) is being looked at by curious shoppers across the league. Some of them may become the price for an additional arm like that.
The part of the weekend series that didn't feel quite so good was watching the team implode on Saturday. Poor play in the field, poor at-bats at the plate, and the very expensive top of the lineup (Lindor, Bichette, Soto) went 0-8. I expect to see more of that in the upcoming series with the Brewers and the Dodgers who both can boast about strong pitching staffs.
In fact, the Brewers series opens with a matchup of trade pieces. If you remember, back in January, the Mets and Brewers executed a trade that landed Peralta in New York with prospect Brandon Sproat heading to Milwaukee. There were other pieces in the trade, but those two pitchers facing each other in opposite uniforms will be intriguing. I am not sure how it will pan out, as Peralta has been a big disappointment in NY and Sproat has not lived up to his prospect billing. This is a game where the Mets offense cannot afford to take another midsummer nap because Peralta's start will be short and ineffective if recent history repeats.
We will take the victories when we can get them and dream of future seasons with the young guys leading the charge. Go Mets!
1 comment:
Last 7 games for Sproat, 3.55 ERA. He is stabilizing well. Peralta last 7 games? 6.96 ERA. NOT stabilizing.
If Peralta and Lindor were having normal (for them) seasons, the Mets would have won another 7-8 games, and we’d be talking entirely differently. The two Goats. Others have not played well, but those are my two Goats.
Post a Comment