Not tonight, Josephine…
The Miami Marlins scratched out a run in the bottom of the eighth to beat the Mets 4-3, in a game which looked an awful lot like the previous night’s contest. Once again, offense was reserved for the later innings and a parade of hitters returned to their respective benches muttering.
It looked for all the world like Terry Collins was punting on this game from the outset, putting Michael Cuddyer, Kevin Plawecki and Wilmer Flores on the bench, replacing them with a largely punchless trio of Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Anthony Recker and Ruben Tejada. This didn’t look like it would give spot starter Rafael Montero a lot of support; it didn’t.
New York had a decent chance when Giancarlo Stanton nonchalanted Tejada’s would-be inning ending fly ball in the fourth with Daniel Murphy on first and two out, but Murphy — still suffering from rectal-cranial inversion, apparently — wasn’t busting it at the crack of the bat and had to stop at third. The inning ended with both men stranded. Neither team could generate any offense, despite ample opportunity. The Mets’ base runners all seemed to come with two out vs. David Phelps, while Miami was able to get their leadoff hitter to second base in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. It was only in the sixth that they were able to cash in, and cash in they did. Dee Gordon led off with a solid single to right, which was badly butchered by Curtis Granderson and Gordon ended up at second. Martin Prado laid down a good bunt, moving Gordon to third. The ever lethal Stanton then rifled a base hit up the middle to score Gordon. Marcell Ozuna then hit a slow bounder to third that Eric Campbell had to eat. After a Michael Morse flyout, JT Realmuto slipped a single just past Tejada’s outstretched glove and Stanton came home. That was all for Montero, who really deserved better. Buddy Carlyle came in and immediately bounced a curve to Ichiro Suzuki and Ozuna skipped home with the inning’s third run.
But have you seen this Met team lately? They don’t stay down for long. Nieuwenhuis led off the seventh with a base hit. Recker then sent a grounder to Prado at third — a double-play ball that bounded off the third baseman’s knee and was generously scored a hit. That was it for Phelps. AJ Ramos came on to face Flores as a pinch-hitter. He just missed an RBI single on a beautiful leaping grab by Gordon. Granderson then hit a soft single to right that Nieuwenhuis was unable to score on. That brought up Juan Lagares with the bases loaded. The centerfielder rocketed a 1-1 pitch to the deepest part of the ballpark in left center — 410 feet worth — clearing the bases and tying the game. Alex Torres struck out the side in the bottom half.
The Mets had a great chance to take a lead in the top of the eighth, when Murphy led off with a hustling double, but the egregious Tejada sent a bunt right back to the mound and Murphy was nailed at third, shooting that rally right behind the ear. Carlos Torres came in to face the Fish in the bottom of the eighth and clearly didn’t have it. He walked Prado leading off on five pitches. He was lucky to get Stanton on a foul pop at 3-2, then he walked Ozuna on four straight balls. After a visit from Dan Warthen, Morse ripped a single up the middle, chasing Prado home. Almost sullenly, Torres got the final two outs.
And yet…and yet…the Mets still had a shot in the ninth. Marlin closer Steve Cishek came on and looked anything but dominant. Granderson worked a leadoff walk. On a 2-1 pitch to Lagares, Cishek hung a curve, but Lagares got underneath it and lofted a harmless popup to Gordon. Lucas Duda, quiet tonight except for a first inning single with — you guessed it, two outs — whiffed on a 3-2 pitch in the dirt. Campbell ended it with a soft roller to third.
I guess you really can’t win ’em all…
Alex Torres looked really good tonight. Gary and Keith were comparing his pitches to John Franco.
That Tejada bunt play was a killer. No one’s ever claimed Tejada as a good bunter but what really gets me is that you’re doing it for a Sac Fly for the next hitter. Who in this case was Nieuwenhuis, a guy who strikes out about 30% of the time in his MLB career.
Additionally, Kirk only has a 29.1 lifetime FB%
Best-case scenario, the bunt is a one-run strategy. But given Nieuwenhuis’ strikeout tendency and tendency not to hit fly balls, our chances of cashing in – even with a successful bunt – were not particularly great.
Hello Jack Leathersich.
I thought the bunt was the right play. It was a tie game in the 8th and playing for one run made sense strategically.
Montero was terrific. I really wish he stuck to the reliever’s role — he could have been a real difference maker back there this season — but he may feel more comfortable as a starter. I think the Mets organization sees Matz & Syndergaard as pure starters, so even if a slot opens up, I’m not sure that Montero gets the nod. That said: He has said and done all the right things so far in a tough situation.
Torres didn’t have it last night and TC was afraid to go with his young, inexperienced, fresh & talented bullpen arms. So the Mets, in response, added another. It’s confusing sometimes.
So glad to see Lagares pull a ball; that’s where the home runs will fall.
I don’t see this particular organization pulling off a Tulo trade — trading three minimum salary guys for a high-salary player just doesn’t feel consistent with “the plan” — but Montero & Plawecki sure should get a GM’s attention.
I used to like Dee Gordon, then read some negative things about him in terms of statistical analysis, so soured a bit, and now I feel like . . . wow, there’s a lot of talent in that ballplayer. Speed is fun to watch.
Lastly, watching the Marlins I am envious of their athleticism. The speed, the defense. I do believe in those things. Once they get their two best pitchers back, they will only be missing a bat. Interesting how different they are from the Mets philosophically.
Different, indeed. When all these guys blossom — and it dawns on owner Jeffrey Loria that he can’t give Stanton the keys to the mint and pay the rest of the team — it’ll be just in time for the next Marlins fire sale.
Two WS titles notwithstanding, I cannot take this Miami franchise seriously.
Watching the Managers last Night..thinking..They Actutally Get Paid???!!!
The Prado Bunt with None out and Dee Gordon on 2nd— with Stanton coming up: I get it—scoring from third is “easier”— hey—that logic includes Stanton “giving himself up” and grounding the ball to the right side.
So…they Bunt and Stanton is up with one out, Dee Gordon on 3rd.
So…Collins decides to Pitch around Stanton… ugh!!!…worse yet, at 3-0, Montero starts throwing strikes.
Ok… you want to get out of town before Stanton Hurts you… so…why not walk Stanton and set up a Double Play???…and Avoid Stanton???
3-2— yes, Stanton drove in the Run—and that pitch was a pitch he could have hit 900 feet. Net result—you don’t throw him a strike for 3 pitches, then you act as if you’re forced to throw him a strike.
They actually paid the Managers for last nights game..???!!!!
High strikeout player, been popping up lately. I thought it made sense to go after him. A gamble, but defensible. Not saying that I absolutely would have done it that way, but it was reasonable to attack him.
I enjoyed Marlin Park last night. It is “pretty” , a ” Taste of Miami” Cuban Sandwich was disappointing and the the $17 flight of craft draft beer was expensive. Phillie, Atlanta are better and Nats are worse. Citi beats them all.
I could not understand pitching to Stanton in that situation. Tejada’s bunt was awful. Campbell fields his position well but also could not make a David Wright play and ate it. Lagares crushed his hit but I was unreasonably disappointed that he didn’t nail that Marlin at the plate. Grandy needed to at least look like he wanted to steal in the 9th inning, but he was no distraction. There were Met fans everywhere, about 1/4 the crowd! Lost 4-3 but can never replace the memories of sharing a Met game in Miami with my wife, son, daughter and son-in-law. Priceless!
Prado had an excellent 2ndary lead—he’s an excellent baseball Player. Murphy had a poor secondary lead … thrown out at 3b— along with a bad bunt.
That Play gets 2 “Dannys”—aka BBP—- Bad Baseball Play. 1 for Murph on the poor secondary lead…1 for Tejada on a bad bunt.
Tejada bunts through a pitch, then bunts poorly— if you’re gonna be a light bat, learn how to make the ball move where you need it.
Of 162 games in a year, every one is just as critical as the next. No win (or loss) counts more or less than the next. September games ultimately mean the same as April games. But we have moment games, those games in which outcomes may determine October baseball; those seem to occur more in September, but I think we are at one this very moment. Inspired by Brian’s article the other day after the Mets took a 9th inning win against the Marlins, I posit that tonight’s game is one at the threshold of impacting October baseball. A loss would be devastating: we lose 2 series in a row, both to vilified opponents; the Mets clearly would have air leaking out of the good-feelings balloon we’ve been enjoying on TV every day; our road record would continue to slip under .500; other NL east teams may no longer have a sense the Mets are really in it for the fight; the home stand and energy of 11 straight wins would be long forgotten by a 4 losses in 6 games run.
The flip side is palpable. We have a 4-0 guy on the hill, demonstrating that even advanced years and mass have little value in slowing down a team with a vision; another NL east series taken by the good guys; the Mets would continue to look down on the competition; at ~1/6 of the season concluded, this team belongs rightly in first place; being in a spot where a win is critical, taking it would continue to cement this team has real fight; the other guys are starting a guy we should destroy; a win tonight is a message sender.
Yes, its April. But I think slamming the door on the fingers of the Marlins really can swing the momentum back in our direction. We have deGrom and Harvey leading a 4 game set with the struggling Nats coming into town. Heading in with another NL east series win and momentum matters when the team we are facing has owned us. I shutter to think about what losing this series and the next could mean in the end. Its a big game tonight in my eyes. I’d love to see a resounding stomping.