The Mets’ four-game winning streak came to an end Friday night, as the Pirates came in to Citi Field and escaped with a 3-2 win in extra innings.
- The groundswell is building for the Mets to bring back Terry Collins as manager but he showed poor judgment with his relief pitchers in this game. In an extra inning game, he chose to bring on Bobby Parnell, a pitcher struggling to come back from injury, despite the fact that he pitched Thursday. Meanwhile, Carlos Torres, who has a 1.80 ERA over his previous 12 games and who hadn’t pitched in nearly a week, was passed over. Parnell got into trouble, surrendered the lead and then Collins went to Torres.
- The Mets made J.A. Happ look good but Clint Hurdle did a nice job, pulling Happ as soon as he gave up a homer and a double. He got his shaky pitcher out before he blew up. He anticipated a problem — he didn’t wait until it already happened.
- Yoenis Cespedes had three hits and accounted for the Mets’ first run with a solo homer. He also added a double. Juan Lagares doubled in the 10th and scored on a SF by Curtis Granderson for the Mets’ other score.
- With a lefty on the mound, Michael Cuddyer got the start. He took the collar. Juan Uribe was hitless in five ABs and grounded out to end the game.
- Bartolo Colon had a strong outing. He allowed a solo homer to the second batter of the game but settled in for a line of 7 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB and 7 Ks. While this one was not his fault, the Mets lost for the ninth time in the last 10 Colon starts.
Watching the Giants just take a 4-1 lead by executing a sacrifice and doubling in two runs, reinforces what I was planning to write. Winning baseball, and playoff baseball, is about taking advantage of your opportunities. Brian was right, Hurdle wasn’t going to let Happ be the reason his team lost. Happ is not an important enough piece to be given leeway.
The Mets had second and third and no outs, but didn’t score. This is the stretch run and playoffs mean (especially against playoff teams) that there won’t be as many chances to score. When you get them, they need to be cashed in because winning records aren’t built by giving opposing teams too many chances to beat you. Look at the difference between the Rockies yesterday, and the Pirates today.
As for Parnell, he had a bad outing but it shouldn’t have come to that.
Parnell is a guy they called back too early. When he’s 95+ it’s completely erratic. Even when it’s 89 he’s a niber without control. It’s Collins fault for ramming him out there, but I’m tired of seeing Parnell. At best he’s a low leverage 6th or 7th inning guy.
But the real crime is second and third with no out and no runs. That is old (pre July 24th) Mets baseball.
Chris, I think there are conditions of the CBA where rehabbing players must be brought back up by a certain time or else a team waives its rights. Something like that. I don’t care to look up the details, frankly, but I think the club’s hand was forced with Parnell. Clearly he’s not all the way back. That first hit off the curveball was brutal, just a tumbleweed rolling up there. He needs some heat to keep batters off balance. I’m a fan of the guy, but he doesn’t look right.
Yeah, I think he started official rehab and entry into training games too early. He should have been on the shelf at least another month before beginning rehab games. The rush to being him back, while fiscally responsible, has been a baseball bust. Right now there’s no way of knowing which Parnell arrives on the hill. But I wouldn’t give him a single pitch with under a 3 run lead, or if under 3 runs then no later that 7th inning. He was rushed back too soon, and this is exactly what you get, a still broken player with highly diminished skills.
Bringing him back was probably his urging to show health sooner for his free agency campaign. Knowing TC like we do, we know TC probably “believes” in his veteran too much.
From ESPN.com:
In the resumption of a suspended game, David Wright at third base and Kirk Nieuwenhuis in center field played the full game. Wright finished 2-or-5 with a pair of singles and a strikeout. He committed an error on one of two balls hit to him. Nieuwenhuis went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in the ninth that capped the scoring. He also committed an error. Rehabbing Erik Goeddel entered the game in the seventh with the Mets trailing, 5-3. He surrendered a two-out walk, then a two-run double to Brian Anderson that put the Hammerheads up by four runs. Three of Jupiter’s first four runs were unearned in part due to the errors by Nieuwenhuis and Wright and a passed ball by catcher Colton Plaia.
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That’s why we didn’t see our boys playing in the regular game, they played earlier in the game that was suspended after just one inning and seem to be in mid-season form, LOL.
I have this real fear that Wright isn’t right. I want to read a scouting report from someone who watches him play, move, and swing in person. The box score doesn’t do it for me. I read that he’s adapted his swing to put less pressure on the back — and report that scared me silly. There was a photo in Metsblog yesterday of Wright at the plate and to my eye, it just looked wrong. Maybe I’m projecting, or fearing the worst, but he looked too upright. The bottom half wasn’t sufficiently involved. Maybe it was just bad timing for the picture, but I don’t so.
He has earned every chance for a return. But he must be productive and healthy. If the power is gone, if he’s Matty Alou, then he doesn’t help the club. This is going to be a very tough test on Alderson, Collins, and Wright himself. I am rooting for David, but this could go very badly.
100% agree.
I’m very surprised Torres hasn’t been used for that long. Maybe a non-DL injury?
Didn’t you hear?
With all the animals roaming around citi field these days, Terry Collins decided to buy a doghouse just in case a stray ever walked in. And then he decided to use Torres to test it out.
Well,didn’t lose any ground but missed a chance to pick up a game.I don’t get the “groundswell” to bring back TC,I don’t think he adds anything as a manager.
Isn’t it beautiful that it isn’t Collns’ fault when they lose but he gets credit when they win? Does anyone really think he adds anything or they’ll miss him when he’s gone?
I give TC a lot of credit for the way this team is playing right now. The tone is right, the calm is there, they are going after this with professionalism and purpose. Every manager is going to make some in-game mistakes. I honestly don’t think TC makes that many egregious one.
I’ve never been a big fan of Collins, but I think he deserves some credit for what we’re seeing on the field on a daily basis. Juggling this new assortment of talent is not easy, and so far I can’t really fault him on the overall vision of how he’s deploying the troops. There’s a lot of room for second guessing, since every game there’s going to be 2-3 good players on the pine.
Moving forward, we’ll watch what happens with Cuddyer, Conforto, Murphy, Uribe, Johnson, Lagares, Flores, and Wright. Not an easy job sorting all that out while getting every player to pull on the same oar. So far, so good.
The pen needs one more high-quality arm. Losing Mejia really hurt. I don’t know if SA can find another high-end guy, but that’s what the club really needs, IMO. I hate K-Rod, but that kind of arm.
Last nights loss is a bitter pill. We need to beat good teams and all post season goes thru the NL central. If we can’t beat these guys at home winning in Wrigley, PNC, or Busch will be impossible. It’s bitter because this is a easily won game in 9. Colon did better than expected. Leaving 2nd and 3rd u scored with 0 out is an embarrassment. I don’t care by what mechanism, at least Lagares needs to be in for that situation. For Happ to set down the heart of the line up like that, where a simple base hit provides the post-season “clutch” wee need, is not good. I’d rather have been blown out and called it a game that sometimes happens.
As far as Collins goes, that situation needs to see real management to get that run in. But James, we’ve seen a lot of bad moves by TC, even recently, like putting Kelly Johnson in RF in Tampa despite having a GG outfielder rotting on the bench. I know Collins doesn’t like Lagares, but that was a huge mistake, that cost a game. As was leaving Familia in for the rain game v SD. his Xs and Os are pretty much quite bad. I’ve heard him compared to Ron Washington, who was a good people guy but a mysterious at calling a game. If we make the post season, expect 2 more years, if not, then maybe we get a new face.
Josh Smoker is the guy to try. A former 1st round pick, which tells you he had the Big Arm, and after years of bumping around he is finally dominating as a closer, playing AA ball, at age 26.
There are plenty of reasons why he might not make the grade, but: 11.5 K’s per nine, 2.5 Walks per nine. Being 26 might actually be an advantage from the Mets’ perspective; he has had some time to grow up, he shouldn’t be intimidated by major league hitters, and there certainly is an immediacy attached to getting some kind of a career out of his investment in baseball.
Do it, Sandy. BTW, I still am surprised the Mets didn’t cut bait with Parnell. An 11.50 ERA in fourteen innings in the minor leagues, excuse me? Bobby has far surpassed my own expectations with the Mets this year, but if one is looking for an example of the team risking the present season for……something, I can’t think of a more valid example.
Yesterday, watching the Giants and Nationals game made me see the light that we don’t get to see.
Sergio Romo, their “closer” (sometimes) comes into the eighth inning. It’s 7-5 Giants, first and third, two out and I think Rendon was coming to the plate. Romo gets him out and starts the ninth with an extra run, so a three run lead. Gets the first guy, gets the second guy. Harper, who homered earlier, coming up.
Bochy comes out and takes out Romo for a lefty. No surprise from the announcers, no expression from Romo, but I’m wondering what the heck? Nobody on, two outs, is he kidding me? After thinking about it for a second, the light went on. Harper has been in a funk. Why allow him in a meaningless situation to do something that might make him feel better about himself? There’s two more games in the series. Keep the foot on their necks! I loved it! Wow, we haven’t had that kind of managing around here in fifteen years.
Despite your attempts to justify it, that was a stupid decision by Bochy. The only reason to take him out is because of a high pitch count, and Romo had only thrown 10 pitches.
Name, the guy won three championships in five years. The obvious move is to leave him in to finish the inning. It’s what 98% of the managers would do. I thought it was genius.
Yes. guys like Bochy and Yost are geniuses while Matt Williams is an idiot because their team got lucky in a tournament
There is nothing genius about what he did. He had to warm up another pitcher, take out an effective one, for what? It was a 3 run lead and 2 outs! You’re talking about preventing something that probably already had a 0.1% chance of happening.
Torres and Gilmartin (and rehabbing Goedell) have almost identical FIP marks near 3..00. They would be better choices as the “third” best option out of the bullpen over Parnell or Robles. I am still unsure how O’Flaherty fits in and don’t think he does fit in.
I like the motto – if you hit you play. Now let’s apply it to the pitching.
Colon last night, as a fifth starter, had a strong game. He is here and he is needed.
I’m comfortable with Robles as our third option. I think he’s been pitching quite well lately and it seems his velocity is better than ever.
Since 7/24, 7 appearences, scored on in 3 of them, 4 total ER’s.
He is not my idea of a third option.
Woops, I misspoke — I’m comfortable with Carlos Torres as our third option.
DED, I think there are a lot of young arms they could “try,” including the LHP in AAA, blanking on his name right now. He’s been lights out. However, we are talking huge pressure coming up, so my thought is that ideally I’d like another proven arm, a Clippard type. When it comes the building pens, I am all for using Goeddel, Verrett, etc — but right now I’d like one more guy who has been there, done that. Feels like a weakness to me come the playoffs. — should we get there
It all depends of course. If the Mets could find the equivalent to Alejandro Pena, 1991, count me it; he was fantastic, and the Braves would not have won without him. If what’s available is some version of Edward Mujia, say, who did save a bunch of games for a good team not so very long ago — I’d say, do we have some equivalent of Brandon Finnegan, 2014 Royals, instead?
In the Pena deal, the donating party was the New York Mets. Who do the Mets look for in a patsy?