It was a fitting ending to a rotten sports day, as the Mets dropped the rubber game against the Yankees, 11-2, in front of a national TV audience on ESPN’s Sunday night game.
- The Mets held a 1-0 lead before it all fell apart in the sixth inning. An inning earlier, Juan Uribe left the game with an injured collarbone. Daniel Murphy replaced him in the field and he tried to make a highlight reel play at first base. He didn’t and the runner ended up on second base. The next batter bunted and the Mets had him dead to rights at third base. But David Wright couldn’t handle the throw, the runner was safe and things went downhill from there. Next thing you know it was a 5-1 deficit.
- Matt Harvey was dominant but left the game after five innings as the club looked to meet the arbitrary innings limit. He should have been the story of the game for a dominant pitching outing. Instead he’s the story of the game for an entirely different reason. Thanks Obama.
- And if the game wasn’t disgusting enough, we were treated to an appearance by the nameless, useless LOOGY. He faced five batters, four of them lefties. He allowed a single, HBP and a walk (all by lefties) before being removed. He now has a 12.46 ERA with the Mets. It’s the worst ERA in team history for any pitcher with at least 10 games. There are 767 seasons in team history with at least 10 pitching games and this is the worst. If there was any justice in the world, he never would have been added to the team in the first place. That he continues to be employed is flipping insanity.
- Up 11-2 in the 9th inning, the Yankees challenged a bang-bang play at first base. It’s why we have replay.
It seems to me like the good mojo that was happening in August and early September has taken a step back from this team and we are left waiting for Cespedes and come from behind wins. It was fun and it was exciting, but this team needs a change of heart.
We all see the game changing plays in the late innings, but they happen in the middle innings too and good teams won’t let you recover. A few thoughts:
– Wright must make that play, period! Bad enough Tejada is not bird-dogging Ellsbury and even standing with his glove off between pitches; come on! I wonder what the opposition thinks when they see this stuff.
– The one thing that surprised me most of all was when the home plate umpire went to talk to Robles prior to him making his first pitch, no one went to inquire why Robles is being messed with by the home plate ump. Our players’ psyche is being affected much too much for my comfort and I would love to see the Mets even try that with the Yankees. Take note Collins supporters. Kruk surmised that it might be the quick pitch, but if the announcers were interested shouldn’t the manager be?
– Kruk pointing out how Cespedes didn’t even try to go to right field in the first inning with Wright on second and no one out. Good point, and we need to embrace the Prima Donna in Cespedes now if there is going to be a six year deal offered. But we do need him…
I admit to being hopeful about the Mets going into the postseason, but worried that their little deficiencies will make them an easy out.
The biggest and most inexplicable problem with this team are these collective slumps. Fine Cespedes is in a liitle slump – but with all the depth we have, does everyone have to stop hitting at the same time?
The sixth inning was a disaster!
Innings limits (or limiting pitch counts) belong in March not September (but we all know that!). Unfortunately, it is what it is. If we take a deep breath, and continue on the playoff path, Harvey will get pulled again after five innings in a regular season game , but the Mets will clinch anyway. I don’t believe in imposed innings limits within a game, and I would go ballistic if it were a playoff game and he is 5 and gone. So what is the difference between last nights innings and playoff innings. If his elbow is going to fall off at 180 pitches, then why isn’t it going to fall off during the playoffs? Last night I saw a healthy pitcher leave a game that he was dominating and for no apparent reason.
The next ten games should do it. Remember, the Nats have to run the table pretty much. Put yesterday behind us and focus on catching the Dodgers. LGM
With such a low pitch count, Harvey should have pitched. He should have insisted. This is such nonsense.
Cespedes is a world class talent and a head case. There is little chance he can go 0-18 and sit down with the hitting coach and watch video. His ego will not permit it. He then takes his attitude into the field and base paths.
We can get what we want out of Harvey and perhaps seek a powerful blockbuster trade, but other teams are aware of his agent’s nonsense. He can talk a player into sitting out, too, for the extra money. He is bad news and we buckled, which is a shame.
Sending him to a Colorado like place only cuts off our own nose: we need young bats and it matters now where we send him short of those bats; or we can trade him after running up innings next year. I am concerned about his impact in the club house, though. Page Six wanna be, far more than a winner who says, “give me the fall and screw my agent, I play to win…”
This was very ugly and did not have to end like this.
1) I don’t much care about the Harvey innings count, though yes, I think it was the wrong decision to pull him after five. I’m not angry at anybody, since I do think that managing the workload in his first year back from TJ is a real concern, particularly since the Mets need him to be strong in the postseason. People can debate how best to manage that workload. But the folks who deny it completely as a concern just don’t register with me.
2) Watching this game, the Mets have gotten sloppy of late. It seems very clear to me that Sabbathia’s attack mode was to stay out of the strike zone as much as possible. Away, down, inside, didn’t matter. He wanted hitters to chase and, on the whole, the Mets complied. The way to beat a guy like Sabbathia is to force him to come over the plate with his diminished stuff, and he was determined not to let that happen. The Mets were mentally soft on both sides of the ball.
They need to take care of business this next week, starting now. With Niese & Verrett next two up, I’m a little concerned. The whole team needs to come to play. I would really, really like to see this nailed down before the Nationals come to town. I essentially see this as a three-game lead.
At the same time, two things remain true: 1) The Mets have to win games to take the Division. 2) The Mets will go as far as the starting pitching takes them.
yep, 3 game lead with 10 to play.
Very well spoken on all matters Peter.
It doesn’t really matter what anyone else thinks so I won’t add my opinion. For a few weeks now, we have reached it is what it is time with Harvey.
My prediction is Matt Harvey is not going to be of any real impact in a 2015 postseason. That was the message from a few weeks ago, and everything else from both the Mets and Harvey’s camp is PR.
This new “plan” is designed to keep him just sharp enough to go four or five innings in Game Two of the NLDS at which time all will say “we are continuing to evaluate.” And if they make the NLCS the evaluation will be that he needs to be shutdown.
In the end the Mets will be in the same spot the Nationals were in with Strasberg, win without the guy. Hopefully it turns out better for the Mets.
And frankly, if it does go down like this I owe the Nationals a big apology. All this disruption to making the playoffs doesn’t seem worth it to me for 75 NLDS pitches. The Nats did the right thing, they just put the guy aside and went after it. It’s fairly obvious now that Boras would have never let him pitch either.
Sorry Nats.
My take is that Matt Harvey goes 7 dominant innings for the Mets in the NLDS, pulled at the standard pitch limits he’s been at all season (around 100-105).
If there’s an NLCS, I see him throwing Game 3 or Game 4.
And I don’t think you could keep him away from the World Series.
Three starts, possibly four.
But we may never know.
Haha, thanks Obama. I love it!
The replay call was atrocious.
This innings limit stuff is garbage and the Mets deserve getting bitten in the ass for it.