It ought to be easy, ought to be simple enough
Man meets woman and they fall in love
But the house is haunted and the ride gets rough
And you’ve got to learn to live with what you can’t rise above
The Mets jumped out to an 8-0 lead and what should have been simple enough instead turned into a nail-biter that required Terry Collins to call on his closer in the 8th inning. But Jeurys Familia did the job and helped the Mets escape with an 8-6 win Friday night in Atlanta.
The Mets held a 5-0 lead after four innings, as they had some timely hitting and Steven Matz was getting the Braves to beat the ball into the ground. Then, in the top of the fifth, the Mets extended to an 8-0 lead thanks to a three-run homer by James Loney.
And then I made dinner.
I have no idea how, but the Braves scored six runs and Collins left Matz in to take all the abuse. A three-run homer by a pinch-hitter made it 8-5 but Matz was kept in the game because the next three guys were all lefty batters. Three singles later it was 8-6 and the go-ahead run was at the plate.
Hansel Robles came on and turned in another outstanding performance, stranding two runners in the fifth and adding two more scoreless innings. In his last three outings, Robles has gone multiple innings each time and he has 8.1 IP, 2 ER, 1 BB and 12 Ks in that span.
The ninth inning contained its fair share of drama. Familia allowed a leadoff hit, then hit a batter. Next man up tried to sacrifice but Wilmer Flores was unable to catch the line bunt yet somehow ended up turning a double play, getting both lead runners out.
Familia struck out the next batter but the ball got away from the catcher. Travis d’Arnaud had to chase down the ball and make a long throw to first. Thanks to a fine defensive play by Loney, the Mets got the out and the win.
So, Mets fans, what can you rise above and what can you live with?
As the Mets Batted in the Top of the 5th, the Camera caught Matz in the dugout….. rubbing his Elbow while sitting on the bench.
Some bad luck aside, he had no snap in the bottom of the 5th. His arm and action in the that inning clearly demonstrated problems….. I’m concerned that the problem was more than fatigue. He pitched like he was hurt….. he looked like He thought he was hurt.
That’s a scary observation. I sometimes worry if he’s a long-term answer, health-wise. There have been times when I’ve wondered if he’s the one you trade because of those concerns.
I don’t know.
The Mets are only 3 games out of first place.
This game was Loney Tunes! The double take from Cespedes when the ball fell 30 feet away from him on a fly ball was classic Wiley Coyote trying to see where the Road Runner went to. Flores Bugs Bunny play of now you see it now you don’t fooled the Elmer Fudd Braves into a DP. The final Porky Pig strikeout and game saving catch on a great play that should not have been capped off the game with a “That’s All Folks”.
“What’s Up Doc”, James Loney has an .830 OPS which is 80 points above his career avg and about 130 points above what anyone expected. It is what the doctor ordered.
Saw the end of the Nat game and smiled that they too could not get the tieing runs in with no outs in the eighth. Teams never look good in a losing streak and I hope the Nats get Coyote Ugly.
Conforto Looks mentally defeated…he’s looking for 2 hits per pitch—swings at everything. They need to get a quick measure on whether he can ride this out.
They need competitive ab’s in the next several Games—it’s a helluva spot to flip Nimmo Here… inserting him in a Crucial series coming up?
I’m sure Comforto has plenty in his ear right now….. I’m favoring Riding him out. Great Player have gone through this…Trout went Through it (of course, he was farmed out for a while).
Jose Reyes—the Jersey is still in my closet!
An Aging Diva is an Aging Diva…. they can bring him back on the condition that they are ready to allow him to fail. I love Reyes…I miss Reyes…but he needs to be Reyes in some way……. an old baseball card we do not need!
An energized Reyes, fighting for his career, playing part-time, electrified by a return to NYC, could give the team a positive jolt.
I see upside and very little downside on a team that has featured Ty Kelly, Matt Reynolds, Eric Campbell Wilmer Flores, in similar roles.
I don’t know how it will go, but this is Loney 2.0. Worth a shot.
And, you know, from the perspective of compassion, and forgiveness, Jose Reyes was our guy. He was a great Met. And he desperately needs this opportunity. It’s only fair and right that the Mets give him this chance. And, yes, he’s going to need to do and say all the right things, every single day.
Bring in Reyes. We’re building the bench for the post-season and a bigger deal in July.
What I can rise above?
– Right off the bat, leaving Matz in to keep getting slaughtered. For the second straight night, I heard the entire game on the radio. Sure does help a three and a half hour trip go better. Lewin and Rose were puzzled as to why Matz was still in there, and while Lewin surmised it was to pitch to the lefties, they both asked why Bastardo wasn’t in yet.
– On Cespedes losing the ball in the sky, they expected Cespedes to have communicated better that he lost it since Conforto was actually in a very good position to catch it.
– Also, TDA eighth again? Is this why they were waiting for him with bated breath, Rivera and Plawecki weren’t holding down the bottom of the order well enough?
What can I live with?
– A great heads up play by Flores to move his glove at the last second to not actually catch the ball but just trap it. Best case scenario, double play. Worst case, a force at third. Familia needed that and a great scoop by Loney to get out of the ninth. Meanwhile, on Thursday night D’Backs commentators were crowing about Tyler Clippard; enjoy him guys.
– I liked the Loney signing because it gave us a reliable glove that would just bat ok for the bottom of the order. The bat has been a real surprise. Ironically, Fangraphs has him at a negative fielding WAR. While I was trying to figure out what games they’re watching, I realized it’s due to his errors; he has 3 in just 22 games. He’s the best we’ve had since Hernandez with the glove. Whoever said Duda was just as good should re-evaluate.
– A win. I’ll take them ugly, fat, or skinny.
Thanks Gus!
I don’t think I can rise above leaving Matz in that long. Coming into the game, we heard about how there was concern about him and they were going to monitor him. While I didn’t see the inning and recognize that it may have been bloops, bleeders and botches — I think leaving him in to allow six runs to score on a night where you’re monitoring him is kind of unforgivable.
And only you could spin that Flores play into a calculating move on his part! In a twisted way, I admire your dedication to defending him.
While I never strived to be Flores’ defender on Mets blogs or the president, secretary, and sole member of his fan club, I just wanted to see the guy get a real chance. Something we all knew Collins didn’t want to give him.
I saw that play a couple of times and it seems to be good old sandlot baseball. On a bunt like that, the runners are screwed; we all know that. He charged and dove and at the last second pulled his glove back and closed it early so the ball doesn’t go in. It hit the heel of the glove and fell to the ground.
I am actually starting to think that he may be more valuable as a super sub, but I’m very happy for him that he has had a chance to show he can be a valuable contributor.