As the weather has started to warm in this young baseball season, so have the tempers of the players. In attempt of retaliation for a bat flip that happened last season, Edubray Ramos threw at the head of Asdrubal Cabrera. This resulted in a warning to both benches and the ejection of Phillies manager Pete Mackinnon. The decision to throw at Cabrera would eventually hurt Ramos, as Cabrera subsequently walked. The walk was followed by a Jay Bruce home run, his second of the night.

Bruce again proved his worth on the team by going 2-3 with two home runs and a walk. Cabrera and Curtis Granderson provided the only other hits for the Mets, Cabrera’s being a double. The woes continued for Jose Reyes, who continues to struggle mightily. Reyes, along with Yoenis Cespedes, put up an 0-4 game with two strikeouts.

On the pitching side of the spectrum, Jacob deGrom bounced back for a fine performance after having a rocky first inning. deGrom gave up two earned runs and six hits over six innings. While this was not the dominant pitcher we have all come to know, it shows how good deGrom really is. His ability to pitch well while not having his best stuff proves that he is an elite pitcher in the league, and my gut reaction is that he will continue to have a successful season.

Out of the bullpen, Josh Smoker, Jerry Blevins, and Hansel Robles all combined to put up two scoreless relief innings. While Addison Reed gave up a solo home run and then a single in the ninth, he held on tight to finish the game and complete the save.

Overall, the Mets won a gritty game against the rival Phillies, 4-3. The series continues tomorrow night, when Matt Harvey takes the mound at Citizens Bank Park. It will be interesting to see if tonight’s incident will carryover throughout the series.

21 comments on “Gut Reaction: Mets 4, Phillies 3 (4/10/17)

  • Brian Joura

    Jay Bruce has an .870 SLG mark for the year.

  • TexasGusCC

    I would certainly retaliate for that. He did a bat flip to end the game, so what? Grow up and deal with it. He didn’t affect the remainder of the game and they should be more upset that they blew leads in the ninth and extra innings. Time for the Mets to grow a backbone or just be pushed around by every crappy team in MLB.

    As for the game, the team keeps bailing out a manager that constantly puts it in position to suffer. I am not advocating sitting Reyes, but when your “table setter” can’t get on base, maybe put him at 7 or 8? If his ego can’t handle it, put him on the bench. People tend to forget that games in April carry the same weight as games in September and there are 25 guys on the roster for a reason.

    One thing Dusty Baker did from the outset last year was he made even the spring training games important, to give the Nationals a sense of urgency that carried all season long and they won the division by a mile. Seems like the Mets are going after Game 163 again.

    • Brian Joura

      I’m sorry but I absolutely hate this.

      The relief pitcher threw a pitch 10 feet over his head so the Mets should retaliate? And why? They got the best result they could get. The pitcher was rattled, allowed Cabrera to get on base and he scored the go-ahead run.

      So the Mets retaliate and do what? Throw a pitch five feet over someone’s head? And get thrown out of the game because the ump has already warned both teams? And what if he misses and hits the guy in the head, instead?

      There are a lot of things about the way the game is played that I wish teams would do differently. But this caveman mindset where it’s okay to throw a 90 mph fastball with the idea of hitting someone is just flipping dangerous and has no place in the game.

      • TexasGusCC

        Brian, I didn’t see a single pitch from yesterday. The second line of Dalton’s write-up says they threw at Cabrera’s head. Now 10 feet over his head would be hard to justify a retaliation. I’m writing more on principle than knowledge of what did happen as I didn’t even see the compressed game yet.

        • Brian Joura

          Ten may not be accurate, either.

          But it wasn’t particularly close. If it had been, since it was in the head area, the umpire would have ejected him.

          • TexasGusCC

            http://metsmerizedonline.com/2017/04/paybacks-a-bitch.html/

            I saw the “errant” pitch. He threw at him. You don’t miss the target by that much accidentally. He wasn’t trying to hit him but rather send a message, but it wasn’t an accident

            • Brian Joura

              I read the piece but I don’t see the point in linking it unless you get paid by their site to do so.

            • Brian Joura

              No one claims otherwise.

              • Dalton Allison

                I agree with the lack of retaliation by Cabrera. The Mets retaliated by getting Cabrera on and letting Bruce clean up by hitting the home run.

  • Jimmy P

    Great move going with the hit-and-run with full count and Bruce on first. I was debating it in my mind and concluded that it was unlikely, too risky, would never happen. But TC pulled the trigger and it led to a run: walk, infield hit, two errors.

    The PH flip-flop with Conforto/Flores in 7th, I think, was both “over think” and “not think enough.” TC lost that one.

    On Reyes: Does anyone have a video clip of his one hit? I’m beginning to doubt it ever happened.

    Yes, Jose needs to sit more, maybe for two games, and get his head together. The WBC didn’t help him. They amp it up, bring it down, and then start the season. But I find it absurdly unfair to blame Collins for the slump or for his reaction to it. Seven games.

    Some fans are forever crying for managers to do something. But smart managers are aware that this is baseball, a long season, and that these are men in the clubhouse, not Strat-O-Matic cards. They absolutely cannot overreact to a bad game or mini slump. Players can’t succeed if they are constantly looking over their shoulder. Generally speaking, you pick the guys you believe in and you show them patience and support through the ups and downs of the season.

    This doesn’t mean that you don’t react. But you shouldn’t react too quickly or too dramatically.

    For example: Write Cespedes in the lineup, LF batting 3rd, and ride it out. Because of course you do.

    That said: I’d like to see Reyes sit one of these next two games vs. Phillies. His head is all effed up. But let’s be clear: We know that Flores can’t really play 3B. And I think we’re pretty sure that Rivera is not any better. How much more do we want to downgrade team defense?

    Hey, in Spring Training I suggested that Jose should bat 8th vs. RHP. But even I didn’t think it should happen after seven games. You can’t yank these guys around like that. He’s good for leadoff vs. LHP, btw.

    Jake deGrom is a tough hombre.

    And Jay Bruce!

    • TexasGusCC

      James, here’s how I look at it:

      – There is a comatose to this lineup right now and it starts at the top. Reyes wasn’t meant to be a full-time starter if Wright was healthy, so why be worried about sitting him or batting him 7th?

      – Keeping a lesser productive player at the top spot that gets the most plate appearances, means you will keep a player doing well one spot lower. Why should Duda bat 7th to please Jose’s ego when Duda is the better hitter?

      – The Mets have responded well to urgency in the past and I don’t think that there are games to be burned in April to right Jose Reyes bat. He isn’t enough of a difference maker that this team should overcome the lethargy of his left-hitting production. I look at every other player in the lineup as more of a difference maker than Jose, except the catchers. I love his defense and would continue to run him out there a majority of the time, but there isn’t a law that says he has to bat first.

      • Eraff

        7th is a nice slot for a guy like Duda—he doesn’t clog bases at 7…he avoids the pressure of the mid line up.

        • Brian Joura

          What a terrible thing – clogging the bases. Good thing that the guy we have at the top of the order doesn’t get on base, keeping the bases empty. Let’s wait until the 7th slot to bat the guy with the .364 OBP. If there’s no way to avoid having a guy on base, let’s make sure he bats close to the pitcher where it can do the least harm.

        • Dalton Allison

          Honestly, I think that if Reyes is in the lineup he should bat eighth, or if we have a slugging pitcher like Syndergaard on the mound, ninth. That speed on the bottom of the lineup would be essential to have on the base paths while our top order guys are at the plate, given he gets on base. I’m still a fan of Granderson batting lead-off.

  • Eraff

    what was the reason for the PH Flip Flop? Were they afraid that the Phils would send a Lefty to face Conforto? Seemed strange.

    • Brian Joura

      The announcers were speculating that with a short bench, they didn’t want to burn two players to get the platoon advantage.

      If that’s the main concern, ok I guess. But the best option then is probably T.J. Rivera against the RHP.

      • Jimmy P

        Yes, agreed. I thought Rivera was the way to go.

  • Metsense

    deGrom is a great competitor. He seems he always keeps the Mets in position to win.
    Jay Bruce is having a nice week.
    Reyes is not. I would like to see TJ get a start soon.
    If TC didn’t burnout his bullpen then there would be an extra bench player and the PH flip flop would not be an issue.
    I am not a fan of bat flips and definitely not a fan of throwing at a players head. Ramos showed he was immature and not focused on the task at hand.

  • Eraff

    I wonder if Cabrera would have been as upset if he’d have just been plunked in the ribs. The wacky and showy way it was done is kind of like Spitting on a Guy—it’s disrespectful.

  • Chris F

    FWIW listening to the SNY replay, Ronnie said he was surprised Cabrera didnt charge the mound. Regardless of how far exactly the ball was from his head, he intended to throw it high, hard, and with a message. It was a stupid throw by an immature pitcher.

    I think Cabrera played it right. He is living rent free in that dope’s head right now. So on top of yielding a game-winning walk off at a clutch time, he now surrenders a walk that leads to the game winning HR by the next batter. We have this mange-ridden rat right where he can do us the most good. Droobs saw that right from the start.

    This incident also seems to be a major source of confusion for me. With all the business going on in the MLB about making the game all about more emotion and saucy for the younger generation, I thought what Droobs did was exactly what the game wants. Look at all the excitement from the WBC…and as a Latino, Im sort of shocked this pitcher cant appreciate that. Furthermore, Cabrera is not a showboat…that was the perfect time for a classic flip…and MLB television has replayed it countless times over the winter. MLB cannot have it both ways here.

    • Dalton Allison

      Right now in baseball, there is a division within the players. Some players play the game old school, and others play it new school. Cabrera showed that he is in the middle of the spectrum. He bat flips when the moment deserves it, but keeps his cool when thrown at.

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