Dansby Swanson single-handedly beat the Mets in this game with dazzling play in the field, at the plate and on the bases.
Matt Harvey battled through five scoreless innings on a deft mix of changeups and breaking balls, but had to exit after that due to a high pitch count. He still didn’t have his best stuff, but he battled through adversity making some big pitches when it mattered. As usual the Mets made Braves starter Julio Teheran look like Fergie Jenkins, only able to muster one run on a solo home run by Curtis Granderson in six innings. They entered the sixth with a 1-0 lead, but Paul Sewald coughed up the lead on a two-run double to Swanson. Travis d’Arnaud tied it up on a solo home run in the seventh inning off Jason Motte.
While Jerry Blevins and Fernando Salas kept the Mets in the game with a scoreless inning apiece, any hopes of a Mets rally were dashed courtesy of three terrific defensive plays by Swanson. Salas stayed in the game in 9th, mainly because his spot in the order would be due up in the 10th (has Terry Collins never heard of a double switch?) and he promptly allowed Swanson’s second double. It was actually a pretty routine single, a hard ground ball up the middle, but with the weak armed Granderson playing deep, Swanson aggressively stretched it to a double. Collins then went back to the bullpen, bringing in Josh Edgin, but pinch hitter Rio Ruiz hit a ground ball through the chasm that is the hole between Asdrubal Cabrera and Jose Reyes these days and Michael Conforto couldn’t get the ball out of his mitt to make it a close play at home and the Braves won just like that.
Had Collins not been asleep at the wheel, he could have double switched and had Juan Lagares in center field in the ninth and the gold glover would never have allowed Swanson to turn that single into a double. This game might have turned out differently.
The Mets now sit at an unfathomable eight games under .500. The Mets and Braves meet again for a double header tomorrow and will welcome back Steven Matz and Yoenis Cespedes. Come on, Mets, let’s get it going now!
wow, that tasted bad.
Tehran is a pretty terrific young Pitcher!… don’t minimize that.
Last night was a big step for Harvey—good breaking stuff and better location. The high early pitch count hurt him, but he has something to work with going forward. I remain convinced that he has terrific starts ahead…this season.
It was an encouraging game for Harvey and another discouraging loss for the Mets.
A six man rotation just doesn’t make sense. The problem has been the starters not going deep enough into games and the bullpen being overworked. The Met solution is to add another starting pitcher to the rotation so that he doesn’t go deep enough and the bullpen is still overworked. There are no innings being saved. Blevins, Edgin and Reed are the most reliable bullpen pieces. Gsellman should go to the pen and be used in games like last night where the starter only goes five and Gsellman finishes out the game saving innngs for the bullpen thus keeping Seawald, Smoker,Ramirez and Salas out of high leverage situations. Yes, it is unconventional and difficult to manage but the starters are not getting distance and the team is eight games below .500.
Lost last night to speed and defense and energy. Saw it over and over again.
Granderson got lazy on that terrific play by Swanson, announcers gave him a pass. Watch the replay again.
How do we not have Rosario up in the Bigs?
All this talk wondering if he’s “ready” or not.
Is Reyes ready? Or Cabrera? Or Rivera? Or Flores?
Where is the perfect player, arriving fully-formed like Venus on a half-shell?
He’s hitting .340 in Vegas. At this point, all he can learn are bad habits.
How about this question: Can he help us win games now?
BTW, Atlanta manager worked his pen just like everybody in the MLB works their pen. He matched up, over and over again. It’s what they all do. And it worked. Everybody is working from the same data and nobody wants to be the outlier, which is the fastest way to be criticized.
Oh, and of course Metsense is completely right about the 6-man rotation, though I think that’s a short-term function of today’s DH. I just wish they called it a “spot start” and got the language right.
It’s getting very late.
When I look at Matt Adams at 1B for the Braves, picked up for a song, I wonder how much Duda and Bruce will demand on the open market this winter. Lucas has the back issue to further complicate matters.
Welcome back, Yo.
Yes, we were in the 9th inning of a tied game, and Granderson didn’t hustle to the ball—hit hard up the middle to him. Fine him and bench him. And yes, Lagares should have been out there anyway.
And wasn’t that an outside pitch to the LH batter who won the game for the Braves—with Cabrera positioned right behind second base? Bad execution by the pitcher, or bad positioning?
Sheesh….
Tough to pull Granderson in 3-3 tie for Lagares.
Also, Cabrera holding on Swanson, though it could be argued that Flores should have taken that responsibility with RH hitter at plate. Had to try to keep him close, can’t be everywhere.
Jimmy P – I had the same thought about speed. It can be a difference maker. Look at what Swanson does for the Braves and what Turner does for the Nats. The Mets are a slow, sluggish team and it shows on the bases – where we are a station to station offense that waits for a home run that sometimes doesn’t come – and in the field where too many balls are finding holes and gaps. Rosario could make a huge impact.
Alderson is an American League guy who values power way over speed and defense, usually to this team’s detriment. He has an opportunity to rectify that a bit as he transitions Rosario and later Dom Smith into the roster.
The Met announcers have become more typical “Homers” ….against a history of being relatively “level”. The have become very pronounced in their critique of “other team players”, both on-field and personal stuff, while being relatively silent about Mets Players. Lot’s of “Low Hustle” comments directed at non-Mets…not much aimed at Mets.