Not too often does a game live up to the hype but this one did. What was the hype? Here’s the last two sentences from yesterday’s recap: Now the Mets face the Braves with Steven Matz making his first start in a month. Friday could be ugly. The Braves and Matz both did their parts, as Atlanta opened the series with a 15-2 win.
In a game featuring two LHP coming off the IL, Max Fried ran his record to 7-0 while Matz saw his fall to 0-5. But Matz had plenty of company in the lousy pitching department. Franklyn Kilome gave up the same six runs as Matz, but in one fewer inning. Jarred Hughes gave up 3 ER in 3.2 IP. The pitching star of the game for the Mets was Todd Frazier, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth and even got a strikeout thanks to a generous call from the home plate ump. Frazier threw the ball in the dugout for a keepsake.
It’s pretty darn annoying that the hitting star of yesterday’s game was on the bench because the other team started a lefty. Jeff McNeil was in the lineup and went 1-5. Ditto for Michael Conforto. Dominic Smith was 0-3 and Robinson Cano was 0-1. Brandon Nimmo has historically done just fine against LHP and this automatic benching because of a .650 OPS in 55 PA is a classic case of overreacting to small samples.
The Mets need their best players in the lineup whenever possible. Especially on a night where they figured to need as much offense as possible. But Luis Rojas is a great communicator so we shouldn’t question him for starting Matz and benching Nimmo.
Why does no one talk about Jeremy Hefner and the job he is doing? Why has he not turned Matz around? And where is his tutelage to Wacha and Porcello How do you go from a solid #4 to someone who would be sent to Syracuse if the minor leagues were up and running? Phil Regan might be 83 but I thought he did a good job last year and if he is still able/alive let’s bring him back. They say Chili is coaching remotely and if true I would say he is pretty effective given our offense. Jury is still out on Rojas but not giving Nimmo a start after yesterday is absurd. What happened to playing the hot hand? No problem with McNeil in the lead off spot but that’s where a Nimmo should be batting. Tomorrow is another day but we are quickly running out of days.
The good news: It only counts for one loss. They can still win two out of three.
The bad news: There’s only 10 games left and the pitching is actually starting to get worse.
It is a shame that the pitching was so bad this season. How often do the bats lead the league in hitting? The stars did not align.
Now we know why Guillorme was sent down. Frazier is a better pitcher.
Gut Reaction: Matz is a mess. The Giants are a .500 ballclub and if the playoffs started this morning they would be going home. This is the reality.
Matz is abriation eligible in 2021 with an $5m plus price tag. He has a minor league option remaining. Starting pitching is scarce. If he is tendered then he would be a $5m rotation depth insurance policy that might ended up in the minors. The 2018-2019 was a good #4 starter. Maybe it is time to move on for the Mets and Matz and to part ways.
Well, the Mets got a taste of varsity baseball once again. Yes, Matz was a gamble and somehow has turned into Matt Harvey. But, none of the follow up guys are MLB caliber either, except for maybe Frazier. So, the Mets are in the absolute worst place, a non-playoff team without a top 10 pick, and down to a 12% chance of getting to the playoffs. And, 5 of 9 games are against top tier teams. The Braves have destroyed the Mets this season, with a massive run differential and little competitiveness. And the Braves have had big starting pitching issue too. Lots of work to be done this winter. At this point I’d likely be happier with a long losing streak and Jake shut down.