This game never ceases to amaze fans. Arguably the best team in baseball sent their ace to the mound against a team that is projected to win 81 games, while they sent their 5th starter to the hill. In the end the latter won, which improved their opening day record to 35-19. After watching one of the more interesting Opening Day matchups, much has been learned about both teams. Here are the three most important facts that both teams demonstrated on Monday:
Lucas Duda is a star and is money-motivated:
In the games leading up to Opening Day, there were reports that the Mets and Duda were in discussions for a potential long-term contract extension. Many assumed that nothing would actually come to be and they were correct as Duda did not receive a huge paycheck. The main reason for the lack of a long-term deal was a fear on the part of the Mets that Duda had a fluke 2014 season. Duda put those fears to rest for now after delivering a clutch 2-run single to put the Mets in front on Monday. At this point, it’s very clear that Duda wants to get paid and he is showing that front-and-center.
The 41-year old, 285-pound Bartolo Colon can still pitch:
Heading into Opening Day, many Mets fans were mildly disappointed that Colon was taking the hill instead of Matt Harvey. While many voiced their objections to the hysteria (ie. Mike Francesa), many still insisted on being upset. Somehow after 202.1 innings and a respectable 4.09 ERA people still doubted the 18-year veteran. Colon silenced all the doubters with six solid innings of one-run ball. How Colon will pitch the rest of the season remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure – he can handle a big game.
Don’t worry about Travis d’Arnaud
During Spring Training, it seemed as if every hitter on the Mets was absolutely raking against the opposition with the exception of three players. Two were under injury (Daniel Murphy and Duda), but d’Arnaud didn’t have a legitimate excuse. After quietly hitting .212 during spring training, some people were a tad concerned about a potential lack of production. For now, d’Arnaud has silenced the critics going 2-4 with a rocket triple and hard-hit single. With Kevin Plawecki knocking at the door, d’Arnaud must watch his back in order to keep a job in the “Greatest City in the World.”
Max Scherzer is an excellent pitcher:
If you’re a baseball fan, or even a Mets fan, you should know how fierce Scherzer can be. He dominated the American League Central for about three years until he was priced too high (pun somewhat intended). Now that he has moved over to the National League East he has already started a new reign. Even though he is leading the league in losses, after leading the league in wins in 2013&14, Scherzer was dominant for the better part of 7.2 innings. The only mistakes he made were his walks to Curtis Granderson and the fastball to Duda. All in all, it might be a long year facing the former Cy Young award winner.
Dan Uggla is no longer a major league starter:
After hitting 25+ homeruns for the first six seasons of his career, Uggla has completely fallen flat on his face. He has failed to hit above .235 since his move from the Marlins and hasn’t hit above .200 since 2012. Uggla was always shaky in the field, but he was especially ill equipped on Monday. He failed to locate a David Wright pop-up that would have ended the sixth inning, which led to two runs. He was also inadequate at the plate with zero hits and a strikeout. The Nationals better hope that Anthony Rendon comes back soon, so Yunel Escobar can move to second base and they will have a worthy player next to Ian Desmond.
The Nationals are weak without their stars
While the win on Opening Day was certainly satisfying for a Mets fan, one has to remember the absence of Denard Span, Jayson Werth, and Anthony Rendon. Those three players are arguably the best three hitters on the roster and without them they aren’t much of an offensive unit. The Mets should win as many games as they can while the Nationals are weak, because it could be a rough summer when everyone returns.
Shame on you if you came to any of these conclusions based on one game.
I don’t think these are “set-in-stone” conclusions. They are clearly knee-jerk reactions to an extremely small sample size. This is just my interpretation of what happened.
Nothing about Duda so far seems to be money-motivated. I think he wants to win.
Did you use a “Jump to Conclusion” mat to make these decisions? That’s not a bust on you, I just wanted to make an Office Space reference.
All teams are weak without their stars Julian. Take Wright and Duda out of the line up and the Mets are dead in the water. It’s only 1 game. Why should Duda after waiting patiently for his turn give the Mets a team friendly contract? If he hits 30+ home runs again he will start to approach Chris Davis numbers. Let him stay hungry and continue to provide the Mets with a fresh new attitude from one of their home grown kids. He’s willing to do what the team asks of him. So let’s see what you’ll say after the Mets lose the second game because one of the Nat subs hits a game winning hit.
Pete, bite your tongue, LOL
Gus it was just a hypothetical. I love my Mets. I despise the FO and the owners.