There’s no place like home. The Mets returned from a disastrous road trip and snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 3-0 win over the Angels Friday night.
- Jacob deGrom gave the team what it desperately needed – a strong outing from a starter. He went seven innings and fanned nine. He earned his first win since May 3.
- Curtis Granderson had an RBI double, scoring Michael Conforto in the bottom of the first inning, giving deGrom the early lead. Conforto closed the scoring with a homer in the bottom of the seventh. Rene Rivera extended his hitting streak to 11 games with an RBI single in the sixth.
- The Angels had opportunities to score in both the seventh and eighth innings but were unable to push a run across. Addison Reed pitched a hitless ninth to earn his fifth save of the year and the Mets their first shutout since Opening Day.
One word : Finally
As Ron said in-game, this is the kind of game we were expecting to see regularly before the season started.
Interesting comment by Ron Datling about the Mets starters….”They have protected them to Mediocrity”
Amazing Candor and critique from the home booth…. and a very strong position that I’d like to her more about from Mr. Darling
How refreshing to see an “old fashioned” baseball game where your ace is pitching a shutout and gets into a late inning jam and it it his is responsible and accountability to pitch himself out of it. It just does not happen too often.
Reyes called it a “clean game” and his point is well taken, no errors and no base running gaffes. Lately, you just don’t see that too often.
The Mets, without conventional personnel to bat at the top of the order, seems to be giving up a lot of potential RBI’s without Conforto in the second or third hole. Power hitters leading off, you just don’t see that too often.
Paul Sewald, since his May recall, has struck out 15 in 11 innings, and contributed to the Mets win. A Mets win, you just don’t see that too often
Yes, the Mets have rejected the “table setters” concept and I’ve always felt that was a mistake.
But a solid win, good to see.
I’m kind of done with Jose Reyes as team spokesman, veteran leader. How many baserunning blunders has he had of late? But he’s a good backup SS.
Good point by Darling on protecting the pitchers. Whatever they did this Spring Training, it sure didn’t work. The slow starts seemed to lead to . . . a slow start.
Let’s see them scrape and claw and get healthy. Come Super 2 deadline, let’s bring Rosario up.
Hey, you never know.
Jim…I took Darling’s comments to be directed at their overall approach with this group, over a long time frame. It’s a big Thought Kernel, and I’d like to hear more of his opinion on it. I’m not predisposed to accept his opinion, but guys like Darling and Smoltz are worthy of a Listen whenever they get to areas of Pitcher Development and Management. They have an an informed and well connected point of view—I want to hear more from RD on this.
Darling was my favorite player and now my favorite announcer. I’ve read both of his books. He’s very knowledgeable. I agree that the Mets may have overcoddled these arms. Their spring training approach was clearly off. Perhaps the idea to bring them along slowly and stretch them out inti the season might have worked better if we had the 7 healthy starters we entered ST with instead of 4.
I like Dan Warthen and I don’t believe Ray Ramirez is at fault. However, I think the organization needs a paradigm shift with regard to how they handle pitchers. Part of what made Seaver, Ryan and their generation successful was a focus on legs – running, sretching. Also long tossing. Not weight lifting and strict innings limits.
I’ve always felt that someday, somewhere, some club is going to do things differently and, as a result, have a competitive advantage. However, because of the fluidity of player movement, that might not be possible.
I do think a four-man rotation would be really interesting. You’d have an 8-man pen and a true long man/spot starter type. Or maybe two.
At same time, I totally sympathize with any organization that is trying to save and protect their starting pitching. It’s worth a try. These guys are valuable.
Unfortunately, you can’t overestimate the pull to do things like everyone else.
The Rockies went to a four-man rotation a few years ago and despite (relatively) positive results, went back to a five-man. Twenty-something years of failure trying to do things one way wasn’t enough of an incentive to keep with something different.
It’s that CYA approach and I hate it.
I don’t buy the “fact” that Seaver’s generation was so healthy…yes, Seaver was Healthy. Ryan Was Healthy.
Gary Nolan, Wayne Simpson, Gary Gentry, Mark Prior, Jon Matlack, Vic Radatz, “Schoolboy Rowe”…..
You find 5 guys who pitched forever…I’ll find a Hundred 95 year old Grandpas who smoked two packs and drank a fifth of Scotch every day….
…. The idea that Pitchers are so unhealthy now is mostly a result of Scarcity—there are just never that many MLB pitchers on the planet at once. With a 16 team universe, only the best and healthiest every made it—part of it was proof by lack of arm failure….and , still, a tremendous number/share of the Pitchers got hurt.
Have you ever heard of Wayne Simpson????? Of Course not!!! In 1970, he was 20 years old and 14-3 for The Big Red Machine— 176 innings and 123 Hits!!!!! He was the eighth pick in his draft class—he is part of one of the greatest washouts of pitchers ever—Gullet, Nolan….Simpson….. They make GenerationK look like Chicken Liver!….. they bwere accomplished…and young…and they Blew out
here’s some good reading
http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2013/08/28/the-long-sad-history-of-injured-pitchers/
Forget about this Myth of healthy Old Time Pitchers….it does not exist.
I agree. It’s the same “good old days” myth that made Fox News millions.
I’m not implying that pitchers haven’t always gotten hurt, but rather not all got hurt