Well, at least they kept Stanton in the yard.
That’s about the best you can say about the Mets’ desultory, deadly dull 3-1 loss to the Marlins. The offense was held completely in check by Miami lefty Justin Nicolino — a pitcher on whom the Mets usually feast — over the course of five innings. On the Mets’ side, Chris Flexen pitched…OK, but not terrific. He walked four in his five-an-a-third, giving up all the runs the Marlins would need early.
In the top of the second, Marcell Ozuna drew a charitable walk: home plate ump Larry Vanover was putting the squeeze on Flexen a wee bit. J. T. Realmuto then hit high fly over Yoenis Cespedes’s head and it landed in the party deck for a 2-0 Marlins lead. As Warner Wolf used to say, “Ya coulda turned your sets off right there.” But Miami added one for good measure in the third. With one out, home run sensation Giancarlo Stanton — on a pace for 60-plus legitimate longballs — drew his second walk of the night. Christian Yelich cracked a liner to the base of the left field wall, as Stanton held on at third. He would score when Ozuna sent centerfielder Juan Lagares to the wall to snare a long fly. The Mets got that one back in the bottom half, on one-out singles by Lagares and Asdrubal Cabrera and — after a Cespedes fly out — an RBI safety by Wilmer Flores.
After that, it was a game of attrition, neither side able to mount even a pale imitation of a rally. This was a game whose start was delayed by two hours due to thunderstorms and finished after midnight. My hat is off to the hardy few who stuck it out though nine innings at a damp ballpark in Queens. The biggest excitement came post-game, when word came out that Curtis Granderson was going to the Dodgers in yet another Sandy Special Salary Purge: the return is a player to be named later and cash considerations.
It’s Rafael Montero vs. Vance Worley Saturday night. Good luck with that.
Good Luck Grandyman, win yourself a ring!
Quick recap on our 2018 status: Smith has to be as productive than Duda was, TJ Rivera has to be as productive than Walker was and Nimmo/Lagares needs to be as productive than Bruce was. I am not necessarily advocating that these three should be resigned only that their production needs to be replaced. The offense was not the problem in 2017, the pitching was, but without an offense it won’t matter if the pitching does turn itself around in 2018. Right now none of the three (four) are major league starters. Last nights game looked like a May 2015 game and that is being generous.
Mets will need to bring in some real players if they want to compete.
They have needs all over the field, especially on the mound. Going with the guys you named would be akin to waving a white flag.
BTW, re: white flags. I think if poor Dominic Smith took a white flag to the plate for his PHing appearance he would have had a better chance. Just a brutal AB there. Poor kid is lost.
Last night in the chatter Name and I were discussing a rumor I heard on FB that he was getting traded to the Astros. We were wondering if it made any sense for them to acquire him. It may make less sense for the Dodgers, who just got Adrian Gonzalez back and had Cody Bellinger play the OF.
That’s one deep team the Dodgers have now.
And good luck Granny. You were one streaky guy but we shouldn’t forget the good streaks. In his last 298 PA for the Mets, he had a .965 OPS. If that were his season-long total, it would be the 8th-best mark in the NL, just behind Bellinger.
In the NL, I think we can still catch the Reds and Giants, but there’s too much ground between the Mets and the Phils. We can try — I know we’ll try — but 10 games out is a lot.
I am glad that Wilmer got a mention. He is too often ignored. However, you neglected to mention his circus catch at 1B.
Much like a reliever can’t give up runs and pitch himself into a save situation, you don’t get credit for a circus catch when you trip over your own feet.