The Mets took the rubber game against the Braves on Sunday, emerging with a 5-1 win. They are now 9-6 against Atlanta this season.
Robert Gsellman gave the Mets their second straight strong start, as he hurled seven innings and allowed just one run. Gsellman retired 10 in a row before back-to-back errors in the seventh inning by Amed Rosario led to the Braves’ only run.
Jose Reyes had an RBI triple in the first inning and later scored on a fielder’s choice by Rosario to give the Mets an early 2-0 lead.
The Mets tacked on three runs in the ninth inning. Rosario beat out an infield hit, stole second and scored on a double by Phillip Evans. Asdrubal Cabrera delivered a pinch-hit two-run homer for the game’s final runs.
I wonder if Terry Collins will sit Rosario for the next game, not so much for the errors but for that hot doggy eephus ball throw to first that nearly got away from Dominic Smith
I would certainly hope not.
With Robert Gaellman on the mound, two things popped into mind:
1. The Braves line-up sure ain’t the Cubs.
2. Is Gesellman just teasing us with his inconsistency?
Gsellman has a FIP better than Wheeler, Matz and Harvey in 2017. He needed this game to remain relevant (which is used very loosely) because another stinker would have buried him. Gsellman has stated the second most games in the rotation with 20.
When assessing Wheeler, I’d caution anyone from making conclusions based on sum statistical totals.
First: Obviously, we don’t know if he’s healthy now or will ever be healthy again. So I’d set him aside on a shelf somewhere. What I wouldn’t do is make statistical comparisons based on whole of 2017.
Wheeler pitched very well for about 10 starts, as I recall. Then he was hurt and pitched two consecutive starts where he didn’t get out of the 2nd inning. Obviously, clearly, he should not have started those games, was not right.
When he came back, he still wasn’t right and got DL’d again.
My strong feeling is that a healthy Zach Wheeler is light years beyond what we saw from Gsellman this season.
Actually, my conclusion is that numbers are not going to help us here. An injured pitcher simply can’t be measured by his performance on the mound. This is true of Matz and Harvey, too. There’s no point comparing these tainted statistics.
We need them to be fully healthy. In the case of Matz and Wheeler, I’m reasonably optimistic that if they can (ever) attain healthy status, they will both be effective 6-inning pitchers. With Matt Harvey, I’m more concerned that he’s been compromised to the point where he’ll never be very good again.
We’re really not going to know until Feb, March, April. Nothing we write or even “think” matters in September. We just don’t know.
Given that, the Mets have to plan for the worst.
The reason I mention sum statistics is to show awareness of how poor the performance is of an “unhealthy” Harvey, Matz and Wheeler are. I think we all agree that Montero, Lugo and Gsellman are only back end rotation pieces over the course of a season. The main point in my thinking is that the Mets need to obtain a front end starter to slot in with deGrom and Syndergaard. That will leave the Mets six pitchers to vie for the fourth and fifth spots. I prefer these odds better.
I agree, and I also like the idea of stashing a “healthy” Wheeler or Gsellman or Lugo or Matz in the pen if there’s suddenly no room in the rotation. It may be where they help the most.
I mean to say: We don’t need to save them a spot.