For the Mets, all had appeared lost after starter Rob Gsellman allowed a total of six runs in five innings. It was a bit of a rough start for Gsellman, who walked three, allowed four hits, and gave up a three run home run to Adam Lind. This should be troubling for a pitcher who is trying to earn his spot on the 2018 roster. My Gut Reaction is that Gsellman is hurting his chances to make the team by putting up weak performances as of late.
A poor performance from the starter did not slow the Mets though, as they stormed back to win 7-6. The power came from catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who slugged two home runs on the evening. Nori Aoki also had a successful night at the plate with three hits and two RBIs. Asdrubal Cabrera and Juan Lagares also finished with two hits each. Jose Reyes, Dom Smith, and Amed Rosario each had a hit on the evening. The offense had a huge inning in the fifth, when they erupted for five runs.
Tonight, the bullpen played a big part in the victory. Chasen Bradford, Paul Sewald, Jerry Blevins, AJ Ramos, and Josh Smoker all did not give up runs in their appearances. Tomorrow, the Mets will look to take a 2-0 series lead against the rival Washington Nationals when Noah Syndergaard will make a one inning start and then hand the ball to Matt Harvey at 7:10.
One should take note of the very unfamiliar Nats line-up.
And how many guys from Opening Day were in our lineup?
Not really my point, but the answer is Reyes (3B) and Cabrera (SS).
I should add that it bewilders me why Reyes and Cabrera are even in the line-up. At this point in the season Cecchini and Evans should be getting the playing time.
I don’t understand the fascination with guys wanting to play guys like Cecchini and Evans. What are you possibly going to learn in 1 or 2 weeks that we aren’t haven’t already known, playing something that only slightly resembles the game we love?
If you’re so desperate to see these guys plays , Vegas plays 140 games from April to August yearly, and you can buy a MiLB subscription.
Frankly I’d rather see a 2018 Mets infield (barring trades or FA signings) with Evans, Cecchini, Flores, Rivera and of course, Rosario and Smith. Reyes and Cabrera might have greater usefulness on the bench of a contender. The 2018 Mets probably won’t be a contender. Let the kids play and show us if they are worthy. Playing at Vegas doesn’t really tell us that much.
Why are you so fascinated by Reyes and Cabrera? They are old and have track records of injuries. They are not the future.
“Let the kids play and show us if they are worthy. ”
-Again, you aint gonna learn jack in 1-2 weeks.
“Playing at Vegas doesn’t really tell us that much.”
-It tells us plenty if you know what to look for.
“They are old and have track records of injuries”
-Cecchini and Evans have track records of crap in the minors.
” They are not the future”
-Cecchini and Evans are not the future either.
Well, what was your point? That we have to note the lineup of the Nats but not the Mets?
I just thought it was interesting that Dusty sat all his starters in the same game, rather than sitting a few in successive games. I thought it was worthy of mention in a recap of the game.
Last month, Alderson stated there was no need to upgrade the catching position for 2018. September baseball with it’s suspected statistics has made Sandy right.
In the last 30 games d’Arnaud is batting 302/333/619/957 and Plawecki 313/400/437/ 838 in a 60/40 platoon. The average NL catcher only has a 720 OPS. TDA is at 735 and Plawecki is at 724 for the 2017 season. They both defensively grade as average on Fangraphs this year. It is two years late in happening but at least they both have gotten here. The 60/40 platoon also seems keep them fresh and rested. There are not many good free agent catchers out there and the money should be used to fill other holes in the roster, like more reliable and consistent starting pitching.
Nice game Travis!
Dalton: You forgot Jeurys Familia’s first save since May 5. He had a look on his face like: “really, I forgot what this was like.”