Yes, you read that right: a six-run loss in ten innings.
The Mets limped home from their 2-5 West Coast road trip, right into another marquee pitching matchup. Well, it would have been a marquee matchup a couple of years ago, anyway. Noah Syndergaard took on Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants, two teams and two pitchers all down on their respective luck of late. The Mets had never beaten Bumgarner, so this game might present a golden chance to finally break that schneid.
Both teams’ offensive shortcomings were on display early. Joe Panik knocked a Syndergaard sinker into left center to lead off the game and stole second, almost right away. He got as far as third base, but the Giants could not bring him in. The Mets got their first two men on in the bottom half – Jeff McNeil looping a base hit into center and Pete Alonso getting nicked by a pitch – but Michael Conforto popped up in front of the plate and J.D. Davis hit into a double play. In the bottom of the second, Wilson Ramos led off with a base hit and Todd Frazier drew a walk, but Amed Rosario flew out to left, Carlos Gomez popped out to first and Syndergaard struck out. Bumgarner walked on four pitches with one out in the top of the third, but Panik popped out to center and Mike Yastrzemski – yes, grandson of Carl — grounded out to McNeil at second.
Syndergaard ran into his first bit of real trouble in the fourth. Evan Longoria walked leading off and Brandon Belt followed with a base hit. Steven Vogt popped out to right, but Kevin Pillar grounded a base hit into left to bring home Longoria. Brandon Crawford drew a walk to load the bases for Stephen Duggar. Duggar lifted a liner to right that Conforto tried for valiantly and vainly for the Giants’ second run.
Things stood there until the bottom of sixth, when the Mets’ power pulled them ahead. Alonso led off with a deep fly to left center that sailed over the fence. After Conforto flied out, Davis drew a pass and following a mount visit, Bumgarner served up a 2-0 meatball to Ramos that gave the Mets the lead, however briefly. Pablo Sandoval pinch hit for Bumgarner to start the seventh and singled off Alonso’s glove. Panik struck out and Yastrzemski hit into a force play. After 103 pitches, manager Mickey Callaway now decided that this was enough Syndergaard for this night — a decision which may haunt him later on in the season, when he’s wondering how it all went wrong. Seth Lugo trucked in from the bullpen to try to preserve the lead. Instead Longoria hit a rope to left, moving Yastrzemski over to third. Belt then hit long, long shot over Conforto’s head and off the wall in right field. Yastrzemski trotted home and Longoria sprinted behind him, but was nailed at the plate because, for some strange reason, he started his slide about twelve feet wide of it.
So now, it became a battle of the bullpens. Given the Mets’ recent track record in that area, how do you think it turned out? Lugo sailed through the eighth. For the Giants, Tony Watson gave up two hits in the bottom half, but escaped the jam. In the ninth, Edwin Diaz struck out three despite giving up a base hit. Mark Melancon pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth. Callaway turned to the lately embattled Robert Gsellman to hold the tie, and… well…
Tyler Austin pinch hit for Melancon and singled. Belt drew a five-pitch walk. Gsellman unfurled a wild pitch to Vogt and the runners advanced. Vogt ripped a double to right, scoring both men and the rout was now on. He crossed to third on Pillar’s groundout. Crawford was given the intentional pass. Duggar then ripped one back through the box, off Gsellman and past Adeiny Hechavarria at short for another double and another run. Hector Santiago came on and served up — yes, that’s right — another double to Sandoval, scoring Crawford and Duggar. After Panik flew out, Yastrzemski singled home Sandoval. Derek Holland came on for the Giants and gave up a couple of window-dressing singles before getting Ramos to line out, mercifully ending the game.
The Mets will try to bounce back in a decidedly non-marquee pitching matchup tomorrow, Jason Vargas facing Tyler Beede, 7:10 from Citi Field.
I can only speak from my experiences, but every time I let an employee that I knew was substandard for the job stay on because I liked him/her and wanted to coax them through, I regretted it and that person wound up doing something that made me have to get rid of them or they just left on their own.
Well, we know Callaway isn’t quitting – nor should he – as he isn’t an idiot that would march into the GM’s office and say ‘if you don’t give me what I want I will quit right now’ as Riggleman did in Washington and had to keep his word because Rizzo called his bluff. Callaway is a good guy that is unprepared for this job and we aren’t seeing growth. Get Girardi, Baker, Showalter or someone that else has s h o w n that they can lead successfully because they’ve done it before. I’m not interested in putting a “win now team” in the hands of an failed manager or a trainee manager.
Why are we allowing games to keep slipping away?
This was a great post Gus! I couldn’t have said it better.
The type of guys that you are suggesting — have they ever taken over a team in the middle of the season?
Baker’s managed four different teams, not once starting mid-year
Girardi’s managed two different teams, not once starting mid-year
Showalter’s managed four different teams, one time starting mid-year
When Showalter did it, he was the team’s third manager of the season and he replaced an interim guy. Does that make a difference? I think it does. My opinion is that these veteran managers won’t take over for a guy who started the year with the gig.
Thank you Metsense.
Brian, unless they aren’t interested in managing, there’s four months left for each of those guys to go for it with a fairly talented roster. It may not be a perfect roster, but perfect rosters usually aren’t firing their managers. Besides, Girardi had the Marlins, Showalter had the Orioles, and Baker had the Nationals. They are used to fragmented rosters!
Gus,
There is a real ethical code of conduct that this path would breech unless the first step is fire Mickey. None of the people you are talking about will talk to the Mets as a prospective skipper with Callaway still at the helm. The outfall from the Renteria/Maddon exercise was an example of why this wont happen. If you try to pull this off, it looks like total desperation (which it would be), and no one wants to enter a season cold when the situation is arrows pointing down.
The you have the fire Callaway, install Riggleman, then begin a search. None of the guys you mentioned are in a rush to fix the Mets and Id be shocked if any of them would want to step on the bridge of the Titanic. I would rank the likelihood of hiring a permanent skipper mid season as close to zero.
As it stands, we pretty much know Callaway is not coming back, but you can pretty much bank of him finishing the season or being relieved by Riggleman. In either case, this represents another significant personnel mishandling by BVW, and another poor GM hiring by ownership.
Gut Reaction: Frustrating in capital letters!
Callaway apologized to his team, syndergaard, and took the blame when in confronted with reporters. He is a nice person and a stand-up guy.
” Callaway is a good guy that is unprepared for his job
I think Callaway is prepared for the job, but has simply hasn’t shown he is good at it. Even the best managers will have moves backfire from time to time, but Mickey’s blunder last night couldn’t have worse timing. Some of the problem is philosophical (the imaginary 100 pitch boundry), some of it is poor feel for the moment, and some of it is poor player performance regardless of the managers choice.
I didn’t see the game, don’t have access to the statistical studies that the teams have about success percentages after 100 pitches etc., but I just fail to understand why he would pull Syndergaard in that particular moment, short of overwhelming statistical evidence suggesting to do so, which I don’t think exists. Ditto the pull of deGrom Saturday night. these moves just don’t make sense.
As a friend of mine said last night, “What? He couldn’t leave him in for one more out?”