It really should not have been a shocker, but despite a ninth inning comeback by the Mets, the Phillies walked off for the series sweep.
A pitcher’s duel between Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola turned into a bombardment of each team’s closer, and the Phillies retook the lead in the final frame with a two-run homer from Maikel Franco and a three-run homer from Jean Segura.
The Mets were no-hit through five innings until Zack Wheeler hit a single to leadoff the sixth. This raises his OPS to .162 higher than Robinson Cano, who got a day of rest. The Mets didn’t score until the ninth with four hits against Phillies inconsistent closer Hector Neris, the biggest one a home run from Todd Frazier. That was just the third hit of the day for the team.
It really seemed like they would escape with today’s win and leave Philadelphia unswept, but atlas the Mets’ bullpen struck again. Edwin Diaz was bitten by the two long balls, the first erasing the 3-1 lead and the second giving us our final score.
Weeks do not get much worse than having a multiple run lead blown each day. It is especially deflating considering the Phillies were struggling coming into the series. As the season whittles away, the sudden turn of events today will certainly stand as an icon for the Mets struggles.
When it comes to the Mets’ bullpen, Callaway is King Midas in Reverse.
King Sadim!
In the last 9 innings pitched Diaz has given up 13 earned runs. Conversely, in the last 11 innings pitched Hansel Robles has given up 1 earned run.
Michael, that really hurts.
As if the clubhouse drama and the Leonardo DiCaprio volleyball meme didn’t sting enough. This is among the worst weeks ever to be a Mets fan and there are plenty to choose from. I’ve never seen a bullpen as bad as the Mets’ has been this month.
There is something fundamentally wrong with the Mets organization that so many new players arrive in Queens and stink and so many leave and are rejuvenated. It goes beyond the owners. It’s hard to lend credence to a “curse.” Could there by chance be something in the water supply in Flushing?
Michael, way to pour salt on the wound.
Its not a curse, as that is just plain ol fantasy. Unless of course you mean that ownership casts a curse through terrible stewardship of the team, strong antipathy to fans, meddling in affairs they know next to nothing about, and fostering a culture of backstabbing and ambivalence. You wanna lost a lot of games: the Mets have the perfect recipe.
Mets: Lose a ton of games pretending and selling fan base of being serious.
Better: Lose a ton of games rebuilding a team with a balanced, age distributed roster
Either way, the team is locked into mediocrity, or worse.
Chris, well said. It is the “stewardship.” Great word to use.
Madoff appeals to a certain personality type. I believe this is why Broadie was so appealing —enough for Wilpon last December to encourage “the big splash.”
Wilpon has modeled the organization in his own image and philosophy. We’ve seen the results for years.
Poor stewardship.
I pretty much try not to believe in curses, but this, this, I don’t know. I think in 2016 we had meaningful games in July. It seems so long ago. I’m very concerned to see what Brodie and the Mets will do here. They need major changes and are hamstrung by a ton of dead payrll (again). I have no issue with dealing anyone not controllable form 5 or more years, but they better not get hosed, and the track record of this regime is really bad, albeit a small sample size.
I fucking hate this team. How do you spell suck? Mets, that’s how. Francesca was right send these clowns south and let the 69 Mets play tomorrow. It would’ve a lot more fun to watch.
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Chris,
We all know how you feel and have often thought these same things. I have something to share with you that has saved me this year. I have seen like five or six games, tops, but I’m here every night learning what happened. Hence, my blood pressure stays down and I don’t have to live BVW’s arrogance.
He seems to go out of his way to coddle the clients of his former (and possibly future?) agency. I really think if he goes back to CAA, MLB should suspend his license for a few years. He has used his GM position with the Mets to do his former clients’ bidding, possibly to have an open door to go back, and has harmed the team by bringing players the team didn’t need, i.e. another expensive second baseman when the Mets had one, a third second baseman when the Mets had one to begin with, and made those moves instead of getting stronger options in the bullpen and outfield. For example, Lowrie’s deal could have been Ottavino, and spending Cano’s money could have been an outfielder rather than forcing the original second baseman to left field.
Dude, just let them keep screwing everything up and maybe MLB will step in and do something along the lines of what they did with Steinbrenner when they forced him to sit out a year and he saw how his team improved without his interference.
Why do I put myself in this situation every year?
With the exception of a few good seasons this team has been a heartbreak. Im done. Baseball is over for me.
For fear of being thrown off this site I can’t verbalize what I really feel.
As long as the wilpons own this poor excuse for a large market team I will be staying away.
You’ll be back. You’re in denial. We can take a lot more abuse.
I left after the Midnight Massacre. It took a few years but came back when Seaver returned…field box seats on opening day.
As to this site, I find the writing here to be the most sober, adult & realistic.
Every so often, the writer from Forbes hits a good note, but some of the best writers…it can be pandering-like.
Mets360 is where I enjoy reading baseball commentary more than anywhere else.
If you’re hoping for both a manager And a GM change, losses like yesterday help.
Callaway seems illogical but this may be due to Broadie—A most rehearsed deceptive egotist. It’s not pragmatic w the job—it’s personality driven (childhood).
Phil Mushnick on Howie Rose—interesting inclusion of Howie’s age:
https://nypost.com/2019/06/28/howie-rose-hits-right-note-in-calling-out-robinson-canos-lazy-play/
Thanks, Peter. I’ll take that as a compliment. It’s very easy to take out our anger on Brodie or the Wilpons, but is it their fault that Edwin Diaz, who was lights out all of last year, suddenly is incapable of protecting even a 4-run lead? There are a lot of culprits for this mess – the meddling owners, the golden boy GM who made some of the wrong off-season moves, the in-over-his-head manager who’s cost us games with bad decision making, the lazy and entitled Cano, etc. Bad luck, injuries, blah blah. But the biggest culprit of all? Yasmani Grandal.
Had he accepted our generous offer, our pitchers would have a catcher they feel comfortable with who could call the right pitches at the right time, provide a target in the right spot (framing is about more than shifting the mitt to fool the ump), and not allow a zillion passed balls. Bases wouldn’t be stolen constantly, and on offense, he wouldn’t clog up the base paths or hit into half as many double plays. Nearly every time this season that a Mets starter got knocked out early or a reliever imploded like yesterday, I check the box score and 9 times out of 10 Ramos was the catcher. When Nido catches, this team wins. The best move the Mets could make would be to trade Ramos (would anyone want him?) and fill his shoes with Rene Rivera.
It was as if the passive-aggressive Callaway got humiliated by Cano, and took it out on DeGrom.
Quietly, most would allow their ace the catcher of their comfort
Yet Mickey gives the third spot to Cano, specifically for “comfort” (his word).
interesting post, Matty
Peter
20 Plus Blown Saves….. whatever you think of the Wilpons or Brody or the Roster, etc—- nobody could have predicted This.
Agree 100%. As Met fans, we are well-training to have a Pavlovian reaction to losing and bad stretches – when the bell rings, it’s the ownership and then management. This is with good cause, but the bottom line is that the players are 90%+ of the result, good or bad. In the case of 2019, the season is ruined by a dismal bullpen. 20 blown saves vs 18 saves. Now, the GM and manager own some of that, but ultimately guys with track records have been horrendous and cost many games, games which would have the Mets right in the thick of it if they only blew games at league average. The defense is a running up, and that is mostly on the GM/manager due to roster construction and line up.
Any team can have a ruined season, and the Mets have far more than their share. The bigger concern is where the go from here. Brodie arrogantly rolled the dice for 2019 with that Diaz/Cano deal. It has failed miserably, but the Mets still have some decent talent, especially position-wise. With tons of dead money for 2020, the need perfection in their dealings for the balance of 2019. They need significant change and need to get it right, by July 31 or over the offseason.
Depends what you mean. 20 blown saves is a hard numbr to imagine. But I think this team was 82-83 wins from the get go. Every year prognaistication seems to center on every player recording peak performances (Wheeler will be back like the end of the end of last year, deGrom may not be far from CY, Its Syndergaard who will be CY level, Conforto and ROsario are having break out seasons…etc), when in fact thats almost certainty it will never happen. There is not enough balance or talent on this team to be a serious contender. The Cano disaster only amplifies that.
In a tight spot, I’m not sure if Wheeler, Syndergaard, DeGrom or Steven Matz should pinch hit for Cano.
Tough choices only an experienced MLB Manager is qualified to make.
Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jerrybeach/2019/06/28/the-edwin-diazrobinson-cano-trade-is-not-working-out-like-everyone-except-the-new-york-mets-figured/#3dba58d747f7
Great read Peter. I’ll add Beach to my list. Tim Britton at the Athletic also really good.
Yes.
I’ve enjoyed Howie Rose more of late. This is the first year I’ve been able to listen to him in sync w the TV broadcast.
I was listening to the end of the game in my car on the way home from work. When Franco hit the tying homer, I just busted up laughing. Hysterically. A combo of resigned and maniacal. Like the end of “Brain Damage” on Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side Of The Moon” album.
It’s pretty much all I have left.
I was looking at the live box score on my computer screen. Shocked, but not surprised to see it change to 6-3.