Stop me if you’ve heard this before – The Mets lost a one-run game
Stop me if you’ve heard this before – Luis Rojas tried to win a game with his bullpen and it didn’t happen
Stop me if you’ve heard this before – Jeurys Familia failed in a key spot
Stop me if you’ve heard this before – Albert Almora came into the game and made an out
One of the definitions of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and anticipating a different result. This was a 7-6 loss in extra innings. It shouldn’t hurt at this point but it still does.
Even Gary Cohen seems frustrated by it all. With Almora batting with two outs, Cohen mused if they wouldn’t be better off batting Luis Guillorme, even with a lefty on the mound. Yes, 1,000 times yes. The Mets have got to stop pinch hitting with guys who should be pinch hit for.
And they’ve got to stop using Familia in close games.
Marcus Stroman should have pitched the seventh inning, leaving Loup and May for the eighth. Even with the way the game worked out, May (with the past two days off) should have pitched the eighth.
Even with the managerial blunders, the Mets should have won the game in the 10th inning. But Paul Goldschmidt made a fine defensive play, turning a DP with the second runner out trying to advance to home.
Maybe Jake Reed was the best option to pitch the 11th. Miguel Castro had pitched the previous two days and they’ve been trying to give Seth Lugo more rest. But given how high the stakes were, it was surprising to see a late-season-waiver-wire guy, one just off the IL, used before both Castro and Lugo. Reed gave up three runs.
The Mets battled back and got two runs in their half of the inning. But with the game, if not the season, on the line, Rojas sent up Almora and his .118 AVG to the plate. Hitless in his last six ABs, Almora grounded out weakly to end the game.
I turned the game off after the Cardinals scored three in the 11th. The Mets should have pushed a run across in the 10th. Villar up with a runner on third… figure out a way to score the run. Doing nothing gets nothing, and yes, exactly what doing nothing has gotten the majority of the time this season… insanity, according to your definition.
I’m watching the game get tight and seeing Rojas with nothing in his toolbox. He keeps putting McNeil up sixth, and he does not produce. He keeps bringing Familia into close games; isn’t he watching the games we’re all watching? Loup should easily go another inning (7 pitches), then Lugo, and they go home with a badly-needed win. Instead, he “saves” his bullpen to pitch in a more meaningless game tomorrow. Kind of like Almora playing the carom the other night on a ball he had to catch. What’s the point?
Rojas does not win games for his team. The opposing manager always out-manages him. 60 1-run games, and what if the Mets won ten of them that they lost… division crown!
Wobbit,
I was listening to the radio where Terry Collins was the guest announcer. You’re making fun of Rojas? When the Mets had the winning run on 3B in the extra innings and the Cardinals went five infielders, Randazzo asked Collins what he would tell his player to do. Collins said, “I would tell him to hit it through the infield”. This is after Randazzo told us that there were two outfielders and the Cardinals were basically rolling the dice looking for snake eyes, and they got them! Collins, Casanova, and Rojas… three handicaps that have managed the Mets for 11 seasons.
Last one out please shut the lights.
Brian, when Rojas went to the mound brought in Williams in the 11th, Wayne Randazzo had a melt down. He said, “if Williams was available to pitch, why not bring him in first instead of Jake Reed? At least he’s a proven major league pitcher!” Wow.
Rojas should have some dignity and just step down.
What a great play by Goldschmidt. What an inability by the Mets to simply hit a fly ball to the outfield. How can McNeil forget how to hit? We penciled him at 2B with a near .300 average, good clutch hitting and some power, off of his performance the last few years. So who is this guy? We let Familia walk as our closer and then only signed him back at $10 mil per as a set up man. Sounded reasonable but what we got was a jeckle/Hyde with one good outing one bad who often gave up the long ball when a ground out was expected. I like Lindor but sometimes he looks lost at the plate, not acceptable for $341 million. And what good is Lugo if he can’t go more than one inning at a time or more than one day in a row? With each passing game, win or lose, Rojas shows he is not ready to manage in the bigs. I can think of at least a half dozen games where his managing cost us the game. Year 2 of the Cohen makeover needs to include a new GM and manager. Hopefully good and honorable people who know how to do their job. And please do your homework so we don’t have to deal with anyone who likes to text pictures of themselves, or falls asleep drunk at the wheel of a car at an intersection. I will be happy with our overall progress if we finish above .500 given that our top two pitchers are out and we knock in runs as often as the Bad News Bears did. And please no consolation trophies for this team. The season may be lost but can’t help myself tuning in nearly every game. Was thankful for the NBC Sports app so I could have another late night of agony deluding myself that we were a playoff team.
The bad news is already in. Alderson is remaining for another year as president. Yes the Prince of Darkness, I mean the Prince of Mediocrity, shall again be infecting the team with some of the worst thinking in baseball and a toxicity unmatched almost anywhere.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Cohen, you need to do better, much better.
He promised him two years. Yesterday The NY Post had an article that Cohen was going after Theo Epstein, so hopefully the Mets can join the 21st century.
Id be happy wit the 20th century.
Alderson’s ideas come from the days of the Chicago White Stockings.
I read that too! Hoping that Alderson stays on the business side, with Epstein, a new GM, and a new manager in power on the baseball side!
Gut Reaction: The Mets bullpen was abused this year. The result is that they aren’t shutting down the opposition like they did at the beginning of the year.. That happened because the starting pitchers were pulled early in games and stressed the bullpen.
Stroham 7th, Loup 8th and Diaz 9th – simple
There were many questionable decisions that Rojas made. It seems to be a pattern.
Where was Lugo? Why didn’t Stroham and Loup and even Diaz be pushed in this do or die situation? Those players were invested in the season. Instead we ended up with Reed and Almora with the season in the balance. I would rather lose with my best players . The manager owes the players that chance.
Randazzo was also bemoaning that. In a do or die game, what are you saving them for with off days Thursday and Monday, while the season ends in two weeks? Inflexible and stubborn management, I’m pretty sure Rojas will have a hard time getting another gig with that approach.
Metsense,
You are spot on. Now, the hitting is absolutely the major culprit for this debacle of a season, and make no mistake, this is a debacle.
But…..Stroman, the defacto ace right now, 28 years old, athletic, and a feel pitcher more than a power pitcher, needs to start the 7th inning with a 1 run lead at 89 pitches, unless there is a physical issue. It is a must win game on September 14th. Stroman has been removed numerous times this season, presumably to keep him fresh (for the pennant drive, not the offseason). That formula gets you to Loup and the Diaz (not that he wouldn’t blow it). This is not even debatable, and again there is some type of explanation about pacing guys, protecting them, etc, while at the same time running the pen into the ground, potentially ruining careers.
Next, pitching Familia in the 8th, off that dismal performance Sunday night, was criminal. May has not been great, but if the choice is between those two, it is a total no brainer.
Then Reed in extras before Williams, another w t f. These are border line elimination games.
I have supported Luis from day 1 but he has been brutal this September. His players haven’t helped him, but he gets the hit, that’s how it works.
For 2022, the Mets need a better strategy for the pitching. Lugo has to be seen an used as a multi-inning guy that can be used twice to three times a week. That has value but is not the profile of a late inning guy…he should likely piggy back the two starters that can deliver the least innings…for instance Hill and Megill. They need to obtain/sign another closer to push everyone else down a notch, and then find another quality arm to replace Familia. Loup needs to be retained. If the pen pitches 3-4 innings every day, they need to build it accordingly. Of course, have some more games with larger leads may best fix for the pen, although the pen manages to make those games close in the rare instances that they occur.
I’m I missing something—wasn’t Lugo rested for two days?
And Rojas and his L-R “matchups”! Enough already!
And why couldn’t Loup pitch another inning?
I love all these comments. Seems that these Mets fans are not fooled by spin and not blinded by their own loyalty to the team. Sandy is not valuable, should be replaced. Rojas is simply not ready for ML managing, as yesterday’s game all too well pointed out. One head scratching move after the other… horrible reasoning. To the minor leagues with him, where he can continue being a great guy and a player’s manager…
One might assume that the Mets offense had a good night with 6 runs scored.
Wrong!
Let’s not overlook that from innings 2-8, they were no hit and innings 9&10 only produced 1 hit. Like i said in the game chatters, the Mets continually make opposing candidates look like Cy young candidates.
They drew 8 walks but only managed to score 1 run from them because they just couldn’t hit anything after the first inning. And even the first inning hits were mostly soft hits and bloops.
+1
+1
+1
I agree with much of what has been said, but I’d give a little more leeway to Lugo. Few pitchers coming off Tommy John return fully to form in their first year back. I expect we’ll see what Lugo really can do next season. For now, I’m happy to see him “underused.” But having Almora hit with the game and probably the season on the line was ridiculous.