“There’s no cure for bad pitching.”
That’s what Gary Cohen said during the game. And given that the Mets had 10 hits, eight walks, eight runs and still lost, it’s kind of hard to argue with that. Tylor Megill turned back into a pumpkin and the Mets’ troubles continue to mount with a 10-8 loss to the Astros Wednesday afternoon in Houston.
In the fifth inning, the Astros loaded the bases on three walks and somehow the Mets got out of it without any runs scoring. That was the second time the Mets’ pitchers loaded the bases with free passes to escape without any runs. And the Astros still had nine runs by that point.
Megill’s not the answer and his continued presence on the roster is beyond frustrating. He and Dominic Leone (1.1 IP, 4 ER, 2 HR) should not be on the team when Thursday’s game is played. But roster moves aren’t enough.
Even if it’s premeditated theatrics, I want to see some anger, some passion from anyone wearing a uniform. Shoot, even a viral video on Twitter from the bat boy would be welcome at this point.
Pete Alonso homered, Starling Marte hit a double on a pitch he shouldn’t have even swung at and Daniel Vogelbach had three hits. And it wasn’t enough because of dreadful pitching, which gave up eight walks and two homers.
And let’s not forget new Mets enemy Corey Julks. He made a diving catch to rob Brett Baty of a run scoring hit, he threw out Brandon Nimmo trying to get a double off a ball high off the wall that would have been a homer in a normal park, drove in two runs with a single and scored the final run on a safety squeeze play because Adam Ottavino somehow managed to throw the ball nine feet in the air on a glove flip.
And the home plate umpire didn’t have a good game, either.
How could you forget the Mets having bases loaded in the first with no out and walk away with nothing on the most obtuse 1-2-3 DP weve seen in ages??? Pete…you cant run 15’ off the baseline. UGH.
I agree, show some anger. Throw a bat. Get into a fight and get thrown out of the game. They are listless. Where is Billy when you need him. Throw some chin music. Turn over the clubhouse. Anything. They are going nowhere fast.
It’s a broken record comment at this point, but it is very difficult to look at the arms they put out there and give them much of a chance of turning things around. The hole is now very deep, and there are just too many innings from arms that can’t get enough outs, especially when protecting a lead. The dearth of pitching is a concern not only in 2023.
Gut Reaction: they scored eight runs and still managed to lose ground in the standings. McGill was awful. Lucchesi is was just named pitcher of the week in the International League. He has a 5-1 record, 2.33 ERA and a .198 BA against him. They can’t afford to lose the upcoming series to Philadelphia.
Cohen’s line was so on target. Not that Houston was throwing zeros up on our hitters but whenever we made a move they did too. And their defense, not just yesterday, but the whole series, was how we played last year. McNeil is in an awful funk and yes, we got the other Megill yesterday day, not the one who wants to pitch at the MLB level. Maybe it is Hefner who has to be given the boot. He is there to straighten out our pitchers and if we were grading his performance it would be a D at best. Somethings gotta give.
I really hem and haw on this. By all accounts Hef is a really good pitching coach. But maybe he is at the root of the problem.
But the flip side is that how much can you coach 2 CY winning and eventual HoFers? 2 pitchers simply not good enough to be big leaguers? and whatever Carrasco is. He dont have much to work with. Peterson and Megill cannot be coached to greatness.
It’s very easy to blame the coaches but the players are the ones on the field performing. They Mets have simply had we too many subpar performances, combined with too many innings pitched from guys that are just not capable or consistent quality MLB performance. This is more on the GM and players than the on field coaches from my unprofessional point of view.
Giving Hefner the boot would just be making a move to make a move. As Chris said there’s no way that anything Hefner is doing has screwed up 2 future HOF pitchers. The pitching sucks but it’s more because 3 veteran starters are are not performing up to expectations and the fill ins are just not good pitchers. As for the bullpen it’s exactly what Brian and other have been saying – get guys that can pitch, not because they have options.
In today’s Athletic, Max Scherzer said it for all of us: ‘ “It’s all the little things,” said Scherzer, now one of the Mets’ older co-aces, who also experienced Washington’s run. Then he rattled a bunch off: holding runners, fielding balls cleanly, avoiding violations … His list went on. To emphasize his point, Scherzer added with the intensity behind his voice that he’s known for, “Every. Little. Thing.” ‘
Pete! What were you thinking?! Narvaez! Keep your glove back! Etc.