With the Mets losing their home opener to the Nationals 6-2 on Friday, the luster from their positive start is quickly eroding. After a 3-1 start, the Mets find themselves in a funk in dropping the last three games.
Ever since my Pitching Report, the staff has come unhinged. Niese got rocked on Thursday. Dickey’s control was pitiful in Friday’s game.
It has come down to this: Chris Capuano has been assigned to stop the bleeding.
On Saturday, Capuano will make his first start with the Mets while trying to help the team avoid losing four games in a row.
Capuano was signed here as a low risk/high reward investment, much the same way Chris Young was. Young started off solidly against the Phillies, and the hope is Capuano can do the same.
Capuano pitched well all spring trying to prove he belongs. He had a 1.93 ERA in 18.2 innings pitched. Capuano also had a 13 to 4 strikeout to walk ratio in camp.
However, he has a lot of proving to do before he can be trusted, and ultimately relied on.
Remember this is a guy who is battling back from some serious injuries. He missed the 2008 and 2009 seasons due to Tommy John surgery, and missed most of 2010 as well.
With two days off in the opening week, the Mets elected to skip Capuano’s turn in the rotation. He did pitch one game in relief and was less than sharp in that effort. In Sunday’s easy 9-2 win over the Marlins, Capuano pitched two-thirds of an inning and gave up three hits and one walk.
It wasn’t a great start, but at least he was brought in to get some work in a low pressure situation.
That will not be the case on Saturday.
Capuano will be thrown into the fire. He will have the task of stopping the Mets losing streak while getting his season, and career for that mater, back on track. This will be no easy job.
While as Met fans, we want and need this win badly, we do have to temper our expectations and let Capuano feel his way back. He has to get comfortable, and getting a quality start would be nothing short of fantastic.
In many ways this staff is a work in progress, and that is not more evident with Capuano getting his first start on Saturday.
Buckle up. It may be a bumpy ride.
Nice article, but I do have an unrelated question for you: Why does your photo collage on the top of your page include Ike Davis. I mean, I like Ike, but he seems out of place among photos of some legendary Mets. If you want to inlcude some current and future Mets, wouldn’t David Wright be a better choice since he should be part of the Mets future for the forseeable future?
Ike’s batting .345/.412/.621 right now so I feel good about him being featured.
That said, if anyone is good with Photoshop and would like to create a new image for our header, please use the “Contact Us” section at the top of the page.
Wright is more of the present, in the past, present, future concept on the top banner. 360 went with Reyes, and why not? We have to enjoy him while we still can. We may only see Jose as Met till July when the Wilpon chop shop sells him to the highest bidder.
Check out metsblob.blogspot.com for a funny take on the life of being a Met fan.