Mets

[Westheim]

I love Wilmer. I'm glad somebody takes care of him and keeps him watered.

[Amazin69]

Another day, more garbage. 5-6 in the "easy schedule" now, as nobody hits except McNeil (useless 9th inning homer by Pete this time; maybe it will uncork him for the future, but it meant nothing tonight) and we get bunted to death.

I honestly don't care if the Braves lose again (they were winning, last I checked) because, even if we somehow back into the division, this is clearly NOT a championship team. How are we supposed to win 3 series in the postseason when we can't win 3 series against these joke teams?

(Lost 2/3 to the Gnats, squeaked by the Buccs and Fish, now in danger of getting swept by the Cubbies. FFS.)

Buck needs to tear these guys a new orifice. Well, he needed to do that LAST Tuesday. Instead we get pearls of wisdom like "Darin Ruf has been a very good major league hitter, and he will be again."

No, Buck, Darin Ruf is 35 years old. Lots of actually good hitters were washed up at 35. Keith Hernandez, to name but one.

Darin Ruf was a flop as a Phil, with a cumulative WAR below zero over his five seasons there. He had to go to Korea to get work, for three seasons.

Then he came back for 40 games in COVID ball, and had a good season last year, primarily as a pinch-hitter. Even before the Giants dumped him on us, his glove was so terrible that it drove his WAR into the negative figures, and now the bat has followed.

But Buck is determined to kiss Eppler's butt over the disastrous Ruf-bad-dog!/Vogelfat black hole of a platoon. No trying anything else. And it's dragging the whole team down.

At this point, I'd be willing to try DeGrom at DH. He can't be worse than what we've got there now. And you wouldn't need to pinch-run for him, either.

(Win 3 series? We'll be lucky to win 3 GAMES in the post-season.)
*************************

Great moments in Chipcasting, last night: Chip Caray tells us that the SF catcher has reached base twice: first on a fielder's choice, and then with a hit.

Er, no, Chip. Hitting into a force play isn't really considered "getting on base" because you haven't improved the offense. You've just replaced another base runner, at the cost of an out. That's why it's a negative in your batting average and OBP. Just so you know.

Gee, imagine if Chip wasn't a 3rd-generation broadcaster who'd been doing this all his life.

(Not that he was the only one who sucked on Monday night's game. The Braves studio host, Treavon Scales, gave us an update on Cubs-Mets…"from Wrigley Field". No, sorry. Nice preparation, dude.

Not to be outdone, the Giants' host, Julie Britt, kicked off the postgame show by welcoming us to "Giants PRE-game Live". Ye gods.

I know we praise Gary Cohen to the skies, but Gary Apple is miles above his "competition", too.)

[Amazin69]

Good news from Thursday: The Mets got a win, Carrasco kept rolling, and we made it past Clemente Day without that "Make his #21 retired throughout MLB" mistake happening.

(Yes, I'll be That A-Hole, and say it: Roberto was a great player and a great human and he died tragically. He completely deserved accelerated induction to the Hall, the Award in his honor, and Clemente Day.

BUT…he didn't represent the specific change [to both the sport and America as a whole] that Jackie did, and grouping him in there not only diminishes Jackie, IMO, but takes away the unique nature of "42".

Otherwise, if we're going to open that door, I'll start campaigning for MLB bans on #19 and #3 and #24…and maybe good old #41, as well. Let's not go down this road, I say. Leave well enough alone. Let the teams honor their legends, so Milwaukee can have #19 be about Robin Yount and Oakland can have #24 be about Rickey [and Pittsburgh can remember pre-roid Bonds, who was a great player even clean], and keep the MLB-wide statements to Jackie and Jackie only. JMO.)

On the negative side:

• Vogelfat got a key hit. Now Buck will never admit Eppler screwed up. It will be Very Good Hitter Ruf and Vogelfat, no matter what.

(Even Joe Davis basically said that if the problem is that Marte can't throw, why not DH him and sit the losers? Mets DHs, in the 20 games before last night, had gone .091, with 0 HRs and 2 RBI. Just because Vogelfat moved the numbers slightly higher doesn't make the screw-up any less screwier.)

Meanwhile, Dom Smith is stranded in Syracuse, apparently for the crime of being under 30 and able to play defense. Grrrr.

• Since this was a FOX game, I had to listen to Suck-Up John Smoltz, the only man who may hate baseball more than Manly Manfred. Non-stop enthusing about how the rules changes are going to be the greatest thing since the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, or whatever.

Did you know that banning the shifts will mean we get to see outstanding defensive plays? Because apparently having fielders in position means they can't make great efforts on balls or something. Lucky for Suck-Up that he works for FOX instead of ESPn, or the "Web Gems" producers might want a word with him.

Oh, and don't worry! The shift-ban won't turn .320 hitters into .350 hitters, it will just help the guys hitting .220 do a little bit better.

In other words, guys like McNeil who already know how to hit aren't being hurt by the shift, it's just the brain-dead "launch angle" Kris Bryant wannabes who are too stubbornly stupid to adapt. So yeah, let's cram in new rules to help marginal players who should be washing out of the majors on their own. That makes SO much sense!

I swear, if a certain part of Manly Manfred's anatomy was a bumper on a vintage car, Suck-Up would have sucked all the chrome off of it long ago…

(I wonder if he's a shill because he thinks it's his job, or if he got the job because they knew what a shill he would be?)

BTW, why couldn't the shortstop set up one millimeter on "his" side of 2B and then step into shift position as the pitch is released? What, are they going to ban that, too?

(Yeah, probably. Which is why I'm almost glad I'm done with this farce after this season. C'mon, Mets! One last good memory, that's all I ask.)

[Westheim]

Well, Boom-Boom tried, but Squirrel picked every acorn off the fence out there!

Unrelated, are those Barves ever gonna lose a game?

[Amazin69]

They lost 4 out of 5 out west. It's just that the Mets were busy faceplanting against the Cubs and thus didn't stretch the lead.

On the plus side, Keith and Ronnie can relax about this team catching the '86 squad's 108-54 record; the final loss to the Cubbies was #55 on the season.

(Still only need to go 8-7, counting the finale against the Pirates, to reach 100 wins, but the ceiling is a little lower now.)
*******************

Crap, McNeil changed his walk-up music, and Pete has, too. Say goodbye to "Rock of Ages" and "Working Man", say hello to two pieces of pop-sounding crap. (I think Pete's is in Spanish…I know he speaks the language, but I don't! Show some consideration, Pedro!)

Goddang it, guys! I wanna rock! Let Lindor play the mariachi stuff or whatever. Grrr.
*********************
MLB Network can go fork itself.

Because DirecTV decided not to show today's PIX-11 telecast, I had to use MLBN to see GKR. However, they're so obsessed with home runs that they kept shoving the game into a box every time Aaron Judge came up in Milwaukee or Albert Pujols came up in St. Louis.

Hey, geniuses! Why not just wait and see if Judge or Pujols actually hit a Home Run (Judge did) and then show it to us? You know, like any normal telecast in any sport.

But nooooo. When Albert came to the plate in the middle innings, Jacob DeGrom (suddenly tiring) got shoved into the silent box at the bottom of the screen. It took until they deigned to return to the game they were nominally showing for me to realize Jake had just given up the game-tying home run.

Then Lugo came into the game, Gary was reading Jake's final totals for the day, and was apparently about to mention that by allowing 3 runs in 5 innings, Jake still broke Jim Scott's 108-year-old record for most consecutive starts yielding no more than three runs. But then Judge came to the plate in Milwaukee and we just HAD to watch him draw a walk, live, so I'll never know if Gary blew his final chance to mention Scott's excellent nickname: "Death Valley Jim".

Can't wait until we're in the 9th and they pull us out of the critical at-bat so we can watch Pujols pop up, or whatever. FFS, MLBN.

[Westheim]

Trevor May is such a bum. Can't even set a major league record without being BASIC.

Yes, Trev, that is what you are. BASIC. A basic bum!

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Trevor May is such a bum. Can't even set a major league record without being BASIC.

Yes, Trev, that is what you are. BASIC. A basic bum!

The latest entertaining headscratcher which prompts an intensive search, this time yielding:

The Mets have set a franchise record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game with 20 punch outs. They did it without walking a single batter.

Jacob deGrom - 13

Seth Lugo - 1

Joely Rodríguez - 5

Trevor May - 1

At least, I think this is the topic at hand.

I read someplace that it tied the major-league record for team strikeouts (looked at from either batting or pitching, of course) which apparently has been done eight times before.

[rudel.dietrich]

I love to read this thread and then go look at Mets scores.

Had I read this thread, I would have thought the Mets lost 1-11.
Nope, comfortable 7-3 victory 😂

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

At least, I think this is the topic at hand.

Correct

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

I love to read this thread and then go look at Mets scores.

Had I read this thread, I would have thought the Mets lost 1-11.
Nope, comfortable 7-3 victory 😂

Yes yes, very comfortable. (breathes into paper bag)

What does anybody expect from the routinely nerve-wrecked fans of the New York Panics?

[BBGiovanni]

Originally Posted by Westheim

What does anybody expect from the routinely nerve-wrecked fans of the New York Panics?

I don't expect anything from people that don't regularly follow the Mets and visit this thread to complain about those that do, or think that sweeping the Pie-rats means more than getting swept by the Cubs. The Barves are 11-4 this month and the Mets are 10-7 including that 4 game sweep. We've all seen this movie before, not enough depth and slouching towards October.

[Amazin69]

I didn't complain about the game (just our failure to take advantage of the Noc-a-Homas' West Coast struggles, lousy walk-up music, and MLBN's "coverage"), but you're right. We should always celebrate success.

Except that there are a few "Yes, but…" issues with this.

Yes, we swept Pittsburgh. But that still only brings us to 9-7 in our big "16 games to FEAST" schedule. Now we have to play real teams.

Going into the past five series (!), the Mets had a .636 winning percentage. The Natinals, Buccos, Fish, Cubbies and Bucs Redux were, I'm told, playing at an aggregate .390 clip.

Dr Math says that, according to Bill James's Pythagorean Theorem, a .636 team should beat a .390 team 72.68% of the time. Meaning that the Mets should have gone 11-5 or 12-4, just on mathematics, and that's not accounting for psychological factors (power team driving for the post-season; weak teams that will fold under early pressure). The Mutts have thus squandered AT LEAST 2-3 wins that they should have had due to the schedule. We should be cruising up 4 or more games, not teetering on a knife-edge.

So forgive the lack of celebrations.

Yes, Jake was awesome in innings 2-5. 12 up, 12 down, 11Ks. But he took 26 pitches to navigate the first inning, meaning that we always knew Buck would have the hook ready, no need to dream about setting records. And then he folded in the 6th, AGAIN. A five-inning pitcher isn't going to do us much good in the post-season. We may as well put him in the pen with Peterson/Williams/Megill, since you really only need four starters anyhow.

(Yes, converting a starter into an outstanding long reliever can really help you in the playoffs, such as Sid Fernandez did in 1986. But we're not paying Jake all that Jack for this, and if we stick him in the pen, he's less likely to re-up here. Which would suck.)

Jake needed to show length. Instead he left with the game tied and made the pen work four innings. Boo. Pitch to contact, you show-off!

(Who's the pitching equivalent of Kris Bryant, you know, the Guy We Curse for Ruining the Game? Just wondering. [I'm kind of terrified it might be…Jake, actually.])

And, to get a jump on things: Yes, if we win tonight in Milwaukee, we clinch a playoff berth. (Magic # for the WC is 2, and since it's the Brew Crew who would be the hypothetical 6th team to block us, beating them once locks it up.)

BUT folding after leading all summer, getting beat by the Chop Shop, having to play in the Scrub Round and probably losing there (Juan Soto rediscovers his DC mojo in the friendly confines of Corrupt Bank Field) will hardly feel like a triumph, "return to the post-season" or not. I want more than two quick losses to the Padres and out. JMO.

ETA: "Team strikeout records" are about as interesting as "combined no-hitters", IMO. Who gaf, honestly?

I think the all-time record is still the 26 Angels who K'd in a 19-inning game against Oakland in 1971. (Angels pitchers whiffed Reggie & co 17 times, for a total of 43.) Tony Conigliaro, plagued by declining eyesight due to his 1967 injury, went 0-for-8 and struck out five times, twice arguing the call with home plate umpire Merrill Anthony, seemingly looking to get tossed. Finally, after he secured the "platinum sombrero", Tony C threw his helmet in the air and smashed it, sending the pieces out toward the second baseman.

"Best swing he's had all night" reportedly said Angels manager Lefty Phillips, as Anthony finally gave Tony the thumb. A's won, 1-0. So a fun story. But…come on, now.

[Déjà Bru]

Watching yesterday's Mets rebroadcast. Vogelbach is a joy to behold for more than one reason.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Trevor May is such a bum. Can't even set a major league record without being BASIC.

Yes, Trev, that is what you are. BASIC. A basic bum!

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

The latest entertaining headscratcher which prompts an intensive search, this time yielding:

The Mets have set a franchise record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game with 20 punch outs. They did it without walking a single batter.

Jacob deGrom - 13

Seth Lugo - 1

Joely Rodríguez - 5

Trevor May - 1

At least, I think this is the topic at hand.

I read someplace that it tied the major-league record for team strikeouts (looked at from either batting or pitching, of course) which apparently has been done eight times before.

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Watching yesterday's Mets rebroadcast . . .

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

I love to read this thread and then go look at Mets scores.

Had I read this thread, I would have thought the Mets lost 1-11.
Nope, comfortable 7-3 victory 😂

Indeed! May struck his guy out on the last pitch of the game, tying the record. How dramatic! Even for an encore broadcast, I was on the edge of my seat. I jumped and yelled for joy at strike 3!!! Booyah!

[Déjà Bru]

On another note, wow, times sure have changed.

[Westheim]

Q: What goes boom in the night and clinches the Mets a playoff spot?

A: PEEEEEEEEETE!!!

I love Pete. What a mountain of joy!

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Q: What goes boom in the night and clinches the Mets a playoff spot?

A: PEEEEEEEEETE!!!

I love Pete. What a mountain of joy!

Westy, are you feeling alright? You uttered "love" and "joy" (concerning the Mets) in the same breath!

[Déjà Bru]

I liked this writeup:

For Jacob deGrom, Brandon Nimmo and Seth Lugo, it was a return to the promised land. They are the last holdovers from the Mets’ most recent postseason team, the 2016 club that lasted one game.

For the likes of Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Edwin Diaz, it was a fantasy becoming reality. They will play beyond the regular season for the first time.

And for everyone, it was an accomplishment worth acknowledging after 2,175 days, five changes at general manager, four at manager and one at owner.

[Amazin69]

Points for their remembering Beltran's "tenure" as manager. (If he'd had Altuve's buzzer on his chest back in '06, you think he might have swung?)

And congrats to the Mets. Now if I can only contain my rage at Buck pulling Scherzer while Max was throwing a perfecto. And having only tossed 68 pitches; he could have finished it off and stayed under 100.

I really, really, really hate modern "baseball".

(Remember, Max is recovering from an oblique injury. It doesn't matter how many pitches he throws. There's no cumulative effects involved. FFS.)

[Westheim]

Nimmo out in the first inning with a quad thing.

All is well. (calmly closes lips around gun barrel)

[Amazin69]

Let's count down, with the Mets!

6…the number of pitchers who took the mound for Milwaukee
5…the number of home runs Mike Brosseau had hit for the Brewers before this game
4…the number of hits the Mets got today.

(Same as yesterday, the difference being that the Brewer hurlers didn't stuff the bases in front of Frankie and Pete hitting bombs this time.)

3…the number of hits the Mets took from those Milwaukee pitchers (Canha was plunked twice, Guillorme once), thus setting the MLB record for HbP in a season with 106. (Sorry, Cincinnati.)

2…the number of times McNeil was shaken up in the field. (Knee, then wrist. He finished the game, though.)

1…the size of our lead over Atlanta, despite our finally getting some help from the DC Doormats, courtesy of Joey Meneses (who's not from Manassas).

0…the amount of sense that our manager, Schmuck Bowalter, showed in shoving Drew Smith in to his first appearance in over two months with the bases loaded and the game on the line, just because Brosseau, pinch-hitting, was a righty. Why not try easing the kid back in, FFS? Holy High-Leverage, Buckman!

Sigh.

Also, I trust y'all noticed that the Metsies' game went straight to Shicago immediately after Steve Gelbs won the Sausage Race? Gary and Keith weren't through congratulating him when Willy Adames took Walker over the fence.

Way to blow the opportunity guys. Now I'm gonna have to watch Braves-Phillies tomorrow night. Yoinks.

(At least with it being a FOX national game, I won't have to listen to Chip Caray. Instead, it's probably going to be…John Smoltz. That's like swapping rat poison for acid. Help!

Guess what? FOX is covering the World Series. Which means that even if the Mets live the dream, the final Mets game I ever see will be called by…John "Suck-Up" Smoltz, telling us how awesome Rob Manfred is and how great the DH is and how wonderful the rules changes and schedule stupidity will be next year and how many more great ideas he has to render the game even more unrecognizable, yessirree!

Can I borrow your gun when you're done, Westheim?)