Mets

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Was it the Mets in 1979, as well? That team earned that #1 Darryl Strawberry-shaped draft pick, you know.

Pirates and Reds were involved, but I have already forgotten who croaked so bad between them.

To be fair one team offering six walks and the other not scoring inside three innings means they *both* croaked quite bad.

[Amazin69]

Ironic that those were the two division champions that season.

I see the Mets didn't need me. J.D. Just Doing J.D. things.

[Westheim]

Regardless of whether Adrian Houser manages to chop a 5-run lead to bits or not, at least he managed to get Manny Machado rung up and tossed on a ball four

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Regardless of whether Adrian Houser manages to chop a 5-run lead to bits or not, at least he managed to get Manny Machado rung up and tossed on a ball four

If there is an athlete I like less than Manny Machado, I can't think of him/her.

[Amazin69]

So the Mets have now gone 10-2 of late. I'd be more impressed if they were back at .500, or out of 4th place, or at least able to keep pace with the Gnats, but it's a start.

(Bonus: having a 12-run lead in the 9th decreases the chance of Edlose Diaz blowing the game. The best saves are the ones where he doesn't leave the bullpen.)

[Westheim]

Well, this game was fun!

I liked that the Mets scored a week's worth of runs, the story about Mad Max and the kid and the beer (this sounds now way worse than it was), that David Peterson pitched almost well, and that we now acknowledge that Snottavino is best used in garbage innings, since he's a garbage reliever. Even Knizner foiling the Mets with 46mph lampoons at the end was cute. And I even kinda liked the Mariachi band, when usually when it gets to singing on US TV, I cringe out.

[Westheim]

Willie Mays, as relayed by Gary Cohen: “All these years, and [Rickwood Field] is still here, and so am I.”

Well, about that… -.-

When Keith starts to sob, I also have to sob.

Gary: “Pete has never hit a home run against the White Sox, and he’s never hit one against the Rangers. Of course he’s never hit one against the Mets, and you hope that he’ll never get a chance to.”
Keith: “That would be nice.”
Me: (sharp whining noises)

All the gloomy bits aside, the Mets rallied from a substantial deficit and Pete clubbed in the winning run with a double in the ninth inning to scratch out another W.

[Westheim]

The Mets released Tomas Nido, who has already been signed by the Cubs.

That's a bold move for a team that is habitually picking through other teams' refuse for new catchers...

[Amazin69]

Well, if Alvarez can stay healthy (and Torrens keep contributing), we can make do.

And as I already noted two years back, the Atlanta organist had stopped serenading him with "Lido Shuffle", so there's no sense mourning Scaggs gone by.

[Amazin69]

Aaaaaaaand…there goes that win streak. Looked as though Peeeete was the hero and Manaea had a shot at a no-no* , but then it all went away. Instead, it ended up "2+2=n/a", since two in the 6th and two in 7th meant that Texas didn't need to bat in the 9th.

(*-obviously, Manaea had thrown too many pitches for there to be a chance he'd get a chance to finish the job. I was actually happy when he gave up the hit on pitch 94, so I didn't need to see him get yanked without yielding one, and Gary telling us the "tall tale" about how Johan Santana ruined his arm by throwing 135 pitches in The No-No, and I didn't have to worry about another "combined no-hitter" being declared a cause of celebration rather than the non-event it IMO is. I just didn't like what followed.)

Gary thinks that both the struggling Reid-Foley and the unused Nuñez are injured. I'm not sure why they wouldn't punt Dedniel on the Ded-arm list for a brief stint and bring back Danny Young, in that case. It's Nuñez, not Danny, who is getting near the "Trips to Tidewater" limit.

(Yes, yes, Tidewater hasn't been the Mets' AAA affiliate in this century. I only used it out of nostalgia. And also because the alliteration is easier…"Syracuse Sojourns" seems a bit forced.)

On to Wrigley! Even if it seems too soon to get nostalgic about Nido.

[Westheim]

Gelbs’ report on the brisket was the highlight of the Mets’ 5-3 loss to the Texans. Okay, Pete yoinking a 2-piece was pretty nice as well, but apart from that? Meh.

Although, if all those 160k pounds of brisket fed to people at the ballpark annually is sourced from Nolan Ryan, who is the principal shareholder of the Round Rock Express’ ownership group – that being the Rangers’ AAA team – and with those two teams inextricably linked to each other, at least the German IRS would very much like to have a look at such an exclusive business relation and the transactions that go on there. But I’m sure it’s all fiiiiine.

Sorry, I’m just such a boring tax accountant.

Gary: “The only team other than the Mets that Pete has not hit a home run against is the White Sox, and he will get that change later this summer.”
Me: Is that before or after the deadline, Gar’?
Answer: August 30 to September 1

(sharply draws in air between his teeth)

[Westheim]

Mets lead by ten in the fourth inning.

It's a tough challenge, but this game can still be lost! I have faith in them!

[Westheim]

Mets trail by five in the first inning.

It's a tough challenge, but this game can still be lost! I have faith in them!

[Amazin69]

Not only are the Mets making Ronnie and Gelbs and the SNY audience suffer, but the game is also being broadcast on FS1.

Therefore, absent any other evidence, I can only assume that Megill's mediocrity is a plot to ensure that everyone switches back to "Big FOX" for Romania-Belgium, at the top of the hour. Lukaku…or Mets ca-ca? Talk about stacking the deck!

[Westheim]

Why is it *also* on FS1?

Bad enough that Gelbsie gets robbed of a third game at the mic tomorrow (although I can't watch Sunday night games anyway unless I have Monday off, which I do not for the foreseeable future now).

[Amazin69]

It's the regular FS1 game, with their (inferior) announcers. Apparently FS1 telecasts don't suppress the local calls the way the FOX games do.

(Most likely because they're not scheduled as far in advance. The decision to pick this game for today may be because of the Mets' recent hot streak. Too late, guys! Should have caught us beating up San Diego!)

[Amazin69]

J.D. Davis returns to New York, as the Yankees liberate him from Oakland.

Given the success of our Mr. Martinez, one can only assume that the Pinstripers have come down with a case of JDealousy.

[Amazin69]

Nothing like listening to the ESPn gang (and wow, Sciambi and Cone and Li'l Doggie are WAY better than the trash we had in London) keep praising Pete Crow-Armstrong as "an elite defender". More joy from "the best two months of Javy Baez's career", as Gary Cohen insists on framing it.

(Also, Trevor Williams. But we didn't get the best out of him, either.)

OTOH, when the Mets hit balls PC-A can't reach, it hardly matters. I'm actually offended he turned to check Vientos's shot. Pete (not our Pete), you couldn't catch that with a helicopter!

All that said, the highlight of the night (week? month?) has to be Edlose Diaz getting tossed for Spider-Tac, before ever throwing a pitch. Another great Mets trade! Thanks, Brodie!

[Westheim]

After the post above I expected raw horror in the Mets box score, but they actually won 5-2.

Also, Boog Sciambi and Jim Deshaies in the Cubs booth are in my top 5 in the league. If I watch a non-Mets game, I always watch the home broadcast, so I usually hear from them every other Friday. Although this Friday I was obviously on the Mets broadcast.

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Westheim

After the post above I expected raw horror in the Mets box score, but they actually won 5-2.

Hey, I mentioned that the Mets hit multiple balls that couldn't be caught (including one GI-normous blast), that they were planning to bring in Edlose (ie, they were in a save situation) and that Edlose didn't actually pitch!

If that's not the very formula for success, what is, I ask you?