Mets

[Westheim]

Christian Scott - 2/5 stars

Not worth the hype. Hard to watch, tough to swallow, and leaves a bitter taste whenever he serves up a 3-piece to one of those fin-flapping fishfaces. Wouldn't recommend.

[Amazin69]

Well, I'm not ready to say that Scotty is going to chase Terry "Smiley" Felton's record, but uggh. If Senga wasn't asking for a 6-man rotation, I wouldn't have objected to beaming Scotty to the bullpen…or possibly Syracuse.

Dear Gary Cohen: It's less than a week after the ASG. Could you hold off on score-board watching for the ****ing #3 Wild Card spot, at least until we hit August? Especially as (as Gary noted) virtually every team in the league is a "contender" at this point (mmmm, mediocrity! Thanks, Manly Rob Manfred!) and so any given result doesn't mean so much. Giants beat Gnats, Pirates beat Reds? To quote a leitmotif from Quadrophrenia, "why should I care?"

********************
Stat of the Night, also from Gary:

Marlins v. Gnats, Phightin' Phils, and Bravos: 4-16
Marlins v. Mets: 5-4

FFS, guys!

[Amazin69]

Gary tells us that Scott, Christian vs. The World has "a sprained UCLA"

(yeah, Westwood's really gone to ****…**** you, Karmella [/OT])

…and that it will be necessary to replace him in the rotation. Will it be Bútto? The Return of the Prodigill Tylor? Enquiring Fans Want to Know!

There is good news, however…The Unbeatable Joey Lucchesi cleared waivers and has been re-assigned to Syracuse. Let Joy be Unconfined.



(Shall I uncork the champagne, Westheim, or have you already done so?)

More seriously, Michael "Ka-BOOM!" Tonkin worked his magic against Jeff McCovey, and the Mets now have the lead.

Which they have just entrusted to…0ttavi-NO. Oh, lovely. Sigh.

[Amazin69]

ESPn has not only blessed the Subway Series exclusive telecast (sigh) with their best possible booth (Ravech, Cone, Li'l Doggie) but they put together a lovely Gary Cohen-heavy piece illustrating the Mets' turnaround from 24-35 to 28-13. Well done, Bristol!

(We won't mention [much] how 28-13 means that the Metsies have largely been treading water [12-9] since the initial 16-4 burst. At least we haven't gone completely backwards…)

Also, I was browsing BB-Ref on an entirely unrelated topic and discovered that our beloved Weeping Wilmer Flores has averaged 20 HR per year the past three seasons in SF, and before that he had 12 in only 55 games of COVID-ball. He had an .863 OPS last season.

Wilmer's current career total of 153 dingers puts him level with people such as Jim Northrup and Pablo Sandoval who were perceived to be greater sluggers. And also with Dan Driessen, the man who (sort of) ran Eduardo Perez's HoF dad out of Cincinnati. Huh.

[Westheim]

Mets thump Stinkees. Finally some unconditionally good news!

Pete hit #20, which means he might hit as many as 26 at his current pace .....

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but the Mets now have two relievers named Young (Danny and Alex). Last time the Mets had two relievers with the same name including an Alex, they won a pennant!

Even though Carlos Torres was way more useful than Alex Torres. Carlos made it into the perpetual highlights with the hackysack play with Murph. Alex merely looked like a Super Mario character from Wish with his bulletproof cap.

[Amazin69]

Not only are the Queens Qrushers doubly Young at heart in the pen, but they're both lefties! (I rather suspect that when Creakin' Diekman was the sole portsider in the 'pen, someone said "let's call up Young" and nobody noticed the duplicate ticket orders.)

Speakin' of Diekman, I was amused to hear that he said that his final pitch last night "slipped" in his hand, due to the humidity. Did he just admit to throwing a spitter?

Hilarious how Manaearrhea can look like absolute garbage for 4.2 innings…and yet the Yanks only got two runs off of him, three for the game and were out of it by the middle innings. Couldn't happen to a nicer pile of Pinstripers.

(Not that this is a long-term plan, obviously. I would bet on Manaea remaining marginal far more than I would on the team continuing to belt 5 dingers per game. [Should have been 6; the wind robbed McGriff.] But it worked now, so that's all that counts…now.)

[Amazin69]

The Braves (losers of 4 straight) put out a lineup where nobody in the 6-9 holes has an OPS above .590. This should be a gift from the gods for Severed Arm.

So naturally he gives up a one-out double to Austin Riley and then throws a wild pitch…then he walks Ozuna…but struck out Olson, leaving only Old Friend Travis d'L in the way.

Travis is hitting .387 in July. But Severino shuts the door, getting d'OH! to whiff on a heater that was headed straight over Alvarez's head. Huh.

(25 pitches, though. He ain't going 8 tonight.)

[Amazin69]

Tied after 9 last night, the Mets apparently won the game of foosball in "extra innings" and start tonight only .5 behind Atlanta for the (arguably) only legitimate wild card slot.

(I still loathe the very idea of backing in with the Losers' Trophy, but if you've mutilated the League into 3 divisions, you will need a WC [unless you give a bye to the best record, but that's dicey]. So I give a slight pass to the asterisk, but anything else is ridiculous.)

Kodai Senga makes his season debut, and while Adam Duvall pops a two-run shot down the line, otherwise he's in fine form. 8K's in 5 innings. Meanwhile, the Mets beat the salt out of Charlie Morton in the 3rd (salami by J.D., two run shot by Vientos [after a nice double by McNeil] and a solo by Alvarez), the first time Charlie has ever given up 3 bombs in an inning. But you can't stop the Queens Qrushers, right?)

Of course, to start the 6th, Senga gets Austin Riley to pop up, tries to get off the mound to stay out of the way, gets his left cleat caught in the dirt, and goes down with what appears to be a strained calf. Of course. Hope he's back fairly soon.

(The Mets "hope" that Scott, Christian vs. the NL can be back by September…which means he won't. Rest up, Scotty.)

This means the Mets bring in the Make-a-Wish kid, who was called up in the most recent shuffle. (Senga activated, Adey Houser, R.P. DFA'd [nooooo!], Ded-Arm Nuñez to the Inoperable List, and the kid called up.) Naturally, Ozuna knocks Make-a-Wish's first pitch deep into the bleachers, but things stabilize after that.

The Mets have also acquired reliever Ryne Stanek from Seattle in exchange for OF Rhylan Thomas, a not-particularly-impressive 24-year-old Rumble Pony. Which probably means the Make-a-Wish kid shouldn't bother to unpack, but at least this is better than that Pittsburgh game where he made his debut.

Ottavino stumbled through the 8th and Creakin' Diekman let Duvall bomb one off the HR Apple to start the 9th, but the Mets held on.

6 straight losses for ATL, 5 straight wins for the Mets. Mets are now 13-4 after that 2-5 mini-slump, and are in 2nd place…only 9 behind the Phils. (10 in the loss column, though.)

Which is fairly impressive since the Mets were 16.5 back after blowing the game to the Snakes on Strawberry Sunday. (Mets have gone 31-13 since, Phils 23-20.) Remember, the all-time record for comebacks is making up 15.5 games (1914 "Miracle" Braves), so I wouldn't bet on it…but 9 back in late July isn't beyond the realm of possibility…

Huh.

[Westheim]

In lieu of flowers...

W that tastes like a 3-game sweep (all walkoffs) in the Fishtank.

My entire ******* body went limp on that pop when they cut to Senga in the overturned-turtle position.

WHY THE **** can Mets fans not have nice things??? WHY???

[Amazin69]

Is it just weird color-mixing on this Braves feed I have to watch because I'm "local" (over 193 miles) to Atlanta, or are the Mets' Chitty Connect uniform pants actually a very pale pink today? And here I thought they were bad enough already.

(Brandon Gaudin, who has replaced Chip Caray, is a slight upgrade…albeit how could he not be? But I was spoiled when I watched that one game earlier this year [because I wanted to quixotically root for the White Sox against Atlanta, and the Sox actually won!] because Gaudin and C.J. Nitkowski were doing a nice job together. I actually didn't mind the telecast.

Alas, C.J. was only filling in for Jeff Francoeur, who was on paternity leave but still has the regular gig. Frenchy is as bad as I was trying to forget. At least I haven't been hit with Tom Glavine yet, but still.)

[Mariner and Giants Fan]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Is it just weird color-mixing on this Braves feed I have to watch because I'm "local" (over 193 miles) to Atlanta, or are the Mets' Chitty Connect uniform pants actually a very pale pink today? And here I thought they were bad enough already.

(Brandon Gaudin, who has replaced Chip Caray, is a slight upgrade…albeit how could he not be? But I was spoiled when I watched that one game earlier this year [because I wanted to quixotically root for the White Sox against Atlanta, and the Sox actually won!] because Gaudin and C.J. Nitkowski were doing a nice job together. I actually didn't mind the telecast.

Alas, C.J. was only filling in for Jeff Francoeur, who was on paternity leave but still has the regular gig. Frenchy is as bad as I was trying to forget. At least I haven't been hit with Tom Glavine yet, but still.)

Must be your viewing as they look white to me.

[Amazin69]

Oh, I thought you were merely reacting to Senga's injury. I didn't know (until Gaudin mentioned it) that Mr. Ghost Fork is now forked until (possibly) the playoffs.

From a calf strain?? Geez, Louise…

Rotation:

Quintana
Severed Arm
Manaearrhea
Peterson
Megill

Is this really the stuff that dreams are made of?

Bullpen:

Closer: Edlose
Setup: Ottavi-NO
Lefty: Creakin' Diekman
Young Lefties: Young, A. and Young, D.
Swingman: Bútto
Opener: Stanek
Film at 11: Phil Maton

(Injured: Nuñez, Garrett, Drew Smith, Raley, Scotty, Senga, Reid, Foley, probably others.)

Pitching is overrated, apparently.

(Mets think they're so deep with pitching that they traded Cole Susler to the Rays for bus fare. [A senior discount fare, but cash is cash.])

ETA: Megill got the first 11 Bravos. Then Ozuna, who had pissed off Mets fans with his slow trot last night, hit another, and doubled down on the taunting. Sigh.

Then Matt Olson went jack-to-jack, but at least he knows how to act like he's hit one before.

[Westheim]

"Mets strike deal with Nationals for lefty bat Winker"

This is a joke, right? This can't be real, right?

[Amazin69]

Hey, the only real problem is if Winker angers the fans again, he can't leave town after just three days.

Well, the other problem is that 6'9" Tyler Stuart (Mets #6 pick in the 2022 draft) led the entire minor leagues with a 2.20 ERA at Brooklyn last season, and after struggling to find his feet as a Rumble Pony this year, he's posted a 2.00 ERA in his last 5 starts. So expect him to be beating our asses into the next decade.

But I can't argue the logic of letting Winker (.783 OPS) take the starts currently going to The Bronxville Kid (.703 OPS) and Tyrone Power (.660 OPS), and squeeze The Immortal Demetreus Jerome Stewart off the roster. As much as it saddens me that yesterday is likely the last time I'll see DJ PH for J.D., I'll deal.

Plus, since "You Stinker" Winker is a lefty, it does allow for some flexibility. Hypothetical line up:

Lindor, ss (S)
Nimmo, cf (L)
Peeeeeeete, 1b (R)
Winker, lf (L)
Martinez, designated sitter, (R)
McNeil, rf (L)
Vientos, 3b (R)
Alvarez, c (R)
Candelita, 2b (R)

Or, if Martinez stops slumping and McNeil cools off,

Lindor
Nimmo
JD
Peeete
Winker
Vientos
McNeil
Alvarez
Joey Church

And other possiblilities.

Of course, if Winker reverts to the stinker he was last season in Milwaukee, the trade will suck even more. But I think he'll thrive in NY (he's from Buffalo) and at age 30, he's actually the same age as Taylor and Bader, so it's not like we're aging up the lineup.

edit: I think Ben Gamel is still on the squad, so he would go back to Syracuse and we can keep DJ. Whew!!

12 pitchers

Alvarez, Torrens (catchers)

Pete, Iglesias, Lindor, Vientos (infielders)

Winker, Nimmo, Taylor, Bader, DJ (outfielders)

McNeil (IF-OF)

JD Martinez don't play no field!

Perhaps not Murderers' Row, but…Shoplifters' Row?

[Westheim]

(despairs while watching Peterson lob the worst crap up there)

The Mets have no rotation.

[Amazin69]

Yes, but the bullpen sucks, too.

(We kept the receipt for Ryne Stanek, right? What's the returns policy in Seattle?)

[Westheim]

The lineup sucks just as bad, no matter how often Keith says that the lineup is hawt or whatever.

Yeah, they were what, 21 consecutive innings without scratching out a single measly run, before Pete hit his biweekly meaningless homer?

Not 21 scoreless innings against peak Clayton Kershaw and Zach Greinke, or anything the like, but mostly against Spencer Swollenface and whatever palooka reliever / failed starter the Barves were bold enough to vomit forth from their own pen.

And that 7-spot on Friday? Four runs were unearned there too, since the whole inning began with the Riley error.

This team sucks, it sucks hard, it sucks all the time, and they're only adding more sucking suckers.

And Jesse ******.

[Amazin69]

Brandon Gaudin claimed that, bar that one big inning on Friday night, the Braves pitching had pretty much controlled the Mets all weekend.

Initial response: Brandon Gaudin can Gau **** himself.
A second later: He's not wrong, though.

(He did partially redeem himself after Pete hit the Strawberry Special [my dad always claimed Straw only hit homers when the Mets were 5 runs up or 5 runs down] telling the story of how in middle school Pete was assigned a "what do you want to do for a career?" essay, wrote that he wanted to be an MLB player, and got a "C" because the teacher thought that was unrealistic. So that was a cute anecdote…but not worth enduring 9 innings of that crap, otherwise.)

[Amazin69]

Mets DFA Diekman (goodbye to those option years kicking in, Jake!) and for a new lefty in the pen, they have en-Gage-d Matt Gage, up from Syracuse.

Not certain why Gage was in the minors, given that he was extremely effective in 11 appearances for Toronto back in '22 and only slightly less so in 5 outings with the Asstros last year. Tiny ERAs and WHIPs and a career total of 19.2 IP, with 20 K and only 1 W.

That's a lovely statistical line. A pity it will turn to **** once he puts on a Mets shirt, but still.

[Amazin69]

From the back pages, re the signing of Verlander:

Originally Posted by Amazin69

But have no fear!

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/mets-...rlander-report

Because why should Uncle Stevie spend his $$$ on the senior member of the team, the last link to the 2015 World Series, a hero who grew up as a Met, when you can throw $40,000,000+ at an aging has-been-to-be? A guy who sat out 2020 and 2021?

This will totally work! Look what a help Max was this year!! Totally didn't get injured in September and blow his last two starts under pressure! I'm sure Verlander is just what we need!!



It's like signing Mo Vaughn one year and saying "Yeah, aging AL All-Stars totally never flop as Mets!" and rushing out to grab Roberto Alomar while letting Edgardo Alfonzo walk.

Except the 2002 Mets made the Vaughn/Alomar mistakes simultaneously, and Fonzie (who actually had a nice 2002) didn't leave until the next year. (When the Mets brought in Tom Glavine, another aging ace who worked so well…). So they were just doubly-stupid, not refusing to learn from their previous mistake, as Eppler has.

Can't wait for the Mets to throw $$$$ at Chris Sale in 2024! Bound to solve everything!

Anyhow, adieu, Jake. Enjoy overpaid irrelevancy in the MetroPlex; whichever Seager is on that team can fill you in.

Of course, Sale is in fact having an excellent year in Atlanta. But I stand by the spirit of my post, anyhow.