Mets More Concerned With Puig Than Playing Good Baseball
It was too good to be true. With the left-hander Rich Hill starting for the Dodgers, and with Michael Conforto‘s cold streak, Curtis Granderson got the start in center. On the second pitch of the game, he would give the Mets the lead:
Curtis Granderson belts a solo home run to right field to lead off the top of the 1st inning, giving the Mets an early 1-0 lead!!! #LGM pic.twitter.com/C0Rp2IUmIR
— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) June 22, 2017
It was Granderson’s 19th lead-off homer with the Mets putting him back in a tie with Jose Reyes for the Mets all-time record.
After a scoreless first, the Mets would have their first lead in the series. As we all know at this point, it was too good to last.
Tyler Pill would surrender the lead in the third with some help from his defense. After a lead-off walk to Joc Pederson, T.J. Rivera threw one away to set up runners at second and third with no outs. To his credit, Pill limited the damage to one run on a Hill sacrifice fly.
Surprisingly, despite the Dodgers having scored a run, Pill still had a no-hitter going. That came crashing down in the fourth.
Starting with Cody Bellinger, the Dodgers just teed off on Pill. Bellinger ripped a ball to right field, and he tested Jay Bruce‘s arm. Bruce threw the ball away, and no one from the Mets over shifted infield bothered to cover third thereby just giving the base to him.
Bellinger scored on a Logan Forsythe double. After Pederson was intentionally walked, Yasiel Puig hit a three run homer he quite admired:
Yasiel Puig crushes a three-run home run to left field in the bottom of the 4th inning, before exchanging words with Travis d'Arnaud at home pic.twitter.com/XGKh5aH1pM
— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB) June 22, 2017
Wilmer Flores had something to say about it. Travis d’Arnaud said something to him. Between innings, Cespedes and Reyes talked with him.
The Mets are out there playing as poorly as you can making mental mistakes all over, not hitting with runners in scoring position, and getting their doors blown off on a nightly basis, but they’re going to talk to Puig about playing the right way? Ok.
In some ways, it should have never come to this point. In the top of the fourth, the Mets had bases loaded with no outs with a chance to take a big lead. Instead, Hill would strike out Reyes, Gavin Cecchini, and Pill to get out of the inning.
Pill didn’t seem to have the same issue as his teammates did decking to plunk Puig in the sixth. Maybe it was because Pill was too worried about how poor he was pitching. His final line was six innings (career high), five hits, six runs, five earned, three walks, and six strikeouts.
Conspicuously absent in that line was a hit by pitch. For some, it was much ado about nothing. For others, it was a sign this team had no fight left.
In any event, a Yasmani Grandal sixth inning and eighth inning home run to make it 7-1. Neil Ramirez in his second inning of work would throw gasoline on the fire allowing two runs before handing the ball to Erik Goeddel. Goeddel would get out of the jam leaving the score at 8-1.
Grandy would hit an RBI double in the ninth to make it 8-2. That’s how it would end.
With that, the Mets are nine games under .500 for the first time this season. As bad as that is, things are really about to get worse than it already is.
Game Recap: Mets 5.01 ERA entering the game is the highest ERA the Mets have had this late in the season since 1962. After offseason elbow surgery, this was Goeddel’s first major league appearance this season.
I thought only the beat writers still watch the full Met games. Maybe they split duties?
The Post only covers inning 1-3, Newsday 4-6 and Daily News 7-9.
Game ends, each writer compiles the other six innings and then each of them writes?
Terry Collins’s teams do not fight, push or shout too loud.
You don’t see much of that stuff from the Mets unless Thor or Robles is on the mound.
Travis is forbidden to fight, Doctor’s orders.
If Wilmer was not picking up on what was already said from dugout maybe he would have cursed out Puig enough for Puig to freak out?
I think Wilmer’s fed up and speaking for himself
Other teams fight and come together, the Schmets add two guys to the sixty day DL!
The 2015 Mets never fought, and they nearly won it all.
At least they pounced and snatched the lead in the first and started a rally back in the ninth. This team has a never say die moxie!
It’s a real mess
The strategy is for Gavin Cecchini to get comfortable at second and then his teammate (and friend at SS?) and DP partner comes up from LV? Much easier for Rosario and Smith, one at a time?
I think Cecchini has no bearing on Rosario
The strategy is for Gavin Cecchini to get comfortable at second and then his teammate (and friend at SS?) and DP partner comes up from LV? Much easier for Rosario and Smith, one at a time?
I think the Mets plan was to have neither one up right now
Once they get swept by SD then they play dead against the Phillies while diving to get that first pick next year.
Last place, Fans buy Billboards as you approach the mid town tunnel, “SELL THE TEAM!”
That wouldn’t be such a bad thing right now