Wilson Ramos Defense Giveth, His Bat Finally Taketh
Wilson Ramos was terrible tonight. He wasn’t getting pitches for Marcus Stroman. Stroman was also charged a wild pitch on what should’ve been ruled a passed ball. Ramos allowed two stolen bases.
Again, like he’s been all of this season, he was flat out terrible behind the plate.
But at the plate, he was vintage Ramos. He had an RBI single in the first to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Overall, he was 3-for-4 including a huge go-ahead two run homer in the eighth:
The ? goes oppo. #LGM pic.twitter.com/x8qYJnyxck
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 4, 2019
As shocking as that was, the homer was set up by a Robinson Cano double. This probably marks the first time this year Ramos and Cano have combined for back-to-back big hits.
That gave the Mets a 4-3 lead with the other non-Ramos run coming off a Jeff McNeil pinch hit homer in the seventh. McNeil sat after struggling the past few days with a sore wrist. Taking his spot stop the lineup was Amed Rosario, who continued to hit well with a 3-for-4 night with a walk and a stolen base.
Up until the homers, the Mets trailed 3-1 in Stroman’s debut.
As noted, Ramos was not helping him at all. The combination of Ramos and a stingy home plate umpire led to a 35 pitch first inning. In that inning, he allowed a run to score before he got an out, and he walked in a run. Things would’ve been worse if Stroman wasn’t a Gold Glover on the mound:
Smooth. pic.twitter.com/2lfV7JSYQj
— New York Mets (@Mets) August 4, 2019
Stroman did well to settle in until the fifth. In that inning, he’d leave with one out and runners on the corners. With his being on a pitch limit due to a prolonged time between starts resulting from the trade, he was done, and Luis Avila came in. He’d walk a batter and hit another to force home a run.
Surprisingly, Jacob Rhame kept the Mets in the game pitching 1.1 scoreless. There was also scoreless frames from Justin Wilson and Seth Lugo. It was setting up for an interesting ninth with a struggling Edwin Diaz to get the save in a one run game.
That trepidation fell by the wayside with Ramos hitting a bases clearing double in the eighth giving the Mets a 7-3 lead. It was Ramos’ first six RBI game of his career, and it was his first 3 RBI game since May 25.
As it turns out, the Mets needed the insurance with Diaz allowing a two run homer to Starling Marte in the ninth. Diaz settled back in and got the final outs to preserve the 7-5 win.
The Mets are back to two under .500 as a result of a huge come from behind victory. They need to keep this up as they’re nearing a return to Citi for a huge homestand.
Game Notes: Dilson Herrera left the game early in Syracuse. Mets claimed Donnie Hart off waivers prior to the game.
I started the night cursing out Ramos for costing Stroman low strikes early But in the end he won the game for the Mets and after a horrendous July he’s had two very good games this month. Stroman looked like a guy that hadn’t pitched in ten days even though he was squeezed a good amount he did give up six hits to the first eleven batters, but he had a real good stretch from the second inning through the fourth where he looked like himself. Stroman was victimized by the Mets strangely having Davis playing shallow vs hard hitting Bryan Reynolds.
You know normally when Mickey leaves a loogy like Avilan in vs a righty I’d usually be cursing him, but with Rhame up I was okay with him facing a righty but Rhame did eventually come in and get a huge out and was an unsung hero.
Another big game for Rosario who has been one of the best shortstops in baseball the last six weeks and he’s even drawing walks a little and not chasing and striking out as much. It has been a pleasure watching him blossom just this.
Cano had a really strong game and his double started the rally in the 8th and Ramos continues to be real good with runners in scoring position while being terrible in pretty much every other thing. Ramos came up huge huge in th last two innings and if not for his big hit in the ninth to add insurance runs the Pirates might have come back to win.
The prettiest play of the game was Stroman’s beauty of a play but the most important defensive play was Alonso’s tremendous dig out of Cano’s throw to complete the double play. Pete has a tough day at the plate but he continues to impress with his defense.
Lugo was great and I liked Gary’s idea on how to have Diaz face the bottom of the lineup in the eighth and let Lugo face the Pirates top hitters in the ninth but alas it didn’t happen.
All in a hell of a win with Ramos papering over his dreadful defense for one night with a great offensive performance.
Lugo was great
Ramos made up for his putrid defense and for being a contributing factor to the Mets ripping through the bullpen.
Even with his 6 RBI game, I’m never catching him when Stroman starts again. Pure stupidity.
The Mets needed the Pirates substitute on “defense” in RF to wave at a fairly easy fly ball and turn it into a 3-run double, just to turn the Mets, however briefly, into a .490 team. Once the calendar turns to August 9 the Mets begin a run of 11 series, 9 of which are against teams owning records over .525:
Washington (58-51)
Atlanta (66-46)
KC (40-71. Wow. Worse than Miami)
Cleveland (65-45)
Atlanta (66-46)
Chicago (59-51)
Philly (58-52)
Washington (58-51)
Philly (58-52)
Arizona (54-56)
Los Angeles (73-40)
Enjoy the current run against sub-par clubs. It should last, oh, about 4 more games.
I believe in the players. I just don’t believe in a FO and manager who will do everything possible to undermine and sabotage those players’ chances. The recent Vargas deal, or Vargas giveaway, already added not insignificantly to the Mets’ burden. We can count on the FO to foolishly okay playing players into the ground, mismanage injuries and playing time, just as we can count on Callaway to blunder away any in-game advantages that present themselves.
The players are pretty good. But they’re not good enough to get past the Wilpons, van Wagenen, and Callaway.