Bartolo Colon

Nationals Walked Away With This One

On what must’ve been a trying day for Bartolo Colon and both of his families, he just didn’t have it. 

For the first time since 2005, Colon walked five batters. Twice he walker back to back batters. He only lasted 4.2 innings allowing five hits, three earned, and the aforementioned five walks with our strikeouts. At times, it did look as if he was getting squeezed by the home plate umpire. At this point it should be mentioned that umpires are human:

Colon had his chance to come out of the game with a no decision. In the fourth  Yoenis Cespedes had tied the game at 1-1. 

Up until that point, the Mets had been one-hit through 3.2 innings by Gio Gonzalez, who has dominated the Mets. In his career, Gonzalez is 9-4 with a 2.66 ERA. At Citi Field, he’s 6-1 with a 1.54 ERA. Tonight was more of the same with him pitching 6.1 innings allowing five hits, one earned, and one walk with five strikeouts. 

As mentioned before, Colon entered the fifth tied 1-1. Colon allowed the first two batters to reach base, and Daniel Murphy stepped to the plate. In his prior at bat, Murphy singled home a run past a diving David Wright. This time, he pulled one down the first base line, but he was robbed of an extra base hit by Eric Campbell, who made his second terrific defensive play of the game. Colon would strike out Ryan Zimmerman, but he just couldn’t put Anthony Rendon away. 

There were a few times Terry Collins looked as if he would lift Colon in the fifth. He even sent Dan Warthen to talk to him, but he never pulled the trigger apparently wanting to get Colon through five innings. While the move was understandable, it cost the Mets. 

By the way, speaking of stealing hits from Murphy, Juan Lagares showed he really is back to his Gold Glove form by doing his best Willie Mays impersonation

 https://vine.co/v/i09PLrLFExB

Murphy finished the night 1-4 with two RBI (including the above sacrifice fly). His batting average dropped to .395. 

The Mets tried to muster a rally in the seventh after falling behind 5-1. They loaded the bases with one out. However, both Kevin Plawecki and Michael Conforto grounded out against the lefty Felipe Rivero. It all but assures Collins will never hit Conforto against a lefty again.  

When all was said and done, the Mets pitching failed the offense that failed them. The Mets entered the game allowing the least amount of walks. Tonight, they allowed 11 walks and hit two batters. They would lose 7-1. The Mets not only dropped the game, but also dropped back down to third place. Still, they are only 1.5 games back with plenty of games against the Nstionals and the season. 

Game Notes: For the second straight game, Plawecki was successful throwing out a base stealer. Just to bring some levity to a frustrating game, here’s Cespedes making a goofy play in LF:

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Bartolo Colon Should Be Booed

Since Bartolo Colon has come to the Mets, he’s had the monicker of a lovable character. He’s been dubbed “Big Sexy.”  Well, Colon has taken it too far. 

Colon is married to the woman he met as a poor 13 year old boy in the Dominican Republic. With the strength of his right arm, they were able to come to America and build a life together. Together, they have four children. According to the New York Post, Colon has two other children he refuses to acknowledge or support. 

He’s been having an affair with a woman. Together, they have two children ages seven and eight. There is an ongoing lawsuit seeking Colon provide financial support for his children.  He’s not providing support despite, according to Spotrac, Colon making over $101 million in his career.  He’s making $7.25 million this year. For his start today, he’s making a little over $44,000. 

When he does toe the rubber tonight, in the words of Dick Young, “Stand Up and Boo!”

No, it doesn’t mean you’re rooting against the Mets. It doesn’t mean you want him to lose the game. No, you’re booing the man, not the player. 

This isn’t about Colon’s extramarital affair. That’s between him, his wife, and his paramour. No, this is about Colon failing to do the right thing here. He’s failing to provide child support for two of his children. He deserves to be booed when he takes the mound, and when he steps up to the plate. 

Shame on Bartolo Colon. 

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Kershaw & Utley Dominated the Mets

It was over before it began. The Dodgers sent Clayton Kershaw to the mound, and he brought his A game. Bartolo Colon took the mound for the Mets, and he allowed for runs in the first. When that happens:

The game was as awful and dissatisfying as a regular season game in May can be.

Not only did the Dodgers jump all over Colon, but Chase Utley had a great game. He jumped right on Colon with a single getting the first inning rally started. He then hit a homer in the second to make it a 5-0 game. He went 3-4 with two runs, an RBI, and the aforementioned homer. What made it all the more frustrating was no one plunked Utley let alone threw one into his kitchen. 

There were not many pluses for the Mets. David Wright walked in the first meaning there wouldn’t be a perfect game. Asdrubal Cabrera did get a hit in the fourth meaning there would be no no-hitter. It was important because Kershaw had no-hit stuff going:

Kershaw threw a three hit shutout with one walk and 13 strikeouts. It was the second straight year he threw a shut out against the Mets. 

Cabrera also had a nice night in the field with a couple of good defensive plays.  Colon did make it through five innings despite getting tattooed most of the night.  In the five innings he pitched, he allowed seven hits and five earned. 

Colon gave way to Sean Gilmartin, who pitched well in his return to the Mets bullpen. He actually struck out Utley. Overall, Gilmartin, who had been starting in AAA, went three innings allowing one hit, no runs, and no walks with three strikeouts. 

Overall, it was a lost game. Many teams have that against Kershaw. No shame in that.  The only real problem tonight was watching Utley have a good night (and a good series) while looking comfortable at the plate. 

The Mets move on to Colorado where the Mets hitters promise to be a lot more comfortable. 

Game Notes: Lucas Duda and Michael Conforto sat against Kershaw. 

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Mad Dog Doesn’t Get It

If you’re like me, you grew up with Mike & the Mad Dog on WFAN. During the time the Mets were on the air together, one thing was very clear – Mad Dog hates the Mets and Mets fans. Apparently, he still does:

https://vid.me/RLOx

Seriously?

Gary Cohen’s call was perfect. That should be no surprise as he is the best play-by-play man in the business. You can hear the utter shock and disbelief in his voice. His tone and call matched the moment. 

Yes, it’s absurd to call it “among the great moments in the history of baseball.”  However, I do think Gary’s permitted a bit of hyperbole in what was a shocking moment. He and Ron Darling were chuckling during the moment. Everyone was doing it everywhere. 

Whether or not you like Bartolo Colon, you have to admit it was a great moment. It was an unbelievable moment. It needs a call that matched. Gary Cohen did it because he’s the best. Mad Dog hated it because he hates the Mets and their fans. 

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Believe It

The late great Joe Buck screamed,”I don’t believe what I just saw!” when a severely hobbled Kirk Gibson homered off of Denns Eckersley. 

It was believable. 

In the final game of a three game tie-breaker for the 1951 pennant, Bobby Thompson hit the proverbial “Shot Heard Round the World” off of Ralph Branca. Russ Hodes alternated between screaming “THE GIANTS WON THE PENNANT!” and “I DON’T BELIEVE IT!”

It was believable. 

Saturday night, Gary Cohen exclaimed, “The impossible has happened!”

If you’re like me, you keep checking to make sure it actually happened. Don’t worry. It did. You can believe what you saw. You can believe it. The impossible happened. 

Bartolo Colon hit a homerun. 

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Bartolo Colon Homered?!?!?! 

This game wasn’t about the superb game David Wright had going 2-2 with three walks, two runs, a homerun and an RBI. This game isn’t about Michael Conforto snapping an 0-17 streak with a homer. It’s not about Yoenis Cespedes hitting another homer. It’s not about the 6-3 win snapping the Mets two game losing streak. 

No, it’s about Bartolo Colon‘s homerun:

There’s nothing more than needs to be said about tonight’s game other than . . . 

Bartolo Colon homered. 

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Fast Forwarded Mets-Padres Game 

So I didn’t make it very far last night. The last thing I remember Wilmer Flores grounded out to end a rally, and Noah Syndergaard was throwing his first pitch in the bottom half of the inning. I was then out like a light. I’m sure a younger version of me was severely disappointed in me. 

In any event, I woke up around 3 AM with the gray screen from the television on. At that point, I knew the game was over. There was no epic extra innings battle featuring Bartolo Colon getting the game-winning hit while Eric Campbell became a Mets hero by coming in and recording the save. 

No, as I would find out, it was just a normal run of the mill game. There’s an inherent beauty in that, but no one will be talking about it for generations to come. Or perhaps it will. Maybe, just maybe, we will remember this game as the last game Syndergaard ever lost in 2016 . . . or ever. 

Until such time, we know Syndergaard lost his second game of the year despite allowing two earned runs. We know Drew Pomeranz had a good curveball working, and he shut down the Mets lineup. We know Tim Teufel sent Asdrubal Cabrera in the seventh, and he was nailed at the plate. We know the Mets lost their second game in a row, and they snapped their streak of six consecutive series wins. 

I know this because I caught Mets Fast Forward this morning. If you’ve never watched, they condense a Mets game into an hour. It’s a good way to catch up.  It’s more entertaining than reading a game recap . . . well, more entertaining than a game recap written on another site.  Unfortunately, something gets lost in translation. 

You miss the little things. You miss some of the lesser at bats where maybe you see why a batter is struggling. You sometimes miss how a pitcher either falls into a pattern or is changing his attack from batter to better. You miss most of the excellent calls of Gary, Keith, and Ron (no Keith last night). In essence, you lose a feel for the game. You lose the ebbs and flows. You miss the cadence that makes each game unique. 

With that said, I couldn’t make the full game with the 10:40 start. Not after staying up until 1:00 A.M. for the prior game. Not after dragging myself out if bed at 5:30 A.M. the next day. I tried and failed. With that said, Mets Fast Forward was a welcome sight. Too bad it’s not a viable option next week. 

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The Mets Awaken

Today is Star Wars Day (May the Fourth – get it?). In celebration of the day, here are the Mets alter egos from Episode VII: The Force Awakens:

Yoenis Cespedes – Poe Dameron

  • Both Poe and Cespedes were renown for their incredible air power (Cespedes- HR, Poe – pilot). Both were thought to be gone only to return to the joy of everyone. We now know victory is certain. 

Matt Harvey – Kylo Ren

  • Both were once the most powerful apprentices only to have a younger one with long hair and more powers usurp them. Despite their most recent losses, they will be heard from again. 

Noah Syndergaard – Rey

  • Both were lost in the desert (Thor – Vegas, Rey – Jakku). Neither knew when they were going to be able to find their next lunch. Both are extremely powerful and are only now starting to realize it. 

Michael Conforto – Finn

  • Neither were supposed to be here. Neither were supposed to show any signs of greatness. Instead, they broke the mold and carved out a new path for themselves. 

Curtis Granderson – Han Solo

  • They’ve been around a long time, but they are still as cool as ever. It may be surprising, but they are in the thick of things like they always were. The only problem is there are some young upstarts (Granderson – Conforto, Han – Kylo Ren), who may push them aside. However, before that time comes, they will be heard from again. 

Bartolo Colon – Chewbacca

  • All these years later, they may be a step slow, but they still are large and in charge.  One moment you’re questioning what something so old can do to you. The next, you’re getting your arm or bat taken from you. 

Captain David Wright – General Leia Organa 

  • Years ago, they thought they had accomplished it all as the young, brash good looking people they were. Unfortunately, they didn’t. There’s still more work to be done. The difference is now they have to be the leaders and show a new generation how it’s done. 

Logan Verrett – BB8

  • Both are taking over for someone else’s role (Verrett – Sean Gilmartin, BB8 – R2D2), and they are performing admirably. 

Zack Wheeler – R2D2

  • Both are sitting around, shut down, but both still have a very important role to play. 

Jacob deGrom – C3PO

  • Both have problems with their arms (deGrom – decreased velocity, C3PO – it’s red) and no one knows how it happened. No worries. They’re back and better than ever. 

    Dan Warthen – Maz Kanata

    • Both seem to have the secrets needed to unlock people’s secret powers and lead them on the path to greatness. Plus they kinda look alike. 

      
      

      Terry Collins – Admiral Ackbar

      • Both seem like this has all passed them by, but they have returned. They came back and led their people to great victories (Collins – NL, Ackbar – blowing up the Starkiller Base). Now if only Collins had screamed, “It’s a trap!” in Game 5 of the World Series . . . .

        Lucas Duda – Captain Phasma

        • Their roles are relatively overlooked. Both are large and intimidating presences that can destroy you in the blink of an eye. 

        Juan Lagares – Snap Wexley

        • Both have been here since the new generation’s fight began, but they’ve been pushed aside by Poe/Cespedes who gets all the focus and glory. 

        Mike Piazza – Luke Skywalker

        • The time has come where their greatness has now become the stuff of legends. They are now at the shrines where it all began (Piazza – Cooperstown, Luke – first Jedi temple)

        Note, there are no Mets compared to Supreme Leader Snoke or General Hux as they just seem pure evil with no chance for hope. With that said, I think there’s enough room here for one more:

        Chase Utley – General Hux

        • Their sole intent is to destroy everything for their victory regardless of the consequences. Actually, that’s not true. The more amoral pain and violence inflicted the better. The good news is that no matter what they do, they will ultimately fail. 
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        Mets 4/4 Against the Braves

        Twenty year old me never would’ve thought I’d say, “Thank God the Mets get to play the Braves 19 times a year,” but here we are. The Mets get to beat up on an awful Braves team 19 times a year. The Mets starting beating up on the Braves immediately:

        Yoenis Cespedes‘ and  David Wright‘s homers were tattooed. 

        As for Cespedes, his homer was a new Mets record:

        Speaking of Carlos Delgado, this was the first time the Mets hit three homers in the first inning of a game since 2006. How you take that is up to you, but I choose to think of that as a good omen. 

        Speaking of slugging Mets first basemen wearing the number 21, this was the fourth time this season Lucas Duda was involved in back-to-back homeruns. The Mets have gone back-to-back five times this year. 

        After the first inning, the Mets bats quieted down a bit. Nothing of note really happened unless you want to count Wright singling off the face of Reid Brignac in the 

        As for Bartolo Colon, he did what he does best. He beat a really bad team handily. Colon pitched eight shutout innings allowing seven hits, no walks, and seven strikeouts. Colon had only thrown 99 pitches, but Terry Collins pulled him out. Jeurys Familia would pitch the ninth. He allowed a run to spoil the shutout, but would hold on to preserve the 4-1 victory. 

        Colon put on a show on the mound and at the plate:

        Yes, this happened again:

        Congratulations are in order to Colon for his 220th career win. He broke the tie with Pedro Martinez for the second most wins by a Dominican pitcher. Juan Marichal is in first place with 243 wins. For the Mets, it was their 16th of the year and are 4-0 against the Braves. 

        Game Notes: Eric O’Flaherty is officially a Brave again as he pitched a scoreless seventh. Both he and Kelly Johnson received their NL Championship rings before the game. Neil Walker stole his first base as a Met in the eighth. 

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        Mets April 2016 Report Card

        The Mets finished an interesting month that saw them finish 15-7. Over the course of the month, they received contributions from everyone, well almost everyone. They finished in second place only a half game behind the Nationals. 

        Below are the first month grades for each of the Mets players. Bear in mind, these grades are on a curve. If a bench player gets an A and a position player gets a B, it doesn’t mean the bench player is having a better year. Rather, it means the bench player is performing better in his role. 

        Position Players

        Travis d’Arnaud  (F). Overall, d’Arnaud struggled offensively and defensively. He’s on the DL now with a shoulder injury. It’s the worst possible start to the season he could’ve had. 

        Kevin Plawecki (C-). Plawecki has only seen limited duty.  While he did get a big game winning hit in his second start of the year, he hasn’t done much from that point forward. Furthermore, he’s not making a case he’s fit to take over full time for d’Arnaud whenever he does come back. 

        Rene Rivera (Inc). He played in only one game.

        Lucas Duda (C-). While Duda did have one hit streak, he hasn’t done much in other games. He had a .294 OBP. He’s not seeing the results from his new leg kick. At least he did throw out a runner at home. 

        Neil Walker (A+). He led the league with nine homers. He’s even hitting lefties. Walker has been far better than anyone could’ve expected. 

        David Wright (B). Wright went from being a corpse to being the Wright of old to just old. He’s having problems on his throws. With all that said, he’s still getting on base at a decent .354 clip, and he remains the Mets best 3B option. 

        Asdrubal Cabrera (A). Cabrera has been better than expected. He’s hit like he did in the second half last year. Even if his range is limited, he’s made every play he should’ve made at SS. 

        Wilmer Flores (D). He was woeful at the plate hitting .107/.194/.214. This grade would’ve been lower except he’s only played in 12 games, and he’s shown himself to be a terrific defensive first baseman. 

        Eric Campbell (F). He’s seen even less time than Flores, but he’s also done less on those opportunities. 

        Michael Conforto (A). He’s consistently been the Mets best player. When Terry Collins moved him to the third spot in the lineup, both he and the team took off. Even more amazing is the fact he has the potential to do more. 

        Yoenis Cespedes (B+). Cespedes had a rough start to the season, but he seems back to the form he was in last year. In the field, he still shows limited range for center while still having that cannon of an arm. 

        Curtis Granderson (B-). Granderson experienced the same slow start he experienced last year but without the walks. He’s started to turn things around and return to his 2015 form. 

        Juan Lagares (A). He’s hitting lefties and his incredible defense has returned. 

        Alejandro De Aza (C) Aside from one incredible game in Cleveland, De Aza hasn’t hit much. However, when you play limited time that one game does carry a lot of weight. 

        Pitchers 

        Matt Harvey (D). This was the year he was supposed to completely fulfill his potential as the staff ace. So far, he’s 2-3 with a 4.76 ERA. There may be a million valid excuses for the slow start, but ultimately we’re judged by performance. On the bright side, he’s pitched much better his last two times out. 

        Jacob deGrom (A). With decreased velocity and troubles at home, the results are still where they are supposed to be. 

        Noah Syndergaard (A+). He’s throwing harder than anyone in the majors, and in a very short time frame, he’s become the staff ace. 

        Steven Matz (B). His last three games were spectacular. However, his first start was horrendous, and it really jammed up the bullpen. 

        Bartolo Colon (B+). He’s back doing Bartolo Colon things out there from great defensive plays to the helmet flying off his head when he swings. He’s poised to eat up innings again while feasting on lesser competition. 

        Logan Verrett (A+). When deGrom couldn’t pitch, he stepped in and made two great starts. He’s also pitched well out of the bullpen.

        Jeurys Familia (B-). He’s perfect in save chances, but he’s been shaky at times. He’s allowing more baserunners than usual.  In his last three outings, he does seem to be returning to form. 

        Addison Reed (A-). Reed has recoded six holds and one save. His WHIP is 0.973 and his K/9 is 11.7. Would’ve been an A except for one blown save in Cleveland and one rough appearance on Saturday. 

        Jim Henderson (A-). Henderson went from non-roster invitee to locking down the seventh inning. He’s been all the Mets could’ve asked for and more. His WHIP is a little high, and as we saw from Collins, he’s susceptible to overuse. 

        Hansel Robles (A). Collins has asked him to pitch on seemingly every situation imaginable, and he’s succeeded. 

        Jerry Blevins (A). He’s really a LOOGY, and he’s limited lefties to a .158/.158/.211 batting line. When he’s been asked to do more, he’s performed admirably. 

        Antonio Bastardo (A). We’re a month into the season, and he still has no clear cut role. Based upon his usage, it appears Terry Collins views him as the worst reliever in the bullpen. Even with all of that, he has pitched very well. He sports a 2.61 ERA. 

        Rafael Montero (F). He’s only appeared in two games, but he was dreadful in those two games. He sports a seemingly low 11.57 ERA. It was clear Collins didn’t trust him in the bullpen. Montero the went out and proved Collins right. 

        Manager

        Terry Collins (C-). His team struggled to start the year, but he got things on track. He’s managed Wright’s back, and he’s found ways to get his reserves into games to keep them fresh. With that said, his early lineups were ponderous, and things didn’t turn around until he fixed the lineup. Additionally, his use of Henderson was egregious. 

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