Mets Finally Under Sewald Level
Well, it took 58 games, but the Mets are finally under .500. Again, it was a combination of the same issues which cost the Mets this game.
Through six innings, the Mets had a 2-0 lead compliments of a Brandon Nimmo homer and six very strong shutout innings from Zach Wheeler.
For some reasons after Wheeler threw 97 pitches, Mickey Callaway stuck with him for the seventh.
After Addison Russell and Tommy La Stella led off the inning with back-to-back singles, Callaway made a double-switch bringing in Jose Reyes (because why not?) and Paul Sewald.
The game quickly unraveled from there.
Kyle Schwarber hit a sac fly, and with Michael Conforto missing the cut-off man, La Stella went to second, which made it easy for him to score on the ensuing Ben Zobrist double.
The Cubs took the lead later that inning on a Kris Bryant RBI single.
Now, the justification for no Robert Gsellman was he needed another day off. Honestly, you can never question managers over giving fatigued pitchers a day off. However, you can question why Sewald for a second inning after a seventh where he had nothing.
Well with one on and two out, Willson Contreras hit a ball, Reyes should have fielded. With him failing to make the play, two runners were on base for a Schwarber three run homer instead of the Mets getting out of the inning.
The Mets did rally in the eighth with a Jose Bautista double putting runners at second and third with two out. Joe Maddon brought in Brian Duensing to face Adrian Gonzalez.
Gonzalez delivered with a two RBI single to pull the Mets within 6-4. That rally would stall as Maddon brought in Steve Cishek, who got out of the jam by striking out Kevin Plawecki on a 3-2 pitch.
From there, Jeurys Familia allowed the Cubs to tack on an insurance run to give the Cubs a 7-4 lead. With the Mets failing to do much of anything in the ninth, that would be the final score.
And with that, the Mets are now under .500.
Game Notes: Jay Bruce left the game in the fifth with back issues. Jose Lobaton was called up, and to make room for him on the 25 and 40 man roster Scott Copeland was designated for assignment.
Scott Copeland DFAed?
Seriously?
Cubs reminded me of Aaron Rogers, when they hit —they took what was given them.
Alex Ovechkin and other NHL high scorers will bend their knees even to touch the ice to cleanly and fundamentally shoot the puck — as a shortstop correctly positions for a ground ball or — a Ben Zobrist will completely dip his front shoulder and literally with a two run lead just get a simple single in the ninth off Familia.
These Addison Russell and Swanson’s (Atlanta) singles off Familia and Rhame’s were very good pitches on the outside corners yet clearly tells me that no matter how good the away pitch is they still can poke a single much easier than that special pitch was a jam job low and inside or high inside (Batista’s one out pop up in the 8th w RISP)
Pitch inside or let good young SSs get an opportune single.
Deflating! — for that starts what fans call the collective result an implosion.
That Russell single led to the hit and run, hit into the vacate SS spot and eventually to the Schwarber blast. Was it Wheeler who gave up that single….
Wow, he pitched so well! The mistake if any, is to now pitch inside and not to take chances that they can extend their arms on a pitch?
If the pitch was to Russell’s cold spot inside (does he have one?) maybe the Cubs score zero runs.
Did you find Cub’s hitters taking strike one and strike three? With runners in scoring position? Maybe it is the hitting coach, the Manager or maybe the player’s I.Q.?
They seemed to not.
Even if you guessing off speed and you get a FB can you still adjust to foul it off?
But take strike one a seemingly perfect pitch and then caught looking for strike three?
How can you fix this? Can it be fixed? or Is it the wiring of the brain?
If there was there one thing I would suggest to Brandon Nimmo it would be just to move Rosario up in the ninth and just seek a single. Maybe he was just trying to use a normal swing and get contact on a 3-2 count?
So maybe the pitch to do it on was the first pitch? Get that single, bring up Cabrera as the tying run with one out?
I get Nimmo is red hot, that he does not know his ceiling yet, not onow it in this streak, he was the hit bat, that he could hit another HR yet with the his possible HR the Mets would still be down one and with the bases clear and one out Morrow could focus on Cabrera without having distractions with men on base.
I rather score zero or one, have someone on base than to score two and have the bases clear…. no clear slate for me…
That is my take, just move it forward and get the tie as the home team.
WTF with these foreign substances on the hats ?!
Now more Joe Blanton disciples!!!!?
Pedro Strop and a closer who had before 2018, Morrow in five years averaged .4 WAR, he gets $30m + for three years!
Was the big coin contract also about the great effective crap he uses off his cap bill?
Credit Epstein with replacing Wade Davis using a similar approach, a guy with few career saves, no significant annual WAR for the last few years and then give him $30m.
Epstein goes to Jeff Wilpon to get that money? Wilpon tells him what?
You look up Morrow on BBREF — . Give Theo Credit !
But Bill Maddon, if you win with Morrow it is tainted…
Credit the SNY camera crew with zooming in on the hats of Morrow and Strop….
You may need a Google Earth type camera from high in left field where a retired number is located…. zoom in straight down and get footage as those fingers dip into the oozy substance.
Deal?
The other night it looked like black tar, tonight like a yellowish hue…
If Amed Rosario was not ready last May he did not start for the Mets, he played at Vegas.
If Mike Conforto came back too early on 2018, like Rosario he belongs in AAA now, until he is ready.
I feel bad for Conforto for his throw might have been about him pressing.
I would just stick to the fundamentals at the plate and let it happen, much easier said than done!
Even when he’s slumping, Nimmo’s adept at getting on base. I wouldn’t mess with his approach in the least.
As for Conforto, I’m not sure of center is getting in his head, but his fundamentals have been lacking this year.
Quality teams, emerging teams, teams that will win the WS will manufacture runs and usually the HR that clears the bases on the rallies of these perennial winners happens usually after they get enough runs or a nice start in the rally.
Either the team manufactures, either the player in the situation thrives time and time again or they do not.
Scream and yell — it will not evolve…. Pay big, overpay but look elsewhere.
KC traded Sean Manaea to get two plus months of Zobrist in 2015, Zobrist was a monster in the WS against the Mets, SA offered $16m x 4 and Zobrist is the WS MVP in 2016.
These guys are a rare breed.
It may be coachable but it takes something very serendipitous.
I did not watch Sewald tonight, I just TIVOed past it.
There must be a catcher who can help Sewald.
He just does not have enough and a great catcher is the only thing left to try.
Sewald’s issue is he’s leaving pitches over the plate. No catcher can help that.
Yes…but what to do?
I think we make a middling move or two to get this team a chance before a July 31 firesale.
SP. We started with 8, if you were a deadender believer on Montero. Montero TJs out, Harvey is traded, and Lugo and Gsellman become crucial members of the pen. That leaves….our two aces, Jason Vargas, a guy in his 30s who seems to be getting his legs under him but was highly mediocre the second half of 2017.
Syndergaard made only 7 starts last year and is DLed now. Matz, the starcrossed talent, has a boo-boo on his finger. Wheeler is Wheeler, a Brooklynesque ‘we’ll get him next year” career.
The best move here would be to pay the prospect ransom you’d need for Chris Archer. He has years of control so it wouldn’t be a rental, and he would slot in to the three hole.
If you do that, you can solidify Lugo, Gsellman in the pen, and let Vargas, Wheeler and Matz fight it out, or probably limp it out, for the 4th and 5th spots.
The other option is to find a real bullpen arm and return Lugo to the rotation. Paying a prospect ransom for a closer type with years of control would make sense with Familia FAing in October.
Finally….our infield looks like the 2009 AllStar fame. If a trade could be made for, say, a Josh Harrison, under control through 2020, then Reyes could get his gold watch and a DFA. Gonzalez and Bautista have been pretty solid and shocking, respectively, but all the other 30somethings can use days off, and except for Rosario they all have position flexibility. A “rotation” of Frazier, Harrison, Gonzalez, Wilmer, and Cabrera at 3rd, first and second would keep fresh legs, and Bautista, if his revival continues, can get playing time in the OF. Gonzalez would be the next guy off the boat.
We would have to give up some kids for this….but the strategy is, if it doesn’t work, in six weeks we firesale vets ala last year and get kids back.
Sorry, but even if the Mets are in contention in July, I don’t think they’d should be making significant moves. They don’t have sufficient talent in the minors to do so meaning they’re going to overpay if they want to improve.