Rants
Billy Chapel was a fictional pitcher in the underrated For Love of the Game. He’s at the end of a great career. He’s pitching on short rest to face the Yankees, who are one game away from making the playoffs. From years gone by, Chapel had a sore shoulder and was at the end of his career. Only the immortal Vin Scully could describe what was happening:
And you know Steve you get the feeling Billy Chapel isn’t pitching against left handers, he isn’t pitching against pinch hitters, he isn’t pitching against the Yankees. He’s pitching against time. He’s pitching against the future, against age, and when you think about his career, against ending. And tonight I think he might be able to use that old aching arm one more time to push the sun back up in the sky and give us one more day of summer.
Billy Chapel prays to God asking for his shoulder to stop hurting for 10 minutes to let him finish the game. The moment becomes so big that he can no longer “clear the mechanism.” He’s out there by himself, as he always was. There’s a certain beauty to it. As his ex once told him:
You’re perfect. You, the ball, the diamond, you’re this perfectly beautiful thing. You can win or lose the game, all by yourself.
It’s the romantic version we all have of baseball. When we saw Billy Chapel finish off the perfect game, it was magic. I had chills as if it were a real game. After the game, whether realistically speaking or metaphorically speaking, Chapel’s career was done. The Mets had their own version of Billy Chapel. His name is Johan Santana.
In 2008, the Mets were collapsing again. Santana was having none of that. On a knee that would require offseason surgery, Santana pitched a complete game shut out on three days rest. It was a heroic performance. For at least a day, the Mets season was saved. He was 29 years old, and it would be the last time he would pitch in a game of that magnitude.
In the next two seasons, he wouldn’t crack 30 starts. He pitched well, but there were diminishing returns. Was that the result of aging or was it due to injury? After the 2010 season, Santana needed shoulder surgery. He missed the 2011 season.
Santana would come back in 2012 and have his Billy Chapel moment. On a Friday night in June, Santana pitched the first no-hitter in Mets history. On a night he was supposed to be limited between 110-115 pitches, he threw 134. Once again, Santana put injury concerns aside, acted like a warrior, and he delivered for the Mets.
After that night, he has only had 10 more starts. He needed another shoulder surgery. He keeps trying to come back, but something always seems to get in the way. It’s the reason why Collins was in tears the night of Santana’s no-hitter. It’s the reason, Collins is still distraught about the decision to let Santana pitch to this day.
We don’t know if pitching on the injured knee precipitated the shoulder problems. We don’t know if the no-hitter precipitated the second shoulder surgery effectively ending Santana’s career. We do know Santana became the Mets version of Billy Chapel.
Is this what Mets fans want for Matt Harvey? With the recent drama involving Scott Boras’ remarks, I’ve seen a lot of people saying Harvey should just go out there and pitch. I’ve seen people try to inform Harvey he needs to pitch if Sandy Alderson tells him to go out there and pitch.
Much like 2008, I’m desperate for the Mets to win a World Series. We saw what happened when we tried to sacrifice a 29 year old’s career to make that happen. I’m not doing it again with a 26 year old. If Harvey’s healthy, he will pitch. If he needs some rest now, give it to him. If he needs to be shut down, shut him down.
I don’t say that lightly. Keep in mind, I’m the one who has questioned the Mets skipping starts. I did that questioning the logic. There seems to be some smoke that Harvey needs rest, and/or is perilously close to needing to be shut down. No one wants this.
The one thing no one can ask is for Harvey to risk his career for the 2015 season. Not me, not you, not Sandy Alderson, not anyone. That includes Matt Harvey. If that was my son, Sandy Alderson wouldn’t be hearing from Scott Boras, he would be hearing from me. If other parents say they would send their child out there in harm’s way to pitch in October potentially ruining his career and future earnings, they’re lying to themselves.
I’ve seen Billy Chapel on the Mets. The experience gives me a sense of melancholy. I don’t want that for Harvey. I want him healthy and effective. Let’s do what we need to do to get him to October. Let’s do what we need to do to keep him healthy for a long career with the Mets. Maybe there will be multiple Workd Series titles.
“Clear the mechanism.”
We knew going into this season the Mets that Matt Harvey was going to be on an innings limit. Recently, the reports have been that the Mets have been informed that Harvey shouldn’t go over 180 innings.
After last night’s win, Harvey sits at 166.1 innings meaning he has 18.2 innings remaining. That’s roughly the equivalent of three six inning starts. Not counting October, it appears Harvey has three starts remaining in the regular season. This assumes a six man rotation and the Mets announced plans to skip another start. At least, the skipped start won’t be against the Nationals. Therefore, it seems that Harvey will finish within his limits.
Now, these are the things you can do when you have a 6.5 game lead with a weak schedule. This is a luxury you have when Matt Williams is derailing the Nationals season. My issue is what would have happened if the Nationals were closer in the standings. Better yet, what will happen if the National sweep the Mets next week and make it a race?
Do the Mets still need to skip Harvey’s start? They have really painted themselves in a corner. They didn’t need to be in this situation.
The Mets could have started Harvey later in the season, but the Mets wouldn’t have missed out on the increased attendance and financial boon. Keep in mind, the Mets set their rotation to pitch Harvey on the second home game instead of Opening Day at Citi Field. It was a business rather than a baseball move.
Also, there were ample opportunities all year to skip Harvey. Looking over his starts, he’s pitched consistently well all year with the exception of a somewhat rough stretch from May 23rd to June 10th. On these two days, he allowed seven earned runs. In the other two starts, he pitched fairly well. However, with the rough stretch, it might’ve been a good time for a breather. It should also be noted that after this stretch, he was lights out.
Furthermore, there were chances for Harvey to pitch less innings in a number of starts. However, I will say this is not one area we should focus on too much. Harvey is averaging 6.2 innings per start. I think we can all agree you don’t want a starter going less than six innings. If Harvey was limited to only 6 innings per start, that would’ve only saved him 16.1 innings or two plus starts.
I acknowledge it’s a delicate balance. You want to stretch Harvey out. He’s a horse. You want to ride him for seven plus innings. Plus, his performance this year has merited him going deep into games. I have no problem with him going 166.1 innings (or 6.2 innings per start) in his starts.
The Mets have good team doctor. It may not seem that way because they don’t always follow medical advice or even seek it out. However, when you do receive it, you need to follow that advice. The Mets didn’t with their most valuable asset.
I’m not saying the Mets should shut down Harvey like the Nationals did with Steven Strasburg. I would also point out the Cardinals treated Adam Wainwright different than the Nationals did after Wainwright’s Tommy John surgery. After Wainwright’s 2011 surgery, he pitched 198.0 regular season innings with an additional 15.0 postseason innings. That’s 213 innings or 33 innings more than what Harvey’s doctors recommend.
The next two years Wainwright was an All Star pitching 241.2 and 227.0 innings respectively. He finished second and third in Cy Young voting respectively. It should be noted he had a balky elbow in 2014, and he needed offseason surgery on the elbow to clean up cartilage, which may or may not be related to the Tommy John surgery. My presumption is it isn’t, but that’s conjecture, not fact. We do know Wainwright’s season ending injury this year is unrelated.
So what was the right call? Do you pitch him all year like Wainwright? Do you limit his innings like Strasburg? Both of these pitchers have had injuries since, but it’s not like the subsequent injuries were necessarily related to their Tommy John surgeries.
What we do know is even with the six man rotations and missed starts, the minute Harvey takes the mound in October, he’s definitely passing his innings limits. Every individual and pitcher is different. Every plan for dealing with post-Tommy John surgery is different. It’s amazing with all of the surgeries we’ve seen there is still no clear cut rehabilitation plan.
That’s part of the problem with Harvey. There’s no plan or road map. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that this plan is elite correct one. There’s a lot riding on it.
There’s a saying in the NFL that if you have two QBs, you really don’t have a QB. The principal us that if you truly have a good QB, there’s no need for a QB competition. As a Giants fan, I remember the Dave Brown/Kent Graham days. People always debated who should start. It turned out everyone was wrong. When Eli Manning came along, there was no debate, and there have been two Super Bowls.
I was thinking of this as I was contemplating the Mets SS situation. From my estimation, Wilmer Flores plays SS with flyball pitchers like Bartolo Colon and Jacob deGrom. Collins plays Ruben Tejada with groundballs pitchers like Jon Niese. Essentially, Collins is trying to hide Flores’ poor defense with flyball pitchers while hiding Tejada’s poor bat by playing him only with the groundballs pitchers. In essence, the Mets don’t have a good SS option right now, so Collins is forced to mix and match like with Dave Brown and Kent Graham.
This wouldn’t be an issue if either Flores or Tejada fit the bill. Flores was supposed to be the offensive option. He’s hit .262/.294/.411, and that’s after a terrific last 20 games where he’s hit .324/.360/.521. Note, if he hits like this, you can live with his poor glove at SS.
Now, Flores may not be the disaster defensively that I thought he might be originally. That’s a testament to his work ethic. Last year, his UZR at SS was 4.0, which is above average. This year, he’s at -2.8, which is below average. Overall, in a limited sample size, the advanced statistics tell us he has decent range.
Now, this is where the advanced statistics conflict with the eye test. As per my eye test, he has limited range at SS. Furthermore, even though he’s better lately, he’s had trouble turning the double play. Also, why I don’t think errors are necessarily a true measure of defensive ability, it should be noted that Flores has the fifth most errors at SS in the NL despite playing only 85 out of a possible 132 games there.
With his struggling defense, it seemed Collins was forced to play Tejada at SS. The problem is despite the Mets assumptions, Tejada is not a good defensive SS. The advanced statistics show his UZR is -5.2, which rates to be quite a below average defensive SS. To be fair, a partial season of UZR data is not entirely reliable. Instead, we should look at his career UZR, which is -1.1. Generally, speaking he’s been slightly below average.
However, when applying the eye test, we see a SS who is much steadier than Flores. For all of Tejada’s faults, he looks to be more comfortable at SS, makes the routine play, and he is much better turning the double play. The problem is that’s all he is – steady. He will never even be thought of in the Gold a Glove competition. Furthermore, with a .253/.334/.338 triple slash line, it’s not like he’s hitting enough to justify his steady glove.
That puts Collins in a bind. He had to choose between a better hitter who’s a poor fielder and a steady at best fielder who doesn’t hit well. In sum, he doesn’t have a real SS option. I have to admit that despite his recent rough stretch, Collins has handled this situation well. He’s going to have to continue as the Mets have no other SS on the 40 man roster and cannot trade for one now. Actually they can, but that player won’t be eligible for the playoffs.
It’s amazing to think the Mets are here with no SS. Hopefully, Tejada or Flores will step up and take control of the situation. If not, I trust Collins can continue juggling the situation for now without dropping a ball.
The Mets went a spectacular 20-8 in the month of August. It was a month that saw them start the month two games out and finish the month with a 6.5 game lead. The Mets record went from three games to 15 games over .500. How did that happen?
Some will tell you this is due to Terry Collins and his credentials as a Manager of the Year candidate. Some will point to the acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes. Some will say the Mets season now has a 1986 or 2000 feel to it. These are lazy points. For fans that lived through those seasons, does this year feel anything like those seasons? Of course, the answer is no.
You want to know what is happening. The trade acquisitions have helped. Terry Collins has gone from the glue holding everything together to become their biggest liability. So what was the biggest reason the Mets had a tremendous month? It was an easy schedule.
The a Mets had five series against last place teams in August. The combined winning percentage of the Mets’ August opponents currently stands at .471. If you eliminate the Pirates team that swept them at home, the winning percentage of the Mets’ August opponents is .451. You’re supposed to go 20-8 against that schedule.
I’m not discounting August. If you’re a good team, you best the team’s you are supposed to beat. The Mets have done that. If they continue, they’ll win the division easily. The combined winning percentages of the Mets remaining opponents is .447. If you eliminate the Yankees, that winning percentage dips to .426.
Hopefully, this information will put to rest any 2007/2008 talk we’re bound to hear if the Mets lose a couple of games. The narrative is lazy, and you see it everywhere. How about something fresh? How about something along the lines of this season is bizarre, and we’re not likely to see another one like it?
Each and every season is unique. When a winning one comes along, you should enjoy it. Enjoy the ride and don’t concern yourself with season’s past. Live in the moment. Embrace it. Don’t get wrapped up in prior years. Get wrapped up in this one. Lets Go Mets!
It was announced today that Lucas Duda will not be coming off the DL on Saturday. This should come as a surprise to anyone.
The Mets botched this from the start. They shortened their bench hoping he would be ready in under 15 days. They didn’t even bother to get him a full, proper examination. They rushed him back. He got worse. If the Mets bothered to get him examined and sought proper treatment, Duda could’ve been back already. If he went on the DL by August 13th, he would’ve been eligible to come off the DL by August 28th.
He’s now eligible to come off the DL on Saturday, September 5th. This would’ve allowed him to get some games in before a big series on the road against the Nationals. Who knows? He still may be on the DL, but he would’ve been receiving treatment longer. One other small note: minor league seasons are coming to an end preventing Duda from getting some rehab games in the minors.
It doesn’t matter. The Mets botched the treatment of one of their best players, their biggest power threat. I’m still holding out hope that he can come back in time to get enough reps for the playoffs. Actually, I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. Let’s hope he comes back in time to help the Mets win the division.
All I know is how the Mets react to injuries has got to change. Sooner or later, it’s going to really harm their chances to win.
In 2008, the Milwaukee Brewers went all-in. They traded their best prospects for CC Sabathia. They rode him hard down the stretch. They were doing everything to make the playoffs. They even fired their manager with 12 games left in the season. It might’ve been reactionary to a late losing streak. It might’ve been a response to their current manager being over his head.
Before continuing, I feel it’s important to note that Terry Collins is a good man. I also need to note, Collins should be commended for holding this team together when the season was seemingly falling apart. However, this is a different roster. There are different stakes.
The first issue is the lineup construction. Here’s last night’s lineup with their OBPs for this year and their career:
- Curtis Granderson .352/.340
- Yoenis Cespedes .328/.318
- Daniel Murphy .332/.333
- David Wright .377/.377
- Kelly Johnson .303/.330
- Travis d’Arnaud .348/.310
- Michael Conforto .360
- Ruben Tejada .331/.328
- Pitcher’s Spot
Note, I gave Johnson’s numbers against RHP because he’s being used as a platoon player. Due to the small sample size, I gave Conforto’s total OBP even though he’s a platoon player.
This lineup doesn’t make sense. You want higher OBP hitters ahead of the big bats. That’s why Cespedes should hit cleanup with Wright batting second. Wouldn’t you rather have Wright on base for one of Cespedes’ “Feats of Strength“? The answer is yes. It makes sense. Look at it this way: if Wright is going to single or double and Cespedes is going to hit a homerun, in which order would you like that to happen?
Now, I’ve heard the argument that the Mets have won seven in a row scoring a lot of runs; why change anything? My first response is that’s not a good reason. Just because the Mets scored a lot of runs doesn’t mean you couldn’t have scored more runs with a better lineup. My next response is you beat the two worst teams in the NL in their bandbox ballparks. They’re one and two in most runs allowed in the NL. OF COURSE YOU’RE GOING TO SCORE RUNS!
My other problem with Collins is the in-game strategy. He’s had some problems this season, but last night was a new low. It’s like he didn’t know you could double switch. When Logan Verrett could’ve given multiple innings with a short bullpen and no Tyler Clippard, Collins didn’t double switch him into the game. As a result, Verrett went one inning and was pinch hit for as we was due up second. This led to some more odd decisions.
With Sean Gilmartin due up third in the tenth, and Collins wanting multiple innings from him, he let Gilmartin bat even though he still had Wilmer Flores [standing ovation], Juan Uribe, and Anthony Recker on the bench. By the way, they never entered a game in which two relievers got an AB.
Then in the same inning it was so important to have Gilmartin in, Collins brought in Carlos Torres. I can’t imagine any situation in which it was alright for Gilmartin to bat and that includes his .400 batting average. The Mets won despite Collins’ terrible managing. Could you imagine if that happened in October against a much better team? The Mets probably won’t be as lucky as they were last night.
Look, Collins has done a nice job here. He was handed a thankless job, and he did a good job. In most seasons, the Mets outperformed their expectations. A few times, they were competitive to the point where we actually considered that they may make a deadline trade. Now, they have a real roster, and they may need a better manager.
The problem is who becomes the next manager. No, it’s not Wally Backman. You don’t turn to someone with no major league managerial experience now. I think the answer is Bob Geren. He has prior managerial experience, and he’s the bench coach. It would be a smoother transition.
Now, I understand if people want to keep Collins. As I’ve said, he has some positive attributes. However, if your reason is you want to keep the status quo because things are working now, I can’t agree with you. You make decisions to try to win the World Series, not seven games against bad baseball teams.
Seriously, when people are now advocating for Collins to be named the Manager of the Year, we should really be talking about if a change is necessary. When Collins can’t double switch and lets his relievers bat with good options in the bench, the time for a switch may have arrived.
It’s Wednesday, and it has already been a hard week. On Monday, people’s 401(k) took a hit with the stock market plunge. Today, there was the brutal on-air murder of a reporter and her cameraman. People go to sports to get away from things like this.
If the sports media doesn’t get it, take their suggestion and don’t follow them. Don’t read them. They don’t want your opinions or your feedback. They don’t respect you. Don’t read them.
I’m not wasting my energy with people like that today. Today’s not a day for scoring points. Today’s not the day to be the smart or funny person in the room. You’re angry and want a debate then go ahead, have it. However, if you really want to show everyone how smart and/or angry you are, do it in more than 140 characters. If Fox Sports doesn’t publish it, it’s probably because you’re a sports writer on a sports site.
You want to have the debate? Have it with your congressman or Senator. I say that for both sides of the gun control debate. You accomplish nothing by spouting off on Twitter other than trying to get people to tell you that you’re right. Instead of trying to get people to tell you how right you are, pray for the families.
That’s what I’m going to do. I’m also going to keep my opinions to myself because this is a sports site. You come here for sports, specifically the Mets. You’re not here for political theatre, and I’m not going to set the stage.
So enjoy tonight’s game. Take a couple of hours to get away from everything. It’ll be there after the game.
I’m getting tired of the NFL. I get more sick of it as a parent. Here are some fun story lines from the past year:
- Ray Rice punches out his fiancée in an elevator;
- Greg Hardy beats his girlfriend, allegedly pays her off so she doesn’t testify, signs a free agent contract, and he appeals his suspension; and
- Adrian Peterson beat his son with a switch.
These are just some of the lowlights. The NFL’s advice on how to deal with this and other crimes? Get a “fall guy!”
Notice who else is in the video? Cris Carter in his Hall of Fame jacket. Now, Cris Carter has some former drug problems and has had I problems giving unsolicited advice on the topic. Now, I’m not suggesting his past history precludes him from giving advice. Rather, it’s his past history that makes him uniquely qualified to give out advice. I just can’t believe his advice is to get a “fall guy.”
The other person in the video was Warren Sapp. Like Rice, Hardy, and Peterson, he would also face domestic violence charges. This should have come as no shock because he’s been previously charged with domestic battery. Those charges were dropped. Subsequently, he became an NFL Network analyst and advisor to rookies on how to handle yourself in the NFL.
Now, I love the Giants. The past three Super Bowls were some of my favorite sports memories. However, how can I sit there and support this product when they’re constantly in the news cycle for the wrong reasons? How can I support them when their advice to players is to get a “fall guy.” The NFL supported this message as it was on their website until the public outcry.
This is disturbing. However, I’ll admit that I’m going to watch this season, but I’m also dangerously close to checking out. I may not let my son watch. I want to wait until he’s much older to explain why some people beat women and children. I’m not looking to shelter him from the world. Rather, I’m waiting until it’s a more age appropriate conversation.
The NFL talks about protecting the shield. I think they need to start protecting women and children instead of looking for scapegoats.
As I said last night, what Hansel Robles did last night was bush league because he threw the ball with the batter’s head down. Travis d’Arnaud tried to slow him down. Robles went ahead.
Technically, Robles wasn’t wrong. The batter was in the box. The home plate umpire never called time. Instead, he called time AFTER the pitch was thrown. The pitch should’ve been called a strike. The home plate umpire lost control of the AB and then the game.
Jeff Francoeur came out of the dugout looking to defend his teammate. Larry Bowa also came out of the dugout to . . . challenge Daniel Murphy? Yup, he had a problem with Murphy’s bat flip from the PRIOR game. Finally, the umpire threw Bowa out of the game. I’m glad because the man was unhinged. People who have followed the game since his playing days are not surprised.
I get the unwritten rules of the game. They exist to prevent hot heads like Larry Bowa and the obnoxious Larry Anderson from having pitchers throw at players heads. However, the problem is people like Bowa and Anderson use it as an excuse to throw at people’s heads.
There is a right way and wrong way to play the game. Part of playing the right way is to address problems from a particular game within that game. After the supposed egregious bat flip, Murphy batted one more time in the ninth inning in a 16-7 game. That’s the time to drill him.
The Phillies didn’t do it. They issue then became moot. Next time Bowa has a problem, he should direct his players to address it during the game. When he doesn’t, or if he’s overruled by the manager, he needs to shut up about it. He needs to respect the game.
You do that by handling in game beefs within that game. I’m pretty sure there’s something about that in the unwritten rule book.
When I think of Philly fans, I think of the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” episode where the Phillies won the World Series.
In this episode, the gang plans on starting fights in the stands, running out onto the field, and wanting to be present for the riots. Hyperbole? Not so much. If you go to the SportsPickle, you get some highlights of Philly fans behavior:
- The need to put a jail and judge in the Vet to deal with unruly fans;
- Fans boo and pelt Santa Claus with snowballs;
- Phillies fans throw batteries at J.D. Drew because he didn’t sign with the Phillies;
- Phillies fans throw batteries at their only black player, Dick Allen; and
- Philly fans booed Michael Irvin as he laid motionless on the ground.
By the way, the SportsPickle is a humor site. D.J. Gallo didn’t even need to come up with anything. Instead, he just presented the facts and let the readers laugh at the absurdity of Philly fans behavior.
The aforementioned events reminded me of my 30th birthday. The Mets were playing the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. I had never been there before and Johan Santana was pitching. From prior visits to the Vet, I knew about Philly fans, so I dressed neutrally.
Well on that day, Santana was flirting with a no-hitter. I was getting excited, but I remained polite and quiet. This wasn’t my ballpark, and the Philly fans have their well earned reputation. The moment finally was starting to become too big for me. I broke down and clapped after a nice play. I swear that all I did was clap. This grandfather, with his grandkids there, turned around and unleashed a series of expletives generally calling me “disrespectful” for cheering for the Mets.
He then high-fived other people in the section for putting a Mets fan in his place. Needless to say, this is what I thought of when Larry Anderson called Mets fans “obnoxious.” You would think with their history, Philly fans would sit there and not pass judgment.
Overall, Larry Anderson’s comment was just noise. The specific noise? That would be the noise it makes when the glass house shatters.