Last time Jacob deGrom started a game in Dodger Stadium, it was Game 5 of the NLDS. That entire night deGrom was on the ropes. He didn’t have his best stuff. However, he fought through it seemingly with nothing but guile.
Tonight was eerily reminiscent of that night.
The Dodgers were hitting deGrom hard. The lefties were hitting him especially hard. The Coward and Corey Seager led off the game with opposite field doubles in the first. Utley scored on Seager’s double, and Seager scored on an Adrian Gonzalez sac fly. It was 2-0 after one. deGrom would be in and out of trouble most of the game, but the Dodgers wouldn’t score another run.
Part of that was the Mets playing some real good defense behind deGrom. In the second, David Wright dove and stopped a would be Yasiel Puig RBI single. Wright made a poor throw allowing Puig to reach first safely, but the run did not score. In the fourth, Asdrubal Cabrera reached behind him on a ball that ricocheted off the glove of deGrom, made a nice stab, and barely threw out Utley. Eric Campbell made a nice stretch on the play. In the fifth, Cespedes did this:
Yoenis Cespedes' throw to nail Adrian Gonzalez reached 91.1 mph and covered 232 feet, according to Statcast.
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) May 11, 2016
Overall, deGrom would pitch seven innings allowing eight hits, two earned, and no walks with four strikeouts. Unlike last time, he handed the ball off to the Mets bullpen instead of Noah Syndergaard.
Unfortunately, deGrom got a no decision because Alex Wood didn’t repeat his NLDS performance. He would only allow four hits, two runs (one earned), and two walks with nine strikeouts. In the NLDS, he only went two innings allowing four hits, four earned, and this:
The Mets had no bat flips off Wood. Instead, the Mets would need some help from Utley to score. It was quite ironic how skittish Utley was around second base in the third inning. With Cespedes on first, Wilmer Flores hit a ball up the middle. Utley made the snag, but he flipped it to no one. No, it’s not Seager’s fault for failing to cover second. It’s Utley’s fault because he’s pure evil. The ensuing batter, Michael Conforto, hit the ball to Utley, who threw a potential double play ball into left field. Cespedes would score on the play. Flores would later score on a Kevin Plawecki RBI single.
The game would eventually become a battle of the bullpens, and surprisingly, the Mets would lose despite having the much better bullpen. Hansel Robles gave up a two out walkoff homerun to Trayce Thompson. The Mets lost 3-2. It snapped the Mets three game winning streak.
Game Notes: Terry Collins had Lagares in RF because he apparently hates good defensive OF alignments. Plawecki is heating up and finally taking advantage of his opportunity. Both Lagares and Cespedes slipped on first base on pickoff attempts. Lagares slipped off leading to an out. Cespedes twisted his ankle but stayed in the game. Cabrera was hit by a pitch for the fifth time this year.
Yesterday, the bases were loaded with one out in the third inning. We then saw Yoenis Cespedes do something incredible. He got doubled off second base.
Juan Lagares had hit a flyball to left center. It wasn’t terribly deep, but it was certainly deep enough to score David Wright from third. Wright never scored because Cespedes drifted a little too far off of second, and he went back into the base standing. Wright’s run wouldn’t count, and it was all because Cespedes made an inexplicable bone headed play. It wasn’t the first time.
Last year, we saw him allow not one:
but two:
Little League homeruns.
It’s as bizarre. It’s inexplicable.
That’s the problem with him. For as great and as talented as he is, he makes some bone-headed plays. He can look lazy out there at times. Cespedes gets away with it due to his immense talent. The quintessential Cespedes play is the time he threw Sean Rodriguez out at third:
He took a bad angle to the ball. He never reached full speed in pursuing the ball in the air or on the ground. But that arm! His arm was incredible, and it bailed him and the Mets out. It was his arm that got me excited in Game One of the NLCS.
The Cubs were finally making contact against Matt Harvey. They had tied the score at 1-1, and they were still rallying when Javier Baez singled to left. Sitting in the left field Promenade, I was excited because I knew Cespedes was going to do this:
Cespedes is a uniquely talented player. He’s got great speed. He has a great arm. At the plate, he hits for power. There’s a reason why his nickname is La Potencia.
But still, at the plate he can drive you crazy. He swings at balls out of the zone. He especially likes them low and outside. Furthermore, he likes them high. To a certain extent, he lacks plate discipline as is evident from his career .321 OBP or the fact that he has struck out over 100 times each year he has been in the majors. When he does strike out, I’ve yet to see him run to first on a pitch in the dirt. It’s enough to drive you crazy. But then, in typical Cespedes fashion, he does this:
He has the ability to change the entire course of the game with just one swing. We saw it after the trade deadline, and we saw it again this year:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cWsfXqxPNao
That’s what is frustrating with Cespedes. He is extremely talented. Perhaps, he is singularly most talented player in the game right now. If he’s not, he’s certainly up there. It’s why I love watching him play. You never know what amazing thing he’s going to do next.
You also don’t know what bone-headed thing he’s going to do next. I hate it when he makes inexplicably bad plays like that. Through it all, I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with this remarkably talented and mistake prone player.
The funny thing is, right now, I wouldn’t change a thing.
So far this year, the Mets bullpen has been dominant. Their dominance was all the more astounding when you consider Jeurys Familia was struggling to start the year.
In Familia’s first nine appearances, he was a shadow of his former self. Opponents were hitting .325/.386/.350 against him. He had a 3.00 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP. He was striking out less than a batter an inning. He was noticeably fighting it on the mound. He wasn’t getting his sinker down. He wasn’t locating the ball like he usually has been able.
The only good news was that Familia was bearing down when he needed to do so. During this time, he was a perfect 5/5 in save chances. Familia was getting the job done, but it was ugly.
It now seems that Familia has turned the corner, and he had returned to his dominant form. In his last seven appearances, Familia has shut down the other team. Opposing batters are only hitting .130/.130/.174 against him. He’s locating the ball better. As a result, he’s not walking anyone. During this stretch Familia has a 1.29 ERA and a 0.43 WHIP. He’s back to striking out nearly a batter per inning. He’s been a perfect 6/6 in save chances, and he is now leading the league in saves. In short, Familia is back.
As we’ve seen, Familia is a great closer capable of pitching multiple innings and closing out the biggest games. He’s back to pitching like that. This Mets bullpen and team just got even better because Familia is officially back.
There’s a lead late in the game. It’s a save situation. Terry Collins makes the switch. Juan Lagares goes into the game to play center. Yoenis Cespedes shifts over to left. The Mets put out their best possible outfield to try to preserve the lead. In the infield, the Mets do nothing.
Maybe it’s time the Mets changed that.
For all the great things David Wright has done this year, he’s still having some trouble in the field. While it’s still a small sample size, the defensive numbers are ugly. He has a -7 DRS and a -5.1 UZR. In terms of more traditional numbers, he’s got a .945 fielding percentage. It’s a far cry from his Gold Glove days. Frankly, these are poor numbers.
It’s exacerbated by his throwing issues. He is dropping his arm a bit, throwing it sidearmed more. The ball doesn’t have as much zip as it once did. With his throwing issues, it could be argued the Mets would benefit from a defensive replacement at third base.
There’s another good reason to lift Wright during games. He’s got spinal stenosis.
As Marc Carig wrote in Newsday, Wright pushed himself last month, and as a result, he could not stand straight. He had played four games in a row. It was one too many. Wright thought it might be going into that game, but he pushed it anyway. He learned his lesson. He can’t do it again. As Wright said, “I learned right then that if I tried to do this during the whole course of the year, I’m not making it. It’s just not happening.”
That’s the point. The Mets need Wright for the full season. They need him for important games in September when the division and/or a playoff spot may be on the line. The Mets will need him for the postseason. Despite his defensive struggles, Wright has played well this year. He’s getting on base ahead of the Mets big boppers. Given the eulogies being written on Opening Day, it’s fair to say Wright has been better than expected.
The Mets need Wright. They need him to stay healthy. They have to help him to the finish line. They have to keep him fresh. The games off here and there will help. Finding an inning here or there should help as well. It’ll be beneficial for Wright and his back. That will allow him to play at a high level deeper into the season. Ultimately, that’s the goal.
Besides, if we’re being honest, it’s not like Wilmer Flores or Eric Campbell would be any worse than Wright has been this year. They should be a defensive replacement now so Wright can take the field in October.
Given the Mets offseason moves and roster construction, a lot was going to be asked of Wilmer Flores. He had to be the main backup at all four infield positions. He had to learn first base. He had to be the power bat off the bench. He had to be a platoon option at second base in the event Neil Walker continued his career struggles against lefties. He had to be the Mets insurance for David Wright‘s back.
So far this year, Flores is hitting .159/.229/.273 with an OPS+ of 36 and a wRC+ of 39. His main issue is he can’t hit the fastball. Even worse, he’s not hitting breaking balls. Overall, he’s just not hitting. Put if this way: he has as many homeruns as Bartolo Colon.
He’s also not fielding. According to UZR and DRS, he’s only played well at first and short. He’s struggling with his throws from second and third. He’s not good at the plate. He’s not good in the field. He’s a -0.4 WAR player thus far. He’s having a nightmare of a season. He’s failing miserably.
Worse yet, the Mets need him.
Wright’s stenosis isn’t going away. Walker hasn’t hit lefties his entire career. Neither has Lucas Duda. The Mets need Flores to play for one of them at least once a week. When he’s not starting, Flores is the Mets lone power bat on the bench. He’s an important player on the team. So far, he’s not up to the challenge.
The only thing saving him is he has no options left. This means players like Matt Reynolds and T.J. Rivera will stay in the minors despite having earned a call-up. Instead, Eric Campbell, who is coming off a good game, may need to play more. Until Flores figures it out, Campbell may be the Mets best infield option. No one planned on that happening.
No, the plan was for Flores to play an important role. For now, Flores still has that role. However, if he continues playing this poorly that role is going to have to someone else. That switch may need to happen sooner rather than later.
The Mets have an important decision to make. With them starting a series tonight against the Dodgers, they will have to decide if they want to retaliate against Chase Utley or not.
With Ruben Tejada playing for the Cardinals now, it’s not a clear cut decision. The Mets don’t have to stand up for their teammate. Tejada’s long gone. Still, they may want to send Utley and the rest of the National League a message that they will not tolerate dirty play. They will stand up for their guys no matter where they play. Either direction the Mets go, there’s no wrong answer.
The only thing the Mets can’t do is pull a Shawn Estes. If you’re going to hit him, you have to hit him.
The Mets don’t appear weak if they decide not to hit Utley. They appear weak if they go to hit Utley, and they miss him. If Utley plays tonight, Steven Matz either has to stick one in his rear end or move on. If Utley sits, the decision will fall on Jacob deGrom‘s shoulders. If Utley pinch hits tonight, the game situation will have to dictate matters. Utley already cost the Mets one game. He’s not worth another one.
No matter what happens, the Mets just need to be decisive about it. Hit Utley, don’t hit Utley. Just don’t miss him. This Mets team is intimidating. The Mets can little afford to take some of that intimidation factor away by missing Utley.
Yesterday, the Mets featured an odd lineup against a right-handed pitcher. David Wright was getting a scheduled day off. Wright will get these days off even if it means the Mets have eight players on the field. It’s that necessary and important. Neil Walker needed the day off because of a bruised shin. As such, with the Mets looking to earn a four game split with the Padres, Eric Campbell started the game at third.
It was a decision that would have a profound impact on the game.
In the second was a big part of the two out rally. He knocked in Kevin Plawecki, who doubled, and he would later score on an Asdrubal Cabrera RBI single. Ironically, for a player that we talk about being a leader in hard hit ball percentage, his RBI single was a slow rolling grounder up the middle. As they saw, that ball had eyes. Overall, Campbell would go 2-3 with a run, an RBI, and a walk. He also ended the game with this web gem:
Campbell had a great game. He went from a .182/.357/.182 hitter to a .286/.444/.286 hitter. It was first RBI and only his third run scored. For that matter, it was only his second start of the year.
Given Campbell’s past it’s too soon to say the Mets should give him more playing time even with Wilmer Flores‘ struggles. Still, Campbell has earned the playing time he has received, and he has shown the Mets he has a place on the roster. If Flores continues to struggle, we may see more and more of Campbell. If he plays like he did on Sunday, that won’t be a bad thing.
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.
Today, baseball teams are going to take the field wearing pink caps and jersey. In the past, teams used pink bats. The purpose is to promote breast cancer awareness.
If you go to MLB Shop, you can purchase a hat, a jersey, or some other pink MLB product. Nowhere on the site does it indicate that any of the proceeds from the sale of these items go to anything related to breast cancer awareness, treatment, or research.
Now, if you like the hat or know someone that will, by all means you should purchase it. Just know that if you’re buying the hat, all your doing is buying a hat. None of the proceeds from your purchase will be used to help the greater good.
If you intention is to help promote breast cancer awareness, treatment, or research, please look into an organization that does that and make a donation no matter how small. Think about it this way, you were about to drop $37.99 on a hat – you can afford to send some of that to a worthy organization.
With everything my wife went through during her pregnancy, I learned she was an even tougher and stronger person than I ever knew she was.
Then our son was born. That comes with many sleepless nights and days. There’s always something that needs to be done. The baby needs to be fed, burped, and changed. The changing usually requires a diaper and outfit change. With all the outfit changes, there’s a lot of laundry to be done. This is on top of housework and finding time to make and eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
She did it all. She continues to do so. She was and is still an amazing mother. There is not one day that goes by that I don’t stop and marvel at all that she has done for our family.
Happy Mother’s Day.