Max Scherzer
With a natural disaster the scale of Hurricane Ian, baseball seems all the more trivial. Obviously, human lives take precedence.
However, there are Major League Baseball games, and those games need to be played. That is especially true for the pivotal Mets/Braves series in Atlanta.
Unfortunately, the weather is potentially going to wreck havoc with the series leaving both teams and MLB left trying to figure out how to get the games played. The first suggested option was less than inspired.
As of this minute, there's only three options currently being considered for #Mets at #Braves.
— David Lennon (@DPLennon) September 28, 2022
— Moving up Friday's first pitch from night to a day game.
— Possibly playing a split DH on Sunday.
— Using Oct. 6 for one or even two games to decide the NL East.
It’s painful that MLB can’t figure out the obvious solution to get all three games played. To do that, we need to acknowledge the following:
- Mets and Braves do not play Thursday
- There is no possibility for games to be played on Saturday.
- The postseason has to start on October 7.
Logistically speaking, you really need to know who wins the NL East and who is the Wild Card as soon as possible. The division winner receives a bye, and the other team has home field advantage in the Wild Card round.
Under no circumstances can you put the Mets and Braves in a spot where they’re killing their bullpen to win the division only to start a postseason series the following day. Moreover, you can’t have a team sitting and awaiting the results of a doubleheader to determine where they’re playing the following day (or later that evening).
Your absolute worst case scenario is playing one game on Thursday. Playing a Thursday doubleheader is completely out of the question. As a result, you need to figure out a way to play the games.
First and foremost, the Mets and Braves need to play on Thursday. Both teams will complain about losing the off day, but they’ll get that back on Saturday.
Yes, the teams have aligned their rotations just for this series. The Mets have Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Chris Bassitt ready. The Braves put Spencer Strider on extended rest just to pitch in this series.
Playing Thursday will force a pitcher on short rest or pitch a starter they don’t want to pitch. Believe it or not, this is preferable to the alternative.
Neither team wants to use an ace right before a postseason series, and they don’t want to push their top bullpen guys. That goes double if there’s a doubleheader.
If they schedule a game on Thursday, they get at least one game in. If the Friday game from an evening game to a day game, they likely get both games in. This would completely take the doubleheader out of the equation.
After that, you know you’re not playing Saturday. Chances are, you’re not playing Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, this is the ESPN Sunday Night game. As a result, we should see this game played.
This is how you get all the games played and avoid playing October 6. Really, this is MLB’s best option. Arguably, it’s their only option.
Hopefully, this is how MLB will proceed. Mostly, we all hope and pray for those people who will be directly impacted by Hurricane Ian.
Do you recall why the New York Mets collapsed in 2007? Injuries for sure played a part. Yes, the Philadelphia Phillies going on a tear played a part too.
However, ultimately, it was on the Mets. They didn’t beat the teams they should’ve beaten easily. That put seven in 17 completely on them.
Now, the Mets were swept by the Phillies, but they were still up 3.5 games with 14 left to play. The Mets would finish the season going a combined 5-8 against the Washington Nationals and the then Florida Marlins (with a make-up game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals).
If that Mets team took care of business against those dreadful teams, they win the division with ease. Instead, it was a historic collapse.
The very same thing could happen to this Mets team who once had a 10.5 game lead in the division. Not winning the NL East would be a collapse.
The Mets had the weakest September schedule in baseball. They’ve squandered it and the three game lead they had entering the month.
Against the Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Marlins, and Oakland Athletics, the Mets are a combined 10-9. That includes them being 1-6 at home against the Nationals, Cubs, and Marlins.
#Mets are 1-6 in September at home against the Marlins, Cubs and Nationals. That’s almost incomprehensible.
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) September 28, 2022
There’s just no defending that. Yes, saying it isn’t a collapse and pointing to the Braves record from June 1 on is defending it. The Mets not winning this division is solely on them.
Case-in-point, let’s say instead of 1-6, the Mets were 6-1 at home against those teams. In all honesty, in a tight division race, there’s no reason why they weren’t.
This would mean instead of being tied atop the division with a 97-58 record, they would be five games up with a 102-53 record.
As a result, the Mets magic number right now would be two. TWO!
We could and should be talking about the Mets potentially clinching if they beat the Marlins. Instead, we’re talking about the Mets needing to win to stay tied before heading to Atlanta.
When you can’t beat up on the Nationals and Marlins, you’re collapsing. That was true for the 2007 Mets, and it holds true today.
Obviously, these Mets making the postseason makes this feel different. That will allow the Mets to write their own story as to how this season will be remembered.
If the Mets don’t win the division, they risk a first round exit. Certainly, that would be another factor in correctly terming what’s happening a collapse.
That said, it’s hard to image that happening with a top three of Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Chris Bassitt. In fact, with that three, with Edwin Diaz at the back-end,
Then again, with those four, it’s difficult to imagine the Mets in this situation. With them pitching in Atlanta, maybe this collapse is over. We shall see.
It doesn’t have to be today. It doesn’t have to be this week. It’s certainly not a punishment. However, sooner or later the Mets should move Taijuan Walker to the bullpen.
Simply put, after Carlos Carrasco’s latest gem, he needs to be the fourth starter in the postseason. This is far more Carrasco winning a job than it is Walker losing it.
Over his last 11 starts, Carrasco has allowed two runs or fewer. Over this stretch, he’s 7-2 with a 2.12 ERA, 1.230 WHIP, and a 9.4 K/9. He’s pitching great, and the Mets need their best pitchers in the postseason.
Walker has again struggled in the second half, but he was great in his last start. We have seen him rise to the occasion and needs to be part of the equation, so the Mets should start looking to put him in the best place to succeed.
To a lesser degree, the Mets are doing this with David Peterson. He’s being removed from the rotation and being put in the bullpen. It’s no secret that it’s to see if he can be a left-handed reliever in the postseason.
Of course, Peterson is in a significantly different spot than Walker. First and foremost, Peterson was filling in for Max Scherzer, and Scherzer is set to come off the IL on Monday.
However, it is illustrative. When the time is right, start putting players in the roles they will be come postseason. Peterson will be a reliever, and so will Walker.
Obviously, winning the division comes first, and clearly Walker is one of the Mets five best starters. He will likely prove that again in his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. From there, he’s on turn to face:
- 9/21 at Milwaukee Brewers
- 9/28 vs. Miami Marlins
- 10/4 vs. Washington Nationals
Certainly, the Mets want him making that Brewers start. After that, it may be best to remove him from the rotation.
By having Trevor Williams take his spot in the rotation, that would free up Walker to pitch out of the bullpen in that pivotal series in Atlanta.
In terms of attempting to win the division, having Walker at the ready could prove huge. If a starter is knocked out, he can jump in and eat innings or keep the team afloat. He’s also capable of getting the big strikeout or generating a ground ball for a double play.
Looking at the whole picture, this should be Walker’s penultimate start of the season. After Milwaukee, moving Walker to the bullpen aides in winning the division and preparing for the postseason.
It is long past time we stop sugar coating what is happening with the New York Mets. Moreoever, we absolutely need to stop giving the Atlanta Braves more credit than they are actually due.
Yes, the Braves were nipping on the Mets heels as the result of playing ridiculously well since June 1. That is even the case with them having a losing record against teams with a winning record, and the Mets leading the season series against the Braves. The Braves got themselves in it because they were resilient and won a a lot of games.
However, they are in a first place tie now (in the loss column) because the Mets are collapsing. Yes, it is a collapse, and we need to call it as such.
The Mets have the easiest September schedule in all of baseball. So far, the Mets are 6-7. That record looks worse when you consider they opened the month with a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. This means the Mets are 5-7 against teams with a losing record this month.
They were swept for the first time all season. It was the Chicago Cubs, who are on pace to lose 93 games. By the way, they didn’t even need Marcus Stroman to do it.
The Mets are the only team in the Divisional Era (1969) to get swept at home while 35+ games OVER .500 against a team 20+ games UNDER .500.
Last team to suffer such a sweep: Detroit Tigers in the final 3 games of the 1968 regular season.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 15, 2022
They had a three game stretch where the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates beat them by six plus runs. That was the first time in Major League history where a team with a 30 game differential in the standings lost three consecutive games by six runs. The first ever time. That’s how unacceptable those losses were.
They lost a series to the Nationals. They were swept by the Cubs. They couldn’t sweep the Pirates, who are dreadful. At least, the Mets took two-out-of-three from them. Of course, everything looked good after that series only for them to be swept by the Cubs. Yes, it is getting redundant saying that, but it is just that maddening.
We can and should note Starling Marte and Max Scherzer landed on the IL, but then again, so what? Did the Mets really need both of them to win these games. That is what was supposed to be so good about this schedule. The Mets could rest some players and allow players to heal. Also, with all the trade deadline moves, weren’t the Mets supposed to be in a position to be able to easily withstand injuries like these?
When it was Willie Randolph trotting out pitchers like Jorge Sosa, Philip Humber, and David Williams, we all correctly termed it a collapse and were embarrassed by it. There were some who called for Randolph to be fired. The fact we’re not seeing similar anger is shocking.
Yes, the Mets are definitively going to the postseason. However, with the new format, not winning the division actually creates an addition hurdle. It actively works against their chances of winning a World Series. For some reason, everyone seems cool with Buck Showalter leading this collapse.
Keep in mind, he’s had some bizarre decisions. Joely Rodriguez in a close game against right-handed batters. Darin Ruf as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded. Not giving Francisco Lindor or Pete Alonso a day off even after Lindor says he and the team is tired, and Alonso is actively showing his frustration on the field.
Showalter was supposed to be different than everyone who came before him. Instead, he’s doing the same exact thing we saw out of Randolph, Jerry Manuel, and Luis Rojas. Showalter was the one in charge when the Mets lost a 10.5 game lead, something that has only been done eight times in Major League history.
That’s not seven in 17 bad, but that’s really bad.
Right now, there are zero excuses for the Mets not winning the division. Failing to win the NL East would be completely and wholly unacceptable. This team is too good to be doing what they are doing right now. Supposedly, Showalter is such a good manager that this never could have even been contemplated.
However, the moment is here. Do the Mets collect themselves and right the ship? Or, are they going to collapse against terrible teams and cede the division to the Braves? With this pathetic schedule, the Mets are in the driver’s seat. It’s time they push the pedal to the floor and take off instead of going to go off path only to crash and burn.
After three straight embarrassing and inexplicable losses, the New York Mets seem back on track. They swept the doubleheader and destroyed the Pittsburgh Pirates in the process.
That was not the only good news. In fact, the Mets got plenty of good news.
Starling Marte has a non-displaced fracture and is day-to-day. Tylor Megill is dominating out of the bullpen in his rehab assignment. Drew Smith is set to start his own.
Then, there’s the Max Scherzer news. In many ways, the reaction is based on your perspective:
The irony of Scherzer saying it’s not week-to-week is he’s on the 15 day IL. That’s literally two weeks and a day. By nature, that’s weeks.
Admittedly, that’s semantics. What truly matters is Svherzer is good to go after those two weeks. As with Carlos Carrasco, he’s not really going to be given a shot to make a rehab start.
Backdating it to September 4, Scherzer can return September 19. The Mets would have 14 games remaining. With a five man rotation and wanting to save billets for the postseason, that’ll mean Scherzer had two starts remaining.
That’s not a lot of time, so Scherzer will have to make do. He needs to use those starts do get fully up to speed because the Mets World Seriew hope now hinge on that right arm.
Chris Bassitt had stepped up in the second half. Conversely, Walker and Carrasco have been nicked up and have struggled. The Mets can’t go with them both in the postseason.
The Mets need Scherzer being the Curt Schilling to deGtom’s Randy Johnson. That’s an untouchable top two, and with Bassitt, it might just be unbeatable. However, that hinges now on Scherzer.
The offense has come and gone. That may happen in the postseason (as it usually does. That puts the onus on the starters.
The starters are up to the task, but only if they’re healthy and ready to go. Right now, they’re not. We need to see in two weeks.
If Scherzer is Scherzer, this Mets team could be the World Series favorites. If not, it may be one-and-done. We will find out soon.
The New York Mets losing two out of three to the Washington Nationals is unacceptable at any point of the season. That goes double in September.
Even more troubling was Max Scherzer leaving a game seemingly aggravating an injury. Trevor May also hit the IL worsening an already questionable bullpen.
The Mets stopped hitting, which is all the more problematic when they faced Patrick Corbin and Erick Fedde. Just like that, the Atlanta Braves, who seemingly never lose, shaved two games off the Mets division lead.
If we’re being honest, this does feel a bit like 2007. The Mets pitching was getting nicked up late in the season, the bullpen was incomplete, and the Mets completely fell apart even while facing far inferior competition.
Of course, this is a feeling born out of disastrous seasons of yore. That said, this is a new era with a different team. Mostly, this team is a near lock to make the postseason.
Right now, this is about winning the division. With that comes home field until the NLCS and whatever perks come in Manfred’s sensationalist and failing ways to drive interest to the sport and its postseason.
The good news is the Mets absolutely control their fate. That’s not only because the Mets still have a lead in the division, but it’s also because of their schedule to finish the season:
- 3 at Pittsburgh Pirates
- 3 at Miami Marlins
- 4 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
- 3 at Milwaukee Brewers
- 3 at Oakland Athletics
- 2 vs. Miami Marlins
- 3 at Atlanta Braves
- 3 vs. Washington Nationals
With the Pirates, Marlins, Athletics, and Nationals, that’s 18 games out of the Mets remaining 24 games against teams on pace to lose 94+ games. The Pirates, Athletics, and Nationals are on pace to lose over 100 games.
That leaves six games against teams with a winning record.
Since the trade deadline, when the first place Brewers traded Josh Hader, that team has gone 13-17. As a result, they’ve dropped out of first, and they’re 2.5 games back of a Wild Card spot.
As for the Braves, well, they’re defending World Series champs. However, despite taking the last series from the Mets, the Mets lead the season series 9-7. It should also be noted the Braves are 27-30 against teams with a winning record.
When you break it all down, the Mets finishing schedule could not be more favorable. In the end, all they have to do is take care of business. If they do that, they’ll win the division and be on a trajectory towards winning the World Series.
The New York Mets took the first two games of the Subway Series at Citi Field. Because it was the New York Yankees, there was much rejoicing.
Now, the Mets are heading to Yankee Stadium for the final two games of the Subway Series. They appear poised to clinch the series with Max Scherzer and maybe Jacob deGrom slated to pitch.
There are many reasons why this is a big series. First and foremost, all series are big series with the Atlanta Braves trailing by 4.0 games in the division. One slip up, and the NL East race can get more interesting than anyone wants it to be.
There’s also the bigger picture. The Mets trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by eight games for the best record in the NL. It’s a sizable lead, but maybe, just maybe, the Mets can close the gap to get home field advantage in the NLCS.
On that note, the Mets also want to stay up on the St. Louis Cardinals in the event of a potential matchup there. Long story, short, the Mets have eyes on the postseason and their path to the World Series.
Certainly, there is homefield advantage in the World Series. On that front, the Mets lead the Yankees (by four games) and Houston Astros (by a half-game). The Mets want to keep those leads.
So yes, this makes this a big series. The fact there’s the usual buzz for these games adds to it. However, unlike the past, the Mets will not be defined by these games.
When the Subway Series (Interleague Play) began, the Yankees were always a litmus test for the Mets. After all, the Mets were coming off six straight losing seasons, and the Yankees were reigning World Series champions.
However, that was then. Now, Steve Cohen owns the Mets. Unlike the Wilpons, he’s not using the Yankees as a measuring stick bemoaning how the Yankees financial model is unsustainable.
Cohen is building the Mets as a franchise who is a true perennial World Series contender. The Mets measuring sticks are whomever the best teams in baseball are (Yankees are one of them).
The Mets are now defined by how they finish seasons, not by these Subway Series. This means Mets fans can truly enjoy them without unnecessarily attaching any overlying meaning to them.
Unlike what other fan bases may say, the Subway Series is not the Mets World Series. That will come in late October to early November again with Scherzer and deGrom leading the way.
For the first time this season, the New York Mets lost a series to an NL East opponent. With it being the second place Atlanta Braves, it may be cause for concern.
Don’t be.
If we go back over the series, this was really a fluke and bad luck. This really had nothing to do with the Braves being better or the Mets being exposed.
In the first two games, Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker were injured. That lead to the Braves beating Adonis Medina and RJ Alvarez.
Medina won’t be anywhere near a postseason roster, and Alvarez has already been designated for assignment. Walker isn’t on the IL, and as already noted, with David Peterson and Trevor Williams, the Mets are fine from a starting pitching perspective.
The Mets responded by winning with Max Scherzer. It was closer than expected, and the rain delay likely played a part. Still, the Mets win with Scherzer, and the Braves still can’t hit Edwin Díaz.
The finale, well, it was a frustrating loss reminiscent of the late 1990s. It was also a series of flukes.
The game was 2-2 when Jacob deGrom left the game with one on and two outs in the seventh. Yes, but the Braves made an inspired call with a hit-and-run, but boy, was that a fluke play.
It was a pitch off the plate that just got through the shift. Tip your cap, yes. Great execution, certainly. Still, a fluke play.
That doesn’t remotely compare to the ninth. Francisco Lindor hit a lead-off single. He then should’ve had second stolen. That was until Pete Alonso swung at the first pitch.
Lindor had to hold up. It could’ve been caught. Getting doubled off effectively ends the game. His view is blocked, and he erred on the side of caution.
It should’ve been Lindor at second with Alonso at the plate. It could’ve been first and third with no outs. Instead, it was runner at first with one out. It was the slower Alonso too.
Again, fluke play. Arguably, this was born of poor execution with Alonso being way too aggressive.
Fluke or not, these two plays defined a maddening loss. It was also what the Braves needed to finally beat the Mets in a series this year.
Again, it took two pitcher injuries and two fluke plays. That’s what it takes for the Braves to take down the Mets.
The Braves won. Good for them. It still doesn’t change the fact the Mets remain the much better team who only lost due to a series or events near impossible to repeat.
Mets are still vastly superior and will easily win the NL East.