Mets

[Westheim]

Another day, another MLB TV malfunction, the game recording starting with Pete lining out to McMahon to end the top 1st.

The mere sight of Brett Baty makes me mad at this point.

Overall though that was a surprisingly easy win. Yes, yes, it's the bottomless Rockies, but you always worry about a random 5-spot up there, especially once the Butt-Oh's of your bullpen become involved and give you physical manifestations of Butt-Ow's.

Best record in the NL btw. By half a game, but it counts.

[Amazin69]

It just doesn't seem right to battling the SCRUBS for the top spot, though.

First game in five where the Mets never trailed the Rox, even if we did squander the 1-0 lead. But blasts from "Missing Person" Mauricio, "Not That" Young, and the Squirrel cover a number of sins.

(Meanwhile, down Metroplex way, apparently Jake has now gone 10 starts without allowing 3 ER in a game. Damn, nostalgia is a heck of a drug.

Oh, and Transient Met Tyler Heiney-Man is apparently the biggest thing in Toronto since Labatt's. Huh.)

[Westheim]

Mets broke out the bats, and the W went to Tylor "How to be Annoying with an 8-run Lead" Megill, who barely made it through five innings, despite no-hitting the Crockies through four. (And don't get me started on Blackbum)

I'm not so sure Squirrel McNeil will wanna come home with the team after finally starting his season with three homers in this series.

But the bigger news is that Pete bonked one out in the third inning, the 242nd of his career, and he tied Captain David for 2nd all-time on the Mets with it! And also Dusty Baker, Sal Bando, Wally Berger, J.D. Drew, Aubrey Huff, and Kyle "Least Resented Seager" Seager for 270th all-time.

...and then un-tied himself from the whole bunch with another thumper to left in the eighth inning! That didn't advance him further up the list, as 243 homers was nobody's career total on Sunday morning.

9 more to Straw for the Mets franchise record (but 92 on the all-time leaderboard). Tying Straw would also put Pete into the top 250 all-time (assuming he does it with any sort of urgency).

[Amazin69]

With Peeete having expunged the Captain from the list of Mets to chase, I shall be very disappointed if none of the back pages commemorate it with an "Only the Straw Survive" tag-line.

Bombs by Polar Pete and Squirrel McNeil show that we need more animals in the line-up. Interested parties should send their résumés to 41 Seaver Way, Queens NY…

I honestly wonder if our Amazing Rotation tends to squib out so often because they've been taught that the hook is waiting for them. Fantastic ERAs, yes…but this is reminding me of Al Leiter's final years…nibble his way through five, allow only one or two runs, and let the bullpen get worn down. I mean, I guess it's okay in "the modern game" with 17 guys in the bullpen or whatever, but this is still so weird to me.

[Amazin69]

For the 8th game in 10 matchups with frankly weak opposition, the Mets spotted said opposition a lead.

Now the Mets have gone 9-1 in those 10 games, but come on, already.

Justin Garza?? Yeah, whatever.

Cubs, then Dodgers, then Yankees on MLBN today. Looks like a good day to check out the basketball. Or a shopping channel…or Avengers:Infinity War, yet again

[Westheim]

David Peterson pitched a shutout??

Peterson!

Shutout!

What???

Oh dear baseball gods, please don't let the poor baby get a blister now, or we'll never see another Metsie throw more than 45 pitches in a game...!

[Westheim]

Not sure yet what hurt more to watch: Senga covering first base or Stanek and Boom-Boom coming within a whisker of blowing a 4-0 lead in the ninth inning.

So, with Kodai Brittlebones probably down for a while with a hammy, at least the five starters can go in order now......

[Amazin69]

Nice to see Peterson doing what starters should do. A wonderful throwback to the glory days.

Less nice to see Kodai doing what Mets starters too often do. Again, Kodai? Seriously?

(Also, who's the genius who decided that Stank should be our primary setup man? "Better than Ottavino" is not the standard we're seeking, Mendoza!)

[Amazin69]

The Best Team in Baseball should not blow 5-1 ieads. And yet…

It appears that Paul Blackburn is not The Answer in the bullpen. Previously, Blackburn has not been The Answer in the Rotation. Perhaps he's The Answer for Syracuse? Binghamton? Port St. Lucie? The DSL?

Six Most Common Words In English: Mets get 4 RISP in the late innings (2 in the 7th, 1 each in the 8th/9th), in every case with 0 or 1 outs. Mets score exactly ZERO runs.

No shock, but even so.

[Westheim]

Clay Holmes is also not the answer to anything if they can barely get five innings out of him and then have to turn it over to the useless Blackbums and Kranicks of the world to blow the game.

Remember, that's already Tylor Megill's job.

Frustrating game for sure, but at least nobody got actively hurt, and they'll play another one in a few hours... as parallel to F1 qualifying as it may be.

[Westheim]

Weather delay at the Mets game. Now, do I bolt for a different game and run the risk that the Mets game starts in 40 minutes and I get the result spoilered, or do I sit on the blank screen for three hours, then go to bed grumpily??

[Amazin69]

Rangers down ChiSox in 11. Jacob de Grom goes 6, allows 2 runs, gets a no-decision, but it is 11 starts in a row without allowing 3 ER.

Jake was nearly matched by Mike Vasil, the ex-Mets farmhand who was taken by the Rays in the Rule V and then swapped to the Phils and apparently onwards. Interesting that he's already in the bigs…if you can consider the Pale Hose the bigs…

Meanwhile, here are our actual Mets starters:

Kodai Senga…injured
Sean Manaea…injured all season
Frankie Mount-ass…injured all season

David Peterson…pitched excellently last start
Griffin Canning…pitched poorly last start
Clay Holmes…pitched poorly last start
Tylor Megill…pitched PISS-poorly last start

Lucky that Tylor still has an option for Syracuse, huh?

Paul Blackburn…is Paul Blackburn
Blade Tidwell…couldn't cut the mustard
Brandon Sproat…has yet to sprout

Holy effing crud.

[Westheim]

That was an awful game. Megill's lucky that the Mets are razer thin for starters or he'd be sent to St. Lucie, where he belongs.

[Amazin69]

9-0. Mets could have stayed in the clubhouse, watched the golf, taken the forfeit, and done just as much good.

Shutout partly administered by ex-Mets Cole Sulser and Eric "Make a Wish" Orze, fer pete's sake.

Griffin Canning continues the self-destruction of the starters. The magic is gone from Max Kranick. Ryne Stank still stunk. Brett Baty keeps trying to make us nostalgic for Mark Vientos's glovework. And Peeeete contributes a bases-loaded whiff and a GIDP.

And now the Mets will make me watch Brandon Gaudin and Frenchy for 3 games. I wonder, if MLBN broadcasts GKR, will I get blacked out so I HAVE to watch the Chop-Cast? Pfaugh.

[Westheim]

Upsides: this was the worst the Mets have looked for a full series all year.

Downsides: this was THE WORST the Mets have looked for a full series all year.

Ten games with the Barves and Philthies could well ruin the season now. I see a 2-8 coming.

[Amazin69]

Yiddish translations for tonight's game:

Peterson pitched like a mensch…but Shaun Reed-Garrett pitched like a schmuck.

Mr. 765 and Peeeeete looked like two schlemiels out there with their combined 4 OOB…and Alvarez is a total putz for not knowing you run at the guy in the run-down so you don't have to pick a base to throw to until he commits.

Four in a row! Vey iz Mir!

(The "upside" is that the weather delay spared me from Gaudin and Frenchy [MLBN's GKR was blacked out because I'm so "local" to Atlanta] until it was time to watch the hockey, so I only had to endure the "highlights". )

Zei Gezunt, Westie.

[Amazin69]

MENDOZA: You know, just because Paul Blackburn failed in relief last Friday, that doesn't necessarily mean he can't help the rotation. Let's try him again!

OTHER ACUÑA: (Hits first pitch 419ft. to dead center, nearly into "Chattahoochie Falls", the water display.)

MENDOZA: Then again…

Btw, Senga is out for a month because he'll "need time to build himself up" after his hamstring heals. OTOH, the Mets have hopes that Megill can come back quickly once his 15 days on the Imperfect List are over.

Oh…joy.

Anyhow, the Braves follow with a single, a walk, a grounder to advance the runners, a dirtball where Torrens shows he can screw up as badly as Alvarez, since he tries to scoop the ball up with his mask which is illegal and so the runners take another base and a sac fly to score the third run. 3-0 after one.

Albies triples to start the 2nd…

[Westheim]

Not sure whether I am more miffed by the Mets losing fecklessly, 5-0, or that Nimmo had drop in that dinker and provoke the Barves to yank Sale after 8.2 shutout innings.

I applauded both when he left the game (politely) and when he made that catch and flick on ... whoever it was to lead off the ninth (almost enthusiastically).

Hey, if the Mets had done a single bloody thing I could still remember now ten minutes after the game, I wouldn't have had any spare applauses in the first place!

[Déjà Bru]

Say, did these two teams attend the same function someplace and contract Legionnaire's Disease? Or is it something in the water in New York?

[Amazin69]

The back pages must be having a hategasm.

So the Mets played 12 games against garbage teams (Sux, Rox, Rox redux, Gnats), wrapped around 4 at Dodger Stadium, and went 13-3. (Should have been 15-1, but we gave away 2 games to LA.)

But now that we're done with the fun part of the schedule, we've gone 0-5. Buckle up, buttercups…we're all done with the Sux and the Rox and we've already been to Swingin' Sacramento. Real teams now.

(Barring the Fish, but we stink against them far too often.)

Since Peterson and Holmes and Canning and Blackburn make only four starters (and that's realllllllly stretching the definition of the word), it is reported that the Mets will call up Justin Hagenman to start against the Phils tomorrow.

Um, sure. Okay.

In the words of Rupert Giles, "It's all right; I have more Scotch."