Daniel Murphy made an error. You probably noticed.
Murph’s error came in a house-of-horrors eighth inning at Citi Field, a frame that’s an excellent candidate to take up residence in the recesses of your brain, to be hauled out and fumed over at future 3 AMs.
But Murph wasn’t the only thing going bump in the night on what became a Halloween from Hell. Tyler Clippard walked two guys, Jeurys Familia wasn’t sharp, and Terry Collins‘ dropped managerial toast finally started landing butter-side down. And while Yoenis Cespedes was a bystander in the eighth, his night’s resume included striking out twice, fielding another ball with his foot (which led to a Royals run), and somehow managing to get doubled off first down two runs as the trail runner to end a World Series game.
Oh, and let’s please remember that the Kansas City Royals are a pretty damn good baseball team. Give them an inch and before you know it they’ve gobbled up a light-year. The 2015 Mets’ epitaph will probably read KEPT GIVING THE ROYALS INCHES.
Blame Murph if you want, or if you have to. But also remember that without Murph’s mammoth October at the plate, our happy postseason memories probably begin and end with recalling that game where the Mets clobbered the lone lousy starter in the Dodgers’ rotation.
It was the first World Series game I’ve had a chance to attend, and that part was fun … well, at least for the first seven innings. The World Series is terrifying on your couch, with every tiny facet of the game magnified into an omen of disaster or good fortune; from a stadium seat those facets of the game are invisible and the experience is like being strapped to a speeding train. The park is a cauldron of noise and the collective emotion sweeps you up so fast and so thoroughly that you find yourself struggling to judge events like you’re witnessing a normal baseball game. I misjudged fly balls, lost track of whether pitchers were righties or lefties, and basically gave up and held on for dear life.
One note that amused me until it ceased to: Given World Series prices, I assumed our neighbors in the Promenade would include a high proportion of rich front-running jackasses and bored scenesters. Not exactly: Our section loved the Mets, but the intensity of their embrace was more off-their-meds than anything you’d want to emulate — as was their consumption of massive Bud Lights, which caused them to turn on the team with shameful speed after Murph’s error. This wasn’t exactly a rattle-your-jewelry crowd — they would have been a perfect fit for Shea’s upper deck on one of those hotter-than-balls August nights in a 72-win season, the kind of game where you kept your head on a swivel after the third inning because you knew things would turn bad and the cops weren’t climbing all those steps unless they absolutely had to.
On the whole, I might have preferred rich front-running jackasses.
Anyway. It was the Murph Game. I could talk more about how Clippard, Terry, Jeurys and Cespy conspired to make it the Murph Game, but it won’t matter, because it will be remembered as the Murph Game. Similarly, I’d try talking about Michael Conforto‘s two home runs and how much fun it will be to have him in the lineup for a whole year, or look to dissect Steven Matz‘s not-bad-at-all effort on the biggest stage in the sport. But let’s not kid each other — that good stuff went out the window when Eric Hosmer‘s little bouncer went under Murphy’s glove.
The Murph Game. That isn’t fair, but baseball isn’t fair.
If you can do it, press reset. There’s at least one day left in the season — one more day of baseball, which even at its cruelest is better than a day without it. Matt Harvey‘s pitching that game, and he’s pretty good. If the Mets win, they get to play again on Tuesday. Jacob deGrom would pitch that game, and he’s pretty good too. And if the Mets somehow win again, they get to play a third game on Wednesday. Noah Syndergaard would pitch that game, and he’s as good as those other pretty good guys.
It’s not likely, but nothing in the postseason is likely. And it’s better than thinking about winter. Win or lose, we’ll have our annual eternity to do that soon enough.
I’ve never agreed with Daniel Murphy’s defensive lifestyle, but Tyler Clippard was the true sinner here. Murph made an error, sure, but Clippard made two HUGE errors in 8 separate increments directly preceding it, and as this morning’s tabloid headlines confirm (“Murphy’s Flaw”), most people have an easier time remembering a punchline than the set up. See also: mcnamara…schiraldi…stanley…BUCKNER!
Terry Collins, who I think has done a good job overall, really botched his usage of Jeurys Familia the last 2 days. He said in the post game that if he used him two innings tonight, he might not have him on Sunday. Then why pitch him with a 6 run lead on Friday?!
And I don’t know what to say about Yoenis Maradona.
Yeah, that comment from Collins’ is maddening. Selective thinking ahead. Bizarre sense of the leverage of different situations.
It’s a shame, because I agree that Terry’s done a decent job overall as well. (Sticking with deGrom in LA, with Conforto last night). Although I think we’ve gotta stop playing Cespedes in center. It’s getting ridiculous.
Cespedes was a competent centerfielder when he was playing a competent all-around game. He’s not just an elite athlete. He’s supposed to have a strong sense of the game. Yet his misplays have been Schwarber-esque.
At the worst time, the World Series, Cespedes has just seemed out of it, starting from the Mets 1st pitch of the World Series – in the field, at the plate, and then in the 9th inning last night, on the basepaths with the play in front of him.
It’s still mysterious what happened to his shoulder so that he had to come out of NLCS game 4. Push-ups?
I wonder if he’s taking pain medication in order to play with his hurt shoulder and that’s why he seems spacey.
Well, that’s a theory that would at least explain how and why he’s been so all around bad apart from laziness/carelessness/obliviousness/stubbornness. But it would be pretty incompetent to take meds that leave you that out of it in games this important. And the dude’s apparently still playing golf every day, so his shoulder can’t be hurting that much…
The night before, Collins justified using Familia in a 6-run win by saying Familia needed the work and would be stronger for it. Then last night, he said he was willing to use Familia for 2 innings but held back in order to have him available for 2 games.
Set aside Collins was managing for tomorrow (today) down 2 games to 1 in the World Series when the difference in the game today (last night) was a razor-thin 1 run versus a team that specializes in comebacks. … Which is it? Familia needed the extra work? Or was he overworked by the extra work he needed?
I could understand giving Clippard a chance. He got the 1st out. But once he walked Zobrist, the tying run, with only 1 out, that’s it – Familia needed to be in that game.
My thoughts exactly, he was managing to save arms for game five when the situation was “all hands on deck”. IMO the arms are worse for wear than they’re letting on, Familia included. He tried to get all cute there with saving arms and it backfired badly. Clippard is fine when you’re up or down by five, not by one. IMO he was more worried about how much Harvey will have tonight and let it dictate his choices.
And I agree 100% re: Cespedes too, there has to be something wrong with him as he’s been invisible during the WS, just totally lifeless. A slump is one thing but he hasn’t even shown a flash since that NLDS bomb he hit, it’s downright alarming.
Anything requiring a cortisone shot is not a light matter nor is a cortisone shot a magic cure.
Regarding Cespedes’s physical state apart from his mental state that’s possibly due to his physical state, I thought his sac fly in game 3 was telling that his shoulder injury is sapping his power. Perhaps it’s subtly altering his swing, too.
The sac fly looked like a HR off the bat but it petered out short of the warning track. There was some wind, but Wright hit a HR to the same part of the park. As we’ve seen, when Cespedes is right, a breeze isn’t knocking his ball down.
It just looks like more than a “slump” to me, I think he’s far worse off physically than he’s letting on. As awesome as he was a few months ago, he’s totally killing them in that cleanup spot now.
You’re right, Jason.
I’m more frustrated with Cespedes than with Murph, whose choatic ways are to be expected and well-documented here.
Cespedes has basically looked awful in every aspect of his game this whole World Series. Overmatched at the plate, unable to adjust, sloppy in the field, careless on the base paths… We’re seeing the dark side of the super-star that helped get us here. And the Mets should take a long, hard look.
Nice line about Collins’ managerial toast. That was managing by routine and hope, not by a sound strategy or judgement of the situation. Costly. Maybe Familia coughs up the lead if he goes 5 or 6 outs anyway, but you’d sure like to leave it up to him and not a very shaky Clippard.
Ugh. That was terrible all around and wastes some great moments from earlier in the game. Now the Mets need a miracle. Hey, it wouldn’t be the first time.
We don’t even beat the Dodgers without murph. It happened but cespedes is garbage. That play in center has to be caught not backhanded.and soccer style kicked into left field
The game 1 flub needed to be caught. Last night’s flub, unless he took a bad route, was a single, anyway, but the boot led to an extra base.
Cespedes jogged after the ball casually after the boot, but I thought that was an attempt to bait the runner to try for 3B.
i agree. initially i was angry with his lackluster run after the ball, but once he kicked it he was getting two bases anyway and ideally the runner would have tried for third
TC pulled a Matt Williams last nite, not going with our best at the right time, whether that be to open the 8th, or after the FIRST walk. If you are going to use Familia in a 9-3 game, than that damn well better not prevent you from using him WHENEVER it’s REALLY necessary! (Couldn’t Reed have gone another?)
Totally flawed TC logic, that he couldn’t use him for 2 last nite because he may need him Sunday. Gotta win the game your playing, and then if you need to use the hot dog vendor or ‘O’Flaherty’ in a future high leverage situation, we don’t have a problem.
We just saw the true TC mindset re-emerge, and too bad it reared it’s ugly head last nite. He’d recently kept it under wraps.
Oh please. TC has nailed all manner of excruciatingly tough calls all playoffs long. The goats last night are Clippard, Murph, and Cespedes. Trying to get an additional out or 2 with Clippard was a risk worth taking. It didn’t pan out, but that’s not on Collins. For whatever it’s worth, Familia hasn’t exactly looked dominant against the Royals, and it is very far from a sure bet that he would have gotten 5 outs unscathed.
Side note; have you altered your ridiculous attitude towards Robles at all? I for one have more confidence in him than I do Clippard at this point.
it’s a goddamn shame we haven’t seen more of robles. i think he could really intimidate these royals hitters.
i can forgive murphy for a physical mistake…i can’t forgive cespedes for laziness in center and stupid mental mistakes. i want nothing to do with him going forward.
Yeah, I think you could definitely make the case for Robles over Clippard at this point. Robles is inconsistent, but Clippard’s been pretty consistently scary for two months now. If you’re gonna lean on the young fire-ballers, might as well do it across the board.
i agree that reed should have started the 8th; he’d done well in the 7th and would have had the bases clear, just like is needed for his good work.
also that clippard, who did get that first out, should have been pulled after the first walk but absolutely after the second.
as far as familia being gassed by use in game 3? that doesn’t hold. his problems were in getting his first two outs, not the five he wasn’t asked to handle.
Good point about Familia getting in trouble in game 4 with a short haul.
The issue though is Collins’s usage of Familia being affected by his concern of over-use for game 5 after using Familia in game 3, not Familia actually being gassed in game 4.
Lawrence B. from St. Louis called in and said “It ain’t over till it’s over”, but once he was told how exactly the Mets botched up this game, he wept and hung up.
To be fair to Terry Collins, there wasn’t much to manage. Once his starter’s light goes dim, what does he have? Rotation’s castouts (Colon, Niese), Familia (who had a good year, but who’s reverting to the spotty, blowup 2014 Familia at a highly inopportune moment), Clippard (whose been shit since September), Reed (whose been a little less shit since September), and then the true runts of the litter, Hansel and Gretel. Look at the Royal’s pen and tell me who’s got the advantage there. I still couldn’t work out why Familia had to pitch with a 6-run lead in game 3, rather than try Hansel and Gretel first.
Couple that with the Mets’ shocking inability to deal with even their starting pitching. Yeah, yeah, Young was out after four last night. In a regular season game, he wouldn’t. He would have held the Mets down another two or three innings, with the same result. No hits for the home guys.
Then there’s superior defense (and we’re getting warmer here…) on the Royals’ side. They nab everything the Mets chop at them. Before the ninth, when two ultimately meaningless singles built up excitement only for Diappointment to drive a poisoned pike right through our hearts, the Mets had *one* hit that was not a homer and actually left the infield (Flores’ single early). Everything else gets sucked up by someone on the dirt. Compare that to the Mets’ Infield of Glorified Holes. (Also mind that Johnny Cueto, who was torn to shreds in the postseason, pitched a disturbingly casual complete-game 2-hitter in game 2)
I’m not going to bash Murph, because without Murph on the team, you’d have seen Cheap Ugly on the field last night. For him, it’s evening out. Since his OPS was basically twice his lifetime mark in the NLDS and NLCS, regression towards the mean meant that he was due for a .120/.150/.215 line with no homers, minus two RBI, and six game-deciding errors in the World Series.
But when that ball went under his glove and into right, I burst into tears, because at that point I knew it was over.
It was over.
And it IS over. What do you want to keep believing in? They are not amazin’ anymore. It’s not even their fault. They’re showing their limited skill sets. There was a reason why the Potomac Rats were picked to run away with the East, why nobody judged them worth a thought before the Dodgers series, and the Cubs series. Limited skill set. When I look at the two teams playing, the Royals are clearly better in every aspect of the game, except starting pitching, and there the Mets’ advantage has not turned out to be big enough.
It’s over.
I’ll tell you what happens tonight. #33 goes six and holds a 2-1 lead (another homer, probably by Duda, scoring the only Mets runs), before the childish need to pinch-hit for him with two out and nobody on in the bottom 6th removes him for Reed, who gives up the lead in the seventh instantly. Another home run (probably Wright) adds excitement in the bottom 7th, before Clippard appears again (because Terry, Leader of Men, has only that one play in his book) and the ground opens up and wholly devours them in a 3-walk, 3-error, 7-run inning. Cover your children’s eyes, send them to bed – you’ve been warned!
Very astutely said. Yet while I completely agree that we’re both ‘done’ and simply not as good or experienced or deep as the Royals (especially in the bullpen), I think you’re letting Collins off the hook a bit. When we were winning, it was because, for the first time in his managerial life (at least with the Mets), he was managing the game in front of him, not going by formula. Even if you excuse letting Matz hit in the 5th and start the 6th (he was clearly tiring), even if you excuse Matz facing TWO batters rather one on in the 6th, even if you excuse taking out a firing-on-all-cylindars Niese, even if you excuse letting Colon face only one batter, even if you excuse the absolutely rote way he managed the bullpen last night — you cannot really excuse how much pressure that puts on that same, not-as-good-as-the Royals pen. Why count on so many pitchers to be perfect, especially when first Niese, then Colon, then Reed are actually doing the job? And why is Clippard still the ‘8th inning guy’ anyway? He’s been wildly inconsistent as compared to Reed – and where is Hansel, anyway?
Your prediction for tonight’s Game 5 is pitch perfect, I think. We’ll keep it close, take Harvey out a smidge early, then watch one of these bullpen guys just implode.
It felt after Game One that there was no way we’d win Game Two. They’ve knocked the wind out of our sails. They did it again tonight. But the fact is, that’s on TC too — his ‘gravy’ comment continues to rankle. It is so damn hard to get to the World Series. You can’t have an ounce of ‘happy to be here’ in you. But it feels to me like the Mets would probably rather just lose tonight rather than have to fly 1500 miles just to see the Royals dance around after beating DeGrom and company in Game 6, or, worse, get to Game 7 and see young Noah go down in flames in a hostile (for KC) environment in Game 7.
A wonderful season in so many respects, but with this management, this ownership, and this manager, we really had to Win It All this year.
The Mets won 5 play-off games and 2 series in a row after Collins made the “gravy” comment.
Nick, why do you think we needed to win it all this year? We have a bright future with a potentially once in a lifetime pitching staff. Management has done a good job this year as well as Collins. No need to think it won’t continue. Too much negativity here at times.
Terry should have Reed in for the eight inning. Dont use Clippard any more. What about Robles? Cespadas value is falling fast. Lets go Mets!!!!!!!!!
Somewhere, Gary Cohen is nodding his head.
I still hated that comment by Cohen. What a lame thing to publicly say about one of the team’s longest-tenured players before an elimination game. And if it wasn’t for Murphy in game five of the NLDS, we’d all be watching the Dodgers or Cubs right now and arguing whether the Mets were cheated out of that series by Utley’s dirty slide and an incomprehensible replay call in game two. I agree that Alderson is unlikely to sign him to some $60 million contract when the Mets have promising talent coming up at second, but there was no need to be insulting.
When I played baseball a lifetime ago, even in a meaningless game, when a ball was hit anywhere near me having a chance to snag it, I would give up anything I had to try my best to reach it. It was a badge of courage to dive, slide, jump or do literally whatever I could to make that play. That as what the game was about for me. Fun. The opportunity to wow a crowd (generally two or three people who really weren’t paying attention). Or more important, to prove something to myself. Apparently, when you are paid double digit tens of thousands to play a single game with the world as your stage, it apparently doesn’t matter that much to you Mr. Cespedes. I am quite disappointed. Everyone else, flaws and all, at least tried. Please do not even consider resigning that prima donna next year.
Robles has been ineffective since mid-season, and, rightfully so has dropped down to ‘unuseable’ on the depth chart. Let’s give TC credit for doing something right.
How’s Cuddyer working out for you?
Wrong again on Robles. I already gave you the stats on him. Very impressive, particularly for an unheralded rookie. Cuddyer isn’t playing, although he couldn’t be much worse than Cespedes has been. I’m sure it killed you how the Captain came through in the clutch like he’s done so many times.
The Royals made some loud outs against Robles in his prior appearance, much like the loud outs against Reed last night.
Like Reed, Robles is better when starting an inning clean than as a fireman for inherited runners.
Last night, Collins used Robles in the top of the 9th inning to hold the deficit at 2 runs, which Robles did. Not that there was a better alternative (Gilmartin) left in the bullpen at that point, of course.
Still not sure why he didn’t bring Colon back for the 7th, then could’ve gone Reed 8th, Familia 9th, although the way Familia has been in this Series, that’s no guarantee either. As for Clippard, normally teams retire uni numbers because a guy who wore it was great. What Met has ever worn 46 and not been a complete clusterfuck? Retire #46.
As for Cespedes, someone had the perfect tweet last night…he’s the Mets summer romance. Lots of fun in August, faded by September, eventually “what was I thinking?” Helped get us here and that’s great, but if I know how they’re going to pitch him, certainly he should know. At one point I dreaded the thought he’d sign in the Bronx over the winter. By now I say they can have him.
If the Mets come up short, NL Champs is still a great thing to be. I was at Opening Day in 01 when they raised that flag following a painful WS that this is sadly starting to resemble a lot more than it resembles 86, and it was still a great moment (made even better by the opposing team that day being the Braves at the peak of their nemesis days). Yeah except…look at the 2016 schedule and where the Mets start the season.
I agree Colon could have pitched the 7th.
However, if Colon falters in the 7th, Reed and Robles are no-gos with inherited runners. Can’t really trust Clippard there at this point, either. the 7th is too early for Familia.
Even though Reed gave up some loud outs last night, he’s completely different when starting an inning clean, so it makes sense to start him in the 7th. Then if Clippard falters in the 8th, which he’s wont to do, Familia can cover the 8th inning.
That being said, if Clippard can’t be trusted anymore, then trust Colon to get through the 7th and hand the game to Reed clean for the 8th.
That hurt, but I can’t believe how greedy some of you are. Where are they without Cespedes? Yes, he’s flawed, but they’re not even in the playoffs without him. Without Murphy, they’re out in the NLDS. What happened last night was far more in character than the rest of his post-season, but if someone had said to me, “seven homers then a devastating error in the World Series, I would’ve taken it.”
This one falls on Collins for being greedy with Matz and using Jeurys the night before. But still, I can’t believe it’s Nov. 1 and they’re still playing.
There were boos last night. Those people should be banished to a hell of watching the 1977 season on an endless loop.
And it’s not over. It’s looking bad, but it’s not over.
It would be disingenuous to place a lot of blame on Murphy. Yeah, I cursed that play out loud…but that is the Murphy we have seen much more than “the Amazin’ Murph” over the years. I echo all the sentiment that Terry has done a good job and gotten us further than anyone expected. Getting this far, though, it hurts to lose the WS. Clippard and Reed are an improvement to what we had in the past, but the Mets had to know that the 7th and 8th innings were their Achilles heel. They were too quick to pitch Matz over the unflappable, rubber armed, wily veteran Colon. Colon is no lock to pitch a great game, but Matz is a lock to only go 5 innings after his late season injuries and inexperience and the bullpen is a near lock to cause problems. If you must start Matz, have Colon amped to take over and get you to Familia for 1-2 innings. So don’t use Familia in a 9-3 game, which for me was a first guess since I wrote it as the top of the eighth ended.
As Darling said, if you thought you were going to use Familia two innings don’t pitch him 9-3…as Keith said, why take out Colon and the Mets middle relief and infield defense were exposed. We rode Cespedes and Murphy HRs to the WS, but we may have flown too close to the sun. Now we have to win this on what it had to have been all along…the three golden arms we nurtured. It can be done.
Starting Matz wasn’t the problem. If Colon starts, handing a 3-2 lead to the primary set-up men is still the optimistic projection.
Someone needs to tell TC we’re only supposed to turn the clock back 1 hour, not 3 months. He managed like it was the regular season, and his comments/justification afterward were absolutely baffling.
yea, i couldn’t believe what i was seeing: tying run on. clippard always ready to implode and familia still in the ‘pen. that will be the (in)decision that will haunt his career to the end. but there is card-playing in making these calls. nonetheless, he should have played it as an elimination game – and been ready to NOT have familia in game 5 need it be. figure that out tomorrrow and manage for a big lead.
but cespedes, though he got the mets on the tear that ultimately got them here has his fingerprints all over the mess we’re all feeling now. game one, pitch one – where is he?? and then the shoestring lucky kick last nite? and with 2 on and one out brain-farts the game to an end.
since he got plunked – seemingly aeons ago – he’s slid from ‘still a threat’ to ‘lost at the plate’ to
‘please leave him on the bench’
the summer romance take is pretty spot on. he seems to have gotten bored. and yes maybe he’s on a muscle relaxant or something…i’ll assume he’s not **completely** lazy or brain-impaired, but tonite, for the sake of the team and especially for the mental set of the guy on the mound he needs to sit.
we’re seeing – when it matters most – why all of his previous employers have let him go.
time for the mets to do that tonite.
such a shame that conforto breaks out to hit 2 homers at home – and that feat will be overshadowed by all that followed.
there is still one more home game with harvey on regular rest so i hope/believe this can go back to KC, but the mets bats will need to rake. and ces needs to watch from the bench.
Someone needs to tell eric that he’s referring to the man that took this team that wasn’t expected to even make the playoffs all the way to the World Series, defeating 2 highly favored teams in the process, and he did it with virtually a one man bullpen. You’d think at some point he would earn some respect, but I guess this is the spoiled brat attitude that is commonplace in today’s Twiiterverse Keyboard Hero world.
Great point Matt. But what else is new…..those inane comments have been made all season long.
Dudes. Please don’t personalize.
One more thing: People are making the Buckner comparison. The Murphy error was more like the Teufel error as far as significance.
Cespedes was fabulous to watch when he arrived, such a galvanising force. Let’s not forget that. But that has to be viewed as a separate thing to bringing him back. He’s flawed, he bounced around before us, has been described as a businessman. Signing him to a long term deal needs to be looked at coldly after the season bearing all the above in mind. Overall do I think he’s probably good for a “team” long term, no. Seems like a loose cannon, his own man, not gonna play to a team ethic. Seems to me he gets special treatment with the golf and other matters and that can cause no end of problems in a clubhouse. This is a group and it took that group ethic to reach a point where cespedes came in and made a short term jolt of a difference.
Dave — I think TC saw next season’s schedule, got befuddled, and thought he needed to save Familia for the opening 2 games in KC NEXT YEAR!
It’s funny how some people, people that presumably identify as Mets fans, have nothing to say when the team wins and yet can’t stop second guessing and throwing around sardonic comments when they lose. At a certain point it almost starts to come across as a dynamic where deep down they want the club to lose.
Thanks for the psychobabble, Matt.
Please no more personalizing. We’re in this together.
Eric1973: Doesn’t Colon seem like the perfect guy to pitch against KC? Good velocity, great control and pitch placement. He should’ve started the sixth.
Copied from ESPN play-by-play
Game 1 – Bot of 8th:
Clippard relieved Reed. 4 3
Zobrist doubled to right. 4 3
Cain struck out swinging. 4 3
Hosmer struck out swinging. 4 3
Zobrist to third on wild pitch by Clippard. 4 3
K. Morales walked. 4 3
Familia relieved Clippard. 4 3
Game 2 – no appearance
Game 3 – Top of 8th:
Clippard relieved Reed. 3 9
Cain popped out to shortstop. 3 9
Hosmer flied out to center. 3 9
Moustakas popped out to pitcher. 3 9
Game 4 – Top of 8th:
Clippard relieved Reed. 2 3
Escobar grounded out to pitcher. 2 3
Zobrist walked. 2 3
Cain walked, Zobrist to second. 2 3
Familia relieved Clippard. 2 3
Based on that, I see the logic of Collins keeping in Clippard after Zobrist’s walk.
Clippard has gotten Cain and Hosmer out in games 1 and 3. He had Cain 0-2 before losing him.
But Clippard looked bad on the Zobrist walk. With a 3-2 lead, I still would have taken Clippard out there, before he went up 0-2 on Cain.
I really like Matz, so I was kinda glad to see him start the 6th.
But——–TC needs to go with the hot hands, especially if they are already in the game, like Colon, rather than managing like it’s the regular season and going with an ice-cold Clippard.
Don’t blame Clippard. We know what he has become. Blame TC, who decided to put him in there.
Matz looked tired in the 5th.
I disagree with Steve D that Colon should have started. But Matz was expected to give 5, he gave 5, looked tired in the 5th, yet Collins tried to squeeze an extra inning out of him, and got burned with the Royals’ 2nd run.
clippard will go down in mets lore for gas can set up guys–Doug Sisk, Aaron Heilman, Tyler Clippard. but yeah, Terry made some baffling moves. pinch hitting for Lagares to get Kelly johnson an at-bat against a righty..Lagares has been on fire and helping manufacture runs, and you pinch hit for him to put Kirk in center? so odd. oh and why not put lagares in for cespedes instead of the guy who hit 2 HRs?? stop Matt Williams-ing us, Terry.
let’s at least win tonight and not let them celebrate at Citi
Was at the game with my son, who bashed TC all game. He questioned numerous moves or non-moves in advance and was right every time. Very poorly managed game.
There is no doubt TC is a fine clubhouse leader but remains a question mark as an in game strategist.
With our pitching, we should be favored to win each game. It’s just the overall odds are WAY against us.
I don’t know how much we can reasonably expect from Harvey tonight. He looked pretty tired in his last start, and the post-TJ innings are definitely piling up. I think best case scenario he goes 5 or 6, gives up 1 or 2, which unfortunately sets the Mets up to lose another one late. And, of course, the worst case scenario is much worse… I’m just hoping and praying the offense can find a groove. And the defense, well, let’s not speak of it.
Harvey’s back on regular rest which is an important factor for him. But yeah, an empty gas tank is an empty gas tank, more so for a power pitcher. Arrieta syndrome.
Hopefully, the knowledge that it’s his last start of 2015 no matter what and the adrenaline for a World Series elimination game are enough to carry him through it. Unfortunately, as you say, we can optimistically hope for a good 5 or 6 inning effort, which is dangerous. Even a good 7 innings is dangerous.
Well, I’m glad to have been wrong. Harvey was superb. What a shame.
It’s a tough decision, but I think bringing in Familia to start the inning would have made the most sense, in sober, strategic terms. And probably should have pulled him after the walk to Cain. But tough, tough.
This is what mc went through last year. So, so close, but lacking the big stage experience. They are using it now.
TC didn’t have a great night, but he’s been managing based on his experience and his gut. It’s worked this far, but not last night. To me the only obvious mistakes were trying to get another inning out of Matz and bringing Clippard in the 8th. He hasn’t been reliable in that role since early September, and I suspect the reason he’s still in it is because he can bring in Familia if necessary. Not a good plan.
It’s wild watching Cespedes’ stock drop with each passing inning. I don’t think he’s been the same since the hbp and it’s possible he’s just another arod in big spots.
All that said, I totally predict a game 5 victory. This thing isn’t over and the mets trademark this year has been pulling victory from the jaws of defeat. Probably done once they get to kc, but not tonight.
You know, there is a difference between BEING good, and PLAYING good. A short series is about PLAYING good. The Royals are REALLY good; they’re not as good as the Mets have made them look. But they have outplayed the Mets so far. You can blame Murphy and/or Clippard and/or Collins, but this has been an equal opportunity meltdown. We lost game 1 on a Familia mistake and a Wright error. We lost game 2 partly because deGrom became “un-gromed.” And in all three losses, we lost because our offense (especially the 3-6 spots) got mostly shut down by slightly above average-ish pitching. And this has been compounded by the Royals having really good at-bats against our really good pitching. These are all things that can happen in a short sample, and unfortunately, we’re on the wrong side this time. Ask the Cubs or Pirates about what can happen in a short sample.
We still have Harvey, deGrom, and Syndergaard coming up. Those three guys can put up their own short sample pretty quickly. But whatever happens, we’re not here without Cespedes, we’re not here without Murphy, we’re not here without Familia, and in my opinion, we’re not here without Terry Collins (the haters can blast that last statement, but I’m not going to put 500 words on why I think that here now). And Clippard was lights-out for a long time. If we lose this, it’s going to suck, especially since I really think we’re the better team, and we could be up 3-1 right now. But it’s not right to turn on all these guys and a manager that turned in a pretty magical season when no magic at all was expected. Don’t forget where we came from. I’m disappointed that they seem to have left their A-Game in Chicago, but I’m very proud of what they’ve done, and more importantly, pretty hopeful for the future.
Right now they have to win one game, and it’s Matt Harvey starting at home. I’ll take those odds every day, and tomorrow is another day.
“These are all things that can happen in a short sample” … against a match-up that’s tailor-made to attack one’s vulnerabilities and frustrate one’s strengths.
Our vulnerabilities were middle infield defense and 7-8 inning relievers. Game 1, Familia blew a save…NOT a vulnerability. Game 2 deGrom got rattled…NOT a vulnerability. Yesterday, unfortunately, was exactly what everybody feared.
What has turned this series is the Mets have had terrible at bats in hitters counts against OK pitchers, and the Royals have had great at bats in pitchers counts against very good pitchers. Those are all short sample blips. That’s not something that will hold up over longer stretches. All this other stuff about the Royals being relentless and making you pay for every mistake is just rhetoric (they have made as many mistakes as the Mets!). In both of the wins the Mets gave away, they had those late leads because of Royals errors (Hosmer & Rios). The Royals are a very good team that is playing well, and things are going their way. But if I had to take one of these teams to move ahead with, it’s the Mets and it’s not even close. That’s not doing us much good now, obviously, but if you had an expansion draft with just Mets & Royals, the first four guys taken (at the very LEAST!) would be Mets.
One again, as you have all season long Rob, a great assessment, especially about Collins.
The game 4 loss was a gut punch. It hurts worse because a 2-2 series tie was turned into a 3-1 deficit on the brink of elimination.
Compared side by side, though, I think the game 1 loss is worse than the game 4 loss because the underbelly of the Mets bullpen went toe-to-toe with the Royals vaunted bullpen and held the Royals vaunted comeback attack in check for the 7th and 8th innings and 10th-13th innings. Yet, as you point out, the Mets offense couldn’t muster a run off of Madson and Young.
Oh, what a disappointment :(. My husband and I were in New York yesterday/last night and although we did not have tickets (He was here on other business) I was so excited about being in New York while a World Series game was going on at Citi Field. And up until the fateful Murphy error, it was just glorious. I walked all over town yesterday and everywhere I went, you could feel the excitement building, “Let’s Go Mets” chants breaking out everywhere, everyone decked out in blue and orange heading for the game. I really wanted to see what New York on Halloween night would look like after the Mets won.
And now, the cold light of day has hit, we’re on our way home, and we’ll take up our familiar places on our couch in our own living room, along with Mac, our dog, and cheer the team on. I’ve lived through too much fandom to give up now. Those of you who are younger, please see this season through to the end, whether the Mets win or lose. You never know and you still gotta believe.
I can’t be angry at Murphy although that was the Murphiest of Murphy plays. That is Murphy. He was already on his way to his redemption arc in the ninth when he singled to start the short-lived rally. I agree he may be playiing his last game (or games hopefully) for the Mets, but win or lose, he has given his all for this team. I love Gary Cohen, but I thought it was somewhat cruel of him to call Murphy a “net negative.” The full story on Murphy has yet to finish.
Clippard is who he is and I believe his back is still bothering him, and probably should not be entrusted with late relief in a close game if we have the privilege to play beyond tonight. I can’t pin this loss on his shoulders either. I am worried about Familia, who seems to have run out of gas, but Terry doesn’t really have any other choices. There’s no McDowell to call on in response to Orosco here. Familia is our closer, for better or worse.
I am puzzled by Terry’s use of the bullpen. I didn’t understand pulling Neise, Colon or Reed at those points, when they were all performing just as we needed them to., Neise and Colon, especially, could have gone longer., perhaps eiliminating the need for Clippard entirely. And I do agree that for all of Terry’s great qualities, he is a by-the-book manager and that is problematic in a short, tense series. You have to manage the game in front of you. Why stay wedded to the Reed, Clippard, Familia rotation in the 7th, 8th and 9th? There’s no penalty for changing up.
I don’t know what to say about Cespedes. It may be a physical problem (shoulder, or even poor eyesight, or not liking late-season cold weather) but he has the look of someone whose head is not in the game. I’ve managed enough people to sense something else is bothering him. It’s up to Terry and Wright or perhaps Uribe to find out what it is and let him know that the team still believes in him. If it’s something serious, like a family issue, perhaps starting Lagares is not a bad idea. But in no way should it be framed as punishment for his boneheaded play last night. Long-term, I think it might be a good idea to let him go, but we still have a Series to win.
Which brings me to tonight. There is no one I would rather have on the mound than Harvey. He is an absolute warrior and this will be his last 2015 start, so unless his arm is bothering him, I’d let him go as long as possible tonight. Familia has been shaky but handed a decent lead, I believe he can save it. Wright needs to come up big if he is physically able; the rest of the team seems to feed off him the most., as well as the crowd.
DeGrom will be fine in KC if we get there, although it’s unfortunate that he will not have a home start in the postseason., but that’s the way the rotation panned out. I do worry about Thor in a possible Game 7, especially on the road and with tall the extra pressure he’s placed on himself, but that’s for another day (Wednesday) if we get there. In the meantime, I want another couple days of rushing home from work, going to be late, getting up bleary-eyed, and looking forward to the next. What a season this has been. Let’s Go Mets!
Well said. Re: Gary’s radio comments about Murph. I don’t know what he was thinking in the middle of a the playoffs saying those things, whether or not he’s right. It’s not Gary’s MO to be so undiplomatic and insensitive to the situation. Bizarre. Whatever. Let’s win tonight, one and all.
When the ball went under Murphy’s glove I turned to my friend and said, “The universe is cruel.” Been a Mets fan since ’72. This is just part of it.
That said, if he makes the play it’s 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs and the next player Moustakas) stroked a single. Impossible to say how things would have played out but I think odds are better than 50% that we lose 4-3 instead of 5-3. The error didn’t help but I don’t lay this one on him.
To be honest, I’d like to see us trade Duda this offseason and move Murphy to 1st base(provided the money isn’t too crazy for 3-4 years). Duda’s swing has so many holes – he’ll put up nice in-season numbers but good pitching neutralizes him.
In honor of Cespedes I think “fielder indifference” needs to be added as a baseball stat. Would have saved Harvey and Matz an earned run each.
With our starters we still have a puncher’s chance but we know they all need to go 7. The chances of that happening is minuscule. But we need to use Niese/Colon to get us to the 8th, then Reed, then Familia. When it comes to Clippard, just say no Terry.
Three one-game win streaks. Not impossible. We’re no closer to elimination now than we were in game 6 in ’86.
Regarding the what-if of Murphy making the play …
After the E4 on the Hosmer grounder, runners were at 1st and 3rd. Hard to tell from the telecast, but was Murphy playing at double-play depth for the Moustakas single? I assume he was.
If Murphy was playing at double-play depth with 1st and 3rd and 1 out, that means he’s cheating in and closer a bit to 2B.
If it’s 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs, Murphy is positioned at normal depth and distance, which – assuming Familia gives up the same grounder – gives Murphy a better chance of fielding the Moustakas grounder for an out.
Also, with 2 outs and a base open (setting aside Perez’s line-drive single), maybe Familia tries more for a K than a DP grounder.
With the what-if on the Cespedes boot, all else being the same, there’s a good chance the run scores, anyway. Cespedes didn’t drop a catch like his WS game 1 boot. Instead, he turned a single into a double. After the boot, Gordon singled to right, which drove in Perez from 2B, and Rios flew out. There’s a good chance if Perez is on 1B, he goes to 3B on the Gordon hit and scores tagging up. Or he if stopped at 2B for some reason, he goes to 3B tagging up. Then Morales singled pinch-hitting for Young, which drives in Perez from 2B or 3B.
Regarding Duda, I don’t think it’s holes in his swing because when he’s hot, he hits everything hard. His issues seem to be timing and pitch recognition. Holes in his swing don’t explain taking fastballs down the middle and swinging at breaking stuff in the dirt. What do you do with a player who’s capable of scorching hot streaks but then suddenly goes ice cold for weeks and months at a time? I think the Mets need to take 1 more long look at him. But if he doesn’t figure it out next season, a decision needs to be made.
Good point about Murphy that he’s not a 2B. 2B is his 3rd position. He doesn’t really have a natural position, but he’s better at 1B and 3B than 2B.
It’s time to give Herrera a long look at 2B, but there should be enough playing time to justify resigning Murphy. Platoon with Duda at 1B, platoon with Wright at 3B, and give the regular 2B a day off.
The Royals have borne out our fear that they’re tailor-made to attack the Mets’ vulnerabilities and frustrate the Mets’ strengths. They’re like the AL version of the Pirates but better hitters. The Mets needed to be sharp in the WS and they haven’t been sharp. The Mets needed to score more and they haven’t.
Wright, Cespedes, Duda, d’Arnaud, Conforto, and Flores have had highlights, but have not delivered a potent line-up together. I wonder whether Tejada’s specialty of grinding out at-bats would have been more productive in front of Granderson.
It’s easy to say the Mets could be up 3-1 in the series. They should be up 3-1. But late-inning comebacks in close games are the Royals’ specialty.
The Royals hit high fastballs and don’t strike out, so the Mets pitch low, which translates into more ground balls, which is risky because the Mets’ lack range at 2B, SS, and 3B. One can call it extraordinary BABIP luck for the Royals, but one can also call it a consequence of holes in the Mets infield defense that would be exposed when not covered up by Ks and pop-ups.
Still, the chief characteristic of the Mets for the 2015 (regular) season has been resilience. They’ve fallen and bounced back.
Last night was a hard, hard fall from the peak nearly in reach. For the Mets, the World Series is no longer a 7-game series. The WS is now a single-elimination, 3-round tournament.
More than DS game 3, LCS game 1, and WS game 1, WS game 5 with the Mets one blow from being knocked out is why Harvey is here. No matter that he may be out of gas and at the end of his tether in his TJ-recovery season. This game is why Harvey is here.
Priority now is not to allow the Royals to win the World Series in the Mets home like the Mets won the DS in the Dodgers home and the LCS in the Cubs home.
deGrom is on 3 days rest. With the travel day tomorrow, I’d be willing to put the game 6 starter on call for an inning or, say, 20 pitches in relief. Same for Syndergaard if his arm can work on 1 day of rest. Even though Familia has spit the bit twice now in the WS (yes, Clippard, Collins, and Murphy had a lot to do with the 2nd BS), he needs to be ready to get 6 outs.
Last night was awful no doubt. I can replay all the terrible moments in my head plus lamenting we did not pad the lead in the 6 and 7th innings.
We came to Citi down 2-0….the stretch goal was go back to KC up 3-2…the less ambitious goal was make it back to KC. We have a chance to do that tonight.
If we make it to KC we have DeGrom and Thor lined up. Also have Matz available (for game 6 and 7) and harvey (game 7). And we also know that we will not see clip again and familia can go 2 innings clean and not inheriting clip bullshit (in my mind the real goat).
To win three in a row we need to offense to show up. How I pray that Murphy and Cespedes will wake up…when they’re on we can score enough to win.
We will have all winter to grieve if we lose one more, right now I am focused on game 5 and making it back to KC.
We have t believe to achieve. let’s go Mets!
TONIGHT IS THE LAST NIGHT WE GET TO SEE THE 2015 METS – MURPH, CESPEDES, AND ALL – AT CITIFIELD.
There are lots of teams — Astros, Cubs, Cards and Nats, for 4 — who will be better next year than this. KC will not be substantially worse.
The Mets, however, rolled the dice for 2015 and it paid off. The gamble got them to the WS. The moves were brilliant. Give credit where credit is due.
That said: the Mets had the worst offense in the league before the trade deadline, and after the season ends, they go right back to where they were. They likely lose Cespedes, and likely lose Murphy. Uribe, Johnson, Cuddyer and Grandy are all a year older. They will have a full year of Conforto, yes. But Wright will still have spinal stenosis, and d’Arnaud has not showed that he can stay healthy for a year.
Where does that leave us? We can bash Cespedes and Murph all we want, yet, where would we be if they had not played like they were touched by a Fairy Godmother’s wand for substantial periods of time?
This is, after all, a “Cinderella team.”
Where does it leave us? It leaves us like Cinderella at the ball.
Is it midnight already? We don’t know. Perhaps midnight came during the 8th inning last night. Maybe not. Maybe it will come after game 7.
Whenever it did or does, let’s enjoy the ball. Let’s love this 2015 team for what it is, cheer them on, hope for the improbable, and realize that when the Series ends, they turn back into pumpkins. Great starting pitching, not nearly enough hitting, unless trades or free agent signings replenish the lightening currently in the bottle.
In the mean time, enjoy watching THIS TEAM. The 2015 Mets, THIS TEAM, who’s one goal was to play “meaningful games in September.” Remember that?
Well now, tonight we watch a meaningful game in November.
THIS TEAM, the 2015 Mets, the one with the lightening in the bottle. The Mets are STILL in the World Series! It will not be the same team ever again.
Please, do your best to appreciate this team for what it is – warts and all. Whenever it happens, they got to the last game of the World Series!
And they still might just pull it off!
I went the last two nights, and I will be back again tonight. Enjoy! Cheer! We root, root, root for the home team. If they don’t win it’s a shame. If they play like it’s past midnight, well, then at least we had the ball. And, we “had a ball” in the process.
Let’s Go Mets!
Let’s. Go. Mets!
In the Cub series, the goat was Murphy; last night Murphy was the goat.
In the Cub series, Murphy was the hero AND the goat.
Please don’t forget that we are not watching the Mets in the World Series if Murph doesn’t hit 7 home runs in 9 games, 6 in a row.
6 in a row breaking Carlos Beltran’s record, 11 years ago, in 2004 the one that got him his contract with the Mets.
Remember, too, that however many hits or homers Murph ends up with in this series, it will be that many more than Beltran had in the WS in 2004 with that Astros, and in 2006 with the Mets, combined….
Depression is a terrible thing. I do not wish to make light of that fact or minimize the horrible effects of depression on so many lives. That said, last night’s game has seemingly plunged Metsville (“nation” is so not Mets) into a collective depressive funk.
It’s our way of life as Mets fans – as bi-polar as fans get. Full-throated, rowdy, and pumped one moment; dejected, depressed, and resigned to failure to next.
But we are Mets fans. As such, we stay committed to magic, amazin’ occurrences, and improbable outcomes – in our favor of course.
There couldn’t be many among us, no matter how fervent your devotion is to this franchise, that could have predicted last spring we would still be playing baseball this deep into Fall. We should appreciate that, no matter how unfair life and baseball become in the next days.
I’m still working through trying to clear the image of Lucas Duda’s massive home run in the bottom of the ninth last night. That was the image I had ingrained in my head when the broken beer bottle of reality came crashing across my skull in the form of …well, I still don’t know what that was.
So it’s Sunday. I’ve said about three words so far today to my ever-loving wife. I’m beaten, depressed, even morose. But I’m a Mets fan and I know we can still win this. And I know Murph didn’t lose it last night.
Cespedes has not played well in the outfield during the Series. Or hit particularly well. Yet, Harold Reynolds said something the other day that I have been saying since August: Cespedes looks more like Willie Mays than any player I have seen since, and I’m old enough that I saw Mays play.
Cespedes busts it down to first. He made a play in game 2 catching the ball running towards the fence, stopping on a dime and whirling a strike into 3rd base. A Mays play. Hiss swing is Mays’ swing.
Unfortunately, his play in center field is reminding me a bit of Mays’ play in the 1973 Series….
No one is as good as they are when they are locked in. No one is as bad as they are when they are slumping. I would take both Cespedes and Murphy back in a heartbeat, if the contracts were considered to be “affordable,” to the Powers-That-Be, whatever that means.
One more thing: the Mets tend to make it to the Series by surprise. There were 3 times we “expected” a Series win: 1986, 1988 and 2006. Only once of those 3 did they even get to the Series.
On the other hand, we have 1969, 1973, 2000 and now 2015. No one picked the Mets to go anywhere near the World Series in any of those seasons, including this one….
If the Mets win tonight, then they’ll have the same record going back to KC as their record going back to Shea for game 6 in 1986.
Cespedes got us into the playoffs. Murphy got us through 2 rounds. Collins must have done something right this year (not sure exactly what, but he seems like a nice guy). Clippard had one decent month before turning into a pumpkin (appropriate for Halloween). There’s enough blame to go around, but this same group of guys got us into November. I’m not going to curse them or give up on them now. I do hope we don’t see Clippard again…tonight, for the rest of the series, or next year.
last night was brutal, reminding me nothing so much as the last game at shea — everything was going well, until about five minutes in the eighth inning, when the mets lost the lead against the marlins and the brewers, the rivals for the wildcard, took the lead in their game.
when we got home from citi last night, my son and i didn’t much feel like more baseball. but when we woke up, we checked the calendar: it’s nov. 1st and our team has a game, last one in citi this year. since we’ve been going to mets games this season since march, we’ve decided to take this one in. LGM!!!
I’m still coming from the perspective that no one – no one – picked the Mets to be in the World Series this year. If we go out, we go out with our heads held high. It was no shame losing to the Reggie Jackson A’s in ’73. Losing to the Derek Jeter Yanks in 2000 was…infuriating…but not embarrassing either.
Silver lining – we have a view of Cespedes and Murphy after midnight, when their coach turned back into a pumpkin, yet before we signed the e long term contracts. Remember – at the beginning of the season – heck, at the end of the season – everyone expected Murph to be gone next year. And Cespedes was not even Plan B. More like Plan M or N. Those guys leave, and we still have Conforto next year, plus guys like Dilson Herrera and Brandon Nimmo coming up. Wheeler will be back, Tyler Clippard is replaced by Jerry Blevins (the real Plan A for the eighth inning), also Rafael Montero and Josh Edgin and a ton of pitchers still available for middle relief or for the trade block. In other words, this team is not a fluke, even of we don’t win it all this year.
Let’s just enjoy the rest of the ride, and know that there’s more where that came from. And remember this also – last year’s Royals were thus year’s Mets. I think we’re back to stay.
Sure seems like a long time ago that Thor’s first pitch ‘turned the series around.’
What a mess since.
I can only relate this situation to the Nats series, going in 3 games down. Each of our pitchers threw a gem. Could happen again —– has to.
Things can change quickly…..let’s hope Harvey starts that tonight!
Single elimination, 3 round tournament.
What really bugs me is that, for all the talk about how the Royals have been out playing us, we really had games 1 and 4 won. We should be looking to clinch tonight, not them
Well, regardless of how tonight plays out (and I completely expect them to win because going out tonight would simply be too easy) I never expected any of this and it’s been one hell of a fun ride. Sure, the WS has been a real disappointment to this point but hey, KC’s entire season has been about getting to this point again and hats off, you give these “pesky” Royals an opening and they seize it. I was hoping the August Mets would re-emerge after the post-NLCS break but they decidedly did not, that “magic” has deserted them.
As bad as this is, it’s not as wildly demoralizing as 2000 was, as we went into that season fully expecting great things, we got them and it was all cruelly snatched away by those greedy obnoxious pigs. We can head into 2016 with high hopes as NL champs, proven winners capable of handling anyone in the league at our best. The Mets didn’t “fluke” their way in, they beat everyone in their path to get here.
And maybe they win tonight and steal game six and make it to a winner-take-all game, who the hell knows? I’m trying not to focus on the anger and disappointment here although it’s tough. I’m hoping they come out fast & loose and play like there’s nothing left to lose, give us one more thrill here, guys.
Great post Lenny……that’s exactly how I feel as well.
It’s been tough, as some of these games were definitely winnable and you hate to get this far and come up empty. But we do need to remember that given how lousy the last eight years have been, it’s been a remarkable run. At least we’re finally finished with worrying about some nebulous “future”, it’s arrived and we’re contenders now. The tough part will of course be keeping it that way, but it sure beats hoping we hit .500 as far as goals are concerned.
Can you even imagine how insane a game seven would be with Thor on the hill in KC? It’s a big dream but not entirely impossible.
Lenny, thanks for your posts. You have the right perspective. I was quite upset following the Murphy error and the Moustakas ground ball that found a hole (it seems that all his hits are ground balls that find holes), but am still grateful to the team, the manager, and the front office that we got this far. And as the sage of Montclair said, “it ain’t over ’til it’s over!”
Not impossible at all —– actually, quite probable if Harvey and deGrom pitch at their normal levels of greatness.
I was shocked in Harvey’s last game when his velocity stayed at 90 MPH and under for about 20 straight pitches…it scared me a lot actually. The first thing I need to see are 95 MPH fastballs in the first inning. If he can win tonight, I seriously believe all the pressure is on KC. Play loose and have fun guys.
Ronnie just excoriated TC for saying today that since the Reed-Clippard-Familia thing worked during the year, it was ok to do it yesterday.
For what that’s worth.
97 MPH to fan Hosmer…YES!
Just like the Royals spread the hits around, there’s enough blame on the Mets to spread around and spell a defeat.
Matt sure looks good tonight!
Keep Harvey in…with Familia ready at drop of a pin. No brainer…only 102 pitches.
That knucklehead was actually going to take him out.
Walk and a double to lead off the 9th……maybe the knucklehead should have went with his first instinct.
Maybe the Royals are just playing better. What a ballsy move by Hosmer.
They’re relentless and make you pay for every mistake.
They ARE the better team. That should be obvious by now.
Our bunch managed three hits in nine innings…