The Mets are really good, but playing against competition several ticks above the last week’s slate of opponents will remind you that other teams are good too. Like the Dodgers — who now have 34 wins to the Mets’ 35 but are also 17 games over .500, standing with them, the Yankees and the Astros as baseball’s beasts so far.
It’s easy to be disappointed when your team gets shut out on just three hits, but superb pitching will do that to you, and the Dodgers have that. That and much more — they have solid defense, a tough bench and a deep lineup that added Freddie Freeman to what was already a fairly murderous row, which just seems mean. Granted, the Mets now have to face Freeman fewer times a year than when he was an Atlanta Brave, but I would have preferred not facing him at all. Same goes for Trea Turner, another relocated destroyer of dreams.
The Mets didn’t do much to support a solid start by Taijuan Walker — the highlight was a coolly executed rundown, which was absolutely the kind of play previous incarnations of this team would have turned into a shotgun aimed at their own feet. I’m sure a cross-country flight without an off-day didn’t help. Nor did the absence of Francisco Lindor, undone by a hotel-room door that developed a taste for shortstop finger. (I can neither confirm or deny that Buck Showalter was spotted standing in the hall glowering at said door once it had done its nefarious business.) And of course facing Tony Gonsolin helped least of all — sometimes it’s not so much what your own guys failed to do as it is what the guys in the other colors managed to do.
It’s easy to be disappointed, but what a welcome change to be disappointed by losing a two-run game to a team as well-constructed as any in the sport. We’ve come a long way in a short time, haven’t we?
I agree. After beating up on inferior teams, last night’s game against an elite team should be a benchmark.
The pitching was good enough to win the game. Hopefully the bats were just jet lagged and will be awake tomorrow.
* I meant tonight.
late-game lag
I thought it was strange that an NL veteran elite outfielder like Marte whiffed on catching Justin Turner’s RBI double because Marte apparently lost track of where the right field wall was at Dodgers stadium.
Then I looked up Marte’s baseball reference page and saw that this is the first season of his 11-year career he’s played right field. 7s and 8s, but no 9s before 2022.
His missed catch cost a run, but probably didn’t lose the game. Better that Marte experiences the trial and error (officially scored or not) of learning the right fields of the Mets potential play-off opponents in the regular season than potentially making last night’s rookie mistake in the play-offs.
Taijuan was “OK” but pitching in and out of trouble at first, until he settled down.
We could use a real hitting catcher, so hearing what TDA did for the Braves kind of hurts. That was our catcher of the future… what went wrong?
We could use a real hitting third baseman, which is supposed to be a hitting position. Escobar is a hole in the line-up right now and he hardly sits.
If we had offense from 3B along with the above average offense the Mets are getting from the middle infielders, catchers who are competent defenders and periodically surprise us on offense like Nido did would be good enough.
What a weird, yet undoubtedly Metsian injury. Am I the only one having nightmare Duaner Sanchez flashbacks?
I don’t know about you, but I thought Stevie’s joke about Lin-Door was hilarious. Funnier than that know-it-all Gary Cohen’s unfunny puns.
BTW, regarding Lindor, anybody see Amber Heard in the vicinity?
Wow, a couple of digs at Gary C in today’s forum! :-) But I do agree that he should stick to his strengths and leave the stand-up comedy to the pros, like Keith.
I wonder if the unfailingly self-effacing Gary Cohen and former second baseman Daniel Murphy (a/k/a “Mr. Net Negative”) will be exchanging bon mots at the upcoming Mets Old-Timers’ Game this summer? The
I got the rare treat of GKR on SNY with my Spectrum Extra innings Cable package last night.
Gary mentioned that since 2017 the Mets were 5-22 VS Dodgers–now 5-23….ugh%%#.
It’s been bad for our Mets VS Dodgers since Murphy stole 3rd base on Dodgers in 2015 Playoffs and beat the Dodgers here!
I knew that the Dodger games VS Mets have been no fun for a few years–did not realize our record was that putrid.
I thought though the games were no fun to watch anymore was no more Vin Scully-who grew up in NY as a Giant fan, just like my Father. who lived in The Bronx but saw Car Hubbell, Mel Ott and saw Willie Mays break in @ Polo Grounds.
Hopefully Lindor can play tonight and the Mets can win and make the Dodgers a little less smug–Dodgers are now the Skanks of the West Coast!
Let’s Go Mets!
I’m thinking about all the people in recent memory – including Brodie Van Wagenen, Luis Rojas, Robbie Cano, and anyone surnamed Wilpon – whom we’ve told not to let the door hit them on the way out. Francisco Lindor could have taken that advice as well, although unlike the others aforementioned, we don’t want him going anywhere. And re Met freak accidents, I was thinking less Duaner Sanchez and more Bobby Ojeda (shudder). Anyway, wishing a speedy recovery to Mr. Lindor, and I hope he takes better care of his fingers moving forward. We (and he) need(s) all ten of them.
i’m thinking jerry blevins, finally healed, and falling off curb outside hotel to re-fracture the bone in his arm crossed with cespedes wild boar incident.
hopefully neither as repeated – or career-ending, respectively.
it’s very nice to be able to say : “we need lindor’s hot bat in the line-up.”
and in the meantime i blame the balance of mets’ weak offense on jet lag.
and yea eric, was surprised to see marte reach for a wall still strides away. but yes, this was NOT cespedes booting the first ball hit in the ’15 WS.
and bob: skanks of the west…perfect :0]
LGM!
BTS! (beat the skanks)
Thanks!
BTS indeed!
I also thought of Bob Ojeda and the hedge clippers in Oct, 1988—OY!
Let’s Go Mets
For $134 million, he could have paid someone to open the hotel room door for him…
On another note, former Met starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (a/k/a “The Quiet Man”) had a “slightly” rough night against the Cardinals as Stroman surrendered nine runs and ten hits in four innings to the Red Birds in a 14-5 loss.
Man, I can’t wait for the Cubs to come to Citi Field, where Mets fans can express to Stroman, just how “much” respect and admiration they have for a man who clearly is, a veritable-baseball-legend-his-own-mind.
Hey Cobra,
I too was happy Stroman was handed his lunch by the Cards. This was a guy who was always up to nonsense, a thinskinned childlike figure who was always a major distraction, and who paid more attention to his social media account than he did his pitching.
We got rid of all that nonsense this season, just like lazy Cano, who is in the process of getting released by SD. Dom will be back as soon as he gets his stroke back, which he will. A real standup guy who is a good player and a great teammate.
Eric,
I wonder if Robinson Cano is currently chilling out with Brodie Van Wagenen out there in sunny California? I always remember annoyed Yankee fans calling in to WFAN about how Cano almost never ran out a ground ball he hit to an opposing infielder.
Unfortunately, we all got a good look at that aspect of Robinson Cano’s “game,” during the brief time he was on the Mets.
By the way, do you remember when the NY Daily News ran a Sunday column, highlighting former Mets and Yankees, entitled something like, “Where are they Now”? The column featured such former NYC players as Don Hahn, Jerry Kenny, Teddy Martinez and Ron Klimkowski.
I wish the Daily News would bring that feature back. I don’t think I’m the only Met fan, who would like to know what’s going on with Jeff Wilpon ever since his father sold the team to Steve Cohen. Does the former Mets COO still religiously follow the Mets on a daily basis? Was he thrilled to see that a statue honoring the late, great Tom Seaver was finally built and dedicated after more than twenty years. And, does Jeff and his father sit next to fellow former Met owner Lorinda deRoulet and her daughters in box seats at Citi Field, cheering on their beloved Mets? These are questions, I think we’d all like to get the answers to.