The game wasn’t lost when Edwin Diaz gag-jobbed the save, though Diaz’s slider has been MIA all season, his command was horrific again, and some of us have been sounding the alarm for some time now.
The game wasn’t lost when Whit Merrifield was inexplicably given a free base after clearly swinging through a 3-1 Diaz slider, even though this umpiring crew was an embarrassment and yet another flashing red indicator that balls, strikes and all the other decisions MLB umpires get serially wrong need to be taken away from them posthaste. (Though when this finally happens we’ll get another idiotic challenge system that shoves baseball closer to the numbing bureaucracy of football, because baseball’s custodians are business-school vandals who shouldn’t be charge of anything, let alone humanity’s highest achievement.)
The game wasn’t lost when Kody Clemens singled off a noncompetitive Diaz slider, or later when he made a leaping catch to rob Francisco Lindor, but it should be noted that Kody Clemens is the son of a war criminal and so should have grown up a lonely exile in some forgotten place, destined to become a schoolyard legend in the annals of Elba, St. Helena or the Ross ice shelf.
The game wasn’t lost when Joey Wendle bunted Jose Alvarado‘s second pitch of the 10th in a polite little arc to Alec Bohm at third, though one wonders what the point of Joey Wendle is, since so far this year he’s demonstrated that he can’t hit, can’t field, can’t be trusted to make sound decisions and has now shown that he can’t bunt.
No, the game was lost a lot earlier. It was lost in the third, when the Mets took a 3-1 lead off Cristopher Sanchez on a J.D. Martinez walk that left them with the bases loaded and nobody out. That’s a gimme run there at least with a second in reach; good teams get something out of those situations even if they don’t manage another tally. What happened? Brett Baty struck out, Harrison Bader struck out and Jeff McNeil struck out. The Mets didn’t stretch the lead to 4-1, 5-1 or break the game open; instead they went down meekly against Sanchez, let the Phillies stick around and eventually the roof caved in.
Mediocre teams lose games in this fashion all the time — blowouts don’t materialize but turn into close games, which turn into losses. The highlight-grabbing plays are the ones that get recorded as the heartbreakers, but it’s not really the case. The real heartbreakers come and go with a lot less notice, when something needs to happen and it doesn’t.
I guess there really is crying in baseball…
Just got through watching Edwin’s brother gag-job his own save, with virtually identical control issues.
Feels like we’ll never see another Diaz save again.
Wendle appears to be the second coming of Danny Mendick. He can only be useful
if he can pitch in blowouts.
Every once in a great while a closer comes along who seems like he’ll actually be lights out – lock down reliable – for more than a single season.
When your team has such a player – Mariano of course, or Sutter way back when – the game gets shorter, and your team has an almost immeasurable advantage over their opponents.
Diaz seemed to be one such guy.
No more.
The game is played by men who act like little boys, especially when they celebrate exhibition victories in the WBC.
It’s all too depressing for words.
Baty good field, no hit.
I expected a .500 season and so far the Mets are complying accordingly – but that would mean a very frustrating 81 losses to endure and 81 otherwise beautiful spring and summer mornings to wake up with the first thought being your last thought from the preceding evening: the dull realization of being a fan of a .500 baseball team.
Bases loaded and no one out seemingly has long been Kryptonite for the Mets. Watching the meat of your order go 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 10th after your heralded closer blows the game only attests to the long-term effects of that kryptonite.
…and it’s only May!
Stearns and Mendoza need to have a serious pow-wow NOW.
If Miami was not in the midst of a tear-down, the Mets would be a cinch for the NL East Cellar.
If you can’t hit, you need to pitch. If you can’t pitch, you need to hit. If you can’t do either, you get last night.
And the 3 strikeouts with the bases loaded were on 9 consecutive pitches, no less!
“Son of a war criminal” was worth the price of admission today … and made me briefly forget about last night’s many missed opportunities. Brilliant.
It sadly could be time to start story boarding (at least) a few tribute videos.
Post Nola shutout:
Is Steve Cohen embarrassed by this over-paid bunch of under-achievers?
“Underachievers” implies they actually achieved something.
Diaz looks more like 2019 Diaz than 2022 Diaz, which is not good, as 2019 Diaz was the most terrifying closer I’ve ever seen. And not in a good way. As for the rest of them, I’m honestly beginning to not care anymore. It’s sad, but I just haven’t developed any affection for these guys, aside from maybe Nimmo. I want to like Alonso, McNeil and Lindor, but what’s to like? They should be listening to offers for any of them, before no one wants them at all.
Going into the season, the starting pitching looked like it was going to be a debacle, but it really hasn’t been too bad. But these dead-eyed games, with the sleepy-eyed at-bats, it’s just maddening. Ennui is slipping in way, way too early.