Smokey’s Out Of Miracles

Torture in three acts.

Act One: Austin Riley’s home run off Jacob deGrom … You know how CSI has shows in different cities? We’re now seeing Pete Alonso franchises pop up everywhere. Riley is Pete Alonso: Cobb County. Riley is hitting home runs at a pace almost as torrid as Alonso (almost), and his two run dinger in the second inning off deGrom (who rebounded and scratched through a quality start) was the offensive difference in the game.

Act Two: Anthony Swarzak … After a dinger by Pete Alonso: New York to make it 3-1, the Mets load the bases in the seventh inning after a Tomas Nido one out single made it 3-2 and then Swarzak came in and gave up an infield hit to J.D. Davis. Swarzak first faced Jeff McNeil with the sacks full.

McNeil had golfed a couple of pitches for long prodigious foul balls before going down on a slider for the second out. Alonso then hit a ball hard but right to the left fielder to end the inning. It doesn’t always happen that when a Met has a terrible season he goes somewhere else and lights it up. Hell. lately when a Met follows up some expectation with a terrible season, he usually leaves for retirement. But when a player does go somewhere and has success, it’s filed under typical Met misery. Swarzak’s season as a Met featured a 6.15 ERA, a 1.595 WHIP, almost five BB/9 and injuries. Swarzak as a Brave? An 0.54 ERA, and he’s a 1.1 WAR player in his first 16 games.

Maybe Swarzak should be the closer.

— Tony M. (@Nemesis021) June 29, 2019

https://twitter.com/LeJunebugSmiff/status/1144780294819602432

https://twitter.com/WonderJaye/status/1144779439634616320

Braves fans are stumping for him to be their closer. This after we wanted to shoot him into the sun with the numbers he had last season.

Wow. Swarzak is legit… mets gave this guy up and got like 4 more years of cano and a struggling closer (not to mention 2 legit prospects)

— IndyDrew (@IndyDrew5) June 29, 2019

Yeah, don’t remind me.

Act Three: Meanwhile in the Mets Bullpen … Of course the very next inning … the very next inning … the Mets bullpen put themselves in the same situation as Swarzak. Robert Gsellman loaded the bases with hits to Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis, and a hit by pitch to Riley (who barely got hit in the sleeve but it still counts) sandwiched around a line out and a strikeout. Johan Camargo strode to the plate and you really didn’t think the Mets bullpen was going to get out of this, right?

Camargo stroked a three run double to make the score 6-2 Atlanta, and that’s how it would end. The Braves, who are starting to make a mockery of a division that everybody including me thought would be competitive, are a good, deep team with pitching and offense, especially with Riley in the lineup. They’ve gained ten games on the Mets in the standings since the first of June. And they have their potential ace pitcher in Dallas Keuchel (although the way Mike Soroka has looked makes me wonder about that.) So it’s not embarrassing to lose to a good team like this.

But the Mets have to make miracles happen, and they have to beat this team to do it? And do it after losing five straight and four to the Phillies at home? Good luck. Thankfully Mets fans have Saturday’s 1969 ceremony and Pete Alonso in the All Star Batting Practice Competition to look forward to. After that? Smokey’s all out of miracles.

Today’s Hate List

1. John Rocker
2. Larry Jones
3. Matt Carpenter
4. Alex Gordon
5. Anthony Swarzak