We’re all depressed about what’s going on in the world regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, and baseball has become collateral damage. We all need to escape, and now you can read this blog in the alternate: the one where global pandemics were a myth and baseball was around no matter what. We’re imagining the 2020 Mets season as if everything was normal. Enjoy these works of fiction.
“The good thing about the Mets start to 2020, even with the slow start to May, is that they haven’t yet had that complete bullpen implosion.” -Me, to a friend at work earlier in the day.
I really didn’t think I would get burned by that statement, not with Monday’s starter Robbie Ray off to such a quick start this year and his 2.78 lifetime ERA against the Mets in 22 and 2/3 innings. But the Mets got to him. Wilson Ramos drove in two with a single off Ray in the fourth, and then after J.D. Davis’ error brought home Christian Walker in the bottom of the inning, Jeff McNeil drove home two more runs with a double to make it 4-1.
Marcus Stroman was solid through 6 and 1/3 but got into trouble in the seventh after he gave up ground ball singles to Eduardo Escobar and Christian Walker. Justin Wilson came in and got David Peralta on a tapper back to the pitcher. Now came a problem: if Kole Calhoun didn’t hit into a double play, then Wilson would have to stay in to face Nick Ahmed because of the three batter minimum. But Calhoun grouned hard to McNeil whos started the 4-6-3 double play to get Wilson out of the inning. Seth Lugo then came in to get the bottom of the order out in the eighth to set up Edwin Diaz for the ninth.
Then the fun started.
Diaz’s slider was his waterloo multiple times last season. But the ironic twist from tonight was that Diaz’s slider was sharp. It was the fastball that gave Diaz trouble. He didn’t spot it all that well, and when he threw one that they liked, it got hit. Starling Marte led off the inning with a double in the gap off the fastball. Ketel Marte then lined a single to right to bring home Starling Marte … off the fastball. Diaz then struck out Eduardo Escobar on a slider.
Then came the killer. Christian Walker hit a hard shot right to Davis. Could have, but more likely should have been a 5-4-3 double play to end the game. The ball handcuffed Davis, who then tried to throw it to McNeil at second base to at least get one. Instead, he threw it somewhere near McDowell Mountain Golf Club and there were runners on second and third with one out.
After David Peralta was walked intentionally, Diaz bounced back by striking out Kole Calhoun looking … on a slider. That brought up Nick Ahmed, and all of a sudden Diaz couldn’t locate the fastball. He went 3-1 on Ahmed before throwing a nasty slider to make it 3-2. Okay. throw one more and you’re home, right? Well, somebody thought it was a good idea to go back to the fastball. That somebody was Ahmed, who lined it into left to bring home Ketel Marte and Walker on a great slide around Ramos to tie the game. Phoenix is going crazy, Diaz has a quizzical expression on his face, and the health and performance team gathered in the war room to try to figure out the difference between a four seam fastball and a two seam fastball.
Dellin Betances somehow danced through trouble in the 10th, and Jeurys Familia danced through more trouble in the 11th. Walker Lockett then got the call to take it the rest of the way and hope that the Mets could score for him. They couldn’t. And by the time we got to the 13th, reality was setting in, at least for me. Calhoun doubled to lead off the inning, and Ahmed walked on a 3-2 pitch that wasn’t close. Then striding up to the plate was somebody named Ildemaro Vargas. Now if you look at the inverted chart of name regocnition vs probabability of sticking a knife through a Met fan’s heart, I already knew that Vargas’ aim would be true. A one hop double off the wall in the right field corner later and the Mets were stuck with a very disappointing 5-4 loss.
The good news is that Diaz’s slider wasn’t the problem. That it was the fastball that was crushed seems to lend itself to being either an easy fix or just one of those random things that a closer goes through. The bad news is that if the powers that be aren’t nimble enough to see what pitch is working and what isn’t, then this May is going to get longer, and longer, and longer.
But, and I never thought I’d say this, the best news the Mets could use right now is that Robinson Cano is coming back from injury. Not that the lineup really needs him, but Cano at second base will put McNeil back at third base and put J.D. Davis in left field more often where his defense won’t be exposed so much. And after a loss like this, the Mets could use Cano’s wisdom in the room to calm things down. They’re spending a lot of money for a lot of years to find out that calming things down is his best trait. But … calming things down is exactly what the Mets need right now. And with his rehab in Binghamton wrapping up tonight without incident, it looks like they’re going to get a does of calm.
Today’s Hate List
- Ildemaro Vargas
- Jason Vargas
- Starling Marte Vargas
- Ketel Marte Vargas
- Ketel One Vargas
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