Maybe we all should have known that there was a chance that all of the lead-in to our first hello to Chase Utley would end not with a bean, but with an 0-for-2 because a lefty started for the Mets. I mean, you stupid bloggers with your rhetoric and your reckoning countdowns … stupid!
But despite the absence of revenge along with pounds of flesh on the post game spread, there was a lot to like about the Mets’ 4-2 victory over the Dodgers. Granderson hitting a dinger on the first pitch of the game. Kevin Plawecki, who has hit about 3.000 since Terry Collins doubted his very manhood, hitting another home run. Steven Matz going six innings striking out five and giving up two runs (on a home run to Trayce Thompson who, as Gary Cohen described it “dunked it over the right field fence” in a very sly reference to his brother Klay.) And the bullpen, who bailed each other out again in the eighth inning, as this time it was Jim Henderson bailing out Antonio Bastardo (and Juan Lagares, whose error didn’t help out Bastardo) with a strikeout of Yasiel Puig and a foul out for Thompson to continue this run of excellent tightrope walking by the pen this year. Bullpens, especially middle relievers, are truly unpredictable from year to year, but this year’s version is looking quite good so far in a year that everything else was built to succeed. And as Jeurys Familia is continuing a run of 1-2-3 ninth innings, the rest of the league should be a little more worried than they were last month.
As for Utley, he was inserted into the game in a tight spot so there wasn’t going to be any retaliation or message sending. There may not be any of that tomorrow either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNcyrixXS5Q
Or the next day. Or the next day.
But it’s coming. And hopefully by the time it comes, Utley will be as mentally unprepared as Stewie was.
Today’s Hate List
- Chase Utley
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