Flaws All Around

It was almost as if Keith saw it coming. And why wouldn’t he? He’s seen it all, he’s done it all, and he’s freakin’ Keith Hernandez. It’s 1-1 in the fifth, runners on second and third after Murphy grounded out. Ryan Zimmerman, once great but now leaves cruise ships stranded on basepaths, is at the plate with Anthony Rendon on deck and Danny Espinosa in the hole. What does Keith say? He said he would go after Zimmerman (who left 14 on base in one game against the Cubs), pitch around Anthony Rendon, and take his chances with Espinosa.

So what happens? Zimmerman strikes out and now the prophecy is coming true! Keith is laying out the inning like he’s beating Ronnie at Risk. So Rendon comes up and Bartolo Colón is going to pitch around him, right? One problem: Colon had four walks all year until tonight, when he somehow had five. So he wasn’t sure where the ball was going even if he wanted to pitch around him. And all Rendon needed to do make a little contact, put it in the right spot, and instead of putting him on base with no damage done, he took his base and drove in two. The Mets never recovered as they left the bases loaded in the seventh and lost 7-1.

The Rendon hit was our turning point, and it was the end point of a very long day for Bartolo who, we were reminded, is a flawed hero. (And that’s whether we needed to know about his flaws or not … because too bad! Journalism!!!) Whether his now publicized personal life had to do with him walking five batters or not is up to the reader. But keep in mind he’s been dealing with this for weeks, months, years. I doubt that a front page could rattle him all that much. But if it did, then way to go New York Post. Because while Bartolo’s bad performance may or may not have been a coincidence, I’m sure the timing of your exposé wasn’t.

Speaking of flawed heroes, Matt Harvey goes for the Mets in the rubber game tonight. And this is appropriate because these are the moments that Matt Harvey is made for. And I don’t mean that to say he always succeeds. The last regular season game he pitched against Washington where there were expectations, he spit the bit hard. But he more than made up for it in the World Series when once again Mets eyes looked to him in a pivotal moment. So sometimes he wins when he stinks, and sometimes he loses when he’s brilliant. But whenever there’s a game that people are tempted to say “let’s see what this team is made of”, Matt Harvey is a cinch to be on the mound … especially when he’s facing his own crossroads concerning stupid comments about innings limits, blowing by said innings limits with his team on the brink, and now … in this rubber game against the Nationals … while his own game and mechanics are in peril. But that’s the whole point of the Dark Knight, right? He’s the hero we deserve, but not the one we need … is that how that goes? Matt Harvey is our flawed hero. And whether we need him, or we deserve him, there he is. For better or worse.

Today’s Hate List

1. The New York Post
2. Gio Gonzalez
3. Anthony Rendon
4. Felipe Rivero
5. Stephen Strasburg