Road Fork Approaching

When the Mets bounced back to tie the game at 4-4 with four solo homers after Kodai Senga’s horrendous start, my heart was lifted because I want to see them beat a good team. They’ve been a little schizophrenic this season, dropping series to the likes of the Rockies and the Rays, while winning series against the Rays and the Dodgers. But to be honest, I like schizophrenic better than predictable. But schizophrenic means the ceiling his high. Predictable, as they have been the past week beating struggling teams like Philadelphia and losing to good teams like Toronto means that there’s a very defined ceiling for this team, and if the Mets aren’t careful, Terry Bross might bump his head on it. (Google Terry Bross, kids.)

So a win over Toronto would have been a little bit of chicken soup for the soul. Instead, Brandon Belt hit a two run HR off of Dominic Leone to make it 6-4 and that was your ballgame. So three wins against Philadelphia, neutralized by three losses to the Blue Jays. No comparison is more telling than Senga’s outings against each team. One hit and no walks in seven innings against Philly, Four runs on four hits and five walks against Toronto. Is it Senga simply hvaing a good day and a bad day? Or does the level of competition have something to do with it? And does it have something to do with the recent malaise of the team?

About Leone, maybe Buck has rolled the dice one too many times with him. His last four outings have been scoreless (4 andn 1/3 innings total, two hits combined). Today, he came into the game in the 6th and got George Springer to ground out to end the inning. The Mets came back after that with two solo HR’s by Pete Alonso (which wasn’t really a homer, sorry) and Starling Marte to tie the game at 4-4. At that point, you would think Buck would go to the big guns to lock the game down. But he stuck with Leone and it burned him. I can’t rip Buck for seeing if he has some sort of lightning in a bottle. But at a certain point you have to realize that there’s a shelf life to a lot of these guys. (Even after his recent run of success, Leone still has a WHIP of 1.42.) With a day off tomorrow, Buck could have started going to the big three at that point.

Tommy Pham was put into the leadoff spot in a fascinating lineup against Yusei Kikuchi with Mark Canha hitting second. It kinda worked as Pham hit two solo home runs to start the comeback. But before that there was a whole lot of chatter about Pham jogging towards a bad pickoff throw to second base, which enabled Matt Chapman to score all the way from second with the fourth run. (He was out, by the way. Instant replay kinda stunk today.) I mean, whatever. Those people expecting that Buck should have went to the field to pull Pham from the game at that point should realize that Gil Hodges, God rest his soul, has been deceased for 52 years and that we live in a different time now.

I found it most fascinating that when Buck was asked about it in the post game news conference, before he gave his answer he muttered softly: “This is the point where I count to five.” Then he gave his answer about not knowing where he was on the field and what he saw, and what not. To me, “this is the point where I count to five” is code for “I should really meet you at the Cross Keys Inn and knock your lights out if you try to create a controversy between me and a player.” (Google “Billy Martin Ed Whitson Baltimore” for that reference.) So I guess this is the point where reporters start digging for things. I guess they have to because quietly pointing out that being two games in back of the wild card despite a turbulent start to the season isn’t spicy enough for anyone.

Being 30-30 and two games back of the wild card spots (currently held by Arizona, Pittsburgh, and Miami for added perspective) after being down to starting pitchers 6-9 on the depth chart is what I’m going with in this brave new world of 67 wild card spots. If we learned anything last year (or at least we should have learned this), it’s that we’re all just one hot streak away from being in good position. All the better if that hot streak comes this week against the Braves and Pirates, but it’s just a hot streak away. This team is capable.

But there are things to do. Buck has to figure out the roles in the pen, and figure out how to spotlight his best relievers without burning them out. And now that it’s June, it’s time for Billy Eppler to figure out which teams have owners that aren’t dicks about Steve Cohen spending money, and trade with them. They still have the same issues that plagued them last season. Nobody that can mash lefties (Darin Ruf was supposed to be that solution but we know what happened there), not enough dependable arms in the front end of the bullpen, and new in ’23, a slumping Francisco Lindor. There’s a lot on Billy and Buck’s plate. This week will tell a lot about what this team will need specifically, and how fast they’ll need it. It’s a fork in the road, and the powers that be should take it. (Google Yogi Berra for that reference.)

It would be nice if Francisco Lindor could start hitting, and it would be nice of Senga could get used to pitching on every fifth day, because his first attempt at that today was a horror show.

Today’s Hate List

I actually asked ChatGPT to put together a hate list for me, basically because I have trouble picking five players or things I hate about Toronto or the Blue Jays. I love the city of Toronto. And the Blue Jays don’t bother me. (I have a Blue Jays hat.) “Give me five MLB players I should hate as a Mets fan”, was what I asked. I was intrigued as to who the artificial intelligence should choose. This is what it came up with:

As an AI language model, I don’t have personal opinions or feelings, but I can provide you with a list of five MLB players who have been known to be rivals or have had notable contentious moments with the New York Mets. Keep in mind that opinions about players can vary, and these suggestions are based on historical events and rivalries. Here are five players you might consider:

1. Chase Utley: Utley played for the Philadelphia Phillies and was involved in a controversial slide that injured Mets infielder Ruben Tejada during the 2015 playoffs. This incident sparked animosity between the teams and their fans.
2. Chipper Jones: Jones was a long-time player for the Atlanta Braves, one of the Mets’ biggest division rivals. He consistently performed well against the Mets and was known for being a thorn in their side during his career.
3. Juan Marichal: Marichal, a Hall of Fame pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, was involved in a notorious brawl with Mets catcher John Roseboro in 1965. The incident is remembered as one of the most violent altercations in MLB history.
4. Josh Hader: Although Hader is a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, he gained notoriety when offensive tweets from his past were unearthed during the 2018 All-Star Game. Mets fans may hold a grudge against him due to his connection with the National League rival Brewers.
5. Pete Rose: While Rose is primarily known for his time with the Cincinnati Reds, his actions as a player and later as a manager have caused controversy. Rose was banned from baseball for life due to his involvement in gambling, which some Mets fans may find unacceptable.

Remember, these suggestions are based on historical events and rivalries, and your personal feelings towards players may vary.

This is why I’m not worried about AI taking over the world.

First off, John Roseboro never played for the Mets.

Second, Josh Hader? Yeah, his tweets were stupid. But is he a Mets rival? Mets fans may hold a grudge against him due to his connection with the Brewers? Since when are the Brewers our rival??? The AI doesn’t have personal opinions or feelings, except f*** the Brewers, right CGPT? In that case, F*** you, Robin Yount!!! F*** you, Paul Molitor!!! And Geoff Jenkins? Corey Hart? You can both go straight to hell!!!!!! (See how silly that sounds?)

I seriously would put Vance Law before any Brewer, and nobody cares about Vance Law.

“Your personal feelings towards players may vary” is the qualifier of all qualifiers. I think the other AI, Allen Iverson, could have put together a better list.