John Lannan did not bother with scouting reports before shutting out the Mets last night:
“I’ve just faced them so much,” Lannan said. “I usually do a scouting report where I look at video and stuff, and this scouting report I basically did it from memory.”
Why would any pitcher bother with a scouting report for these Mets? Just throw strikes and most of the Met batters will get themselves out. The worst that will happen is the occasional single. Avoid bunching those singles together and you’ll be fine.
The Mets have played 17 games in July. They have scored two runs or fewer in 10 of those games – five shutouts, three one-run games and two two-run games. Their record in these games is 1-9. The only win came on July 1 when Mike Pelfrey beat Yovani Gallardo, 1-0.
You don’t have to be a sabermetrician to that you are not going to win a whole lot when you score two runs or fewer almost 60% of the time.
After the game, Jerry Manuel said that Gary Sheffield’s absence had left a hole in the lineup. Sheffield has missed the four games, during which the Mets have scored 12 runs, which actually raised their game average for the month (they have 48 runs in the 17 games).
Losing Sheffield only added another hole to a lineup full of holes. And the hole the Mets are digging for themselves now has them ten games behind Philly.
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When Lannan beat the Yankees in June, Squawker Lisa wrote: “Imagine: John Lannan shuts down Yankee bats.” Squawker reader Uncle Mike had plenty of suggestions for other John Lennon quotes, some of apply to the current state of the Mets:
“I think I’m gonna be sad, I think it’s today, yeah” (David Wright)
“Help! I need somebody” (Jerry Manuel)
“He’s a real nowhere man/Sitting in his nowhere land/
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody” (Omar Minaya)
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