Different Paths, Same Peraza

A 1-0 win and a 4-2 win will read very similar in a boxscore. But they were two very different animals.

The 1-0 win was clean and crisp. Marcus Stroman pitched six shutout innings, giving up three hits and two walks. There was good defense on both sides, and most of the good defense on Colorado’s side was at the expense of Francisco Lindor. But the Mets had some good defense of their own from both Lindor and Stroman. It was good enough to make a Jose Peraza solo  home run stand up as Edwin Diaz closed the door in the 7th to finish off a 1:54 game where German Marquez threw a 62 pitch complete game. (Never you mind that he only pitched six innings.)

The 4-2 win in game 2 was a little bit more of a slog. Joey Lucchesi teeter-tottered through three and two thirds (how’s that for alliteration), walking three and giving up two hits, with one run which was given up by the inheritor, Drew Smith.

But the Mets’ good defense carried over into the second game as Billy McKinney (who drove in the first run with a double play) and Jonathan Villar made nice plays, and once again it was Peraza who gave the Mets thethe lead once again with an RBI single in the 4th and a bases loaded walk in the 6th to give the Mets a 3-1 lead.

Brandon Drury also walked with the bases loaded to make it 4-1, and then the Mets got weird. Instead of going for the sure thing and bring in Trevor May, Luis Rojas gambled and gave the 9th to Robert Gsellman. I wondered if Gsellman was warming up if the game got out of hand, and if the game was at all close they would go back to Jeurys Familia, who had pitched the 6th, for a six out save. The pivot to Gsellman was so strange, that I immediately wondered of May was hurt. (I mean, it’s not so far fetched anymore, right?) Instead, Rojas was playing for tomorrow instead of securing today.

Luis Rojas said Miguel Castro and Trevor May had complete days off for today's doubleheader

"Both guys are max effort guys coming in from the bullpen" pic.twitter.com/VDyr0wIvr0

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 27, 2021

Now with Taijuan Walker most probably, but not definitely, coming off the IL to start tomorrow, you could make a case for making sure your best relievers are ready for Atlanta to come to town and to back up Walker, or worse, be ready for a bullpen day if Walker can’t answer the bell. But you could also make a case for making sure you grab as many sure wins as you can to get you through to when players like Pete Alonso and J.D. Davis get back to help the lineup.

Rojas’ decision worked out, although not down the road he was travelling. Gsellman got two outs but also gave up an RBI to Raimel Tapia to make it 4-2. Rojas then had to go to Jacob Barnes, who had given up home runs at a rate of 2.6/9 this season, to face home run hitter Ryan McMahon.

Aaaayyyeeeeee!!!

But Barnes got McMahon to fly out softly to McKinney in left to end it. The Mets scored five runs in the doubleheader and swept it. They scored ten runs in four games and won three of them. I don’t know what rabbit’s foot they are holding to get this lucky, but hopefully it’s is counteracting the Greg Brady tiki idol that somebody on the roster insists on wearing (my guess is that it’s Lindor.) I also hope the rest of the rabbit doesn’t stay on the IL much longer.

Today’s Hate List

Just two things today. The first is more suited for a hate list, because it’s very hateable:

White Sox changed the name of a lounge at Guaranteed Rate Field to recognize manager Tony La Russa after the name previously honored a beloved longtime concessions employee https://t.co/kA2w52apBR pic.twitter.com/6T2KflN0Pe

— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) May 26, 2021

Awful.

Now the second thing, It’s not so much a hate thing, but just a … “I’ve never seen this before” thing. And I’m sure you’ve seen it by now, but just in case this site is where you get your news from (and if so … really?) Here you go …

Javier Báez.
El Mago.
The Magician. pic.twitter.com/yZX7HgUFCU

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 27, 2021

Bask in its glory … or ridiculousness. Whichever you’d like.