Dripping With Success

I have to give a shout out to my man Jake (follow him at @ThereItIsJake on Twitter). While most of us thought that Tylor Megill could be a good major league pitcher, it was Jake that saw “elite” in him. I distinctly remember “the next deGrom” being written by him in one of our many DM bitch sessions about this team (“bitch” being a verb in this case, because the noun would have be be censored as such: b*tch)

While few people may be ready to put Megill, as a whole, in the “elite” class just yet, there’s no denying that he has made strides this season to give us flashes of “elite”, the kind of flashes that Jake saw last season and that are readily apparent to all of us now. Megill went 6 and 2/3’s, giving up five hits, one walk, and two runs while striking out seven batters. It was such an efficient outing that I looked up in the 7th inning and was all “Oh, he’s still in the game? Wow!” But you can definitely see the influence of deGrom in him with a touch of Max Scherzer wisdom. Hell, the starting pitchers seem to have their own Cookie Club in the dugout after starts as they discuss the goings on of that particular start. If osmosis makes knowledge and savvy pass along from pitcher to pitcher at a high rate of transmission, then I’m willing to believe in that science. I’m also willing to believe that throwing Trevor Williams to the Wolves to give Megill an extra day of rest helped him out as well.

Mark Grace just asked me between innings when the Mets got Roger Clemens so I think that means Tylor Megill is looking very impressive so far today.

— Wayne Randazzo (@WayneRandazzo) April 24, 2022

I don’t know Mark. When did Tylor Megill have a trainer rub his nuts with red hot before a game? When did Tylor Megill throw a bat at someone and claim that he thought it was the baseball? Until then, please compare him to someone actually in the Hall of Fame, please.

With the score tied at 1-1 in the 6th, Starling Marte made the go ahead run happen with his legs. After a one out double, he stole third base and then scored as the throw went into left field to make it 2-1. It’s more of that plus skill that the Mets have been getting from their roster so far this season. But as all teams do at some point, and as they will do more and more with the amount of bad teams in this league, the Mets benefitted from some bad play on the other side in the 7th. A walk to J.D Davis, a single to Guillorme, a plunking of James McCann, and a bases loaded walk to Kid Rock Jankowski, made it 3-1, and then a plunking of Starling Marte made it 4-1. I have to admit that when Francisco Lindor struck out to end the inning with the bases loaded, I was worried that it would come back to haunt them. And when the Diamondbacks made it 4-2 in the bottom of the 7th, I was really, really worried.

But J.D. Davis hit an oppo screamer to make it 5-2, and an error by Sergio Alcantara made it 6-2 and that was all she wrote. (By the way, I’m convinced that Alcantara is incapable of making a routine play. It’s either highlight reel or he throws it to the minor league fields.) That sixth run was scored thanks to Oliver Perez, who gave up a double to Guillorme to set that up. Perez is finally retiring this season and if that’s our last memory of Perez on a baseball field that would make me very happy. (Unless the Phillies decided they need bullpen help and trade for Perez so he could give up a Pete Alonso home run that landed on the SEPTA. That would be better.)

The Mets have won all five series so far this year, and at 12-5 they’re four games clear of the Miami Marlins. Now it’s off to St. Louis where Max Scherzer, also with an extra day of rest, kicks things off in what will amount to another nice little test. Back in 1986, the Mets swept the Cardinals prompting Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog to proclaim “nobody is going to catch the Mets“. That three game sweep in ’86 happened on April 25th, 26th, and 27th. Just like this series coming up. Hmmmmm …

Today’s Hate List

About Angel Hernandez …

I know this helps us. But I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Angel Hernandez in elite form tonight pic.twitter.com/VuTicAGPVF

— Welcome to the Ump Show (@umpjob) April 25, 2022

Yes, it’s easy to laugh because it’s the Phillies. But Angel Hernandez is like a rash. You just don’t know when he’s going to get itchy. The Mets have had to scratch his itch many times. I pray to everyone’s God that crap like this doesn’t kill us in October, so I can’t laugh too hard.

Kyle Schwarber is the voice of America pic.twitter.com/vAy0GQTB0I

— Welcome to the Ump Show (@umpjob) April 25, 2022

Okay, I’ll have a muted laugh at that. Only because I know it took Kyle Schwarber every ounce of effort not to knock this guy out. Especially when umpires that don’t get to live the life that Angel Hernandez does are actually getting their lights knocked out. I would take that poor youth softball umpire over Angel Hernandez at this point.

Now if that Kyle Schwarber call happened to Rhys Hoskins, I’d laugh out loud. Screw that guy.