How Many Cookies Throw I?

Well, it was a good run while it lasted, but the streak of two straight good starts by Mets starting pitching has gone up in smoke.

Carrasco was in a 3-0 hole after four batters on Sunday, giving up a three run dinger to Bryan De La Cruz, and then gave up three more runs in the 5th inning on an RBI single by Jazz Chisholm and a two run HR to Garrett Cooper to make it 6-1 and put the Mets in a hole that they couldn’t get out of. The Mets didn’t deliver much offensively when they had a chance to. Eduardo Escobar (who I’m still rooting for, so stop with the old player slander), was up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 5th after the Mets had cut the deficit to 6-2, but he grounded out harmlessly to third base to end the inning, and the rest of the game was moot.

I don’t mean to pick on Cookie Carrasco who was supposed to be the fifth starter, and complaining about the fifth starter is almost like complaining about the first bench player. But with Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana out, they need the veterans to step up and be more than what they are. I’m sure Cookie understands that and is trying his best. But you can’t give up five runs in four innings, and you certainly can’t give up three runs in the first four batters like he did today against the Marlins.

You can’t hope that the Mets are going to start getting clear of .500 if Carrsaco keeps doing this. But not just Carrasco, because it’s on each of the starting pitchers to get the job done. I get that the hitters need to be better too, especially against lefties. But it’s easy to pitch when you’re up 6-1. This was a game that just needed to get to the Marlins bullpen while it was still close, as they were burnt coming into this game. If Cookie pitches well enough to have it be, say, a 2-1 game in the 6th instead of a 6-1 lead, they might have won it. But the Marlins pitchers had it easy pitching with a five run lead, even after they lost J.T. Chargois to injury.

Jonrón de 3 carreras del dominicano Bryan De La Cruz 🇩🇴 sobre el venezolano Carlos Carrasco 🇻🇪 pone al frente a los #Marlins 🐟 sobre los #Mets 🍎 pic.twitter.com/dQ3IoXkTPY

— Eliezer González Caraballo (@ElTioElie) April 9, 2023

Do you realize that in the first ten games of the season, the starting pitcher for the Mets earned the decision, good or bad, in nine of them? In today’s game, that’s unheard of. There was only one game where the starter pitched reasonably well but the team still lost, and that was David Peterson’s first start against the Marlins where Jorge Soler was doing his Roberto Clemente impression. It was the only game that you could blame solely on the lack of offense. We were worried about the bullpen blowing games, and they really only blew one. That was Peterson’s second start, where he gave up five runs in four innings. Yes, there were two games where they lost 10-0 and 9-0, and you can blame everyone on those. But it wasn’t like the starters were steller in those games either.

What compounds the importance of the Mets’ rotation besides their obvious impact on the season so far, good or bad? Easy. Because if they don’t come around, what do the Mets do? At least offensively, you have pieces that can help a little bit. Francisco Alvarez started behind the plate today and drove in the Mets first run with an RBI single. He was a little overanxious in his next at-bat, but that’s what happens when you get called up earlier than what the plan was. If the Mets give in to the mob and decides that Escobar can’t hack it anymore, you have Brett Baty. How are you going to replace Carlos Carrasco if he’s truly done? With who? Joey Lucchesi? Stephen Nogosek? Tommy Hunter? Because they’re not trading a top prospect for a quick fix, period. Instead, it’s going to be like Van Halen with Gary Cherone all over again. Or maybe Genesis with Ray Wilson. You want this team to take the field to “Calling All Stations?”

If not, then you’d better hope for Cookie and Co. to right the ship themselves instead of complaining about Billy Eppler with every moment of your spare time.

Today’s Hate List

Someone told me today that Yuli Gurriel looks a little like Derek Jeter, and now I’m f***ing traumatized.