Perhaps this game was inevitable. With David Peterson on his way to Denver to be with his expecting wife, Trevor Williams probably would have started Saturday’s game whether Chris Bassitt went on the IL or not. But when Williams squandered a 2-0 lead in the first by giving up a couple of 1812 Overture home runs to Kole Calhoun and Jonah Heim, it deflated the Mets to the point where for the first time in about a month, the DEFCON level of getting Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom back has been raised to “fast pace”, with “cocked pistol” not far away.
It’s not that the Mets have been playing badly, and even with today’s 7-3 loss where the 7-8-9 hitters banged out four home runs, they still haven’t been awful. But with the Braves scorching hot and the Mets currently in the soft part of the schedule, they find themselves having to keep up with the Braves’ “fast pace”, and everything is now at a premium. While they can’t expect Trevor Williams to turn into 2016 Robert Gsellman and it would be unfair to ask that of him, they can’t afford to be in a position where they have to give him 20% of the starts going forward. The Mets have to dominate this part of the schedule or else they’ll be in a wild card position.
And while getting Max and Jacob back will help, the Mets also need to step it up at the plate. After Starling Marte’s home run in the first, the Mets were shut down by Martin Perez and company with runners on base. Down by two in the fifth, Pete Alonso grounded into a double play with runners on first and second. (Alonso, who in his career was an .875 OPS hitter coming into today, was at .812 in 2022.) Other than that, they were rope-a-doped as they stranded seven on the basepaths today.
The Mets are suddenly down to their final three outs, as an afternoon's worth of opportunities have gone by the wayside.
DYK: Since June 12, the Mets rank 27th in the Majors in batting average with runners in scoring position.
Rangers 6, Mets 3 after eight.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 2, 2022
With the Braves win today, they are now just two and a half games back. The sky isn’t falling, as all credit is due to the Braves for beating the teams they’re supposed to beat. But now it’s time for the Mets to do the same. I don’t want to start calling must wins at the start of July against the Texas Rangers, but it’s time to say that they could really use a win tomorrow to take this series as they head to Cincinnati.
Today’s Hate List
Buster Olney.
There is a perception in some corners of the industry that if Jacob deGrom follows through with what he said in the spring and opts out of his Mets' contract, the Braves will be the favorites to land him.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 2, 2022
So Stephen A. called you and said he needed to fill five minutes on First Take after 48 minutes dissecting Kevin Durant, Tom Brady, and the big Adrian Peterson vs Le’Veon Bell fight?
I love when these writers want to stir some shit but the actual proof is non existent. So they lean on the whole “corners of the industry” bullshit. It basically means that he heard some of his buddies down the hall discussing potential scenarios and one of them says “hey, maybe deGrom goes to the Braves because he went to school in Florida.” Well, Buster’s buddies are technically “corners of the industry” … RUN IT! PRINT IT! PUT IT ON INSIDER!!!!!”
Case in point:
Sherman & Heyman mentioned it on a podcast last week, Jake wants out of NY & closer to home. Will just have to wait & see. Let’s see if he even gets back first
— Diane M (@MetsSouthFla) July 2, 2022
Buster’s “corners of the industry” are Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman. They probably made it up at the Industry Corner Water Cooler. Or they got it from recording Olney talking in his sleep. Round and round we go. By the way, who were the sources that made you bet your farm in Vermont that George Springer was signing with the Mets?
If you think Jacob is telling your “corners of the industry” anything substantial, here’s an example of how chatty Jacob is:
We asked Trevor May if Jacob DeGrom thinks he is the best pitcher in baseball and his answer was amazing 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/Dfn68iK4tf
— Mets'd Up Podcast (@MetsdUp) February 25, 2022
JACOB BARELY TALKS TO HIS OWN TEAMMATES AND YOUR INDUSTRY CORNERS ARE OVERHEARING JACOB TELLING PEOPLE HE WANTS TO PITCH FOR THE BRAVES???
Also love this Olney response:
You realize that a tweet doesn't get clicks, yes?
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 2, 2022
Nice try, Buster. But on Twitter, they’re called “impressions”. But no, that’s not what you’re going for at all, right? Like when Kiley McDaniel got all the websites and blogs buzzing when he listed the Mets as a suitor for Aaron Judge, and they all linked back to him even though his only reason for believing that the Mets might sign Judge is that when he asked a few “execs” if the Mets could sigh Aaron Judge they probably shrugged and said “I guess.” Which “Industry Corner” is that? Broadway and 7th? Is the guy in the Elmo costume taking tickets at “Industry Corner?” Is Elmo the exec?
Remember, this comes from the same person that brought you:
Rival evaluators say they believe the Mets are fully intent on dealing Noah Syndergaard before the trade deadline. "It's beyond listening," said one. "They want to move him."
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 25, 2019
Buster: “Hey, rival exec! You think the Mets could trade Syndergaard?”
Rival exec with his mouth half full of a turkey club: “I guess.”
Buster: SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When are we all going to see through all of this bullshit?
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