Round Two To Dansby And Olson

This was the one I where I fully expected, even with a healthy does of respect for the Braves, that Max Scherzer would take this game by the throat and bring it home. Early in Saturday’s game he chased a pop-up all the way to the dugout. Yes, the Braves were squaring up on him, but he was dialed in. I, as I’m sure many of you did, expected that this was going to be Scherzer’s 2022 signature.

But in the bottom of the 5th, after the Mets immediately responded to a Braves run by re-taking a lead in the top of the inning on a Jeff McNeil single, the Braves took the lead for good. With a runner on first, Scherzer faced Dansby Swanson. Max did something he’s not going to be able to do next season, and that’s throw over to first more than twice to try to keep Ronald Acuna close. But as Howie Rose and the FOX broadcast crew mentioned, he was as much trying to frustrate Swanson with all the throws as he was trying to keep Acuna close. But to Swanson’s credit, it didn’t work as he blasted a home run to the power alley in left center (and closer to center than left which made the 432 foot blast more prodigious) to give the Braves a 3-2 lead.

But it was the home run that Scherzer gave up in the 6th that felt like the gut punch. When Matt Olson crushed a ball to center to make it 4-2, it felt over. It felt over because it just didn’t seem like the Mets were going to do anything with the Braves pitching staff. Both Friday and Saturday saw Braves starters leave after five innings, and the Mets couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Partly because the Braves flexed their big advantage over most teams, including the Mets, of having a solid middle relief corps. And although I don’t think the Braves have an advantage at closer, they have had the advantage laterly of getting close games to their closer, as the Mets just haven’t been able to do that lately, including on Saturday.

Brandon Nimmo on the Mets losing the deGrom/Scherzer games to the Braves: “It feels terrible. Yeah, it feels terrible. Those are our guys. Those are our best shots. They stuffed them in our face. It doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t feel good at all.”

— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) October 2, 2022

Chris Bassitt is now our best shot, and our only shot. Obviously, Sunday night is the game of the year. win, and you have the advantage of your destiny in your hands. Lose? Well, see you on October 7th.

Also, expect the most melancholy blog entry of the season tomorrow night.

Today’s Hate List

1. Jesse Chavez
2. Dansby Swanson
3. Matt Olson
4. Kyle Wright
5. Dylan Lee