We’re all depressed about what’s going on in the world regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, and baseball has become collateral damage. We all need to escape, and now you can read this blog in the alternate: the one where global pandemics were a myth and baseball was around no matter what. We’re imagining the 2020 Mets season as if everything was normal. Enjoy these works of fiction.
Luis Rojas put out the “we just clinched the divsion” lineup on Thursday, hoping that players could take advantage of an extra day of rest while keeping some players away from the day game after night game scenario.
- SS Rosario
- 1B Dom Smith
- 2B Cano
- RF Conforto
- 3B J.D. Davis
- LF Cespedes
- CF Marisnick
- C Nido
- P Syndergaard
So no Brandon Nimmo, no Jeff McNeil, and no Pete Alonso. And you know what … the lineup isn’t any more terrible than you’d see in Baltimore on a daily basis. In fact, it’s decidedly less terrible. I guess this whole “versatility” thing isn’t horrible after all.
For Syndergaard, he continues to ride that fine line between breaking through and breaking down, playing the middle like riding an A-frame before the carve. We’re probably never going to know just how close he is to that wipeout until it’s already happened. It wouldn’t happen today, as he gave up two runs in five innings with a decent slider, and he actually hit 100 once or twice. So maybe he felt good enough to let it rip for five innings with Steven Matz waiting in the wings. His pitch count was only at 87, an improvement over his last start, so there were definitely good signs going forward.
Where this leaves Matz going forward is an interesting question. He had the freak injury early in the year which basically cost him his role. they’re saving him for the inevitable disaster whether it be Syndergaard, Porcello, Wacha, or worse. And I’ll give him credit once again for being a trooper and not saying a single word about it. But I imagine that at some point, enough is going to be enough for Matz and he’ll either pop off about his role, or he’s going to start getting dusted in these relief appearances and then he’ll have reason to pop off. Then everything piles on top of each other and the season implodes.
What didn’t implode is the Thursday rubber game, even with the “Sunday getaway lineup”. Down 2-1 in the eighth, Torey Lovullo brought in Archie Bradley to try for the two inning save, which seemed unneccesary against the Sunday lineup, but okay … it’s your team. It all went to hell quickly. Brandon Nimmo, who entered the game on a double switch when Syndergaard left hte game, led off with a single to left. Then Amed Rosario grounded one to the right side and Christian Walker kicked it so high and far that the Jets might want to think about signing him. (Damn you, Nick Folk!) This put runners on first and third for Dom Smith, who grounded a single up the middle to tie the game.
Then Robinson Cano strode to the plate, and Lovullo left Bradley in to face him even though it was apparent to everybody watching (and even a few that weren’t) that Bradley had nothing. Cano launched one to the gap in right center and it slammed against the wall for a two run double to give the Mets a 4-2 lead. To think there was talk about the Mets not activating Cano until the Pirates series to keep him from flying to Arizona for two games. It was actually a prudent plan and I think had Edwin Diaz not blown the first game of the series, Cano would have stayed put in Binghamton. But I’m sure Jeffy is crediting his frequent flier miles on this one.
Seth Lugo handled the 8th with no problem, and after Ketel Marte led off the ninth with a double off Diaz, he went on to strike out the side and give everybody a heavy dose of sweet relief as the Mets took the series in Arizona with a 4-2 victory, and bring themselves back to seven games over .500 at 25-18. It would behoove them to clean up against the Pirates in their four game series coming up before they have to run the gauntlet of three more against the Diamondbacks, three in Atlanta, three in Philly, and three in Flushing against the Dodgers.
This, in a weird way, makes the Pirates the toughest opponent of the season, because their real opponent … themselves.
Today’s Hate List
- Barry Bonds
- Joe Young
- Andy Van Slyke
- Scott Van Slyke
- Doug Drabek
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