The Alternate Universe: Mets at Phillies 5-27-20

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.

SO the Mets scored 13 runs last night, and were facing Zach Eflin, a pitcher who they have owned in his career. Now you would think that the Mets would continue their offensive studlyness for one more night, right?

Well that’s what you get for thinking, because the madly inconsistent Mets reaffirmed the notion that the only sure thing in life is that there are no sure things. Eflin was brilliant, going eight innings and striking out ten Mets while giving up just a home run to Amed Rosario in the second.

There was talk that the Mets would skip Rick Porcello’s turn in the rotation to have both Jacob deGrom and Marcus Stroman pitch against the Phillies instead of throwing Stroman against Los Angeles on Friday. But Porcello pitched well, giving up just a two run single to Jean Segura in the 4th through six innings of work. But the Phillies got to Seth Lugo in the eight as he sandwiched a Bryce Harper double between two walks. Recognizing that Lugo didn’t have it on this particular night, Luis Rojas brought in Jeurys Familia to perform the impossible, get out of a bases loaded nobody out jam.

He almost did it. Familia looked like he was reaching back to 2015 when he struck out Didi Gregorius and Segura on nasty sinkers. But I’m guessing that something he muttered to himself on the mound pissed off the baseball gods, who took Familia’s sinker away from him again. (Either that, or same baseball gods just decided to mess with him.) Familia’s first pitch to Scott Kingery was a Charlie Brown fastball, and it was hit right through the box to bring home two runs to put the game on a perilous plank.

The Kingery hit was huge as Pete Alonso rattled a double in the corner to score Brandon Nimmo to make it 4-2. But after loading the bases, Hector Neris got Wilson Ramos to pop up to JT Realmuto to end the threat and the game. This puts the Mets at 30-25 and increasingly makes them a speck in the divisional rear view mirror of the Braves, who are stunning the baseball world with their annoying habit of winning games. It’s incredible to think that by the end of May the Braves might already have the division locked up, but the Mets had better step up their pace or else they’ll be circling September 30th on the calendar in hopes of playing on that day.

Today’s Hate List

1. Edubray Ramos
2. Zach Eflin
3. Jean Segua
4. Scott Kingery
5. Hector Neris