Two Roads Diverged In Truist Park

If the Mets had let Allan Winans shut them down two starts in a row, then they probably should have just packed up and went home for the season. No team should lose to a rookie soft tosser twice in a row. Fire the scouting and analytics staff if that happens. So that the Mets had success tonight against Winans was not a surprise. They hit him hard from jump, and had it not been for the two great plays made by Kevin Pillar and Michael Harris II on hard hit balls by Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor, the final score would have been a lot worse for Atlanta and Winans, who gave up 7 in 4 and 1/3, including homers to D.J. Stewart and Rafael Ortega: Murdered Row.

The question was, would they have enough success to overcome the runs that David Peterson would surely give up? And Peterson did give up runs: four in 4 and 2/3’s, including two dingers to Marcell Ozuna. But the difference to me in tonight’s 10-4 Mets victory was one manager’s quick hook, and the other manager waiting until the fire was smoldering.

In the top of the 5th with runners on first and second after the Mets had already rallied for two runs on singles by Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso, the Mets had four straight lefties coming up with Brad Hand up in the bullpen for the Braves. But Brian Snitker, for whatever reason (and he’s in first place by a billion games so God bless), left Winans in to face Daniel Vogelbach. Vogelbach would single off Winans to make it 6-4, and then Snitker brought in Hand. It gave Stewart the opportunity to drive in a run with a squeeze bunt (yes, D.J. Stewart bunted) to make it 7-4 and basically put it away.

Then in the bottom of the 5th, all Peterson had to do was give up a two out walk to Matt Olson for Buck Showalter to say “okay, that’s it” and put in Phil Bickford, who struck out Ozuna to end the inning. Then again, I think I could have been the manager and even I would have figured out that letting Peterson face Ozuna again after he hit two dingers against him was a bad idea. But hey, you only play who’s on the schedule, and you can only make decisions on what you’re given. Both managers had easy calls. One manager made the easy call. The other, knowing how leads can go away, took the road less traveled by, which is letting Daniel Vogelbach face a righty. That has made all the difference.

Hand would stay in the game for the 6th and gave up a three run bomb to Lindor for the cherry on top of the sundae. Lindor’s stats since the birth of his second child, which I’ve noted might be significant way back on July 7th, have been pretty good, and those stats were noted by SNY during the game without Gare making the connection that it was since his daughter being born.

But the flip side of that is this, and I want to be careful to poo-poo a team that’s done what the Braves have done this season, but we all know that the Braves starting pitching is sketchy, so they’re going to have to win with their offense and their bullpen. Certainly possible. But I’ve seen Brad Hand pitch. If that’s the guy you think is going to be the difference, well … he might be. Just not the difference you’d hope.

But hey, my team isn’t going to the playoffs so it’s none of my business.

Today’s Hate List

1. Marcell Ozuna
2. Chase Utley
3. John Rocker
4. Miles Mikolas
5. Rhys Hoskins