Mets fans?

[ExWNYer]

On 4/22/2023 at 7:02 AM, Gugny said:

 

I agree with all of this, fellas. 
 

Nice deep start last night in a shutout, though. 
 

We need Cookie to turn things around. 
 

The 10-game suspension levied on Max is complete and utter bullsh*t. 
 

Good west coast stand so far. Gotta keep it going!!

 

LFGM!

@SinceThe70s @Another Fan

 

Peterson threw a clunker yesterday to temporarily derail things and, once again, provided the perfect example of what has us all worried about this staff at the moment. These backend guys are going to have to be at least serviceable until the cavalry (some or all of Scherzer, Verlander, Carrasco, & Quintana) arrives. To his (small) credit, Peterson managed to find a way to make it thru five innings after sh*tting the bed to the tune of six earned runs over just the first two innings to a struggling offense. Newly promoted reliever Edwin Uceta did a great job to help preserve the pen and went the final three innings allowing no hits and no runs. I have been in the Peterson camp since he was drafted but I'm afraid we may have seen his limited ceiling and, yesterday, we once again witnessed his extremely low floor. At this point in his career, he is just too inconsistent and will be nothing more than a back of the rotation 'hold your breath and pray' option, IMO. I don't even think he is a decent pen option at this point either. He has the stuff you hope for in a lefty but he just has no control. He reminds me of Matz...flashes potential and then breaks your heart when you let your guard down and try to believe in him.

 

It's Megill's turn to try and right the ship today. I have much more faith in his future but he has been prone to lapses at times, as well. Gives us 'good Megill' today, Tylor. LGM!

[SinceThe70s]

21 minutes ago, ExWNYer said:

@SinceThe70s @Another Fan

 

Peterson threw a clunker yesterday to temporarily derail things and, once again, provided the perfect example of what has us all worried about this staff at the moment. These backend guys are going to have to be at least serviceable until the cavalry (some or all of Scherzer, Verlander, Carrasco, & Quintana) arrives. To his (small) credit, Peterson managed to find a way to make it thru five innings after sh*tting the bed to the tune of six earned runs over just the first two innings to a struggling offense. Newly promoted reliever Edwin Uceta did a great job to help preserve the pen and went the final three innings allowing no hits and no runs. I have been in the Peterson camp since he was drafted but I'm afraid we may have seen his limited ceiling and, yesterday, we once again witnessed his extremely low floor. At this point in his career, he is just too inconsistent and will be nothing more than a back of the rotation 'hold your breath and pray' option, IMO. I don't even think he is a decent pen option at this point either. He has the stuff you hope for in a lefty but he just has no control. He reminds me of Matz...flashes potential and then breaks your heart when you let your guard down and try to believe in him.

 

It's Megill's turn to try and right the ship today. I have much more faith in his future but he has been prone to lapses at times, as well. Gives us 'good Megill' today, Tylor. LGM!

 

I see Peterson and Megill both topping out as a #4 or #5 innings eater. They'll show flashes, but as you said just enough to let you down. Problem is Carrasco is trending towards the same. When we got Carrasco I thought he was a solid #3, maybe a #2 in a good year.

 

Good to hear about Uceta, I didn't have the game on yesterday and missed that. Between the loss of Diaz and Verlander and lack of innings from the starters that bullpen is under a lot of duress. 

 

On the plus side we have an opportunity to go 8-2 on this West Coast swing!

[ExWNYer]

10 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

I see Peterson and Megill both topping out as a #4 or #5 innings eater. They'll show flashes, but as you said just enough to let you down. Problem is Carrasco is trending towards the same. When we got Carrasco I thought he was a solid #3, maybe a #2 in a good year.

 

Good to hear about Uceta, I didn't have the game on yesterday and missed that. Between the loss of Diaz and Verlander and lack of innings from the starters that bullpen is under a lot of duress. 

 

On the plus side we have an opportunity to go 8-2 on this West Coast swing!

 

I disagree with you on Megill, which is fine. I think his upside is a solid #3, if it all comes together. Certainly a viable #4, as you stated. He's shown me more in less amount of time than Peterson ever did. Peterson is what he is at this point and I'm not expecting any more than what he is now. I think I was probably holding out hope for him because he's a lefty and they don't grow on trees. If the staff is healthy at the trade deadline, maybe he can be packaged to a team looking for a lefty option. There is probably a team who believes they can unlock the 'potential' of a youngish lefthander like Peterson. I made my thoughts clear on Carrasco a few posts ago. I am done with him but the team needs him to start giving them some quality innings instead of getting shelled and then hurt. I was thrilled when they acquired him in the Lindor trade but he has been a combo of hurt and maddeningly inconsistent since they got him. Maybe the injuries have played a part in that or maybe he's just cooked. He has been a huge disappointment, IMO, and is a shell of the guy who was pitching in Cleveland. He's become 'Stale Cookie' Carrasco. 

 

As an aside, apparently, Ronny Mauricio is being tried at 2B in Syracuse which is fantastic, IMO. His path to the Mets is currently blocked at SS with Lindor there so I am all for finding an alternate path for his big stick. The kid had a huge Spring Training and showed a lot of power. I think he has legit 20-25 HR potential. I'd take that out of my second baseman any day of the week. This team is going to need more power in the future. Baty & Alvarez are still scuffling at the plate since their promotions to the bigs and Pete and Lindor will not be able to carry the team by themselves all season long. The back third of the lineup needs to start contributing some, as well. C, 3B, and DH continue to be black holes for this squad.

[SinceThe70s]

7 hours ago, ExWNYer said:

 

I disagree with you on Megill, which is fine. I think his upside is a solid #3, if it all comes together. Certainly a viable #4, as you stated. He's shown me more in less amount of time than Peterson ever did. Peterson is what he is at this point and I'm not expecting any more than what he is now. I think I was probably holding out hope for him because he's a lefty and they don't grow on trees. If the staff is healthy at the trade deadline, maybe he can be packaged to a team looking for a lefty option. There is probably a team who believes they can unlock the 'potential' of a youngish lefthander like Peterson. I made my thoughts clear on Carrasco a few posts ago. I am done with him but the team needs him to start giving them some quality innings instead of getting shelled and then hurt. I was thrilled when they acquired him in the Lindor trade but he has been a combo of hurt and maddeningly inconsistent since they got him. Maybe the injuries have played a part in that or maybe he's just cooked. He has been a huge disappointment, IMO, and is a shell of the guy who was pitching in Cleveland. He's become 'Stale Cookie' Carrasco. 

 

As an aside, apparently, Ronny Mauricio is being tried at 2B in Syracuse which is fantastic, IMO. His path to the Mets is currently blocked at SS with Lindor there so I am all for finding an alternate path for his big stick. The kid had a huge Spring Training and showed a lot of power. I think he has legit 20-25 HR potential. I'd take that out of my second baseman any day of the week. This team is going to need more power in the future. Baty & Alvarez are still scuffling at the plate since their promotions to the bigs and Pete and Lindor will not be able to carry the team by themselves all season long. The back third of the lineup needs to start contributing some, as well. C, 3B, and DH continue to be black holes for this squad.

 

Who the heck is this guy Brigham? Never heard of him, nice two innings so far.

[ExWNYer]

16 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

Who the heck is this guy Brigham? Never heard of him, nice two innings so far.

 

They snuck that one by me, too. lol I don't know who he is but he did do a nice job. Megill didn't do a whole lot to justify my faith in him but one of the runs he allowed was on Lindor who dropped the ball attempting to transfer it from his mitt and cost them a double play. Otherwise, he would have exited allowing three runs thru four. Far from ideal but not a back breaker like the six over two innings (and seven over five) that Peterson allowed. I know we're talking about back end guys here but someone has to sack up and give an occasional outing that goes at least six innings. This game is now on the bats. They only scored 4 in the loss yesterday and 4 thru 8 tonight. That's not good enough against a bad SF squad. The bullpen can't keep holding the fort. The hitters need to get off of their arses and win this thing for them.

Edited April 24, 2023 by ExWNYer

[SinceThe70s]

2 minutes ago, ExWNYer said:

 

They snuck that one by me, too. lol I don't know who he is but he did do a nice job. Megill didn't do a whole lot to justify my faith in him but one of the runs he allowed was on Lindor who dropped the ball attempting to transfer it from his mitt and cost them a double play. Otherwise, he would have exited allowing three runs thru four. Far from ideal but not a back breaker like the six over two innings (and seven over five) that Peterson allowed. I know we're talking about back end guys here but someone has to sack up and give an occasional outing that goes at least six innings. This game is now on the bats. They only scored 4 in the loss yesterday and 4 thru 8 tonight. That's not good enough against a bad SF squad. The bullpen can't keep holding the fort. The hitters need to get off of their arses and win this thing for them.

 

Bolded is exactly how I feel - and to be clear, my hope is that Megill can be better than a #4,  just getting frustrated seeing starters having problems going deeper than 5. Hell, I expect my #5 to go 5 or more.

[ExWNYer]

1 minute ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

Bolded is exactly how I feel - and to be clear, my hope is that Megill can be better than a #4,  just getting frustrated seeing starters having problems going deeper than 5. Hell, I expect my #5 to go 5 or more.

 

And just after I typed that this one is on the bats, it's coming down to that as SF grabbed the lead in the 8th. Again, 4 runs in back-to-back games against a scuffling team on the ropes is inexcusable. The offense is just too unpredictable when your power options are limited...a problem that went unsolved in the offseason by Eppler.

[SinceThe70s]

9 minutes ago, ExWNYer said:

 

And just after I typed that this one is on the bats, it's coming down to that as SF grabbed the lead in the 8th. Again, 4 runs in back-to-back games against a scuffling team on the ropes is inexcusable. The offense is just too unpredictable when your power options are limited...a problem that went unsolved in the offseason by Eppler.

 

You called it.

[ExWNYer]

9 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

You called it.

 

Unfortunately. I take no joy in being right in this instance. I know I said Friday night that if they won Saturday &/or Sunday that it would be "gravy" but they squandered two golden opportunities to overtake Atlanta for first place.  Oh, well. Can't complain about a 7-3 road trip but what could have been... <sigh>

 

A much needed off day awaits tomorrow and then it's a homestand against several also rans beginning with the Natalies. Time to make hay and grab the lead from the hated Bravos.

[SinceThe70s]

On the broadcast they mentioned that the Mets have not given up an earned run yet this year.  Of course shortly afterward Escobar let one go through his legs and the next inning Pete dropped an easy pop-up - to their credit neither resulted in a run.

[Another Fan]

On 4/26/2023 at 9:06 PM, SinceThe70s said:

On the broadcast they mentioned that the Mets have not given up an earned run yet this year.  Of course shortly afterward Escobar let one go through his legs and the next inning Pete dropped an easy pop-up - to their credit neither resulted in a run.

@Gugny @ExWNYer

 

Broad takes on the team being April is officially done as far as Mets baseball is concerned.  15-12 isn't I mean horrible but for close to a $350 million payroll fans could expect a lot more.  But then again it's a long long season.  Marathon not a sprint.  The team had like a really good April last year with the "no hitter".  Which lets face it meant nothing with how the year finished.  

 

Some other thoughts:

 

I know I felt Mark Canha last year was my favorite Met overall.  But he's starting to wane on me a little.  I have a neutral tendency to like guys with their own personality that come to play hard every day.  Plus he seemed to embrace being a Met as well.  But I mean at .220 I'm not sure how much longer he stays employed on the team.  And I mean to each their own but his food obsession Instagram page seems a little on the odd side to me now.  Still like the dude though.  

 

 

Buck.  I mean he had a very good season managing last year but that being said the team still kind of dumped out toward the end there.  At 15-12 anyone just a little bit concerned about him losing the clubhouse or him over the whole year?  

[Gugny]

1 hour ago, Another Fan said:

@Gugny @ExWNYer

 

Broad takes on the team being April is officially done as far as Mets baseball is concerned.  15-12 isn't I mean horrible but for close to a $350 million payroll fans could expect a lot more.  But then again it's a long long season.  Marathon not a sprint.  The team had like a really good April last year with the "no hitter".  Which lets face it meant nothing with how the year finished.  

 

Some other thoughts:

 

I know I felt Mark Canha last year was my favorite Met overall.  But he's starting to wane on me a little.  I have a neutral tendency to like guys with their own personality that come to play hard every day.  Plus he seemed to embrace being a Met as well.  But I mean at .220 I'm not sure how much longer he stays employed on the team.  And I mean to each their own but his food obsession Instagram page seems a little on the odd side to me now.  Still like the dude though.  

 

 

Buck.  I mean he had a very good season managing last year but that being said the team still kind of dumped out toward the end there.  At 15-12 anyone just a little bit concerned about him losing the clubhouse or him over the whole year?  

I still think Canha is a stud. 
 

I love that Alvarez and Baty are both up in April, too. The Mets learned their lesson, it seems, after last year. Let them grow in the show. 
 

We still have Verlander coming back to look forward to. 
 

Right now, then Mets go as Alonso goes. Thank God he’s got a pretty hot bat. 
 

At this point, I am not concerned. Keep the distance to 5 games or fewer and wait for things to come together … they will. 
 

#LFGM

[ExWNYer]

16 hours ago, Gugny said:

I still think Canha is a stud. 
 

I love that Alvarez and Baty are both up in April, too. The Mets learned their lesson, it seems, after last year. Let them grow in the show. 
 

We still have Verlander coming back to look forward to. 
 

Right now, then Mets go as Alonso goes. Thank God he’s got a pretty hot bat. 
 

At this point, I am not concerned. Keep the distance to 5 games or fewer and wait for things to come together … they will. 
 

#LFGM

 

@SinceThe70s @Another Fan

 

"I still think Canha is a stud.": I like him...and I find myself wanting to like him more than I do...but he's not a stud, IMO. He's very good and very up and down. He's the solid, non-superstar 'glue and grit' guy every winning team needs.

 

"I love that Alvarez and Baty are both up in April, too. The Mets learned their lesson, it seems, after last year. Let them grow in the show.": I agree on Alvarez and Baty. Love them. That said, Alvarez is completely over-matched at the plate right now and probably would have benefited from more time and seasoning in AAA. I know they need him because the catching position is an absolute mess but he's not much better than Nido right now which pains me to say. He needs to figure things out by the All-Star break or that position will be a black hole all year long. Narvaez can be serviceable at best, Nido is just another in an endless line of scrap heap Met's backstops. Also, it's maddening to me that Alvarez is not catching almost every day. If he's up, he needs to play. And on the days that Nido plays, Alvarez needs to be DHing for the ABs. He's not playing nearly enough. He would be at Syracuse. Random thought: It would have been so Metsy to have dealt Baty for a frigging rental last year. I'm still fuming over the Jarred Kelenic trade. They took on cheater Cano's bloated salary in the Diaz trade. Adding Kelenic was a complete overpay. 

 

"We still have Verlander coming back to look forward to.": Fingers crossed that he stays healthy and pitches somewhere near last year's Cy Young level. He and Scherzer have to stay healthy and give them at least 6 innings per outing. The bullpen is teetering thanks to this "we can only give you 5 innings, Skip" ragtag patchwork of 'also ran' and 'never was' starters. These scubs will be the inevitable downfall of this team, especially if Verlander & Scherzer don't start doing what they're paid to do. They are supposed to be the centerpieces of this squad. So far, not so much. Senga has been pretty good considering he's still learning MLB hitters and will be solid by year's end, IMO. One guy you didn't mention who I'm also looking forward to seeing and hoping can give something is Quintana. 
 

"Right now, then Mets go as Alonso goes. Thank God he’s got a pretty hot bat.": Agree 💯. I said it before and I'll say it again. They should have already extended and locked up Alonso. It's going to cost them a lot more now than it would have had they been proactive. Go have Uncle Steve stroke a big, fat check Eppler. And to be clear...use it for Pete, not for adding another of your ineffective and hurt pitching acquisitions.
 

"At this point, I am not concerned. Keep the distance to 5 games or fewer and wait for things to come together … they will.": I have no concerns whatsoever about Buck losing the clubhouse. They love him and he's a vet manager who knows what he's doing. He's the least of their worries and can keep them together. We'll see if they can get healthy and 'come together'. If so, they are definitely a Wild Card team. I am still not convinced that they can overtake Atlanta, even when healthy. Atlanta is to the Mets what the Brady-led Pats* were to the Bills. I respect them but hate them with every fiber of my being.

 

They need to at least split this doubleheader with Atlanta today. Getting both would be sweet but I'm not expecting it by any means.

 

LFGM!!!

[SinceThe70s]

3 minutes ago, ExWNYer said:

 

@SinceThe70s @Another Fan

 

"I still think Canha is a stud.": I like him...and I find myself wanting to like him more than I do...but he's not a stud, IMO. He's very good and very up and down. He's the solid, non-superstar 'glue and grit' guy every winning team needs.

 

"I love that Alvarez and Baty are both up in April, too. The Mets learned their lesson, it seems, after last year. Let them grow in the show.": I agree on Alvarez and Baty. Love them. That said, Alvarez is completely over-matched at the plate right now and probably would have benefited from more time and seasoning in AAA. I know they need him because the catching position is an absolute mess but he's not much better than Nido right now which pains me to say. He needs to figure things out by the All-Star break or that position will be a black hole all year long. Narvaez can be serviceable at best, Nido is just another in an endless line of scrap heap Met's backstops. Also, it's maddening to me that Alvarez is not catching almost every day. If he's up, he needs to play. And on the days that Nido plays, Alvarez needs to be DHing for the ABs. He's not playing nearly enough. He would be at Syracuse. Random thought: It would have been so Metsy to have dealt Baty for a frigging rental last year. I'm still fuming over the Jarred Kelenic trade. They took on cheater Cano's bloated salary in the Diaz trade. Adding Kelenic was a complete overpay. 

 

"We still have Verlander coming back to look forward to.": Fingers crossed that he stays healthy and pitches somewhere near last year's Cy Young level. He and Scherzer have to stay healthy and give them at least 6 innings per outing. The bullpen is teetering thanks to this "we can only give you 5 innings, Skip" ragtag patchwork of 'also ran' and 'never was' starters. These scubs will be the inevitable downfall of this team, especially if Verlander & Scherzer don't start doing what they're paid to do. They are supposed to be the centerpieces of this squad. So far, not so much. Senga has been pretty good considering he's still learning MLB hitters and will be solid by year's end, IMO. One guy you didn't mention who I'm also looking forward to seeing and hoping can give something is Quintana. 
 

"Right now, then Mets go as Alonso goes. Thank God he’s got a pretty hot bat.": Agree 💯. I said it before and I'll say it again. They should have already extended and locked up Alonso. It's going to cost them a lot more now than it would have had they been proactive. Go have Uncle Steve stroke a big, fat check Eppler. And to be clear...use it for Pete, not for adding another of your ineffective and hurt pitching acquisitions.
 

"At this point, I am not concerned. Keep the distance to 5 games or fewer and wait for things to come together … they will.": I have no concerns whatsoever about Buck losing the clubhouse. They love him and he's a vet manager who knows what he's doing. He's the least of their worries and can keep them together. We'll see if they can get healthy and 'come together'. If so, they are definitely a Wild Card team. I am still not convinced that they can overtake Atlanta, even when healthy. Atlanta is to the Mets what the Brady-led Pats* were to the Bills. I respect them but hate them with every fiber of my being.

 

They need to at least split this doubleheader with Atlanta today. Getting both would be sweet but I'm not expecting it by any means.

 

LFGM!!!

 

Pretty much agree with all of this - but I have a feeling we're about to be swept today. Might be PTSD from too many past debacles against the Braves.

[ExWNYer]

22 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

Pretty much agree with all of this - but I have a feeling we're about to be swept today. Might be PTSD from too many past debacles against the Braves.

 

I expect it more than not. They are already down 3-0 in the 1st inning with Denyi Reyes on the mound. They will be lucky to get 3 or 4 innings out of him on a day when you need to save the bullpen unless Buck just plans to leave him in and concede Game 1. This game is already over unless the limp-dicked bats decide to suddenly wake up. I don't see that happening against Spencer Strider. 

[ExWNYer]

34 minutes ago, ExWNYer said:

 

I expect it more than not. They are already down 3-0 in the 1st inning with Denyi Reyes on the mound. They will be lucky to get 3 or 4 innings out of him on a day when you need to save the bullpen unless Buck just plans to leave him in and concede Game 1. This game is already over unless the limp-dicked bats decide to suddenly wake up. I don't see that happening against Spencer Strider. 

 

@SinceThe70s

 

So this is exactly why this team is so hard to watch and trust. They are now down, 6-1, heading to the bottom of the 2nd but in the bottom of the 1st...Nimmo led off with a triple and Marte followed with a walk...1st & 3rd no outs. Then Lindor singled home Nimmo to make it 3-1 with runners on 1st & 2nd, no outs. Great! Alonso struck out flailing at a pitch a foot off the plate. Lindor then stole 2nd so they had 2nd & 3rd with one out. Still okay. McNeil then popped out for out number two and Vogelbach worked out a walk. Bases loaded and two outs and Baty promptly struck out to leave them loaded. They don't capitalize on their opportunities. They should have at least scored two runs and maybe tied it at 3-3 heading to the second inning. That lone run was the first they've scored in the 1st inning since April 8th. That is absolutely pathetic.

 

So after Reyes gave up a 3-run bomb in the 1st, he proceeded to give up a 2-run HR to start the 2nd and got yanked for John Curtiss after a mere one inning and two batters in the 2nd...and then Curtiss gave up a solo shot to the first batter he faced to make it 6-1. Game fugging over. Oh...and Atlanta has now hit 17 HRs off of Met pitching over the last 9 games. Good times. Sometimes I really hate this over-payed team.

Edited May 1, 2023 by ExWNYer

[ExWNYer]

So this is shaping up to be one of those frustrating, 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' games. Alonso got them back in it with a 3-run HR in the bottom of the 3rd with no outs and they got the next two runners on for 1st & 3rd and nobody out and then Baty (pop-up), Guillorme (K), & Nido (groundout) left them both stranded on the bases.  smh

[ExWNYer]

Baty hit a solo shot to RF in the bottom of the 6th to pull the Mets within one run at 6-5. Pham followed with a PH walk and they stranded him at 3rd base. They have had multiple opportunities to tie or take the lead and keep crapping the bed.

 

And then Sean Murphy hit his second 3-run HR of the game in the top of the 7th to make it 9-5. It's death by a thousand paper cuts with this fugging team.

Edited May 1, 2023 by ExWNYer

[ExWNYer]

Bases loaded & no outs in the bottom of the 7th and they managed to plate two runs but they had first & second with one out after scoring and stranded both runners again. Down 9-7 after seven.

[ExWNYer]

Escobar hit a two out solo shot in the 9th and they ended up losing, 9-8. Eight men LOB and they chased all game after getting into a 6-1 hole. Just like I said, a 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' game. It was there for the taking and they pissed it away. Here's a not so fun fact which sums up the day...prior to Escobar's HR, Gary said that the Mets were 42-0 in the last forty-two games where they scored 7 runs. Until today against Atlanta, of course. I fully expect a 5-0 or 6-0 type of loss in the nightcap. Sack up and prove me wrong, Mets.