☀️ GOOD MORNING:
Really, you have one job in a doubleheader: don’t get swept!
And the Mets got swept.
All the good vibes from winning five of six, gone.
At least for a day.
The Good News: We kept saying the Mets need to hold their breath until the top of the rotation gets healthy. They are finally healthy (knock on wood).
The Amazins fell into one of their worst slumps in several seasons after Kodai Senga injured himself in mid-June. They ended up going 8–17 (!) in his absence. They hope he, along with the long-awaited return of Sean Manaea, can turn this train around.
☕️ Grab your coffee for your morning dose of Mets Fix!
🤔 SECOND GUESS
In a 1–0 game, it’s hard to blame the manager for turning the tide, but it’s worth going over Carlos Mendoza’s decision to call on Ryne Stanek in the eighth inning of the early tilt in the doubleheader.
Peterson earned a chance to pitch into the eighth after seven lights-out innings. He was at 87 pitches and set to face the sixth, seventh and eighth hitters of the lineup, a lefty leading off. After throwing strike one to Colton Crowser, he gave up a hard-hit single two pitches later. That put him at 90 pitches with the recently activated shortstop Luis Vázquez coming to the plate.
Decisions… Decisions… Mendoza could have stuck with Peterson to hold a one-run lead and hope he could navigate a light-hitting section of the lineup that opposing manager Tony Mansolino could only counter with left-handed pinch hitters. Or he could decide Peterson had enough and go to his bullpen. He obviously opted to call on Stanek, a right-hander, which, predictably, resulted in Mansolino immediately countering with lefty Gunnar Henderson.
Henderson is a young stud, and perhaps he gets a chance to hit in this inning no matter what, but it was a perfect time for him to slide into his natural position.
Henderson also has a heavy split advantage against righties (146 wRC+) compared to lefties (54 wRC+).
Four pitches later, the Orioles had a 2–1 lead.
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