A great win last night! In my humble opinion one of the best wins of the year. Despite the travel & rest issues the Mets still found the resolve & fight to prevail over the Yankees! This way of winning an important ball game isn't going to happen every night but when it does happen like it did last night it is time to rejoice and take pleasure in it. Here's to hoping the Mets can complete the season sweep of the Yankees tonight! Great win and great credit to the whole organization from Cohen on down for finding a way to win last night's game!
Thank you! And you are correct on Bannon. I was confusing him with Rhylan Thomas in my head. Apparently the Mets agreed you can only have so many Rylans.
Excellent analysis. I think Heyman may be right. The Yankees seem to be sleepwalking right now. And McNeil can make a baserunning blunder as often as he wants if he’ll follow it up with a go-ahead 2 run homer.
I've said that my hope for Baty was that he'd play well enough that we could trade him (at decent value). But it's not a move I could make easily.
He's 24 years old and producing, again, at AAA. He could still be a ML 3B for years to come. I can't rule that out. And it could very well be that our Mets need a 3B next season (if we move Vientos to 1B or DH). Do we ship off that potential for 25 innings of a reliever?
I honestly don't know. I guess I don't want to pull that trigger.
Depends on the deal, I guess. But that's a trade you could really live to regret.
In the end, this come down to our expert in-house evaluators. We know him better than anybody.
I hate to see Trout hurt again. Such a shame for a local kid from Jersey who was on way to becoming one of all time greats. I remember seeing him hit. HR at yankee stadium in 2014 or 2015 man what a sight it was. I hope he can bounce back.
SNY after the game suggested that Judge was basically surprised about the first pitch, not thinking they would go after him. Overall, he was said to be a bit confused during the at bat. Someone else who was up there ready to swing (not expecting another pitch around) could have hit that first strike.
Yes, 100%, that was the pitch of the AB. That one to hit. A fastball down the middle, basically. In Judge's defense, he'd been walked 4x already, Diekman walked Soto on 4 pitches, so some of the aggressiveness had leaked out of him.
Diekman was always going to be the #2 lefty in the pen. He's been over-used and over-exposed -- but I don't hate him. They really need a #1 lefty.
Yesterday felt like a game that we were never ahead in because I just assumed we would let the lead slide away, esp since the pen was taxed. Then, suddenly, it's the bottom of the 9th and it's still 3-2. Obviously it's been a rough ride for Diekman, but that was a great job. As Britton said in his piece last night; that was probably the best pitch of the season to date (all things considered).
2019 second half McNeil would be a welcome and surprising turn of events.
Someone in the chat mentioned that Alvarez hadn't done anything since he came back. That's not fair. He has a 303/381/495 - .875 slash line since he came back. His power hasn't been there, but he's still producing. I do wonder if his injury has zapped some of his strength in the meantime. He has 1.0 WAR in his 48 games this year; that's about a 3.0 WAR season and that's with very very little power which will definitely be back at some point. He's a building block who has produced even if it's in a compromised way. Hopefully he find the power over the last 2+ months.
He had a really rough game in Miami w/ 3 Ks. A few of those ABs looked particularly bad, clueless. Mendoza must not have liked what he saw, or determined that Alvarez wasn't right in some way. We need him. Hopefully he resets and figures it out, and that there aren't physical issues holding him back.
Again: Last night the bullpen was short-handed and we were very, very fortunate to get out of Dodge. We see with Diekman especially, and Diaz, and Garrett, all those guys, that rest is key.
I keep failing to see how going with a 6-man rotation, and having one less guy in the pen, is such a wonderful & necessary move.
And if that 6th man becomes Megill . . . shudder. He won't get past 5 innings, taxing the pen, and we'll lose the game.
Do they trade for Paxton? Does that even make sense?
Or do they trade for 2 relievers and put Butto in the rotation?
I understand using a 6-man rotation if Scott was part of it; at least until August 25th; a lot of games and only 2 days off from 7/19-8/25. Plus that would be a rotation that included a guy with an innings limit (Scott), someone they want to monitor given his past lack of work in the last 5 years (Severino) and someone coming off injury (Senga). I don't really think it has the same benefit if Megill is the 6th starter though. It might if Butto was the 6th starter, but unless a trade is made I'm not sure we can take Butto out of the pen at the moment. So; I guess I will hold my vote on the overall plan until the deadline passes. I kind of feel they were going to abandon it after late August since there would be more days off and it would be pedal to the metal time at that point.
The concept might be over-hyped by the media. I do recognize a need for, say, a few spot starts along the way. Might just be semantics. It's just that we hear about the importance of rest for the starters and seem to ignore it for the relievers, despite the evidence. One possible positive outcome would be starters feeling fresher, being more effective, and consistently going 7 innings. Having Scott in the rotation, going only 5, put on awful strain on the pen. We need to get better at using a long man and living with the results.
I remember when Jackie Bradley was a free agent and was hoping for a four-year deal. Some folks -- I remember at Mack's Mets -- were advocating for him. I was scared to death the Mets would go in that direction. I hated (hated!) that idea so much. I kept saying, "But he cannot hit at all, at all." So it's a cruel twist of the knife to see Stearns (who signed him to the Brewers at 2/$24) pick up his uselessness yesterday. No worries, I get it, depth, cheap, etc. But still, a bad flashback to see that name pop up again.
McNeil is on a Murphy-esque 2015 postseason tear! As someone who thought he was “toast” I really hope he’s unlocked something since the ASG. If he keeps this up, could he make a case to be the everyday RF? I know 2B is his natural position, but as correctly outlined in today’s newsletter they’re short on outfielders. This could eliminate a need at the trade deadline.
I have no words to describe Diekman last night. Hope it’s something he can build on. Let’s get the sweep tonight. I’m really excited for this Atlanta series, too. Really looking forward to Senga’s 2024 debut.
A great win last night! In my humble opinion one of the best wins of the year. Despite the travel & rest issues the Mets still found the resolve & fight to prevail over the Yankees! This way of winning an important ball game isn't going to happen every night but when it does happen like it did last night it is time to rejoice and take pleasure in it. Here's to hoping the Mets can complete the season sweep of the Yankees tonight! Great win and great credit to the whole organization from Cohen on down for finding a way to win last night's game!
Great summary of last nights game - like a movie out of Hollywood LOL. Good for Jeff McNeil. That took GUTS on the desicion by Mendoza.
Couldn’t wait to read your recap. What a game- it felt like a playoff game.
Amazing write up. This is exactly why I subscribe. Didn’t Rylan Bannon get traded to the Twins? Thank you.
Thank you! And you are correct on Bannon. I was confusing him with Rhylan Thomas in my head. Apparently the Mets agreed you can only have so many Rylans.
Excellent analysis. I think Heyman may be right. The Yankees seem to be sleepwalking right now. And McNeil can make a baserunning blunder as often as he wants if he’ll follow it up with a go-ahead 2 run homer.
Would you trade Brett Baty?
I've said that my hope for Baty was that he'd play well enough that we could trade him (at decent value). But it's not a move I could make easily.
He's 24 years old and producing, again, at AAA. He could still be a ML 3B for years to come. I can't rule that out. And it could very well be that our Mets need a 3B next season (if we move Vientos to 1B or DH). Do we ship off that potential for 25 innings of a reliever?
I honestly don't know. I guess I don't want to pull that trigger.
Depends on the deal, I guess. But that's a trade you could really live to regret.
In the end, this come down to our expert in-house evaluators. We know him better than anybody.
What do you think?
My heart says "yes" and my head says "no."
Would I trade him? Yes in the right move. Would I trade him for a 7th inning guy with no team control beyond this season? Most likely not.
I would definitely trade him while still hoping he becomes a solid MLB player
And, perhaps, while he still has value.
I hate to see Trout hurt again. Such a shame for a local kid from Jersey who was on way to becoming one of all time greats. I remember seeing him hit. HR at yankee stadium in 2014 or 2015 man what a sight it was. I hope he can bounce back.
Is there any thought to him becoming a DH? I don't follow his career.
I know he said he would rather get surgery instead of doing dh only role when he had his knee surgery earlier in season.
SNY after the game suggested that Judge was basically surprised about the first pitch, not thinking they would go after him. Overall, he was said to be a bit confused during the at bat. Someone else who was up there ready to swing (not expecting another pitch around) could have hit that first strike.
Yes, 100%, that was the pitch of the AB. That one to hit. A fastball down the middle, basically. In Judge's defense, he'd been walked 4x already, Diekman walked Soto on 4 pitches, so some of the aggressiveness had leaked out of him.
Diekman was always going to be the #2 lefty in the pen. He's been over-used and over-exposed -- but I don't hate him. They really need a #1 lefty.
Yesterday felt like a game that we were never ahead in because I just assumed we would let the lead slide away, esp since the pen was taxed. Then, suddenly, it's the bottom of the 9th and it's still 3-2. Obviously it's been a rough ride for Diekman, but that was a great job. As Britton said in his piece last night; that was probably the best pitch of the season to date (all things considered).
2019 second half McNeil would be a welcome and surprising turn of events.
Someone in the chat mentioned that Alvarez hadn't done anything since he came back. That's not fair. He has a 303/381/495 - .875 slash line since he came back. His power hasn't been there, but he's still producing. I do wonder if his injury has zapped some of his strength in the meantime. He has 1.0 WAR in his 48 games this year; that's about a 3.0 WAR season and that's with very very little power which will definitely be back at some point. He's a building block who has produced even if it's in a compromised way. Hopefully he find the power over the last 2+ months.
He had a really rough game in Miami w/ 3 Ks. A few of those ABs looked particularly bad, clueless. Mendoza must not have liked what he saw, or determined that Alvarez wasn't right in some way. We need him. Hopefully he resets and figures it out, and that there aren't physical issues holding him back.
Again: Last night the bullpen was short-handed and we were very, very fortunate to get out of Dodge. We see with Diekman especially, and Diaz, and Garrett, all those guys, that rest is key.
I keep failing to see how going with a 6-man rotation, and having one less guy in the pen, is such a wonderful & necessary move.
And if that 6th man becomes Megill . . . shudder. He won't get past 5 innings, taxing the pen, and we'll lose the game.
Do they trade for Paxton? Does that even make sense?
Or do they trade for 2 relievers and put Butto in the rotation?
Stearns has some decisions to make.
I understand using a 6-man rotation if Scott was part of it; at least until August 25th; a lot of games and only 2 days off from 7/19-8/25. Plus that would be a rotation that included a guy with an innings limit (Scott), someone they want to monitor given his past lack of work in the last 5 years (Severino) and someone coming off injury (Senga). I don't really think it has the same benefit if Megill is the 6th starter though. It might if Butto was the 6th starter, but unless a trade is made I'm not sure we can take Butto out of the pen at the moment. So; I guess I will hold my vote on the overall plan until the deadline passes. I kind of feel they were going to abandon it after late August since there would be more days off and it would be pedal to the metal time at that point.
The concept might be over-hyped by the media. I do recognize a need for, say, a few spot starts along the way. Might just be semantics. It's just that we hear about the importance of rest for the starters and seem to ignore it for the relievers, despite the evidence. One possible positive outcome would be starters feeling fresher, being more effective, and consistently going 7 innings. Having Scott in the rotation, going only 5, put on awful strain on the pen. We need to get better at using a long man and living with the results.
I remember when Jackie Bradley was a free agent and was hoping for a four-year deal. Some folks -- I remember at Mack's Mets -- were advocating for him. I was scared to death the Mets would go in that direction. I hated (hated!) that idea so much. I kept saying, "But he cannot hit at all, at all." So it's a cruel twist of the knife to see Stearns (who signed him to the Brewers at 2/$24) pick up his uselessness yesterday. No worries, I get it, depth, cheap, etc. But still, a bad flashback to see that name pop up again.
McNeil is on a Murphy-esque 2015 postseason tear! As someone who thought he was “toast” I really hope he’s unlocked something since the ASG. If he keeps this up, could he make a case to be the everyday RF? I know 2B is his natural position, but as correctly outlined in today’s newsletter they’re short on outfielders. This could eliminate a need at the trade deadline.
I have no words to describe Diekman last night. Hope it’s something he can build on. Let’s get the sweep tonight. I’m really excited for this Atlanta series, too. Really looking forward to Senga’s 2024 debut.