GAME 95: DODGERS @ METS — Back to the Drawing Board

By Blazing Fastball

OK, 94 games down, 88 to go.  [Correction: 68 to go.  So I had the Mets playing a 182 game schedule. You got a PROBLEM with that? This is what happens to my math skills after midnight on a weekend, in the throes of a brutal losing skid]

And our Mets are back to where they started.  Even-Steven.  50-50.  Blank slate. Nearly four months of warfare, played to a veritable standstill.  The picture of .500 ball.

Only one problem.  The upstart Nats have played out of their minds, and the resurgent Braves are right there with them, and the Mets in all their 50-50 splendor are on the outside of the NL East race, looking in. As for Wild Card contention, not so bad, but still not so much.

In a preseason poll, in a fit of swim-against-the-tide optimism, I pegged the 2012 Mets for 87 wins.

Believed enough in Sandy Alderson’s new regime  — especially Terry Collins — to envision a steady improvement in the 2012 Mets as the season wore on. Believed in the imminent stardom of Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, and the development of Ruben Tejada, Josh Thole, Jon Niese, Dillon Gee and Bobby Parnell as legit complementary major leaguers. Saw enough of Johan Santana & R.A. Dickey in Spring Training to believe they could lead the rotation, and that the newly remade bullpen would be a VAST improvement over the arson brigade of 2011.

Also acknowledged the total lack of team speed and some serious defensive deficiencies, but thought the positives would increasingly outweigh the negatives.

I did NOT envision Ike Davis, and later Daniel Murphy, drinking from the same poison well as Jason Bay and spending the better part of the first half allergic to bat-ball contact.  Did NOT envision the new pen making me confuse last year’s with The Nasty Boys.

Also did NOT envision R.A. Dickey performing magical feats not seen around these parts since Dwight Gooden’s starts at Shea were the only show in town. And, of course, did NOT envision the fragile rehabbing arm of the lion-hearted Johan Santana conjuring an epic performance that captured the national imagination, just as the Mets were hitting their stride.

So where have all these visions brought me? Right back to zero. The Mets are better than most expected. A moral victory, yes? But moral victories suck. They teased us. A long flirtation with the top of the division and almost certain Wild Card contention. Now, the Mets are probably right where they belong — fighting for respectability.

Now, the realities of the roster and limited options down below are showing through.  Not ONE right-handed bat at any level in the organization scares opposing pitchers who want to pitch around David Wright. No lefties who can reliably hit lefties. Kinda hard to hide the total absence of reliable relief arms at ANY level.  Injuries to the 3/5 of the opening day rotation lay bare the lack of major league depth or the cash to go out and buy credible starting pitching.

And yet, every damn day, this team comes out and fights for your heart. To the last out. Every damn day.

Seriously, who among us expected them to even break even this year? Me? I’m still down for a winning record. But I’m tempering my aspirations for a watered-down Wild Card — and forgetting about the NL East crown — because I’m afraid the front office will feel my vibes and so something really stupid at the deadline. Scott Kazmir stupid.

Please don’t.  I still really like these guys.  I want to love them next year. Don’t screw it up.

————————————

Oops.  Almost forgot. Sunday, for the second time in a week, Jon Niese will be asked to halt an ugly skid. Five days ago, he did HIS part (7 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 1BB, 8Ks), our no-longer-secret-weapon, Valdespin, did HIS part (9th inning, pinch-hit 3-run HR).  The pen, of course, again gave that one away.

Whether it’s a complete game shutout, a 10-run outburst, or a nail-biting 1-2-3 9th to save a 1-run lead — or, since we’re talking about the Mets, all of the above, if necessary — how about cutting Niese (and the rest of us) some slack and sending the Dodgers off with a dispiriting loss, like they did to the Mets a couple of weeks back on getaway day in LA?

————————————

And, Front Office, one more thing — honeymoon’s over. NEXT YEAR, you tell me again there’s no money in the till for needed additions, I’m gonna organize the boycott myself.

16 thoughts on “GAME 95: DODGERS @ METS — Back to the Drawing Board”

  1. Blazing, I feel the same way about this year. In Spring Training, I would have been over the moon with a winning record. Then they spoiled us for 3 months. But ever since the weekend before the All-Star break, it’s been a steady slide back down to earth. They sleepwalked against the Cubs (again), then looked overmatched against Atlanta and DC. Why can’t WE have relief pitching like that? Plus we already lost Gee, Young looks lost, and now Santana’s out! If Johan doesn’t bounce back fast, I don’t know how far R.A. and David can carry the whole team on their backs. The pitching is so thin now, I won’t be surprised if they really fall back in the standings. But I still can’t help myself. I just love this team’s spirit and can’t stop wishing for the big turnaround.

    Can we please at least beat the Dodgers on Sunday, so I don’t have to hear it from smug Dodger fans this week? They can’t even name the players on their own team. A little HELP out here in Cali? Jonothan? Terry? Sandy? Anybody?

  2. My own number was 74, which I was feeling a little foolish about a month-and-a-half ago. Now….not so much. The biggest letdown by far for my money has been Ike. No way did I foreseee that wretched start. Mercifully, it looks like he’s coming aorund….though I doubt it’s possible for him to end up having fully redeemed himself. The other unfortunate surprise has been Duda, whom I thought I’d see mature and grow. Unfortunatley, I think he’s trying to be something he’s not out there in the outfield. And at the plate, I’m wondering if he’s carrying his failure in the field with him. I remember all the confidence building they had to do with him last year to get the big guy to feel like he belonged at the table. I think he’ll get moved.

    I expect better things today. And I don’t expect our Mets will sink as low as that 74 number. I’m very concerned about Santana. We’re too thin to withstand his loss if his injury lingers or if he’s ineffective.

    • Gregg, a few things…

      Your not-so-foolish 74 is within reach (thanks for not busting out laughing / shooting soda through your nose at my 182 game schedule .. you’re too kind).

      We’ve already seen them go from 8-over to .500 in the blink of an eye. With another two whole months to weather with an already patchwork rotation and ballistic bullpen, 30-38 might be optimistic. MY 87 wins only requires a tidy 40-28 finish. Since they never topped 8-over with so many things going (w)right for almost 4 months, I don’t see them suddenly ripping off two months of .588 ball. Right now, I’d settle for splitting the difference and a winning record at 82-80, with a healthy prognosis and a full clip for 2013.

    • … Ike HAS been a huge disappointment, but despite Keith’s droning about him still being “a little out in front”, he’s nipping at DW’s RBI totals. Top 10 in the NL while batting .210. I see a respectable BA and plenty of production from Ike in the 2nd half.

      Duda HAS been a mess. Maybe it’s just a sophomore slump. Or maybe he’s just A Big Strong Young Man with a Big Strong Chronic Confidence Deficit. One thing for sure — you’re right — he IS bringing his struggles in RF to the dish. He and Kirk have both been useless for a month. Kirk is waaaay better than Torres in CF, but I still can’t kick Gary Cohen’s line of the year about Kirk’s swing, even hitting a HR, “looks like he’s clubbing a seal.” Unless Hudgens does some major mechanical / mental magic to fix Lucas and Kirk’s big loopy swings, I’m afraid big league pitchers will continue to make them both look helpless at the plate, and I can see either or both moved this winter to make room for Den Dekker or what have you.

      Personally, I’d rather SA release Bay and trade Torres (he’s cheap), and start 2013 with an all homegrown OF of Dude LF, Den Dekker CF, Kirk RF. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Problem is, they’re ALL lefties. Unless they somehow learn to HIT lefties, that OF is a pipe dream.

    • … However, DW is still playing like an MVP.

      Ruby Tuesday is still hitting .320 and playing better shortstop than The Marlin.

      Murphy is raking again, back in the neighborhood of .300 and near the top of the NL in doubles, and playing 2B as well as ANYBODY in the organization (not really praising his fielding, just noting the dearth of 2B gloves in the entire system).

      SpinMang has GOT to start seeing some regular playing time in the OF until the league figures out the holes in his swing (as they obviously have with Duda and Kirk). And the kid brings the elusive speed/energy/swagger. As long as someone in the clubhouse keeps him in his place, he’s a plus — and maybe he’s in the OF next year, after they move one of the lefties above for pitching or a RH catcher (please Santa).

  3. My guess is that Baxter’s return pushes Valdespin to Buffalo, where he’ll man the outfield spots exclusively. (If he doesn’t it, it’ll give us a tipoff to the Mets longterm view of Murph.) Kirk, apparently, was on the bubble about being sent down rather than Miggy. So that could happen as well. That would leave Valdespin as the backup in center though…and I suspect TC wants no part of that.

    • Last I heard, Baxter was swinging the bat, but still couldn’t THROW because of the broken wing, so I don’t know what the timetable is for him to return. Can’t see SA bringing him up until TC can use him in the OF (and, whaddaya know, another LEFTY bat!). I know Baxter strengthens the bench, and brings at least as much speed and defense as V-Spin. But I wonder what you mean about TC wanting no part of him (V) in the OF. Why not? Hasn’t he played well out there in every chance so far?

      PS — just tuned in, top of the 1st, about an hour behind. Skipping commercials, I should catch up by crunchtime.

  4. I’m reading between the lines of what Collins has said (and I’m only meaning it about him backing up center). He’s done okay in the outfield thus far, but spent only 15 games there in the minors. I could be wrong….but Collins seems reluctant. As though he’s waiting for something to go wrong.

    • I take it you mean V-Spin’s “poor” throw on the run-scoring single to LF. If THAT is Terry’s reason not to play an outfielder, Torres would have been relegated to the bench or released by now. H’e already airmailed 3 throws in the past week, none of which were in the ZIP CODE of the plate. Hairston, who’s played a ton of LF and RF and is as weak-armed as anyone on the roster, made 2-3 much worse throws this weekend alone.

      Honestly, I know Valdespin’s minor league rep is “erratic fielder” prone to lots of errors, but I thought it was you who pointed out that most of them came at SS. I’m not touting his outfield skills, cause I’ve only seen a very small sample, but from what I HAVE seen, he’s no worse than everyone who HAS been playing, except for Kirk, Baxter and Bay (who is much better than his rep).

  6. Will do. Just starting the top of the 4th here in DVRville.

    Niese looks in cool and in command today. Hopefully, he’ll put an end to this “sucks so far this year on regular rest” meme.

  9. Arrrrrgh! Justice IS blind in the bottom of the 9th. And, after the blown call on the Dodgers’ SB yesterday that allowed them to plate the margin of victory, I don’t wanna hear another plainly blown call at first was a fair trade because Ike’s double earlier shoulda been called foul. This year, this umpire ineptitude is NOT evening out.

    On to BonusBall. Good value for your quarter.

Leave a Comment / Reply