Thoughts on the Split

[Edgy MD]

I don't know about youse, but a split on the road on the West Coast against the National League's best team, still without a lot of the first string, has got to be encouraging, right?



They threw their top pitchers at the Mets. Those pitchers were generally on. They probably have the best position player in the league. They are the top defensive team in the league and it showed. The Mets pulled a couple of high-profile boners and overcame them. They stayed in games where the starting pitcher was flattening them. They got contributions top to bottom.



I feel like we're living on borrowed time because (1) deGrom can't be unsolveable forever, and (2) someone in the NL East is going to get their game together and make a run. But ... encouraging, right?

[Fman99]

I sure thought so. If you offered me a 2-2 split going in I would have taken that deal. Their track record against teams over .500 going in was poor (3-12 or something like that) so this was a good sign.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm happy with the split, and with the things you mentioned. I also agree about the borrowed time, but so far so good, and hopefully it won't be too many weeks before McNeil and Conforto come back. (Nimmo and Davis sound further off. And frankly, I'm not missing Davis that much.) They can really use Carrasco and Syndergaard, but both seem a long way off. I'd love to see the Mets pick up a reliable starter but I'm not sure how they'll be able to do that. I've read that Scherzer may be dealt before the deadline, but I have a hard time seeing how the Mets could make that deal. He'd be a rental, but at what cost?

[Edgy MD]

Other dark horse Mets that are still out there: José Martinez! Luis Guillorme! Hunter! Fargas! Betances! Almora! Junior! ... .



I'm pretty sure we're getting Jed Lowrie back soon also!

[Willets Point]

I put my thoughts in the IGT so I'll copy and paste them here.

Willets Point wrote: I feel good about this split against the team with the best record in the league. The Mets felt dominant in their wins whereas they only felt a couple of hits away from taking the lead in their losses. You got to figure that if and when their hitters return from the IL they will be positioned to compete with the best teams in baseball.

Note: I think I may have been incorrect about the Padres having the best record in the league when the series started, but they definitely were up there.

[dinosaur jesus]

I'm good with it. The two losses were frustrating because those were winnable games, but the wins were very satisfying. Getting contributions from the minor leaguers and emergency pickups is great, but getting them from Lindor and McCann and Smith is even better, since those are guys the team will need the rest of the way.

[kcmets]

I'm happy enough, but really should have taken 3 of 4 and won't be greedy.

[bmfc1]

I thought that this was a thread about "The Split", the BBC drama. It's a very good show and you can find it on Sundance Now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Split_%28TV_series%29https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Split_(TV_series)

[MFS62]

dinosaur jesus wrote: Getting contributions from the minor leaguers and emergency pickups is great,

Split happens.



If anyone wants to learn how WAR is calculated and is puzzled about how to define "replacement player', I'll have them check out the Mets recent box scores.



Later

[Lefty Specialist]

I'm very happy with the split. I worry that the Mets will actually play worse when the regulars come back; their defense has been stellar with the irregulars. Nimmo and Davis and McNeil won't play the kind of D that Pillar, Villar and Peraza have been playing. Just a thought.

[Benjamin Grimm]

That's occurred to me too, particularly with Davis. McNeil was looking pretty good at second base before he got hurt. If/when Davis gets healthy, I'd consider trading him for a starting pitcher, if possible.

[TransMonk]

I'd take the increased offense over the defense in the long run, though. They have been surviving on great pitching, which is awesome. But looking up and down the boxscore at the OPS stats is majorly depressing. Any successes they are having right now are unsustainable unless the offense improves, IMO.

[Lefty Specialist]

Part of that great pitching has been the defense behind them. And McNeil and Conforto weren't hitting before they hit the IL. Davis was, but in a small sample size.



Not that I don't want them back, but they may not have the immediate impact on the bottom line you would expect.