First Sunday IGT, 2026-03-29 (Pirates vs Mets, 1:40pm)

[Edgy MD]

It turned out to be a pretty evenly matched series.  I'd probably give the edge to the Pirates if the Mets hadn't come (mostly) within a bad send of sweeping.

I hope you're wrong and Lovelady doesn't get a DFA over this.  He was the winning pitcher yesterday and almost was again today.   None of it was pretty, but somebody is always going to be eventually the guy who doesn't get it done in a game like this.  Devin Williams, meanwhile, never had to take off his warmup jacket.

 

[Frayed Knot]

22 minutes ago, Lefty Specialist said:

Ehh, it took a perfect play to get him.  Not the best send, but not the dumbest either.

It was a bad send on account of the situation. Don't send and it's tying on 3rd/winning on 2nd, no outs & 3-4-5 due up.

[Edgy MD]

6 minutes ago, Frayed Knot said:

It was a bad send on account of the situation. Don't send and it's tying on 3rd/winning on 2nd, no outs & 3-4-5 due up.

And a pitcher pitching with a dirty diaper.

[Fman99]

Wait the pitcher had poopy pants ?  I missed that. 

Disappointing ending 😞 

[Edgy MD]

METS WIN EXPECTANCY WITH SOTO COMING TO THE PLATE:  32%

METS WIN EXPECTANCY AFTER ALVAREZ SCORED:  52%

METS WIN EXPECTANCY AFTER LINDOR WAS TAGGED OUT:  28.5%
METS WIN EXPECTANCY HAED LINDOR BEEN SAFE:  82.2%

The data comes (a) without regard for who was due up, and (b) from a source I cannot vouch for.

[Edgy MD]

9 minutes ago, Fman99 said:

Wait the pitcher had poopy pants ?  I missed that. 

Disappointing ending 😞 

HIs whole system was rumbling as Soto's hit dropped in and he carefully scuttled to back up at home, but then he squeezed tight and held it all in after Lindor was tagged.

I'm surprised I'm the only one who saw this.

[Centerfield]

Not pitching Williams. 
 

sending Lindor. Two dumb decisions cost them the game. 
 

[metirish]

Right, Lindor was a long way from the plate when the ball was thrown by the cut-off man and about to reach the catcher 

[Gwreck]

11 minutes ago, Centerfield said:

Not pitching Williams. 

Williams and Raley were unavailable per the post-game press conference.  If so, then Mendoza bungled the use of Brazoban and Manaea.

As a separate issue, if neither of our two best relievers can’t pitch a second day after throwing 19 and 11 pitches the prior day, we’ve got some issues with Stearns here.

[Frayed Knot]

With two outs you definitely send him. With one you're more likely to do so.

But with no one out you gotta be pretty durn sure he's going to be safe.  The Pirates got two good throws off and did so quickly. But while the relay from shallow LF was reasonably accurate it also two-hopped the catcher so it's not like it was a bullet that just nipped him.

Bottom line: I want three shots there to tie it from 90 feet (and maybe win it), not two to maybe tie it from 180.

[Gwreck]

Exactly.  You cannot send the runner there unless he can safely score standing.

[Edgy MD]

I got the idea that Lindor was sore after going in headfirst on his triple, with his hands coming down hard on the bag, hamates first.

[Frayed Knot]

And then he got a face-full of leather sliding into the plate.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

 Lindor was so out my first thought was that he must've blown through a stop sign. We were watching in a bar with no sound but i never saw them show what if anything our 3rd base coach did.

If he waved him in that was really bad judgement and made Lindor look like an idiot.

 

[Frayed Knot]

I/we never saw a replay either so I just assumed he was sent. And, as mentioned above somewhere, no one in the booth brought up the subject of the pros and cons of sending him there ... which was kind of odd.

[Centerfield]

2 hours ago, Gwreck said:

Exactly.  You cannot send the runner there unless he can safely score standing.

I mean this is it. End of discussion. 
 

if he’s held there and they lose no one would question the decision. 

[Centerfield]

What makes it worse is defending the decision afterwards. People fuck up. Badly sometimes. Own it and learn from it. 
 

Gaslighting and excuse making is insulting. Leave that to the President. 

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I just read up on this and the line is that Mendoza decided before the series to be "aggressive" as though such a decision precluded common sense with a game on the line.

 We may as well commit to being "aggressive" about whether Tim Lieper and Mendoza suck ass.

[Edgy MD]

5 hours ago, Johnny Lunchbucket said:

I just read up on this and the line is that Mendoza decided before the series to be "aggressive" as though such a decision precluded common sense with a game on the line.

 We may as well commit to being "aggressive" about whether Tim Lieper and Mendoza suck ass.

Put alongside the reported pre-game commitment to not use their best relievers, it works as a remarkable cop out.  Our hands were tied before the game so we can't be held responsible for poorly strategizing based on the situation at hand.

I wish somebody had would tell them that paying people sit in the cold asking for nothing more than a good-faith performance.

That really is a Jerry Manuel defense.

[Edgy MD]

14 hours ago, Centerfield said:

What makes it worse is defending the decision afterwards. People fuck up. Badly sometimes. Own it and learn from it. 

The thing is that players are expected to do this all the time.  I'm committed to doing my best.  Today you didn't see that.  That's on me.

You say that, turn the page, and you hopefully move forward.

[whippoorwill]

They decided not to use their best relievers?  Saving them up for something?

[Edgy MD]

38 minutes ago, whippoorwill said:

They decided not to use their best relievers?  Saving them up for something?

According to Gwreck, above.

 

19 hours ago, Gwreck said:

Williams and Raley were unavailable per the post-game press conference.  If so, then Mendoza bungled the use of Brazoban and Manaea.

As a separate issue, if neither of our two best relievers can’t pitch a second day after throwing 19 and 11 pitches the prior day, we’ve got some issues with Stearns here.