Back in the Saddle IGT 08/03, Mets @ 'stros

[Frayed Knot]

This whole weekend has been a bad baserunning clnic.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Way to go, Kunz!

No Murphy today?

[Guest KC]

They said early in the game that Murphy and Evans are platooning. They
didn't say if that was announced or anything, or if they were just saying it
because it's that way on day two.

[Zvon]

They say the Mets have not come back from a 4 run deficit all season.
Thats pretty weak.

Time to change that lil stat...

[Zvon]

I'd never turn off a Met game cuz I get to see such a limited amount of games on TV, but if I was one a you guys with SNY this would be the point where I would turn this game off.

[Zvon]

Actually even if I had SNY I'd never turn a Met game off.
I'm just that way.

But this game has been tough to watch.

[Zvon]

I'll go thru the motions and throw up the graphics.

[Guest KC]

Yeah, it's just pathetic to watch sometimes.

Why are there Mets in the dugout looking happy? Sit down and look
dejected dammit.

Finger-pointing fist fight on the charter later, details in the morning.

[Frayed Knot]

I just want to see how many more runners we can leave all over the place. There's a contest going to see whether we can strand as many runners as the LA-Angel make errors for the day.
I think we've put 13 on base so far with zippo scoring - it's quite an accomplishment really.

[Zvon]

KC wrote: Yeah, it's just pathetic to watch sometimes. Why are there Mets in the dugout looking happy? Sit down and look dejected dammit. Finger-pointing fist fight on the charter later, details in the morning.

lol.
I was just thinking the same thing.
Camera shows J.Reyes laughing after the groundout and then Wright just on the mound with a shit eatting grin during the pitching change and I'm thinking, "Hey, don't be having fun and smilin'. There's no smiling in losing baseball...".

[Zvon]

We need a comeback to put some wind back in our sails.

[Guest KC]

They need a collective enema.

Er, I mean let's go mets!!!

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

This is the part of the order that can do it!

I like this Murphy kid.

[Guest AG/DC]

How about Reyes going after ball four?

Have the Mets ever been shut out by this many pitchers in one game?

[Zvon]

Can't totally lay this on Cancel, cuz 11 LOB is everybodys fault.
Still, to me, that was the turning point (if there ever was a point)
and he gets to be the goat.

[G-Fafif]

Anybody else catch the MBTN shoutout from Gary? Much dithering over the obscurities and nonentities who besides Kunz wore 44 before he went to The Source, crediting "our friends at Mets By The Numbers Dot Com" for reminding them David Cone, Jason Isringhausen and Lastings Milledge were all in on 44.

No mention, however, of my eternal 44, Bob Myrick.

[Gwreck]

I thought -- from my 12th row seat behind home plate (no sign of George and Barbara Bush) -- that Meriwether was calling the strikes inconsistently.

Nick Evans should not be playing left field. Cannot believe he did not get an error when he fell down, and then on the next batter, his slow pursuit and retrieval of the ball in the corner allowed the second run to score. Oliver deserved better (no walks, again). Houston getting three runners thrown out on the bases in terrible fashion was no comfort, nor was David Newhan's GIDP.

Kunz looked nervous of course but if he controls the fastball he should be ok.

The Houston fans still really hate Beltran. "He deserted us for a couple extra million" was the stated reason. They don't seem to understand capitalism (in Houston, of all places!), or that their owner has plenty of dough, or that Beltran wasn't exactly a homegrown player, or what he did for them in the playoffs, etc. Suffice to say that the Houston fans did not impress at all in terms of baseball intelligence.

[nymr83]

its the fact that he wasn't a homegrown player that really bothers me. they are booing the guy because of a misperception that they couldn't afford him while ignoring the fact that they only got him in the first place because KC was less able to afford him.

[Guest AG/DC]

Good point.

On Nick Evans... sure, except, if you're not going to score any runs, it doesn't matter if you have Roberto Clemente out there.

[stevejrogers]

Eh, its mostly what he and Boras did during the negotiations, the fact that they played their usual games with the Astros, and in the end took the New York deal despite it being comparable.

[Gwreck]

AG/DC wrote: Good point. On Nick Evans... sure, except, if you're not going to score any runs, it doesn't matter if you have Roberto Clemente out there.

Nick Evans is also a big part of the "not scoring any runs" problem. If you're giving up on getting offense from the position, we should at least put Chavez out there -- yes, even against a lefty.

Unless and until Evans can hit, he shouldn't have a place on the team.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Gwreck wrote: If you're giving up on getting offense from the position, we should at least put Chavez out there -- yes, even against a lefty.

Makes sense to me.

There's really a lot riding on Ryan Church's return, isn't there?

[Guest AG/DC]

Except Evans has an OPS of .774 against lefthanders and Chavez one of .535. Starting him once or twice a week seems defensible given the team's options.

[Gwreck]

Tiny sample size (30 PAs) for that stat, however. After the one glorious game in Coors Field, Evans is 8 for 45 with one double and one RBI.

That being said, I would agree that it's defensible (even if I don't like it/disagree) for Manuel to give him a start once a week. Minaya doesn't have the same excuse.

[Benjamin Grimm]

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