IGT 9/12/16: NYM@WAS -- The Rafael With It

[G-Fafif]

The second Wild Card-holding Mets travel to the nation's capital to send a message to those first-place pointyheaded bureaucrats. Rafael Montero and Mat Latos are your starters, as unlikely as that sounds when stripped of context.

Let's Go Mets, of course.

[Lefty Specialist]

Latos is a ridiculous human being.

[Centerfield]

Just gotta survive this series. After this the schedule lightens up. Come on Mets. Just tread water here.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yeah, winning one out of three wouldn't be horrible.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I'm in a playoff mindset now and dont want to slip in and out. Win the first one and then
we'll talk series or sweep. Show we belong in the hunt like yesterday!

[Guest d'Kong76]

Reyes 3B
Cabrera SS
Cespedes LF
Granderson CF
K. Johnson 2B
Bruce RF
d�Arnaud C
Loney 1B
Montero P

Turner CF
Werth LF
Murphy 2B
Harper RF
Rendon 3B
Ramos C
Zimmerman 1B
Espinosa SS
Latos P

[ashie62]

Mat Latos does not scare me.

[Lefty Specialist]

Trump fan in the front row, eating fries from a basket.

[Centerfield]

Throw strikes Montero.

[Lefty Specialist]

Brutal. He simply can't throw strikes.

[ashie62]

Montero scares me.

[Frayed Knot]

Well, look at it this way: it could have been a lot worse.

[Lefty Specialist]

Incredibly lucky to only be down 2-1. 37 pitches. Sheesh.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Ashie62 wrote: Mat Latos does not scare me.

His bat should! Just jokin'...

[Lefty Specialist]

Well, ballgame. That's the last we'll see of Montero for a while.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Let's hope Montero doesn't need to get any more starts this season.

[Zvon]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Well, ballgame. That's the last we'll see of Montero for a while.

forEVER[/bigpurple]

[Zvon]

I would have run Montero out there for the 2nd but after the HR to the pitcher leading off the inning..that was it 4 me.

[MFS62]

My kid caught Steve Blass Disease after being known for his excellent control when he was coming up through the minors. I had hoped that he might learn something from Bartolo. Didn't happen.
Shame.

Later

[Lefty Specialist]

Zvon wrote: Lefty Specialist wrote: Well, ballgame. That's the last we'll see of Montero for a while. forEVER[/bigpurple]

Well, he might turn up in an orange apron at my local Home Depot.

[Zvon]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Lefty Specialist wrote: Well, ballgame. That's the last we'll see of Montero for a while. forEVER[/bigpurple] Well, he might turn up in an orange apron at my local Home Depot.

Not if they give a mental aptitude test.

[Edgy MD]

I'm pretty sure we'll see him again.

[Edgy MD]

So who was for pinch-hitting for him in the top of the second.

I wasn't paying attention at the time, but that would have been cool, decisiveness-wise.

Washington getting some pitcher attrition of their own.

[Zvon]

Oh wow. With 2 outs to go for a decision. Maybe just a cramp. This may bode well. It can't bode worse.

[Zvon]

Edgy MD wrote: So who was for pinch-hitting for him in the top of the second. I wasn't paying attention at the time, but that would have been cool, decisiveness-wise. Washington getting some pitcher attrition of their own.

With the tying run on 2nd Id be okay with that as well.

But I know TC. He wants to know if Montero can find it. He wants to know what he's got. Especially after the guy does his worst. Collins seems to always give the player the opportunity to balance the scales. I kinda respect that as a character building thing. But this is not the time for such tests.

You know what we got w/Montero, I know what we got w/Montero, by now TC should know what we got w/Montero. A Sept. race for a spot is not the time to be giving a pitcher with such a glaring problem a second chance.

And as I said, I was also ok w/him starting the 2nd. But as soon as he gives up a gopher to the PITCHER(!), Terry gave him a third chance. I'm still a TC fan but he's gonna hear a lot of shit about this one. More than the Flores business and more difficult to deflect.

[Edgy MD]

I honestly don't know what we've got in Montero. I may know better today than yesterday. But it's folly to think things are cast definitively.

We have a Bruce hit in captivity.

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah, good idea Dusty. At 2-1/2 hours for 6 innings this game was moving much too quickly, so switching pitchers prior to the first pitch of the inning was completely necessary when facing a switch-hitter with an 7-run game lead and a 9-game division lead.

[Zvon]

Edgy MD wrote: I honestly don't know what we've got in Montero. I may know better today than yesterday. But it's folly to think things are cast definitively. We have a Bruce hit in captivity.

Then I should only speak for myself. But 9 walks in 10 innings (and that was before the game) and he's not on a short leash, he's got a tiny short noose to work with. IMO, of course.

[Zvon]

I had never seen or heard Gary laugh so hard.

[fimg=400:2syfrrtd]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CsMpfEKUEAACfeb.jpg[/fimg:2syfrrtd]

[Frayed Knot]

Zvon wrote: A Sept. race for a spot is not the time to be giving a pitcher with such a glaring problem a second chance.

Which leaves the question, if not him then who? This team has already gone ten deep in starters so it's either giving one of the other spare parts a second (third?) chance: Ynoa?, Merrett?, Niese is no longer in the equation, or give it to a completely new starter: Gilmartin? Smoker?