Gwreck

Lugo was unavailable despite throwing…checks notes…22 pitches yesterday? And having otherwise been inactive since Monday?

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=70950 time=1625953848 user_id=68] Whatever you think about the seven inning rule, it's not unfair. It applies just the same to both teams and if the Mets were to take the lead in the 6th or 7th, the Pirates would feel shortchanged. Also, the rule wasn't instituted in mid-season.

One run deficit at the end of the 5th is nothing to worry about. Lots of time left in the game. Wait, what's that you say? We're once again subjected to idiotic rule changes? This is intolerable.

The Mets have a “suspended game” to make up against the Marlins on August 31. This is the game from April 11 that was stopped after 2 batters in the top of the first inning (one batter reached). They are resuming the suspended game as a regular, 9 inning game at 1:10 PM, as the first game of a separate-admission doubleheader. But then the otherwise regularly scheduled game at 7:10 PM…has been artificially shortened to 7 innings. This is just madness. There is no justification whatsoever for this nonsense.

Mets are 8-1 in Game 1 of doubleheaders this year, winning the last 6 in a row.

I'd like to see them increase the pace. The pitcher gets the ball, he throws the ball. Enforce the clock. I don't know what the ideal interval between pitches should be. 15 seconds? 20? Whatever, find a number and make it stick. If the pitcher doesn't throw the ball, it's a ball. If the batter isn't in the box, it's a strike. Reducing the milling about between pitches would go a long way. Ben Grimm is correct. That is easily the best way to speed the game up. And it doesn't require making up new stupid rules to do so.

Off Scherzer, too. Also: the giant Swagg Chain is incredible.

[CROSSOUT][/CROSSOUT] Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: I'd prefer baseball like God intended but 7-inning DHs to me are a far smaller offense than magic runners. I agree the automatic runner is worse. But just because something else is worse doesn't mean that the first thing isn't also bad. After all in theory any and every game is a 5-inning affair under existing rules and nobody popped a vein calling it an abomination. This isn't a fair comparison, because the 7-inning games have no potential to ever go the full regulation length. 7 inning games are intolerable because: -Customers are being cheated. A ticket is sold with with the potential that 9 innings will be played is clearly more valuable than a ticket that yields 22% less potentiality. (As discussed elsewhere, this problem can be ameliorated by making all split DHes 9 innings) -Short games privilege the weaker teams. The advantage of the Mets' generally excellent bullpen and starting pitching is diminished when the games are shorter. -There is a competitive imbalance when teams start playing by different rules. Also, games are way too long and 2 in one day is a lot. There's no arguing that I personally don't see this as the crisis that others do (and there is an argument to be made here). But say we all agree. There's still no statistically significant portion of the fanbase is affected by two 9-inning games being scheduled on the same day.

The originally-scheduled game on Saturday was 4:10, so unlike most twi-night doubleheaders, attendance may well be higher at the start of the first game compared to the second game. 7 inning games remain an embarrassment and blight on the sport.

All due respect, I think you've missed the point. No one said the Mets could make that call. As Vaccaro pointed out, Manfred needs to make the rule change. And if that change had been made, that's what the Mets would have done.

Frayed Knot wrote: but somebody somewhere is going to argue, as the Mets apparently would have on Wednesday, that an exception needs to be made in this case and then the flood gates are open for the same thing in other circumstances. I don't buy it. First, there would be no basis for the Mets to request some “exception,” nor is there a basis to suggest they would have even sought one. They would have just played 9 innings starting at 1:10 and 9 innings staring at 7:10. Second, the Commissioner has had no trouble making awful unilateral decisions that everyone has gone along with, so the odds that now a parade-of-horribles-type of “exceptions” would suddenly pop up are…very slim.

I would hate it, personally, but if there was a uniform rule change that every game was 7 innings, well, that would at least make some sense. I am unaware of any major professional sports league in which certain games are arbitrarily randomly scheduled for less than their regulation length.

Exactly.

Frayed Knot wrote: Gary addressed this early on during Game 1 Apparently the official reasoning given was that the weather looked more iffy as the day/night went on so a single admission late-starting DH would make it less likely to get in both games, and that an early-starting single-admission DH would be unfair to the people who bought tickets in advance planning for a 7:10 Wednesday night first pitch. So Vaccaro's idea of Manfred simply banning split-admission 7-inning DH's would inevitably run up against the 'but we need an exception in this case' scenario I think you missed the point. The issue is not that split doubleheaders exist. The problem is the length. Both games should be scheduled for 9 innings. None of the stated “concerns” mentioned above are exacerbated by 9 inning games, nor alleviated by making both 7 innings.

Going to need a grand slam, thanks Pete.

Stupid 7 inning rule again not working in our favor.

We did win Monday so a sweep by the Brewers would have been unlikely. (Edit: you probably meant a doubleheader sweep, not a series sweep).

Are they shifting on Smith? Wound bunt here.

The extra runner is already an abomination. But then using the runner in innings 8 or 9 of a stupidly-shortened game? This is a desecration.

Edgy MD wrote: Running for Pete is fine, but they should have used Vlllar. Or Megill? I presume Villar is our best PH option for the pitcher's spot when that comes up next?

Good thing we have 4 more innings to get back 2 runs. Wait, what's that you say? We're playing under idiotic arbitrary rules again?

Mike Vaccaro coming in hot (and accurately) that 7 inning split doubleheaders must be immediately stopped: https://nypost.com/2021/07/07/rob-manfreds-split-doubleheaders-are-stealing-from-baseball-fans/amp/?__twitter_impression=truehttps://nypost.com/2021/07/07/rob-manfreds-split-doubleheaders-are-stealing-from-baseball-fans/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Fans with tickets for both games are owed (but will not get) a 22% refund.

Steve C. tweeted it was postponed as the Citi Field PA/Scoreboard announced the Mets were “hopeful” that they would play tonight.

=ashie62 post_id=70447 time=1625615880 user_id=90] The window to play is not until 10pm. Doesn't look good.