Frayed Knot

At this point, ending the season on a run of somethong like 10-47 seems like a distinct possibility, if not a probability. The old saying about how you're never as bad as you look when you're losing is true ... because they're worse!!

Mets have now missed tags for the cycle.

We're burning through a ton of bullpen tonight. But at least we've got Megill going tomorrow.

This game is about to go from a tie in the top of the 6th to a mercy-rule loss before the bottom half is over.

Both a hesitation from Lindor before throwing and then a bit of a balloon throw considering how short a throw it was. It like he either didn't expect the runner to go or he assumed he already had and there was no play.

And even here, as they score for just the second time in the last 24 innings, it took a pitcher falling apart (and a slow hook) issuing three straight BBs and then their #3 & #4 hitters go weak contact and weak contact. Fortunately in this case, the well-placed weak bloop came before the GIDP weak grounder.

I'm surprised Alvarez was able to cruise into 3rd uncontested. Mountcastle seemed to give up early on that one even though the throw would have been short and his momentum leading him in the right direction.

Mets have now scored in four of their last 33 innings. And now, because they have two runners on, odds are the streak will stretch to 34.

On the other hand, no one has fallen further than McSquirrel who mostly looks like a cricket player these days trying to steer soft singles towards empty spots on the field. Four seasons ago he hit 23 HRs. He's hit 23 since (2020-2023)

It's also gotten to where it was a couple years ago where it seems as if getting runners on cconsistency decreases their odds of scoring. The hitting both suxx And is poorly timed.

A(nother) play not made forces Peterson to throw 9 or 10 extra pitches, but he does a nice job getting out of early trouble.

With two outs and your power hitter up Francisco ... Really?!?!!??

So check out these OPS+ numbers from last season vs this one --------------- 2023 ---- 2022 Pete Alonso -- 123 ------- 148 Jeff McNeal ----- 86 -----141 Francisco Lindor 115 ---- 126 Mark Canha --- 102 ----- 123 (and less playing time) Brandon Nimmo - 117 --- 131 Starling Marte -- 79 ------ 133 (and lots of missed time) So even with a large upgrade at catcher and plus Pham picking up a chunk of the slack, those factors are only enough to put this offense 6th from the bottom in RS/G which is more than 1/4 run per game below league average and about 1-1/4 per below the top teams (ATL & LAD) As I've mentioned in several IGT's over the last few days, much of our ire during this summer of discontent has seemed to focus on the pitching woes. To some extent it's understandable considering Verlander's injury and delayed entrance, Scherzer's missed starts for health and suspension issues (plus his gopher-itis), Quintanta missing more than half the season right out of the gate, Carrasco's decline, the regression of both Megill and Peterson to the point where no longer even resemble ready for prime time players, the loss of Diaz, runners running wild on Ottavino, and so on. And yet, even with all that, this motley crew has maintained an ERA right at league average ERA for more than 100 games. Not that an average staff is what we expected coming in, nor is enough to duplicate a 101 win season. And, as they move forward after three major pieces were dealt away, there might be some serious ugliness going forward. But at least for the moment what we've had has be a lot more mediocre than terrible.

=Fman99 post_id=134009 time=1691173148 user_id=86] I whiffed on ATL/SD

Even I was able to complete today's I.G.

Carrasco wasn't good today -- I personally think Buck should have taken a decent 5 from him and pulled the plug -- but was doing reasonably well in limiting worse damage (until that final pitch he threw). And he was still several slots below being the worst issue today. We seem to focus so much on the pitching (both before and since the big trades) that it's like the offensive and defensive shortcomings are getting ignored. This Just In: WE GOT SHUT OUT FOR 17 STRAIGHT INNINGS BY THE 2nd WORST PITCHING STAFF IN BASEBALL!!!!! And, boy, wasn't the 2R HR that broke that stretch just super clutch? They also went something like 1/50 w/RiSP (and that hit led to an out at home), produced contact like they were swinging with rolled-up damp newspapers, had ONE non-HR hit that drove in a run (all three games combined) and, like Michael Jackson, the players were wearing a glove on one hand for no apparent reason.

Translation: 'Look how many millions they gave me for pitching 16 games/94 innings!!!!!' OK, he could very well be sincere in his remarks too. If so it was nice of him to say so publicly.

Incompetent is the only word that comes to mind. The hard hit ball ratio in this series must have 3 or 4 to 1 Mets scored in four of the 27 innings. Five of their eight total runs came via three HRs: a solo, a meaningless 2R HR, and a 2R HR where the runner was (ghost)-gifted to them, not someone who actually earned their way on. The other runs scored on a bloop, an out (Sac Fly) and a bases loaded walk. So there was ONE non-HR RBI hit, a soft one. And the most common phrase used during NYM ABs had to be 'Popped Up'

Marlins win in the 12th. So the Kimbrel IB (Intentional Balk) had nothing to do with the outcome but it's still a baffling 'strategy'.

At some point someone needs to acknowledge that the offense is a bigger problem than the pitching and the pitching is not of major league caliber.

That HR was essentially meaningless cuz we weren't scoring three runs if this game went 20 innings.

Edgy MD wrote: Bickford kind of falls off the mound like he's going to end up on his face after the pitch. And he kind of did on that one.

=G-Fafif post_id=133895 time=1691029659 user_id=55] 1,212. Phil Bickford

btw, not only would I not be offended by the barefoot guy in the hotel, there's a decent chance that I would be the barefoot guy in the hotel.

Craig Kimbrel, trying to close out a 2R lead for Philly in the bottom 10th in Miami, intentionally balked the ghost runner to 3rd by dropping the ball (to prevent sign stealing???). Marlins scored the run on an out so it's tying run at the plate either way. And the Marlins put the next two on and tie the game anyway.