Edgy MD

Mendoza has a cool way of using him that other managers should emulate. When a starter is looking like he may have to exit the game early, the manager usually gets his long man up. But Butto (or Adrian Houser before him), like many or most long men, is accustomed to starting but doesn't currently have a home in the rotation. So when Mendoza has to hook his starter mid-inning, rather than going right to his long man, he has often gone to Ottavino, or perhaps another short reliever who he doesn't expect to need at the end of the game. Ottavino can close out the inning, and Butto or whoever can enter like a starter, at the top of the next inning, with a full and deliberate warmup, and maybe give enough innings to hopefully lock things down until the later part of the game. Best of both worlds. The only short reliever I can remember deployed like that, as a pre-longman early-game stopper, was maybe Jorge Julio. (At least, I think it was Jorge Julio, but I conflate him and Frank Francisco.) If you play Diamond Mind or some other simulation, try making some Ottavino-like guy your pre-longman early-game stopper.

SECOND PLACE!!! secondplacesecondplacesecondplacesecondplacesecondplacesecondplacesecondplace!!!!

Jacob Stallings is one tall catcher.

I'm not sure, but I think Huascar Brazobán has about 50 options. They'll probably have to shed more than one guy, though.

I think they have some relievers they want to look at before some hard decisions come up. Stanek looks ... good(?!).

Riley Pint (?) coming on for the Rocks.

"Céspedes ... off ... hunting wild boars ... somewhere."

This is (hopefully) great for Peterson. It gives him a chance to lean on his hard stuff.

I was helping my wife find something and had to tune in late and HOLYFUCKINGSHIT!!

Nimmo's absence from the starting lineup today also gives him a chance to defend his title as Schaefer Bench Player of the Month.

Transactions, 8/7/2024 [th]Direction[/th][td90]COMING[/td90][th]Transaction [/th][td90]Transferred from Binghamton to Syracuse on Rehab Assignment[/td90][th]Position Group [/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitchers[/th][th][/th][td90][fimg=90]https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-photos/image/upload/w_213,q_100/v1/people/656887/headshot/67/current[/fimg][/td90][th]Name [/th][td90]Sean Reid-Foley [fimg=50]https://metsrostercentral.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/flag-guam.png[/fimg][/td90][th]DoB[/th][td90]1995-08-30[/td90][th]B/T[/th][td90]R/R[/td90][th]High Level[/th][td90]MLB (2024)[/td90] We are forced to temper all expectations of what Reed Garrett and Sean Reid-Foley will be able to offer when they return, but a pen that includes them both healthy, along with Edwin Díaz, José Butto, Dedniel Nuñez (no longer feeling soreness, according to the most recent reports), and the Young brothers can certainly stir one's imagination.

Lots of righties in the lineups today as both teams send southpaws to the mound. Mets give Nimmo and Winker blows. Nimmo's going to be pissed if his family is in the house. But hey, the Roxxx are taking the field without McMahon playing third, so that should give the Mets about five extra hits right there. [TABLE][TR][TH][/TH][TH][FIMG=250]https://metsrostercentral.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/buddy-grote-patch.png[/FIMG] [FIMG=250]https://cdn.freebiesupply.com/images/large/2x/new-york-mets-logo-transparent.png[/FIMG][/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TD] [FIMG=250]https://cdn.freebiesupply.com/images/large/2x/colorado-rockies-logo-transparent.png[/FIMG][/TD][TH][/TH][/TR] [TR][TH]#[/TH][TH]Player[/TH][TH]Pos.[/TH][TH]#[/TH][TH]Player[/TH][TH]Pos.[/TH][/TR] [TR][TD]=#FF5910]1[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Francisco Lindor (S)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]ss[/TD][TD]=#C4CED4]1[/TD][TD]=#33006F]Ezequiel Tovar (R)[/TD][TD]=#131413]ss[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#FF5910]2[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Jose Iglesias (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]2b[/TD][TD]=#C4CED4]2[/TD][TD]=#33006F]Brendan Rodgers (R)[/TD][TD]=#131413]2b[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#FF5910]3[/TD][TD]=#002D72]J.D. Martinez (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]dh[/TD][TD]=#C4CED4]3[/TD][TD]=#33006F]Brenton Doyle (R)[/TD][TD]=#131413]cf[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#FF5910]4[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Pete Alonso (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]1b[/TD][TD]=#C4CED4]4[/TD][TD]=#33006F]Kris Bryant (R)[/TD][TD]=#131413]dh[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#FF5910]5[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Mark Vientos (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]3b[/TD][TD]=#C4CED4]5[/TD][TD]=#33006F]Jacob Stallings (R)[/TD][TD]=#131413]c[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#FF5910]6[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Luis Torrens (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]3b[/TD][TD]=#C4CED4]6[/TD][TD]=#33006F]Michael Toglia (S)[/TD][TD]=#131413]1b[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#FF5910]7[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Jeff McNeil (L)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]rf[/TD][TD]=#C4CED4]7[/TD][TD]=#33006F]Hunter Goodman (R)[/TD][TD]=#131413]rf[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#FF5910]8[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Harrison Bader (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]cf[/TD][TD]=#C4CED4]8[/TD][TD]=#33006F]Sam Hilliard (L)[/TD][TD]=#131413]lf[/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]=#FF5910]9[/TD][TD]=#002D72]Tyrone Taylor (R)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]lf[/TD][TD]=#C4CED4]9[/TD][TD]=#33006F]Aaron Schunk (R)[/TD][TD]=#131413]3b[/TD][/TR] [TR][TH][/TH][TH]Pitcher[/TH][TH][/TH][TH][/TH][TH]Pitcher[/TH][TH][/TH][/TR] [TR][TD]=#FF5910][/TD][TD]=#002D72]David Peterson (L)[/TD][TD]=#FF5910]sp[/TD][TD]=#33006F][/TD][TD]=#33006F]Austin Gomber (L)[/TD][TD]=#131413]sp[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]

I'm putting about 100 cranes on Ozzie Guillen being willing and crazy enough to come back and give it a go.

1. Amazing that you wrote that, and I could not for the life of me come up with the guy's name. 2. Even after looking it up, not a single cell in my brain said, "Oh, yeah, him." Maybe half a cell. 3. He replaced Tony LaRussa, who had the audacity to finish with a .500 record. 4. Amazingly, they announced his firing without announcing who would take over as interim. They apparently haven't yet been able to talk anybody into doing it. They have a day off today and they hope to have something figured out by tomorrow when the players get to the park.

Congratulations to Lindor, but I was really hoping Huascar Brazobán would pull this one out.

Apparently, nobody plays the ball off the wall in right field here.

Wasn't there a long period there when the Mets were hesitatant to let Luis Torrens catch Diaz?

I was hoping for one there. I didn't dare dream we'd get two.

So many options right now. Taylor batting for himself. J.D. is tempting but they don't want a double-play.

Let's get Diaz up.

Iglesias, Álvarez, Gamel, Taylor due up in the ninth. Bader, Martinez, Vientos, and Torrens all available off the benchsicle.

Mets have had 10 groundouts to three flyouts.

It's not like the Mets aren't getting the leadoff runner on and stranding him also. But let's get Butto some support here.

New strategy — stop hitting anything within reach of an infielder.

Gamel gets down the line.