Edgy MD

Nats are a tough lineup. But with a bullpen to tee off on.

They'd do well to play two tonight, as the sweeping Nor'easter and disastrous Ed Sheeran tour aims to bring the Eastern seaboard to a standstill this weekend. First career start for Def Jef Yan. Lobber Jefry Yan LHP 2-1, 4.34 ERA, 25 SO A Lineup F Lindor (S) SS J Soto (L) LF B Bichette (R) 3B M Vientos (R) DH C Benge (L) RF F Alvarez (R) C M Semien (R) 2B A Ewing (L) CF C Morel (R) 1B Tosser Andrew Alvarez LHP 2-6, 3.17 ERA, 107 SO Lineup J Wood (L) DH A Chaparro (R) 1B B House (R) 3B D Crews (R) RF C Abrams (L) SS J Young (R) CF D Lile (L) LF K Ruiz (S) C J Vivas (L) 2B

Take this gold sticker and affix it to your FOREHEAD! You have been an absolute PLEASURE to have in class. Don't think for minute you've been overlooked, either. Endy had our highest difficulty rating, but you just went out and got him. The other kids see this, and look to you as a leader, and Imma tell your parents when we do our conferences, assuming they show up this semester. Dillon and Endy, Endy and Dill. Welcome to the list. TWENTY bWAR-RIEST METS WHO ALSO PLAYED FOR THE RANGERS Jacob deGrom 41.2 Carlos Beltrán 31.1 Jon Matlack 26.6 Brando Nimmo 26.0 Bud Harrelson 18.6 Rick Reed 16.4 R.A. Dickey 12.9 Lee Mazzilli 12.5 Max Scherzer 7.3 Rusty Staub 6.8 Asdrúbal Cabrera 6.7 Lenny Randle 5.0 Dillon Gee 4.9 Bartolo Colon 4.7 Roger McDowell 4.3 Endy Chavez 3.1

Pelf never banged a gong for the Rangers Don't forget this guy also had a subtle, signature manner in which to pimp his homeruns.

Neither Mike nor Syndy are members of this bunch. Both played in the AL West, but neither with Los Guardabosques. YES! Before his years of Mets GLORY, Wick Weed was an undistinguished member of the 1993-1994 Rangers, but he made enough of an impression on rising Texas scout Omar Minaya that when Omar came to the Mets, Wick followed. And prospered, he did! TWENTY bWAR-RIEST METS WHO ALSO PLAYED FOR THE RANGERS Jacob deGrom 41.2 Carlos Beltrán 31.1 Jon Matlack 26.6 Brando Nimmo 26.0 Bud Harrelson 18.6 Rick Reed 16.4 R.A. Dickey 12.9 Lee Mazzilli 12.5 Max Scherzer 7.3 Rusty Staub 6.8 Asdrúbal Cabrera 6.7 Lenny Randle 5.0 Bartolo Colon 4.7 Roger McDowell 4.3

Jim earned all of 0.1 bWAR as a Met, but that was a hella 'spensive 0.1 bWAR. That left Fregosi tied for 72nd among Mets who flatuated in Texas togs, but not qualifying him for our list. Here's another hint — one of the dudes we're looking for is a pitcher who once started for the Mets on Opening Day.

Ryan Clifford has had a disastrous season — batting .180 at Syracuse. The purpose of players like Cristian Pache is largely to keep the likes of Ryan Clifford off the roster. Some roster spots have less utility for securing guys you need, and are more for carrying guys you don't really need, and won't feel any need to protect after the season.

Elliott Maddox farted so much as a Ranger, that his teammates called him "Smelliott." His Ranger legacy is cemented in his favorite after dinner story — telling of how, with team after team that he ended up with, his arrival tended to be followed shortly after by the hiring of Billy Martin, and he would quickly get traded. But baseball-reference, for some reason, did not like his 1979 performance at all, awarding him 0.0 bWAR for a season that doesn't look that different from his 1978 and 1980 performance, leaving him 28th in WAR by Mets-who-would-be-Rangers, just behind Todd Zeile, as a matter of fact. Jesse played for a bunch teams the second half of his career, but none as a Range-Rover. He was a two-time Mets All-Star and earned a goodly amount of bWARs for a reliever, but he is not the Met we're looking for. You'd figure a professional hitter like Dave would find his way to Arlington, but Dave Danger was not a Ranger. Here's another hint — the guy with the 63% Zeile-ness also had a signature way of subtly pimping his homers.

A two-time Mets All-Star, with a solid Mets post-season resume to boast of.

Jorgy definitely Ranged, but a second and related part of my antipathy for fWAR is its miserliness toward pinch-hitters and other bench assets, who — as Mike Jorgensen was — are deployed sparingly but in the sort of high-leverage spots that fWAR and its WAR cousins ignore. Mike, therefore, had a dispiriting -0.7 fWAR as a Met, situating him at a sub-basement-dwelling 161st all-time among Lone Star Mets, far too low to breathe the sweet air of this list. But the Me Decade Review continues!

Decent indeed, but part of my distaste for fWAR is that it screws relievers, which TW was, more often than not, as a Met. Trev earned 1.9 fWAR as a Met, good for 33rd among once and future Arlington athletes, but not enough to qualify for this lofty list.

Claudell did, indeed, fart through Ranger pants, but his Met career was way brief and earned him only one bWAR. I like the 1970s Big Hair and Plastic Grass direction of this thread, but 'Blood spent almost all of his post-Mets career with a long run as professional hitter for the Giants. No Ranger farts. Here's a hint for one guy — he wasn't Todd Zeile, but it's very easy to associate him with Zeile, as he had, like, 63% Todd Zeile-ness in his makeup.

No, not Bobby. Remember that we're only looking for significant legacies as a Mets. If they so much as cut a fart in a Ranger uniform, that qualifies them. I'd even give you Bobby for his managerial career, but he too had a negative WAR as a Met.

Bleef.

And everybody on the Mets swings at the first pitch?

Jordan Montgomery on for the save?

Bloody empty eighth, too.

I'm so, so alone.

Baty and Vientos are on something like a classical platoon, but Baty gets to hit for Vientos more than Vientos gets to hit for Baty. And with that, Baty singles against the lefty.

Yan getting called in before Lavender, and getting bombed right away.

Thornton getting damned hugs after five innings and 83 pitches. All the more reason to get him a lead now.

Sixth inning, top of the order, and a great time to turn this 2-1 deficit upside-down.

Mets booth essaying on the minor-but-not-meaningless scandal of the Nats aggressively ignoring their Expo history.

Jung just homered on a meatball. I wonder if a pitcher, when he knows is catcher is smarting from taking a couple of pitches off the flesh — as just happened with Torrens — is subconsciously reluctant to throw breaking pitches in the dirt or something else that's hard to handle.

Under way with a 1-0 lead on a Benge RBI single. Is Keith reporting for duty today?