The Hot Corner

Definitely, it was possible for Mauricio to have scored from first on Vientos' double, but it required a better read and a much quicker break than Mauricio got on the play. Also, Mauricio never seemed to be running all out, he appeared to have assumed that he would be stopped at third base. Mauricio's delayed break on the hit gave Sarbaugh no reasonable option, but to stop him at third base.

The Mets definitely need to put it together so they can fend off the teams closing in on them for the final wildcard spot. I am starting have serious doubts that they can do it. The have not been a good team (offensively and defensively at the same time) for quite some time. I don't expect it to suddenly change in the final month of the season.

If Mauricio had mad the turn and headed home, I believe the likelihood of him being safe was minimal. The Phillies would have needed to throw the relay away or the catcher drop the ball for Mauricio to have had a chance of scoring. With smart (percentage play) in my mind, was to hold him and hope that McNeil can get a hit (or hit a sacrifice fly). Unfortunately, McNeil and Alvarez both struck out to end the game. I feel confident, that sending Mauricio would have simply ended the game one batter sooner (on McNeil's strike out) and spared Alvarez his noncompetitive flailing at bat.

Jett has found it tougher sledding since moving up to AAA Syracuse. In 20 games with Syracuse, he is hitting .215 with .284 OBA. They are moving him around more in Syracuse. He has logged 8 games at shortstop, 8 in CF, and 6 at second base.

well, I did call her a miserable witch. Only one letter off of what I was actually thinking.

Dad and the young man came out way ahead on the deal. Dad taught his son a valuable lesson on how to act like a decent human being and the young boy got a basket of swag from the Marlins and a meet and greet with Harrison Bader (with an autographed baseball thrown in). "Karen" got to take a MLB baseball home. I hope the "internet sleuths" eventually identify the miserable witch that demanded "my ball", so everyone knows her true character.

I like your optimism, but it is unlikely that either Soto or Alonso get an at bat.

Whatever the issue is, Helsley has been a disaster since coming to the Mets.

Looks like Sproat is either very good or very bad. It appears to be alternating between good and bad.

Man, Alonso is so good at picking low throws. He saves a lot of errors for the Mets infielders with his proficiency.

I would have been more prone to going with Mauricio batting left handed, if I was to hit for Marte.

A walk to Soto and a high chopper infield single by Alonso and the Mets are in business. Need a hit from Nimmo.

and there goes the lead. A wild pitch and a 2 strike single plates both inherited runners.

Once again, a Mets starter can't get through 5 innings. Holmes goes, 4.2 innings, but at least he was pretty effective. He held the Tigers to 1 run, but has men on 1st and 2nd with G. Soto hoping to close out the 5th.

This team does not look like a playoff worthy team to me. Since the All Star break they have been absolutely terrible. They have developed a sure fire formula for losing; poor, unreliable starting pitching that walks far too many hitters combined with a sluggish offense and an overworked bullpen. This team is truly underachieving. They infuriate me. I can only imagine how Steve Cohen must feel about this team after all the money he invested in them.

If you are sold on the hitting and slugging potential of the triumvirate Baty, Vientos and Mauricio, then I would think Baty or Vientos are better options at first base, since neither of them play shortstop. Keep Lindor, an actual shortstop at his position. The only one of the three that can actually play shortstop is Mauricio.

I expect Lindor to remain at shortstop for a few years. When his defense deteriorates with age, I would think him to transition to third base. That is likely a few years away, though.

The issue I have with this logic is that Vientos, Baty, and Mauricio are not manning a single position or a single spot in the line up. They generally are occupying 2 positions between 3rd, 2nd, & DH. On occasion they are occupying all three spots in the line up simultaneously. Vientos, Baty and Mauricio have combined to appear in 223 games, the Mets have only played 115. That is why they collectively have so many at bats (678) versus any single Mets player (Lindor 512, Alonso 497, and Soto 496). So I don't think it is accurate to simply add up their counting numbers, such as HR and RBI, and say that they collectively are producing. Since they often occupy numerous spots in the line up simultaneously, I believe it is far more accurate to look at rates of production ( i.e. HR & RBIs per at bats). For simplicity, if we look at their combined rate of production over 500 at bats, their line is 18 HR & 56 RBIs. That's not too bad, if they were a platoon at one position, but they still are occupying 2 (and on occasions 3*) spots in the line up. That makes their production a little less impressive (at least to me). I'm not saying they can't break out and be productive in the future. Vientos was solid last season and seems to be picking it up of late. Baty has been very streaky throughout his time in MLB, unfortunately the cold spells have traditionally been longer and/or more frequent than his hot streaks. Mauricio has tremendous power, but needs greater discipline/pitch recognition as a whole and he is horrendous from the right side. Hopefully he will improve with age and experience. *This appears to be happening less now that McNeil no longer is manning CF.

Lindor is still a good defensive shortstop and appears to be better (more MLB ready) than other in house options such as Mauricio, Acuna, and Wiliams. He is also 5'10" which is on the short side for MLB first baseman. Lindor remaining at shortstop is the least of the Mets problems should Alonso leave, IMHO.

I don't believe in the "third time through" philosophy, at least not as a blanket policy. As long as the starting pitcher is pitching well and is not unduly fatigued, then I would prefer to let him keep pitching until he is is showing signs of faltering or fatigue. Why keep turning to your 4th or 5th best reliever in the 5th/6th inning in hopes that they will be the first in a succession of effective pitchers that day. Advocates of the third time through philosophy must believe that relievers don't get tired and fatigued from constant usage. They also must believe that the 4th/5th/6th best reliever in the bullpen is better than their starter after 75-85 pitches. Often times, the Mets are turning to a rotating group of minor league call ups to fill the 5th & 6th inning. I am old school. The third time through (or even the 4th time through) the line up didn't seem to be a concern for Seaver, Gibson, Maddux, Carlton, Marichal, Jenkins, Feller, R. Johnson, Ryan, Blyleven, Palmer, Clemens, Glavine et al. Even less accomplished (not HOF) pitchers like Koosman, Sutcliffe, Tiant, Morris, McNally, Drabek, Ojeda, Colon and John didn't have major issues facing batters more than twice in a game. It's not so much that pitchers are no longer capable of facing hitters a third time, it's that the game has changed and they are seldom asked to do so. With increased emphasis on pitch counts, protecting pitchers arms, advanced analytics, growing emphasis on velocity (radar guns) and larger/deeper bullpens have made complete game (or just completing 7 innings) a rapidly diminishing occurrence over the past 20-25 years. The emphasis is for pitchers to go all out for 5 or 6 innings, then get them out regardless of how well they are pitching. For relievers, it's get one inning, then they generally go to another reliever. It's not like the hitters of today are smarter or better than the hitters of old, it is just the philosophy of how the game is played that has changed.* *Of course, I'm just an old baseball curmudgeon, so I could be totally wrong.

The Mets have a phantom offense.

Well, it certainly isn't translating to winning.

Buxton made his MLB debut in 2015. Since that time he has appeared in 100 games of more only twice. Most seasons he appears in 85-95 games. He would have been a huge improvement in CF, at least when he could actually suit up.

Great talent. Hurt far too often. He seems to spend 35-40% of each season on the IL.

As the season moves into August, Jett is still putting up solid numbers in Binghamton. He is currently hitting .278 with a .388 OBA. OPS is a solid .870 with 10 home runs and he has 29 steals in 35 attempts. He has played shortstop the majority of time (55 games), with appearances in CF, second base, and DH. Pretty good for a 21 year old.