2019 New York Mets Season Thread

[NJDevs4978]

Thank you Jake

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

18 minutes ago, NJDevs4978 said:

Thank you Jake

He's put himself back in the conversation for the 2019 Cy Young.  Would be nice if this team could stop wasting so many good games from him. 

['7']

This was a rare, classic pitchers duel. As long as deGrom/Ryu was on the mound it didn't look like anyone was scoring. And good to see a big hit from an unlikely source. They needed this W so bad. We cannot bunch loses together anymore. Heck with only 14 to go anything worse than 10-4 is unacceptable. And who knows if that will be enough. The Cubs and Brewers really need to start losing

[NJDevs4978]

I mean as we well know you can't always play the schedule game and you would think at some point they'd feel the effects of losing Yelich, but my god it's all right there for the Brewers with their schedule...a seven-game homestand with the Padres and Pirates next week, then a seven game road trip to Bandbox Central in Cinci and Colorado.  They might actually be the bigger threat atm, the Cubs still have seven against the Cardinals who'd love nothing more than to knock them out.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

7 hours ago, '7' said:

This was a rare, classic pitchers duel. As long as deGrom/Ryu was on the mound it didn't look like anyone was scoring. And good to see a big hit from an unlikely source. They needed this W so bad. We cannot bunch loses together anymore. Heck with only 14 to go anything worse than 10-4 is unacceptable. And who knows if that will be enough. The Cubs and Brewers really need to start losing

On one hand, give the Mets some credit for not letting that 6-game losing streak kill them off.  They've gone 10-5 since then, against tough competition. 

On the other, as we well know, that losing streak did effectively take away much of their margin for error.  Assuming they can go 10-4, that would mean that they'll have closed the season out on a 20-9 run...and even that will likely not be good enough.

As great as it is that they can't get swept against the Dodgers...more and more, I feel like they have to win tonight...they have to try to put themselves in a position where a series win against the Braves isn't a must.

Of course, this sh!t changes constantly, but right at this moment, it's really become a three-team race for the two WC slots:  the Nats slump' has allowed the Cubs (who were slumping before the Pirates decided not to show up at all for that series) to suddenly have more of a shot at the WC1 berth...and the Brewers are right there too (and as Has just pointed out, their schedule is quite forgiving).  Mets and Phillies at this point are more on the outside looking in, obviously not fully out of it yet...but clearly need help.  As much as it sucks to say, if the Cubs win and the Mets lose tonight...man, it's hard to imagine that the Mets can make up 4 games with only 13 left to play, even if the Cubs' schedule is far from easy, with all of the games they have to play against the Cards.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

20 minutes ago, NJDevs4978 said:

I mean as we well know you can't always play the schedule game and you would think at some point they'd feel the effects of losing Yelich, but my god it's all right there for the Brewers with their schedule...a seven-game homestand with the Padres and Pirates next week, then a seven game road trip to Bandbox Central in Cinci and Colorado.  They might actually be the bigger threat atm, the Cubs still have seven against the Cardinals who'd love nothing more than to knock them out.

Agree on "the schedule game" (though I do sometimes try to factor it in when discussing sports)...the problem is when most people play that game, they pencil in wins against "easy" teams, but even those teams almost always win at least 65+ games in any given season...obviously they're beating some better teams along the way, and even enjoying a solid run or two.

If the Mets win tonight, they'll have gone 19-15 through a stretch that many thought was effectively going to end their run of stubborn relevance.  As "easy" as the schedule is about to get, would it come as any great shock if the Mets only went 5-5 or 6-4 in these next 10 games?  In a way we're probably giving them too much respect, in that I think it's almost assumed in some circles that the Mets will clean up in the next three series. 

Edited September 15, 2019 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Man, Mets aren’t getting much help at the moment.  Cubs and Brewers win again.  

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

This game may be the most dialed in that I’ve ever seen Zack.  Not that he hasn’t had some terrific starts...but he is just going right after guys.  

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Apparently Rocky Dennis is still alive and now pitches for the Dodgers...

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

A leadoff walk, then a balk, then a wild pitch.  And then the runner comes home on a double.  Dammit.

['7']

This was a pretty bad one. But I mean at least we went down with our best reliever on the mound. Heartbreaking...but the Dodgers could be the best team in baseball. This is what they do

And no help. We have gotten so very little of it. Now we need an absolute miracle. We pretty much need to win every game

Edited September 16, 2019 by '7'

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

4 hours ago, '7' said:

This was a pretty bad one. But I mean at least we went down with our best reliever on the mound. Heartbreaking...but the Dodgers could be the best team in baseball. This is what they do

And no help. We have gotten so very little of it. Now we need an absolute miracle. We pretty much need to win every game

Yeah they now pretty much have to win all of the next 10.  Then we’ll see where they are heading into the Braves series.  But it’s looking pretty bleak.  

['7']

6 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Yeah they now pretty much have to win all of the next 10.  Then we’ll see where they are heading into the Braves series.  But it’s looking pretty bleak.  

NY Post had an article about how dejected the clubhouse was after last night, and frankly I can't blame them with how the bullpen sabotaged this season and what could've been. They've taken a lot of gut punches and rallied. But this may have floored them for good.

https://nypost.com/2019/09/16/mets-clubhouse-scene-shows-just-how-much-this-hurt/

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

I can't get on either Lugo or Wilson for last night...they've both been terrific, but asking both of them to be infallible time and time again is asking a hell of lot.  The one guy who REALLY killed this season more than any other player is Edwin fvcking Diaz.  If he had ANY worth at all, that gutless zilch would've been on the mound last night, so that Mickey didn't have to go back to the Wilson/Lugo well again.  But Diaz KILLED this team multiple times...to their credit, the Mets did keep fighting back.

Syndergaard came up pretty puny in some huge spots too...he's reminding me more and more of Matt Harvey every day, minus the early decline.  A lot of diva there. 

And yeah the players all know what we do...it's hard as hell to make up four games in the standings with just 13 left to play.  We've been over it, but they found out with the 2017-18 Florida Panthers learned and so many teams like them also learned...it's great to go on that big surge just to get into the picture (winning 15 of 16), but so damned hard to keep it going.  The Mets have gone just 16-16 in their last 32 games...yes, they've had good moments in there for sure (along with some brutal ones...that's how you go .500 over extended stretches, lots of ups and downs), but .500 over 32 GP in the thick of a WC race was never going to be good enough to get them over the hump.  The real problem is you need TWO big surges when you get off to such a rotten start...one to get you into the mix, and another to get you a playoff berth.  That second surge never truly came.  The immediate schedule suggests one might be there for the taking, but I get the impression at this point that the Mets might simply be beaten and tired...and with that BP and some other flaws, simply not good enough in the end. 

One thing I better not see any hint of is BVW taking any victory laps or putting out ANY kind of smarmy "I told you so" vibe, just because a team that really owes a lot of success to prior regimes (crazy as that sounds) more than it does to the GM FINALLY got it going too late.  Not to mention there's a lot of "right now" deals that BVW made that could really blow up in the years to come.  This guy just gives away prospects like they're next to nothing. 

BUT, there's some decent bats here now.  Sandy's teams were often painful to watch at the plate.  This team looks like it could be quite entertaining for a while.  But I have no faith in BVW or Mickey to not fvck things up along the way.

Edited September 16, 2019 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Same ol’ Matz

Charmin soft

Edited September 17, 2019 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

As much as I would've liked to have seen this thing go down to the very end...it's a little easier to move on now (especially with the Devils right around the corner).  The Mets are toast.  Credit to the Cubs, who even with a little slump managed to win the games that they really needed to...they haven't clinched anything and they still could conceivably not make the playoffs, but both them and the Brew Crew stepping up more or less eliminated both the Mets and Phillies from any real WC conversation.

If we've learned nothing else, it's time once and for all to stop overrating the starting rotation, and for the organization to stop acting like they're collectively some ace in the hole.  This is not a group of aces.  There's exactly ONE guy who consistently fits that bill and is everything you'd want an ace to be, and we don't even have to name him.  The rest are a bunch of guys who you simply don't know what you're going to get from them any given start...they can get on nice runs, but they can ALL also blow up at the worst possible times.  As much as I trust deGrom to get it done no matter what (and of course he won't always, but he's earned that level of faith), I sure as hell don't believe in ANY of the other four as remote sure things...yeah, they can have nights like Zack just did against the Dodgers, but they can all also come up extremely small, like "Thor" just did in three out of his last four starts, in serious crunch time.  I'm just tired of the results rarely living up to the promise...Noah, Matz, and Wheeler all have ERAs over 4.00 and give up a lot of hits (ditto Stroman, as far as being hittable goes).  Matz barely averages 5 IP per start.  Maybe they're simply not really anything that special in the end? 

Anyway, I'm sure now that it's pure garbage time, Conforto will go on a HR barrage and Noah will through at least one shutout.  Speaking of Conforto, for September he slashed .170/.241/.321, and the only two runs he drove in were himself...two solo HRs.  And to me that sums up Conforto in a nutshell...he's hit the quietest 30 HR that I can remember, because heaven forbid they come when you really need them.  Guy's numbers are as cosmetic as they come.  I know that Alonso has had a rough go in the last week as well, but that guy was money a whole bunch of times this season...at least it sure felt that way.  Like any guy who plays just about every day, Conforto obviously had moments...but that's EXACTLY what they felt like...fleeting moments.  You just KNOW the K is coming in the big spots with him.  You're pleasantly surprised when that DOESN'T happen. 

Edited September 17, 2019 by Colorado Rockies 1976

['7']

23 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

As much as I would've liked to have seen this thing go down to the very end...it's a little easier to move on now (especially with the Devils right around the corner).  The Mets are toast.  Credit to the Cubs, who even with a little slump managed to win the games that they really needed to...they haven't clinched anything and they still could conceivably not make the playoffs, but both them and the Brew Crew stepping up more or less eliminated both the Mets and Phillies from any real WC conversation.

If we've learned nothing else, it's time once and for all to stop overrating the starting rotation, and for the organization to stop acting like they're collectively some ace in the hole.  This is not a group of aces.  There's exactly ONE guy who consistently fits that bill and is everything you'd want an ace to be, and we don't even have to name him.  The rest are a bunch of guys who you simply don't know what you're going to get from them any given start...they can get on nice runs, but they can ALL also blow up at the worst possible times.  As much as I trust deGrom to get it done no matter what (and of course he won't always, but he's earned that level of faith), I sure as hell don't believe in ANY of the other four as remote sure things...yeah, they can have nights like Zack just did against the Dodgers, but they can all also come up extremely small, like "Thor" just did in three out of his last four starts, in serious crunch time.  I'm just tired of the results rarely living up to the promise...Noah, Matz, and Wheeler all have ERAs over 4.00 and give up a lot of hits (ditto Stroman, as far as being hittable goes).  Matz barely averages 5 IP per start.  Maybe they're simply not really anything that special in the end? 

Anyway, I'm sure now that it's pure garbage time, Conforto will go on a HR barrage and Noah will through at least one shutout.  Speaking of Conforto, for September he slashed .170/.241/.321, and the only two runs he drove in were himself...two solo HRs.  And to me that sums up Conforto in a nutshell...he's hit the quietest 30 HR that I can remember, because heaven forbid they come when you really need them.  Guy's numbers are as cosmetic as they come.  I know that Alonso has had a rough go in the last week as well, but that guy was money a whole bunch of times this season...at least it sure felt that way.  Like any guy who plays just about every day, Conforto obviously had moments...but that's EXACTLY what they felt like...fleeting moments.  You just KNOW the K is coming in the big spots with him.  You're pleasantly surprised when that DOESN'T happen. 

 

Exactly true with Alonso. He launched a ton of home runs, but in plenty of big spots when all we needed was a single, he wasn't up there swinging out of his shoes. In times when we needed baserunners...he drew walks and was content with one. He is a absolute slugger and maybe the best we'll ever have (though who knows, using the baseball they use now I'm sure Kingman would've gotten close to 50, he did do 37 in 123 games...even at Shea which could trend pitcher when the cold wind would blow in through the big open end)

You're right on Conforto and I've soured on him. In a big spot when they throw up any semblance of a competent lefty he has no chance. He's down flailing on 3 pitches

Edited September 18, 2019 by '7'

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Alonso passes what I call the "scared" test.  If you're the other team, are you afraid of him in a big spot when he comes up to the plate?  As a fan, are you filled with anticipation when you see him come up?  That's something that gets earned in time...it's only been one season, and already I have that feeling with Alonso (I also have it with McNeil, even with his tailing off as of late).  I feel very good when I see him coming up with the game on the line. 

I'm just the opposite with Conforto, and more often than not, I'm saying "Wow, he struck out there...big surprise!" after one of his ABs in a key spot.  To me, he really is the second coming of Nick Swisher...he always put up respectable numbers in the regular season, but he was a guy who could easily be dispatched in the big moments. 

I've mentioned this before, but something else that makes me insane about Conforto is that you'd see Alonso hit a huge HR...and then Conforto comes up and immediate whiffs on three awful swings...sometimes so quickly that he already K'd by the time we'd just finished watching replays of Alonso's latest dinger, heh heh.  And you are right too, BP lefties seem to have no trouble making minced meat out of him, unless they make a bad mistake. 

 

And yeah, it's one season, and the ball is beyond juiced, but Alonso looks like he's truly going to be special, on many fronts (leadership, etc).  Hopefully BVW and whatever manager replaces the Idiot don't fvck this up (there's a decent nucleus of bats now), and Alonso can lead this team to better times soon. 

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Stroman's Met run has been so odd...if we were told that the Mets were going to go 6-3 in his first nine starts, and that he'd be 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA, we probably would've been OK with it.

But man it sure didn't FEEL like his body of work here was remotely that respectable. 

Meanwhile Vargas was completely due to suffer some serious regression, and that is EXACTLY what happened to him with the Phillies.  Team went 3-6 in his starts (he went 0-3), and he put up a 5.48 ERA...lately, he's been even worse...in his last four starts, he's pitched a total of 15.1 IP and allowed 13 ER (Phils lost 3 of the 4).  I gotta give the front office some credit on this one, for doing their homework...I think they actually had a hunch that they'd already gotten Vargas' best in 2019, and whatever team got him next would not get the same results. 

[NJDevs4978]

I know it's Coors but today made Thor's tantrum look even more ridiculous.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

13 minutes ago, NJDevs4978 said:

I know it's Coors but today made Thor's tantrum look even more ridiculous.

I’m kinda done with Noah myself.  He’s really turning more and more into Harvey every day, with the diva crap.  

49 dingers for Alonso...god I hope he never turns into a d!ck.

[NJDevs4978]

9 hours ago, '7' said:

 

Exactly true with Alonso. He launched a ton of home runs, but in plenty of big spots when all we needed was a single, he wasn't up there swinging out of his shoes. In times when we needed baserunners...he drew walks and was content with one. He is a absolute slugger and maybe the best we'll ever have (though who knows, using the baseball they use now I'm sure Kingman would've gotten close to 50, he did do 37 in 123 games...even at Shea which could trend pitcher when the cold wind would blow in through the big open end)

You're right on Conforto and I've soured on him. In a big spot when they throw up any semblance of a competent lefty he has no chance. He's down flailing on 3 pitches

Exhibit A the four pitch walk in the ninth to give the Mets the lead today when a lot of players would overswing with bases loaded and the game tied.

Edited September 18, 2019 by NJDevs4978

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

29 minutes ago, NJDevs4978 said:

Exhibit A the four pitch walk in the ninth to give the Mets the lead today when a lot of players would overswing with bases loaded and the game tied.

Guy sometimes seems like he’s been playing for 15 years.  Can’t say enough about him.  

Mets just refusing to die on their own (or like Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense, admit to themselves that they’re already dead).  

Imagine if the Nats actually wind up falling out of the WC1 and WC2 slots.  Ouch.

[NJDevs4978]

Somehow someway the baseball gods keep us alive with the Brewers and Cubs both losing, Mets pick up two games in two days now three back of both.  Probably need to go 9-1, 8-2 at bare minimum though - with the Brewers and Cubs going 5-5 to force a tie.  Not sure how realistic a Brewers collapse would be given they end with the Pirates, Reds (road) and Rockies (road).  It would be nice to get a little payback for '08 somehow.

Edited September 19, 2019 by NJDevs4978

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

8 hours ago, NJDevs4978 said:

Somehow someway the baseball gods keep us alive with the Brewers and Cubs both losing, Mets pick up two games in two days now three back of both.  Probably need to go 9-1, 8-2 at bare minimum though - with the Brewers and Cubs going 5-5 to force a tie.  Not sure how realistic a Brewers collapse would be given they end with the Pirates, Reds (road) and Rockies (road).  It would be nice to get a little payback for '08 somehow.

Yeah, these last two days have put the Mets in a similar position to where the 1987-88 Devils were as the season wound down...they were in it, but not REALLY in it.  Mets basically still have to win a ton AND get a lot of help. 

Crazy as it sounds, we might be better off hoping for the Nats to stumble than the Brewers...yes, we've been over the schedule game and how that's not always a great way to predict results, but I can't see them screwing up THAT badly against their remaining opponents. 

After a three-game set against the Marlins (Mets REALLY need the Nats to stumble in that series), they play five games in four days against the Phillies, and then finish up against the Indians.  If the Nats somehow lose two out of three to the Marlins, and four of five to the Phils, with the Mets winning ALL of their games at the same time...

But yeah, in the end, this is still a serious longshot...3 games back is a lot at this point in the season.  Cubs and Brewers both with games tonight, Mets are off...would be nice to wake up and see the lead cut to 2.5 games.