(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
The Mets lost by a score of 6-5, losing the Subway Series 5-1.
Early on in this one it was clear that RA Dickey did not have the good knuckler tonight, and the results made that even more obvious. Dickey would pitch out of a first and second jam with in the second frame. In the following inning he would not be as lucky, surrendering four runs on a sac-fly, and a three-run home run to Nick Swisher (there should be a sign on his face that says FIST GOES HERE).
The Mets would do their best to stay in the game, scoring a run in the third inning on a Ruben Tejada sac-fly. In the fifth, with Dickey on second base, Wright singled him in on a close play at the play, accentuated by a hard slide by Dickey.
Dickey would hold on to pitch six inning, not allowing another run until being pinch-hit for in the bottom of the sixth inning.
In the aforementioned sixth inning, the Mets strung together a bunch of grounders and walks to be able to tie the game. The runs were scored on a two run single by Vinny Rottino Andres Torres, and an RBI single by Ruben Tejada (welcome back Rubes!). They left the bases loaded with Kirk at the plate, so maybe they do not get -every- two-out RBI.
In the eighth Terry would decide to run Batista out there for his second straight inning, and he predictably gave up a solo shot to Robinson Cano. The Yankees yet again feasted upon the Mets always-awful bullpen.
I started writing this in case of a comeback, so, um, yeah…
Here are some assorted notes.
INSERT CHICKEN JOKE HERE. Tim Byrdak got a chicken from a shelter, that is all.
If the Mets miss the playoffs by a few games, I’m going to be really angry. The fact that the Mets have to play six games every year against one of the best teams in baseball is absurd, and is a ridiculous disadvantage. Meanwhile the effing Giants get to play the Athletics…
Nice to see Ruben Tejada come back and have a nice game. Turned a nice double play, drove a run in, and had some nice at-bats as always. Forgot what it was like to have good shortstop play.
The RA Dickey play at the plate was awesome, and made this game worth watching by itself. Even though he did not pitch well, Dickey found a different way to make us all recognize his greatness tonight, Dickey be praised.
Vinny Rottino was highlighted by the ESPN booth as a guy who does little things to stay on the team. On Torres’ two-run single, he made sure he stayed in front of Texeira so that he couldn’t pick up where the grounder was, letting it sneak into right field.
The bullpen is awful, and Terry hasn’t been helping. I can’t see why he thinks Miguel Batista is the guy to use in high-leverage spots, when he wasn’t effective as a mop-up reliever. I would have preferred Byrdak to face Cano, and then RamRam thereafter in the 8th.
Here are some points of discussion.
- Bullpen. Bad. Discuss.
- Schedule. Worse. Discuss.
38 comments
Connor O'Brien
6/24/2012-11:32pm at 11:32 pm (UTC -4)
Bad loss… just tough… again…
we got the cubbies net though
SaltyGary
6/24/2012-11:33pm at 11:33 pm (UTC -4)
Hahaha was this posted before the last out?
SpencerRealDirtyMets
6/24/2012-11:34pm at 11:34 pm (UTC -4)
As I always shoot for, right as it happens.
srt
6/24/2012-11:36pm at 11:36 pm (UTC -4)
NIce job.
I’m just so tired of talking about this BP.
I’ve lost count of the number of games we’ve lost due to this BP so far this season.
Stick
6/24/2012-11:42pm at 11:42 pm (UTC -4)
what’s odd is, at one point Byrdak pitched every day, and now it seems like terry is trying to never use him.
srt
6/24/2012-11:46pm at 11:46 pm (UTC -4)
Terry just admitted on the post game interview ‘should have brought in Byrdak. Didn’t want to burn too many arms so did the double switch to try and get 2 innings out of Batista. Hindsight’.
No closer. Down one BP arm. Reasoning is feasible but not when half this BP sucks consistently.
srt
6/24/2012-11:34pm at 11:34 pm (UTC -4)
BP is bad. Water is wet.
Yankees go home. Interleague play is over.
Good riddance.
Stick
6/24/2012-11:34pm at 11:34 pm (UTC -4)
2 games in a row where the pen did the job, except for 1 HR to a team that hits a ton of them.
I agree that batista should have been 1 and done. Byrd for cano and teix was an obvious move, even in a tie game.
and 100% agreed about the schedule not being fair.
Connor (kindle)
6/24/2012-11:41pm at 11:41 pm (UTC -4)
The rivalry games make a ton of money. That’s why they have em
srt
6/24/2012-11:42pm at 11:42 pm (UTC -4)
Hate interleague play all around.
What’s the point of 2 different leagues if we’re just gonna play each other more now? Just dump them all in one league and call it a day.
When is Selig retiring???
Stick
6/24/2012-11:43pm at 11:43 pm (UTC -4)
now that you are playing 20 interleagues, and there will be one everyday, you might as well.
but, they will finally have to make a decision about the DH, which is probably what they are trying to avoid!
Connor (kindle)
6/24/2012-11:45pm at 11:45 pm (UTC -4)
I want 2 14-team divisions
Connor (kindle)
6/24/2012-11:48pm at 11:48 pm (UTC -4)
I like playing the Yankees (as I wrote this weekend) but I dont like the fact that they’re so good. Beating them is a blast but its rare and that part is frustrating.
srt
6/24/2012-11:49pm at 11:49 pm (UTC -4)
One 3 game series with the Yankees is plenty, IMO.
gategem
6/25/2012-12:40am at 12:40 am (UTC -4)
The Braves also played the Yankees six times and won two of the six. But while Mets and possibly Braves fans (I realize Braves fans is an oxymoron) wail about the unfairness of it all the Wilpons dance to the tune of three games with a sold out ballpark. These games are more important to the Wilpons than anyone else.
Now the talent divide between the Mets and Yankees is the width of the Grand Canyon. So the Mets acquitted themselves well by even winning one game and coming close in some of the others. Of course close is only meaningful in horseshoes and not in professional baseball but with the Mets bullpen what can you expect? Victories against the Yankees? I don’t think so. Every time Batista trots out there I turn the game off.
I’m happy the Mets play in the NL and not the AL. The NL is the weaker league and the Mets actually have a chance at a wild card here.
Will the Mets ever trot out a better team than the Yankees? Not as long as the Wilpons own them.
darknova306
6/25/2012-12:54am at 12:54 am (UTC -4)
So I’ve actually managed to be too busy to see any of the Subway Series games this year. That’s not really a bad thing, apparently. Ugh.
And are we really going to complain about schedule imbalance because of 6 games against the Yankees? The schedule imbalance from divisional play is a lot worse than that.
SpencerRealDirtyMets
6/25/2012-1:22am at 1:22 am (UTC -4)
The worst AL team we played was Toronto if I’m not mistaken, and they aren’t bad.
darknova306
6/25/2012-1:40am at 1:40 am (UTC -4)
Interleague is by division, so outside of the extra games for “rivalries” the NL East all played the same opponents. I’m just saying that if you want to whine about schedule inequity, look at where it really counts. The in-division versus out-of-division disparity is vastly more important. The Mets, Diamondbacks and Cardinals are all competing for the same wild card slots, but don’t play nearly the same schedules.
SpencerRealDirtyMets
6/25/2012-1:48am at 1:48 am (UTC -4)
That was why I chose the Giants
Stickguy
6/25/2012-8:20am at 8:20 am (UTC -4)
well, about time to start making some pen moves. And probably won’t be the last.
Mets add 2nd lefty reliever, promote Hampson, DFA Rottino
Stickguy
6/25/2012-8:32am at 8:32 am (UTC -4)
I actually want to defend the Pen here (shocking, I know).
The mets very realistically should have swept. They lost due to being out powered (huge HR gap), but largely because the SP gave up ill timed 3 run HR balls, and the offense not being able to scratch out anything late.
the pen in the 2 losses? 6 IP, 3 hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks. And of course 2 runs, thanks to the HRs.
And I don’t blame Rauch all that much, since it was a pretty good pitch and damned lucky for Chavez it went out.
and Batista never should have faced Cano, that though was on Terry for the brain cramp.
so, 6 innings, and 1 actual blast, and a fluke pop down the line.
overall, a pretty damned good job by the pen against a big hitting team, and if you could get those #s on a regular basis, the team should cruise to the playoffs!
srt
6/25/2012-9:34am at 9:34 am (UTC -4)
Still would have pulled Batista for Byrdak, especially since we got burnt in Friday night’s game for that. But TC is playing the hand – BP – he was dealt and with one man down and no real closer I guess he did what he felt he had to. He said on the post game he didn’t want to burn through 3 arms in one inning – and he thought Batista for 2 inning with that sinker would at least keep the ball in the park. Uh…no.
Hampton up now. Here’s hoping he’s a lefty that will actually be credible and stick. Because we sure could use another one, thereby making it easier for TC NOT to have to stick with someone like Batista – who should be low leverage, mop up duty only at this point.
Stickguy
6/25/2012-9:56am at 9:56 am (UTC -4)
oh, I agree about Byrdak last night. And from the quote you posted, even terry knows he was asleep at the switch for that one.
gategem
6/25/2012-10:12am at 10:12 am (UTC -4)
And Ike’s ball was extremely lucky that it went out in the first game and Kirks homerun was similar to Chavez’s homerun. The Yankees could have easily said they should have swept. The fact is that Chavez has the type of power that he could take an outside pitch and hit it out. You don’t want a guy reaching out over the plate and taking that pitch that way then you show some meanness and come inside and drive the hitter off the plate.
BTW If it was the Phillies that beat the Mets this way you would have been climbing the walls. And a loss against the Phillies is the same as a loss against the Yankees since the Phillies are irrelevant this year.
ConnorUAF
6/25/2012-9:23am at 9:23 am (UTC -4)
Hampson up Rottino down.
Happened last night
Stickguy
6/25/2012-9:57am at 9:57 am (UTC -4)
hopefully old Vinny clears. would be nice to have him in reserve in Buffalo.
Prismo
6/25/2012-10:29am at 10:29 am (UTC -4)
I would post this on MB, but last time I did that it linked to my google account and posted my full name and personal email…yay.
So Matt quotes: “The other aspect to this is that by cutting Rottino, the Mets have just one right-handed bat on the bench”
This is so grossly inaccurate…I can’t even wrap my head around it.
Assuming a starting group of:
Davis, Murphy, Tejada, Wright, Thole, Duda, Kirk, Hairston/Torres
Here are the guys who can bat righty off the bench:
Hairston/Torres (whichever one doesn’t start), Cedeno, Turner, Nickeas
Am I missing something here?
Stickguy
6/25/2012-10:33am at 10:33 am (UTC -4)
just consider the source of the comment and it makes perfect sense.
gategem
6/25/2012-10:40am at 10:40 am (UTC -4)
Go into your Google account and revise the history and tracking options. Those bastards new policy allows them to track your every move on the internet unless you opt out.
Paul Festa
6/25/2012-11:26am at 11:26 am (UTC -4)
Really. MB has gotten worse and worse, in particular with reporting simple facts.
kingman 26
6/25/2012-12:02pm at 12:02 pm (UTC -4)
Metsblog has posted AT LEAST 10–12 stories over the last 6 weeks saying Tejada got hurt “diving” into first base.
Matt recently authored a piece for a poll of greatest Met righty starters, and Sid Fernandez was a choice.
Matt recently authored a piece for a poll of best Met lefty relievers and Pedro Feliciano was a choice and Tug McGraw was not.
Metsblog has gone from mediocre to absolutely abominable, and makes crazy, ridiculous errors of fact, spelling, grammar, and judgment every single day.
Matt Cerrone is where he is for one reason and one reason only–he registered the name “Metsblog” first.
That site is not even a joke it is so terrible.
Paul Festa
6/25/2012-3:08pm at 3:08 pm (UTC -4)
Sid Fernandez as a righty starter was my favorite. And saying Tejada dived into first instead of tripped completely changes the story.
kingman 26
6/25/2012-3:26pm at 3:26 pm (UTC -4)
Paul, they have posted stories saying he was “diving” AT LEAST 10 times over the last six weeks.
Not ONE writer for that site has EVER noticed this and corrected it? Or noticed the literally hundreds of comments about it in the comment section?
It makes me angry that the Mets chose a site so utterly laden with mediocrities such as Cerrone et. al. as THE official team- and corporate-sponsored blog of the Mets.
I have always known that to Cerrone, Met history begins with the Mike Piazza trade, and the Sid and Tug things just cement that reality, but the Tejada diving thing was beyond the pale—there are readers out of the area, overseas, in the military, etc., who rely on that site for info, and how many people think Tejada is a moron who got hurt by deliberately diving when he most definitely did not?
oleosmirf
6/25/2012-10:43am at 10:43 am (UTC -4)
now hopefully Terry uses this to his advantage and stops letting these guys go a full inning every time.
You have 2 righty specialists in Rauch and Batista and 2 lefty specialists in Hampson and Byrdak. Use it to your advantage Terry and don’t put these guys in a position they can’t succeed in.
gategem
6/25/2012-10:48am at 10:48 am (UTC -4)
Finally one small and insignificant positive out of the Yankees win last night. Papa John’s is giving half off in the NYC area. While their Pizza sucks their wings aren’t half-bad.
Paul Festa
6/25/2012-11:27am at 11:27 am (UTC -4)
I wouldn’t pin it all on the bullpen. Dickey had an off night, and the Mets couldn’t score one more run. Anyway, two one-run losses in a row. Now it’s time to return to real baseball.
kingman 26
6/25/2012-12:06pm at 12:06 pm (UTC -4)
Absolutely right. 3 IP and 1 run, a HR to a very good player.
RA gave up a huge gopher ball and that was the game. Too many LOB too.
That’s life.
11–11 in the hell stretch of 22 games is just fine.
Now, we must win 2 of 3 twice from the Cubs and once from the Phils before the break. 8-5 in the next 13 would be awesome; must go 7-6 though.
The team was in very similar position in late June the last 3 years, and we all know how that turned out. The next 5-6 weeks are SO HUGE.
So huge.
srt
6/25/2012-12:53pm at 12:53 pm (UTC -4)
I agree huge if we have hopes of post season this year.
But truly, did any Met fan predict competing for a post season run this season? I know I predicted a last place finish. Anything about that – and probably above .500 is gravy to me.
Even so, look at last year’s standing coming into Sep. I remember one analyst on MLB stating around 1 Sep that it was going to be a bit of a boring Sep b/c all but one division across the leagues seem to be settled. We know how that worked out. Braves collapse/Cards making a run and getting in. Red Sox collapse, etc.
I think this team is a bit short on talent yet but you just never know.