At some point, the Mets have to ditch these bullpen games...
No offense, poor pitching and questionable decision making was the story as the Mets got swept away in Baltimore in Thursday
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What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️
Game 1
The Mets offense was stagnant in game one of the doubleheader which resulted in a 3-1 loss (Box)
LHP David Peterson was brilliant allowing one run in seven innings while striking out six
RHP Ryne Stanek was less than stellar and gave up the lead immediately after Peterson’s exit. He pitched 0.2 innings, walked four, and gave up a go-ahead two run home run
The team went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base
After the game, Peterson earned the well-deserved honor of being named to the All-Star Game
Game 2
A bullpen game in game two unsurprisingly did not go the Mets way and they dropped the second game 7-3 (Box)
RHP Brandon Waddell served as the opener and gave up three runs in three innings
RHP Justin Hagenman suffered the loss after giving up two runs in two innings
3B Brett Baty went 1-for-3 with a walk and a RBI but his crucial error in the field helped the Orioles secure the victory
The offense once again struggled to pick up the big hit. They went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left six on base
Roster Moves 📰
2B Luisangel Acuña recalled from Triple-A Syracuse
OF Travis Jankowski designated for assignment
RHP Austin Warren served as the 27th man in the doubleheader
Injury Updates 🏥
DH Jesse Winker (back tightness) exited game one in the third inning with back tightness and is likely headed to the IL
Play of the Game 🌟
Game 1
With the Mets nursing a 1-0 lead, Carlos Mendoza allowed David Peterson to start the eighth against a lefty hitter. He gave up a hit, so Mendoza turned to Ryne Stanek, and the lead evaporated with one swing of the bat by Gunnar Henderson.
It’s debatable whether Peterson should have started the inning or should have been yanked after the hit, but either way, the decision to go to Stanek decided the game.
Game 2
Brett Baty giveth, and Brett Baty taketh.
After his RBI hit tied the game in the fourth, the Orioles took the lead in the fifth with two outs. The rally could’ve ended there, but Baty’s error led to Baltimore’s fifth run of the day. It was not the deciding run, but it certainly did not help on a day the offense was struggling to score runs.
Down on the Farm 🌾
RHP Brandon Sproat (No. 5 prospect, Triple-A): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 4 K
3B Jacob Reimer (No. 17 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-4, RBI, K
DH Ronald Hernandez (No. 25 prospect, High-A): 2-for-5, R, 3 RBI, HR, 2 K
CF Yonatan Henriquez (Single-A): 3-for-4, R, 2B
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (53-41) at Royals (46-48)
Where: Kauffman Stadium - Kansas City, MO
Starters: RHP Kodai Senga (7-3, 1.47 ERA) vs. RHP Michael Wacha (4-9, 3.83 ERA)
When: 8:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
When are the Mets going to ditch these bullpen games and look at a pitching prospect!?!? ✍️
After the Mets got rained out in Baltimore, they decided to go with a bullpen game in the doubleheader instead of calling up Brandon Sproat, who was scheduled to pitch on the same day.
It, of course, did not work out, and the Mets dropped yet another game caused by the latest call-up in the merry-go-round of a rotation right now.
This decision was a little more forgivable since it was short notice, and both Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea are close to their returns, but with the rotation depth still thin, the Mets need to consider if this is the path they want to continue to go down.
After struggling to start the season in Triple-A, Sproat has turned it around recently. Over his last three starts, Sproat has not allowed a run in 18 innings pitched while striking out 18. He may not have earned a call-up earlier in the season, but he should at least get some consideration the next time a rotation spot opens up.
Sure, maybe he wouldn't have been successful if they had called him up, but at least they would have seen who he could fare against major league hitters and at this point, the Mets should prefer to look at a top prospect against (what should’ve been) a softer opponent than another chaotic bullpen game with what was really a bunch of minor league pitchers.
It is understandable David Stearns doesn’t want to continuously call their top pitching prospects up only to send them back down, but this isn’t a pitching staff built to deal with bullpen games to begin with and calling up minor leaguers to do it certainly isn’t a path for success, either.
All of this could be rendered moot with not only the return of their injured pitchers this weekend, but by moves ahead of the trade deadline as well. But they have yet to do anything, and the deadline is still around three weeks away.
One name that has been floated as a potential Mets target was Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen. His overall numbers this season don’t look pretty - he is 7-9 with a 5.15 ERA with 107 strikeouts in 110 innings pitched. However, his last two starts have been strong for Arizona. He has allowed just one earned run in 13 innings and struck out 19. While those are promising, are they enough to be trusted in a playoff run? Can the Mets fix him to make him sustainable for the rest of the season?
Stearns will have other starting pitching targets besides Gallen, such as Mitch Keller, and perhaps Joe Ryan, Edward Cabrera, or maybe Sandy Alcantara.
But until then, having some information as to what his young prospects can do in the majors could certainly help his decision-making as the deadline approaches and at least give the Mets a medium length option in these games when they can’t name a major league starter, which will happen again even if everyone stays healthy.
After all, it rains a lot.
Of course, the Mets should definitely make a veteran pitching acquisition over using a top prospect down the stretch. They need the depth, they need more major league quality, they need to mitigate the load management issues they’re having with Clay Holmes and continue to have with Kodai Senga, they have a stamina issue with Sean Manaea at least in the short term, who really knows what they have in Frankie Montas, and other people can and probably will get hurt down the stretch. It would be unfair and unrealistic to expect a top prospect to put the weight of a pitching staff on his shoulders, and player development usually always functions in parallel to the trajectory of the major league club unless there’s an extraordinary circumstance.
But again, at some point, the Mets have to at least consider them when a hole in the rotation presents itself over these nonsensical bullpen games.
After all, what’s the point in having them if they’re not going to use them here?
Around the League 🚩
Oakland OF Brent Rooker and Yankees 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. are the two latest entries into the 2025 Home Run Derby (ESPN)
The Red Sox defeated the Rays 4-3 to win their seventh straight game
Former Phillies and Cubs manager Lee Elia passed away at the age of 87
Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt will undergo Tommy John surgery and will likely miss the 2026 season
Soto and Pete 0-12. We don’t score when they don’t hit. I totally agree these BP throw away games are starting to not make sense. How much would it ruin Sproat’s development if he was called up and then sent back down? Is that going to ruin his career? And if they think Waddell & Hagenman are better than him, that’s a bigger issue.
2-19 with RISP for the day.
'Nuff said.