Mets rained out on Tuesday, which they might've needed
Mets rained out on Tuesday, which they might've needed
The Mets and Tigers are slated to make Tuesday's game up on their mutual off-day on Thursday
What’s Up with the Mets? ☔️
The Mets and Tigers were rained out on Tuesday - they will make the game up on Thursday at 1:10 PM at Citi Field
JD Martínez is receiving as many as eight at-bats per day during extended spring training in Port St. Lucie - he is eligible to be returned from his option on Sunday
Injury Updates 🏥
RHP Kodai Senga (right capsule strain) recently threw back-to-back days for the first time since shutting down. He will progress to throwing from 120 feet soon
Roster Moves 🗞️
RHP Yohan Ramirez had his suspension reduced to two games
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (0-4) vs. Tigers (4-0)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Adrian Houser vs. RHP Casey Mize
When: 7:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
If there’s any team that could’ve used a rainout, it was the Mets… ✍️
Remember that scene in Bull Durham when the team came back from an awful road trip, went out drinking and then somehow staggered to the ballpark after hours when one player said, “what we need is a rainout?”
Then, Crash Davis (played by Kevin Costner) said, “I could get us a rainout…$100 says I could get us a rainout for tomorrow.”
Well, it didn’t take a drunk player to flood the field with the sprinklers yesterday. In fact, days like Tuesday and what appears to be in the forecast for today seem more normal than sun these days in the New York area. No, instead we got our weekly drenching of one to two inches of rain which rained the Mets out for the second time in their first five days of the season.
But for the Mets, a rainout and a day off is exactly what they got and probably exactly what they needed after what has been a miserable start to their season.
Look, they’re going to win a game this year, although in stretches like these it seems as though the team couldn’t hit the side of a barn door if they were standing right next to one. And for these Mets certainly, the offense has been maddeningly bad over the first four games. With all the problems which have been immediately exposed by this team between the issues in the rotation (minus Sean Manaea’s gem) and the poor defense, it’s the offense and the base running which has made them sub-competitive in the first four games.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza doesn’t have a right button to push among this group at the moment. Sure, Starling Marte, Pete Alonso, Brett Baty and Francisco Álvarez are all off to very good starts at the plate but the rest of whatever the five people in the lineup are essentially sleepwalking right now.
For instance, the combination of Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil are a combined 3-for-44 at the plate to start the year. There’s no hiding that among those who are actually producing in the lineup. As a team, they’ve hit .177 with runners in scoring position (small sample size alert) but what’s worse is they’ve only had 19 opportunities over four games with runners in scoring position.
As such, they’ve averaged two runs per game and scored one run or fewer in three of the first four.
So yes, these Mets were ripe for Tuesday’s rainout. Maybe they’ll get another one on Wednesday with what appears to be another normal day, ie washout rain, in the forecast in New York.
Keep in mind, they’re going to hit better than this. They’re not going to score two runs per game the whole year. Even the worst teams in the sport aren’t like this over extended periods of time. It’s hard to be patient, primarily because it’s hard to watch right now. But hopefully there’s a breakout game coming and with JD Martínez at least eligible to be recalled from the minors on Sunday, there’s hope for some lineup extension in the immediate term.
Then there’s the defense, the part Martínez won’t fix.
Both Mets owner Steve Cohen and President of Baseball Operations David Stearns have touted this team’s improved athleticism and run prevention ability over the last few months. But to this point, all of that has been absent with this team and quite frankly, they look a hell of a lot like they did last year with a lack of athleticism and lackluster defense at best.
Over the first four games, the Mets have been about the plays not made, whether its with a costly error or a routine major league play they are unable to convert that doesn’t count as an error on the scorecard. Joey Wendle’s massive error in the 10th inning on Monday pretty much represented the low point of what we are talking about here, but there was the non-catch by Baty over the weekend that led to multiple runs, among other things.
Now, back to the offense…
Where are the stolen bases? I’ve seen them get picked off for sure. Didn’t miss that one on Opening Day.
The Brewers and the Tigers have taken liberties on the Mets are making them look incompetent out there, while the Mets remain a station-to-station club. In fact, the Mets haven’t stolen a single base over their first four games. Now, it’s not as if they’ve had a lot of baserunners to begin with - they’ve had 36 in total - but this is a game which has evolved into a game of speed, mobility and athleticism and the Mets are supposedly a much better base running team too - none of that has been apparent over the first four games.
See, the way I view the definition of the word “competitive,” as in what Stearns and Cohen keep floating around, is doing those things. It’s not just about getting hits and hitting home runs and hitting with runners in scoring position.
Even bad teams often do that.
It’s about doing well at what other teams are doing well against them which is running the bases strategically well, creating run scoring opportunities and creating the ultimate result. This offense, dating back to last year, just seems to be a, “waiting for something to happen” unit, and to me that’s not entirely the fault of the players. That’s largely a coaching decision and to be honest, they have yet to prove they get what today’s game is all about.
Sure, it’s only four games. And like I said, eventually the Mets will win a game. We can attribute this to the ebbs and flows or the peaks and valleys of a season and the Mets might be starting in one of those valleys. But if I were them, I’d stop going back to the same old well which doesn’t have any water in it, watch what other teams are doing to them and figure out how to adjust to the way the modern game is being played.
Otherwise, they might be in this valley for a long time.
Around the League 🚩
Bryce Harper smoked three home runs including a grand slam to help the Phillies mash the Reds 9-4 in Philadelphia
Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger hit big homers of their own to help the Cubs rout the Rockies 12-2 at Wrigley
The White Sox edged the Braves 3-2 for their first win of the year thanks to a strong start on the hill from Garrett Crochet
Zac Gallen and the Diamondbacks bullpen held the Yankees scoreless in a 7-0 shutout win in Phoenix
The Pirates acquired C Joey Bart from the Giants
The A’s and the city of Oakland remain in negotiations on an extension to the club’s lease while they wait for their deal to be completed in Las Vegas, but are far apart in negotiations (SF Chronicle)