Mets Update

While other fun was going on, the Mets lost (with the help of more than one ex-teammate) to the Braves. April fun over with May troubles? Well, can't win them all and the Braves are a good team (if slow out of the gate).

Various story lines all the same. And, Keith (medical issue) is still not in the booth, Gary again calling the game with Todd Zeile (okay if boring). It apparently isn't anything too serious.  He checked in remotely to comment on the ESPN Sunday Night broadcast (they have a thing where ESPN2 or something have further live commentary)

Trevor May after the game admitted he is playing hurt. The team is now 0-2 without Buck (first time it was a medical issue; this time he was suspended for allegedly inciting a pitcher to hit a Philly on Sunday).  I did not watch the Sunday Night game -- checked in a few times - but the Mets offense picked up Max (four runs).  ESPN games are generally boring, underlining the value of a good announcement crew. 

Looking at a video, Yoan Lopez threw some balls that looked suspicious, the key issue being that the teams were warned. The umps didn't toss either Lopez (already famous for sending a message to Cards after JD Davis was hit) or Buck. So, it's curious that the league did so after the fact.  

I understand it looks suspicious, especially a second time (the Mets are upset since -- small sample size noted -- they are notably leading on players hit this season), but does this not also sorta make the umpire crew look bad? Talking umps, from the re-cap of the Braves game:

Bassitt said umpires are better than people give them credit for, and he respects the accountable and off-the-record conversations he’s had with umpires ever since they began checking pitchers for sticky stuff last season.

That's generous of him (an umpire who seemed to make a bad call also appeared to make a gesture admitting he made a mistake).  Calling balls and strikes is a matter of making over a hundred calls a game.  You are going to blow a few. It's a part of the game.  Bassitt has had some good soundbites, including saying the league knows the balls are hard to grasp but don't care.  I am not sure why Mets particularly are being hit though.

Lopez was suspended for three days.  He's in the minors at the moment though I guess they could have called him off last night so he could be done (with a double header today).  A first step is cutting rosters required the Mets to make a couple moves.  Lopez was an easy one (he was only up anyway since another marginal pitcher got hurt).  But, what hitter?

The obvious move in the minds of many was Cano, except for that darn 40M, and intangibles like teammate presence and the GM having a long relationship with him.  If you recall, he was basically part of a package to get a closer, though it was felt he could help the Mets win now.  And, he did well in the first season.  Then he cheated.  Oh well.

The owner, a billionaire if you recall, decided that the smart baseball move actually should be taken here.  Good for him though again it wasn't really a hard call baseball-wise.  The other options had various valuable uses though JD Davis was somewhat less useful (if he became hot, he would be good off the bench, but defensively, he is less useful than Smith and Luis G.).  

As to the intangibles, okay, I will respect that somewhat, but as one analysis noted, the team already has some vets.  It isn't some young team.  Plus, maybe it is a good message to send that an over the hill player who cheated (if it looks like admitted publicly it was a mistake, saying the right things, unlike some who try to b.s.) is let go since it is the right baseball move.  The Mets too often did not do that.  So, kudos.

If the Mets are a bit more honest about things, I would truly think they are a whole new team.  Along with injury woes, well, we wouldn't want to totally not be able to recognize them. The other thing is that the GM has a few questionable things in his past, letting some dubious characters stay in place, so I'm a bit wary of him.  But, again, the Mets made strides. 

Anyway, as compared to abortion rights and all that, baseball drama is just that.  A few times, there are important human stories involved, so it isn't all just a game.  It overall tends to be.  Which is one reason why it is a pleasant way to entertain oneself among everything else.  

ETA: Mets sweep a DH, so they will at least split another series, not losing one yet.  Peterson spot started and flubbed a ball, giving up a HR after.  But, the Mets hung on 5-4.  The late game was a eight inning gem from "Cookie" with the Mets winning 3-0.  

Split it is with a horrible sixth.  

But, to update again, the Mets avoided another bad game by winning 8-7 vs. the Phils. It surely looked bad, down 7-1 in the ninth.  But, Trevor Williams had mop up duty in that bad game, so the call up was able to go 2.2 scoreless.  Toss in another shutdown relief effort earlier after a bad four from Walker, Buck decided to keep his regulars in the game.  

And, the Phils bullpen (after Famalia pitched a good eighth) showed one of the reasons why I still don't trust that team.  The Phils were no-hit by the Mets (group effort) and now this.  How to top it?  A rain out delayed seeing what, but even if the Mets had a few blips after seeming never to have a bad game, they still are looking like a team on a mission in 2022.