Dropping MF Bombs

This is how it goes. That never-ending cycle we all hope they will break. One step forward, 8 steps back. Just when the weekend looks like progress is being made, they blow a very winnable game and then almost choke out a reporter. This is a team on the brink of a breakdown.

Photo Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Photo via Newsday

We all try to stave off being on the brink of a breakdown. Some more than others. Glory can be almost tasted, seen right in front of us and we do everything we can do not to get in our own way. The Mets are no exception, and clearly Mickey wants to win. As much as we give him shit for the moves he makes, like yesterday when he clearly should have had Edwin Diaz ready to go when it was clear Seth Lugo didn't have it in his 2nd inning of work, he is trying to win. No competitor isn't. Art Howe wanted to win, Jerry Manuel wanted to win, Dallas Green wanted to win. I don't think Mickey doesn't want to win. He's trying his best, but yesterday was the first time we saw him break.

He had been pretty even keeled until the perceived sarcasm from Tim Healey of Newsday, someone who does a great job of reporting and has been on our podcast. Knowing Tim, he wasn't jeopardizing his own line of work by causing conflict in the workplace. Hence why the Mets reached out to him to apologize and "handled affairs internally with personnel." They recognize, which they hardly ever do, the mistake that was made internally. Wouldn't it be nice if the Wilpons did the same on a more consistent basis?

How are we supposed to break the cycle? How are we supposed to make any progress when we keep tripping over our own two feet?

I'm going to the game tonight in Philly, and they're having their own problems having lost several games in a row including three at home to the Marlins. This will be the first game I've made it to all year, and I probably shouldn't even be going, but I've been planning it for a while and haven't seen my friend in some time. Hopefully, I'm not tripping over my own two feet as well since I should keep earning and not be spending money. I, however, also need a breather. As much as they may end up frustrating me tonight, I'll be happy I saw a game in person.

Then again....

Oy. Those Motherf-

Anyway, last night, on A Metsian Podcast, the guys had Mr. Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing on to rant and rave for themselves, for the fans and for me. Please, indulge with a listen when you have a chance.

LET'S. GO. METS.

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast, Ep. 28 - Subway Series Bronx Edition Recap & Looking Ahead

LIVE at 9pm ET, A Metsian Podcast enters episode 28!

We'll recap the Subway Series doubleheader in the Bronx, look ahead to an important 4-game series with the Cardinals at Citi Field, and of course, take a look at the players to wear number 28 in Mets history.

More specifically, we'll discuss Zack Wheeler's uneven walk year...Jason Vargas's resergence, Pete Alonso's All-Star and Rookie of the Year potential, and look at whether the Subway Series is still as exciting after all these years and with the novelty of interleague play having worn off.

PLUS MUCH MORE! So, join us LIVE at 9pm ET for the latest edition of A Metsian Podcast!

You can listen LIVE below, or at the direct link here.

Escape from the Bronx

It seems to be the way it goes every time these Mets/Yankees series arise. The Mets are starting to turn the corner and the Yankees are swooning some. I am generally optimistic, as you may be aware if you're familiar with my Mets fandom. When the above is the case, however, going into these series, I only see a letdown coming. The Mets have gotten our hopes up that we can handle these bombers, only to see it crash down around us.

Photo via nypost.com

Yesterday, after Monday's game was pushed to Tuesday afternoon, only half of that was true. I felt, with the Mets road record at 13-22 going into the series, you had to be happy with a split of the 2-game series that would bring them to 14-23. Baby steps after all.

Zack Wheeler has been rather home run prone this year, so yesterday, we all knew he would have to be much more finely tuned to stave off the cheap, I mean, short porches that Yankee Stadium provides. I troll, of course, because the home runs hit against him yesterday were anything but cheap.

The first game represented the narrative of the Mets on the road this year. Grab a lead, don't retain it. Luckily, and it began to feel dicey after they gathered a 6-0 lead that was immediately cut to 6-3, last night was handled soundly by Jason Vargas and the bullpen. The 9-3 lead they had finished at 10-4, the Mets able to escape with at least somewhat of a good feeling going into an important series against the consistent St. Louis franchise that always seems to be right there in the mix.

Looking at the standings...and June is an appropriate time to start dissecting them, not APRIL 17 as some like to do who post the Mets in 1st place on days like that...the Mets are a game behind the Cardinals in the Wild Card race. Though they have 3 teams in front of them before getting to the Cubs, who own the 2nd position as of now, followed by a tie for the 1st position with the Braves and the Phillies, you have to start somewhere, as 2016 showed with the Mets clinically making their way through 5 teams to eventually grab a wild card spot. 

This team, as frustrating as they can be and as hard as it has been to finally climb back over .500, is right there with plenty of baseball left for them to get their act together. It's rarely a breezy season for the Metropolitan franchise. As much as our hearts wish for a 1986, even that season eventually became nerve-racking come October. This is what we live for. The excitement, the suspense. This is why we are not Yankees fans. This is why I am no longer a Yankees fan. Fourteen years in and I still would rather the day-in-day-out drama of the Orange and Blue than the ease of the pinstripes. It is a much more realistic way of taking in baseball and a much more realistic representation of life itself. It's easy for some, but for most of us, it is a absolute struggle. We just have to choose to be happy, 'cause you're not going to be able to be ever stave off the eventual misery.

I told you I was optimistic! Um....LAUGHING OUT LOUD NOW...

BEAT. THE. REDBIRDS.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Giving Props to Vargas When Due

I spent a lot of words early on this season on this page scolding Jason Vargas and the Mets for continuing to trot him out there. Why even link those? We're not here to re-litigate all that but rather celebrate the fact Jason Vargas, fresh off shutting out the Giants over 9 innings, now has the 2nd lowest ERA of the Mets starters, 2nd only to Jacob deGrom.

Noah K. Murray/USA Today Sports
Photo via McCovey Chronicles

It doesn't matter whether this wouldn't be the case if some of our other starters had their shit together. Vargas has quietly, as we dog him every time his slot comes up, had a resurgent season. Forget the fact the Giants have not been very good. We know the Mets well enough to know the record status of their opposition never matters. Every ball team is going to have to play the good, the bad and the ugly, and you have to collect W's wherever you can find them. Not only did the Mets collect one on the backs of an impressive offensive performance, but on the back of a man who would not be here had most Mets fans gotten their way going into the season.

We can only hope and keep rooting for Jason Vargas to continue to excel. He gave the Mets and us fans all we could hope for and more last night, and relieved a relief corps in desperate need of some support (and more quality outings.) Momentum is only as good as your next day's starter, and Vargas has been a rather good next day's starter after a miserable start to the season.

Keep it up, Vargy. Are people calling him that, by the way? We should be.

Enjoy the day game, folks.

KEEP. ON. PUSHIN'.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Go Font Yourself

What else is there to say? I'm not going to kid myself stating that the Mets lost last night because I wasn't wearing the Mr. Met T-shirt. They lost because of the old cliché, "Momentum is only as good as your next day's starter."

AP/Patrick Semanksy
Photo via Newsday

While Jason Vargas, currently on the IL, has been better since I wrote about how they needed to move on from him, it all goes back to what I said then. The Wilpons can hold meetings all the want trying to swing the tides, but how can they be taken seriously when they run a pitcher out there, no offense to Wilmer Font, they literally traded for just because they needed an extra bullpen body? It is so many  adjectives that go through the mind as to how the Wilpons run this team.

AND I HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN INTO THE FACT THE OFFENSE COULD HAVE DONE THEMSELVES A FAVOR WITH RUNNERS IN SCORING POSITION, TOO! Patrick Corbin is a great pitcher, no doubt, but seriously.

We're going off the rails on a crazy train. And I'm not even going to use that song here.

Quick turnaround with a day game after night game. Seriously, Mets. Just...seriously, come. ON.

WIN. THIS. SERIES.

LET'S. GO. METS.

The Polar Bear Gets it Done After Familia Territory

I'm sure many people have made that "Familia" joke or a rendition of it, but at least it allows me to use my favorite "badum tsst" gif.

Also...oy, I had one-a doze emotional posts yet again. Ironically, the last one like that, coinciding after deGrom ended his crazy-good streak, was written while I waited for my tires to get fixed, and yesterday, after the post was published, I discovered my driver's side rear tire losing air as well. Got it fixed again, but not sure what the universe is trying to tell me...

Thankfully, I nipped it in the bud rather quickly so I could keep driving and earning yesterday evening. I decided to end the day just in the nick of time to catch Familia 1 out into the 9th inning. "Alright!" I thought to myself. "Jeurys is going to use this Edwin Diaz offnight to get it together as Wayne and Howie take me home." So, if you're playing the home game, the Mets had a lead and Familia was pitching well before I started listening, and then I listened to it all fall apart. If it weren't for Jeurys's 2019 track record, I would think I was the jinx.

Brad Penner/USA Today Sports
Photo via amazinavenue.com

I kept listening, however, and heard the new cavalry of JD Davis, Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso combine to give us a much needed walkoff win in extras. I'm not quite sure how to approach the JD Davis situation, though. I do understand that he's hit rather well when he gets his chances, but his defense leaves much to be desired. Todd Frazier is a pro out at 3rd base, and keeps running into baseballs with his bat at opportune times. We're not talking garbage time home runs, no matter whether he swings and misses a good amount of times as well. I'm not going to go outrageous about whether JD Davis should be starting over him at this particular junction. If Todd becomes a major liability, it will most likely play itself out.

Pete Alonso cannot help but swing hard. Though it was a classic Citi Field warning track shot, it was all we needed last night but man, is that guy strong. His energy is also contagious, and he seems to have taken a quick leadership role in his rookie season. With the Captain David Wright no longer there (single tear) it is nice to see such a young player taking some of the responsibility lost as Wright, head held high, marched into the sunset at the end of last season.

Back to Familia, however. I don't know how to dissect what is going on. It seems to be more mental than physical as his confidence is completely through the grass, scratching the bottom of the soil. Do I agree they should continue to put him out there in high leverage situations? On the one hand, he needs to fix these moments somehow, some way, but as players like Drew Gagnon proved last night, proper performances should be rewarded. It may behoove management to let Familia take some of the pressure off himself and pitch in moments when the game isn't on the line, because every time the game is on the line, he has come undone. We need these W's right here, right now, because this East of the NL is proving quite the crap shoot.

Here we come to another deGrom start. Luckily, the weather doesn't look to be nearly as volatile this evening as it was the night last week he should have never started in the first place. All of a sudden, Jason Vargas isn't the worst pitcher on the Mets, and I was hoping to not invoke his name in this post, but you know what? His performances lately has left me no choice. The Mets, however, need to put all their pitchers in the best positions to succeed and hopefully deGrom can do so once more going forward as the best pitcher in baseball.

MAKE. IT. SO. DUDES.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Middle of the Night Stupid Score Tweet & Text Storm

I once more had to go to bed early, around 9, but now I find myself up 2 hours before my alarm, 2 o' clock or so to be exact, and went to my phone to first see two texts from my Phillies friend.

Rhys jogged very slowly around the bases.

Same pitcher, right?

Frank Franklin II/AP
Photo via Washingtonpost.com

So, I went to check the score. 6-0. That set me off on a text and twitter "rampage." No anger there, really (well, maybe some...now, that I'm proofreading and editing this...)  just a big eye roll after seeing how the Mets allowed this game to finish off. My friend was no doubt sleeping like any normal person would be at 2 in the morning, and the majority of #MetsTwitter was no doubt sleeping like any "normal people" would be. That didn't stop me from letting my thoughts be known, and now I'm up and taking advantage of the fact I need to get to work earlier than I had planned anyway 'cause #LyftLife gonna #LyftLife.

My texts. These were all sent back-to-back in real time typing, too.

Jacob Rhe

 Shame

Jacob rhame

Nice Autocorrect

I fell asleep early

Well that is stupid score

Falling asleep early was totally planned too. I'm desperate to drive.

Now I'm up earlier than my alarm by two hours but considering staying up...

Alright, you're obviously NOT so I'll stop flash flooding

 4 2/3 innings Jason Vargas. 1 run but case and point. I don't care if he's your 5th starter.  What, Gio Gonzalez REALLY can't go longer?

A couple of those made the Twitter feed as well. First, my last tweet before I went to bed.

The game is a close one for sure, but I gotta lay down earlier than the end of this one again. If I don’t hear the comeback on @metsbooth, hopefully i’ll wake up to the sweep! #LGM! pic.twitter.com/9G8J2bDYsh

— Sam Maxwell (@THE_SamMaxwell) April 25, 2019

Then, I woke up.

Well...that’s a stupid score

— Sam Maxwell (@THE_SamMaxwell) April 25, 2019

4 2/3 innings Jason Vargas. 1 run but case and point. I don’t care if he’s your 5th starter. What, Gio Gonzalez REALLY can’t go longer?

— Sam Maxwell (@THE_SamMaxwell) April 25, 2019

Then...I discovered a tweet about Daniel Murphy.

This is as #OhMurph as it gets LOLOL.. 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/2rMlmWmCTz

— Mills (@MillManner) April 24, 2019

pic.twitter.com/lrV9AhNxCT

— Sam Maxwell (@THE_SamMaxwell) April 25, 2019

Then I texted the Murph tweet and finished up with this.

19LOB. NINETEEN. (****REDACTION: THIS WAS WRONG. MLB WROTE "19" ON THE BOXSCORE BUT AFTER A BACK AND FORTH ON A FACEBOOK METS PAGE, I REALIZED IT WAS A MISTAKE AND IT WAS CLOSER TO 11)

That's all. I got nothing else. I warned against a letdown game. (see basically last line of that post.) Stupid. Just stupid. You can't throw behind the opposition's back then not back it up. That game's on Mickey, as far as I'm concerned. Whatever. Day off then go get 'em.

Oh, one more thing, mets.com. 

SAVE THE HEADLINE SPIN.

I'll finish up with a pleasant distraction from yesterday.

View this post on Instagram

Yep. It’s THAT kind of day. #NYC #Skyline #Hoboken #SinatraDrive #HudsonRiver

A post shared by Sam Maxwell (@sammaxwell9) on Apr 24, 2019 at 12:59pm PDT

STUPID. METSIES.

LET'S. GO. METS.

Let's Talk About Pete, Bay-bee

(Firstly, Happy Passover to my Jewish brethren, and a Happy Easter to all reading who celebrate.)

Though the 800-pound gorilla in the room is Jacob deGrom's elbow, I will address this more once we have info after the MRI. Clearly not the headline we wanted to see yesterday afternoon, but we're almost numb to headlines of this nature at this point so let's all take a breath, hope for the best (try not to expect the worst) and focus on the recent win at hand.

I don't want to talk about Jason Vargas, who was serviceable albeit not very trusted to give quality longevity, as he was taken out after 4 innings of work.

I do want to talk about Robinson Cano, who I believe was the offensive star of this game but was overshadowed, like last Thursday in Atlanta in the case of Amed Rosario, by one swing, which we'll get to shortly. Cano showed off why Brodie Van Wagenen wasn't hesitant to accept that contract in the trade with Seattle focused on closer Edwin Diaz. That sweet swing was on full display as Cano collected 3 hits, scoring once and driving one in as well, getting his average up to .218 in the early part of this season. He was driving the ball soundly and thoroughly, which hopefully are good signs of great things to come.

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press
Photo via washingtonpost.com

Once more, however, Pete Alonso, who collected 2 hits and scored twice in 4 turns at bat, is all anyone is talking about. He hit yet another straight-away center field home run, this time onto the grass in Busch Stadium in St. Louis. What is so impressive is the way he went down to get it and drove the barrel so far through the ball, I'm amazed it even survived to make its way out there. When a ballplayer can drive the ball from spots on the plate as you'll see below. That is a hard thing to formulate a pitching plan against.

That's RIDICULOUS strength. How in the hell, with such a swing, did he get ANY power behind that?! It is the type of swing that cuts the gap, or falls in for a single. NOT a straight-away center field 432 footer!

Color me massively impressed by what we have seen so far from this rookie sensation. He will have to continue to work as hard as he has to adjust to whatever the league throws his way, but the signs all point to him not being just an April wonder. Keep powering through, Polar Bear.

Meanwhile, the Mets struggled to keep the lead as wide as it was initially, but they hung on, with runners on the corners, no less, in the bottom of the 9th to pull out a much-needed 1-run 5-4 victory. It is always sweet to beat Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina (who was the last out) and those red-bird Cards (and I had started the day actually seeing a real-live cardinal in far-north Jersey. I had worried it was a bad omen like the other day but maybe it was actually a good omen after all...gotta win the series first, though.)

And MASSIVE props to Jeff McNeil, who just keeps impressing more and more at 3rd base. Also, he always seems to be even sharper with his defense at the most crucial moments of these games. Keep collecting those acorns, Squirrel.

BEAT. THOSE. RED. BIRDS.

LET'S. GO. METS.

JV, The Momentum Killer

I wasn't able to pay nearly full attention to the game last night, let alone analyze the numbers (and that isn't because of the fact the Mets were on ESPMeh.) I was, per usual, driving Lyft and forcing myself to drive before, during and after the Game of Thrones premiere when I knew I would be dropping people off and picking people up to and from, respectively, their respective Game of Thrones parties.

AP Photo - John Amis
Photo via seattletimes.com

At quick glance, it looks like the offense got stifled by a great ace counter in Julio Teheran and deGrom hasn't gotten completely back on track to his stifling Cy Young form. No matter these factors, I still point back to my points about Jason Vargas in my last post. It doesn't matter how good your top 4 starters are, and we have some pretty darn good top 4 starters. If that 5th one is a MAJOR drop off, then momentum you have gained during those 4 other games will be seriously thrown off and it may take a few games to gain it back. Unfortunately, they are going with Jason Vargas at least one more time, and it's not like we're not rooting for him to have a Natural-type turnaround albeit on the mound. We wish he were the 2nd coming of every great pitcher who ever pitched this beautiful game. BUUUUUUT...

The Mets could have seriously used a 4-game series win going into their first series against their Turnpike rivals in Philadelphia, but alas, 'twas not meant to be. They'll need their Avenger superhero Noah Syndergaard to step up and pick up the slack. 'Twill be helpful for the offense to do what they normally can do as an oppositional team in Citizens Bank, ie, KNOCK THE BALL CONTINUOUSLY OUT OF THE PARK. Will be interesting seeing the beefed up new lineup the Phillies have put together for their 2019 run.

Enjoy the game, all. And as always on April 15, Happy Jackie Robinson Day.

FLEX. THOSE. MUSCLES.

LET'S. GO. METS.

#5thStarterIssues

I believe the Mets to be good. Ya Gotta. 

I think what they have shown us so far is much more reason to be optimistic than last year's above-their-heads 11-1 start. The offense has had a fantastic approach, seemingly attacking in ways the opposition cannot continuously adjust around. Usually, when a team is making a run, the starting rotation is lucky to have two aces at the top with the other 3 pretty good to round it out. It is a blessing, of course, that we have 4 horses that could potentially in the long run be other team's best.

John Amis/Getty Images
Photo via amazinavenue.com

The 5th starter, however, is not supposed to be this freakin' awful. Many of us all offseason long were screaming that no matter how Jason Vargas seemed to get better in the 2nd half of the season last year, we all expected him to resort to the atrocious pitching he presented at the beginning of it. He wasn't all that good in his first start and he was skipped to keep our better pitchers (cough cough deGrom) on a regular pitching schedule with so many off days early on. So, maybe he was a little rusty, but excuses excuses excuses. This world hates them (no matter how hypocritical each of us are and how often we seem to make them) and you have to adjust to what is thrown your way. His throwing was so bad he was taken out in the 1st with clearly no faith he would get back on track.

Post-game, Jason Vargas made the excuse that he wasn't out there long enough to make an overall assessment of his pitching. Oh, please. This isn't the type of talk fans want to hear and most likely not the type of talk teammates or coaches want to hear either.

There isn't an easy fix, no matter how much we keep screaming for Dallas Keuchel. That would be INSANELY AWESOME. This is the Wilpons, however, we're talking about. They do not operate in the same operational plane that most successful teams do. Signing him would not only most likely sure up our potential success but prevent our divisional rivals from swooping in to counter our attack with the pitcher of topic. It's crazy that a former Cy Young award winner, and one who hasn't had a drop off in performance of Matt Harvey territory, is still out there on the free agent market along with an elite closer of Craig Kimbrel's ilk. At this point, give a kid down in Syracuse a chance instead of someone who wants to keep making these excuses. We all will make excuses, but we have to continue to check ourselves and make less and less of them as time goes on.

Maybe one day, the Wilpons themselves will heed those words as well.

GIVE. US. KEUCHEL.

LET'S. GO. METS.