Image credit: Roberto Carlo
One hundred and one wins mean nothing once the postseason begins. It’s a clean slate and any team in the dance can get hot and make some magic.
The Mets have been on both sides of that fence throughout their abbreviated postseason history. We, as fans, should be well aware of the many ways these tradewinds can blow.
On Friday in Flushing, the Mets had some sobering news delivered to them by Yu Darvish, Josh Bell, and the 89-win San Diego Padres:
If #TheseMets don’t wake up and shake off whatever’s been plaguing them since games began mattering again, in earnest, a couple of weeks ago, they’re going home for the winter. It’s really not what you want after the magic that’s ensued this season.
Max Scherzer, always moderately susceptible to the dong, was a magnet for them in the Mets’ postseason opener versus San Diego.
Once those floodgates opened, the palpable buzz that had been building up since like 4 PM out in the parking lot escaped Citi Field quicker than Manny Machado’s line drive in the fifth. That’ll happen. I guess.
Some have questioned the contract New York shelled out for the 38-year-old future Hall of Famer’s services last winter as if it was all riding on his last two starts. That’s not really accurate, but it’s not entirely wrong either.
Max was brought to Queens for these moments, and coming up small when it counts the most doesn’t afford much wiggle-room when it comes to the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately nature of the New York sports beast.
That being said, this is Max Scherzer. And this is also baseball, a game of minute adjustments at its very core. It’s very possible Scherzer is just a tinker away from transforming back into Mad Max. It’s also possible neither he, his teammates, or Mets fans will get a chance to see that dramatic wrinkle play out until next March.
And it’s not like the Mets didn’t have ample opportunity to pick their co-ace up on Friday night. Hitting with runners in scoring position, which has been a hallmark of this team’s success going back to Opening Day, was at a price-gouged premium against Darvish.
Despite consistent traffic on the basepaths, including seven hits, a walk, a hit batsman, and three stolen bases, the Mets went just 1-for-11 with trout downstream. That’s simply not going to play. Not against the Cubs, not against the Marlins, and certainly not against the Padres or any other postseason ballclub.
On Saturday, the Mets will turn to Jacob deGrom as their slide-stopper, season-saver, and defibrillator. In 99-of-100 universes, we’d all be breathing a sigh of relief. Or at least allowing a breath to be taken, which hasn’t been the easiest task since, ohhh, last Friday in Atlanta. Oddly, that’s not the case. Like, not at all.
Here’s hoping that anxiety dissipates once Jake takes the bump. And truly, a strong start tonight from the longest-tenured Met has all the potential of awakening this currently dormant offense and, more importantly, downtrodden fan base.
What good is a home-field advantage if the home crowd is drowning their collective sorrows by the third and heading for the exits in the seventh? Anywho…
The Mets will square off against resurgent southpaw Blake Snell, a pitcher who’s had quite a bit of success in the postseason, himself. We know the blueprint, don’t we?
Make him work, take advantage of mistakes, and play your game. You know, the one that worked all year? The table’s set. The wine is poured. Let’s eat.
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Max and Jake were a great plan for the post season, but plans mean nothing once the games start. Not getting runs in from 3rd with less than two outs is a hallmark of a losing team. Mets played like a losing team last night. I know they can turn it around and win the next 2 but the bats MUST show up. That's why you gotta play the games. Let's go Mets!