Mets' Lost Weekend Puts a New Paint Job on Things
There's too much at stake to coast toward the finish line...
With two Nats on in the top of the seventh, none out, and the Mets staring down the barrel of a remarkably disappointing series loss at home to a basement-dwelling, pared-for-prospects Washington squad (with Atlanta looking to close their NL East deficit to one solitary game, no less), the Mets were on the ropes.
Trevor Williams, who earlier in the day allowed his first earned run since July 2, wiggled out of the jam with a 1-6-3 inning-ending double play, and for the first time since Friday’s win—scratch that, the place got pretty fired up after Eduardo Escobar’s homer on Saturday night—the Citi faithful arose. Seemingly on cue in the bottom half, so did the Mets.
Unfortunately, that rally was dashed in an extremely odd sequence of events. Escobar’s pop-out with two on and none out—dropped by left fielder Cesar Hernandez but only after the out was recorded, confusing everyone—resulted in a 7-5-7-5 double play, and whatever buzz building among the Sunday afternoon crowd quickly dissipated.
The Mets went down without a whimper, the Braves were waiting out a rain delay in Atlanta with a 2-0 lead over Miami, and the National League East is currently the most exciting thing—or frightening, depending on your vantage point—going on in baseball.
Remember earlier today when we talked about the Mets controlling their own destiny? That hourglass is running out, and the sense of urgency that should accompany a situation like is just not there from an outsider’s perspective.
The thought process behind Carlos Carrasco’s return to action without a rehab start and just 50+ pitches thrown in his last start on August 15 was a curious one. It’s doubtful the Mets will admit this was the plan, but treating a Major League ball club—any of them, the best or the worst—essentially as a rehab start is a treacherous path.
Carrasco, making his first start in nearly three weeks (low grade left oblique strain), was not sharp. The Nats made hard contact early and often (the Mets’ normally solid defense did him no favors, either) and Cookie’s return to the mound ended abruptly after just two-and-two-thirds innings and five runs (one earned) on his line.
A veteran pitcher like Carrasco, whose success virtually hinges on precise command and control, going out there rusty against a Nats team who, despite an unsightly win-loss record, entered the day with the fourth-lowest strikeout rate and 10th-highest contact rate in the majors, is a recipe for trouble.
Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and Cookie is a proven guy who likely got the nod with a simple, “I’m good,” as he should have. But ya gotta play these final hands wisely right?
When things were spiraling, Keibert Ruiz’s single put Washington ahead 3-1, and it became clear that Carrasco didn’t have his best stuff, October mode has to be activated.
Williams, whose recent exploits are noted above, or someone to bridge the gap to Williams, has to be ready to go at the first sign of trouble and the game has to be kept within arm’s reach.
Hitting with runners in scoring position, which has been a hallmark of this team when they’re playing their brand of baseball, really didn’t even come into play over the latter part of the weekend.
The Mets were only in two such situations against Patrick Corbin & Co. on Saturday (0-for-2) and didn’t fare much better against Erick Fedde on Sunday, going 0-for-2 w/RISP, again. I honestly can’t believe I just typed that sentence. For Pete Alonso’s sake, this is not the time to fall into a funk, fellas.
As many times as this team has fought and battled and come back to win games this season, it’s not automatic. And now isn’t the time to be waiting for things to happen. We trust Buck. We trust this team’s decision-makers. That’s what makes this all the more disconcerting.
Another last-place team with oodles of fight and a moderate-to-respectable amount of talent awaits in Pittsburgh. No overlooking anyone. LFGM.
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