Different night, same three-legged stool of suck.
Kodai Senga worked into the sixth, which is the Mets starting pitcher equivalent of a complete game these days. Into the sixth, but not out of it — let’s not go crazy, folks. Was that better than Senga has been? Yes. Was that better than Mets starters in general have been? Also yes. Was it a performance worth of hosannas? Meh.
Two of the Mets’ vaunted bullpen acquisitions then took over. How did they do? Well, Tyler Rogers allowed a single that gave the Braves the lead; when the Mets leapfrogged Atlanta, Ryan Helsley not only failed to protect a one-run lead but also gave up two runs and took the loss. Rogers has had more bad luck than anything else, but Helsley’s been flat out bad. (How a gigantic dude who throws 104 is ever bad is a baseball mystery, but one best considered when I’m not fuming.)
The offense? Francisco Lindor looked like his long run of poor performances might behind him, an indication that perhaps that toe is finally healing. But his teammates didn’t do much to support him — the Mets totaled three runs on six hits, capping their night by looking absolutely hapless against Raisel Iglesias, who’s had a terrible year.
It was appalling, and in all too familiar way — the Mets have been largely appalling for two months now, and are on the verge of being on the outside of October looking in, a fate they richly deserve.
Is anyone connected with the club doing anything to fix this, beyond happy talk about processes and a stubborn confidence that one of these months players will revert to their career means? I see no signs of that, from anybody. That’s also appalling, and starting to be far too familiar.
“How a gigantic dude who throws 104 is ever bad is a baseball mystery, but one best considered when I’m not fuming.”
I don’t know if his breaking stuff sucks in general but based on the small sample size I’ve seen he should never throw one of those where a batter can touch it.
My expectations have finally dropped to match the team’s performance. Didn’t get mad or upset last night. If I’m gonna watch this team, some version of this is what I’ll see.
Hensley is looking like the second coming of Billy Taylor. If this continues, the team is clearly going to Helsley in a handbasket.
Apparently the clueless Stearns was only GM in baseball not aware that Helsley has slipped badly this year and that Mullens is, well, a .220 hitter. Then again he’s the guy who thought Siri and Taylor were fine to carry CF for the season.
If processes is all that matters to Stearns and Mendoza, then results will obviously take a backseat, no matter how appalling.
Totally shocked to see Soto put together that non-competitive at-bat late in the game.
But why should I be, at this point?
Terrible when your worst fears come true. We thought there might be a pitching problem going into the season, but after 2024 I never expected this apparent total collapse.
“Is anyone connected with the club doing anything to fix this, beyond happy talk about processes and a stubborn confidence that one of these months players will revert to their career means?”
The David Stearns Mets are all about process. Process is more important than results. Tomorrow is more important than today. This has become an organization that would rather have its batters strike out looking on an 0-2 pitch because they were obeying the metrics and they didn’t get the pitch they were “hunting,” than to diverge from the plan and double up the gap on a pitch they weren’t supposed to be swinging at.
Up is down, down is up.
You finally get a brilliant performance out of a member of your bullpen, and you DFA the guy 48 hours later (Rico Garcia). You get four hitless innings from another reliever (Justin Hagenman) and, of course, you ship him back upstate the next day because he has options. And, in David Stearns’ world, options conquer all else.
I’ve watched this sport for 50 years, but, hey I don’t have an Ivy League degree, so I must defer to the smartest guy in the room, who does.
Helsley, Stanek. Stanek, Helsley.
It’s shocking, I know, but they’re actually two different people.
Either way, it’s Helter Skelter.