Diamondbacks 3, Mets 2: Lineup Impotent Behind Dickey
by James Kannengieser on Jul 21, 2010 12:17 AM EDT
Email
Print 
I have no evidence to back this up, but it just seems like young pitchers with little big league experience always beat the Mets. Tonight's dominator was Barry Enright, a 24 year-old righty who had 15.2 MLB innings pitched entering the game. He posted a FIP-friendly line -- eight innings, five hits, one run, eight strikeouts, one walk -- and allowed just one extra base hit, a Josh Thole solo home run. Thole will reportedly be sent to the minors to make room for Oliver Perez. The Mets should cut Rod Barajas and give Thole a chance to play. R.A. Dickey appears to enjoy pitching to Thole, and the offensive upgrade over Barajas would be welcome.
Update: Per SNY, Justin Turner has been optioned to make room for Ollie. Thole will stick around. The Mets continue to pioneer the three catcher rotation, also known as "The New Moneyball".
Dickey gave up just three runs in seven innings but had a weak 3:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He also induced a miniscule four swinging strikes. However, with some better defense behind him the results might have been even better. Carlos Beltran looked awful on a flyball hit by Gerardo Parra in the fourth inning, which would have been the third out but turned into an RBI triple. Pre-2010 Beltran or the current version of Angel Pagan probably would have tracked it down. Regardless, I'm prepared to give Voltron some more re-activation time in center before pushing for a move to right field. Enright then drove in Parra on an infield single, accounting for the decisive third run.
Jason Bay crapped the bed tonight. He went 0-3 with two strikeouts, a double play and a blown opportunity to put the Mets on the board in the first inning, with two outs and the bases loaded (he struck out). Ike Davis also struggled, going 0-4 with three ugly strikeouts of his own. Pagan smacked a solo home run leading off the ninth inning but David Wright, Beltran and Davis went down quietly into the Arizona night against the Diamondbacks' gas can bullpen.
The SNY technical difficulties at the start of the game foreshadowed things to come. Community member bjk3047 discovered the source of the problem:
The Braves beat the Padres while the Cardinals crushed the Phillies. This puts the Mets 6.5 games out in the NL East -- fading fast. D-Backs ace Dan Haren will be on the mound Wednesday night in the third and final game of this debacle series. Jon Niese goes for the good guys.
Poem by Howard Megdal
Thole and Pagan both go deep
But rest of Met offense continues to sleep
You'd have thought Mets faced Cy Young on this night
Or Big Train? Bob Gibson? No. Barry Enright
SB Nation Coverage
* Traditional Recap
* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* AZ Snakepit Gamethread
Win Probability Added
Big winners: Angel Pagan +4.2, Jose Reyes +3.5%
Big losers: David Wright -15.2%, Jason Bay -14.1%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Angel Pagan solo homer +9.3%
Teh sux0rest play: Gerardo Parra RBI triple +11.5%
Total pitcher WPA: -1.9%
Total batter WPA: -48.1%
GWRBI!: Barry Enright, which is also the name of my accountant
Game Thread Roll Call
Nice job by MookieTheCat; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.
| Num | Name | # of Posts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MookieTheCat | 141 |
| 2 | CTRefJay | 99 |
| 3 | Gina | 79 |
| 4 | Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan | 76 |
| 5 | fxcarden | 73 |
| 6 | Syler | 66 |
| 7 | Brian. | 58 |
| 8 | James Kannengieser | 53 |
| 9 | Kepler | 49 |
| 10 | itsmetsforme | 45 |
114 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Thole has been spared, but Turner is gone
This is just ridiculous at this point.
Oh, and um, we suck.
There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ
The 2010 Mets- Hey, we may suck, but what did you expect?
looks like i missed another
thriller
I like Ike, I hate Jerry
new moneyball=mets FO is retarded
I like Ike, I hate Jerry
Misplayed a triple...
Turned out to be the difference. Of course it was followed by a hit by the pitcher that was the game-winner, so you can’t really put it all on him. 4 out innings are bad though.
by MookieTheCat on Jul 21, 2010 12:23 AM EDT up reply actions
always love those opposing pitcher RBI's
still this lineup should have done better than 2 runs, especially against some nobody pitcher
I like Ike, I hate Jerry
No,
he misplayed the ball in center, but Ike Davis and Jason Bay deserve more blame for this loss than Carlos.
"I want to win now, not 3 years from now. That's my stance." - Kevin Burkhardt
having not seen this game or last
i lay blame entirely on jerry. if a team is losing, its the managers fault, right?
I like Ike, I hate Jerry
They'v
There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ
The 2010 Mets- Hey, we may suck, but what did you expect?
Reply fail
They’ve both been awful lately, but you can at least attribute Ike’s struggles to being a rookie.
Bay??? There’s nothing to say. He hasn’t hit for power, his average sucks, and although “clutch” isn’t real, he hasn’t had any big hits all year.
Not to mention, he isn’t even getting on base that well now. First two months, he had OBPs over .370. In June, it was .350, and in July it’s under .300
He’s been nothing short of a collossal bust so far.
There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ
The 2010 Mets- Hey, we may suck, but what did you expect?
luckily there's no corner outfielders available this off-season who would be better investments
oh wait
I want Jerry Manuel fired now, not three years from now. That is my stance.- John Peterson
Ike's been "awful" lately?
Coming into the Arizona series he had a .905 OPS in July. He struggled in June, and his last two nights haven’t been good at all, but prior to that he had been playing pretty well for two and a half weeks.
2009 Did Not Happen
The Mets are a good home team and a horrible road team
that got to 10 games over by having played a few more home games and by playing the Indians and Orioles on the road.
We haven't won a road series against an NL team all year
Even teams that are appreciably worse than us, the Pirates and Astros, have done so.
I just don’t get it. They’ve beaten so many good teams at home this year, but they just can’t do anything on the road.
There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ
The 2010 Mets- Hey, we may suck, but what did you expect?
He's not going to mash it going forward
But he mysteriously obtained doubles power this year with his choked up bat style of hitting.
Yes.
Thole has to start getting mucho playing time.
"Never throw a slider to The Glider."
- Ed Charles, No. 5
"Who has more fun than people?"
- Ralph Kiner
Jeez,
the Mets do the dumbest things. Now with Turner sent down, who would play 3rd when David needs the occasional rest? Cora or Blanco? For the life of me, I don’t know how or why Fernando Nieve is still here. It’s like they don’t even realize he sucks.
"I want to win now, not 3 years from now. That's my stance." - Kevin Burkhardt
Exactly
In the postgame, Jerry was talking about how he’s not worried about having 3 catchers, because none of them have ever “caught 100 games in a row” (whatever the hell that means) and they all need breaks.
Um, isn’t that what the backup catcher does? Just cut Barajas and get it over with.
by Bieser's Balk on Jul 21, 2010 1:02 AM EDT up reply actions
OMG does Jerry even speak English?!?
2010: Year of the Grission
In My World, There Is No Such Thing As Off-Topic!
@Lenno212:
“Cora not happy with clubhouse laughter after another #Mets loss. Yells out, “A little respect please. They stuck it up our -!”
Jesus, STFU Cora. What the hell does he mean by “a little respect” anyway?
I don't mind this
They’re on the verge of completely falling out playoff contention, and they’re laughing as if they haven’t lose 5 of 6 on this trip?
Cora sucks, but this team needs to wake the fuck up.
There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ
The 2010 Mets- Hey, we may suck, but what did you expect?
So if you're on a losing streak
you are NOT allowed to laugh in the clubhouse. It must be completely silent and everyone has to act pissed off or something. Got it. So much for “staying loose” and “having fun.”
I never said they had to be serious all the time
But you’d think they would be a little more self-aware of the fact that they’re basically out of contention in the NL East, and falling fast in the WC race.
There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ
The 2010 Mets- Hey, we may suck, but what did you expect?
You're assuming, based on laughter in the clubhouse after a game
that they’re not self-aware of what’s going on in the division/WC races?
That’s kind of a leap, isn’t it?
If it looks like that losing streak is going to end your hopes for the season ...
then, no, you are not. It’s just unfortunate that we don’t have a true leader on the team to step in at moments like that. We needed Cora to do it. How pathetic.
"Never throw a slider to The Glider."
- Ed Charles, No. 5
"Who has more fun than people?"
- Ralph Kiner
i know someone who makes a living out of smiling, bet it was him laughing
quick, someone spread a story of the disruption frenchy causes in the clubhouse, its our only chance to get rid of him
I like Ike, I hate Jerry
Francoeur makes light of all situations!
His philosophy is to laugh-off adversity!
He learned it from Jerry!
(That good?)
Save Jenrry Mejia!
is it possible to learn from jerry?
I like Ike, I hate Jerry
For the game, maybe?
He’s right…a 34-58 team that crushed us the night before just stuck it up our ass again.
This team is playing like shit. Do you think Manuel is going to step up and say something?
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but Jerry abuses the privilege.
I don't see how laughing and respect for the game
are mutually exclusive
And you know the media will fit the narrative to the results
If they go on a winning streak now, it’s because they have a light clubhouse that didn’t get overwhelmed by a few losses and was able to bounce back.
If they continue in a tailspin, it’s because they don’t take things seriously enough.
by Bieser's Balk on Jul 21, 2010 1:04 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm glad he said it.
This was (another) horrible loss and players are joking around in the locker room right after the game. Fuck that. It should have been Manuel, but unless I know he saw/heard it, I reserve judgment.
"Never throw a slider to The Glider."
- Ed Charles, No. 5
"Who has more fun than people?"
- Ralph Kiner
So after a poor performance, they should sit shiva or something?
So when I get a 70 on a test, should I not be allowed to enjoy the rest of the day and try and take my mind off it? Shit happens, wallowing in self pity doesn’t do anything to change the bad.
No, but if you get 5 70's in a row you should be pissed and determined to do something about it
rather than fucking around. I also would not call this road trip a “70”. We’ve been getting some 55’s out there lately.
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but Jerry abuses the privilege.
What should the players do
in your expert opinion? hustle to the batting cages for extra BP after every loss to prove they care?
Well, not laughing to the point where a veteran has to admonish you in front of the media is a start
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but Jerry abuses the privilege.
Why are you so offended about it?
Obviously, Cora shouldn’t have been the one to do it, but since it’s apparent our manager Dudley Dipshit wouldn’t say anything, someone had to.
There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ
The 2010 Mets- Hey, we may suck, but what did you expect?
Why is Cora so offended about it?
Why did someone have to say something?
BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN PLAYING LIKE FUCKING SHIT FOR A MONTH NOW
Our season is spiraling down the drain, and while Cora word’s will likely have no material effect, it’s better than nothing being said.
There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ
The 2010 Mets- Hey, we may suck, but what did you expect?
Because it makes you feel like one of the players cares?
That’s cute.
I’m sure the crappy play has nothing to do with the fact our roster is crappy. It’s because the players don’t care. How silly of me.
by gogomets on Jul 21, 2010 1:35 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Our roster is crappy?
Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Davis, Bay, Pagan? These players are crappy?
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but Jerry abuses the privilege.
Cora, Franceour, Barajas, Nieve, Tejada, Valdes, Turner...
These players are not crappy?
Save Jenrry Mejia!
They are roster filler
You could do this with any team in the league.
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but Jerry abuses the privilege.
You'd think we'd have at least one role player there
and not a bunch of players who are barely replacement level
I support Jenrry Mejia as a starter. Screw you Jerry Manuel for thinking he's a set-up man.
...............
When the hell did I say it was because the players didn’t care?
Obviously, we’ve overacheived up to this point, but we’ve played like the Pirates for the last couple of weeks.
Again, his words will likely have no material effect. But are you really going to tell me that no one should say ANYTHING? I mean, what could it possibly hurt for someone to just tell like it is?
There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ
The 2010 Mets- Hey, we may suck, but what did you expect?
Cora was telling it like it is?
By yelling like an attention-whoring jackass about a couple guys laughing? Can’t agree with that.
I understand the frustration, and I understand he feels the need to say something. This was not the way to do it. Like AnthonyR said, why not a team meeting behind closed doors? It won’t make people hit/field/pitch better, but at least they can air their dirty laundry without beat writers hanging around looking for something controversial to write about.
Honestly, Cora doesn't seem like the type of dude who would just go off
I’m thinking that it had to be pretty egrigious for him to do that and if so, it was warranted. It’s all speculation, but I don’t see a problem with someone being pissed off with how this team has played.
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but Jerry abuses the privilege.
Beat writers
I don’t think it’s a big deal for the writers to be there. And Cora may have been sending them a message too.
5 minutes and that's what you came up with?
Poor. Glad you’re not managing the team.
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but Jerry abuses the privilege.
i'm still waiting on a response
on what you’d have the players do
Like I said, not act like jackasses for one
Maybe have some actual leadership and have a team meeting to try and right the ship. Show some passion instead of fucking around.
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but Jerry abuses the privilege.
Team meeting
I like it (seriously, not sarcasm).
As for passion—break some stuff in the locker room? Start a bench-clearing brawl?
is 70 good or bad?
in engineering school, thats a reason to celebrate… I think the team should wallow at least a bit, but when they get off the field they should definitely have the right to relax a bit, just like we do when we get home from our 9-5’s.
If you fail like 6 tests in a row
you probably shouldn’t be giddy directly after the 6th
I want Jerry Manuel fired now, not three years from now. That is my stance.- John Peterson
I agree
Do that stuff in private if necessary. I don’t see how laughing=no respect for the game.
"I want to win now, not 3 years from now. That's my stance." - Kevin Burkhardt
Cora's doing what shitty players have to do to endear themselves to media
by Bieser's Balk on Jul 21, 2010 1:07 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That's what I'm thinking
This will probably justify him being back next year in Omar’s eyes.
"I want to win now, not 3 years from now. That's my stance." - Kevin Burkhardt
As if Cora has done anything to help this team
"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"
by firejerrynow on Jul 21, 2010 6:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Which is why Cora should be manager
I want Jerry Manuel fired now, not three years from now. That is my stance.- John Peterson
If it meant Jerry goes and Cora is yanked from the roster
Than I support this move
this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard a fan complain about
were you in the locker room? Maybe it was warranted, maybe it wasn’t – either way, you’re only bitching about it b/c it was Cora. If David Wright said it you’d be up his ass about how he’s a leader but the media doesn’t recognize it.
2009 Did Not Happen
I don't have a problem with players talking about stuff like that
But I do have a problem with him saying it in front of the beat writers. Do that shit behind closed doors, you know those writers are going to blog/tweet/write about it instantly.
by James Kannengieser on Jul 21, 2010 9:06 AM EDT up reply actions
Blanco I suppose
There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ
The 2010 Mets- Hey, we may suck, but what did you expect?
We need Ty Wiggington.
He could take care of so many problems. Plays, 1B, 2B, 3B and maybe even some OF.
"Never throw a slider to The Glider."
- Ed Charles, No. 5
"Who has more fun than people?"
- Ralph Kiner
You can never have too many emergency catchers, either
I’m just assuming Ty Ty can catch
by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on Jul 21, 2010 1:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Waiting for the "Beltran's A Bum" crowd to come out
They have some ammunition tonight. I know the guy hasn’t played in a while, but that looked like a play that he should have made.
Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but Jerry abuses the privilege.
he's not a bum, but
i wish he was playing RF.
who, frenchy?
um, no. Just think Pagan in center and Beltran in rf makes more sense. And maybe some Carter starts for Bay in LF might not be a bad idea. The guy is completely lost.
wait, has he been banned?
"We're investigating the investigative procedure of the investigation of Tony Bernazard"---Omar Minaya (he really didn't say it but he would"
by firejerrynow on Jul 21, 2010 6:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Let's see
Drive 4 miles to Chase field and watch the mets shit themselves again tomorrow (I mercifully had to work tonight), or buy a decent beer with which to watch the first six innings of the game at home?
Not even a question at this point.
by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on Jul 21, 2010 1:32 AM EDT reply actions
We do indeed, and a good part of that is Manuel's and the FO's inability to get even the basics
right.
The handling of the catcher situation is just one of dozens of examples. Barajas hasn’t hit in two months, and even with a lot of rest—which would mean keeping three catchers on the 25-man roster, obviously not optimal—the best we might reasonably hope for is that he hits around his career line of .237/.282/.408/690 (though adjusted for age he’d probably be at least a little worse than that) for the remainder of the season. That’s not very good at all. Thole is obviously a much, much better hitter than Barajas. Thole is durable. Blanco is on hand to teach Thole about how to handle the Mets pitching staff, and to answer questions about defense generally. There is literally no reason, other than whatever mojo the Mets FO believes Barajas brings to the table, to do anything other than go from here on out with a platoon of Thole and Blanco.
Since the end of May Barajas line is an astonishing .165/.221/.227/.448.
That 448 figure isn’t his SLG, it’s his OPS. Nonetheless Manuel is running Barajas out there like he was trying to squeeze a few more games from an ancient catcher with an OPS of 950.
That’s an OPS vastly worse than the one belonging to Alex Cora. That’s a 448 OPS on a team that is desperate for offense. That 448 OPS belongs to a player who the manager has made sure to get into 75% of the team’s games since June 26th.
Most teams? Most teams’ managers would be actively seeking ways to sit such a player, to bench him until he started to look like one day he might sit again, if not get him off the roster entirely. Instead, Manuel is getting him into as many games as humanly possible, with two vastly superior options available.
If it’s gamecalling ability the Mets think they need, Blanco can call the game from the bench. If Willie Mays can do it from centerfield, I’m sure something can be arranged. It’s not like it’s close, either. Barajas actively undermines the Mets’ chances to win games. At this stage of the season he’s an all-but automatic out. There’s no reason to play him. There’s no reason, frankly, to keep him on the team a day longer.
I'm stunned that Jerry/Omar look at their catching situation and see
shit, okay and rookie in hot streak and think it’s a good idea to hand out the workload as 75%/5%/20%
In fact, this has been the deciding moment of the season for me.
Not that the FO is going to keel over with grief at the news, but what I’ve long suspected about the season, that Manuel and Minaya were simply to great a burden for anything but career years from most of the lineup to overcome, is clearly the case.
In a season that’s, at best, an uphill climb for a team comprised of a few stars and a whole lot of question marks in addition to a number of players who probably, simply, weren’t going to be very good, there’s no way to overcome a manager who does this kind of thing, who—with two very strong options—game after game, week in and week out, plays BY FAR the worst of three players at a position. This is on the order of playing Alex Cora over Jose Reyes, when Reyes is healthy and rested. It’s inane to the point of imbecilic. It’s just not possible for the team to overcome the deficit Manuel imposes on it night after night.
There’s no point in trading for anyone. I doubt picking up even Dan Haren and Dan Uggla BOTH would make the Mets favorites to make the postseason, and that would mean not only giving up the farm, but keeping Manuel and Minaya around indefinitely if the team did in fact luck into the postseason.
THAT’S certainly not worth it.
by Jack Str on Jul 21, 2010 1:48 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It has put us in a weird situation as fans
where it’s almost a curse if we plod our way into the WildCard. I said it in the beginning of the season that I want the team to either make the playoffs or play sub 500 ball to get Omar/Jerry fired.
I can go along with that.
The worst situation would be if the Mets miss by a couple and the narrative—leading to a multiyear deal for Manuel—reads that the scrappy, gutsy, brilliant manager almost led an overacheiving ballclub to the postseason.
Yeah, that's my worst fear.
If someone in the West or Central makes a tear at it for the WC than I’d be tempted to start rooting against the Mets.
i.e
the most likely situation. We’ll run Ollie out there for a few instant loses, and let the likes of Barajas and Nieve bring us down, and then miss the WC by all of like 2 games guaranteeing Jerry an extension. Because the only thing that matters is meaningful games in September.
I want Jerry Manuel fired now, not three years from now. That is my stance.- John Peterson
Hopefully Jerry can throw Beltran and Wright under the bus
so the “Mets always collapse in September” narrative doesn’t bring our genius manager down.
by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on Jul 21, 2010 9:10 AM EDT up reply actions
what is the Mets love with 3 catchers anyway?
it seems like this idiocy has been going on since the early 90s….
the sad thing if you combine all three catchers, they still can’t form ONE solid regular…maybe Thole in time will…
maybe they should trade for Micah Owings (of the Reds) and put him at second base. the guy can hit…!
"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"
Jerry says
he is going to start playing Thole more.
The team is in a cold stretch, but I am not too worried about the hitting picking up. Reyes, Pagan, Wright, Beltran, Bay, Thole more often, Ike…that’s a decent line-up. Hell, heal Reese havens up and stick him out there and it is among the best in the NL.
I’m more worried about Pelfrey, 5 slot, and relief. santana has been a bit fortunate as well with his K rate so low.
Thole is going to be Dickey's personal catcher
And Blanco is going to be Johan’s personal catcher.
(sexual innuendos aside)
THIS IS A COLOSSALLY STUPID DECISION!
Save Jenrry Mejia!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
