Damn. The Mets were three outs away from an inprobably sweep at the house that Rivera built and it just didn't happen. One could say that asking for a sweep at Yankee Stadium would be greedy, considering the fact that the Mets had never even won a series there. But to be as close as they were and then to watch Braden Looper implode and A-Rod celebrate in such a girly fashion was more than my eyes needed to see. We set another AA all-time comments record with the open thread last night, but that's little consolation in the aftermath of last night's letdown.
Looper's underwhelming strikeout rate has bothered me all season long, but the fact that he had converted his last 14 save opportunities was encouraging and was enough to make me overlook his inability to keep the ball out of play. His velocity is there, but he has just lacked the ability to get that last strike. As much as we may complain about it, though, you know there is virtually no chance that Braden Looper isn't the closer for the rest of the season.
It sucks to have to mope through an off-day today with the bitter taste of last night's game still lingering, but I don't have much choice. The good news is that I am introducing a new feature to the site! Here goes...
Willie Randolph Stupid Move of the Game
During the open threads, whenever Willie makes a questionable move, somebody make note of it, and then at the end of the game everyone leave a comment choosing their biggest bonehead move for that game. This wasn't in effect for last night's game, so I have picked it myself. As stupid as not guarding the line in the ninth inning was, the dumbest move of the game occurred in the top of the seventh.
With one out and David Wright on first, Willie called for a hit-and-run with Chris Woodward at the plate. With someone who strikes out as often as Woodward (21 strikeouts in 89 at-bats) and a pitcher who has missed more bats than almost every other pitcher in baseball history, and with a lefty on the mound and an average runner at first, and with the game tied at 1 in the late innings, just what in the hell was Willie Randolph thinking by calling for a hit-and-run? It was quite possibly the worst imagineable time to call for a hit-and-run, as almost every odd was stacked against the Mets. David Wright was thrown out by about 10 feet, and the Mets went on to score three runs that inning with two outs. There's no way to tell what the outcome would have been if that one play had been taken back, but I was cursing at the tv and wondering where he comes up with these ideas.
In other news, Doug Mientkiewicz hit the disabled list yesterday with a strained right hammy, and the Mets recalled... wait for it... Jose Offerman (a.k.a. Jose Awful-man) from AAA Norfolk to take his place. Sweeeeeeet!
Amazin' Avenue Daily Web Links
- MetsGeek.com: Minor Talk (OFF)
- MetsGeek.com: Win Probability Glance 6-26-05 (Matt Gelb)
- Daily News: Numbers are close, but these two teams are miles apart (Vic Ziegel)
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