Because the Phillies are playing the Nationals… That’s why!
With the Mets a half game ahead in the division and the 2nd place Phillies playing the worst team in baseball, the Amazins will need to put in a strong effort to stay ahead. Sure it’s early in the season, and staying ahead isn’t the number one priority, but not falling too far behind a team as strong as Philadelphia should always be a priority. If the Mets fall too far, it will be tough to come back, even at full strength.
As injury depleted as the Mets roster has been so far this season, using 35 different players to date, they have been lucky enough to catch a stretch in the schedule where they play lower tier teams, and have been able to pull out some victories so far. The sloppy baseball they’re playing against these teams will not get the job done when they start playing the better teams in the league. Mets Today does a very good job of discussing the bad fundamentals shown by the team, so I’ll just share what they said.
A small portion includes:
Which brings up another thing: if you don’t have the opportunity to watch this team in person, then you only see about 10% of the game — the 10% that Emmy Award Winning producer Bill Webb thinks you should be seeing. You therefore miss:
- every time an outfielder misses a cutoff man;
- every time a pitcher fails to back up a base;
- every time a position player fails to back up a base;
- every time a batter watches the ball in flight off his bat, instead of busting it out of the box;
- outfielders not re-positioning themselves from batter to batter
- infielders not re-positioning themselves from pitch to pitch
- cutoff men who are out of position, or not in position at all
- runners who get poor leads
- runners who get poor secondary leads
- runners who do not pay attention to their base coaches
- runners who do not properly read an outfielder’s route to the ball, and don’t take an extra base
- on-deck hitters who do not clear bats and do not tell the incoming runner whether and where to slideThere are other “little” things that you may or may not see on your TV, but if you never played baseball then you may have no idea why I’m making a “big” deal out of these “little” things. And you’re excused for your ignorance, because from the focus of the centerfield camera, you’re led to believe that the most important things are homeruns and strikeouts.
If the Mets continue to play the type of baseball they’re playing now, they’re going to find themselves losing ground on Philadelphia before they know it.
We all know how poorly the Mets have played down the stretch in recent years. I know as well as anyone, having the luxury of spending the final day of the past two seasons at Shea watching the Marlins dismantle the Mets to keep them out of the playoffs. Maybe coming from behind will light a fire that’s clearly been missing in September. Chasing instead of being chased has done a lot for the Phillies in recent times.
The way I see it, this season can play out in 2 different ways.
- 1. The Mets reserves can pull their weight, keeping the team within striking range of first place. The injuries heal and everyone comes back at full strength. The roster is infused with new life and goes on a run for the ages. The pitching staff is strengthened, either from an outside source, or from carrying the weight of the team on their backs. The starters give you 6, the bullpen gives you 3 and the offense produces it’s runs. It’s a simple formula that this team is built for, and should have no problem fulfilling.
- 2. The Mets fall hard and fast in June when they find the quality of team they play significantly higher with series against Philly, the Yankees, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, The Cards, The Yankees again, and then Milwaukee to round out the month. The nagging injuries plaguing people like Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Ryan Church and JJ Putz become more serious as some or all of them spend significant time on the DL. Carlos Delgado does not return to full strength after his surgery and never plays another game as a Met. The playoffs are not a possibility.
Presenting the best case/worst case scenario shows how a few variables can change the whole outcome of a season. Which of these is more likely to resemble what actually happens this season? Only time will tell.
Big Pelf tonight. Let’s go Mets!
