Mets need their enclosure to save their season this time around



[ad_1]

Many of them are familiar with the journey.

All that remains for them to do is to trace a radically different route. Think of it as if you are going for the alternative course on Google Maps.

The curvy Mets hit the surprising Marlins on Monday night at Marlins Park, 11-4, a much-needed restart after the Phillies swept them out of Citizens Bank Park. Luis Rojas’ group took the win after receiving just 1 ² / ₃ innings from starter Robert Gsellman, as Chasen Shreve, Jeurys Familia, Brad Brach and Franklyn Kilome teamed up to pick up the Last 22 outs, allowing three runs – two of those in the ninth bin.

“With [Gsellman] still stretching, I think the whole bullpen knows we have to be ready early, ”said Shreve, who took the win by striking out the seven hitters he faced, five per strike out on withdrawal.

While they might not survive on such a meager contribution each night from their starting pitcher, these Mets (10-14) surely won’t replicate the spinning excellence of their immediate predecessors that catapulted them from summer darkness. to fall’s relevance (and what a playoff spot has been in this year’s playoff setup). From what we’ve seen so far in 2020, these guys will have to do it with a loaded and larger enclosure to cover a more disheveled starting body than Shooter Flatch at the start of “Hoosiers”.

“There is a lot of confidence that the relievers can help us in any scenario, in any situation, to win games,” Mets rookie manager Luis Rojas said of his enclosure before the match.

Robert gsellman
Robert gsellmanGetty Images

Here is a plea for even more confidence. Better rely on the relievers, capitalize on the 28 players and recognize the weakness of the team.

Look at what happened this weekend: In all three games, Rojas stayed too long with his starters: Walker Lockett (replacing Jacob deGrom) on Friday night, Steven Matz on Saturday night and Rick Porcello on Sunday. Monday night presented a welcome contrast, as Rojas lifted starter-turned-reliever-turned-starter Gsellman with two strikeouts in the second set, the Marlins in the first and second and the Mets holding a 3-1 lead.

“The stress on the first run and the second run, the command struggle, I thought we saw him almost to a point where he got tired after two runs of work,” Rojas said of Gsellman. “He’s a guy we’re just starting to stretch and that’s immediately when we went to Shreve. Lefty Shreve came in and stoked left hitter Matt Joyce to escape the jam, setting the tone.

“We have so many guys out there who can throw multiples,” Shreve said. “It’s actually really nice and reassuring.”

DeGrom looks set to return to the rotation on Wednesday night, Rojas said on Monday, and the manager declined to commit to Matz doing his turn on Thursday night. Between health concerns and performance concerns, things remain very moving for this group. Mets starters now sport a 5.54 ERA, 14th in the National League entering action late Monday, while their 4.55 relievers placed them seventh.

When the 2019 Mets surprisingly changed their season with a 40-21 streak to close the schedule, their starters posted a 3.06 ERA, second-best in the NL, and their relievers 4.36, eighth (thanks, FanGraphs ). It’s a better way to go, no matter how much Edwin Diaz’s meltdowns or Mickey Callaway’s scrapers haunt you. With Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard, and Zack Wheeler all gone, however, a recreation of that revival seems nearly impossible, no matter how much rookie David Peterson helps pick up for Gsellman’s shaky return to rotation, Porcello’s disappointing numbers or the physique of Michael Wacha. lack of reliability.

“It’s a weird year,” said Michael Conforto on Monday, “but I think we can all get things from last year when we were playing at our best. … We have to have fun there. This part of the year was the one where everything melted.

If Rojas doesn’t build on Monday’s action and manage his club’s strengths enough, the Mets’ lofty ambitions for 2020, let alone the Wilpon era, will embarrassingly melt away.

[ad_2]

Source link