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Mickey Callaway described the rotation as a Mets force before the opening of the Tuesday night series against the Giants. He also stressed the importance for the starters to achieve a turnover of excellence to carry the team.
A few hours later, Noah Syndergaard had a great result and the Mets manager pulled him out of the game, the latest proof that even nearly a year and a half later, Callaway was still struggling to make tough decisions. Do you know who agrees with this assessment?
Mickey Callaway.
After a 9-3 loss in 10 innings, Callaway first reunited his players to express Syndergaard's "remorse" about the decision, while assuming responsibility for the loss, then publicly conceding: [decision] return."
It may be true of Wilpons and Brodie Van Wagenen, who have chosen to stay with Callaway as a manager. Three days after eliminating Jacob deGrom because of the objections of the ace and surrendered to a simple marker that would eventually blow up the game, Callaway has done the same Tuesday with Syndergaard with the same results. This is the Robinson-Cano-not run-balls-twice management. Once, you're not crazy, but the second time is inexcusable.
Callaway forcibly qualifies part of his team and laments the ability of another party to do his job, while giving up the strength of weakness at critical moments. It's the arm wrestling with your weakest arm when the most powerful arm is available.
The Mets had a 3-2 lead at the end of the sixth on the circuits of Pete Alonso and Wilson Ramos. After an uneven opening, Syndergaard had retired 10 out of 12, and the only two riders on the base were Alonso who was a better batter than the defensive player.
There were two outs in seventh, a runner in first place and Syndergaard in 103 runs. And Callaway went to Vic Carapazza to make a double change. So, no matter what Callaway proposed later, this indicated that it was a firm decision because he was removing Syndergaard from the game without prior consultation.
Syndergaard was stunned, then annoyed and whispered throughout Callaway while taking the ball. And why did Callaway take the ball?
He said that Seth Lugo controlled the game being better executed than Syndergaard, but that it was Mike Yastrzemski in the beginning, not Billy Hamilton. And Callaway quoted Evan Longoria as a good hitter for the low-ball with strong numbers against Syndergaard. But those numbers were 3 to 12 with only one hit ball and five strikeouts. And this Evan Longoria is simply no longer a hitter.
With time to think about it later, Callaway acknowledged that Syndergaard "deserved the benefit of the doubt there". But why was not it his real-time thinking process? Was not Jim Riggleman hired as a coach to help the manager make that kind of choice? Lugo gave up consecutive hits and head, propelled the Mets to 28-32 and heightened the heat on Callaway.
Syndergaard, however, tried to reduce the fire. He explained that his fury on the ground was an imminent competition and that he respected Callaway for the Mea Culpa. He explained that the decision to remove DeGrom Saturday with a cramp and Syndergaard on 103 grounds was a difficult choice. But are they?
This is a devastating team and a manager clinging to the cliff with a finger. In such moments, you build on your strengths – especially if you, the manager, say how important it is to do it the hours before a game. After all, the Mets are hoping it's a redux from 1973 when no one in the east of the NL could escape and the Mets ended up winning the launcher pitch.
Nobody would suggest the need of three guys over 242 innings like Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack. But with this office, you need more.
"We are all human," said Syndergaard. "We all make mistakes, learn and move on."
It's a good feeling. But is Callaway learning? Nearly a year and a half at work, is it better today than the first day? Heck, he was a pitching coach showing no feeling for launching in this situation – and certainly not for the magnitude of the present moment for him and his team. It sounds like a severe criticism.
Except that mea culpa means that this has been corroborated by Mickey Callaway's worst enemy when it comes to managing a game – Mickey Callaway.
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