Tommy Hunter was asked to soak up innings on a Monday afternoon and the Washington Nationals were first-pitch swinging. The Mets’ reliever threw 12 pitches to the first seven batters he faced, then got a fly ball to right field.
The 4:00 pm start meant for the second straight day, the teams would play with a creepy shadow marking the sun setting on another bright and cloudless day. Watchers saw the clear sky in the nation’s capital with players glaring back into the sun all weekend.
Starling Marte had already dealt with the sun on a fly ball earlier in the game. Viewers could see him staring right into the sun, using his glove to create a shadow and track the earlier at bat. This time, the fly ball was towards the scoreboard in right center field. Marte tracked it, roaming and slowly converging towards Brandon Nimmo.
It was quick, but the viewer at home could see the two players weren’t on the same page. In a classic case of “I got it; you take it!”; the fly ball hit Marte on the leg as he nudged Nimmo with his glove as the ball bounced away. Washington’s Jeimer Candelario hesitated out of the box, but easily cruised into third base for what was declared a triple despite the mixup. Joey Meneses would cause a similar near-collision a few innings later, allowing another run for a Nationals team that served as a visual reminder of how special the 2022 season was.
They made diving plays all over the diamond look routine made by guys you have never heard of. They hit the ball into holes provided by the opposition, ran first to third and took advantage of every mistake. Last season, it was the Mets making the little plays that don’t show up in the box score, but put the team in a good position to take advantage. Maybe it’s too much to ask for that advantage two years in a row, but have we truly seen what this team is capable of?
Justin Verlander is set to make his Citi Field debut Tuesday. Max Scherzer is 38-years old, but missed multiple days due to a suspension and various scratched starts here and there. The next aged starter, Carlos Carrasco, is just now ready to return from another Rumble Ponies rehab start.
For all the talk of an aged staff, that was the plan going into the final weeks of April. But that was then and nothing has been the same since. The bulk of this season’s starts have been made by replacements originally expected to start the season in Syracuse. The collection of arms included many I hoped would groom and get better in case of a break when necessary. But that emergency happened much earlier and now I know much more about what was once about 90 miles north of Queens.
David Peterson has pitched so poorly that I have to feel pleased he went five innings on a day when Buck Showalter appeared to only have two pitchers available after Washington went up 5-1 after four innings. Peterson went back out for the fifth and showed all the reasons why he’s a puzzle worth a second look.
He got two strikeouts with a 95 MPH fastball and a back foot slider that’s unhittable to right-handers. But after getting two outs, he couldn’t finish the frame and repeated the inability to get out left-handed batters. Fortunately ex-Met Dom Smith was caught in a rundown after his run-scoring single, but the damage was already done.
Is the damage enough that we can start having the Pete Alonso conversation? Francisco Lindor has 36 hits, 14 of which have been doubles, so his .224 average has been loud enough to keep focus away from the Polar Bear. Yes, Alonso has 13 home runs and 31 RBIs with a .503 slugging percentage, but he is hitting .232, his .335 on-base percentage is well below his career numbers. Similar to Reggie Jackson, Alonso is the straw that stirs the Mets’ offense and his struggles go hand in hand with the lack of runs.
Watching this team struggle and hoping for something different is both a sign of insanity and my plans for the summer. The team’s original plan called for ways to provide more time for an aged starting staff. Does the six to eight weeks full of injuries count? Does the eventual arrival of Jose Quintana sometime in July count as a trade deadline acquisition or is that only if he’s any good? Will any of this matter if the team isn’t any good by the time the ‘durable’ lefty is actually available? I won’t be the only one available to watch the Mets regardless and that’s the truth.
Upcoming Series: Tampa Bay Rays at New York Mets
Tuesday, May 16 - 7:10 pm
Justin Verlander (1-1, 2.25 ERA) vs. Jalen Beeks (1-2, 5.40 ERA)
Wednesday, May 17 - 7:10 pm
Kodai Senga (4-2, 4.14 ERA) vs. Taj Bradley (3-0, 3.52 ERA)
Thursday, May 18 - 1:10 pm
Tylor Megill (4-2, 4.02 ERA) vs. Josh Fleming (0-0, 4.26 ERA)
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