22
2012
Mets Rally Too Little, Too Late As Dodgers Hand Them 8-5 Loss
An article by 
MIGUEL BATISTA: The Little Engine That Couldn’t
Another late Mets rally falls short… It’s becoming a common theme so far in the second half.
Starting pitcher gets bashed, bullpen allows more runs, Mets try to catch-up, Mets run out of outs, game over.
I am fully aware and can truly appreciate all of the careful thought, the endless calculating, the hours of scouting, that nerve-wracking audition, and the mind-boggling, brainstorming that led to the determination that Miguel Batista was the clear and convincing choice to give the Mets their best chance to win today’s game.
We had four former or current GM’s, four former managers, and three different pitching coaches, and countless scouts come to that conclusion. Who am I to argue? Instead let me shift gears…
We are the best baseball fans in the major leagues… We are the most engaged baseball fans in the major leagues… And of course we are also the most vocal and knowledgeable baseball fans in the major leagues… That’s why I decided the web needed a Mets Fansite all those years ago. We are so freaking awesome!
I mean it’s so cool being a Mets fans, I really don’t know why anyone would want to root for any other team. How could you not love everything that we are and everything we represent?
How many fan bases ever organized a Don’t Trade (fill in the blank) Day? Or rallied outside their team’s executive offices screaming and chanting with a local shock jock for the team to go after Manny Ramirez and K-Rod? The Wilpons spent a billion dollars to build a new stadium and within three years we had them building a Mets museum, rearranging the furniture, shortening the walls and painting everything from black to Mets blue.Take a bow Mets fans… We Rock!
I’m bringing all of this up because I nearly peed in my pants when the game started and Miguel Batista was greeted with an absolutely resounding outburst of boos before he even took threw the first pitch. I’m sorry, I felt terrible for Miguel, but the other part of me just couldn’t help laughing especially when the camera panned into the outfield where a huge outstretched banner read in big bold letters, “We Want Harvey!”
You just knew right then and there what would happen next, AND IT DID!
Before you could bat an eyelash or take your first sip of a frosty brew, it was 4-0 Dodgers and Batista was done after three innings. His exit was even more unmerciful as his entrance was. Miguel, here’s my advice to you… Go get drunk tonight, pack your bags, and good luck wherever you go from here. And in the words of that weird British woman who hosted the game-show The Weakest Link, “Good-Bye”.
Meanwhile, our old friend Chris Capuano who we nursed back to health and then decided not to bring him back because he wanted a two year, $10 million dollar deal, quieted the Mets bats once again for Los Angeles in what was really a tough game to watch. Cappy improved to 10-5 and his ERA now stands at an enviable 2.81 for the season. Yikes!
JUAN URIBE: I Love Me Some Dickey.
I thought Terry Collins was pulling my leg last night when he said he was going to use R.A. Dickey as a reliever in between starts. Guess what, the dude was dead-serious! In came Dickey, and out went his pitch to little Juan Uribe who blasted a two-run job out of the park. Yes, that Juan Uribe, the guy who is batting .189. You think Dickey was pissed?
Anyway, the Mets lost this game 8-5 and I’ll spare you any remaining gory details. (There were plenty.)
As you can plainly see, I’m not one for writing recaps. Like the great Bob Murphy, I only prefer happy recaps.
But in the spirit of all the other MMO Recappers who work diligently all season long, I will give the customary Game Ball to you – the Met fan. Today you told it how it was. You showed a lot of grit, passion, fire and swagger and I’m glad to count myself among you.
Tomorrow’s another day… Lets Go Mets!
P.S. Satish get back soon…
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 24 | 18 | .571 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 20 | .535 | 1.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 32 | .256 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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You don’t like doing recaps when the Mets lose but look how it allows you to vent. That has to count for something. Now let me share my thoughts on today’s game.
Batista did exactly the opposite of what was needed from him today. He put the Mets in a hole early and didn’t give them innings.
Edgin continues to impress in his brief time up so far. Don’t look now but Duda over his last 20 games coming into today has 2 rbi’s and is hitting .169/BA over that stretch. Today’s 0 for 2 certainly didn’t do anything to improve upon that.
With Lucas Duda, Jason Bay and Kirk Nieuwenhuis all struggling of late you have to wonder why Jordany Valdespin isn’t seeing regular playing time even vs lefties?
A loss 2morrow and we get swept and worse fall a game below .500 for the 1st time this year.
Niese if ever the team needed your best it is 2morrow.
LGM!
Howdy MNJ,
How are things in the Northern part of Jersey?
First of all, you told me not to look now at Duda, only to reward me by revealing his horrendous .169 BA. That was very mean of you.
Second, as to your point on Valdespin, I am dumbfounded. I tweeted this today before the game: https://twitter.com/MetsMerized/status/226735941522432001 For those of you who don’t have Twitter it reads:
Maybe Valdespin should try reversing tactics and bat .180 so he could get a start. Clearly his recent .450 tear is working against him.
Third, poor Jonathan Niese. The pressure is on, the bullpen is tapped out, and whether they are terrible innings or great innings, he’s going at least seven no matter what.
Nobody knows hot to throw a young pitcher into the fire better than our Mets can.
Harvey, don’t be so smug. You may be next.
“First of all, you told me not to look now at Duda, only to reward me by revealing his horrendous .169 BA. That was very mean of you. ”
LoL, Guilty.
Whoever is writing the Buffalo recap won’t be liking that any better. Matt Harvey got lit up like a Christmas tree at Rockerfeller Center. 6 runs on 6 hits 3 walks and a HBP, and 2 long HR’s in 4 IP. He fell behind just about every hitter. Tough to watch.
Him to? Wheeler also got slammed in his last start.
Wow, Holy Buffalo Burgers, that’s two for two from our Dynamic Duo. This town needs an enema.
Yeah, Harvey is most certainly NOT ready.
Hey, the genius front office told him he wasn’t a big leaguer so he went out and proved them right. What’s the surprise.
I saw on metsblog that the mets are buyers at the deadline for trades, what a joke, already players are with their new teams that we on the mets radar so they say, what a joke again the mets brass are showing how they really care about us fans and to this team. What a joke, then today use ra dickey in relief, wow lets make him run down so we don’t make the wild card, yeah right but put him in anyway. This is a joke and we fans don’t deserve this by the mets brass. Why are they doing this to this team. We need HELP YOU JERKS, CAN”T U PEOPLE GET IT BY NOW, NO CUS U ARE JERKS. Man what makes me mad is the yankees do no wrong, but the mets brass find ways not to win, this makes me sick as a fan, I hope u mets brass read this cus maybe then u jerks maybe just maybe do something before everything gets a way. JERKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Mets are buyers!!! Nope, Sandy was mis heard. He said the Mets are LIARS. And anyway, nobody who loves the Mets wants this joke to be a buyer. Look at his trades. Look at what he thinks talent is. No move is a good move for this clown of a GM.
By September we will be wearing bags over our heads
The Mets are not buyers and nor should they be.
It’s hard to get on Batista. Batista can’t give us what he doesn’t have. Looks like Mets brass has decided that this is yet another “developmental” year. I think we forget that the priority of the Wilpon’s is not to win. The priority of the Wilpon’s is to rehabilitate their finances. Remember MLB has given the Wilpon’s permission to field a non-contending team while they recover financially. I take solace in knowing that it seems as if the Wilpon’s have stabilized things financially. I guess that’s the 1st step toward contention.
Whatever happens we have had a few really nice surprises this year!
1. Ruben Tejada! -offensive lead off hitter!
2. RA Dickey- dominant streak
3, Johan Santana- back and competitive
4. Valdespin- 2nd base? Center-field?
5. Met say they want to resign Wright
If the Wilpons have stabilized their finances then why did they not sign more than half of their draft picks?
They didn’t sign more than 1/2 their picks because of the new CBA rules which gives each team a certain amount of money to spend on the amateur draft. If teams go a certain percentage over that allotted amount (something like 5% I think) they get fined and then if they go over more than that they end up forfeiting 1st or 2nd round draft picks in the following drafts. No team will be willing to do that. What the Mets did is not uncommon throughout the game in this years draft. They failed to sign their 2nd round pick, but Pittsburgh failed to sign their 1st rounder (Mark Appel) because they would have forfeited picks next year if they gave him more than $3.8 million to sign now.
The new rules stink in that they force teams (no matter if it’s the NYY, Bos, or Pitts.) to chose to either, A-spend a majority of their allowed $$$ on a few players or, B-spread the money around to more players to restock their farm systems. Most teams, wisely I think, chose the latter because if you bunch your money into say 10-15 players and none of them pan out, you’ve just hurt yourself more than you’ve helped. But if you spend that money on 20-25 players and one or two pan out you’re much better off.
And also worth remembering is that the money allowed each team gradually decreases as the MLB team’s regular season record gets better. For instance, the Yankees will be allowed less money to spend in next years draft than say, the Royals, Padres, or Astros. And the worse the record, the more money you’re allotted to spend in the following years draft. So, if by some means the Mets win 85 games this year, they will have less money to spend on next years draft than in 2012. But if they continue this skid (hopefully not!) and end up with 85-90 losses this year, they will likely have more to spend on the ’13 draft than in ’12. A real catch 22 in terms of building up your player development…bad MLB record means poor attendance and miserable fans but more money for PD, yet a good record means better attendance, happier fans, but less money for PD, which really isn’t good for a team like our who are really trying to restock the system with high quality talent. Don’t you just LOVE Bud Selig?
Harvey pitches no hitter for 5 innings and the next day the consensus is he is not ready.He pitched like crap today and of course that means he is not ready.He pitched 4 years in college and 2 years in the minors and he “still needs work”.Batista is 41 years old, stinks and has no business even being on a mlb roster.The Mets brass deemed him ready to start today.I am starting to think Harvey kind of stinks too if he can’t come up for one start.Does anyone care to explain this to me?
The Mets are the perfect example of why I friggin’ hate the all star break. I get why MLB does it for the money and all that BUT it gets the rythem of the sport out of whack. Being a Met fan forever I just knew we would play like crap when we got back. Just had that feeling. DAMN IT!
Does every team suck after the All Star break? Is the All Start break a conspiracy against the Mets? Did the Mets lose two series to the Cubs before the All Star break bcause they knew the All Star breaking was soon approaching?
Joe D.
We are the best fans in MLB and we’ll ride out this temporary insanity until the end. We do need Jonathan Niese to get us back over .500 Sunday. Then we have to figure out a way to take the series against the Nationals before we embark on a 3-city, 11 game road trip.
Beginning to dislike the FO a lot.
Let’s be honest. Management has betrayed the fans this year big time. At the all-star break, we had a reasonable chance to make the playoffs. But the message from Sandy was status quo, no effort and no sign to strengthen the team, despite obvious flaws in the bullpen, need for right hand power, catcher upgrade, and they had to know that Dickey couldn’t possibly continue his magic, that Santana’s lack of velocity made him vulnerable, and then they insult us by putting Batista in a key starting role. Even he admits he was unprepared for it. Terrible way to treat the loyal fans. Have to believe that management decided some time ago that they did not want playoffs this year. We must find a way to boo Anderson, not the players.
No way fans should go to the ballpark with this front office in place. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life and to happen in New York? You people are fools if you pay your money to go to the ballpark. I’m not spending a dime on anything Mets related until this front office is OUT!
Horrible way to go about business and just let this team slip away and do nothing. I cannot believe it and the fans should not sit there and take it either. ANd I’ve said it before that NO WAY the Mets go to the World Series in 1969 and 1973 if the front offices then behaved like this one.
Since when is winning and competing for the post season guaranteed? What if the future prospects are not as good as Alderson’s flock think they are and more losing is in the future in stead? So you would have MORE losing in the future for this team while at the same time ignoring chances for the post season now..and with a 2nd wild card too!!
I have no words to describe how disgraceful this front office is. What happened to the idea of spending money to make money? This front office has LOST money for this franchise this season and last season with their AWFUL off seasons and now they are losing MORE money for their bosses by sitting on their behinds while the team slips away. Why should fans make the effort to go where there is no effort to do anything from the top?
While it’s good to see Alderson being hammered more and more on WFAN and the press its’ still not enough because this guy also gets a pass for the cumulative terrible job he’s done as GM with all his bad off season moves since he’s arrived in addition to lack of will to compete.