3 UP

1. Montero?

In what has been a Jekyll & Hyde season, Rafael Montero has been Dr. Jekyll lately.

He backed up a terrific outing in which he went six innings and allowed two earned against the Yankees with an even better one against the Marlins. In the game against the Marlins, he earned just his second win of the year and third in his career.

In the last two outings, Montero’s ball has shown better movement, and he’s challenging hitters. He’s not wilting at the first hint of trouble. He’s been, dare I say, competent.

What this means going forward is anyone’s guess. At the very least, he’s finally showing signs of improvement.

2. A Reliable Bullpen

The Mets bullpen did not allow an earned run in 9.1 innings in this series. This continues a stretch wherein the Mets bullpen has not allowed an earned run in 15 innings.

Surprisingly, since the Addison Reed trade, the Mets bullpen has pitched much better. Over the first four months of the season, the Mets bullpen ERA was 4.78. In the Month of August, it’s 2.89, which is sixth best in the Majors.

There’s been a lot of turnover in the bullpen since April, and there are now a lot of young guys out there fighting for jobs. We don’t know who will stick, but we do know they’re doing all they can to prove they belong.

3. Plawecki Improving

After Kevin Plawecki‘s latest poor call-up in April when he hit .125/.214/.167 in 10 games, most assumed that was it for him. He was never going to put it all together.

Then, a funny thing happened. Plawecki actually improved.

With consistent playing time and more opportunities for him in Vegas, Plawecki blossomed. In the 54 games since he was sent down, Plawecki hit .338/.386/.529 with 14 doubles, one triple, eight homers, and 38 RBI.

With the Cubs claiming Rene Rivera off waivers, Plawecki was going to get a chance. He started impressing right away with a two-run homer in his first game back.

With the poor state of catching in baseball, the poor free agents available at the position, and another disappointing year from Travis d’Arnaud, the door’s open for Plawecki.

 

 

 

 

3 DOWN

1. Granderson’s a Dodger

Of all the players the Mets have traded away, it seems the team trading Curtis Granderson hit the fans and the team the hardest.

In the post game interview, we saw a dejected Michael Conforto talk about what Granderson meant to him and about how Granderson played an important role in helping all the young players.

We saw his teammates embrace him as the fans embraced him on social media.

Between his production, clubhouse presence, and his community outreach, there’s no replacing a man like Granderson. Make no mistake, losing Granderson now makes the Mets far worse off, and it happens at a critical time with young players trying to prove themselves at the Major League level.

For his part, Granderson is in a much better position, which he deserves. For a player who gave his all as a Met, and for a guy who did all he could do in 2015 to get the Mets that World Series title, we should all wish him the best of luck in Los Angeles.

2. The Handling of Dom

Dominic Smith has fairly pronounced minor league splits against right and left-handed batters. This makes it all the more imperative he works with Kevin Long, and Terry Collins let him see as much left-handed pitching he can. Remember, players don’t improve against left-handed pitching if they never see it.

The first chance Smith got to face a left-handed pitcher, Collins removed him from the line-up instead allowing Jose Reyes to face Aroldis Chapman.

Since that time, Collins has had Smith in and out of the line-up due to the left-handed pitchers facing the Mets lately.

Yes, Smith faced Jaime Garcia and Adam Conley. However, he sat against Chapman and Justin Nicolino.

There’s no reason for Collins to be giving Smith the Conforto Treatment now. There’s no meaningful games to offset the needs of player development. Rather, the sole aim from here on out is player development.

It’s time the Mets focus their attention there and stop sitting Smith against left-handed pitching.

3. Cabrera’s Still Here

It’s pure irony that the one veteran that publicly asked to be traded is the last one remaining.

The reason is because Asdrubal Cabrera is no longer the player he once was. His -0.9 WAR is the worst of his career. The -9 DRS at shortstop is the second worst of his career.

He’s now in a limited role with the Mets hoping the team picks up his $8.5 million option for next season. That completely depends on what young Mets infielders like Wilmer Flores, Matt Reynolds, Amed Rosario and Gavin Cecchini show what they can produce when given ample playing time.