3 UP
1. Vargas’ Turnaround Complete
For most of the season, fans pointed out how Jason Vargas had been terrible since the 2017 All Star Break, and they wanted him out of the rotation. A very large portion of the fan base wanted him off the team. Well, Vargas has responded and FINALLY, he has put together a stretch of good starts.
He now has three straight starts of over five innings. More impressive than that was his seven innings against the Dodgers and now his complete game shut out against the Dodgers. This is as good as Vargas has ever looked in a Mets uniform, and it’s the best he’s looked in any uniform in two years.
This is coming at exactly the right time too as the team is down to two or maybe three reliable arms in the bullpen. They need every single inning their starters can give, especially on those days Seth Lugo isn’t available. Vargas has stepped up big time, and the Mets need it to continue.
2. No Place Like Home
While things have been bad lately, the Mets have been quite good at home. So far this season, the Mets are 17-10 (.630) at home. They have a 118 wRC+ at home, which is the third best in the Majors, and they have a 3.73 FIP, which is fourth best in the National League. Essentially, when the Mets are a home, they play like one of the best teams in all of baseball.
This shows us that the team is able to play well and win ballgames. The trick now is finding a way to take this show on the road.
3. Oh My Darling
Beloved Mets broadcaster Ron Darling has dealt with a number of ailments since the close of the 2018 season. The latest, a bout with thyroid cancer forced Darling to take days off leaving Todd Zeile to fill-in for him. Darling is now at the point in his battle with cancer that he is able to return to work to recreate the broadcasting team fans have grown to love.
Really, Darling returning to the booth and being healthy enough to call games again is the best possible news, and we can all hope Darling remains healthy and a part of this team for the rest of 2019 and the years to come.
3 DOWN
1. Media Demands a Sacrifice
In his career, opposing batters have hit .308/.345/.385 off when facing Noah Syndergaard the fourth time in a game. Evan Longoria entered the game 3-for-10 off Syndergaard, and in the game he had a walk and a hard hit ball off of him. Syndergaard had already thrown 103 pitches.
Would it have been the worst thing in the world to leave in Syndergaard? No, he was pitching well all game long. That said, there was a full rested Seth Lugo, who has been one of the best relievers in baseball over the past two years.
No, it didn’t work out. It happens. However, the over the top hyperbole coming from all corners that pitching Lugo in that spot cost the Mets the game was too much. So were the calls for Callaway’s job after the game.
There was an embarrassing rush from the media to demand he be fired. Joel Sherman of the NY Post took the time to write a scathing article. Anthony McCarron would say it was too little too late and be dismissive of Callaway’s mea culpa on whatever the post-post game show on SNY is now called. It’s funny how no one viewed this latest bullpen failing to be a call to arms to push the General Manager and ownership to sign Craig Kimbrel.
No, it’s about Callaway who apparently bothers them beyond belief. It’s to the point where there is a certain intellectual dishonesty in their criticism like suddenly Lugo is a bad pitcher. Another amusing fact in their “coverage” was how multiple players, including Pete Alonso said they weren’t going to let the media pull this team apart. We didn’t see that reported in one article, now did we?
Of course, not. It’s all about attacking the manager and demanding he be fired for some media gaffes instead of shining the light where it needs to be shined – on a GM for a poorly constructed roster and miserly ownership.
2. How Much Do Rehab Assignments Cost?
Earlier in the season, Justin Wilson didn’t have a rehab assignment after an elbow injury. He’d make one appearance and go right back on the injured list. Robinson Cano would suffer a leg injury. Rather than let him have a rehab assignment to test it out, he would go right back onto the active roster, and he would aggravate the injury. Of course, with the Mets being the Mets, they’re not putting him back on the IL right away.
The Mets handling of injuries continues to be terrible, and the fact players are not put on rehab assignments to both get up to game speed and test out their purportedly healed wounds in game action is inexcusable. Just because you get away with it once or twice does not mean it’s the correct decision.
3. What The Gsell
Going back to the game mentioned point one of 3 Down, Callaway did make a major gaffe. It wasn’t using Lugo instead of Syndergaard. No, it was going to Robert Gsellman yet again. Over a 20 day stretch, Gsellman has pitched 11 times. He has also pitched nine times over the past two weeks.
Over this span, Gsellman has gone from a 2.48 ERA to a 5.05 ERA. Over his last nine appearances, he has a 12.96 ERA with batters hitting .368/.442/.605 off of him. The way Gsellman has been used is dangerous to his health, and it has rendered him completely ineffective.
Yes, you can’t blame Callaway for not wanting to use pitchers like Tyler Bashlor, Drew Gagnon, Wilmer Font, Hector Santiago, or whatever arm is there that is not going to be effective in a pressure situation, but he cannot keep going to Gsellman. It is completely counter-productive, and it has actually made the bullpen situation even worse.
