3 UP
1. Steven Matzux
Prior to Saturday night, Steven Matz had never gotten an out in the ninth inning. That includes when he was demoted into the bullpen prior to the All-Star Break.
On Saturday night, he’d not only get an out in the ninth, but on pitch 99, he’d complete the “Maddux“(complete game shut out on fewer than 100 pitches). His final line was 9.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K.
This was the best Matz’s slider has looked in quite some time, and he was spotting his change-up very well. This might have been the result of his moving to the middle of the rubber. If it was that, Matz may be a pitcher to watch in the second half.
2. Stay Home J.D.
There may be no rhyme or reason to it, but out of all the players on the Mets roster, J.D. Davis is their best hitter at Citi Field with a 201 wRC+. At Citi Field, he has a higher batting average than Jeff McNeil, a higher OBP than Michael Conforto, and a better slugging percentage than Pete Alonso. As we saw with him hitting a big home run on Saturday, you could actually argue that out of every player on the Mets roster, you want Davis up at Citi Field in a big spot.
3. Still Standing
Look, we keep talking about how the idea is ridiculous. Heading into the All Star Break, the Mets were 10 games under .500 with the second worst record in the National League. Just as they showed real signs of life and seemed primed for a big run to claim a Wild Card spot, they completely blew three out of their four games in San Francisco. Despite all of this, the Mets are very much alive.
As things stand at the moment, the Mets are five games under .500, but they are also just six games back of the second Wild Card. The Mets are about to embark on a six game road trip to Chicago and Pittsburgh. The White Sox have lost six of their last eight games including losing a series to the Marlins, and the Mets just beat up on the Pirates. After that, it’s three at Citi Field against the Nationals in what could suddenly be a huge series.
The Mets have also bolstered their rotation by adding Marcus Stroman, With Stroman in the fold, this is arguably the best rotation in the game, and the Mets have the second half schedule to make a 1973 or 2016 type of run. At this point, instead of doubting it, let’s just enjoy what promises to be a crazy ride.
3 DOWN
1. A Rare Slump For McNeil
With his versatility and throwback approach to hitting, Jeff McNeil has arguably been the Mets most valuable player this season. If the Mets are going to do anything this year or the next, they are going to need him to be front and center. Unfortunately, over his last five games he is really slumping going 4-for-20 at the plate. Even worse than that was his having to be removed from Sunday’s game after getting hit on the shin.
It is very possible McNeil just needs a day off in order to collect himself and get back on track, but with the Mets current position in the standings and the organization seemingly making a push this year, it will be difficult to find him that day. Hopefully, the Mets can find him a chance to catch his breath because they need him at his best.
2. Pain In The Foot
Lately, we had seen Dominic Smith struggling, and we may have seen an explanation why with him landing on the injured list with a stress fracture in his foot. This is a big loss because with the injury, the Mets have just lost their third best hitter this season (128 wRC+).
The Mets also lost important depth. With Smith down, the Mets had to call up Aaron Altherr, who is hitting .154/.200/.385 in the majors this year. This means the Mets will have to play a lot more of Davis in left field (-3 DRS), or Juan Lagares in center field (40, wRC+, -5 DRS). That’s beyond less than ideal. It should also be noted Smith was the one guy you could trust at first in the event Alonso goes down with an injury.
On another front, the Mets are trying to really shake things up over the next few days. With Smith down, they might have lost a big trade chip.
3. Farm System Further Depleted
When Brodie Van Wagenen took over the Mets General Manager job the Mets farm system was in much better shape than advertised. Alonso, Andres Gimenez, and Jarred Kelenic were already top 100 prospects. Both Justin Dunn and David Peterson had previously been named top 100 prospects, and they were on the cusp of getting back on the list.
As this season has progressed, we have seen Anthony Kay and Ronny Mauricio crack the top 100. Additionally, Simeon Woods Richardson, Mark Vientos, and Shervyen Newton have been named as prospects who could crack the top 100 within a year or two with Luis Santana being named a sleeper on more than one occasion.
During Van Wagenen’s very brief tenure as the Mets General Manager, he has traded three first round picks, and he has traded a second round pick. To put things in perspective, from the Mets lauded 2018 draft class, only one of their top four picks remain.
In exchange for all of that, the Mets have a 36-year-old second baseman due $100 million, a closer who you wish would remind you of Armando Benitez, a bench bat without a position, and a bona fide second starter who is under team control for one year and may compel the Mets to trade Noah Syndergaard.
If the Mets don’t win this year or the next, none of this was worth it.
