Well another edition of the Subway Series is in books. What started out as a thrilling set in the Bronx, quickly turned to frustration and confusion once it returned to Citi Field. There were many things that were left up for debate which is part of what makes this game so great. Roster moves we were all excited to see didn’t quite match up with the managerial decisions that were made which left us scratching our collective heads. In the end it ended with nothing settled, as the Mets won two and lost two against their crosstown rivals. It is hard to believe this was Derek Jeter‘s final Subway Series as he is about sail into the sunset of his career. I didn’t say it was upsetting that we won’t have him to knock us around a bit, I just said it was hard to believe. We also saw the last of Masahiro Tanaka (for this season anyway) which will make the Mets hitters and all of us fans happy. In the end we just have to take the good with the bad, which leads me to this version of 3 Up & 3 Down.
3 UP
Montero/deGrom: There certainly was a buzz in the air with the Subway Series heading back to Citi. Not only did the Mets take the first two games of the series at Yankee Stadium, they also had called up pitching prospects Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom to start the last two of the series. I don’t think many really knew what to expect but I am sure we knew exactly how we wanted it to go. Montero certainly had his work cut out for him in more ways than one. It was his major league debut against the New York Yankees at Citi Field. No pressure there at all. All things considered he did a pretty good job. I would have liked the amount of pitches he had to throw go down a bit and maybe better decisions in the outfield, but there is promise there. deGrom was a completely different story. I thought he was brilliant in his debut. He was throwing hard and hitting his spots which really allowed the Mets to stay in it. Unfortunately for both of them they literally had zero run support which adds to the pressure. They both handled it well and I look forward to their next starts.
Granderson’s Old Digs: Everybody knows how the ball just flies out of Yankee Stadium. We witnessed it ourselves again in the first two of the seriesas everybody was hitting the ball. Not only were they leaving the yard but it seemed that they were spraying hits all over the place. In the two in the Bronx, the Mets scored 21 runs and had 24 hits, six of which were home runs. Sure you can take into consideration where the game is being played, but a hit is a hit in my mind. Some may travel farther than others, and some of the borderline home runs might have been outs at other places, but the fact of the matter is this team can hit. They just have to remember they can everyday.
Scoring First: Tuesday’s game was the fifth game in a row that the Mets scored in the first inning. That doesn’t always translate to a victory as they were 3-2 in those games, but it can take the pressure off slightly. Unfortunately it came to a screeching halt but it was nice to see the ability to do that there.
Honorable Mention: Jacob deGrom ended a 0-for-season hitting slump by Mets pitchers hitting a single in his first career at-bat.
3 DOWN
Oh Where Oh Where Did the Poor Offense Go? The Mets showed that there happens to be some life in their bats. I am not sure how in less than 24 hours it disappeared. Granted they had to face Tanaka who hasn’t lost seemingly in forever, but going from scoring 21 runs to zero runs is tough to swallow. They were shutout in both games at Citi Field with just seven hits. Worse yet is the amount they struck out. In the four game series our Metsies struck out a staggering 37 times. David Wright and Curtis Granderson accounted for 12 of them including five on Thursday.
Bartolo Colon: I swear I am not picking on him. Colon had a rough go of things in the series opener against the Yankees. Lasting 5.2 innings allowing seven runs on 11 hits. It is the third time this season that he lasted less than six innings each time giving up double-digits in hits. His ERA for the month of May is over eight as he has allowed 17 runs in 17.1 innings on 28 base hits. If this trend continues there will need to be some decisions made as the Mets would have six starting pitchers in a five-man rotation. Would they consider going to a six-man rotation?
Chris Young: After starting the Subway Series 2-for-4 with 2 RBI, Young finished 1-for-12 bringing his season average to .222. Finding time to fit four outfielders in three spots can be a difficult task and one I am not properly equipped to make, but you have to wonder how much longer he will remain in the lineup everyday.
The season is long and there are plenty of opportunities to get things right. The see-saw of the regular season can make things trying, but one way or another things will get figured out.
