BYRD TAGGED OUT AT HOME
Last night, during the Mets’ 5-4 loss to the D-Backs, Marlon Byrd and Juan Lagares ran into trouble on the basepaths; Byrd getting thrown out at the plate trying to stretch a triple into an inside-the-park home run and Lagares getting nailed trying to stretch a double into a triple. Both outs proved very costly.
After the game, Collins said he spoke with Lagares about making the final out of the seventh with the Mets trailing by two runs. The Mets manager told him he appreciated the hustle, but that he has to understand and consider the circumstances of the game.
That said, Collins does want Lagares to remain aggressive on the base paths. “When you have the foot speed that he has,” Collins said, “you should be able to steal 20 bases.”
Regarding Byrd getting thrown out at the plate, Collins said that it was third base coach Tim Teufel’s call. “I’m not going to question his decision. The one thing we’ve talked about all year long is to try to be more aggressive on the bases, to try to make the opponent make big plays and make throws,” Collins said.
“And they did. Tonight in two situations they made good relay throws.”
So far this season, the aggressiveness has led to more positive results and forces the opposition to be perfect which isn’t usually the case.
