It was ugly… It was glaring… It was tough to take. Watching right fielder Jay Bruce strike out with the bases loaded in the first inning against Tanner Roark on Wednesday, in a game we lost 1-0 to the Washington Nationals, had my insides in an uproar.
I’m not sure why it bothered me so much, having seen Bruce fail to come through in a big spot time and time again. I guess it’s because it was the god damn Washington Nationals. Or that we’re running out of season with just 16 freaking games left. Or maybe I’m just fed up.
Maybe for the first time since we acquired Bruce I’m finally ready to admit he’s been a first class bust for the Mets. At least I held out longer than manager Terry Collins who began benching Bruce and giving him “mental breaks” weeks ago.
A week ago in our comment threads, I remember reading something along the lines about doing everything we can to trade Bruce this winter before he ends up sinking our 2017 season like the Titanic. I laughed at the suggestion, but now I don’t know, maybe that guy was really onto something. Or maybe not. I’m not ready to give up on Bruce yet.
A tiny part of me wants to believe that this three-time All Star isn’t the .190/.271/.317 hitter we have seen since joining the Mets. There has to be more to Jay Bruce than what we’ve seen thus far.
After Wednesday’s game, Terry Collins said he has to continue running Bruce out there because he has no other viable option he has confidence in. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for Bruce or Michael Conforto, Alejandro De Aza or Ty Kelly.
So what else can Collins do, I asked a reader this evening? What would you do? The fact of the matter is that essentially you have to keep playing Bruce with the hope that it will soon come together for him and he can rise to the occasion as he’s done so many times when he was with the Cincinnati Reds.
In our last road trip which ended in Cincy, I saw Bruce honored by Reds fans with the same reverence we here at home have bestowed on Mike Piazza, Edgardo Alfonzo and Keith Hernandez. I came away impressed thinking, “Wow, they really love this guy.”
Jay Bruce has won some pretty huge games for the Reds in his career. Twice he’s finished in the top ten for MVP. Twice he has won a Silver Slugger. I can’t bring myself to believe this guy is finished at age 29.
So I’m going to put on my Ya Gotta Believe cap and hope and pray that Bruce is going to bust out in such a big way that we’ll forget about these last six weeks and instead bask in the glory of another postseason finish led by No. 19. So that’s what I’m going to do. What are you going to do?
