It’s taxing times for a beleaguered Mets team these days, but there’s no rest for the weary as they get set to play a doubleheader for the second time in three days.
The Mets even tried unsuccessfully to get MLB to intervene and overrule the Braves decision to play two games today, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. Atlanta is the home team and it’s their call. The Braves have their own problems and if they can squeeze an edge out of the Mets plight, why shouldn’t they? We’d have done the same thing in their shoes.
The Mets were hoping to get some relief for a bullpen that is already tapped out, but the bigger problem is how ineffective the bullpen has been when they had a stiff wind in their sails. As a whole they have been awful.
Chris Young’s start on Sunday is in limbo. Young is concerned that the strain may prove to be too much for his biceps tendinitis and is concerned about the consequences to the bullpen if he were to leave his start early.
Young should just focus on his own well being and about pitching well enough to beat the Braves… If he has to come out early, then so be it. The dearth in the bullpen is Alderson’s problem, not Young’s. It’s ironic that the pitcher with the arm woes is more concerned about pitching deep into the game than the other birds in the rotation who all have healthy wings.
Poor Terry Collins has a lot on his plate and it’s only mid-April, but give him some credit because he keeps on keepin’ on…
Collins is hoping that a bulldog will emerge from his collection of number four and five type starters, but that will be tough with this ragtag group who each have their own problems and limitations. The chance to add an innings-eater in the offseason already came and gone, and they knew what they were getting themselves into when their two big additions to the rotation haven’t logged a healthy season in years. It won’t be long until they re-think their decision to giving Jenrry Mejia a full season in Triple-A to hone his craft. The same desperation that caused Omar Minaya to lean heavily on Mejia last season, is beginning to set in now. Forget all that talk about developing Mejia the right way, and expect rumors to float that the organization sees him as major league ready, whether he really is or not. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
The Brad Emaus experiment has not gone as everyone expected. The team made it very clear early in spring training that they viewed second base as an offensive position, and how offensive it has been… It stinks to high heaven!
Brad Emaus may be with the Toronto Blue Jays again by the start of the next homestand unless things change drastically for him both at the plate and on the field. Right now he is giving the Mets no offense or defense. At least with Ruben Tejada they had sure hands, and with Justin Turner a sure bat, something is always better than nothing… Especially when you’re trying to turn around a 4-9 start to the season.
After this weekend is over, expect something dramatic to happen. If the Mets don’t win at least two out of three in this Braves series, some heads are gonna roll ala Blaine Boyer and Lucas Duda.
This team will have so many shake-ups in this first half they will start to resemble a rag doll.
Yesterday, I talked about sagging attendance. To that end, they will do whatever it takes, aside from adding payroll of course, to make something happen.
They will squeeze every drop of juice then can get from these already dried-up lemons to give their fans some lemonade.
It should be an interesting next few days coming up, so as Bob Murphy used to say, fasten your seat belts everybody.
Oh and speaking of the venerable Bob Murphy, can you believe the Mets radio broadcast booth that was once named for the late, great Murphy, is no more?
For shame… I know you Mets people are reading this…
Do the right thing and get Bob Murphy’s name, gold plaque and all, back on that wall!
At least give us that…
