There have been enough posts trying to figure out what is up with Ike Davis. Right now, as stated by Mike Francesa today on WFAN, Ike is basically playing for his job. So doomsday for Ike looms, and he plays with the thought that the next time he strikes out or the next hitless game he will be sent down. We all have been calling for it, but now Sandy is starting to send a message to Ike. So is it just a wake up call to Ike to see how he will respond, or is it imminent that it will happen and the team is basically leaving it in Ike’s hands. Produce or start packing.
In baseball, its see the ball, hit the ball. Is it always that easy with the potential of the speed of the ball reaching 100 MPH or as slow as 65 MPH, or the ball moving up or down in the strike zone. It doesn’t always go straight down the middle, so as a hitter you adjust but if you are in a huge slump, do you even see the movement of the ball?
What is up with Ike, what is going on in his mind? Could it be that Ike was just a bit too comfortable and didn’t think this would last so long? At times his swing looked weak, chasing balls way out of the strike zone or not even making contact which is evident by his 60 k’s in 163 at bats so far this season.
Can Ike’s struggles be mental, can it be his mechanics, or maybe a little of everything at this point. We never really know what is going on in a batters mind in the batters box, what distractions are causing him to not produce. But it’s up to the hitter to battle out of it and get back to what he is used to, its not like Ike hasn’t produced in the big leagues. But this year’s slump has everyone thinking will he ever regain his stroke.
In the last seven days, Ike is actually batting .250 but does have 11 k’s in 20 at bats, so the average may be up but the k’s are keeping him from breaking out. So at this point, Ike has bought himself another game in the big leagues. The clock is still ticking and that is a lot of pressure for a guy batting 8th in the lineup. Maybe he hears the footsteps of Josh Satin behind him, maybe he figures there are other Mets players on the roster than can play first base and are just waiting their turn. A team can only go so long with a guy that is not producing.
Can Ike build on his two hits from last night and limit his k’s to maybe once a game sandwiched with a few hits, maybe an RBI or even a HR. That possibly may buy him a few more days and even a few more weeks.
I guess you can say the Mets have been pretty patient with Ike and now the pressure is on. There were a few good signs from last night and those were the two solid hits Ike had, so it has to be something good to build on and if he can go out tonight and produce again, those calls for demotion, may just start to fade away.
