After watching both Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom struggle against the Royals, former Met and SNY analyst Bob Ojeda is fed up. He says the Mets have been pitching to scouting reports instead of trusting their own talent and ability.
“I’m watching two outstanding Mets’ pitchers pitch to a scouting report rather than be who they are,” Ojeda said by phone on Thursday. “It’s been pretty frustrating to watch.”
“I love scouting reports but I am not going to go away from who I am because of them. Especially those guys, with the fastballs they have, they should make the Royals prove they can hit it before they go to Plan B. ” (John Harper, NY Daily News)
In Game 1, Harvey wasn’t his usual self as he allowed three runs in six innings while only striking out two batters. And on Wednesday, deGrom fared even worse as he surrendered four runs during five innings while walking three batters. He only got three swings and misses in his outing, a season low.
In order for the Mets to take Game 3, Ojeda believes that Noah Syndergaard has to pitch to his strengths and not be afraid to challenge the Royals.
“You throw 100 mph, and I know everybody needs to throw the off-speed stuff, but be who you are, pitch to your strengths. Be ready to go to Plan B, even Plan C if they force you to. But don’t start with Plan B.”
Despite his criticisms, Ojeda can serve as an inspiration for the Mets and Syndergaard. When the 1986 Mets also dropped the first two games in the World Series, he pitched a gem at Fenway park which helped bring the team back in the series. He allowed just one run and five hits over seven outstanding innings.
“It’s an old saying but it’s true: the best pitch in baseball is a well-located fastball. That worked for me in that Game 3. I only threw 89 mph but I knew I had to pitch inside with my fastball, and make them respect that I’d throw it in there, and that’s what I did.”
Ojeda was a tremendous pitcher for the Mets in the 80’s, and he was also a great analyst for SNY. He was never afraid to tell it like it is, which was refreshing to hear during the dark days of 2009-2014. It’s really a shame that he was let go and couldn’t continue his role this season
