I must admit that it’s getting a lot more difficult these days to defend Terry Collins as manager this season. Especially after another series of questionable decisions on Wednesday night, leading to a deflating 6-5 loss to the lowly San Diego Padres.
I’ve been a staunch defender of Collins over the years despite how often he’s tested my patience and strained my ability to make any sense after so many of his bad decisions – one after another.
I completely get that mounting injuries have dealt Terry Collins a depleted roster that has cost him the ace of his rotation and the loss of his All-Star closer. And while his bullpen management was always suspect even when the team was healthy, it has denigrated now to a point that may ultimately shut the Mets out of the playoffs picture. And if that happens, then clearly it’s time to give Collins his walking papers.
Color me shocked when I read this account by the New York Post’s Joel Sherman during last night’s postgame presser. After Fernando Salas loaded the bases in the seventh, Collins summoned Neil Ramirez to face Wil Myers.
On April 29, pitching for the Giants, Ramirez had allowed a three-run homer to Myers. He was designated for assignment the next day. Sherman asked Collins if he knew that and he responded, “No, I did not. I had not seen the matchups.”
Of course Myers then crushed a ball off the top of the wall in right-center, missing a grand slam by mere inches, but still driving home two runs to tie the game.
Now, while I’d love to hammer Collins and his staff for not doing their due diligence and being fully prepared for this San Diego Padres series, bringing Ramirez into that situation was the absolute worst move Collins could ever make regardless.
While Wil Myers is no Bryce Harper (or Michael Conforto), he is still the most dangerous hitter in the Padres lineup while Neil Ramirez is the worst reliever in the Mets’ pen. The decision was doomed to failure from the start and the thought process by Collins showed a complete lack of cohesive and lucid decision-making.
For weeks, Terry Collins has been moaning and groaning about needing to get more length out of his starting pitchers, and then he pulls Robert Gsellman who was cruising through six innings after only 84 pitches. Did that really happen? For God’s sake why? Especially after the non-stop wailing about needing to get his starters into the seventh or eighth innings?
“You’ve got to make decisions with what you have,” Collins said after the game, sounding like he was laying some of the blame at the feet of general manager Sandy Alderson.
I’m sorry, Terry. The decisions you made last night were ridiculously wrong and not a function of a roster that I’ll admit is in need of repair by Alderson if he wants to get back to the postseason. You were guilty of utter incompetence and that loss to the Padres is completely on you.
You continue to use your top relievers unnecessarily late in games when you have a five run lead, and then when you actually need them they are rendered unavailable as was the case with Jerry Blevins and Paul Sewald last night. You do this time and time again. It’s an untenable situation and I’m tired of defending you because you make the same mistakes repeatedly and learn nothing from them.
Your bullpen management has reached new heights of the most appalling abuse. Hansel Robles was one of the most effective relievers in our bullpen, but after a grueling pace for 81 appearances, his arm withered out and he ended up being optioned to Las Vegas. After allowing just one earned run in a 15 appearance span, he was left to throw 22, 21 and 28 pitch innings over his final three appearances during his ultimate meltdown.
Fernando Salas (24 appearances) has already shown signs of disintegrating from overuse, but how long before Jerry Blevins (26 appearances) and Addison Reed (24 appearances) begin to falter as well? The Mets bullpen has four of the top eight relievers who have made the most appearances in the majors. That’s insane.
So where does all this eventually lead as the Mets find themselves in third place entering tonight’s game, 8 1/2 games behind the Washington Nationals? In the wild card standings the Mets are 6 1/2 games back with six teams in front of them.
I don’t mean to get all “gloom and doom” on you guys, but given our precarious situation we can’t afford to blow late leads to teams like the Braves, Angels and Padres. Things are tough enough without Noah Syndergaard, Yoenis Cespedes and Jeurys Familia, and the last thing this team needs is a manager who doesn’t review matchups before a series, exhibits egregious bullpen management, abuses his best relievers, and makes too many head-scratching decisions.
Not only do the players on the roster have to step it up, but Terry Collins needs to step it up even more as well. And if he doesn’t, he’ll be watching Mets spring training games from the luxury of his living room couch next year.
