A review of the latest turn through the Mets starting rotation:
|
Name |
InningsThe |
Hits |
Runs (Earned Runs) |
Strikeouts |
Walks |
ERA (Season) |
WHIP (Season) |
Quality Start? |
|
Matt Harvey (3-7) |
5.0 |
8 |
5(5) |
1 |
2 |
6.08 |
1.69 |
No (10/3) |
|
Steven Matz (7-1) |
8.0 |
4 |
0(0) |
7 |
1 |
2.36 |
0.99 |
Yes (8/7) |
|
Jacob deGrom (3-1) |
7.0 |
3 |
1(1) |
7 |
3 |
2.81 |
1.19 |
Yes (8/5) |
|
Noah Syndergaard (5-2) |
2.1 |
2 |
0(0) |
3 |
0 |
1.87 |
0.97 |
No (10/8) |
|
Bartolo Colon (3-3 |
6.0 | 7 |
2(t2) |
3 | 1 |
3.39 |
1.23 |
Yes (9/5) |
Best Start: After the drama of the last three days against the Dodgers, it’s easy to forget that earlier this week Steven Matz continued his amazing start to the season. Did you know he’s 10th in the league with a 2.36 ERA that continues to go down with each start?
How about of the top 40 pitchers in the MLB when it comes to ERA, only three have walked less than 10 people. The first one dazzled on Sunday night (and as a fan of pitching, I’m shocked Dodgers coach Dave Roberts didn’t leave Clayton Kershaw to face Granderson in the 8th). The other two both wear Orange and Blue.
Noah Syndergaard (9 walks in 66.2 innings) is touted every time he touches the ball, but Matz has only walked 9 batters in 49.2 innings. He walked one on Wednesday afternoon in Washington, a game against a division rival and to determine the series. Granted, Bryce Harper didn’t start the game but he did come up in a pressure situation and harmlessly grounded out.
Matz has been using pinpoint accuracy with his 93 MPH+ fastball to offset a quality curve and improving changeup. He’s everything a Mets fan could ask for and while history recently remembered the 1986 team, I think back to the first championship with a hard-throwing righty named Tom Seaver and a lefty named Jerry Koosman who in 1968 broke all the franchise records set by the Franchise a year earlier.
Koosman went 19-12 with seven shutouts, 178 strikeouts and a 2.08 ERA. He would have been the Rookie of the Year if not for some guy named Johnny Bench, but a year later he helped to earn an even better trophy. While we complain about the now, this year’s team is still on track to compete for that same trophy and with Matz on board and pitching well, they’re well-positioned to do just that.
Worst Start: There’s been more than enough said about Matt Harvey, so I’ll only say that I didn’t think his last start was that bad and Joe Trezza of MLB.com wrote about the pitch selection being too similar to batters. I think this is more mental than anything physical…but at the end of the day, we’re focused on one of five starting pitchers for a team with the 3rd best ERA in all of baseball.
I’m more concerned with Thor losing a lightning bolt behind a batter and getting ejected without warning. Therefore the worst start actually goes to umpire Adam Hamari for too quick of a trigger.
Best of the Bullpen: This wasn’t a good week for just about everyone, but especially Jeurys Familia. I’ve never liked a closer entering in the 9th in a non-save situation, but the excuse that he needed work made sense. The results, both on Friday and Sunday were stunning.
The stat that jumped out to me the most was Familia had allowed 5 runs in his first 23 games and 6 runs in the last two. Stuff like that will jump your ERA to 4.07 and plummet the bullpen staff as a whole to sixth in the league with a 3.10 ERA.
Next Big Thing: While the White Sox is what’s right now, a 10-game road trip looms at the end of the week starting with a trip to Miami. Syndergaard returns to the mound on Friday for a scheduled start against the Marlins, who have always been annoying and feature a pretty potent offensive outfield. That’s followed by a visit to PNC Park in Pittsburgh, but there’s time to talk about that potential playoff matchup in the days to come.
