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 (4-8) |
(5/30) 7.0 (6/5) 7.0 |
2 4 |
0(0) 1(1) |
6 3 |
1 50 |
4.95 |
1.44 |
Yes Yes (11/4) |
|
Steven Matz (7-1) |
5.2 |
7 |
3(3) |
3 |
2 |
2.60 |
1.05 |
No (9/7) |
|
Jacob deGrom (3-1) |
7.0 |
5 |
1(1) |
10 |
2 |
2.62 |
1.16 |
Yes (9/6) |
|
Noah Syndergaard (5-2) |
7.0 |
6 |
2(2) |
9 |
1 |
1.91 |
0.96 |
Yes (11/9) |
|
Bartolo Colon (3-3 |
5.0 | 5 |
2(1) |
1 | 1 |
3.27 |
1.23 |
No (10/5)
|
Best Start: It’s easy and obvious to give this to Matt Harvey with back to back seven inning performances, especially considering his overall performance for this year…but I would like to marvel in the quiet dominance that Jacob deGrom has put together, both on Wednesday afternoon and for the season.
Granted, it’s easy to forget about his seven stellar innings since the end result was one of the worst losses in recent memory (I mean 13 WALKS and just ONE RUN!), but deGrom has been consistently good all year. While we hope for Harvey to continue pitching well, expect Noah Synderaard to continue striking out people with 100 MPH heat and honor Steven Matz and his NL Rookie of the Month award for May…
Let’s not forget that deGrom was our best pitcher last year (14-8, 2.54 ERA, .98 WHIP, 205 strikeouts) and while he might not match those numbers this year, he’s still doing pretty darn good.
Worst Start: This goes to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and his decision to stop calling the low strike. I didn’t catch past high school, but will always view the game through the mask and this is horrible. Umpires already don’t call the high strike as defined by the MLB Umpire’s rule book (a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants) and now they’re taking away the low strike.
This move was made along with changing the intentional walk, allowing a manager to wave four fingers and giving up 1st base. These were made to what, speed up the game? Well, while Nike sold steroids…I mean, sneakers by telling us that chicks dig the long ball, it is something that only grabs the casual fan.
And while it is important to address and attract the casual fan, the fact remains that baseball is no longer the national pastime. It’s a regional sport, which sounds a lot worse than it is. It means fans are passionate about their team. They watch their team. They go online and read about their team.
The average passionate Mets fan might be able to tell you about John Olerud and the 1999 defensive infield, but how many could tell you the starting rotation for this year’s Seattle Mariners? How about the starting left fielder for the Houston Astros? Or the Baltimore Orioles’ top prospect?
I can’t answer these questions because my focus is on the Mets. This has been the way this sport has been for eons, but the NFL’s minimal season, fantasy football and the Interweb has made every sport question their relevance and force them to produce 30-seconds or less video clips.
Best of the Bullpen: In his last four appearances, Jim Henderson has faced 10 men, pitched a total of 2.2 innings and hasn’t allowed a hit.
Next Big Thing: This series against the Pirates sets up for some great matchups on the mound with the best happening Wednesday when Syndergaard faces Francisco Liriano. While the 32-year old lefty’s numbers (4-5, 5.25 ERA) say he’s struggling, no one can say he’s not capable of a great outing on any given day.
