Executive Summary
Jerry Blevins gave up Oscar Hernandez’s first major-league home run in the 12th inning. Diamondbacks 3, Mets 2.
Discussion and Analysis
It’s no surprise that a lineup featuring Ty Kelly, T.J. Rivera, Matt Reynolds and Bartolo Colon — a mediocre spring training B-squad — mustered merely three baserunners against a pitcher who entered the game allowing 13.5 hits+walks per nine innings. In the last week, the Mets transformed Anibal Sanchez (6.26 ERA) and last night’s Diamondbacks starter, Robbie Ray (4.83), into vintage Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Were it not for Kelly Johnson’s ninth inning pinch-hit heroics against a generic reliever (his game-tying 2-run blast sent the game to extras), this would have been the story of a Mets team that had the same number of hits as stolen bases allowed.
Travis d’Arnaud remained unable to control the opponent’s running game. After five steals on Tuesday, Arizona stole another four bases last night. Indeed, the Mets’ first caught-stealing of the night came on a Dbacks Keystone Kops routine in which d’Arnaud never participated. Jean Segura led off the game with an opposite field double. Michael Bourn laid down a quasi-sacrifice bunt that Bartolo Colon couldn’t corral, giving Arizona first-and-third with nobody out. Then things got weird. Before the fourth pitch to Paul Goldschmidt, Bourn took off for second before Colon began his delivery. So Colon threw over to first. First Baseman of the Day Wilmer Flores ran Bourn toward second, but failed to get the ball to Matt Reynolds in time to tag Bourn out at second. Arizona would have had two runners in scoring position with no outs, but during the play Segura wandered far off third base, allowing Reynolds to throw to Third Baseman of the Day T.J. Rivera, who ran Segura far enough out of the baseline that the home plate umpire called him out.
After that gift, Bartolo was able to strike out both Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb to end the crisis. Colon walked the high wire all night, working around seven hits and a walk to allow just one run. With Bartolo through six innings and 96 pitches, Terry Collins inexplicably allowed Colon to bat in the sixth down a run. Bartolo popped out to right field in a typical noncompetitive plate appearance. Colon threw a scoreless seventh inning, so good for him. It’s just frustrating to watch Bartolo reach a season-high 110 pitches when he’s facing the Dbacks’ lineup for the third time, the bullpen is essentially fresh, and it was critical to increase the Mets’ chances of scoring in the sixth and far less important to push the starting pitcher through seven as opposed to six.
Rivera singled in the 10th inning for his first big-league hit, but he’s probably not the long-term solution at third base. The Citi Field faithful, mindful of the team’s offensive futility, began a “We want Gomez” chant in the ninth inning. (The chanters had left the building by the 12th.) Carlos Gomez was designated for assignment by the Astros yesterday afternoon, so Houston has 10 days to trade or release him. A year after the Mets nearly swapped Wilmer Flores and Zack Wheeler for the then-Brewer, Gomez has hit a Met-like .210/.272/.322. He’d still be a massive improvement over Ty Kelly. Desperate times may well call for Carlos Gomez.
Contemporaneous Thoughts
Not sure what's worse: Letting Colon hit when he's trailing in the 6th, or warming up Goeddel, who threw 32 pitches last night.
— Scott D. Simon (@scottdsimon) August 11, 2016
GKR-isms
“You can see the humidity on Colon’s face” — Gary
“Did you have to bring that name up?” — Keith, after Ron compared Socrates Brito to Jordany Valdespin
“I think sometimes Bartolo in the first at-bat against hitters, he surprises hitters with how sneaky he is.” — Ron
Coda
A 20-minute pregame rain delay and three extra innings won’t do these teams any favors. Noah Syndergaard faces rated rookie Braden Shipley in an early noon start today.
Photo Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports