Sunday Mets games are a disaster. Games against the Nationals are a disaster. The Mets, short most of their starting rotation, almost every veteran and their two good outfielders, are a disaster. Yet here we are, on the other side of a split Sunday doubleheader.
The offense (huh?) started early in Game 1 as Brandon Nimmo led off the game with a single, followed by a Juan Lagares hit-by-pitch and an Asdrubal Cabrera three-run homer. Tommy Milone and the bullpen did their best to ruin a good thing but even Rafael Montero wasn’t competent enough to blow the lead. Jerry Blevins allowed Alejandro De Aza to get going with a game-tying sacrifice fly in the seventh, but an eighth inning home run by Amed Rosario was enough to put the Mets ahead for good. You want to talk about A.J. Ramos’ almost disastrous six-out save that only avoided collapse because Edwin Jackson was thrown out at home? Nah, I’m good.
Game 2, however, showed the true Hansel Robles: the one who can’t throw strikes. Seth Lugo, on a strict pitch count in his first game back from the DL, lasted just 3.2 innings and was replaced by Josh Smoker, who threw a scoreless 1.1 innings. But Robles returned to his roots in the sixth inning, allowing a leadoff single, then back-to-back-to-back walks after getting Daniel Murphy out. The third walk tied the game and Chasen Bradford walked Andrew Stevenson to put the Nats ahead for good.
Look, the Mets are bad. It’s as simple as that. They have to play out the rest of the season because of MLB rules and ticket sales and other probably annoying reasons. But just remember: it always can, and probably will, be worse.
Photo credit: Aaron Doster – USA Today Sports