If there’s one thing we’ve learned from covering Collins over the last two seasons, it’s that he doesn’t change his ingrained habits. Nori Aoki, Jose Reyes, and Asdrubal Cabrera led off for the Mets. Cabrera is the youngest of those players at 31. Meanwhile, Dom Smith and Amed Rosario are “protected” from getting an additional developmental at-bat by hitting in the bottom of the order. Gavin Cecchini may not fit in the Mets’ future, but Collins won’t even give him a chance. Just like we saw with Michael Conforto, Collins is unwilling to play the rookies. Ironically, the one thing Collins did well his last year in Anaheim was play 22-year old Troy Glaus every day.

Seth Lugo pitched four innings and 76 pitches before getting pulled for a pinch hitter. Lugo had some command issues, but he didn’t walk anybody and only gave up two runs. Then we saw Collins’ typical bullpen management. Chasen Bradford came in for the fifth. Josh Smoker got two outs, hit a batter, and Collins turned to Paul Sewald to get a righty. Sewald struck out Makiel Franco, sat down for half an inning, then came back for the seventh. Naturally he wasn’t as sharp, getting a strikeout then walking the next three batters. Collins has developed a bad habit of using a second reliever for part of an inning, sitting that pitcher down, then calling that pitcher back up for more work.

At a certain point, most Mets fans probably just want the season to end, Unfortunately, the Mets couldn’t even get that right on Saturday, Rookie callup Jamie Callahan came in for Sewald with the bases loaded, one out and a 4-2 lead. He gave up a sacrifice fly to Aaron Altherr and then a hard single to Rhys Hoskins, trying the game at four. Both the Mets and Phillies went to some of their best relievers, and A.J. Ramos was actually able to throw a 1-2-3 inning. Hoskins drove a ball to deep left-center in the tenth but couldn’t get it out of the park with the wind blowing in. Reyes came up with two on in the 11th but swung at every 3-2 pitch out of the zone until he missed one. Finally Cabrera, hit a three-run homer to put more runs on the board and Jeurys Familia threw a 1-2-3 inning for the save.

Media Meltdown, Continued

Sandy Alderson met with reporters before Saturday’s game to take responsibility for what he called a breakdown of the team’s professional culture, saying, “I’m the leader of this group. I feel responsible for every aspect of this operation, particularly in those areas where they fall short.” However, Alderson did not deny Marc Carig’s reporting that owner Fred Wilpon prevented the front office from firing Collins. Alderson was probably smart to avoid directly commenting on Collins’ bullpen use, since Collins continued to make the same mistakes against yesterday. More than anything else, Alderson seemed upset that someone would talk to a beat reporter about the club’s many obvious problems.

The Mets will play their last game of the season today. Noah Syndergaard will throw 20-25 pitches. Then the Mets’ taxed bullpen will go one final game and every Mets fan will wait on Twitter to see if (when) Collins is officially told he won’t get a new contract.

Photo credit: Eric Hartline – USA Today Sports

“Only Ten More of These To Go,” I wrote. Apparently, it was the first thing I’ve ever done worth copying,  because the five game recaps since then have followed suit with their headlines, going in descending order, and now we’re at three.

But this time, I am overcome not by indifference, but instead by a strange sadness.

Now, I’m not upset because because I’m going to miss this season. God knows I’m not going to miss this season. No, my sadness stems from the same reason the Mets drew their largest weeknight crowd last night since the Subway Series in August. It was the reason the cheers sounded a little louder than they usually did. It was the reason fans chanted for a manger they’ve criticized nearly every day for years.

No matter how much you think you want something to end, sometimes you aren’t actually prepared for it to end. And when it does end, a sort of sympathy grows, and it’s usually followed by a realization; a kind of a “Hey wait, I actually still like these guys!” type of moment. We’ve spent the last 159 games in a perpetual state of anger at this team, but last night, the fans didn’t seem angry. They seemed supportive. When you go through a long, rough road with a team, you don’t realize until the end of that road how much you still appreciate them. This was the last chance for Mets fans to show their appreciation, and cheer on their favorite team at home one last time this year. So they took advantage of it, they savored their last game at Citi Field in 2017, and they made the most of it.

Those players out there went through this turbulent season with us. They wish it worked out better, too. We had the ability to turn our TV off or change the channel, but they didn’t. And they did their best. So we thank them for their efforts, and send them on their way, with one common goal in mind:

Inside the clubhouse pic.twitter.com/D4EaniqVBN

— Matt Ehalt (@MattEhalt) September 28, 2017

But before the players gave out treats to fans, and before SNY signed off to “Meet the Mets,” as they did their annual tradition of rolling their credits, there was an actual game that was played. Of course, it didn’t mean much, but cool stuff did happen. Robert Gsellman ended his season on a high note, tossing six innings of one-run ball, with four strikeouts. Terry Collins lauded Gsellman’s stuff in the post game, saying his pitches were moving quite a bit. Jamie Callahan, Chasen Bradford, and Paul Sewald all pitched scoreless innings in relief. Both Callahan and Bradford have looked much better in their last few appearances.

On offense, the Mets scored their first run in the fourth on an error by Dansby Swanson, and then scored two more on a Travis d’Arnaud RBI single in the fifth. The Mets led 3-1 at that point, and kept that lead until the seventh, when Dom Smith crushed a three-run homer—his eighth of the season—to propel the lead out to 6-1. Later in the inning, Jose Reyes doubled in another run, and it was 7-1.

And that was the final score, as the Mets walked off the field to a standing ovation despite being 69-90, and a really, truly bad team.

OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY

The Mets apparently are leaning towards letting go of their pitching coach, Dan Warthen, come Monday. In response to this, Warthen recieved vocal support from the likes of Noah Syndergaard, Seth Lugo, and Jeurys Familia.

TOMORROW

The Mets begin their final series of the year, as they take to Philadelphia for a three-game weekend set with the Phillies to finish it off. Matt Harvey makes his final start of 2017 against Ben Lively at 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports

It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these. The distraction of starting a Ph.D. and moving back to my native NYC has been rather nice, giving me a multitude of excuses to duck out on watching a bad Mets team drag the corpse of their season across the finish line. It’s always worth it to tune in at the end of the season though, just to listen to GKR for a couple more hours before the long offseason begins.

To the game itself. Matt Harvey toed the mound as the Mets started a three-game set in Miami, their last trip south of Philadelphia for the season. Opposing him was Dan Straily, the Marlins’ return in the soon-to-be-infamous Luis Castillo trade with the Reds this past offseason. To make a bad game worse, Amed Rosario was scratched with an upset stomach, giving us an extra dose of a Cabrera-Reyes-Cecchini infield. This season really can’t end soon enough.

Game Recap

The Mets seemed primed to jump out to an early lead against Straily, with Nori Aoki singling and Jose Reyes walking to start the first inning. Both runners would be stranded, however, as Asdrubal Cabrera and Travis d’Arnaud struck out, sandwiching a line out from Dom Smith. That missed opportunity immediately became irksome, as a couple of soft ground ball hits and a line drive from Justin Bour drove in a run for the Marlins in the bottom half of the inning to put the Mets in an early 1-0 hole.

Harvey was able to dance around more trouble in the second, stranding two runners who reached on softly hit ground balls up the middle. He wasn’t as lucky in the third, however. Giancarlo Stanton started the inning with a three-pitch walk, and Bour followed two batters later with a screaming line drive double to put runners on a second and third with one out. A wild pitch to Brian Anderson pushed Stanton across the plate, and an intentional walk and another infield single loaded the bases for Dan Straily with two outs. Harvey was able to stop the damage, but was up to 54 pitches and seven hits allowed (four of them very soft, two of them extremely hard) through three innings.

After stranding a plethora of baserunners through the first three innings, the Mets finally generated a response in the top of the fourth. Brandon Nimmo worked a walk (what else is new) before Juan Lagares grounded into a fielder’s choice and stole second base, putting a runner on second with two outs. Gavin Cecchini followed that up with a ground ball single up the middle to drive in Lagares, cutting the Miami lead to 2-1.

Harvey and the Mets gave that run and more right back. Dee Gordon led off the bottom of the fourth with a bunt single, then stole second. Harvey then yanked a fastball into Tomas Talis, putting runners on first and second with none out for Stanton. I’m sure you’ve already guessed how that turned out, as Stanton vaporized a flat fastball in the middle of the plate for a three-run home run that landed in the back right of the home run monstrosity in center field. The homer was Stanton’s 55th on the season, and it gave the Marlins a 5-1 lead. It was also the longest home run at a 17 degree launch angle or lower ever tracked by Statcast, travelling 455 feet.

The fifth inning started just as poorly for Harvey, as he allowed a flair single to Ichiro Suzuki and a ground ball single to Mike Aviles. That would chase him from the game, as the pitcher who used to be the Mets’ next best hope lasted only 4+ innings, the seventh straight start in which he went five innings or fewer. He allowed 12 hits, and, while there was certainly some bad luck in there (three infield hits, two dribblers into the outfield, and a flair that dropped) he also gave up plenty of rockets. Harvey’s stuff is still flat and his command is still spotty. On the bright side, he seems to have recovered at least one of the ticks he lost, but that’s really reaching for positives.

Tommy Milone entered in relief and retired Christian Yelich (pinch hitting for Dan Straily) on a weak dribbler in front of home plate. Dee Gordon made that out irrelevant, lining a triple into the right-center field gap to push the Marlins lead to 7-1. All seven of those runs were charged to Harvey, ballooning his ERA on the season to an almost inconceivable 6.59.

Milone walked Tomas Telis before being replaced by Hansel Robles. Robles’s results weren’t any better, as he allowed RBI singles Stanton and Ozuna. Brian Anderson then lined the second two-run triple of the inning for the Marlins before scoring on an RBI single from Suzuki. Erik Goeddel entered and finally stopped the bleeding, but the Marlins had turned things into a laugher, leading 12-1.

The rest of the game was fairly mundane. Chris Flexen tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in relief. Jacob Rhame gave up a home run on the second pitch he threw, walked a batter, and struck out one in an inning of work. Jaime Callahan added a clean inning in the eighth. Meanwhile, the Met offense didn’t score, going quietly into the night in a 13-1 loss. At 65-85, they remain in line for the fifth pick in the draft.

Thoughts from the Game

Time to twist the knife of a lost season and another brutal loss a bit more. Eleven years ago last night, Jose Reyes and David Wright danced in the clubhouse and smoke cigars on the field as they clinched the NL East title. I don’t mean to re-write the eulogy for the 2006 Mets for the three millionth time, but it’s a sobering reminder of how far away the current iteration of the Mets are from getting back to that level.

I also want to share a pessimistic bet I’ve made with a couple friends. Nori Aoki is a marginally useful extra outfielder, and honestly not the worst option as a reserve on a good team. He’s also performed quite well since joining the Mets on September 2, running a 119 wRC+ in his very brief tenure. However, it should be very clear that Nori Aoki has no business being a starting outfielder at this point of his career, and if the Mets try to sell him as such (or even as a short term replacement should Michael Conforto’s return from shoulder surgery be delayed at all) it will be an abject disaster for 2018.

Other Mets News

Noah Syndergaard pitched a simulated game in front of the major league coaches in Miami today, facing a handful of live hitters. There’s a chance Thor gets back in a major league game this season, even if it’s just as a reliever, but it’s nice to see the Mets being extra cautious with one of their players for once.

Photo credit: Steve Mitchell – USA Today Sports

Wednesday, September 13, 2017. Two diminished pitchers, Matt Harvey and Jon Lester, faced off against each other in a game that was only meaningful to one of the two teams on the field. Harvey got roughed up for five runs on seven hits and four walks in just 3.1 innings. Lester pitched better, going six innings and allowing two runs. The Cubs completely humiliated the Mets by a score of 17-5, en route to what looks like an imminent division championship and their third-straight playoff appearance. Mazel tov to them.

For Harvey, he has now allowed five or more runs in six of his starts this year. He allowed five or more runs in five starts over the course of 2012 to 2015. His ERA on the season now 6.14. To be fair, Harvey at least looked to have some of his stuff back at times in the outing, and Hansel Robles actually gave up three of his five earned runs. Harvey was popping the mitt at 95-96 a couple times, and spun some decent breaking pitches. Of course, the results were not there, though that means less at this point in the season.

On offense, the Mets had some early chances against Jon Lester. Jose Reyes led off the game with a home run, and in the second inning, Harvey laid down a nice safety squeeze to score Amed Rosario from third. But they left two men on base in that second inning, and then left two more runners on in the third, and then were pretty much stifled for the next few innings.

The Cubs were already leading 5-2 by the end of the fourth. They pushed across another run in the sixth inning on an Asdrubal Cabrera error, and then scored four more runs in the seventh off homers by Javier Baez and Alberto Almora Jr. to make it 10-2 and completely blow the game open.

But the Mets answered back with three of their own in the top of the eighth, two of them coming on Dom Smith’s sixth home run of the season to put his line at .207/.252/.405 for the year, which is just odd.

So the score was 10-5 after the top of the eighth inning. It was 17-5 after the bottom of the eighth inning.

I don’t really feel I need to recap exactly what happened to the Mets’ bullpen in that disastrous eighth inning. Just watch this video and you’ll get the picture. Jacob Rhame was charged with five runs, as he looks thoroughly unready for the big leagues. Jamie Callahan actually gave up some of those runs as inherited runners, but was only charged with two runs himself. The Mets bullpen needs some work, folks.

There are some encouraging tidbits we can try pull out of the debris here, though. Rosario had three more hits last night; he continues to quietly come into his own at the MLB level. His speed is also proving its value, as he scored on that afforementioned safety squeeze. In addition, Kevin Plawecki batted cleanup, because sure why not, and walked three times to raise his OPS to .726, because sure why not.

Losing 17-5 is bad enough. Losing 17-5 in a game that takes three hours and 42 minutes to play is even worse.

OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY

The Braves have hired former Mets front-office member Adam Fisher to be their assistant GM. Fisher had been in the Mets’ front office since 2003.

The Mets apparently have no plans to non-tender Matt Harvey this offseason.

TODAY

The Mets will try to not get humiliated in their series finale against the Cubs. Seth Lugo takes the mound for the Mets against Jen-Ho Tseng for the Cubs, who will be making his MLB debut. First pitch is at 8:05 p.m.

Photo credit: Kamil Krzaczynski – USA Today Sports

Tuesday was a night to forget for the Amazins’, especially coming off their Monday night offensive explosion. After losing last night, the Mets have lost eight of their last 11 and 12 of their last 16 games at Citi Field. Overall, the game was just a disappointing mess. Here’s how it all shook out:

Not So deGrominant

Following the win last night, I think we all felt a series victory was imminent with Jacob deGrom on the hill. Prior to tonight’s effort, deGrom was 6-0 with a 2.10 ERA in his 10 career starts against the Phillies. Not to mention, the Mets won all 10 of those games. Well, with expectations high, the team received one of the worst outings of deGrom’s career. The de facto ace of this depleted Mets pitching staff surrendered a career high nine runs, six of which were earned, and 10 hits. deGrom got the hook after only 3.2 innings, making this the second shortest outing of the year. Putting aside deGrom’s prior success against Philadelphia, this all came as a surprise after the right-hander cruised through the first inning, striking out the side. However, the real knife twisting moment was when deGrom surrendered a two-run blast to Philly’s starting pitcher Ben Lively. Simply put, deGrom did not have his best stuff last night.

Ben Lively: The Latest in a Long Line of Met Killers

Imagine that I didn’t watch an inning of this game. If you asked me who the catalyst was behind last night’s impressive offensive performance, I probably would have guessed Odubel Herrera, Cesar Hernandez, Freddy Galvis, or maybe even top prospect J.P. Crawford, who debuted Tuesday. Never in a million years would I have predicted what came off the bat of Ben Lively. Lively broke a 1-1 tie in the second after singling home Hyun Soo Kim and J.P. Crawford on a single to center and then cemented himself as the next great Met killer after slugging a two-run bomb off of deGrom in the fourth. If that’s not enough for you, Lively also went out and tossed seven innings of one-run ball. Talk about a complete player. Last night, Ben Lively joined a prestigious fraternity of players who perform at superhuman levels against the Mets. I wish him nothing but injury-free bad luck and struggles on the mound.

Another Day Another Dom Struggle

With a playoff run essentially lost all season, the promotions of Amed Rosario and Dom Smith gave fans something to look forward to. These two would hopefully come to anchor the franchise the way David Wright and Jose Reyes did back in 2006. Granted, there’s no need to hit the panic button since these games are meaningless anyways, but it is always disconcerting to see a top prospect like Smith struggle early on. The first baseman lowered his batting average to .182 Tuesday after going 0-4 with a strikeout. To make matters worse, he committed a throwing error in the second that allowed the tying run to score. The good news is that Smith is in no danger of being sent down to the minors. The bad news is that it’s only because the minor league season is over.

Man I’m Glad I Called That Guy

Due to the entire outfield spontaneously combusting via trade or injury, the Mets were in need of a major league caliber outfielder to come in and fill the void. In a serendipitous turn of events, the team was able to sign Nori Aoki and slot him right into the lineup in Houston. In only four games with the Amazins’, Aoki is 6-for-17 with three RBIs and four run scored. I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but Aoki could be an interesting piece among the 2018 Mets, providing major league proficient outfield depth. When you consider the uncertainty regarding the return of Michael Conforto, Aoki could become a low-risk/high-reward value chip to keep around the organization.

At Least the Bullpen Was Immaculate

deGrom may have been awful tonight, but his compatriots certainly weren’t. Josh Smoker, Jacob Rhame, Kevin McGowan, Erik Goeddel, and Jamie Callahan combined for an impressive bullpen effort, striking out seven in 6.1 scoreless frames. It’s especially encouraging to see success out of two of the arms acquired at the trade deadline in Rhame and Callahan.

Everything Else

Asdrubal Cabrera continued to swing the bat well out of the three hole, notching a single and a double in four at-bats. Travis d’Arnaud also recorded two hits last night, a single and an RBI double, scoring the Mets’ only run in the game. Brandon Nimmo drew two more walks, giving him eight in his last five games, a sign that is especially encouraging when considering that a major hole in Nimmo’s game was his plate discipline.

What’s Next

The Mets will cap off their series against the Phillies at Citi Field on Wednesday at 7 p.m. After Matt Harvey was pushed back, Nick Pivetta’s rubber game matchup will be…who knows.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports