Some baseball games are greater than the sum of their parts. When I saw the Cleveland Indians play the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, this was not the case. The city of Cleveland, still ecstatic over the Cavaliers’ NBA Finals victory, cheered loudly and often, but the game never seemed within reach of the Rays. […]
Tag: Michael Conforto
The Michael Conforto Folly
The last time I checked in on Michael Conforto and his playing time, things were relatively stable. Conforto was sitting against some lefties, but not all. When he did sit, it was in favor of Juan Lagares, deserving of a semi-regular role and a career .282/.325/.425 hitter against left-handed pitching. Playing Lagares also allowed the […]
Game recap June 19: It has to get better, because it can’t get worse
THE RUNDOWN Julio Teheran nearly threw a perfect game against the Mets lineup to complete Atlanta’s sweep. A SHAKY START Jacob deGrom had every reason to be confident on Sunday, his 28th birthday and his first Father’s Day as a dad. He was facing the National League’s worst team by record, its third-worst performer by third […]
Game Recap June 16: The Other Game Six
You might have heard that Thursday night had a game six between two upper echelon teams. You know, the sport with the ball, the one where you try and outscore your opponent? Yeah, that one. Only, the one you’re thinking of doesn’t have a man christened Big Sexy doing things that one with that name […]
The Mets Are Running Out Of Backup Plans
At 5:52 p.m. Wednesday evening, the Mets sent out an email that could very well serve as a microcosm of their season right now. Juan Lagares was scratched from their starting lineup with a left thumb injury. The day before he had a bad toothache. Kelly Johnson, the security blanket the Mets acquired the week […]
Game recap June 14: Well, at least it wasn’t a no-hitter
What Happened, In A Sentence: The Mets barely got the ball out of the infield against rookie Jameson Taillon, losing 4-0. Taillon Chews Up Mets Lineup The Pirates had to scramble their rotation after Gerrit Cole went down with a triceps injury. Taillon played the part of an ace today in his second big league […]
How Michael Conforto’s Slump Compares to a Different Left Fielder
Michael Conforto is having a good season. It’s true. He has a .287 TAv and has posted 1.3 WARP in 56 games and 216 plate appearances; he’s also hit nine home runs. PECOTA projects Conforto to post another 1.5 WARP for the remainder of the season. According to these same projections, he should finish up […]
Game recap June 11: Too many home runs
What Happened, In a Sentence The Brewers hit too many homers against a depleted Mets pitching staff, winning 7-4. Mets’ Misery Continues at Plate Early on, it looked like Wily Peralta would be the ideal cure for the Mets’ struggling offense. Peralta is already 2.1 wins below replacement and allowing a .365 opponents’ batting average. […]
Michael Conforto Can Escape His Slump By Minding The Strike Zone
In each sport, one event can signify an exit from that worst of five-letter words: slump. For baseball’s hitters, that event is a home run–if you’re in desperate need of positive mojo, a grand slam should catalyze a reversal of fortunes. On Tuesday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, Michael Conforto found himself in just the position he […]
Game Recap June 7 (Game 2): Mets Can’t Hit, Story at 11
Executive Summary After scoring just a single run in the first game of the doubleheader, the Mets duplicated the dubious feat, striking out 14 times in game two. Pirates 3, Mets 1. Discussion and Analysis Without David Wright, Travis d’Arnaud and Lucas Duda, the Mets’ offense has been bad. HOW BAD IS IT? In the 16 games since May […]