for display only
Big Blue Interactive The Corner Forum  
Back to the Corner

Archived Thread

NFT: New York Mets SP outside of top 2

giantsFC : 4/19/2018 1:27 pm
Coaching strategy has done well to keep the duct tape together so far, but is anyone else just waiting for the full implosion to begin?

Watching Matz labor to get to inning 5 every game, watching Harvey look like Harvey, and cringing when Wheeler will return to his norm is bringing my miracle met anxiety up a notch. Vargas can't get here fast enough to (hopefully) stabilize rotation.

The Gman and Lugo look too good in the pen to move them into rotation as well.

Ugh the life of a Mets fan.
Mets really need  
twostepgiants : 4/19/2018 1:35 pm : link
Vargas to be a reliable #3 starter.
Gsellman and Lugo are a luxury in the pen right now  
figgy2989 : 4/19/2018 1:39 pm : link
And offer SP depth which is always needed in a 162 game season. Add Vargas to the rotation and that is even better, especially if Harvey and or Matz underperform.
not to be cliche  
Rory : 4/19/2018 1:42 pm : link
but lets wait for some better weather before rushing to judgement.

Not an expert but what I have seen from Wheeler & Matz looks promising. Harvey probably is the weakest link

Vargas looked solid in his rehab start the other day.
Awful  
DanMetroMan : 4/19/2018 1:46 pm : link
1. J.T. Realmuto
He just returned with a bang for the Marlins (a home run at Yankee Stadium), and he’s the type of talent that’s transformative. He is also wildly underpaid as a first-year arbitration-eligible player, so he brings extra appeal there.

Of course, he’d take a haul — including the type of big-time prospect the Mets may not have. The suggestion here would be a straight-up deal for Michael Conforto, as the Mets have depth in the outfield, and the Marlins have a need (they have plenty of needs, of course).

That’s a long shot of course, as teams don’t often take those sort of chances. Much more likely is a package of several prospects, though the question remains whether the Mets have enough decent ones.


https://www.fanragsports.com/mets/heyman-where-can-mets-turn-for-catcher-help/
The big issue is the innings.  
PhiPsi125 : 4/19/2018 1:46 pm : link
Matz and Harvey can't seem to get out of the 4th or 5th innings. Wheeler has done a little better in his first two starts but he also is known for not going longer in games. Even Thor and Degrom aren't going very long in games.

Even with the beefed up BP, it will eventually trickle down and cause issues. I'm not as worried about Thor/Degrom as I am about Matz/Harvey. Those guys just couldn't make it easy for us this season, could they lol? Buncha jerks.
i totally disgree with this assessment  
SJGiant : 4/19/2018 1:47 pm : link
Having Lugo and Gsellmen in the bullpen is not a luxury. You need at least one reliable long person in that pen. It's been missing for years. What I read from yesterday's game is that Matz settled down after the first inning. I don't think the verdict is done on Matz. Harvey is a real concern. However, you have options. The great start gives you a little time to investigate who is best for the starting rotation. Note that believe the real problem right now is catching. I am afraid one of these excellent bullpen pitchers will be used to get a catcher in a trade.


.  
arcarsenal : 4/19/2018 1:47 pm : link
Getting Swarzak back may have made Lugo/Gsellman to the rotation more of an option - but I think we need both guys in the pen for now.

Vargas is going to have some shitty outings but he's a vet who should eat a good deal of innings and keep us in most games.

One of the 5 inning pitchers probably needs to be taken out of the rotation.

But I'm not that worried about the pen getting burned out.

It's obvious what they're doing. They've stockpiled relievers and put extra guys in the pen so that they can keep shuttling guys in and out.

I bet we're going to have one of the stronger pens in the league when we need it most down the stretch. It's going to be hard to burn many of these guys out - we're not putting that much strain on any of them and if Swarzak ever gets back, we'll have yet another option back there.

It's a good strategy - they've clearly realized the importance of bullpens in October especially and have assembled a pretty large group of guys they're willing to use.

Robles and Rhame will both find their way back up here eventually. Gerson will probably make a few trips himself. And we still have other options like Oswalt. Maybe Callahan finds his way up here later in the year too. Plenty of options. Plenty, plenty, plenty 
RE: Awful  
PhiPsi125 : 4/19/2018 1:49 pm : link
In comment 13920862 DanMetroMan said:
Quote:
1. J.T. Realmuto
He just returned with a bang for the Marlins (a home run at Yankee Stadium), and he’s the type of talent that’s transformative. He is also wildly underpaid as a first-year arbitration-eligible player, so he brings extra appeal there.

Of course, he’d take a haul — including the type of big-time prospect the Mets may not have. The suggestion here would be a straight-up deal for Michael Conforto, as the Mets have depth in the outfield, and the Marlins have a need (they have plenty of needs, of course).

That’s a long shot of course, as teams don’t often take those sort of chances. Much more likely is a package of several prospects, though the question remains whether the Mets have enough decent ones.


https://www.fanragsports.com/mets/heyman-where-can-mets-turn-for-catcher-help/


LOL, Conforto for Realmuto. No thanks.

I'm not looking for the Mets to be the only team to take it in the rear after all the other teams gave up much less for better Marlin players. Screw Jeter.
.  
arcarsenal : 4/19/2018 1:50 pm : link
& yeah, absolutely no to Conforto for Realmuto. No chance in hell.
Never liked Heyman  
PhiPsi125 : 4/19/2018 1:51 pm : link
Always felt that he hated the Mets and that hatred bled through his reporting.
RE: not to be cliche  
giantsFC : 4/19/2018 1:52 pm : link
In comment 13920859 Rory said:
Quote:
but lets wait for some better weather before rushing to judgement.

Not an expert but what I have seen from Wheeler & Matz looks promising. Harvey probably is the weakest link

Vargas looked solid in his rehab start the other day.


good point about weather. Many Met position players also stink in cold weather..which doesn't bode well for WS performance as we have seen in past lol.
Thor  
Rflairr : 4/19/2018 1:54 pm : link
hasn't even pitched 6 innings yet
RE: .  
giantsFC : 4/19/2018 1:55 pm : link
In comment 13920866 arcarsenal said:
Quote:
Getting Swarzak back may have made Lugo/Gsellman to the rotation more of an option - but I think we need both guys in the pen for now.

Vargas is going to have some shitty outings but he's a vet who should eat a good deal of innings and keep us in most games.

One of the 5 inning pitchers probably needs to be taken out of the rotation.

But I'm not that worried about the pen getting burned out.

It's obvious what they're doing. They've stockpiled relievers and put extra guys in the pen so that they can keep shuttling guys in and out.

I bet we're going to have one of the stronger pens in the league when we need it most down the stretch. It's going to be hard to burn many of these guys out - we're not putting that much strain on any of them and if Swarzak ever gets back, we'll have yet another option back there.

It's a good strategy - they've clearly realized the importance of bullpens in October especially and have assembled a pretty large group of guys they're willing to use.

Robles and Rhame will both find their way back up here eventually. Gerson will probably make a few trips himself. And we still have other options like Oswalt. Maybe Callahan finds his way up here later in the year too. Plenty of options. Plenty, plenty, plenty 


post like this ease my met stress slightly. helps me stay the course lol.

RE: Awful  
Shecky : 4/19/2018 1:59 pm : link
In comment 13920862 DanMetroMan said:
Quote:
1. J.T. Realmuto
and he’s the type of talent that’s transformative


Lol. Has he surpassed Trout yet, or do we wait till next week?
Heyman is a  
Metnut : 4/19/2018 2:06 pm : link
hack. What a garbage trade proposal that is.
Did you guys watch the game last night?  
allstarjim : 4/19/2018 2:12 pm : link
Honestly, Matz wasn't laboring and he did a good job. He made one big mistake pitch to Zimmerman after a weak infield single and a walk to Harper.

After the first, he got 9 outs in a row. He was pulled because his spot in the order came up in a critical situation with the Mets down in the game and their first real scoring chance.

His pitch count was low, he could've gotten at least through the 6th and perhaps into the 7th.

Not sure why he's being criticized now.

The bigger worry is Harvey. He is not missing enough bats but I think his stuff is still good enough to be an effective pitcher. I really hope he gets a couple more ticks back on that fastball, but perhaps it never comes back.
Harvey  
Big Blue in MD : 4/19/2018 2:18 pm : link
is currently biggest starting pitcher problem. When Vargas comes back Mets will have a difficult decision to make. The weather has still been an issue and with all these guys coming off injuries it plays a part in their early season struggles.

it seems to be consistency and the ability to get guys to swing and miss. Seems to always be an inning where we throw 25 - 30 pitches. It's happened to all of them.

Last night was a mistake, IMO, by Mickey. He seems to panic in certain circumstances and after Matz retired 10 batters in a row following the HR to Zimm, he should not have been pulled for a PH. it was the bottom of four and a 3 - 2 game. Gimme a break. He's got to allow Matz to continue and save a bullpen that has been overused during the first three weeks of the season.

i am hopeful that as the weather warms up our starters will be able to go 6+ innings. If they do, we are in good shape. If not, trouble.
Typical Mets Fans  
larryflower37 : 4/19/2018 2:22 pm : link
We can not think positive.
It is early in the season and it has been very cold.
Let's give these guys more than 3 or 4 starts before we sell the farm.

Wheeler had a great first start and an ok 2nd.
Matz has also been up and down .
Harvey is done and should be trade for whatever you can get.
They have 4 for 3 spots and I'm actually encouraged by what Ive seen  
Eric on Li : 4/19/2018 2:26 pm : link
Wheeler has shown some fight and his stuff is still as good as it was during his healthy 1.5 seasons. If he stays healthy and can throw 150+ innings like he did in 2014 I feel confident the results will be similar (11-11, 3.5 era, 2.6 fwar). The staying healthy part is the worry, but that's true of many pitchers.

We haven't seen him yet, but Vargas was an all star in the first half last year. Certainly not expecting that again this year but everything about him seems like a good fit to be a reliable back end guy.

Harvey's comeback reminds me of like Tiger Woods. He's not what he used to be in terms of pure talent, but he's a competitor. It's going to take time for him to figure it out, but any flashes are encouraging and his strikeout numbers are better than they've been the last few years (though not back to 2015 level).

Matz is impossible to trust in terms of durability. He's just never sustained success or health for a full season, so who knows. But in pretty short order I suspect he's going to be the extra guy in Vegas.

Thor and JDG aside, I think a lot of teams would trade their 3-6 for ours.
RE: Did you guys watch the game last night?  
PhiPsi125 : 4/19/2018 2:28 pm : link
In comment 13920946 allstarjim said:
Quote:
Honestly, Matz wasn't laboring and he did a good job. He made one big mistake pitch to Zimmerman after a weak infield single and a walk to Harper.

After the first, he got 9 outs in a row. He was pulled because his spot in the order came up in a critical situation with the Mets down in the game and their first real scoring chance.

His pitch count was low, he could've gotten at least through the 6th and perhaps into the 7th.

Not sure why he's being criticized now.

The bigger worry is Harvey. He is not missing enough bats but I think his stuff is still good enough to be an effective pitcher. I really hope he gets a couple more ticks back on that fastball, but perhaps it never comes back.


His pitch count was certainly not low. Matz was at 74 pitches through only 4 innings. They felt that Matz would only be able to get through one more inning which factored into the decision to bat for him. Mickey said that if Matz had a lower pitch count, he would not have come out of the game.

It's also important to point out that Matz has horrible numbers in the fifth inning of games. Not sure if that played into the decision to pull Matz but wouldn't be surprised. 33 pitches in the first inning is a killer.
RE: Typical Mets Fans  
allstarjim : 4/19/2018 2:38 pm : link
In comment 13920995 larryflower37 said:
Quote:
We can not think positive.
It is early in the season and it has been very cold.
Let's give these guys more than 3 or 4 starts before we sell the farm.


Wheeler had a great first start and an ok 2nd.
Matz has also been up and down .
Harvey is done and should be trade for whatever you can get.


WUT.
Sorry man ...  
Beezer : 4/19/2018 2:39 pm : link
... I'm too busy enjoying 13-4, and that terrific explosion of offense in the 8th last night to worry about how the sy's going to fall.

These moments as a fan come far too infrequently to NOT enjoy.
==========  
GiantFilthy : 4/19/2018 2:40 pm : link
Quote:
Sorry man ...
Beezer : 2:39 pm : link : reply
... I'm too busy enjoying 13-4

13-8
RE: Sorry man ...  
arcarsenal : 4/19/2018 2:42 pm : link
In comment 13921084 Beezer said:
Quote:
... I'm too busy enjoying 13-4, and that terrific explosion of offense in the 8th last night to worry about how the sy's going to fall.

These moments as a fan come far too infrequently to NOT enjoy.


Well that's not nice - he's providing us some really solid draft analysis.
.  
arcarsenal : 4/19/2018 2:43 pm : link
Hey Filthy, I heard you guys announced your starter to replace Sanchez...

RE: RE: Did you guys watch the game last night?  
allstarjim : 4/19/2018 2:45 pm : link
In comment 13921029 PhiPsi125 said:
Quote:
In comment 13920946 allstarjim said:


Quote:


Honestly, Matz wasn't laboring and he did a good job. He made one big mistake pitch to Zimmerman after a weak infield single and a walk to Harper.

After the first, he got 9 outs in a row. He was pulled because his spot in the order came up in a critical situation with the Mets down in the game and their first real scoring chance.

His pitch count was low, he could've gotten at least through the 6th and perhaps into the 7th.

Not sure why he's being criticized now.

The bigger worry is Harvey. He is not missing enough bats but I think his stuff is still good enough to be an effective pitcher. I really hope he gets a couple more ticks back on that fastball, but perhaps it never comes back.



His pitch count was certainly not low. Matz was at 74 pitches through only 4 innings. They felt that Matz would only be able to get through one more inning which factored into the decision to bat for him. Mickey said that if Matz had a lower pitch count, he would not have come out of the game.

It's also important to point out that Matz has horrible numbers in the fifth inning of games. Not sure if that played into the decision to pull Matz but wouldn't be surprised. 33 pitches in the first inning is a killer.


Yes, 74 pitches through 4 innings isn't great, but he had put down 10 batters in a row and after the first inning he averaged 10.5 pitches to get through the next 3. There is no way to spin this to say he was pitching bad or could not get through the 5th. Even if he throws another 20 pitch inning in the 5th, the pitch count is where you could at least have him start the 6th in that situation. He could've easily have gotten through the 6th with how he was pitching when he was pulled...Again, 1 mistake pitch doesn't mean he was struggling. 10 batters set down in a row suggests otherwise.
RE: RE: RE: Did you guys watch the game last night?  
PhiPsi125 : 4/19/2018 2:52 pm : link
In comment 13921101 allstarjim said:
Quote:
In comment 13921029 PhiPsi125 said:


Quote:


In comment 13920946 allstarjim said:


Quote:


Honestly, Matz wasn't laboring and he did a good job. He made one big mistake pitch to Zimmerman after a weak infield single and a walk to Harper.

After the first, he got 9 outs in a row. He was pulled because his spot in the order came up in a critical situation with the Mets down in the game and their first real scoring chance.

His pitch count was low, he could've gotten at least through the 6th and perhaps into the 7th.

Not sure why he's being criticized now.

The bigger worry is Harvey. He is not missing enough bats but I think his stuff is still good enough to be an effective pitcher. I really hope he gets a couple more ticks back on that fastball, but perhaps it never comes back.



His pitch count was certainly not low. Matz was at 74 pitches through only 4 innings. They felt that Matz would only be able to get through one more inning which factored into the decision to bat for him. Mickey said that if Matz had a lower pitch count, he would not have come out of the game.

It's also important to point out that Matz has horrible numbers in the fifth inning of games. Not sure if that played into the decision to pull Matz but wouldn't be surprised. 33 pitches in the first inning is a killer.



Yes, 74 pitches through 4 innings isn't great, but he had put down 10 batters in a row and after the first inning he averaged 10.5 pitches to get through the next 3. There is no way to spin this to say he was pitching bad or could not get through the 5th. Even if he throws another 20 pitch inning in the 5th, the pitch count is where you could at least have him start the 6th in that situation. He could've easily have gotten through the 6th with how he was pitching when he was pulled...Again, 1 mistake pitch doesn't mean he was struggling. 10 batters set down in a row suggests otherwise.


There's nothing to spin...we have all the data. Studies show that a taxing 1st inning does more damage than if you pitched the same amount of pitches evenly over multiple innings. Combine that with Matz having horrible results in the 5th inning of games...and I'd almost guarantee that he would have gotten crushed in the 5th. 74 pitches through 4 innings is bad...no way you can spin that.
DAMMITT!!!!!!!  
Shecky : 4/19/2018 2:57 pm : link
Why can’t we find two more aces to slot into the 3 and 4 slot in our rotation!?!?! We suck
Too soon, arc.  
GiantFilthy : 4/19/2018 2:58 pm : link
.
RE: RE: RE: RE: Did you guys watch the game last night?  
allstarjim : 4/19/2018 2:58 pm : link
In comment 13921124 PhiPsi125 said:
Quote:
In comment 13921101 allstarjim said:


Quote:


In comment 13921029 PhiPsi125 said:


Quote:


In comment 13920946 allstarjim said:


Quote:


Honestly, Matz wasn't laboring and he did a good job. He made one big mistake pitch to Zimmerman after a weak infield single and a walk to Harper.

After the first, he got 9 outs in a row. He was pulled because his spot in the order came up in a critical situation with the Mets down in the game and their first real scoring chance.

His pitch count was low, he could've gotten at least through the 6th and perhaps into the 7th.

Not sure why he's being criticized now.

The bigger worry is Harvey. He is not missing enough bats but I think his stuff is still good enough to be an effective pitcher. I really hope he gets a couple more ticks back on that fastball, but perhaps it never comes back.



His pitch count was certainly not low. Matz was at 74 pitches through only 4 innings. They felt that Matz would only be able to get through one more inning which factored into the decision to bat for him. Mickey said that if Matz had a lower pitch count, he would not have come out of the game.

It's also important to point out that Matz has horrible numbers in the fifth inning of games. Not sure if that played into the decision to pull Matz but wouldn't be surprised. 33 pitches in the first inning is a killer.



Yes, 74 pitches through 4 innings isn't great, but he had put down 10 batters in a row and after the first inning he averaged 10.5 pitches to get through the next 3. There is no way to spin this to say he was pitching bad or could not get through the 5th. Even if he throws another 20 pitch inning in the 5th, the pitch count is where you could at least have him start the 6th in that situation. He could've easily have gotten through the 6th with how he was pitching when he was pulled...Again, 1 mistake pitch doesn't mean he was struggling. 10 batters set down in a row suggests otherwise.



There's nothing to spin...we have all the data. Studies show that a taxing 1st inning does more damage than if you pitched the same amount of pitches evenly over multiple innings. Combine that with Matz having horrible results in the 5th inning of games...and I'd almost guarantee that he would have gotten crushed in the 5th. 74 pitches through 4 innings is bad...no way you can spin that.


OK but somehow it didn't tax him through the his next perfect 3 innings Phil when he set everyone down in order. But somehow you can see the future and know that he was going to struggle the very next inning. 74 pitches through 4 isn't good but not catastrophic. It's not very efficient, but any statistical analyst will tell you that the more recent the data, the more relevant it is, and the fact that his pitches through the subsequent 3 innings were VERY efficient, should tell you that it's at least plausible that could've continued through the 5th.

P.S. You can make statistics say whatever you want to say. The bottom line is he was pitching VERY WELL for the previous 3 innings when he was pulled from the game, and one mistake pitch to Zimmerman that caused the 3-0 deficit shouldn't color his entire performance as if he struggled or as if he "can't get through the 5th," which was the claim, and at least when speaking of last night, isn't a fair characterization when discussing Matz's performance.
BTW Phil  
allstarjim : 4/19/2018 3:01 pm : link
The Nationals due up in the 5th were Difo, Severino, and Roark, who were 0-3 on the night against Matz with 2 Ks. I think Matz could've navigated that.

RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Did you guys watch the game last night?  
PhiPsi125 : 4/19/2018 3:07 pm : link
In comment 13921147 allstarjim said:
Quote:

OK but somehow it didn't tax him through the his next perfect 3 innings Phil when he set everyone down in order. But somehow you can see the future and know that he was going to struggle the very next inning. 74 pitches through 4 isn't good but not catastrophic. It's not very efficient, but any statistical analyst will tell you that the more recent the data, the more relevant it is, and the fact that his pitches through the subsequent 3 innings were VERY efficient, should tell you that it's at least plausible that could've continued through the 5th.

P.S. You can make statistics say whatever you want to say. The bottom line is he was pitching VERY WELL for the previous 3 innings when he was pulled from the game, and one mistake pitch to Zimmerman that caused the 3-0 deficit shouldn't color his entire performance as if he struggled or as if he "can't get through the 5th," which was the claim, and at least when speaking of last night, isn't a fair characterization when discussing Matz's performance.


I'm not saying that I know the future...we have historical data for that. And the historical data show that when a pitcher throws a lot of pitchers in the first inning, it's worse than throwing the same amount of pitches evenly over the same inning. Very stressful pitchers, see more batters, third time around the batting order comes quicker (which is when most pitchers start to fall apart). Historical data ALSO tells us that Matz has horrible numbers in the 5th innings of games.

So your basis is that since Matz pitched better in the three previous innings then he would have been fine for the 5th? Sure, it's plausible. But again, the historical numbers back up my view...not yours.

And let's stop with the narrative that he make a mistake on ONE pitch in the first. He threw 33 pitches. He put multiple people on base. He walked a batter. He gave up a home run. Matz made a lot of mistakes that inning.

Again, I'm not "making the statistics say whatever I want". I'm telling you what the stats say. It's all moot anyway. He would have gone back into the game if a critical at bat were not part of the equation. None of this is about how well he was pitching...it was how many innings he would have had left (one) and the critical at-bat.
RE: BTW Phil  
PhiPsi125 : 4/19/2018 3:09 pm : link
In comment 13921155 allstarjim said:
Quote:
The Nationals due up in the 5th were Difo, Severino, and Roark, who were 0-3 on the night against Matz with 2 Ks. I think Matz could've navigated that.


Maybe, maybe not. But you can't kill me for trying to tell the future and then turn around and do the same thing. At lease I have historical numbers to back up my view of the situation.
Name teams that have four better backend starters  
Vanzetti : 4/19/2018 3:13 pm : link
Than Harvey, Matz, Wheeler and Vargas

Not all that many teams do. To me, health is the only issue with these guys.
RE: RE: BTW Phil  
allstarjim : 4/19/2018 3:15 pm : link
In comment 13921184 PhiPsi125 said:
Quote:
In comment 13921155 allstarjim said:


Quote:


The Nationals due up in the 5th were Difo, Severino, and Roark, who were 0-3 on the night against Matz with 2 Ks. I think Matz could've navigated that.




Maybe, maybe not. But you can't kill me for trying to tell the future and then turn around and do the same thing. At lease I have historical numbers to back up my view of the situation.


HISTORICAL NUMBERS? Seriously? The only point is that the bottom of the order with the pitcher spot up is typically not very daunting.

Do you think Tanner Roark was about to take him yard?
Your "view" of the situation  
allstarjim : 4/19/2018 3:16 pm : link
Answer me this honestly, Phil...seriously...can you answer an honest question with an honest answer...

Did you watch the game last night?
Also  
allstarjim : 4/19/2018 3:17 pm : link
Sorry for calling you Phil. Glanced at PhiPsi and my brain interpreted 'Phil' out of that. LOL.

If your real name is actually Phil, I withdraw my apology.

I'm Jim. Nice to meet you.
Hi Jim, nice to meet you. I'm Jay.  
PhiPsi125 : 4/19/2018 3:44 pm : link
Honestly, I don't understand what the confusion is here. And you are being highly hypocritical.

I'm not telling you that Matz would have shit the bed in the 5th inning. I don't know that and neither do you. I'm saying that I understand why Matz was taken out of the game. He was taken out because he only would have had one inning left to pitch and there was a critical at-bat. Matz was not taken out of the game because of how he was pitching.

He was pitching great the previous three innings? Great. That doesn't mean that he would have continued that into the fifth inning. Could he have? Sure. How does Matz normally do in the 5th innings of games? Not very good at all. It's not an opinion. It's a fact. Like with numbers and stuff.

Wheeler got two hits off of Gio. Do I think Roark was going to take Matz yard? Probably not. But it could happen.

And, yes, I watched last night's game...just like most games. Did you?
RE: .  
DonQuixote : 4/19/2018 4:00 pm : link
In comment 13920866 arcarsenal said:
Quote:
Getting Swarzak back may have made Lugo/Gsellman to the rotation more of an option - but I think we need both guys in the pen for now.

Vargas is going to have some shitty outings but he's a vet who should eat a good deal of innings and keep us in most games.

One of the 5 inning pitchers probably needs to be taken out of the rotation.

But I'm not that worried about the pen getting burned out.

It's obvious what they're doing. They've stockpiled relievers and put extra guys in the pen so that they can keep shuttling guys in and out.

I bet we're going to have one of the stronger pens in the league when we need it most down the stretch. It's going to be hard to burn many of these guys out - we're not putting that much strain on any of them and if Swarzak ever gets back, we'll have yet another option back there.

It's a good strategy - they've clearly realized the importance of bullpens in October especially and have assembled a pretty large group of guys they're willing to use.

Robles and Rhame will both find their way back up here eventually. Gerson will probably make a few trips himself. And we still have other options like Oswalt. Maybe Callahan finds his way up here later in the year too. Plenty of options. Plenty, plenty, plenty 


I agree and think Callaway bascially said as much when calling up Bautista, that Robles needs to be on the roster but he pitched a lot .

"Unfortunately when something like (Monday) night happens or you play extra innings game somebody loses their job temporarily. Unfortunately it was Robles," Callaway said before the game. "He was pitching great, he probably didn’t deserve to go down, it’s the business side of things so that was a tough conversation to have with him."
RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Did you guys watch the game last night?  
DonQuixote : 4/19/2018 4:08 pm : link
In comment 13921147 allstarjim said:
Quote:
In comment 13921124 PhiPsi125 said:


Quote:


In comment 13921101 allstarjim said:


Quote:


In comment 13921029 PhiPsi125 said:


Quote:


In comment 13920946 allstarjim said:


Quote:


Honestly, Matz wasn't laboring and he did a good job. He made one big mistake pitch to Zimmerman after a weak infield single and a walk to Harper.

After the first, he got 9 outs in a row. He was pulled because his spot in the order came up in a critical situation with the Mets down in the game and their first real scoring chance.

His pitch count was low, he could've gotten at least through the 6th and perhaps into the 7th.

Not sure why he's being criticized now.

The bigger worry is Harvey. He is not missing enough bats but I think his stuff is still good enough to be an effective pitcher. I really hope he gets a couple more ticks back on that fastball, but perhaps it never comes back.



His pitch count was certainly not low. Matz was at 74 pitches through only 4 innings. They felt that Matz would only be able to get through one more inning which factored into the decision to bat for him. Mickey said that if Matz had a lower pitch count, he would not have come out of the game.

It's also important to point out that Matz has horrible numbers in the fifth inning of games. Not sure if that played into the decision to pull Matz but wouldn't be surprised. 33 pitches in the first inning is a killer.



Yes, 74 pitches through 4 innings isn't great, but he had put down 10 batters in a row and after the first inning he averaged 10.5 pitches to get through the next 3. There is no way to spin this to say he was pitching bad or could not get through the 5th. Even if he throws another 20 pitch inning in the 5th, the pitch count is where you could at least have him start the 6th in that situation. He could've easily have gotten through the 6th with how he was pitching when he was pulled...Again, 1 mistake pitch doesn't mean he was struggling. 10 batters set down in a row suggests otherwise.



There's nothing to spin...we have all the data. Studies show that a taxing 1st inning does more damage than if you pitched the same amount of pitches evenly over multiple innings. Combine that with Matz having horrible results in the 5th inning of games...and I'd almost guarantee that he would have gotten crushed in the 5th. 74 pitches through 4 innings is bad...no way you can spin that.



OK but somehow it didn't tax him through the his next perfect 3 innings Phil when he set everyone down in order. But somehow you can see the future and know that he was going to struggle the very next inning. 74 pitches through 4 isn't good but not catastrophic. It's not very efficient, but any statistical analyst will tell you that the more recent the data, the more relevant it is, and the fact that his pitches through the subsequent 3 innings were VERY efficient, should tell you that it's at least plausible that could've continued through the 5th.

P.S. You can make statistics say whatever you want to say. The bottom line is he was pitching VERY WELL for the previous 3 innings when he was pulled from the game, and one mistake pitch to Zimmerman that caused the 3-0 deficit shouldn't color his entire performance as if he struggled or as if he "can't get through the 5th," which was the claim, and at least when speaking of last night, isn't a fair characterization when discussing Matz's performance.


Not sure what the controversy is all about here. Callaway addressed this directly.

“If it wasn’t for the 33 pitches in the first inning, we wouldn’t even have contemplated [removing him],” Callaway said. “The most I could see him going was another inning at that pace, so I thought it made a lot of sense.”

...

“He wasn’t happy, and I’m glad he wasn’t happy,” Callaway said. “I don’t ever want those guys happy when I take them out of the game, because that means they have fire and they want to go back out there. … It was very hard, but I thought it was necessary at the time, just the way our bats were going at the time.

“I’m so excited about the way he settled in, and was attacking hitters. He’s gonna have a lot of success when he does that. … He ended up pitching a really good game, and he would’ve continued pitching a good game had we not taken him out.”

Managers have to make decisions sometimes, and in retrospect, this didn't play out for the Met's cause the pinch hitter was hit by the pitch and then a double play ensued. So they wasted what might have been an inning or two from Matz, and they say this explicitly, but felt they had to get the offense moving. They bet wrong, and that will happen again. Thankful for the catharsis of runs later. Great win
Re: Matz  
Vanzetti : 4/19/2018 4:08 pm : link
I think normally Callaway would have left him in, but this was a huge game. No way do you want to get swept st home by your number one rival. So I think Mickey was managing with urgency and did not want to risk Matz for another inning. Plus, we don’t know if Matz felt something

So, both you guys, have a point. It’s not either or.
Only SP I’m worried about  
ZGiants98 : 4/19/2018 4:28 pm : link
Is Harvey and there isn’t enough room for 6 guys in the rotation when Vargas returns anyway. You arent going to get ace performances from your 3 and 4 starters. You’re probably going to see a bad inning like you saw from Matz last night. That’s ok. The key was that he got it together and retired 10 straight.

I’m not so worried about stat lines yet. More concerned about how these guys look physically. Harvey just doesn’t look good.
The upside with Harvey is that he still seems  
ZGiants98 : 4/19/2018 4:36 pm : link
To look sharp for an inning or two before falling apart so maybe we can salvage him in the pen.
.  
arcarsenal : 4/19/2018 4:42 pm : link
I feel bad for Matt.

He's never going to see the big payday that seemed so certain 3 years ago.

I think he's salvageable and can still have a solid career in the bigs - but the ace he was before, he probably won't ever be again.

Will have to reinvent himself and figure out the best way he can get hitters out without having the same overpowering stuff he used to.
It will be VERY interesting to see  
gmen9892 : 4/19/2018 4:56 pm : link
How much leash Harvey gets. Figure hes got, at most, 2 more starts left. If he puts up 2 more pedestrian starts, what happens then?

Outside of Harvey, I am not worried one bit about the rotation.

Noah is coming off his best start of the season after having some blister/nail issues to start the year, so he is just kicking it into gear. Jake has been great outside of 1 start. Wheeler had 1 dominant start and 1 good start, so far so good for him. Matz has been uneven, but I too feel like he was just getting into the groove last night. It was an early pull but Mickey that backfired, but he is still a rookie manager learning about this team, shit happens.

Vargas coming along to take the spot of whoever is struggling. Id say we are in better Starting Pitching position than just about any other team in the league. So, to answer the OP question, no....I am not the least bit worried.
RE: Hi Jim, nice to meet you. I'm Jay.  
allstarjim : 4/19/2018 5:06 pm : link
In comment 13921305 PhiPsi125 said:
Quote:
Honestly, I don't understand what the confusion is here. And you are being highly hypocritical.

I'm not telling you that Matz would have shit the bed in the 5th inning. I don't know that and neither do you. I'm saying that I understand why Matz was taken out of the game. He was taken out because he only would have had one inning left to pitch and there was a critical at-bat. Matz was not taken out of the game because of how he was pitching.

He was pitching great the previous three innings? Great. That doesn't mean that he would have continued that into the fifth inning. Could he have? Sure. How does Matz normally do in the 5th innings of games? Not very good at all. It's not an opinion. It's a fact. Like with numbers and stuff.

Wheeler got two hits off of Gio. Do I think Roark was going to take Matz yard? Probably not. But it could happen.

And, yes, I watched last night's game...just like most games. Did you?


OMG.

First, yes, of course I watched last night's game, which is why it was clear that Matz was cruising after the first inning.

Numbers in a specific inning are not necessarily instructive or useful, there are all kinds of outcomes that can portray a statistic one way, which could otherwise be explained by randomness. His numbers in the 5th inning aren't so wildly off his overall numbers...which aren't that reliable anyway as he has a lot of starts in which he was pitching hurt...last year with a 6.08 ERA overall, for example. Saying x-pitcher is bad in the 5th inning is kind of like saying that a QB is bad down by 12 points at the end of the third quarter. It's not really useful information.

Tanner Roark is a career .132 hitter with 0 HRs in 262 plate appearances. Sure, it's not impossible, even Bartolo hit one out, but come on, man.

And I sort of agree with your reasoning on why Matz was taken out, it was a critical at bat in the game. I don't have any grip with Callaway's decision. My gripe is the characterization of his performance as if he couldn't have gone longer had it not been a situational decision. The bottom line is Matz pitched pretty well. He had trouble early and settled down. I do not agree that Matz had only one more inning had he stayed in the game. He very easily could've gotten through 6 innings. If he pitches the 5th and gets through the bottom of the order in order he is likely sitting at around 85-90 pitches, potentially less if he gets a quick out or two, which is just fine with which to enter the 6th inning.

There's no problem here with the decision. My criticism was that you and OP seemed to say last night was indicative of him not being able to get through the 5th inning...when last night's name is indicative of nothing when it comes to how deep Matz goes into a game, because when Matz was pulled, he was pitching well and pitch count wasn't a problem, and those are undeniable facts.
Geez, you are really stuck on this huh? I thought about just  
PhiPsi125 : 4/19/2018 6:08 pm : link
giving up but I’m enjoying this.

So, statistical numbers compiled over a long period of time isn’t a good indicator of what to expect but “how you feel the pitchers is doing” the prior three innings is? Come on. The point of generating these stats kinda points the the fact that it’s NOT random. If the numbers dictate that Matz struggles in the 1st and 5th innings of games, then there is a large probability that it could occur again. Regardless of you you feel the pitcher is doing. Doesn’t mean it’s going to happen but, yes, he he likelihood is higher. And Matz isn’t exactly the beacon of consistency. How many pitchers hav you seen flying along in a game and the suddenly spit the bit?

Your comparison to a football QB makes zero sense. Literally couldn’t come up with a worse comparison.

The funny thing is, I never said it was the right or wrong decision. I didn’t offer an opinion. I stated that I understood the reason for taking him out of the game (due to ALL the variables) and wondered if other Matz statistics played into the decision. Could he have stayed in the game and pitched another THREE innings? Sure, I guess. Doesn’t mean he would have continued to cruise. Or maybe he would. Crazy, right?
Well this outing was the first domino  
giantsFC : 4/19/2018 10:21 pm : link
Of my worst fears to start leaning forward...

Problem solved when Vargas gets back.

Does harbeynhave options or is he straight outta DFA?
RE: Typical Mets Fans  
gmenatlarge : 4/20/2018 9:51 am : link
In comment 13920995 larryflower37 said:
Quote:
We can not think positive.
It is early in the season and it has been very cold.
Let's give these guys more than 3 or 4 starts before we sell the farm.

Wheeler had a great first start and an ok 2nd.
Matz has also been up and down .
Harvey is done and should be trade for whatever you can get.


What kind of fan are you and where have you been the last oh, 50 years or so, this team has taught us to expect the worst. As for your other points Wheeler's first start was against the Marlins (AAA), Matz has proven to be totally unreliable and you want to trade Harvey at a point when he has literally no value...BRILLIANT!
Harvey wil get DL when Vargas returns  
spike : 4/20/2018 10:17 am : link
with some phantom injury and let him work his way back sloooowly.
Back to the Corner