Two inches. That's how close the Mets came to probably having a 2-0 series lead instead of being tied 1-1. Shawn Green missed catching Scott Speizio's triple by two inches. Maybe less. I'm not going to say that Green should have caught that ball - it was a very tough play. Actually, he kept the Mets in the game by getting a glove on it, preventing a home run, and keeping the game tied at 6. But had he moved his glove two inches to his left, the Mets would have had a 6-4 lead, and would have had Billy Wagner in the game in a save situation, and things could have been a whole lot different.
Tony LaRussa really made all the right moves in this game. Starting Speizio. Subbing in So Taguchi late in the 8th inning. Tyler Johnson to face Carlos Delgado to start the ninth. Putting Scott Rolen in along with Adam Wainwright in the 9th, and seeing Rolen rob David Wright of a base hit, making the second out of the ninth inning. Chalk one up in the LaRussa column.
I still feel confident in Wagner in save situations. Something's different with these guys in non-save situations, and it's very frustrating, but it always seems to be the case. Billy Wagner has been untouchable in save situations - he only gets himself in trouble when he puts people on. But in a tie game, he comes in and gives up a homer. Then two more runs. I don't think Willie Randolph made a bad decision putting Wagner in the game - his hands were tied. After lifting Maine, the Mets were going to be in trouble by the 8th inning, after using Chad Bradford (great outing), Pedro Feliciano (good third of an inning), Guillermo Mota (first bad outing in a while), and Aaron Heilman (awesome). They needed to use Wagner in the 9th - because there wasn't going to be a save situation anymore. The only thing to hope now is that he bounces back - and didn't throw too many pitches.
The one bad decision I think the Mets have made this post-season is keeping Cliff Floyd on the roster for the NLCS. He can barely walk, and barely lasted an inning and a half, and like I wrote about after Game 1, might not be available for more than pinch hitting duty. Endy Chavez has done a great job filling in, but he should have been given the left field job from the get-go in this round. Now the Mets are one reliever short, and could have jeopardized having Floyd in the World Series, if they make it. They should have allowed him to rest, because by doing so they would have improved their Series chances.
If you would have asked me what I wanted to see from the Mets in this game, I would have told you they need to jump out to an early lead, set Chris Carpenter in his place. And thanks to a Carlos Delgado 3-run homer in the first, that's what the Mets did. They led 3-0, 4-2, and 6-4, and blew those leads. That's not Mets baseball. FOX alluded to the fact that the Mets bullpen has been overworked - I don't think so. They just came off five days of rest. I agree they've been getting a lot of work, but they're not overworked.
That said, Game 3 will be huge for the Mets. Steve Trachsel needs to pitch well, and needs to go deep into this game. It wouldn't hurt the Mets to win big, too - run up the score a little bit so that the bullpen, if it is used, has some wiggle room. And Billy Wagner can sit a game out.
Some thoughts on a couple of players:
DELGADO: I meant to say this the other night, but I better not hear anymore that Delgado was the longest-tenured player to never reach the post-season. I don't care. The minute he played in Game 1 against the Dodgers this became a non-story. He's in the post-season. And man, has he thrived. His two homers tonight were huge - but so was his error.
MAINE: He was hurt by the error, but he isn't doing himself any favors struggling to find the plate. He's throwing too many pitches, and too many balls. I also felt that his August 22nd start against the Cardinals, where he got tagged for 7 runs, may prove to be important because he learned not to let Albert Pujols beat the Mets - he had all 7 RBI.
GREEN: I was just mentioning to my dad tonight that getting Shawn Green was a great deal for the Mets. I'm not sure how much I wrote about it at the time, but I wasn't a fan of the move. I thought Green was on the fast track towards "washed up", and wouldn't contribute. I was wrong. First of all, he's got right field locked up for the Mets - could you imagine if the Mets had Lastings Milledge out there in this series? They'd be in trouble. He's a threat in the lineup, and he's a good influence in the clubhouse. All positives. And he almost made the great play in Game 2 to get the Mets a win. Almost.
MEDIA: A couple of notes on the media. I started Game 2 listening to the first couple of innings on the radio, because I had to pick up my mom at the train station. Dan Schulman and Dave Campbell. Campbell was really ticking me off - he was very down on the Mets. He didn't give the Mets any credit - talking about how poorly St. Louis played, rather than how well the Mets played in Game 1. That bothered me.
Also, I love that super slo-mo camera FOX has - it's really good for breaking down a guy's swing. It's also a really good teaching tool, watching the way major leaguers swing. And for this series, they not only have the camera trained on the hitter, but on certain plays in the field. And I like that because it makes some of those plays look cool.
MAIL: Two entries in the mailbag - actually, one's from the comments section (The Southern Bureau one), and the other's from the mailbag (Steve in Queens). They're very related, so I'll post them both, then respond:
"Watching Jeff Weaver shut down the Mets for half the game reminded me again how the American League is going to KILL whoever the NL team is.
Weaver was CUT from an AL team just months ago for being TERRIBLE, and now he almost wins a game in the NLCS.
Unreal. I think a third straight sweep is on the way. But lets all enjoy the Mets run until then...for Johnny's daughter's sake."
"Johnnymets -
I understand your desire to have every team play each other at least once in the World Series, but you are a Mets fan first. I want to know who you think will be an easier matchup for the Mets in the WS. I think that the Mets would destroy Oakland and will have trouble with the Tigers. Therefore, I do not want the Tigers to make it to the WS. Putting aside your desire of WS matchups, do you agree or disagree.
Also, one of my friends from work was able to get me a ticket to tonight's game. As you well know, I am slightly concerned about the frigid weather that has been forecasted for this evening. Anyway, LETS GO METS.
Steve from Queens"
I'll go backwards here. First off, Steve is cold-blooded and doesn't like being out in the cold weather. So that explains that. Secondly, as for a possible World Series matchup, I think both of these comments are very similar.
I think it's safe to say the Detroit Tigers are going to the World Series (up 3 games to 0). And watching them play the past six games, I can't believe I once thought the Twins or Yankees would be tougher opponents. So to that end, I agree with you Steve - the Mets would probably be better off facing Oakland. (All of this assumes the Mets will play better in the remaining NLCS games and advance.)
As for how the Mets would do against the AL entry (Detroit), I have no idea. If any team has the bats to challenge the Detroit arms, it's the Mets (although it was also the Yankees). I'd like to see the Mets get that opportunity, that's for sure. I do think the Mets match up a whole lot better than St. Louis (they might be sweep numbers 1 and 3 in a row for the NL if they make it).
Losing Game 2 of the NLCS, and the chance for a sweep, hurts the Mets' chances of setting up their best pitcher (Tom Glavine) for Game 1 of the World Series. But I think Detroit-Mets makes for a great matchup - the Mets have the most AL-style lineup in the NL (and now AL-style starting pitching), and the Tigers play the most NL-style ball in the AL. We'll get into this more if I'm lucky enough to be writing a Mets-Detroit World Series preview.
Very big Game 3 for the Mets - and Steve Trachsel - Saturday night. It also wouldn't hurt for the A's to steal a couple and push the Tigers one or two more games.
No comments:
Post a Comment