Mets Game 47: Win Over Rockies
Mets 9 Rockies 2
What a difference a day makes.
After losing five straight games, the Mets came out like gangbusters, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, and commanding the game thereafter.
Claudio Vargas, pitching on three days’ rest, was impressive, going seven full innings and allowing only four hits and one earned run.
Frighteningly, I must share this comment from loyal reader “sincekindergarten”:
# sincekindergarten Says:
May 24th, 2008 at 1:47 pm eOh – according to the lineup on MetsBlog, not only is Tatis in RF today, but Nick Evans, just called up from Binghamton, will be in LF. This is the day that the Mets will score 14 runs, and Vargas will get 7 IP with the win (1 ER, 4 H).
OK, the Mets didn’t score 14, but, wow, SK … how about giving me some lotto numbers?
Notes
With Marlon Anderson placed on the DL, and Brady Clark’s season ending due to knee surgery, the Mets promoted AA hotshot 1B-OF Nick Evans and inserted him into the eighth spot of the order. Evans responded with a 3-for-4 day — all three hits were doubles — and drove in two. He also caught about 19 fly balls in leftfield. All right, maybe not 19, but he did seem to make an inordinate amount of putouts — 6 or 7 by my count.
Ramon Castro also went 3-for-4, including a double. Carlos Beltran had only one hit all day, but it was a big one: a bases-loaded double in the first that plated all three runners; it was his 14th two-bagger of the season. David Wright smacked his 9th homer of the year, and Carlos “I’m Not Dead Yet” Delgado homered as well — for the third straight game. It’s as if Delgado reads MetsToday and is determined to prove me wrong. If that’s the case, tell you what Carlos: I still think you stink! (keep the dingers coming).
Delgado might have to keep going a yard, if Nick Evans hits three doubles every game.
With that youthful, clean-shaven, half-frightened look, the old-school closed stance, and punching the ball to right field, Nick Evans looks to me like a guy who could have been a ’69 Met.
Fernando Tatis was plunked by reliever Alberto Arias in the seventh, and it appeared to me to be a purpose pitch — particularly since Arias missed him by inches the first two pitches, and kept staring at Tatis after hitting him. There wasn’t anything in the game to cause sour feelings, so maybe these two have a history from playing against each other in AAA or the Caribbean league.
Next Game
The rubber match pits John Maine against Aaron Cook in a 3:05 pm EST start. Cook’s a tough cookie, so if Maine does well it could be a pitchers’ duel. You can watch it on CW 11 or listen to it on WFAN and XM 184.
About the Author
Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers.
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I seem to remember saying that, when the Braves were up at Shea and the Mets had dropped the first game to Jurrjens (sp?), that they would beat Hudson and Smoltz. Voila!
I’m thinking that we’ll get the win today, but Maine will get a ND. Nick Evans will be the star again (both offensive and defensive). Mighty Joe Smith will get the win.
Joe, if I could pick Lotto or MegaMillions numbers, you’d know about it. So would Matt, and virtually everyone else on here and MetsBlog . . . but, alas, . . .
I hadn’t realized Vargas was only pitching on 3 days rest. He really stepped up and did a fine job in this game. When the Mets went up 5-zip in the 1st, I pleaded with my television set that Vargas wouldn’t dance around the strike zone, and instead throw a steady diet of strikes and let the Rockies get themselves out. And bodda-bing, bodda-boom, Vargas walks just one en route to one of the best pitching perofrmances of the season for the Mets. It’s interesting, too, because Vargas had a rap for being wild before coming to NY. Yesterday’s performance shows not only is he tenacious, but smart.
Nick Evans is a god send, if at least for one game. Notice how every one of his doubles went to the opposite field? That’s what’s called “going the other way,” Mr. Delgado and Mr. Wright. Well, at least David seemed to be paying attention, because he hit an opposite field blast late in the game. And like Gary, Ron, and Keith always say, Wright is at his best when he’s going the other way. Do I smell a hot streak coming on?
It was also interesting to note that Schoeneweis, during pre-game lineup introductions for FOX, called Wright “El Capitan.” Guess we know who the players view as the captain, now.
I also liked what I heard from Eric Karros during the game. Talking about Willie Watch, Karros said it wouldn’t be bright for the Mets to fire Willie just for the sake of change, because not all change is good. He asked who is readily available as a Willie replacement with a proven track record of success and experience? Nobody. He also gave an example of a team he was on that changed managers midseason in hopes to turn the team around but actually had the opposite effect and the team went further in the tank. So the notion that “anyone but Willie” will automatically make the Mets a playoff contender again is wrong. He said that teams don’t win due to good chemistry, but instead develop good chemistry from winning (which I defintely agree with). He also said that IT’S ONLY MAY. Playoff seeds are not determined by who has the best record on June 1st. It’s a 6 month long season, and team’s have come from farther back than the Mets to go on to make the postseason. The bottom line: don’t fire Willie just to shake things up. It’s not a bonafide way to improve the Mets record. Instead, focus on winning one game at a time and get back to good, fundamentally sound, smart baseball. “Don’t try to hit the five-run home run.” “Lean on your team mates.” It’s not brain surgery, but it’s good advice to play by.