Mets Game 138: Loss to Marlins
Marlins 4 Mets 2
Tim Redding is trending back to the mean.
Redding followed up two straight stellar, near-seven-inning starts with a more typical 5-inning, 100-pitch, four-run effort against the Fish. In other words, an average outing for the Rochester righthander.
Two two-run homers — one by Hanley Ramirez and the other by Cameron Maybin — were the death knell for Redding’s evening. The Mets were unable to respond to potato power, save for two runs scratched out in the fourth and fifth.
Notes
Angel Pagan belted his 9th triple of the season, which was nearly an inside-the-park quadruple. He has the second-most triples in the NL, despite only 254 at-bats. If Jose Reyes ever plays a full season at Citi Field, he might set a new record for triples.
Not a good night for David Wright. He went 0-for-4 with an error (his 14th) and two Ks, including a strikeout in a big spot with the bases loaded in the seventh.
It was a good night for Luis Castillo, who had three hits and an RBI.
The Marlins nearly had a fifth run, when Jeff Francoeur’s throw home bounced over Josh Thole, prompting Dan Uggla to race to the plate from third base. However, the ball was recoved quickly by Elmer Dessens — who technically was in the incorrect backup position — and Dessens was able to get the ball to Thole as Uggla slid in. It should also be noted that Dan Murphy was improperly positioned for Francoeur’s cutoff; that’s been an issue Murphy needs to address if his future will be at first base.
SNY gave us a “silent” sixth inning for reasons unknown. I might have enjoyed it if not for award-winning director Bill Webb, whose incessant camera switches made me nauseous. Are the attention spans of TV-viewing Mets fans really that short, that a new view needs to be shown every two seconds? Does Bill Webb really believe we are interested in seeing an ice cream vendor, a fan working a crossword, the back of Razor Shines’ head, a close-up of a Blackberry, and Jerry Manuel stroking his chin — all in the course of eight seconds? I have an idea: how about, for one inning, SNY sets the TV camera behind home plate and leaves it there? No camera switches to close-ups of Carlos Beltran’s mole or some kid eating cotton candy — just leave the camera in one spot, for one inning. If I want a silent inning, I’ll press mute. Give me something you don’t ordinarily offer, that may make the game experience more enjoyable.
Jerry Manuel mentioned Buddy Bell during the SNY postgame interview while describing Tim Redding’s performance. Then I realized he said “but he battled”, not “Buddy Bell”. I always liked Buddy Bell … he was a solid hitter who hit in the clutch and was an excellent defender at the hot corner. Not much of a manger, though. Ah, I digress … can you blame me, considering where the Mets stand right now?
Also in the postgame, Bobby Ojeda mentioned that he likes the way Josh Thole “sticks” pitches. In other words, he catches the ball when it’s a strike and holds it there. I like that too. It always drove me nuts to watch Ramon Castro try to “frame” every single pitch into the strike zone. All that does is annoy the umpire, and cause him to ignore the catcher’s glove completely. Hopefully Sandy Alomar, Jr., won’t be teaching Thole any similarly asinine “framing” “techniques”.
Though, I disagree completely with Ojeda’s assessment of John Maine’s delivery as “effortless”. We’ve discussed Maine’s terrible, damaging mechanical flaw before, and it is anything but effortless. (Note to Rex Gary: I’m available to work with your client this winter.)
Next Mets Game
The Mets and Marlins do it again at 7:10 PM on Wednesday night. Pat Misch will face Ricky Nolasco. Josh Thole will once again be behind the plate.
I liked what Webb did. He’s a genius. It’s a time capsule. A lady, bored, doing her crossword puzzle. People text-messaging. AHern looking nervous in anticpation of a ball coming his way. Beltran positioning himself. The few die-hards cheering during a meaningless game (I gave my tickets away).
In 2009, what you saw may seem trite because you’re existing in 2009, but if a creative broadcast station did this in the Polo Grounds in 1948, wouldn’t it be priceless now?
KJS – I vaguely remember someone doing an NFL game without broadcasters, maybe in the early 1980s?
Even if it annoyed me, I like your point of it being a time capsule. In that sense, it would be a piece of a highlight film — similar to what was produced in the 1960s and 70s. As part of a highlight film, maybe it’s genius. As a way to watch a baseball game, I’ll pass.
You’re correct about the NFL game, which happened in the early 1980s. I do think there was a MLB Game of the Week broadcast that did this earlier (1975?); it may have fell through the Orwellian Memory Hole (or I’m going senile).
If we were in a pennant race, I’d be outraged. But I can live with this. Was it any worse than Kevin Burkhardt doing an in-stand interview with a non-entity’s grandmother during the game when seeing any part of the action is secondary?