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April 14, 2011 Mets 2011 Games Joe Janish

Mets Game 13: Loss to Rockies

Rockies 9 Mets 4

After Terry Collins said last night that the team needed to go 9-2 in their next 11 games, I’m assuming the plan is to rip off a nine-game winning streak.

Good luck with that.

Mets Game Notes

Gawd, where to start …

The offense sputtered. The defense was shaky. The pitching was awful. The team looked deflated after the Rockies put up a 6-spot in the 6th (can you blame them?). Mental mistakes were made. Physical errors were made. There were a few moments of happiness, but not enough to outweigh the sadness. And I’m trying to be positive here.

Chris Capuano had a rough day, compounded by mistakes behind him and the reliever who followed him. He allowed 7 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks in 5 2/3 innings. In the postgame, manager Terry Collins said Capuano “kept us in the game … he did a great job”. Wow. Really? Though Capuano would have escaped the jam if Brad Emaus successfully executed a DP ball, it’s hard to describe Capuano’s outing as “great”.

Speaking of Emaus, I feel bad for the kid. He’s obviously pressing and looks nervous all of a sudden. Actually, most of the team looks pretty nervous. I wonder if Collins’ “team meeting” last night had anything to do with it.

Scott Hairston hit another blast, but it bounced off the top of the wall for a double. He broke into a homerun trot — and though he did have Ike Davis in front of him, it didn’t look good to be not busting it, especially after missing the fly ball in game one.

The Mets were 2-for-11 with RISP.

After Shea Stadium closed, it seemed to take the wind out of the sails of Pat Burrell and Chipper Jones when they visited Flushing. Well, know there’s Troy Tulowitzki and his sudden love for The Field at Shea Bridge. Tulo went 10-for-16 with 4 HR and 8 RBI. The scary thing? He might’ve had two more homers had it not been for the extra distance of the Citi Field fences.

Terry Collins attempted to fool people into thinking the Mets were winning entering the ninth by sending closer Francisco Rodriguez to the mound. Or maybe he was strategizing per what was happening in that alternate universe where the Mets are currently 10-2.

Speaking of K-Rod, he now needs to finish 52 games out of the last 149 to win the $17.5M jackpot. The sand is running quickly down the hourglass.

Next Mets Game

After the debacle of the past week, the Mets travel to Atlanta for a three-game weekend set beginning Friday night at 7:35 PM. D.J. Carrasco faces Derek Lowe.

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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. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. Joe April 14, 2011 at 8:10 pm
    Capuano wasn’t “great” — come on — but if they didn’t give the Rockies more outs in the sixth, he would have handed them a lead into the seventh. That’s acceptable for your fifth starter. Your fifth starter also is about out of gas around then. Not so your reliever, who comes in and gives a three run homer to some guy who doesn’t hit home runs.

    Tulowitzki is due to call his next child “Citi” at this point.

    • Nick April 14, 2011 at 10:45 pm
      Not only doesn’t hit homeruns but is the second coming of Muggsy Bogues at like 5’7.
  2. gary s. April 14, 2011 at 11:09 pm
    I guess nobody told the rockies how hard it is to hit home runs at citicavern..especially their shortstop..I’m still sick about the idiotic ballpark taking away a walkoff grand slam from d wright.That outfield walls in citicavern look more like a science project gone awry than a mlb ballpark.If i am david wright i have to speak to tulo about hitting the ball out at citicavern or tell my agent to get me out of ny at the end of my contract..
    • Joe Janish April 15, 2011 at 12:36 am
      The park may have taken a granny away from D-Wright. But, it may also have prevented Tulo from hitting 2-3 more HRs over the past few days — and from the Rockies scoring yet more runs.
      • wohjr April 15, 2011 at 11:09 am
        The cavern may have cost DW in game one, but that light-hitting 2b on the rox put some serious MO ZONE WOOD on his shot— I guess they just didn’t get the memo that its hard to hit homers at citi
  3. John April 14, 2011 at 11:10 pm
    Is it me or is Citi Field only cavernous for the Mets. It doesn’t seem like the visiting teams have any trouble reaching the then fences.
  4. gary s. April 15, 2011 at 12:13 am
    tulowitski had a great series hiting long balls. but he does not have to hit in 81 games a year in citicavern.I think in the long haul that place has to get in your head over 81 games.Especially the ball wright hits 390 feet the opposite way and it gets caught in that idiotic modell zone ..
    • Greg J. April 15, 2011 at 1:25 am
      Citifield’s dimensions do not help this team. Yes they would help our pitchers if our outfielders didn’t stop to watch long shots drop on the warning track! Omar Minaya did some kinda job on this organization. And the dimensions to Citi Field are as ridiculous as everything else Mets.
  5. Walnutz15 April 15, 2011 at 7:49 am
    I think you may have been on to something the other night, Joe. In having watched the replays of the Met homeruns yesterday, I think Gary Cohen is genuinely surprised that some of their balls get out of the yard.

    He’s not only late with the execution of the call, but he seems to not have any idea that some “no doubters” are approaching the bleachers.

    This team, no matter how much they sell the idea of “we’re in rebuilding mode” – has a shockingly low Baseball IQ. It makes things that much tougher to tolerate when all’s said and done.

    I have no problem rooting for a team that may succumb to tough losses – winding up on the short end of the stick……but to see things like Murphy running to 3rd base with the ball directly in front of him – Hairston pulling up before the warning track on a fly ball – Emaus keeping the key to the flood-gates hanging from his back pocket.

    Pitchers who can’t field.
    Pitchers who can’t pitch.

    Hitters who are more concerned with (subtly) complaining about the dimensions of the park, than actually picking up a Game-Winning hit.

    Blow it all up, and please – get something back for the guys you can get something for.

    Fact of the matter? All the Mets have to do is not play EMBARRASSINGLY BAD baseball — or put themselves in a position to succeed (the other night pitching to Tulowitzki with an open base)……and you’ll have multiple chances to knock off a solid team like the Rockies.

    It’s sad, really — and is a multi-tiered problem at this point. Starts ALL the way at the top of the mountain….and snowballs downward.

  6. xDanTanna April 15, 2011 at 9:42 am
    What an ugly week. For me personally I am so tired of blaming the ball park dimensions. If anything they have helped the Mets more than hindered them. But, if you don’t like them as an organization change them. I would prefer to leave them as is or if anything take the top half of the LF wall off. That would be the one thing I might do there. But, jeez let it go.. you talk about a weak minded team that worries about the bloody ballpark all the time.

    Once again we have bench players playing everyday. In many cases out of position. We are playing w/ a short bench, we are playing w/ several 4a type players. I don’t think it should be too much to ask to field a 25 man roster w/ major league caliber players. When was the last time we did that here & you wonder why you continue to see the same type of play.

    I am burned out w/ Terry Collins already. He lives off in never never land somewhere. A smart manager would have picked a spot already to go off on an ump. To maybe give this team a little jolt. Instead TC says well that umpire is one of the best. I can’t argue w/ his calls. What is that nonsense? so if he makes a clearly bad call down the road you can’t argue? c’mon TC. I will stand by what I have been saying since he was hired. He is a one year & done manager. There is little doubt in my mind Backman will be in here next year.

    But, okay lets put the manager aside here. As much as I think he is a fool. This for the most part has to be put squarely on the players shoulders here. I am at the point where I think it might be in our best interest to blow it all up as we go along this year. In trading Reyes, Wright, Tron, Pelfrey, Pagan etc.. etc.. Because time and time again the top players here (some excellent players) prove they are not winning players. I don’t know what people are watching sometimes. When they continue to defend the players. For me they have no rope left.