Home » Mets 2011 Games » Mets Game 101: Loss to Marlins
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July 24, 2011 Mets 2011 Games Joe Janish

Mets Game 101: Loss to Marlins

Marlins 5 Mets 4

Sunk below .500 by the Fish.

Mets Game Notes

Dillon Gee struggled from the beginning, allowing the leadoff batter to reach base in all five frames he pitched. His fastball was flat, his curveball had no break, and he couldn’t throw his change-up for a strike. It’s generally difficult to retire MLB hitters when none of your secondary stuff is working and they can wait on an average fastball. It was actually remarkable that Gee managed to go as long as he did; if there was a positive, it was his ability to work out of jams — though, he did get some help from the defense.

Meanwhile, Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez had the exact opposite kind of day — all four of his pitches were working, and he had the Mets’ number. His curveball was especially effective, with good downward bite. Interestingly, he gave up 11 hits in 7 innings, but it didn’t seem like that many for whatever reason.

Gaby Sanchez didn’t do anything against the Mets in this game, but he didn’t have to — not with sluggers Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton hitting moon shots. Well, at least the Mets stopped Sanchez.

Good news: David Wright is on a rampage. He had another three hits including a homer and a double.

Manny Acosta may have had his most effective and impressive performance as a Met. He threw two perfect innings, striking out three, and was in line for a victory before Bobby Parnell came in and blew the ballgame.

Next Mets Game

The Mets move on to Cincinnati on Monday to face the Reds for four games. First game begins at 7:10 PM and pits R.A. Dickey against Mike Leake.

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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. dave July 24, 2011 at 7:06 pm
    Joe, I was wondering if you managed to pick up on this. We always used to complain that Wright was standing too far from the plate. When I saw him this weekend I thought he looked different than he used to. Sure enough, I went back and checked his highlights from this weekend vs earlier in the yr and i noticed 2 things 1) he is noticeably closer to the plate 2) he got rid of his leg kick. You agree? Hopefully he continues on his tear…..
    • Joe Janish July 24, 2011 at 9:57 pm
      I’ve never been quite sure about whether his distance from the plate was a big deal. Maybe it was.

      But as for the leg kick – ABSOLUTELY, and good catch on your part.

      I have been befuddled by the leg kick — it never made any sense to me. When you are hitting 25-30 HR a year while also hitting .300+, why change anything? The leg kick causes a number of issues that maybe I’ll get into at a future date.

  2. Florian July 24, 2011 at 8:18 pm
    Hey Joe,

    since I came from Germany to the US, I am still kind of new to Baseball. Yet, I think I understand enough of the basic rules to enjoy games. – and I do enjoy your blog a lot, since it gives me good background info.
    I was actually hopping mad, when they changed Acosta against Parnell. Acosta had thrown so well – is there any reason why they would not let him go on?

    • Joe Janish July 24, 2011 at 10:01 pm
      Florian, I understand your frustration. Acosta was pitching well — as well as he ever has.

      However, Acosta rarely pitches more than one inning at a time. In fact, he often pitches less than an inning. So the fact he threw as many as two innings was unusual for him, and he’s not conditioned to go much further. He threw about 25 pitches, and that’s about his limit for one day.

      So, that’s why he didn’t stay in the game — he isn’t conditioned to throw much more at one time.

      • Florian July 24, 2011 at 10:24 pm
        Thanks for taking the time to answer me.

        So that Acosta was finished after 25 pitches explains it.

        Wasn’t really aware of that, although after seeing some slow-motion videos of some Major League pitchers I can see how 25 pitches is already a lot. I’d probably be done after trying to throw one or two pitches for the week… 😉

        And Parnell isn’t that bad this season?, so today it was just tough luck. This game truly breaks your heart.

        • murph July 24, 2011 at 11:55 pm
          Florian,
          Your comments reminded of when I was trying to explain the game of baseball to my European cousins.

          The one thing they could never understand was how a pitcher could be so good one day, and terrible another day. They were convinced that the pitcher was fixing the game.

          The concept of a pitcher “not having his good stuff” is still hard to explain.

        • dave July 25, 2011 at 12:59 am
          the difference is that relief pitchers are only able to throw a lesser amount of pitches because they pitch multiple times a week and sometimes back to back days. therefore there workload is limited. most relievers wont go past 25-30 pitches at most, and if they do they’d probably be unavailable the next day. starters though, who only pitch every 5 days, are able to pitch many more pitches per outing
        • Joe Janish July 25, 2011 at 8:24 am
          Dave and Murph answered for me — thanks guys!

          Agreed, Florian — this game breaks your heart! I think that’s why it is so enjoyed — it pulls you in emotionally and can change dramatically in a very short amount of time.

          Thanks for visiting, please continue to do so in the future and please ask more questions — we’re happy to help you learn and understand the game.

  3. Izzy July 25, 2011 at 7:45 am
    The replies to Florian is why this site is the best Met site around….By far.
    • Florian July 25, 2011 at 9:48 pm
      Yes, thanks again for all your help, guys!
  4. Mic July 25, 2011 at 8:18 am
    Joe.
    The fact we played the fish pretty evenly is somewhat encouraging. I would have put pelfrey alongside sanchez in that his critique is always ‘ he threw well’ but the box score screams otherwise.

    As for dillon, he needs to get thru these times and the fact the mets were in the game bodes well.

    So to logan morrison and gabby sanchez! Why are everyone elses commodities so great but a vaunted future hall of famer and pennant changer cant net ONE grade prospect….pardon my french but that bull. Beltran for mike minor should be a do it now! Frankly put beltran on the braves he changes that series, on the brewers likewise. Upton is not carlos beltran.

  5. Joe July 25, 2011 at 10:40 am
    My question would be if people in soccer, rugby or whatever are so much different from relievers (or even starters) in baseball — that is, they can be “on” one day, “off” another.

    I don’t know enough about those games to say, but enough types of people are “on” one day, “off” another for me to find the confusion to the degree of belief that the person is fixing the game a bit strange.

    Gee gutting it out is one reason I and others like the guy. The team will always have starters who will be back-end guys. The gutting it out gives you a chance to win plus makes them more fun. Parnell picked a lousy time to finally fall off the high wire act he balanced on repeatedly of late. But, as I said, the Mets year in, year out play the Marlins and Nats like this. Still, that game stung a tad.

  6. NormE July 25, 2011 at 11:47 am
    Sports such as soccer, hockey, lacrosse and basketball are all variations of the same theme. Baseball is a very different
    game. While the others have a more constant flow, baseball
    becomes more static as the individual duel between a pitcher and hitter takes center stage. The athleticism and nuances of this encounter are more difficult for the unfamiliar to grasp. My late father, an immigrant, could never understand why every pitch wasn’t a curve. To him that had to be the most difficult pitch to hit since it wasn’t going straight.
    • Joe Janish July 25, 2011 at 12:14 pm
      Well said, Norm.

      Funny about the curveball; reminds me of the story of why Sparky Lyle decided to throw a slider every single pitch. Lyle said, “it was the one pitch Ted Williams told me he couldn’t hit” – http://www.onbaseball.com/pitching/the-slider/

    • Joe July 25, 2011 at 12:32 pm
      There are differences but some days, some basketball players “have it,” other days, some don’t. And, some players run out of steam when they are in a certain amount of time.
    • Florian July 25, 2011 at 9:38 pm
      Wow, I did not anticipate that my comment would be the beginning of such a long threat! Cool.

      I’d say, as I understand, and to add to Norm’s comment here, that one could maybe compare a pitcher to a tennis player who has to constantly hit aces into the corner of his opponents field. To win one game with 3 aces (equivalent to one strikeout) is pretty tough already, and players who do that consistantly until a set or the match is won are extremely rare.

  7. SiddFinch July 25, 2011 at 11:54 am
    Despite his strong arm Parnell is simply not a closer. He’s a blown save waiting to happen.Personally, I think for 2012 and beyond, Beato is a better choice.
  8. mic July 25, 2011 at 3:30 pm
    GREAT SUBJECT! Joe?

    Beato: Hasnt he been a starter in the minors? What are the Mets needs?

    Personally I hope he is a starter in the future. I like he cappy, Johan and Gee/RA Dickey going into next year. Parnell isnt the closer, and he looks like he is 2 yrs away. I want to see, Brad Holt and Jenry in a future pen. Then Jenry and Matt Harvey as the top candidates to crack the rotation.

    • Joe Janish July 25, 2011 at 4:06 pm
      Yes Beato was a starter until last year. I think he has some potential as a starter, though he will have to find more consistency with his curveball and work on a change-up. I’m not sure he has the dominant velocity or out-pitch that you normally like to see from a closer; though, many closers get by without those (i.e., Brian Wilson).

      Bobby Parnell two years away? By then he’ll be 29 years old; I should hope he figures it out by the end of this year or early next year.

      I want to see Jenrry stay healthy for 6 months before thinking about him as part of the Mets future — in any role. If he doesn’t make adjustments to his mechanics, he will have chronic shoulder issues and will lose his velocity — which right now is his only tool.

      Harvey and Holt have yet to be adequate at the AA level. Let’s see them do something in Binghamton before getting excited.

      I know, I’m a pessimist. But it’s a cloudy day as I write this.