Mets Game 18: Win Over Marlins

Mets 5 Marlins 1

Mets sink Fish to go two games over .500 and retain sole possession of third place.

Mets Game Notes

A 16-hour work day prevented me from seeing this game. Please post your observations in the comments. Thank you.

Next Mets Game

The final game of this Fish fry begins at 1:10 p.m. on getaway day Thursday. Jonathon Niese takes the ball against Ricky Nolasco.

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.
  1. thegeneralfamily April 26, 2012 at 2:44 am
    Dickey was superb, Wright was clutch (!!!), and a couple timely hits late helped give breathing room.

    Ike on the other hand looks like he may need to go down sooner or later to figure his swing out – when you’d rather have Thole up there than Ike…

  2. Pedro Costa April 26, 2012 at 2:50 am
    Ike Davis sucks. Another DP eith RISP to end the inning. What to say about the best pitcher in the world? Love you, R.A.! David is David again!
  3. Pedro Costa April 26, 2012 at 2:50 am
    *with
  4. Steve S. April 26, 2012 at 7:00 am
    Lutz needs to play 1B against lefties. Ike may have to be sent down to Buffalo. Dickey great, as usual. Baxter a good LH bat on the bench. Extend David soon.
  5. Walnutz15 April 26, 2012 at 7:38 am
    Typical Reyes last night – standing at 1st late in a game – choosing to run as the inning ends.
  6. Tommy2cat April 26, 2012 at 8:26 am
    Gutsy win.

    RA, Bullpen dug its heals in.

    David be David, Duda’s bat is waking up, I actually liked Ike’s last at bat – his demeanor was different – line-out to center.

    Ike needs to say privately, “F—it, I don’t give a sh–” and just start smacking the ball. The less he thinks up there, the better off he’ll be.

    Tejada’s all-around game may be better than Jose’s, in terms of timing of key plays both offensively & defensively. I thinks that’s what both Sandy and Terry saw when Jose was not tendered an offer. Inexcusable not to trade him if they believed this to be true last year, mid-season.

    RA was great last nite. He should be barred from pitching in, literally, low-pressure & rainy environments.

    Thole had a nice game. He appears to have taken hold as a catcher defensively, so I think his offensive production will remain steady this year. Less to think about.

    That’s all for now.

    Peace

    • MikeT April 26, 2012 at 8:39 am
      All fair observations. I don’t know why a 22 year old starting SS in the major leagues with his numbers to start his career was not more highly touted. His age was his most valuable asset. Every day he did not make a fool of himself it became more and more likely that he was going to be successful. He will be an All-Star at some point in his career and enjoy a very modest, productive career. He will never be Jose (Jose Jose Jose) but he will be good. He certainly is not another Anderson Hernandez. In case anyone has forgotten, Joe made exactly this comparison when he first came up. Joe knows pitching and catching, but he’s not an expert talent evaluator for hitters. I have a lot of respect for your insight, Joe. I’m curious how you feel about him now.
  7. DaveSchneck April 26, 2012 at 8:49 am
    Another nice win to push the team to double digit Ws. can triple digits be far behind? Niese needs to close the deal today and send the team out west with a sweep.
  8. Joe April 26, 2012 at 9:38 am
    Surprises a bit that the crowd is so anti-Reyes. Guess the PTB got to them, huh, since obviously it’s Alderson’s fault.

    I didn’t see it but it looks like a botched double play opened the way for Wright to break Strawberry’s RBI record and cross with the winning run. An error helped tack on some runs in the eighth. The Nats had some questionable fielding but the Marlins looked not quite ready for prime time outside the starting pitching.

    Sending Ike down will be hard since you remove a key defensive player from the infield but the double play that killed an inning really underlines he is struggling. Duda is showing life.

    Murphy continues to be adequate enough at 2nd. Sure, he’ll mess up at some point and you can probably point things he does wrong, but it’s the NL. You sometimes sacrifice offense for defense.

    The game suggests the team is watchable and has a chance to be okay. The Mets, at least against middle of the road teams, have a shot this year.

    • Walnutz15 April 26, 2012 at 10:29 am
      “I didn’t see it but it looks like a botched double play opened the way for Wright to break Strawberry’s RBI record and cross with the winning run.”

      ^ Yes. Reyes fired the ball well-over 1st Base – allowing Murphy to reach base instead of ending the inning.

  9. wohjr April 26, 2012 at 1:15 pm
    Duda seems like he’s heating up a bit, several hard hit balls. Dickey was sublime… go mets!