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June 13, 2013 Mets 2013 Games Joe Janish

Mets Game 61: Loss to Cardinals

Cardinals 2 Mets 1

This contest delivered on its promise to be a pitchers’ duel. Unfortunately for the Mets, Adam Wainwright was quicker on the draw.

Mets Game Notes

Matt Harvey was his usual spectacular self, mixing pitches, changing speeds, and living in all four quadrants of the strike zone. But, he couldn’t drive in any runs, so he suffered his first loss of the year.

What else is there to say? The Mets offense was limited to one measly run — the result of a D-Byrd solo homer — but this time, at least, it happened against an elite pitcher.

David Wright was 3-for-4, but it was all for naught.

Beyond the shame of Harvey being a tough-luck loser, there were few live witnesses to this masterful pitching duel. Not even Matt Harvey can convince people to come to Citi Field when the weather suggests monsoon conditions. I’d be surprised if the true attendance was more than 10,000 (the “official” reported attendance of 25,471 must be some kind of joke).

Next Mets Game

The Cubs come in to Flushing for a three-game weekend series. Game one begins at 7:10 p.m. and features Shaun Marcum and Edwin Jackson.

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. NormE June 13, 2013 at 11:39 pm
    Two thoughts:
    1. Your perfectly correct about the bogus attendance figures.
    2. Harvey had to pitch to the Cardinal line-up, but Wainwright only had to pitch to the Mets line-up. That’s not fair.
  2. Happy59 June 14, 2013 at 12:52 am
    I definately think something is very fishy in Met-Land when Collins is told a new contract will be discussed after the season. Apparently Jeffy & Sandy have a “plan”, but what it is can’t be fathomed.

    One thing is clear, everything is the player’s fault, the manager makes all the right moves [harummph], pitching coach has all the pitchers humming along, and the hitting coach has the hitters driving in a couple of runs a game, truely inspiring.

    Met hitters seem good at making the pitcher throw alot of pitches, until they get into a pressure situation, i.e. RISP, then they start hacking at the first or second pitch and popping up, weak grounders to the pitcher, etc.

    As others have mentioned, every move seems designed to cause failure, and creating scapegoats out of the wrong individuals. Their AAA roster is a joke, why not give someone from AA a chance? Every year several players make the jump and stick. An AA outfielder would most likely out hit Cowgill if given the chance. Just a matter of picking the right one, depends on who does the picking, LOL.

    Wasn’t Collins a player evaluator before his hiring? if he was he sure doesn’t show he knows much about it in his player choices and how he uses them in the line-up and in the field. Every move he makes not reeks of desperation.

  3. Dan B June 14, 2013 at 8:08 am
    This was a sad waste of a potentially exciting baseball game. How often do you get to see two top pitchers battle it out pitch for pitch? But once the Cards scored one run, I started losing interest since I knew there was no way the Mets could score two runs. The good news is the Mets can tout that Citifield employs two workers for every three fans — just like in high end hotels! Between innings they should read off the names of fans in the seats.
    • DaveSchneck June 14, 2013 at 8:41 am
      Dan and Joe,
      We all get a good chuckle when we see those attendance figures, based on all those die hard Met fans disguised as empty seats. And we all await the emancipation of the checkbook this winter, the one taken hostage by the sunken monies paid to Santana, Bay, Francisco, etc. Now, I can’t wait to hear the GM, Izzy’s buddy himself, explaining to the fanbase why they can only spend a few bucks the winter, and not return to the $100 mil + level that mid-market teams spend. It will be explained that it is really the fault of the fanbase, you know, that fanbase being charged top 5 prices for the tix, while having a bottom 5 product to watch, with a farm system still not rated in the top 10 despite parting with 3 all-stars to “restock” it. If that fanbase would just “stick with the Wilpons” so they can stick to “the plan”, things will work out. The fanbase knows this plan, the one that builds for a future of consistent winning, the one that has guys like Ankiel and Byrd playing while the kids sit, watch, and learn how to play the game right, employing the “Met philosophy”. Man, if these Met fans would just get their act together, and stop being so critical, you know, start acting like the Cardinal fans act, things would be a lot different.
      • TexasGusCC June 14, 2013 at 9:07 am
        Dave, I see your point. I feel so guilty…
      • Dan B June 14, 2013 at 10:45 am
        Dave, the reason the Mets will give for not spending money next offseason is actually true — the 2014 free agents are weak. The reality is the Wilpons are still saddled with a lot of debt (I know I am a broken record but the Wilpons keep proving my point). There is no way they are increasing payroll next year and they have whipped Met fans into being gun shy about large contracts.
        If the Mets want to make a gesture to their fans, trade for Andre Either but don’t make the Dodgers pay for half of his salary as many have suggested. Take on all or most of his salary. It will cost the Mets a lot less in prospects then. Next offseason the Met’s payroll will be over $100 million less from when Alderson took over. They have room. They don’t have prospects to give away.
        • Happy59 June 14, 2013 at 2:22 pm
          Dan, I agree with you 100%, the Mets should not be parting with any prospects now or this winter, they need them all for further development and evaluation. The free agent crop is very thin and we should NOT over-spend for any player. Just continue to develope our own talent. Players just need better coaches around them to help them to grow.
        • DaveSchneck June 14, 2013 at 4:27 pm
          Dan,
          I am not quite as pessimistic as you on the $$ to be spent in 2014, although I think it will be less than needed. I agree that the FA class is weak and not the solution, and I also agree that no one in that group merits the type of contract that scares the ownership. However, they also can expand payroll by acquisitoin. This dream team is collectively making over $5 mil, so they need to figure something out before further damaging the brand. To me it is not how much $$ they spend on payroll, it is how many holes they leave on the team, and how much lack of depth they start off with. For 2013, Alderson’s performance has been lousy, despite the gains he has made in the system. No thanks on Ethier unless LA eats 80%, but a deal like that, plus one FA he is the type .
  4. argonbunnies June 14, 2013 at 11:37 pm
    How many fastballs did Wainwright throw? I can remember 2 pitches registering above 90mph, both late in the count to surprise a hitter. Other than that, it was mostly a cutter that he kept on the left edge of the plate, and a sharp-breaking curve at or just below the knees. He really didn’t seem to need anything else.

    Interesting to see a dominant ace who doesn’t use his fastball. Chris Carpenter was much the same, last I saw him. When the Mets beat up Wainwright in the past, they were hitting elevated sinkers. Looks like his “secondary” pitches are less mistake-prone.

    Gee, Hefner and Marcum, as pitchers whose fastballs have been hit around, might learn something from this. Or, well, since none of them is throwing one of the best curveballs in baseball, maybe not.