Mets Game 45: Loss To Dodgers

Dodgers 4 Mets 3

Mets collect 13 hits, but few when (only one, actually) they were needed. Meanwhile, the Mets limit the Dodgers to five hits, and, yet, did you see the final score?

Mets Game Notes

Jacob deGrom was again impressive in his second MLB start, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks in 6 innings. Not spectacular, but good enough to keep the Mets in the game, and you can’t really expect much more from a fill-in / AAA callup.

However, the Mets offense couldn’t push enough runners across the plate against Hyun-Jin Ryu and the LA bullpen. Though they cracked 13 hits, the Mets walked only once and struck out 10 times as they left 9 runners on base and were 0-for-3 with RISP. The Dodgers weren’t any more efficient, but hit two more homers. Ironically, the Mets seem to have built their offense around putting guys on base and getting them home via the long ball; they just haven’t managed to execute that plan often enough to be a winning team.

A few things about Jacob deGrom’s mechanics. I noticed he lands with his front foot completely open — by that, I mean his toes are pointed directly toward home plate. By doing that, he opens his hips early and loses velocity. A huge factor in velocity is remaining “sideways” — with the front hip pointed toward home plate — as long as possible. He also strides too long — so long that it causes him to release the ball further away from, rather than closer to, home plate. Nearly every pitching coach teaches pitchers to over-stride, and it often causes more problems than it provides advantages — but they continue to teach it, because in their past history, some other former pro pitcher told them that extending stride length was “important” or would “create more velocity,” or “get the release point closer to home plate.”

Also, while breaking down a slo-mo replay of deGrom’s motion, Ron Darling remarked that deGrom’s “long arm action” is the reason “the ball moves so much.” I don’t know where Darling gets that from, because a “long arm action” has nothing to do with ball movement. How the ball moves after leaving the hand is a function of how the ball is released — it doesn’t matter how long or short the arm action is. Pitchers who know how to move the ball a certain way deliberately use grip, the seams of the ball, and finger pressure at the moment of release to make the ball move.

In the first inning, Gary Cohen asked Keith Hernandez to discuss “take back” by the hitter while waiting for a pitch. Another way to describe the action of “take back” is to call it “striding and loading.” I understood Keith’s answer — he said it was “a natural thing” and that it would change depending on the pitcher. However, Keith didn’t give much advice in when to “take back,” so, for the kids, parents, and coaches out there, I’ll do it for him. Very generally speaking, you can “take back,” or begin your stride and load, when the pitcher goes back. Follow the pitcher’s motion with your eyes looking for the baseball, and when you see the ball go back, that’s when you go back. Again, this is a general rule that can help a young batter figure out how/when to “go back,” or stride, “naturally.”

A half-inning after GKR discussed the struggles of the Mets in their home park, and in particular, how the dimensions might affect their approach and psyche, Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez went profundo in back-to-back at-bats.

Speaking of going deep, Eric Campbell did it for the first time as an MLBer — great to see. How can you not root for that guy?

Jacob deGrom extended his hitting streak to two games. If not for him, Mets pitchers may very well still be looking for their first hit of the year.

For those who glaze over execution and the “minor” details that come up in a baseball game, I hope you noticed the lack of communication in the top of the 8th inning, when a tailor-made, inning-ending DP grounder back to Jeurys Familia became merely a fielder’s choice and resulted in the Dodgers’ fourth run scoring (a.k.a., the “winning run.”) After Familia gathered the ball, he turned to throw to second and found both Wilmer Flores and Daniel Murphy moving to the bag. Ron Darling was critical of Familia, saying he should have “let the ball fly” and allow to happen what would happen. That’s easy to say, but difficult to do in the heat of the moment, particularly when you’re expecting only one person to be there and instead, you have two people moving in different directions to the same spot. The blame goes to either or both of Flores and Murphy for not making clear between each other who was covering. It’s a very basic play that is taught at the lowest levels of baseball — we teach the open or closed-mouth behind the glove communication to kids as young as 10 years old — so I’m not going to excuse the mistake to something like “Wilmer Flores doesn’t have much experience at shortstop at the MLB level,” or, “Flores and Murphy haven’t played together enough.” It doesn’t matter how long one has been a big-leaguer, nor how long a keystone combination has been together — deciding who will cover second base in that situation is one of the most basic and easiest responsibilities / executions of playing up the middle.

Other than the aforementioned issue with his teammate Daniel Murphy, Wilmer Flores has thus far shown to be capable in the few games he’s played at shortstop in the bigs. It’s a tiny sample, for sure, but I’ve yet to see any indication that Flores would be a significant vulnerability at the position. Again, it’s early, but I’d like to speak something positive for once.

Curious, does anyone remember what was discussed about Dee Gordon here, here, or here? Imagine if, somehow, the Mets had been able to acquire him and put him at shortstop.

Is not OK to say “duck fart” on cable TV? I’ve heard much worse on Law and Order SVU, and have been told there’s been coarser language expressed on Felicity — both of which aired on prime time television.

Agree with Gary Cohen: if you live in the NYC area, or visit it for an extended period, one thing you must experience is Korean barbecue. Of course, you want to try an assorted spread of kimchi to light your palate on fire, and then douse it (or inflame it?) with a taste of soju. If in Flushing, find your way to Murray Hill and pick a place. In Manhattan, walk along 32nd Street — at any time of the day or night.

Next Mets Game

The final game of the series begins at 7:10 PM on Thursday night. Jonathon Niese looks to avoid the sweep facing Zack Greinke.