Mets Game 48: Loss To Diamondbacks
Diamondbacks 2 Mets 1
At first, this seemed like it would be a high-scoring game. Then, it seemed like no one would ever score again.
Mets Game Notes
There may be worse offensive teams in MLB, but so far, we haven’t seen them. But, we’ll see the San Diego Padres in a few weeks.
Chris Owings hit a solo homer in the top of the initial inning, David Wright drove in Juan Lagares in the bottom, and then that was it, offensively, for the rest of the ballgame.
Rafael Montero pitched brilliantly against an aggressive Arizona club, striking out 10 in 6 innings. However, the Mets couldn’t get another runner to cross the plate against Bronson Arroyo nor any other Arizona pitcher, so the teams remained tied through the next seven innings.
Neither team lacked baserunners — but neither could get the big hit to drive them home. The Mets ground into 5 double plays, a crazy amount on its own, but even more remarkable considering that the Mets went into the game grounding into the second-least amount of DPs in the NL, and hitting the second-least amount of ground balls in general.
Just when you think Daniel Murphy is about to take a stride forward defensively, he fails to execute something fairly simple. Maybe David Wright threw a hard slider to Murphy? It was the second dropped throw from Wright to Murphy in a few days.
Jenrry Mejia‘s method of intentionally walking a batter is a bit scary. It reminds me of Dave LaRoche throwing the blooper pitch, or, “La Lob.”
I don’t know how Alfredo Marte made it this far with his approach and swing. Though, I’m not sure swinging at everything can be described as an “approach.” With the wild swings he takes at pitches outside the strike zone, and the way he pulls his head out, it’s remarkable he ever makes contact against a Major League pitcher.
Next Mets Game
Dice-K takes on Zeke Spruill in the latter half of this double-dip.
The 91 mph pitches seemed to run more than the 93 mph ones; maybe his 4-seamer has late hop and his 2-seamer has late sink? I think it’s a pretty good sign that he could be special if he ever develops some secondary pitches. At the same time, the lack of secondary stuff makes me think he’s not as MLB ready as the hype had claimed.
He’d probably be better served spending 2014 throwing sliders and change-ups in AAA, and coming back to MLB once he’s got that down. This being the Mets, of course, that will never happen. He’s probably headed the John Maine route, where teams eventually learn to time his fastball and then he has no way to keep them off it.
At least most Mets continue to play hard… not all bad teams do that.
I have to mention, though, that Murphy cost the Mets the go-ahead run on the 1-2-3 DP by jogging through the plate instead of sliding at the catcher.
Murph also failed to go first to third on a single by giving up on the play and coasting into second rather than making a hard turn and watching the play as the OF bobbled the ball. He also hasn’t stolen a base in two weeks and is looking worse in the field. Time for a day off…
Still keeping the faith.