As Mets head toward cellar, they need to become sellers
Mets owner Steve Cohen addresses the media before a game against the Brewers at Citi Field on Wednesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Steve Cohen put the onus mostly on the players for the Mets’ mess on Wednesday afternoon in his 23-minute sorry-state-of-the-team news conference.
The owner’s words were practically still hanging over Citi Field like smoke out of Canada when his $377-million squad went out and lost to the Brewers on Wednesday night, 5-2.
A day later? The Mets dropped another to the Brewers on Thursday night, 3-2.
After 81 games – half the 162-game schedule – the team with the highest payroll in MLB history is 36-45.
Half-bad? No, all bad.
Cohen, who knows about the stock market, has to decide before the Aug. 1 trade deadline whether he is going to buy or sell.
With the Mets 17 1/2 games out in the NL East and nine games out of the final wild-card spot, odds are very high Cohen is going to be yelling “sell!” at general manager Billy Eppler way before Aug. 1.
Once again, the Mets came close to winning on Thursday. Once again, they didn’t.
Max Scherzer was nursing a 2-0 lead in the top of the sixth when he gave up a game-tying home run to Milwaukee catcher Victor Caratini.
You wouldn’t imagine Max Scherzer vs. Victor Caratini is a bad matchup for the Mets. But Caratini went 2-for-3 against Scherzer and is 10-for-20 (.500) lifetime against the future Hall of Famer.
“The game always finds somebody to get back and get you and unfortunately he's one of those guys that always had my number,” Scherzer said. “Got some big hits against me and that's always going to happen -- there's always guys out there that are going to be able to get you. They're always going to find a way into the lineup and you’ve got to get those guys out. I don't care if he's had success or not. And I feel like I always have the ability to get guys out and not care who you are. But tip my hat off to him. He’s had some good swings against me in my career. He’s a good player.”
Caratini’s blow and Scherzer’s 102 pitches in six innings meant the Mets had to dip into their bullpen in a 2-2 game in the seventh.
Enter, T.J. McFarland, who was called up on Monday. This is not an indictment of manager Buck Showalter; it’s an indictment of Eppler, who has left Showalter with awful choices in the bullpen in the middle-to-late innings of close games.
McFarland retired one of three batters he faced, with the Brewers getting two men on via an infield single and a hit by pitch.
In came Dominic Leone, and he gave up another infield single and then a sacrifice fly to Brian Anderson to give the Brewers the lead.
What could Showalter have done differently there? Nothing, really. But that doesn’t mean the manager had a perfect game, either.
In the bottom of the seventh, Showalter sent up journeyman Danny Mendick to bat for Brett Baty in a lefty-right switch. Baty had homered off righthander Adrian Houser in the third for the Mets’ first run.
Mendick reached on an error and the Mets eventually loaded the bases. Marte grounded into an inning-ending double play.
But Showalter’s continuing decisions to not let Baty hit against lefties cost the Mets in the ninth. A little foresight would have led to the realization that the Brewers have a righthanded closer to Devin Williams and Baty’s bat might be needed again later.
Sure enough, in the ninth, the Mets had runners on first and second with one out when the Baty/Mendick spot came up. Showalter sent up Luis Guillorme, who is no one’s idea of a pinch hitter, as the pinch hitter.
Mark Canha, who was on second, stole third, so the Mets had a golden opportunity to tie the game. But Guillorme grounded to first, with Canha staying put and the runner moving to second. Brandon Nimmo walked to load the bases before Marte left ‘em stranded again by striking out to end the game.
What do the Mets have to do over the next 81 games to hold off an impending Cohen fire sale?
“Play better,” Scherzer said. “Hitters need to hit. Pitchers need to pitch. Fielders need to field. Run the bases well. That’s how you win ballgames.”
If not? Sell!
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
