Your 33.3% Report Card

One-third of the Mets' 2025 season is in the books. It's as good a time as any to stop, breathe, reflect, and take stock of where we are.

For example, to know that we are officially 33% of the way through this slog is to fallibly project that Juan Soto’s 1.6 WAR thus far tracks to 4.8 over the course of the season. That number would be the lowest since his rookie year, and the lowest per-game-played of his career. Huh.

It's also the second-highest in the NYM lineup, a hair behind the April power/May showers Pete Alonso. Huh again. More time is needed for Soto to really get into his groove, I guess, but a pro-rated $17 million for output to-date hasn’t drawn big smiles.  

As it was with the first check-up, the Mets' starters -- even minus Manaea and Montas, amazingly -- continue to be Steady Eddies. The pen is mostly airtight. 

The hitting... yeow. Of late, every run seems to be a rare treasure, something our guys labor to scratch across. Whither the days of Vientos, McNeil, Nimmo, and Alvarez smashing balls out to complement Lindor and Alonso? 

And the team hasn’t been... clutch. Now, that’s a term that some people equate to Sasquatch or the non-coaster Loch Ness Monster. Hard to know if the Mets are just players who tighten up in big spots these days, but that's additionally hard to believe after the Fall of ’24. 

We just need some collective cosmic change in Citi to make this analogy work:

Mets are to RISP
as
Talking Heads are to RISD

Nope, that doesn’t work. Not at all. 

Which brings us to our own 33.3% performance eval here at MLC.

The Stats

Posts since Re-launch March 27: 31
Days since Re-launch: March 27: 61
Days per Post: 2

Games Played: 54
Games Per Post: 1.74

Posts per MLC Staffer
Whitney: 59
Marls 2:
Unnamed Other Blogger: 0

All in all, I'd say the MLC output of the past 2 months has been 4/5 Exceeds Expectations.

The cleverness is at times not quite there, but the silliness is. Our attention to the team and its games is very high, and our understanding of what's going well and less so feels on the mark. 

So far it hasn't been a reboot as great as the Jack Ryan series from a couple of years ago, but it's been better than the stab at Magnum, P.I. Maybe mostly like The Kids in the Hall. Goofy, weird, not quite there, not quite all there.

Mainly people miss Rob and the juxtaposition of two teams and fan bases in vastly different places. And the expected coming-out party for Marls has been endless waiting. 

On we go to the middle bits. 

LFGM

The Gospel According to Ebby Calvin

Games 51 through 54 - Mets

Dodgers 7, Mets 5
Mets 5, Dodgers 2
Mets 3, Dodgers 1
Mets 2, White Sox 1
Record: 33-21

Quick and dirty to start the work week after a holiday weekend. 

Friday's loss against the Dodgers was lost in a blur for me. See "holiday weekend" above. Moving on. 

Saturday I was in Richmond along with the fam for my stepson's travel baseball tournament. (One of one million.) Watching late Saturday night with some baseball fans (non-Mets fans), the Metsies pulled it out.

Sunday I returned after the travel baseball tourney victory (and there was much rejoicing) to catch the end of the series win over L.A. Solid.

Yesterday I caught the last few innings of a game that the Mets seemed poised to upchuck against a lousy club. Our Lads did what they needed to do to eke it out. 

Here's how I feel about the past few nights of Metball:

Profound, I am. 

The Phillies, meanwhile, feasted on a juicy schedule of ChiSox and Rockies last week. They play the Rocks (possibly the worst team ever) 7 times, whereas the Mets only get a shot at them 6. 

No worries, though, it evens out. The Mets have the Dodgers on the schedule 7 times while the Phillies, NL East Division winners in 2024) only get to play them 6. 

Wait, what? Okay, fine. 

Press on and keep winnin'. It's like better'n losin'. 

Long May You Run, Metsies

Game 50 - Mets

Mets 5, Red Sox 1
Record: 30-20

I wagered against my favorite team again last night. I don't feel great about it, but as our friend Dave digs lightly into the phenomenon of betting against your emotional interests -- something ex-MLCer Rob called "psychic hedging," it's a coping mechanism.

Save for a Lindor blast in the 9th, I would have had it exactly... backwards. As Willy Wonka would've put it:

Tylor McGill fanned 10 Sox. In four and a third! Half the batters he faced. It was only a couple of bad breaks in the 5th -- an inning that gets him consistently, which ain't great -- that ruined it for him. Nubbers and grounds just to the right spot, squeezed on a pitch or two. Such is life on the diamond, and he hit the showers in Frame 5 again. But a stalwart outing. 

And Huascar Race Brazoban came in and locked it down. Reed Garrett did his usual "did I make you nervous?" routine while shutting the Sox out in the 8th, and Diaz issued a leadoff walk for consistency before closing it out. 

Meanwhile, Garrett Crochet stitched together a nice looking five-plus innings himself. He left with the game tied at 1, and Liam Hendriks struck out Alonso and Vientos to round out the 6th. That was good Liam.

Fortunately for our camp, bad Liam came out for the 7th. 

Luis Torrens, who'd doubled in a run-scoring 2nd inning earlier, singled to lead off. Torrens is the catalyst, I'm telling you. Más Luis, por favor. No offense, Francisco Alvarez. Well, maybe.

After a Ty Taylor hit and an Acuña infield single, the stage was set for Brett Baty. Again. (He'd singled in one, almost two, in the 2nd.)

The Brett Baty of April would have been helpless, helpless, helpless, but as Neil Young would sing about Baty, "All [his] changes were there." 

Baty came through with another run-scoring single, this time for the deuce. Baty!

He's also made some damn fine plays in the field, meaning Mark Vientos will spend more time at DH. Pete has rebounded from a few games of utter glovedreck with some nice work at first, so he's not jockeying for time there just yet.

Starting pitching is still humming 

Bullpen back under control

This summer Mantos is coming

Manaea, too, get ready to roll

Gotta get down to it

Okay, enough Neil. Except to say to the New York Mets, with a day off and the might Dodgers coming to town tomorrow...

Am I lying to you when I say

That I believe in you?

I believe in you.

Cue the bludgeoning... And yeah, I might still bet against you. But I believe in you. 

LFGM

Step 3: Profit

Game 49 - Mets

Red Sox 2, Mets 0
Record: 29-20

More pictures. You slump, I slump, Metsies.

Not a huge wager, but I think there will be more of these to come. Monetizing fandom irritation.

What a douche.

Hey, Marls, I hear that misery loves company....

Illustrating My Point

Game 48 - Mets

Red Sox 3, Mets 1
Record: 29-19

A post in pictures . . . about numbers.

This Weeknight in Baseball (h/t Mel Allen) T.W.I.B. Notes:

• Pete smashed one that hit just feet below the top of the Monster. Paused out of the box just a touch, tried for 2, gunned very easily.
• Soto smashed one off the Monster, began his HR trot, got a single when he could've had a double. Now, he did then steal second, but you just can't be doing that when you're pressing. Channel Charlie Hustle. 
• 3 critical GIDP's by the Metmen. Nimmo, Soto, Alvarez. Two of them with a pair of runners aboard, one of them in the 9th inning to quash the limited remaining hope. 
• Nimmo and Vientos are still batting blindfolded.
• McNeil is looking sharp at the plate. Move him up in the order. 
• Last night we saw some of the worst stuff Senga has sported, but he gutted out 6 innings admirably. 
• Team José (new LHP acquisition Castillo & old RHP target Buttó) kept the Mets where their late-inning stunted hitting really hurt. Well done, Josés. 

In other news, Marls and I launched a new era of 2025 MetWatching: gambling against the Mets. 

I won $12 on an Alonso whiff and predicting 3 Up 3 Down in the top of the 8th. (It should be noted that it was the 2-3-4 in the Mets' order.)

If you're going to be uncannily inept in the most important spots -- to the point of predictability, we might as well make a few bucks for our misery. Stay tuned.

LFGM$

Red Sox Nation, We Need a Favor

Games 43 through 47 - Mets

Mets 4, Pirates 3
Pirates 4, Mets 0
Yankees 6, Mets 2
Mets 3, Yankees 2
Yankees 8, Mets 2
Record: 29-18

A weekend in Nashville, Tennessee attending a friend's son's bar mitzvah -- which means that my Metwatching was minimized. Just as well.

I did follow along and catch a bit of Saturday's win over the Yanks whilst taking in several bands and many more beers on Broadway in Nashville. A fun day made more fun.

Last night, however, I was back to soaking in every pitch, and... well...

For seven and a half innings of play, the intracity enemies were neck and neck. The Mets didn't look incredibly sharp, but they were hanging in there thanks to another solid start from David Peterson. 6 innings, 2 runs, one earned - thanks to Mark Vientos on the first play that the Mets fielded last night. 

Pete Alonso chipped in another defensive gaffe when he threw away (way away) a throw to the plate in the 8th. Dear lord. Meanwhile, his plate struggles continue. 0-for-4, 2 K's again. 

Ryne Stanek dropped the "e" once again. Very stank last night, despite throwing many pitches over 100mph. They just sailed high and wide too often, and when they didn't, they all looked the same. The dude could be dominant if he could control it a wee bit better and added something offspeed (and effective) to the repertoire. For now, he's lost 4 games and seems to let us down.

And then offseason signee Génesis Cabrera came in and gave up a grand slam. 8-2, representing the last chapter of this game. 

April was bliss. The salad days. 22-11.

May has not been an abject disaster, but it's been disappointing given where we were. 7-7 so far. 

Phillies a half-game out. Braves right behind them, as I have said they would be. 

Off to Boston to take on the 23-25 Red Sox. Rob, very sorry, but we need the Mets to win this one. 

LFGM

A Tale of Two Citi Plays

Game 42 - Mets

Mets 4, Pirates 3
Record: 27-15

Last night came down, in small part, to a juxtaposition. The same play, twice. Sort of.

The Play, Part I

With the scored tied 1-1 in the top of the 5th, Pirates second baseman Jared Triolo doubled to left. After a groundout (in which Brett Baty made a heck of a play), Ke'Bryan Hayes hit a grounder 'twixt 3B and SS. 

Brett Baty then made a heck of a bad play, neutralizing the path of the ball with his glove just enough that it caromed away from Lindor and dribbled meekly into short left, where it came to rest gently on the Citi grass -- grass as green as the green light that Triolo had to race home with the go-ahead run. 

So Triolo rounded third and had a clear path for the plate. 

But then he hesitated,
and then he looked back,
and then he stopped. 

Your hesitation has betrayed you, you could hear bellowing from the heavens. Or at least from Gary and Ron, who were besides themselves with gratitude that Triolo didn't capitalize on the botched fielding. 

David Peterson then induced a strikeout to end the inning harmlessly. 

The Play, Part II

With the Mets down 2-1 (thanks in part to a really dumb Butto disengagement violation) in the bottom of the 7th, Tyrone Taylor took a pitch off his foot and moved to third on a single by Acuña. After a Lindor whiff, Soto stepped up and mightily swatted a dribbler that nearly made it to first base down the line. The Bucs' 1B snagged the ball and took the out. Taylor darted home with the tying run, and Acuña went to second. Two down with Pete at the plate, who laced a sharp grounder to 3B.  

Hayes, the Pirates third baseman, then neutralized the path of the ball with his glove just enough that it caromed away and dribbled meekly into short left, where it came to rest gently on the Citi grass -- grass as green as the green light that Acuña had to race home with the go-ahead run. 

So Acuña rounded third and had a clear path for the plate. 

But then he hesitated,
and then he looked back,
and then turned and sprinted home!

The throw came in, and it was bang-bang, but Acuña was safe, even after a challenge. 3-2, Mets!

Your hesitation has betrayed you, but you are very, very fast... nice recovery, dude, the voice could be heard to say. 

Eerily similar play, with two results from two teams. 

And then the Mets coasted easily to... wait, what???

After Brandon Nimmo pulled a would-be tater back over the wall to save a run in the 8th, Huascar Brazoban came on the close it out in the 9th. 

• A groundball up the middle got through because Brazoban "fell off the mound and didn't field his position" (Ron's words). Come on.
• Lindor booted a routine grounder. Dear lord.
• Acuña at the hot corner (hotter when the infield is in), he misplays one as the tying run scampers home. Son of a...
• A nice 4-6-3 to curb the damage doesn't totally redeem the shoddy Mets' defense.

And so, the Metbats go back to work, bottom 9. With one out:

• Lindor hits a groundball up the middle, it got through because it hit the bag and scooted under the glove. 
• Then Soto knocks a solid single to right that gets Lindor to 3rd.
• Walk Pete to load them up, right?
• No?
• Why not?
• We've been over this before.
• Walk the top 3 guys and get everyone else out.
• No?
• Okay then.
• Pete hits a sac fly, Mets win, Pirates lose.

"Ugly but I'll take it" was a Marls textquip applying to an earlier inning of subpar pitching and defense. It applies to this game on the whole. 

Beating the Pirates with Paul Skenes on the hill is substantially more challenging than on other days. Mets clawed it out and won a losable one. Keep on truckin'.

And maybe take a few extra grounders this afternoon. 

Weekend Bookend

Games 39 through 41 - Mets

Mets 7, Cubs 2
Cubs 6, Mets 5
Mets 6, Cubs 2
Record: 26-15

A weekend in Columbia, South Carolina watching my younger daughter wrap up her undergraduate studies in fine form -- which means that my Metwatching was minimized. Pity, as the gang played well.

Weekend Takeaways:

• Clay Holmes and Griffin Canning contributed stellar starts to bookend the series. Each went 6, allowing 1 ER, fanning 5, and keeping runners off the bases for the most part. 
• The jam in the starting pitching sandwich was Tylor McGill, and it was gooey. 4 ER in 4+ innings of work. His ERA still sits at just 3.10. Shake it off, dude.
• Here's who homered this weekend for the Metmen:
• Francisco Lindor (2)
• Juan Soto
• Brandon Nimmo
• Mark Vientos
• Jeff McNeil
• Brett Baty (3) (!) (!) (!)
• B R E T T  B A T Y ! ! !
• Baty hit 2 dingers, knocking in 5, in Saturday's game. Wasn't enough to win the game, as Baty looked the part of Eric Idle saying "There is only me, sir."

• But still. New life in the Baty bat. Highly appreciated in the Township. 

Who's missing from that HR list?

• Well... Polar Pete has gone cold. Not Arctic, ahem, but chilly. He was 3-13 with 2 doubles and no walks on the weekend. 
• He's 3 for his last 21 with an OPS of .429. Brrrr.
• It was bound to happen, as white hot as he had been. But let's relight the Alonso fire soon.

Other takeaways include the bullpen executing at B+/A- levels. Stanek has re-added the e to his name, Diaz looks to be gaining momentum, and Dedniel Nunez reduced his ERA from a zillion to 40.50. Kranick and Garrett were porous at times (walks kill), but not dumpster-fire bad. 

And finally, here's to Luis Torrens, who shook off his "Warning Track Power" moniker to hit one off the wall (getting there!) for a triple yesterday afternoon, then took a foul tip off his... tip, and lay face down and motionless for a very long time. It always leads the booth to issue sympathetic groans and deal in obvious euphemisms. (Gary: "It hit him in a very bad spot.") Sounds like he's okay. Phew. 

2 of 3 from the 1st place Cubs. We will take it. Pirates heading into town now. Don't take them for granted, and maybe let's rev some engines in a sweep before leaving for Yankee Stadium and Fenway? Just an idea.  

The Mets are only up a game and a half on the Phils. And the Braves, despite losing one to the Bucs yesterday, are slowly building momentum. They will be there when the season comes down the stretch. Bank on it. Both these teams are among the best in MLB. Your Mets have to keep plugging away. 

LFGM

It's a Simple Message and I'm Leaving Out the Whistles and Bells

Games 37 & 38 - Mets

Diamondbacks 5, Mets 1
Mets 7, Diamondbacks 1
Record: 24-14

The wheels on the bus go round and round, so I used to hear ad infinitum 20 years ago. Just as it goes with the Metbus.

Ah, yes. This is familiar. I'm now remembering the teeter-totter, tug-of-war, carousel, name your playground activity of choice as it relates to the ups, downs, and revolutions of Metplay and the damn near schizophrenic reactions by Mets Township and baseball fans everywhere.

162 games. It's a slog. We look for trends developing, good or bad. But a baseball game is a much smaller entity than a microcosm.

All of this blather is to say that after Tuesday night's game, I was reasonably sure the wheels on the Metcart were loosening quickly. The rotation was drifting away from the stellar start to the season. The pen was banged up and showing cracks. Other teams began taking my unfortunately shared advice and walking the first 3 Mets in the lineup and getting everyone else out. The end is nigh. 

Hyperbole. Overreaction. Putting too fine a point on it. 

After yesterday afternoon's game, all is well! Everyone's hitting (except Brett Baty, natch)! Soto is finally on a tear! Senga is super sharp, the pen is still great.

Hyperbole. Overreaction. Say I'm the only be in your bonnet. Speaking of which...

 

Anyway, we can breathe after yesterday. Breathe and prep for: 

• a homestand that features the Cubs (tough) and Pirates (don't choke, dudes)
• trips to the Bronx and Boston (yikes)
• hosting the Dodgers, stacked to the rafters and sporting the best record in baseball (voof)

So stop overreacting, Whitney and Townshippers, and let's go get some wins. We're good enough, we're smart enough, and doggone it, people like us.

LFGM

The Pete and Francisco Light Show Continues...

Game 36 - Mets

Mets 5, Diamondbacks 4
Record: 23-13

Whew. This one got interesting. 

I tuned in with the Mets down 1-0 early, thanks to a Corbin Carroll dinger on the second pitch Griffin Canning hurled last night. Suboptimal, as Marls would say. 

The Metsies squandered one in the 3rd. Tyrone Taylor, who's caught a little bit of fire in the last few games, smacked one into the triple-gap in right-center at Chase Field and took 3 with one out. Lindor followed with a meek pop to shallow right, and Taylor ill-advisedly tried to tag up. Wasn't even close, Carroll gunned him cleanly. Dammit.

An inning later, after a 4-pitch Soto walk, the Polar Bear unloaded on a Ryne Nelson offering and deposited it deep, deep in the seats. 

Watermelon, watermelon, watermelon, Ryne. 
Look at the scoreboard and see who's behind.
You!

2-1, Mets. I'll confess I dozed off during the later innings. (Looks like Marls stayed up for it!) 

Turns out...

Lindor smacked a 3-run jack in Top 7 to give the Mets a comfortable* 5-1 lead.  

*Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha.

While Brazoban looked back on track in a harmless 7th, the 8th saw the season advent of "Better Off" Dedniel Núñez, a highly effective bullpen asset from 2024. Last night was rust, we sure hope. 

Núñez threw exactly six pitches to three ARZ batsmen. Two strikes and four balls each. Full count every time, and in each instance, he lost him. Bases loaded in a flash. Whoops.

Reed Garrett came in and threw a bit of kerosene on the campfire before snuffing it out. One K, 2 singles that scored all three of Núñez's walkees, another K, and a foulout. 5-4. 

Collar... tightening...

After a meager 9th for the Metbats, Edwin Díaz, the once and future king of the closeout, entered. 

Pete Alonso's 1st batter error made things even tighter for the Mets, but Alvarez gunning Alek Thomas at second on an attempted steal mitigated it. Nice. One flyout and a 3-pitch strikeout later... Mets win.

Losable win. Striking back at the D-backs. More of this, please. 

Beat Me in St. Louis

Games 33 through 35 - Mets

Mets 9, Cardinals 3
Cardinals 6, Mets 5
Cardinals 5, Mets 4
Record: 22-13

My pep talk seemed to work! For one whole game.

Well, this fall back to earth was scheduled to happen. After sweeping the Cards -- not one of the league's top squads -- at home two weeks earlier, the Mets won Friday night in St. Louis by a large margin . . . and then let both ends of Sunday's rain-induced doubleheader slip away. 

Yesterday they began poorly -- spot starter Blade Tidwell tidpoorly, allowing 6 earned through 3+. That number held up despite a late surge by the Metbats. 

Of note:
Team LOB --  12
Team RISP --  3-15

In Game 2, Tylor McGill wasn't as dialed in as he's been thus far this season, allowing 4 through 5. A 4-run 3rd inning by the Mets meant that things were squared as the bullpens . . . uh, squared off.

The Cardinals' starter, Andre Pallante, absolutely labored through 3⅓ innings. He had a bit of luck in that a few of the Mets' smashed balls went right at guys, sometimes for double plays. As it was, he gave up 9 hits and 4 walks in that abbreviated start. Just 4 runs, though, as the Mets continued their unwelcome trend of abandoning baserunners at an alarming rate. 

Mike McGreevy, a tall, young (24) pitcher with major upside, came in with the bases loaded in the 4th and shut the Mets down. For the rest of the game. Max Kranick, who lately has been like Obi-Wan (our only hope), allowed a single to Yohel Pozo and a double to Victor Scott II that scored Pozo from first.

...which is saying something. Pozo is 27 and built like Chris Farley at 27, trudging 'round the sacks at a pace not suited for the extra base. There seemed to be some cutoff miscommunication on the throw back in, however, and no relay was made homeward. The Metmen need to hone our work on the little things.  

5-4. And so it went.

Of note:
Team LOB --  10
Team RISP --  3-11

NB: squandering opportunities like that leads to winnable losses. It just does. Starting pitching is suddenly shaky, and the pen isn't exactly watertight with a pair of Mets on the IL and others starting to show signs of hittability. 

Of note:
AJ Minter and Danny Young are now both on the 60-day IL, both likely out for the season. Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea are still a ways away from reemerging. Jesse Winker flew east instead of west to get his oblique checked out. Mets futures took a major dip with all this news. Look out. 

The Mets took the late flight to Phoenix. I've encouraged my daughter to go to a game out there. Let's hope I don't ruin one of her nights out. 

Today's Guests: Phil Collins, Larry Hockett, Ty Webb, and The Hollywood Shuffle

Game 32 - Mets

Diamondbacks 4, Mets 2
Record: 21-11

21-11.

How'd we ever win 21 . . . Larry?

It's a miracle.

Crud afternooner that saw Juan Soto finally clear the Citi Field fences . . . twice . . . but nobody was on for him and nobody knocked any more runs in. 

Senga went 4+, got into a jam, and was pulled. He gave up a run in the 4th on a(nother) Jeff McNeil error. Keep it up, buddy, and MLC will begin issuing the McNeil Error Report. That joke works better on the audio feed of MLC.

Senga got into trouble in the 3rd and 4th, and then in the 5th, Mendy had had enough. So Max Kranick, one of the few bullpenners who hasn't been leaky of late, came in to save the day. He allowed a sac fly to give the D-backs the 2-0 lead and induced an inning-ending groundout.

Kranick's subsequent airtight 6th was followed by Soto's first shot. 2-1! Yeah, well, Max was brought back out for the 7th, and that's when Geraldo "One Tater" Perdomo took him deep to once again push the Mets 2 down. Drat.

Top 8 featured Reed Garrett, another of the relief arms still locked in. 3 up, 3 down, 2 K's. Nice. 

Garrett's airtight 8th was followed by Soto's second shot. 3-2! Yeah, well, Reed was brought back out for the 7th, and that's when Tim Tawa "of Pawa" took him deep to once again push the Mets 2 down. Drat².

With 7-8-9 up in the bottom of the final frame, it was a different brand of excitement that was generated than in last night's barnburner. The "not, nothing, none of the above" kind of excitement. 1-2-3.  Sigh.

Nota Bene: The best good chance the Mets had was in the 8th. After Soto Solo Part Deux, Alonso walked (now back to the playbook, Arizona) and Winker doubled. 

Winky Dinky Dog!

Up strolled Mark Vientos next. yes, the same Mark Vientos that struck out last night with the chance to give the Mets a lead with a single. 

Redemption? No, not today. Cue the Phil Collins.

Well, would you say if I was wasting my time?
Did I miss again?
I think I missed again, uh huh
Oh, I missed again, oh oh
I think I missed again, uh huh

The whiff. Next up... Nimmo did the same shit. Hey, Brandon, 111 AB's in, an OBP of .258... it's not... it's not good, as Ty Webb would say. 

Alrighty then. Buck up, for the Cubbies are coming for us. 

Stat earlier this week emphasized that most of the Met's opponents thus far are sub-.500. Over the next fortnight, we have Cubs, Yanks, BoSox on the slate. Proving grounds of sorts. Let's show the doubters! Even me.

How to Beat the Mets, Vol. I

Games 29 through 31 - Mets

Mets 19, Nationals 5
Mets 8, Diamondbacks 3
Diamondbacks 4, Mets 3
Record: 21-10

The lambasting I doled out to the Mets and myself last go-around seemed to reverse the bad mojo I'd enacted by heaping too much praise. I won't make the same mistake again soon. 

In fact, immediately after I began fixating on the things that aren't going swimmingly in Metville, the boys in blue 'n' orange went ballistic on Los Nacionales. 19-5, with 9 RBI coming from Brandon Nimmo. And it wasn't even that close.

The Metbats continued to pound the ball in the first game of the series with Arizona. Pete, Frankie, and old, old friend Starling went deep and it was over by the 3rd inning. Ha! Almost fell for that one, didn't you. What do you take me for? We blew a huge lead a week ago in much the same scenario.

This go-around the Met arms held fast and locked in a solid win. 

Then, last night's game. I tuned in with the Mets up 1-0 on a Mark Vientos tater. The good news was that I would get to see Vientos come to the plate three more times, mostly with runners aboard in key spots, and he fanned twice and GIDPed once. Nifty, Mark.

Ultimately, our lads didn't have quite enough juice last night. In our inaugural go at Misery Loves Company, Rob had to endure a long Sox tenure of [loud voice announcing] Closer by Committee. It wasn't great, and eventually they settled into the cadence of Timlin in the 8th / Williamson in the 9th that Grady Little used, until he didn't. 

Well, for the second time in a month, the 2025 Mets used Starter by Committee. And for the second time, it went all right! Huascar Brazoban pitched two nearly flawless frames, and Syracuse call-up Brandon Waddell threw four brilliant, scoreless innings. 6 innings of shutout ball! Not bad.

Enter Ryne Stanek. For the third straight Stan(e)k outing, he entered with the lead and left with a deficit. 3 losses. 3 blown saves. 1.1 IP over the last week. 7 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 5 ER. 

I think we need a Plan B on set-up man. 

The key seems to be, watching him go at this in vain, that he can't get that 3rd strike. He throws strikes. He gets guys 0-2, 1-2. Just no K's. In his first 8 appearances, he had 10 strikeouts. None since. 

As such, he lets hitters repeatedly just get a piece and stay alive, leaving the door open to eventually knocking one into fair territory. Danny Young joined AJ Minter on the IL. Smells like trouble in Bullpen City for the Mets. Right now, we just need someone who can put batters away. 

Someone like Chris Devenski, you, say? No, not Chris Devenski. The 34-year-old journeyman reliever took the hill for the 8th, with the Mets down 2-1 because of the Ryne-stone Cowboy. 8th went swimmingly, 9th went like someone let a gator into the swimmin' hole. The D-backs tacked on 2 more, meaning when the Mets' top of the lineup in the bottom of the 9th got going -- and because we gave up 2 more runs, you knew they would -- it would be maddening. 

Arizona stud closer Justin Martinez had a very, very off night. He gave up a leadoff bomb to Tyrone Taylor, of course. And then walked Lindor and Soto. He didn't record an out. Would've been wonderful for our gang in a tighter game. 

Here's the thing. The way that the Mets lineup has gone in early 2025...

...in case you need a reminder it's like this in my stream of consciousness brain dump...

• Alonso WOW
• Lindor nearly as WOW
• Soto soso but it's him so okay
• everybody else about a .500-.650 OPS occasional swat mostly scuffling all the time thanks guys

...well, then... why on earth wouldn't you just walk those 3 fearsome hitters and get to the E Street Scuffle?

Yep. That's what Arizona did. They walked Pete to make it 3 in a row.

Vientos whiffed. Winker hit one off his foot for a run-scoring groundout (replay doesn't cover this, for some dumb reason). They intentionally walked Jeff McNeil for platoon reasons (and maybe because he's been hitting well since his return). 

Alvarez hit a routine grounder to third. Ballgame. Winnable loss. Eh.

I fear we've established a cheat code to beat the Mets. Pete Alonso has 23 walks and counting (3 last night). Soto also has 23 walks. 

Vientos, hitting in the 4-spot most of the time, has 23 strikeouts. Coincidence????????

Okay, he has 24 K's. But still....