One Damn Hit

It’s Thursday! Damn. Well, the Mets might not come through for you, but we here at The Mets Newsletter will never go on a horrid losing streak. We’re slump proof! Show your appreciation by getting a paid subscription so you can read us daily!

In a game in which they had no hits until one out in the bottom of the ninth, the Mets lost to the Cleveland Guardians 4-1, completing a sweep. The Mets have now lost eight of their last nine. 

Poor David Peterson never had a chance of getting a win. After mowing the Guardians down 1-2-3 in the first, he served up a homer to David Fry in the second to make it 1-0 Cleveland. He gave up a two-run shot off the bat of Angel Martínez to left in the third. In the sixth, he walked Calros Santana with two out and nobody on. Santana somewhat inexplicably scored on a Gabriel Arias hit to deep right center that Juan Soto didn’t seem to field with much alacrity or precision. 

Not that it mattered. 

Guardians starter Gavin Williams was virtually untouchable. Going in, his bugaboo was control issues, so the plan presumably was to be patient. In that regard, I guess the Mets were successful: Williams ended up throwing 126 pitches, the most a pitcher has thrown in two years. TWO YEARS! 

Brandon Nimmo led off the second with a walk. He reached second on a wild pitch and then moseyed on over to third on a Jeff McNeil ground out. Cedric Mullins drew a two-out walk, but Luis Torrens innocently flew out to center. It would be the best chance New York would get all afternoon.

Nimmo walked with one out in the fourth, and after that the next 15 batters were retired. That brought us all the way to one out in the ninth. SNY showed this graphic. It was gonna happen:

But Juan Soto wasn’t gonna let it happen. Nono. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks - to avoid total humiliation. I think that’s why.

Soto homered to center to make it 4-1 Guardians. Pete Alonso remained one homer away from tying Darryl Strawberry’s record when he flew out to right. Nimmo walked for the third time (the day Carlos Mendoza changed the lineup back to where Nimmo wasn’t leading off.). Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt finally took Williams out. The Citi Field crowd of 40,000 plus applauded Williams for his feat(after they booed Soto and Alonso a little bit after they failed to get a hit in the sixth.) Against Hunter Gaddis, who the Mets beat silly on Monday, Mark Vientos flew out to center to end it. 

The good news is, maybe this is finally rock bottom. It seems like only rock bottom, a complete, very public failure, could get the aggravatingly passive front office to do something they should have done awhile ago and bring in new hitting coaches. Maybe this big turd of a loss could make the Mets players themselves take a long look in the mirror and wonder if they can do more. Maybe they’ll understand now the power of Grimace and good vibes is an artifact from 2024. This is a new season, and new approaches need to be made.

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I do not care if Eric Chavez is well-liked - the man is not good at his job as co-hitting coach. If I was bad at my job and I just wrote the word “fart” one thousand times in every newsletter and called it a day, I would be fired by my readers, and rightfully so. It doesn’t matter how well-liked I am. And people do like me! I’m pretty sure! Part of the reason why is because I don’t call for the firing of an individual lightly. But to act like pitching the idea of Chavez and Jeremy Barnes to get their walking papers must mean you’re an irrational hothead is absurd. 

I mean come on, this offense even lost Steve Gelbs:

Yup, it was the first time since May 20th that Mendoza put Francisco Lindor in the leadoff spot. Needless to say, bringing back the originally intended 2025 lineup with Lindor 1st, Soto 2nd, Alonso 3rd and Nimmo 4th did not work. 

Justin Hagenman was called up with Dom Hamel sent back down to Triple-A Syracuse without making his first MLB appearance on the field (he did warm up in the bullpen a couple of times.) Hagenman threw two shutout innings yesterday.

Daivd Stearns, Cedric Mullins, and Ryan Helsley all appeared on the latest Meet at the Apple

Brandon Sproat the GOAT was named International League Pitcher of the Month for July. I hope he doesn’t qualify for the August award, if you know what I mean.

2024 1st round pick Carson Benge was named Eastern League Player of the Month.

The Triple-A Syracuse Mets (58-52) were blanked by the Charlotte Knights (White Sox affiliate) in a weather-shortened five-inning game by the score of 6-0. Brandon Waddell got the loss. In two innings of work he served up four earned runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out one. 

The Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies (69-33) handled the Somerset Patriots (Yankees) 6-1. First baseman Ryan Clifford hit his 22nd and 23rd home runs of the season - he leads the Eastern League in dingers by seven. Luis Moreno got the start. He allowed one earned run over four innings on two hits, walking one and striking out two.

The High-A Brooklyn Cyclones (61-43) defeated the Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees) 7-4. Catcher Vincent Perozo went 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored. Colin Houck went yard. Will Watson pitched four and one third innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits, walking three and punching out five.

The Low-A St. Lucie Mets (61-42) committed four errors but beat the Tampa Tarpons (Yankees) anyway by a score of 6-4. Jeremy Rodriguez stole second base three times. This year’s first round selection Mitch Voit swiped his first professional bag. Juan Arnaud got the dub by pitching three hitless and scoreless innings, walking only one and whiffing five.

17 years ago today, David Wright hit his only walk-off homer of his career. It was against Heath Bell of the Padres. 

Three years ago today, Jacob deGrom finally made his season Citi Field debut. deGrom ended up striking out 12 batters in just five and two thirds innings on 76 pitches. He might have never looked as unbeatable as he did that day. And he even got the win!

Today is a much, much needed day off. If I were in charge of the Mets, I would insist that all 26 men on the active roster go see The Naked Gun in a Milwaukee theater and then go out for dinner and act out their favorite scenes. (Soto can pay the tab.) The hitting coaches can sulk in their hotel room and come up with better ideas. (In this scenario, I assume they are still unfireable due to some sort of blackmail situation.)