ExWNYer

Yep, Freeman ended up 3-4 (.325) and Squirrel sat (.326) until the 9th when he came in defensively for Lidor so that Frankie could take a bow and get a standing ovation from the Citi Field crowd. Looks like this will be the Mets pitching rotation vs the Padres: Game 1: Scherzer. Game 2: Bassitt if the Mets win Game 1, deGrom, if the Mets lose Game 1. Game 3: deGrom or Bassitt (see above), if Game 3 is necessary Scherzer needs to be lights out because Yu Darvish owns the Mets. He's 5-0 lifetime with a 2.56 ERA and 9.9 Ks/9 IP. If the Mets can win Games 1 & 2, that sets them up to start deGrom for Game 1 against the Dodgers. That would be huge.

It was an absolute frozen rope! The kid has power, if he can get it going. The Philthies managed to get 3 hits in the 9th to break up the combined Houston 'no-no' but still got shutout. We're locked in now against San Diego for three at Citi Field. LGM!!!

Odds and ends: 1) Hard to believe that tonight was the first time ever in team history that the Mets hit back-to back-to back HRs to start the 1st inning 2) The Philthies are being no hit thru 8. 🤣

Ask and ye shall receive. A HR AND getting some valuable time behind the dish.

It's over, the game (Marlins lost, 2-1) and the division. Mets are officially a Wild Card and deGrom gets to rest tomorrow. Could be ugly if they face the Padres. They have been unable to solve the riddle that is Yu Darvish.

It's looking like the decision will not have to be made. It's going to be a moot point if the Marlins don't come back. They're down, 2-1, heading to the bottom of the ninth in Miami. But if tomorrow meant something for the Mets, yeah, I'd take my chances and throw deGrom.

I agree. This weekend was gut-wrenching and abysmal but so Metsian. The Mets just had their biggest 1st inning of the year in Game 2 with a seven spot and lead Washington, 7-0, in the 2nd. Unfortunately, it won't mean anything except a rare 100 win season if the Marlins don't rally (down 2-1 in the Top of the 7th). If the Braves do lose, I would absolutely start deGrom tomorrow. The #2 Seed is a huge advantage over the WC. My understanding is that the Marlins had shut down Alcantara for the season and Atlanta would not have to face him. If the Braves win tonight, I would start Alvarez behind the plate tomorrow and play Vientos in the field to see if either or both can play and help there in the playoffs. BTW, if I never see James McCann't ever again, it will be too soon.

@SinceThe70s @Another Fan Faint division hopes still alive for a couple of hours at least, boys. Mets just beat the Natalies in Game 1 of their doubleheader, 4-2. Atlanta is currently up on the Marlins at the time of this post, 1-0 in the 4th. They would still control their own destiny had they won just one game this past weekend.

Another disappointing outing by deGrom down the stretch. The rate at which he is allowing HRs all of a sudden is alarming. He needs to be better but, that said, he still allowed only 3 runs and the game was there for the taking. Unfortunately, the limp-d*cked offense was on full display once again and Escobar is the only one with a pulse right now. Scherzer had better find a way to shut down Atlanta and get the 'W' on Saturday or the annual Met choke job will be in its final stages. <sigh>

Good. F'ing. Riddance.

@HOUSE make sure your phone is charged...

Mets win, Braves lose!! 2.5 up (two in the loss column) with 10 to play. Glad the Philthies decided to put up a fight this series instead of lying down like dogs and getting swept away again in four.

The Natalies win was an unexpected bonus. It's unfortunate that the Mets imploded in the last game against the Brewers. As much as I like Buck, he sometimes worries and confounds me with how he handles the bullpen. It may not have mattered in the 6-0 loss since the offense was so impotent/non-existent but maybe they find a way to scratch across a run or two down the line if it's still a 1-0 or 2-0 game. Buck continues to use the back of the pen guys during high leverage situations and uses Lugo, Ottavino, & Diaz when they aren't always needed. Bringing Drew Smith into a bases loaded situation the other day...fresh off of a two month stint on the IL...was beyond foolish, IMO. Hand to God, I knew Mr. Smith was giving up a grand slam there. I have called him 'Homerun Drew' all year long and he immediately reasserted that belief. He has to be better. It's been a heavyweight fight and I just hope that those 3 inexcusable losses at home to the Cubs don't end up costing this team a division title and a 1st Round bye. They have looked tired down the stretch and seem to be staggering to the finish line. I just hope they have one more kick left in them to get them over the hump for these final 11 games of the regular season. Getting Guillorme back was big because they have some positional flexibility again that they didn't have while he was on the IL. The DH situation has handcuffed them because Vogelbach (LH) and Ruf (RH) are both one-side hitters with no ability to play the field which has limited the ability to 'rest' other guys by having them DH only for a game or two. Not ideal but that is the reality for this season in Metsland. Honestly, with Bassitt, deGrom, & Scherzer scheduled to go against the A's there is absolutely no excuse not to sweep this series, if the bats decide to contribute to the effort for a change. Oakland is the worst team in the AL and tied with Pittsburgh for the second worst record in the majors behind the rancid Natalies. Six of the Mets final eleven games are against the worst teams in the AL & NL. Gotta get them all and then get the majority of the remaining five against the Marlins & Braves and hope Atlanta can drop one or two along the way outside of the series with the Mets. This series with Philly seems to be the best bet and the Philthies 1-0 win last night was a nice start. I hear you but I look at it a little differently. I don't see not winning the division as a soft landing spot. God knows this franchise doesn't make the playoffs much...and a playoff spot is great and shouldn't be taken for granted...but finishing in the Wild Card will feel a little hollow to me unless they go on to win the WS. Atlanta has been chasing all year and to lose the division now with a handful of games to go will leave a bitter taste in my mouth. Not nearly as bad as the collapse to Philadelphia with a 7 game lead and 17 to play (HTF does that happen to anyone other than the Mets??! Don't get me started...) but still bad, IMO. If they win the division, not only would they avoid the extra series but they would not have to face the Dodgers until the NLCS. That is huge. With Scherzer and deGrom having taken turns getting injured and not being 'spring chickens', I'd prefer them as fresh as possible for the post-season. Not to be 'Debbie Downer' but, if they don't win the NL East and/or at least make the NLCS, I consider this year a failure. I know that's a bizarre take to some because you can count on less than one hand the number of 100 win seasons for this franchise but a new, deep-pocketed owner trotting out a team with the highest payroll in the league has raised expectations. That said, I will go on record as saying that I believe the Mets WILL find a way to hang on and win the division. If they can go into that series in Atlanta at least one game up and just take one of the three games, they will be tied in the standings with the Braves but will hold the division tiebreaker by virtue of a 10-9 season series record against them. That would leave the Mets with the final 3 games of the year at home against the Natalies and destiny in their own hands. Lose the division in that scenario and they didn't deserve it anyway. Let's hope it doesn't come to that and...LET'S GO METS!!!

Awesome!

Say what? (2 syllables)

Dulphin 'fans' are frauds Their building is overrun By Bills fans again

Is this a euphemism for 'self-gratification'? Does it include 'shellacking the banister'?

Can't wait until Bears 'homer' Adam Rank tells the world for the umpteenth time how improved and underrated the Chicago offense is...

Relievers are people, too...or are they? I am right there with you. Other than Diaz (and sometimes Ottavino), this year is a prime example. The bullpen has been maddening and shows why relievers are the hardest to predict from year to year although the Mets FO did a poor job addressing this weakness prior to the season, IMO. A good example of reliever volatility is Aaron Loup. I was really disappointed when the Mets did not re-sign him but he's having a bad year for the Angels (who doesn't though)? On a side note, the careers of Trout and Ohtani are being completely wasted in the barren wasteland that is Anaheim. How do you roster them and Rendon and still find a way to be complete trash? Nice to hear that you can root with your kids, too. It makes it more fun. Maybe our kids just wanted to emulate us because we are great dads. 😉 I said to my boys when they were younger, "I'm glad you like the teams you do because if you were Dolphin or Patriot fans I'd probably disown you." 😂 My family has always rooted for the same teams, even when I was growing up. It seems weird to me to have split households. I wouldn't want somebody in my own house gloating when I was in misery after a loss. My wife didn't really follow football when we met because she didn't understand the rules. I taught her and it was like a light bulb went off...she likes the sport now and is a Bills fan with the rest of us. I have enjoyed the back and forth, as well. I will definitely check out Old Timers Day. Thanks for the heads up. Let's get that sweep against the Buccos today! LGM!!!

Unfortunately, I didn't catch any of Old Timers' Day as I was at my nephew's wedding. I did hear that Henderson and Mookie still looked like they could lace 'em up and play. That event was long overdue as is the old 'Banner Day'. I'm not exactly sure what my first Mets memory was but I have to believe it was either the '69 Miracle Mets in the WS but more than likely it was the '73 Mets in the WS. I wish I had a more definitive and vivid memory. As I stated earlier, they weren't on TV much so if it wasn't one of those World Series then it had to be the 'Saturday Game of The Week' because it was those home pinstripe unis that hooked me. Also, they were a NY team and Buffalo didn't have a team. My dad was from Dunkirk and he was the reason my little brother and I became diehard Bills, Sabres, and (Buffalo) Braves fans. He wasn't a fan of any baseball team but my brother and I became diehard Mets fans. When we got cable in the '80s here in VA, our package included WOR, TBS, & WGN, all of whom carried the Mets, Braves, & Cubs games free. We watched the Mets on WOR every chance we got and my dad became a Mets fan because of my brother and me which was an opposite twist from the norm and I found cool (there's that word again). Both of my sons are Bills, Sabres, and Mets fans but it's my younger son who is the real sports nut. I didn't force them into the torture that is following these teams but I'm glad we share the same rooting interests. The first Mets games I ever attended were against the Pirates at the old Three Rivers Stadium (what a dump) in 1987 with my brother, a friend of ours who was a Mets fan, and another friend who liked the Orioles. We saw two games from the left field seats and during one of them we witnessed Kevin McReynolds hit a grand slam, which was awesome. I still have the ticket stubs from those games. I think admission was like $5 or $8...definitely less than $10. I didn't see another Mets game in person until the mid/late '90s when I saw them at Camden Yards (gorgeous ballpark) against the Orioles in Baltimore. They lost that game. I remember when a co-worker (and fellow Mets fan) got the tickets, I told him "I hope Steve Trachsel is not pitching when we go." I couldn't stand Trachs. He always seemed to lose...badly. Guess who pitched? You got it...Steve Trachsel. lol To this day, the Mets pitchers I despise the most are Steve Trachsel and Doug Sisk (also always seemed to suck). Awesome story about your father and grandfather. I love hearing stories like that and how the love of the sport is often passed down from generation to generation. I guess I was an aberration since my dad was not a baseball fan until later in life but I love sports and as a kid with no cable or internet, sports were the lifeblood for many of us. I know I'm old but I wouldn't change living thru that era for anything. LGM!!!

I was hoping when it was over that he would yell, "DEEZ NUTS! GO POKES!!"

I'm 58 (59 in October). I remember all of those guys and some, as you said, were very good. - Neil Allen...the key piece in one of the best trades in franchise history which brought over Keith Hernandez from the Cardinals. Thank you, Frank Cashen! -Terry Leach...he of the mustache...nice side-armer. -Tim Leary...great unrealized potential. 'Sigh' indeed. -Ed Lynch...solid arm, later went to the Cubs. - Jesse Orosco...nuff said. He and Roger McDowell manned the back-end for the legendary '86 squad. - Jeff Reardon...turned out to be one of the best relievers in baseball after he was traded. I remember being bummed when he was shipped and that was before he became 'Jeff Reardon'. - Mike Scott...almost cost the Mets the '86 NLCS with his cheating ball scuffing for the Astros. What is it with that franchise, anyway? lol -Craig Swan...as we already discussed, a becon in the darknes of the '70s and early '80s. BTW, another player the Mets acquired who was supposed to be great and never amounted to anything for them...Steve Henderson. Woof.

Same. Concert tickets only, several years ago...but I received them.