Friday, April 19, 2024

Games 22-24 Thread: April 19-21 vs. Mets

Fri Apr 19 7p: Yamamoto vs. Manaea
Sat Apr 20 1p: TBD vs. Buttó
Sun Apr 21 1p: TBD vs. Houser

The Mets are supposed to be in some sort of rebuild, after last year's disastrous season. Having shed Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, the team with the highest payroll in the major leagues ($308.3M) is actually...pretty good? They're 10-8, and unlike the Dodgers, they only have one position starter with a batting average below .200 (Francisco Lindor, who is off to a horrible start but is certain to flip the script, potentially against the Dodgers this weekend).

Meanwhile, the Dodgers just look awful. Losers in three of their last four series, the Dodgers still have more holes in their lineup than Nike's new "breathable" uniforms. James Outman has an OPS+ of 74 (the league average is 100; Mookie Betts leads the team with a 213 OPS+, followed by Shohei Ohtani at 184). Kiké Hernandez is at 38. Gavin Lux is at 6.

And Chris Taylor, batting .029 on the season (one hit in 35 AB, with 18 Ks), has a -41 OPS+. I didn't even know OPS+ went into negative numbers. I suppose this means that if we play an average player instead of Taylor, we'd expect almost a 150% improvement from the offense (from that position).

Oh, and Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez, tied for the team lead with 29 Ks on the year (each!), now have fallen to fifth place in the majors (Muncy had the lead for most strikeouts in MLB, earlier in the week).

Not to mention that the starting rotation is already showing signs of wear, halfway through the first month of the year--so as of Thursday 4/18, we had only named starters for one of the three weekend games. This is not good. Get ready for the sweep.

96 comments:

karen said...

GAME 1

SS Betts
DH Ohtani
1B Freeman
C Smith
RF T Hernandez
2B K Hernandez
CF Pages
3B Rojas
LF Taylor

RHP Yamamoto

Steve Sax said...

Lets goooooo

Steve Sax said...

Thanks for the lineup @karen!

Steve Sax said...

Chris Taylor is batting ninth tonight.

That’s gonna cost Mookie a couple of RBI

karen said...

The good news is that Yoshi has 5 K's through two. The bad news is that NY has 2 runs

karen said...

@Saxy...Your very welcome

karen said...

TeO brings in our first run....4-1 Nuevo York

Steve Sax said...

Geez. We tie it and then Lindor (of all people) with a two-run HR.

We are doomed

Steve Sax said...

Jeez, Mariachi Joe.

8-4 Mets

karen said...

This game has gotten really ugly

karen said...

Another loss

Steve Sax said...

9-4 loss. All three of our bullpen arms gave up runs. We made two errors. Unbelievable.

Steve Sax said...

Jeez, it's 1:13p and the Dodgers are already losing.

Steve Sax said...

GAME TWO

Mookie SS
Shohei DH
Freddie 2B
Teoscar LF
Max 3B
James CF
Andy RF
Gavin L 2B
Austin C

P Gavin S

Steve Sax said...

Dodgers are already down one going to the bottom of the first. Here's where the team either sacks up or rolls over.

Steve Sax said...

Betts with a leadoff double!

Steve Sax said...

Joe Davis: "Butto is in the strike zone less than any other pitcher in baseball."

Steve Sax said...

That Mookie hit was a single, and he just gunned the afterburners and stretched it into a double. Well done.

Steve Sax said...

Ohtani with a five-pitch walk. Here's Freddie: batting only .259!

Steve Sax said...

Freddie Freeman with an RBI single!

Tied at one. Shohei moves to second.

KEEP IT ROLLING, DODGERS!

Steve Sax said...

Orel: Freddie has apparently been grinding out extra BP the past five days.

Steve Sax said...

Teoscar Ks on three pitches. Geez.

Steve Sax said...

Here comes that pathetic bottom of the order again. Guess we'll have to settle for one.

Steve Sax said...

Muncy walks to load the bases, but Outman Ks and Pages isn't far behind.

Steve Sax said...

Outman now batting .190 on the year.

Steve Sax said...

Pages puts up a bit of a fight, but also Ks.

1-1 through one inning. We can't do jackshit from the bottom of this lineup.

Steve Sax said...

Okay it's rancho ardiendo yet again, this time for Teoscar, with two out in the second.

Steve Sax said...

And, Teoscar Ks. Fucking unbelievable.

We've stranded six runners through two innings. And we're 1-for-5 with RISP.

Steve Sax said...

WHY CAN'T WE SCORE?!?!?!

Maybe we have to shake this lineup up top to bottom.

Steve Sax said...

Dodgers go 1-2-3 in the third.

Still 1-1.

Steve Sax said...

Nice play by Gavin Lux at second to get the first out and stop the runner on second from scoring.

Then Roberts decides to pull Gavin Stone?! After only 72 pitches?!

Steve Sax said...

Fucking horrible call, Roberts!

Nimmo promptly HBP, and then Marte singles in the go-ahead run. Still only one out, two Mets on the basepaths.

Steve Sax said...

Grove works some magic to get out of it: Lindor K, Alonso grounds to Mookie.

2-1 Mets, mid-4

Steve Sax said...

B5, Ohtani leading off.

Steve Sax said...

Leadoff ground-rule double for Ohtani. And then Freeman promptly grounds to first (advancing Ohtani, but still an out).

Steve Sax said...

Teoscar HBP, probably the best possible outcome there. Dodgers at corners for Muncy, one out.

Steve Sax said...

And, Butto is replaced by Michael Tonkin.

We're going to get nothing in this inning.

Steve Sax said...

Muncy sacrifices Ohtani in, but then Outman goes and Kis on three pitches.

WHAT THE FUCK, JAMES?!

Steve Sax said...

2-2 through five, and the Dodgers are doing everything they can to do NOTHING offensively.

Steve Sax said...

Mets have a runners on first and second with the Nimmo HBP cheapie.

Ryan Brasier now in to pitch. One out, T6.

This game absolutely sucks.

Steve Sax said...

RYAN BRASIER ALSO SUCKS

Three-run HR to Marte. We're now down 5-2.

Steve Sax said...

Brasier now with his 5.79 ERA. He's awful.

Steve Sax said...

Our middle relief is horrible.

Steve Sax said...

Dodgers down 5-2, B6.

Steve Sax said...

Pages HBP, and Lux actually singles.

Two on, none out.

Let's see.

Steve Sax said...

Barnes, of course, Ks.

Steve Sax said...

Austin Barnes: now 0-for-3 with 2 Ks.

Steve Sax said...

Drew Smith enters for Tonkin.

Steve Sax said...

Betts works the walk. Here's Shohei, with rancho ardiendo!

Steve Sax said...

Ohtani Ks.

Steve Sax said...

Freddie! Two-RBI single to center. Let's gooooo

Steve Sax said...

Teoscar walks! But Muncy grounds to short on the first goddamn pitch.

5-4 Mets, end 6

Steve Sax said...

Like, even statistically speaking, you would think that in one of these clutch situations, we might get a hit.

Dodgers a woeful 2-for-10 with RISP today, and 10 LOB.

Steve Sax said...

Dammit Max, that was the moment.

Steve Sax said...

Kelly quickly lets two Mets on. Harrison Bader grounds to second to hold the runners, and then Brett Baty PH for Zack Short, so Roberts goes to Alex Vesia.

Steve Sax said...

Hey, Vesia does the job! Gets Baty to fly to right, then, Tyrone Taylor to fly to center.

5-4 Mets at the stretch.

Steve Sax said...

Outman with a leadoff single? What is going on here?!

Steve Sax said...

Outman with an illegal slide at second so it's an automatic double play. And then Lux grounds out.

Yep, that's the bottom of our order. The fucking Keystone Kops.

Steve Sax said...

Boos from the fans at Dodger Stadium. I get it.

Steve Sax said...

Dodgers down 6-4, B8, bases loaded with one out for Teoscar Hernandez.

Here comes the double play.

Steve Sax said...

Teoscar Hernandez strikes out. That's his third time up with the bases loaded, and he can't get one RBI.

Steve Sax said...

And Muncy Ks swinging.

Come on, Dodgers, what the fuck.

Steve Sax said...

Three straight strikeouts by Outman, Pages, and Lux to end the game.

Feeble.

Steve Sax said...

Even Joe Davis can't muster interest in this one.

Steve Sax said...

We are 12-11 right now.

Steve Sax said...

I just went for a run. And I’m still bitter after that game.

Steve Sax said...

Dodgers ended the game with five straight Ks.

Steve Sax said...

Padres drop their game to the Blue Jays, so the Dodgers remain in first by a game over SD and 1.5 games ahead of the Snakes and Gnats.

Steve Sax said...

Here we go.

Steve Sax said...

Another wasted RISP: freeman with a two-out double, and Slappy makes the third out.

Steve Sax said...

Ohtani with a two-run blast!

2-0 LA through 3

Steve Sax said...

Real Madrid beats Barcelona 3-2. Bellingham with the decisive goal in the 91st minute. Wow.

Steve Sax said...

Real Madrid now 11 points up on second place Barcelona in La Liga.

Steve Sax said...

Glasnow with a nice fifth inning.

2-0 LA, mid-5.

Let's get some runs, dammit!

Steve Sax said...

Pages with a very nice leadoff double here in the fifth. Nailed that one over third base.

Steve Sax said...

Joe Davis: Yesterday was the first time since the Dodgers moved to LA, where the Dodgers lost the game despite taking more than 10 walks.

Pathetic yesterday! And pathetic for most of this homestand.

Steve Sax said...

Lux takes his second walk of the game. We're starting to be more patient at the plate.

Let's flip it over.

Steve Sax said...

Betts first-pitch swinging--but nails it to left center and Pages scores!

3-0 LA, none out

Steve Sax said...

Ohtani fooled on that 1-1 pitch from Houser. 1-2

Steve Sax said...

Ohtani drills one off Houser. Infield hit, everybody's safe. (And Houser is okay, apparently.)

Steve Sax said...

RANCHO ARDIENDO

Steve Sax said...

Dodgers were awful yesterday with the bases loaded. Can this be a better day today?

Steve Sax said...

2-0 count to Freddie

Steve Sax said...

Angel Hernandez, making shitty calls behind the plate yet again

Steve Sax said...

Freeman rips it past Marte for a double

5-0 LA. None out

Steve Sax said...

Is that the first time the big three have gotten three straight hits? I think it might be...

Smith with a two-run double!

It's 7-0 LA

None out, top 5

Steve Sax said...

It isn't the first time the Big 3 have had three straight hits. I'll blog on that later...

Steve Sax said...

Outman's got a full count here (one out, men on first and second)...

Steve Sax said...

Nope, outman fails.

but Pages HR!

Steve Sax said...

10-0 LA through five.

It's about time!

Steve Sax said...

Lots of substitutes in the lineup.

Miguel Rojas batting first; Mookie gets the rest of the day off.

Chris Taylor batting third, Freddie gets the rest of the day off.

Kike batting sixth, Teoscar gets the rest of the day off.

Steve Sax said...

Ohtani walks, Taylor HBP. One out, Smith up.

Steve Sax said...

Kike actually got a hit, to leadoff the seventh. Here's Outman

Steve Sax said...

Outman with a long AB but flies to left. He's 0-for-4 today, batting .179 on the year.

Steve Sax said...

Glasnow loads the bases but gets his 10th K to preserve the shutout. He's pitched 8 shutout innings. Amazing performance, especially after his last outing!

Way to go, Glasnow!

Steve Sax said...

WIN

We avoid the sweep!

PGT up!