Pride & seek
With nothing at stake, Mets can play for dignity in Subway clash
YOU ARE a Mets fan and you are embarrassed. Again. Same goes for the Mets players. Embarrassed. Again.
Another season down the drain with 68 games left to play. Meaningful games again out the window. The franchise in disarray.
Expectations crushed. The best starter in the majors, Jacob deGrom, wasted. But there is something the Mets can do about their future in the present.
Play well against the Yankees this weekend, beginning Friday night at Yankee Stadium, and at least begin to earn back a shred of dignity.
Every summer it seems the Mets gets sand kicked in their faces. Over and over. They sit back and take it.
This summer has been particularly brutal because of the team put on the field by Sandy Alderson and ownership, and the lack of due diligence to realize the makeup of some of these players and the failures of player development.
Once again the Mets have become a laughing stock with a worse record than even the Marlins. The Mets are 39-55, and have the fewest wins in the NL.
Derek Jeter is trying to bring pride to his long lost organiza- tion. The Mets need to do the same, one step at a time. It has to start with the players. All is lost once again for this season, but the mentality of perseverance and team pride must grow stronger immediately, no matter the talent shortage.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if the Mets actually regained a shred of dignity this weekend?
Maybe Yoenis Cespedes, who is expected to DH, could again be a force in the lineup and survive his many injury issues. The Mets are stuck with Cespedes so they better figure out a way to make the most of his hitting ability. The move to first base is a start.
For Mets fans, this weekend is it — the only three meaningful games left in the season.
After this the Mets have three at home against the Padres, two teams that can’t do anything right. The Padres, who do have prospects, own a .298 on-base percentage, worse than the Mets and their .307 on-base percentage that ranks 25th in the majors.
The Yankees clearly have little respect for the team the Mets are putting on the field as they are holding back their ace Luis Severino to give him an extended rest before pitching against the Rays Monday at the Trop. They are doing the same for CC Sabathia, who will go Tuesday.
You can’t blame them. I would do the same thing Aaron Boone is doing against Mickey Callaway’s club. Looking at the big picture and getting a reset for Severino, who has surrendered four home runs over his last two starts. Severino gave up two home runs and struck out only one batter against the Indians.
Friday night at Yankee Stadium Noah Syndergaard will face rookie Domingo German, who was distraught after his last performance, a game he started with two walks against the Indians and wound up surrendering six runs over four innings.
The Mets have made it clear they will not trade deGrom or Syndergaard, but Syndergaard needs to show he can stay healthy. Over the last two seasons he has a grand total of 19 starts. That’s the same number of starts deGrom has made this season. Over his last two seasons deGrom has made 50 starts. DeGrom is durable and a superstar.
Injuries happen but Syndergaard can start down the right path with a strong outing against the mighty Yankees, who lead the majors in home runs with 161 but are 10th in batting average with a .252 mark. The Mets are 29th in batting average at .228.
On Saturday it will be lefty Steven Matz against the disappointing Sonny Gray, who has not supplied the rotation boost the Yankees were looking for when they acquired him last July. DeGrom will go Sunday versus Masahiro Tanaka.
Callaway has made his share of rookie mistakes but has identified some vital shortcomings in this organization. He must find a way to get the most out of his players that he can this weekend or the fall into the abyss will continue.