Just as The Rain Ended, So Did The Mets' Road Trip

Hours after the scheduled first pitch, there weren’t many fans left at Busch Stadium. The ones that stuck around weren’t allowed to sit outside, due to a chance of lightning. The Wednesday matinee between the Mets and Cardinals was held in limbo due to storms and potential tornadoes in the area. Eventually, the rain started to lighten up as the bulk of the weather remained south of the area. It seemed like there was a logical pocket of time in the forecast that baseball could be played in. For the hundreds that stuck around, hope prevailed. At around 2:45 local time, there were rumblings that the game would start at 3:15. Those rumblings quickly turned to mumblings as the bumbling league officials postponed the game at around 3:00. For many, it was an afternoon needlessly wasted. And for the Mets, it was a lost opportunity to put an exclamation point on their road trip. But that’s baseball. Sometimes, facts and figures don’t end up dictating the results. In this organized chaos disguised as a game, we need to take in the actions and harness our expectations. This was very clear while watching the Mets this week.

 

The New York Mets stormed onto Tropicana Field on Friday, ready to make a statement against the perennial AL East juggernaut Rays. The offense clicked on all cylinders, led by a breakout performance by Brett Baty. His first home run came in the top of the 2nd inning. I would post a picture or video of it, but the WWE would not be happy with us using the likeness of John Cena without their permission. Nobody saw the home run. All of the TV cameras were fixated on right fielder Harold Ramírez, who waited to catch the popup that never appeared. For all we know, the ball teleported into another dimension. The fan that allegedly recovered it from a tunnel could’ve planted it. The truth is out there and apparently the ball was, as well. Brett’s second homer came in the form of a clutch solo shot in the top of the 9th, one that was visibly seen to be a murdered baseball going over the fence. The Mets lost, 8-10.

 

Saturday’s game saw the debut of Christian Scott. He’s 24 years young, has an affinity for posing in photos with his right hand in his pocket and he takes the mound with cockiness and poise. Facing a decidedly frightening Rays lineup, he looked like a grizzled veteran ace on the mound. His 4-seamer didn’t miss, dancing into all of the right spots of the strike zone. The national Fox broadcast featured former Cardinals ace, Adam Wainwright, constantly gushing over the stuff he was serving. It’s been a long time since the Mets farm system has developed a pitcher like this, all of the papers are clamoring that he’s the new deGrom, he has become the overnight hype. He pitched 6 ⅔ innings of one-run ball. The Mets lost, 1-3.

 

Once again implementing their newfound “never say die” attitude, the Mets clawed back and overtook the lead twice on Sunday. This was largely led by the bottom of the lineup in Baty, Bader and Narvàez, who collected 4 hits and runs between them. Relievers Jorge López, Jake Diekman and Reed Garrett held down the fort with a scoreless inning apiece. The Mets lost, 6-7.

 

Nothing seemed to go right for the reliable pieces of the Mets lineup on Monday, as they had their first game in St Louis. Coming off of a hot weekend, Brett Baty swung wildly in a 0-4 performance with 2 strikeouts. Starling Marte, their most consistent everyday hitter, went 0-5. Pete Alonso came off the bench in a close game, quickly lined out and sat back down. Francisco Lindor also went hitless, bringing his batting average down to .204. The Mets won, 4-3.

 

Tragedy struck at the plate on Tuesday in the form of catcher’s interference. JD Martinez, eager to get his first home run as a Met, was quoted to had “hit meat” instead of a ball. He swung for the fences, directly into Willson Contreras’ forearm. It was a brutal hit with an even more sickening thud. He will require surgery and at least 8 weeks out of action. Things didn’t go very well for Jose Butto, either, as he was chased out of the game after 89 pitches. The Mets used up their entire bullpen, leaving Adam Ottavino out to die in the 9th inning. Despite having thrown over 50 pitches over the last couple of days, he was the only option. He gave up a one-out homer to Lars Nootbar and then completely lost control of his pitches. The Mets won, 7-5. 

 

This past road trip has shown just how unpredictable baseball can be and how easily stats can be spun to form a false narrative. Just like Wednesday’s game being postponed after the rain ended, we have to take stats at face value and hope that they result in wins. It’s a long, long season. Despite finishing the road trip 2-3, a lot of good things can be drawn from it. You have to believe that if the team keeps performing like this, it will eventually end up in more wins than losses. They will now get a much-needed extra day of rest before this homestand. They will face the first place unstoppable kings of the universe Braves this weekend. After that, they face the second place Phillies in an awkwardly scheduled 4-day series with 2 at home and 2 in Philadelphia. This will be their most difficult test so far this season and will set the tone for the months to come. But if their stats keep "statting", they can beat either of those teams on any day that ends in the letter Y. They just have to, you know, do it.