Saving Wacky WillieKudos to the Mets for surviving some very bizarre managing by Willie Randolph.
While the Mets were right to remove starter John Maine in the top of the 5th, surely, even Elster (assuming he could see the game from his seat several rows behind Bob Uecker) will admit that Willie's decision to use three pitchers in that inning, and then to pinch hit for Chad Bradford with one out and nobody on in the bottom of the 5th after Bradford had thrown two pitches, made little sense.
Then, in the bottom of the sixth with the Mets leading 4-1 and the bases loaded, Willie did not pinch hit for reliever Guillermo Mota, as though a three run lead is insurmountable. Mota, of course, popped out, and then gave up three runs in the top of the seventh.
Speaking of Elster, he was dressed up for the Succos holiday, not a baseball game. I too was dressed a bit too formally for my liking, but had to go to court this morning, and at least picked up a knockoff Mets cap on the way to the office. And I'm from Boro Park, so it's okay anyway for me.
Other quick thoughts:
Maine was unimpressive. He lacked poise with runners on base, and a pitcher like that can't be trusted in October. He was lucky to have made it out of the 2nd inning when two Dodgers were tagged out near home plate on what should have been a double to deep right, and looked ready to implode in the 5th.
At the plate, Carlos Beltran looks disturbingly like the '05 version, not the '04 Beltran or the player he was for most of this season.
I continue to maintain that Billy Wagner's fastball is not what it used to be. Sure, he struck out Nomar Garciaparra to end the game, but the Dodgers were catching up to his fastball today and hitting it hard, even when fouling it back.
The Mets' decision to use Oliver Perez in September rather than the much more effective Dave Williams made little sense, and has now culminated in Perez's inexplicably getting a playoff start in LA. Between that and tomorrow night's weather forecast for a low of 49 degrees, and that fact that tomorrow night's starter is Tom Glavine, who has a history of pitching poorly is colder weather, today's game was an absolute must win, and the Mets still have a long way to go in this series.
They'll need better managing than they got today.
posted on 10/04/2006
