{"id":318496,"date":"2021-08-08T10:00:19","date_gmt":"2021-08-08T07:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/mets-need-to-show-fight-and-have-fun-before-season-fully-implodes\/"},"modified":"2021-08-08T10:00:19","modified_gmt":"2021-08-08T07:00:19","slug":"mets-need-to-show-fight-and-have-fun-before-season-fully-implodes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mets-need-to-show-fight-and-have-fun-before-season-fully-implodes\/","title":{"rendered":"#Mets need to show fight and have fun before season fully implodes"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Mets need to show fight and have fun before season fully implodes<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n

The Mets.<\/p>\n

In French, that translates to \u201cLes Miserables.\u201d<\/p>\n

At least they mixed up their brand of misery Saturday at Citizens Bank Park?<\/p>\n

Oh, the Mets lost yet again, 5-3 to Joe Girardi\u2019s Phillies at their former happ<\/a>y place, to fall 1 \u00bd game<\/a>s out of the division penthouse. That\u2019s three straight defeats, six in seven tries and 8 of 10. Yeesh.<\/p>\n

Yet after a lifeless first 17 innings of this crucial series<\/a>, the Mets woke up in the top of the ninth by slamming three straight solo homers (Michael Conforto, Jonathan Villar and James McCann) and bringing the go-ahead run to the plate with one out, only for new Philadelphia closer Ian Kennedy to put out the fire by striking out Pete Alonso and J.D. Davis.<\/p>\n

After the game, manager Luis Rojas said, \u201cWe\u2019ve got to win tomorrow,\u201d and that\u2019s a heck of a mandate to put on this series finale against old pal and new All-Star Zack Wheeler.<\/p>\n

More than anything, these Mets, the trade deadline past them and neither Jacob deGrom nor Francisco Lindor anywhere close to returning, need to rediscover their joy for the game that emerged for a glimpse before the Mets\u2019 all-time record at CBP fell to 87-77 (thanks to Ultimate Mets Database for that tidbit).<\/p>\n

\"J.D.
J.D. Davis walks to the dugout out after striking out to end the game in the ninth inning of the Mets\u2019 5-3 loss to the Phillies.<\/figcaption>
Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That assignment falls on Rojas as well as his veteran players.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has to be a sense of urgency,\u201d McCann acknowledged.<\/p>\n

The late rally shed new light on the decision by Rojas to stick as long as he did with his rookie starting pitcher Tylor Megill, who, after a strong first four innings, started the fifth by surrendering a 437-foot homer to Brad Miller, breaking the scoreless tie, then allowing two of the next three batters to reach base safely. Odubel Herrera then smoked a first-pitch fastball 434 feet into the second deck in right-center, putting his guys up by a 4-0 margin and punctuating his power display with a beautiful bat flip; the Phillies, winners of seven straight, are having fun, unlike their foes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe only had given up one run at the time,\u201d Rojas said of Megill. \u201cHe was throwing the ball really good throughout the game. For me, he\u2019s getting out of that inning. I don\u2019t think the kid was gassed, necessarily.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eh. The fifth inning sure seems like Megill\u2019s nemesis; the right-hander\u2019s fifth-inning ERA now stands at 11.57.<\/p>\n

Maybe the Mets\u2019 manager got punch-drunk from watching his hitters do so little. Rojas understandably stacked his starting lineup with righty bats, leadoff guy Brandon Nimmo the lone exception, to go after Philadelphia southpaw starter Ranger Suarez. But Suarez proceeded to hold that group hitless (with three walks) through his 2 \u00b2\/\u2083 innings \u2014 at which point Girardi pivoted to righty rookie J.D. Hammer, who scattered two hits while picking up eight outs. So it went for the Mets, until their dead-cat bounce in the ninth. It proved fitting that Kennedy fanned both Alonso and Davis on fastballs, the club\u2019s downfall of late.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout the game, we had a bunch of swings and misses on fastballs,\u201d Rojas said. \u201cThat\u2019s the pitch we\u2019ve got to be ready for all of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n