Coming Up Roses!

I'm not quite sure what to make of tonight's game. I didn't watch it—other items of importance precluded me from doing so, but as I was able, I was updated via assorted means of mobile technology. I saw that the Mets bombarded the Dodgers' teenage rookie Julio Urias early. It is, I suppose, debatable as to whether or not the Dodgers using Urias in this particular spot was a good idea, but then again, I'm not writing a Dodgers blog, I'm writing a Mets blog and so who cares? Urias clearly was suffering from stage fright, the Mets took advantage, and the kid was gone in the 3rd inning.

By that point, the Mets had a healthy lead, and Jacob deGrom was cruising along mostly unimpeded. David Wright hit a Home Run, which seems to be about all he can do anymore, and Juan Lagares hit a Home Run, and the Mets led 5-1 in the late innings.

And so for whatever reason, Jeurys Familia was allowed to come in in the 9th inning and allow 4 runs to let the Dodgers tie the game. Familia already has a well-documented "Thing" about pitching in non-save situations. Now, yes, this is something he just needs to suck up and get over already. But when you have a situation begin to spiral out of control like that, there needs to be a backup plan. I get giving him the shot there; that's why you have a closer. But this is the sort of spot that could also have been handled by, say, Addison Reed or Jerry Blevins, especially when Chase Utley came to the plate and everyone wanted his head. And, you know, after all the hostility, is anyone really that surprised that Utley smoked a 3-run double to tie the game? I didn't even watch the game and I could have seen something like that happening.

So, yeah. A nice, uneventful evening for the Mets was about to turn into a complete disaster. A 5-1 game was now a 5-5 game and usually when something like this happens, the Mets end up imploding sometime around the 12th inning. But then Curtis Granderson hit Pedro Baez's second pitch into the Right Field seats for a game-winning Home Run and all was right once again. It always comes out positive if the Mets win. Familia has a bad day? Eyyy, fuhgeddaboutit! Mets win anyway! We can spend the rest of the night focusing on deGrom's strong outing, and Granderson's clutch hitting, and the Mets in 1st place. Everything's lovely!