Taste Of Your Own Medicine

I was late in putting on the Mets/Marlins game on Monday afternoon. I was, in fact, originally in possession of tickets to the game, but I'd long ago swapped them out for another date, because I figured I had other things to do on the 4th of July, but that's another story for another time. But at any rate, I put the game on and I was wondering why the Mets appeared to be playing the Washington Nationals, because the schedule said the Mickey Mouse Marlins were in town. Then, I realized that it was in fact the Marlins, they were just wearing the Nationals' uniforms. I guess because they decided they just didn't want to be themselves anymore. 

Then, of course, I looked at the score, which was at the time 6-2 Marlins, and I got very angry. After spending the weekend kicking the team with the best record in Baseball in the nuts, the Mets were now looking like idiots again at the hands of the Fucking Marlins. Matt Harvey once again shit the bed and everything was terrible. Throw the whole weekend out the window. I mean, come on. The Marlins, again?! This is a team with its head so far up its own ass that Celebrity Manager has his Catcher batting leadoff. The fact that this team is in contention at all is an embarrassment to the National League at large.

But, as can sometimes happen, the Mets get behind and somehow it's as though they have their opponent exactly where they want them. The Mets bullpen, Erik Goeddel, Logan Verrett, Hansel Robles and Jerry Blevins specifically, stopped the Marlins cold and kept the game where it was, and the Mets offense just chipped away, and chipped away, and chipped away some more. Travis d'Arnaud and Curtis Granderson had already hit Home Runs by time I checked in. The Mets plated two more runs in the 6th thanks to a d'Arnaud RBI single and a run-scoring DP. So now, the Mets had at least put the game in reach.

Ultimately, they managed to put the Marlins back in their place in the 7th and 8th innings. David Phelps (duh ex you-know-who), who was recently seen Marlining it up after a win over the Cubs a few weeks ago, came in the game and immediately walked Neil Walker and gave up a double to Yoenis Cespedes. So already he'd started his own BBQ. James Loney followed and spent his at-bat fouling off 27 2-strike pitches before grounding out to score Walker. Wilmer Flores followed and fouled off another dozen 2-strike pitches before hitting a Sac Fly to score Cespedes and tie the game.

In the 8th, Ichiro Suzuki, who's probably too good for this Marlin business, doubled to start the inning and Robles followed by walking J.P. Realmuto. This brought up Martin Prado. Prado, of course, is the perfect Marlin, because he's at best a career .240 hitter who hits about .620 against the Mets. But because he's too busy sniffing his own underwear, Celebrity Manager called for a bunt, and Prado laid one down almost directly in front of James Loney, who pulled the patented Keith Hernandez 3-5-4 Double Play and kill the entire rally. The Marlins had missed their opportunity to flex their Marlinness and in the last of the 8th, newly-acquired Fernando Rodney (who had to shave due to Celebrity Manager's facial hair policy and thus no longer looks like a vagrant) gave up a 2-out, 2-run double to Cespedes to give the Mets their first lead of the game. Jeurys Familia had a brief moment in the 9th inning when he walked the leadoff hitter, but he struck out Stanton and then got a Double Play from Chris Johnson to close out the game and give the Mets a rousing 8-6 win in an excruciatingly long 3 hour and 38 minute affair.

I was rather interested in seeing just how the Mets would come back after their weekend of feeding the Cubs their lunch, and at least for one day it seems like it's thrown the Mets back on the right track. They're not gaining any ground--Washington keeps winning their games because they're not playing real teams right now--but they're also not losing ground and the more they can do what they're supposed to do against the Marlins, the more it makes these clowns as irrelevant as they deserve to be. So, you know, based on the way they dressed today, maybe they really were telling us all that they're sick of their own existence.

Circle Back Around

Happy July 4th, everyone! On Independence day, as always, we remind you to take your hat off, and keep out of the aisles during the National Anthem. Don't forget to fist pump and genuflect while you're at it.

Three years ago, I went to a Mets/Phillies game that included a full house, some similar in-game fireworks, and ended with Citi Field covered in a smoky haze, but with a different result, one that resulted in an early exit for Mets fans and in Philly fans strutting around doing Harry Kalas impressions to tell everyone that the Mets season was "OUUUTTA HEEERE!"

Last night, the shoe was on the other foot.

I'd been waiting for that first really great Citi Field game, where it truly seemed like Citi Field was what everyone envisioned it to be before the team went in the tank and everyone stopped showing up. I know that the night of Johan Santana's No Hitter was one of the first truly great moments at Citi Field, but the stadium was only about half full. I could tell that there was going to be a big crowd just by standing outside the stadium. I'd never seen the line to get through the checkpoint at the Rotunda to be un-navigable, but that's what it was. Either I had to go down to Right Field, or risk not getting in until the 3rd inning. Although it may have been a bipartisan crowd, it was as full as I'd seen it since Opening Day (and the postgame boast of an attendance record may have been accurate—it certainly felt more full than I ever remember Citi Field being), possibly due to the lure of fireworks more than the fans actually beginning to believe in the team. You had to have the feeling that the crowd juiced up the Mets, because they came out and absolutely ripped Vance Worley to shreds. Ruben Tejada fired the keynote after dinging several 2-strike pitches foul, working out a 11-pitch at bat that resulted in one of the few outs Worley was able to get. Daniel Murphy followed with a triple, David Wright hit a run-scoring ground out, and the Mets were on their way.

Sure, the Philly fans were out in force, but they had little reason to do much other than slump in their seats and sit on their hands. Outside of Carlos Ruiz's 2nd inning Home Run (inspiring the requisite "CHOOOOOOCH" chants), Jon Niese had probably his best outing of the season, and something he's been building towards of late. He's been getting progressively better and better as the season has progressed, and now the results are starting to gather some notice. He also helped his own cause at the plate; with the score tied and the bases loaded (following Tim Teufel's questionable hold of Lucas Duda on Thole's hit—many were annoyed by this, however it was the right move since Duda likely would have been out by 20 feet), Niese slapped a pitch off Worley's glove and through the infield to plate two runs. He'd later score on Murphy's double, and later on, he'd draw a walk and score again on Wright's monster Home Run.

Though Daniel Murphy was the offensive standout with his 4 hits and 4 RBI, he wasn't without help. Ruben Tejada, of the aforementioned 11-pitch at bat, followed that up with 3 hits, and together, he, Murphy and David Wright served to back their pitcher up with an outstanding all-around defensive effort, taking hits and runs away from the Phillies at every angle, mostly stifling Shane Victorino, who is probably the Phillie most in need of some stifling.

So, if everyone was feeling nice and warm following this 11-1 washout, we all got to sit back and get treated to a fine Fireworks show, which was pleasantly cheesy, well-designed, not too long, not too short, and just enough to satiate me so I don't feel obligated to go watch fireworks tonight. I'd never actually been to a Mets fireworks night before. I usually tended to avoid those games, and in fact, this year would have been no different. I actually ended up at Fireworks Night by accident this year. When I selected the 15 games on my 15-game plan, I had no idea what dates would be promotion dates. I just picked July 3rd because it was a weekday night game, it was against Philly, and I knew I didn't have to work the next day. But, sure enough, they made it fireworks night, and so after 25 years of attending Mets games, I've finally been to a fireworks night. I guess you can have me bronzed and sell me on eBay or something.

TAKE YOUR HAT OFF!!!

Happy 4th everyone, as always, we remind you to keep out of the aisles and take your hat off on this day of days.

And remember, everyone, the party's on the West Side this year.