Wednesday, July 18, 2012

BLOWpen Lessons Not Learned

I'm just a fan. A loyal Mets fan. I've played baseball. I've watched thousands of games. But I realize that I'm not a baseball expert. No surprise there, but what is surprising is how "baseball people" on the Mets still haven't learned their lesson.

Last night's embarrassingly awful loss to the Nationals after what was an incredible comeback in the 9th inning was riddled with moves the average Mets fan knows you shouldn't make. Here's my case:

Lesson #1 - Bobby Parnell is of Fragile Mind
He just blew a massive save attempt the other day. You cannot trot him back out in a pressure situation and expect him to overcome. He's not a closer. He's a guy with a real fast fastball and a decent curve, but he throws the ball ridiculously straight. Parnell's psyche is potentially shattered for another month. He can be the 8th inning guy, but as soon as trouble mounts he must be pulled because he doesn't have the mental fortitude to pitch out of it.

Lesson #2 - Tim Byrdak Cannot Pitch to Righties
Tim Byrdak is a great lefty specialist, but that's it. To bring him in to close out the game in the 10th is baffling as the first left handed batter that you knew wouldn't be pinch hit for wasn't scheduled to be up until the 4th batter in the inning. This isn't the first time we've seen this. Byrdak continues to get hit by righties. Let him face the lefties and be done. In order to face a lefty the Mets had to walk the bases loaded and we know what happened after that. Don't give me the old force at any base excuse. With the amount of walks this bullpen has given up I was certain Beato would have walked the winning run in instead of the wild pitch.

Lesson #3 - Leadoff Walks Kill
Leadoff walks are the harbinger of all bad innings. If a Mets reliever walks the leadoff batter, he must be pulled. It's all down hill from there.

Lesson #4 - The Mets Are Desperate for a BLOWpen Enema
This is a lesson that should have been learned 3 seasons ago. As bad as last night's loss was, did it really shock anyone? It hurt, but it wasn't surprising. No lead is safe and one additional pitcher won't solve the problem. I'm ready to bring up the entire bullpen of the Buffalo Bisons and give them a shot. Can they possibly be any worse than the worst bullpen in baseball?

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