The Mets lost the series finale against the Washington Nationals today, 12-9.
Five runs were on Zack Wheeler. The next seven were on manager Mickey Callaway.
It was clearly evident that Wheeler just didn’t have it today. Hey, it happens. Washington scored 5 times in the second inning. Even Max Scherzer got in on the action, lacing an RBI single to left field. A fly ball that turned Jeff McNeil around and resulted in a ground rule double didn’t help, but Wheeler was far from sharp.
He settled down in the third and fourth inning, but came undone in the fifth.
As he was approaching 100 pitches he could have been pulled after walking Howie Kendrick. He should have been pulled after walking Anthony Rendon. Why wasn’t he pulled after walking Ryan Zimmerman?!
When he was finally pulled after walking Kurt Suzuki, you were left wondering what Mickey Callaway was waiting for.
Well, Zack Wheeler was due up third in the bottom of the fifth, so I imagine he wanted to squeeze one more inning out of his starter. It’s moronic rationale to leave in a struggling hurler flirting with 100 pitches, but I can’t possibly think of another reason why Wheeler remained in the game.
If you liked how Callaway handled Zack Wheeler, you’ll love what he did with Tim Peterson.
Let’s just read his final stat line.
2 earned runs on a hit and FIVE WALKS over an inning and a third of work. Hey Mick, maybe the guy just didn’t have it today?
There’s no rationale there. He gave up on the game, and that fact was magnified the next EIGHT times a Met crossed home plate.
Maybe you can’t knock him for waving the white flag with Max Scherzer on the mound. You HAVE to give the Mets a chance if that Washington bullpen makes an appearance though.
The Mets almost pulled off an improbable win, in spite of their manager. It could be said that the Mets are in first place in spite of their skipper as well.
Mickey Callaway needs to realize he is not in Cleveland anymore, and every reliever is not Andrew Miller. He should especially stop trying to stretch said relievers for a second inning when they barely escape the first.
Show some sort of feel for the situation!
Jim Henderson actually called up Terry Collins and thanked him for not using him as often as Callaway has used Seth Lugo.
The Mets bullpen looks like a Catholic church service. How many times are you going to have these pitchers get up and then sit? Day after day.
We traded A TON of prospects this offseason. We are, for all intents and purposes, all-in. Give Brodie credit. His returns have paid dividends. How long will he tolerate an inherited manager?
Mickey needs to figure out how to manage these relief pitchers. Simple and plain. He’s been suspect with the pen management in almost every game.
What he did today was criminal.