WEBVTT - Mets out of gas? Tim Britton joins 0:00:04.400 --> 0:00:06.680 Tim Britton is a senior writer at The Athletic covering 0:00:06.720 --> 0:00:08.840 the New York Mets. Welcome back to the show, Tim, 0:00:09.440 --> 0:00:12.399 How you doing, And I'll start the way I promised 0:00:12.400 --> 0:00:13.520 everyone else I would start. 0:00:13.960 --> 0:00:19.000 Are the Mets? Okay? They're okay for now. 0:00:19.160 --> 0:00:21.640 I guess it's been a rough almost two months now 0:00:21.720 --> 0:00:22.320 for the Mets. 0:00:22.640 --> 0:00:24.120 So I'm doing better than the Mets right now. 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:28.760 Personally, probably I'm doing you know, it's the season really 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:30.800 pivoted for them in the middle of June, and it's 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:32.720 you know, they seem. 0:00:32.560 --> 0:00:33.840 Like they were right in the ship for a little 0:00:33.840 --> 0:00:34.920 bit there toward. 0:00:34.760 --> 0:00:37.199 The end of July, and then they went in San Diego, 0:00:37.240 --> 0:00:39.839 got swept, came home, got swept, and I lost eight 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:42.559 of nine now, so it's been just a rough go 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:44.760 of it for a team that just hasn't shown any 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:46.640 kind of consistency and it doesn't really look like the 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:48.480 team they were the first two and a half months 0:00:48.479 --> 0:00:50.320 of the year over the last two months. 0:00:52.080 --> 0:00:55.360 Kam, I'm going to come out hot here and I 0:00:55.400 --> 0:00:58.440 apologize ahead of time, but I'm going to do it anyways. 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:01.720 Having been in that clubhouse for two years and I 0:01:01.760 --> 0:01:04.360 know how this question it's get brought up quite often, 0:01:04.400 --> 0:01:08.120 but there's been people saying the team has no heart. 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:10.959 Is there any veracity of this statement or is this 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:13.880 just a classic We got to ask that question every 0:01:13.959 --> 0:01:15.160 year when things aren't going well. 0:01:16.080 --> 0:01:18.400 Yeah, I mean I think like that comes up. I 0:01:18.440 --> 0:01:20.880 think more and more when a team struggles offensively the 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:22.720 way the Mets have. Like if you go out there 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:25.080 and you lose a game thirteen to eleven, no one 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:27.119 really questions your heart because you were in it. If 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:29.000 you lose two to nothing, if you go into a 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:31.200 ninth inning like they did on Wednesday being no hit 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:34.000 by Gavin Williams, like then it really looks like you're flat, 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:36.120 like you're not trying, like you don't have any heart. So, 0:01:36.240 --> 0:01:38.120 you know, having been covering the Mets for a while 0:01:38.280 --> 0:01:41.080 when they've gone through different offensive slumps, that is the 0:01:41.160 --> 0:01:43.679 number one thing that fans bring up. I don't think 0:01:43.720 --> 0:01:45.760 that's an issue. I mean, this is largely the same 0:01:45.760 --> 0:01:47.640 clubhouse that showed a lot of heart in the way 0:01:47.680 --> 0:01:49.840 they came back last season with the final four months 0:01:49.840 --> 0:01:52.040 of the year. You know, Francisco Lindor and Brandon Neimo 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:54.360 I think have the pulse of that room pretty well 0:01:54.400 --> 0:01:55.560 at this point, you know, Peter A. 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:57.080 Lonzo is a guy who's been there for a while. 0:01:57.120 --> 0:01:59.880 Jeff mcfeil. These are not guys who kind of roll over. 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:03.200 When things get tough, at least not anymore the way 0:02:03.200 --> 0:02:05.360 they did maybe back in twenty one went when things 0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:07.200 really went south of them in August. But since then 0:02:07.240 --> 0:02:10.040 they've shown a little bit more resolve in that regard, 0:02:10.160 --> 0:02:13.480 especially last year. So I don't think it's a heart issue. 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:15.639 I think it's just really no phase of the game 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:18.120 where they're playing well for six to eight weeks. 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:18.320 Now. 0:02:19.440 --> 0:02:21.320 The thing that stands out to me, first of all 0:02:21.400 --> 0:02:23.760 is that the team's pretty healthy, which is always great, right. 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:26.239 The teams in a good spot compared to most other teams. 0:02:26.320 --> 0:02:28.640 I mean, look at the Atlanta Braves for example, right, 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:31.120 they're missing their whole rotation, they're missing a lot of bats, 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:33.960 all that. Right, So with the Mets, I'm wondering, when 0:02:34.040 --> 0:02:36.919 you see a multiple superstar struggle at the same time, 0:02:37.240 --> 0:02:40.519 if there's some approach, some strategy from teams that you're 0:02:40.560 --> 0:02:43.680 seeing frequently. Last year, what stood out to me with 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:46.160 the Texas Rangers after they won a World Series is 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:48.560 how teams were beating them with heaters, high heaters, they 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:50.840 just like couldn't as a team hit them. There might 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:52.320 have been one or two guys, but for the most 0:02:52.320 --> 0:02:54.639 part that was the mo for the Rangers, and their 0:02:54.680 --> 0:02:57.000 offense fell apart after winning a World Series. 0:02:57.400 --> 0:02:59.120 Are you seeing any trends. 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:01.679 Like that where team are taking advantage of a weakness 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:03.880 With the Mets, So, the two. 0:03:03.760 --> 0:03:05.959 Things that stand out one, I think there last I 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:07.560 checked out a week ago, they were like twenty eighth 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:10.720 in the league against slaggers. That's a tough pitch to 0:03:10.720 --> 0:03:13.080 struggle against at this level. That's pitch you see an 0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:16.280 awful lot of. And then the other one is against 0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:18.400 left handed pitching. You know, we've seen this kind of 0:03:18.400 --> 0:03:20.760 across the game this year that the right handers have 0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:22.200 not had the kind of success they're used to having 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:24.680 against left handed pitching. For the Mets, that's really been 0:03:24.680 --> 0:03:27.519 born out with Francisco Lindoor and Pete Alonzo having pretty 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:30.639 terrible years against lefties. The Mets lefties have been better 0:03:30.680 --> 0:03:32.960 against left handed pitching than the right's have been, and 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:34.639 so we've seen a lot of you know, the top 0:03:34.639 --> 0:03:36.560 part of the Mets order, which is you know, some 0:03:36.680 --> 0:03:39.880 combination of the door Nimo Soto and Alonso. We're seeing 0:03:39.880 --> 0:03:41.680 a lot of teams go to their lefty reliever to 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:44.200 handle that part of the order or have a a 0:03:44.360 --> 0:03:46.640 left handed starter go through that a third time through 0:03:46.680 --> 0:03:48.480 the order because they believe that that part of the 0:03:48.520 --> 0:03:51.320 order is more vulnerable to lefties than it should be theoretically. 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:53.920 So I haven't looked up their exact record against lefties, 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:56.000 but I know it's significantly worse than the record against righty's, 0:03:56.480 --> 0:03:58.560 so that that's been an area where they've really struggled 0:03:58.560 --> 0:04:02.120 of late, and against the sliders as well, which plays 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:02.400 it at that. 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:06.960 At the same time, you mentioned Pete Alonzo, who you know, 0:04:07.040 --> 0:04:11.080 after coming on this one year deal and really putting 0:04:11.160 --> 0:04:13.760 up numbers some of his best months ever in the 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:17.640 first half, then went into July and had statistically, I think, 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:20.640 if not the worst year he's ever had the hitting wise, 0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:23.680 but one of the worst months. So in terms of 0:04:23.760 --> 0:04:27.520 him specifically, what and he is struggling with lefties? You 0:04:27.560 --> 0:04:31.480 mentioned that, But what's what specifically is is he do 0:04:31.520 --> 0:04:34.440 we think is happening with him and his bad is 0:04:34.440 --> 0:04:36.880 he between pitches? Is he not seeing something? 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:37.120 Well? 0:04:37.320 --> 0:04:38.599 What do you see out of Pete? 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:41.240 Yeah, I think he said this last week, but kind 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:42.960 of when he's in a slop the way he was 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:44.960 in the month of July. You can tell at the 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:47.680 way he chases pitches down in the way, the slider mainly, 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:50.440 you know, like he feels better if if his chase 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:52.600 is up in the zone and he's missing fastballs up, 0:04:52.680 --> 0:04:54.400 he's okay with that. He feels like he's going to 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:56.080 get to that pitch eventually, he's going to have better 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:56.800 discernment on it. 0:04:56.880 --> 0:04:58.800 When he's chasing the sliders, that's when he's out of whack. 0:04:58.839 --> 0:05:00.640 And we saw that in July, right, I think the 0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:03.160 ops was like five forty eight or something like that 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:05.400 the month of July, a far cry from where he 0:05:05.520 --> 0:05:09.039 was in April and May in particular. And so you know, 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:13.159 like the Mets order iss the entire team is built 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:15.680 on that top four in the order being as good 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:19.400 as any in baseball. And while the indoor Alonso and 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:21.880 Soto have had good individual months, Nimo has been good 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:24.040 in stretches, there's really been no point this season when 0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:25.960 they've all clicked, and there have been a lot more 0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:28.359 points where none of them have, like like most recently, 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:30.760 So you know that's the part of the order that's 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:32.839 supposed carry the team that's supposed to go to overcome 0:05:32.880 --> 0:05:35.440 the weaknesses they have elsewhere on the roster, and it 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:37.080 just has not worked out that way really at any 0:05:37.080 --> 0:05:37.719 point this season. 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:40.760 Well it's okay, I mean, you just need a dose 0:05:40.800 --> 0:05:43.240 of medicine over the weekend against Oh wait, it's the 0:05:43.279 --> 0:05:46.200 best record in baseball that they're facing the Milwaukee Brewers, 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:48.880 right I just keep thinking about the Blue Jays getting 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:52.200 a little slumpy and then they destroy the Rockies over 0:05:52.240 --> 0:05:54.440 the last several days. The Mets will not have that 0:05:54.560 --> 0:05:58.280 luxury they're in Milwaukee, although good times last time they 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:01.520 were in Milwaukee with the wild Card game Game three, 0:06:01.600 --> 0:06:03.880 Pie Alonzo, the big home er off Devin Williams, who 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:07.000 is now a Yankee. Do you think a series like 0:06:07.080 --> 0:06:09.279 this can spark them in a positive end because they're 0:06:09.279 --> 0:06:12.000 going to be playing against the top team right now 0:06:12.040 --> 0:06:14.839 record wise, and just some top level competition. I mean, 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:17.440 the last couple series they're taking on what the Guardians 0:06:17.480 --> 0:06:20.520 and the Giants both okay teams, but the Brewers are 0:06:20.560 --> 0:06:21.840 the cream of the crop right now. 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:24.880 I mean, you would sure hope that if it is 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:27.840 a motivation issue, that they'd be getting up for this series. 0:06:28.279 --> 0:06:29.800 The team they played in the playoffs last year, a 0:06:29.880 --> 0:06:32.400 team that you know, until that playoff series had really 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:35.000 had their number, especially in Milwaukee, dating back like six 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:37.200 seven years. I think that's only one one series in 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:40.640 Milwaukee since twenty seventeen outside of the Wildcard series, So 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:43.080 that's a place where they really struggled historically. It's a 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:45.080 team that has given them trouble because of the style 0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:48.520 that it plays. The Mets have been better against opposing 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:50.800 base Steelers this year than they were last year, but 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:52.719 that that is an issue for them at times. A 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:54.480 team that puts the ball in play and challenges their 0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:57.640 defense the way Milwaukee does. So I think this is, 0:06:57.720 --> 0:07:00.479 you know, they need to have to put together good series. 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:02.600 We saw them, you know, when they were in that 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:06.479 tough stretch in late June when they lost fourteen of seventeen. 0:07:06.640 --> 0:07:08.719 It was a series win over the Brewers that got 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:10.600 them out of it. They took two out of three 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:12.800 at home as well, walk get started July, then took 0:07:12.800 --> 0:07:14.600 two out of three from the Yankees that got them 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:17.200 back into kind of a better state of play for 0:07:17.560 --> 0:07:19.480 you know, maybe three three and a half weeks until 0:07:19.480 --> 0:07:21.720 they hit this, this most recent skit. But you know 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:23.720 this is the kind of team. The National League is 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:26.080 a gauntlet. This is the kind of team. You're going 0:07:26.120 --> 0:07:28.280 to have to play well against it in the final 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:30.080 two months and then of course into October if you 0:07:30.080 --> 0:07:31.440 want to get back to where they were last year. 0:07:32.960 --> 0:07:35.720 It's summertime, it's bathing suit time, and it's time to 0:07:35.720 --> 0:07:38.880 get a better bathing suit liner. 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Speaking of weird kind of slumpy stuff happening, 0:08:45.960 --> 0:08:50.079 especially in the lineup Wan Soto, who is Biometrics having 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:53.600 a Won Soto style year. There is one big, glaring 0:08:53.720 --> 0:08:56.080 split that makes no sense to me and I am 0:08:56.120 --> 0:08:58.480 still yet to figure out what's going on, and that 0:08:58.640 --> 0:09:03.680 is his production with the bases empty versus people on base. 0:09:03.720 --> 0:09:06.920 He's has over one thousand ops with bases empty and 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:09.240 with runners off it's a six fifty, which is something 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:11.600 that's never showed up for in his career. He is 0:09:11.600 --> 0:09:14.120 actually one of the guys with the bat I think 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:17.240 maybe the best in the league that doesn't have these 0:09:17.320 --> 0:09:21.280 weird splits. He's pretty much consistently against everybody all the time. 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:24.120 So that leads me to think that is this an intent? 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:26.480 Is there something he's trying to do or someone he's 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:29.200 trying to be in those situations. Have you heard anything 0:09:29.240 --> 0:09:33.160 about mindset or approach with guys on base that is 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:35.080 different this year than maybe it would have been passed 0:09:35.600 --> 0:09:37.640 for Jan Soto that explained it? And if not, do 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:39.120 you have any theories? 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:41.559 You know, I haven't heard anything. No one has said 0:09:41.559 --> 0:09:44.360 anything about him individually in that respect. We've seen this 0:09:44.400 --> 0:09:46.640 has been an issue for the Mets as a unit 0:09:47.160 --> 0:09:49.240 for most of the season in terms of, you know, 0:09:49.280 --> 0:09:52.040 bases empty versus runners in scoring position. The ops is 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:55.000 fifty or sixty points different that that changed in July. 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:57.160 The unfortunate thing is it change because they stopped hitting 0:09:57.200 --> 0:10:00.480 with nobody on But you know the we talked about. 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:03.120 You know, when it starts to become an issue for 0:10:03.160 --> 0:10:04.720 a team, you press a little bit. So I can 0:10:04.800 --> 0:10:07.400 imagine when this shows up as a weird split for 0:10:07.480 --> 0:10:09.959 Sodo through April in his first season with the Mets, 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:12.120 can imagine him maybe pressing in those spots a little 0:10:12.160 --> 0:10:13.880 bit more. He's not the type of guy who would 0:10:13.880 --> 0:10:15.760 admit that, and I don't think anyone on the Mets 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:19.240 would admit that on his behalf. But it's funny because 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:21.520 before the season I was looking at you know who 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:24.120 had the best debut season as a met in history. 0:10:24.600 --> 0:10:26.840 And you look at like Mike Piazza's numbers in nineteen 0:10:26.880 --> 0:10:29.400 ninety eight. He was incredible for them for the most part. 0:10:29.679 --> 0:10:32.240 But I had remembered watching that season and thinking vaguely 0:10:32.280 --> 0:10:33.559 that he had had a bad year, and it was 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:36.600 because he had very similar splits to this. It was 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:38.319 kind of no one on base versus runners in the 0:10:38.320 --> 0:10:40.480 scoring position, so that the thought was like, well, Piazza 0:10:40.520 --> 0:10:42.600 is getting his numbers when no when it doesn't matter, 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:44.440 and Soda is getting his numbers when it doesn't matter. 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:46.440 He's not coming through in the big spots. You know, 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:49.120 I think these are the kinds of things that even 0:10:49.120 --> 0:10:51.920 out over time. It is kind of just a weird split. 0:10:52.000 --> 0:10:52.240 For now. 0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:55.520 I'm surprised it has lasted even this long, but I 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:57.679 know I can imagine it's snowballing just a little bit 0:10:57.720 --> 0:11:00.200 on him. But he's the type of guy who he 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:02.400 gets out of it a little bit. I think we'll 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:03.480 start to go in the other direction. 0:11:04.400 --> 0:11:07.319 Tim, Where do you stand on the hitting coach conversation? 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:10.839 You know, I tend to think that some can make 0:11:10.840 --> 0:11:14.240 a massive difference, others are definitely not as good as 0:11:14.760 --> 0:11:18.080 at their craft right and then most of them are 0:11:18.080 --> 0:11:21.319 in the middle where it depends on personnel, the players 0:11:21.320 --> 0:11:23.360 that you're connecting with, et cetera. This team has a 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:25.520 lot of superstars. They've been in the league for a while. 0:11:25.520 --> 0:11:28.040 They know what they're doing. But I'm sure there's a 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:31.400 little heat. New York fans, Mets fans, they want to 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:34.480 come after someone. And Eric Chavez is the hitting coach. 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:36.560 He was a great Big leaguer, but he's hitting coach 0:11:36.559 --> 0:11:38.760 with the Mets right now, and that's the one who's 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:41.680 being asked about. So what is your thought on that topic? 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:44.440 Yeah, I mean, I think if you ever want to 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:46.320 make a change with your hitting coaches, you have to 0:11:46.400 --> 0:11:49.120 know what you want to do instead. You know, I 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:51.280 go back to the Mets in twenty twenty one, fired 0:11:51.679 --> 0:11:53.839 Chili Davis and Tom Slater's their hitting coaches. I think 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:56.280 on like May second, as early as any t even 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:58.360 fired their hitting coaches. They wanted to get more analytical 0:11:58.720 --> 0:12:00.959 and it kind of over you know, brought in Hugh 0:12:01.000 --> 0:12:05.640 Quantalbaum to run things. Sorry Gus, Yeah, q Quatlebum and 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:07.679 it kind of overwhelmed their hitters for the rest of 0:12:07.720 --> 0:12:09.200 the season. It was difficult for them to make that 0:12:09.240 --> 0:12:11.720 adjustment on the fly, and so you know, bringing in 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:13.440 a different hitting coach in the middle of the season, 0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:16.160 it's kind of bringing a different catcher. He's got to 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:19.920 learn everything on the run, and it becomes difficult, you know. 0:12:20.000 --> 0:12:20.400 You see. 0:12:20.559 --> 0:12:23.640 I remember looking at the numbers of how much teams improve, 0:12:23.679 --> 0:12:25.280 and they do a little bit when you fire hitting 0:12:25.320 --> 0:12:28.960 coach bringing someone else, but that's generally explained more by regression. 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:31.360 So I think if the Mets wanted to make a 0:12:31.400 --> 0:12:33.600 move with with Chavez with Jeremy Barnes, that the co 0:12:33.679 --> 0:12:35.800 hitting coaches, they've both been there for four years. They 0:12:35.840 --> 0:12:38.120 know those hitters pretty well at this point. They bring 0:12:38.120 --> 0:12:42.760 different approaches. Barnes more the analytical and mechanical guy, Chabas 0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:46.280 is more of the experience and mental guy. They work 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:49.040 with different hitters differently. I think if you wanted to 0:12:49.040 --> 0:12:50.599 make a change there, if you're David Seartz, who I 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:53.280 don't believe has fired a coach midseason in his tenure 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:55.120 as a as a general manager or a president of 0:12:55.120 --> 0:12:57.600 baseball operations, then you've got to know this is the 0:12:57.600 --> 0:12:59.320 guy I'm bringing in, or these are the guys I'm 0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:01.280 bringing in this is what we're going to do differently. 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:03.719 You've got to have a really set plan rather than 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:05.199 just firing someone to fire someone. 0:13:06.720 --> 0:13:10.800 Having been in that clubhouse when Hugh came on, confusion 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:13.960 is the correct word, I can confirm that is definitely 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:19.320 what was happening. So big picture, we're looking at a 0:13:19.400 --> 0:13:21.400 positive trends. We want to turn things around. We want 0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:24.080 the team to put themselves in better positions to score 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:27.160 the more runs and win. What are a couple things 0:13:27.160 --> 0:13:29.240 you would like to see as the lineup kind of 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:32.080 unveils through a game that maybe even if the results 0:13:32.080 --> 0:13:35.840 aren't quite there, we're seeing better at bats. What types 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:37.800 of things would you look for to see that trend 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:40.320 maybe moving in the better directions some early sides. 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:42.960 Yeah, I mean, I think they've got to stop having 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:45.880 these like three four five inning or as I did earlier, 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:48.439 fourteen inning stretches where they're going hitless. 0:13:48.520 --> 0:13:50.319 You know, they're having too many one. 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:52.880 To two three innings against opposing staffs, so getting guys 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:55.440 on base, just creating the opportunities that they were creating 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:57.559 in April, May and the first half of June. 0:13:57.640 --> 0:13:59.720 And then you know, coming through. 0:13:59.559 --> 0:14:01.320 With runner and scoring position and the way they weren't 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:03.120 at that point, and they started doing in July, just 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:06.120 with fewer opportunities. So I think kind of meshing those 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:08.280 two aspects, hitting with nobody on hitting with runners on 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:11.440 the way we've talked about, and then I do think 0:14:11.600 --> 0:14:13.160 like we focused a lot on the offense, like the 0:14:13.200 --> 0:14:15.319 starting pitching staff has to lead the way as well. 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:18.520 That they were first in rotation era in the National 0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:21.560 League through June twelfth, I think June thirteenth is kind 0:14:21.560 --> 0:14:23.120 of win. This shifted for them when they blew a 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:25.280 five run lead and lost to the Rays, and since 0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:28.320 then they're twenty ninth in Baseball in rotation era. So 0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:31.280 it's been a real shift for them. The whole staff, 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:34.360 the ra has been worse, but you know, leading from 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:37.160 the rotation guys kind of beyond David Peterson and now 0:14:37.200 --> 0:14:39.640 Sean ma and I is back pitching into the sixth 0:14:39.680 --> 0:14:41.960 inning and beyond code single looking like you did earlier 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:44.240 in the season, could help to the point where it's 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:46.520 not a two nothing game in the sixth inning every night, 0:14:46.680 --> 0:14:49.880 or whether they need to score, you know, seven runs 0:14:49.880 --> 0:14:52.040 to win a game. I think, you know, having it 0:14:52.120 --> 0:14:53.520 started to go out there and win, you a game 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:55.960 the way like Gavin Williams did against them on Wednesday, 0:14:56.360 --> 0:14:58.760 could help start them in the other direction. 0:14:58.880 --> 0:15:00.120 Get that rock moving, gut. 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:04.080 Away, I'll stay on the rotation. A guy that our 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:07.000 show has had consensus on over the past couple of years, 0:15:07.040 --> 0:15:08.920 and you know, this is what we do on shows. 0:15:09.640 --> 0:15:13.640 Frankie Montas AJ will put it more bluntly usually than 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:15.680 I will. How is this guy getting contracts like this? 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:17.600 And he signed for two years thirty four mil. There's 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:20.280 certain pitchers in the off season where you're like, man, 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:22.520 this guy can't find a home and it's two years 0:15:22.520 --> 0:15:24.880 thirty four mil. I think with the player option for 0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:26.520 next year, so he could opt out if he was 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:29.680 really good. He's not opting out, news flash. But what's 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:31.200 going on with Frankie Montas? 0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:32.360 What's the plan with him? 0:15:32.720 --> 0:15:35.920 And has the organization talked about you know what they're 0:15:36.000 --> 0:15:38.680 seeing you know from him now that is leading to 0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:41.240 the struggles. What they liked about him, that led to 0:15:41.280 --> 0:15:42.880 the signing of the offseason of course that had a 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:44.960 lot of injury issues. That was the case this year. 0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:46.600 He comes back, but he's not pitching well. 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:48.920 Yeah, and so in the off season they like this. 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:51.000 You know, they liked his stuff. They thought, like what 0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:53.720 he did over the final two months with Milwaukee last year, 0:15:53.760 --> 0:15:56.240 when he brought his velocity back up, was kind of 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:58.160 you know, him coming off of the shoulder injury that 0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:00.560 he had with the Yankees. This was the kind of 0:16:00.400 --> 0:16:02.320 the in between year he needed, and he was going 0:16:02.360 --> 0:16:04.840 to take off the following season. That's why they made 0:16:04.880 --> 0:16:06.600 the gamble on him with the two year deal including 0:16:06.640 --> 0:16:08.840 the player option for the salary that they did, which 0:16:08.840 --> 0:16:10.640 I did do think surprise a lot of people in 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:11.280 the industry. 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:13.000 What's been off really? 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:15.680 You know, he had the injury in spring training, didn't 0:16:15.880 --> 0:16:18.360 didn't come back into the rotation until June. While he 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:20.600 was even on his rehab assignment, he was getting hit hard, 0:16:21.200 --> 0:16:23.240 you know, and it's been like a mechanical issue that 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:26.280 he's been working through for most of that time, just 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:28.040 to be more repeatable and to put the ball where 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:30.040 he wants to. It doesn't matter how good your stuff 0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:31.320 is if you can't put it where you want to 0:16:32.520 --> 0:16:34.920 enough of the time. And that's been carried over for 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:37.560 a while. So they've talked about, you know, maybe using 0:16:37.560 --> 0:16:39.960 an opener in front of him. You know, Paul Blackburn 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:42.280 is about ready to come back from his own injury, 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:45.040 he would be another option. Most Mets fans roll their 0:16:45.040 --> 0:16:48.200 eyes at that possibility and look more longingly at Triple A, 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:51.120 where you've got Brandon sprot and Nolan McClain, two of 0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:54.840 their best pitching prospects who appear just about ready to 0:16:55.080 --> 0:16:57.000 come to the big league level. Sproad after tough for 0:16:57.000 --> 0:16:59.120 a couple of months is really good of late. McLain's 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:02.560