The Mets are a good team. We can readily admit that now. They had the Phillies down and out before a few fluky errors on Tuesday night turned a win for New York into a somewhat stunning loss. Last night, they battled out at bats, strung together some hits and scored runs. For a team that, on paper, looked like a World Series title contender, it’s what they were expected to do anyway.
The story of the night though was Vince Velasquez and his odd pitching line.
1 1⁄3 IP, 0 H, 4 BB, 4 K
That doesn’t happen to normal folk. It’s a glimpse of the entire Vince Velasquez show. The ability to get hitters to swing and miss, followed by a total lack of awareness of what a strike zone actually is. People will get frustrated with his continued role on the team, but as we stated last night, he’s not going anywhere. Yet.
The four strikeouts in his appearance are why he’s still here. It’s why he’ll continue to get chances around the league. But mentally, he just has never shown the ability to be a good pitcher.
— The Good Phight (@TheGoodPhight) April 7, 2021
On to the links.
Phillies news:
- It wasn’t just Velasquez last night. Until the bullpen came in for New York, the Phillies continued to struggle to hit the ball.
- While they won’t go undefeated this year, this team does have a different feel to them than past iterations of the team.
- Even after their first start struggles, Matt Moore and Chase Anderson remain important parts of the team for 2021.
- Included in the notes here ($), Ken Rosenthal notes that the team originally targeted Andrelton Simmons this offseason as their shortstop based on the defensive boost he’d give.
MLB news:
- The Boston Red Sox unveiled some kind of uniform thing yesterday, calling it a “City Connect” uniform to be worn this season. They’re stupid and ugly.
- Fernando Tatis, Jr. will not need surgery yet to fix a shoulder issue. He’ll likely be back this season.
- George Springer should make his Blue Jays debut this Thursday after taking batting practice the other day with no issues.
- The Yankees added some Odor to their team, acquiring the second baseman from Texas in exchange for two minor leaguers.
- The Braves also made a deal yesterday, sending two relievers to Milwaukee for Orlando Arcia.