Yankees

If I were Yankees I would be real careful with deGrom talks. Steve Cohen has proven he will not be outbid and who knows if Yanks piss him off he may re-sign deGrom and then make Yankees pay ultimate price by landing Aaron Judge. 1 thing last off-season proved with Scherzer signing is that what Steve Cohen wants (whether it is a player or a valuable piece of artwork) he will NEVER be outbid.

Signing

If the Mets sign Senga it does not mean they are not signing deGrom but likely means no Bassitt AND deGrom. I would think a rotation of Scherzer, deGrom, Senga, Carrasco and Megill/Peterson could happen

 

Also IMHO if you lose Nimmo Adam Duvall as a free agent could be a good Plan B with maybe JD Martinez FA as a DH

 

Just a thought

Astros Respect

Coming into this series, I was surprised to see lack of respect for the Astros. They have been to 6 straight ALCS's and last year down 2-1 in ALCS to Red Sox  and minus Justin Verlander who was hurt--they won 3 straight games in blowout fashion to win the pennant.

 

Last night all we heard is the roof is open and wind is blowing and yet the Astros with some subtle tweaks to the hitting approach got a win. First of all, Alvarez hit a double play ball which he beat out on sheer hustle giving Bregman an at bat.  He knew Severino would try to bust him inside and he took that inside heater over the short wall in left. My question is how come Yankee power bats could not do the same? Stanton's final AB he looked clueless.

 

And lack of hustle from Yankees has been obvious in post-season--Torres not hustling on DP grounder in Guardian series leaving Judge without an at bat in that inning plus the comical scene where Donaldson was called out as both he and Yankee first base coach were trying to enjoy a Cadillac run around the bases on a hit that fell short of the fence. After last night's game the Yankees embarrassed themselves further by Severino calling Astros "lucky" and Boone blaming open roof stadium.

 

As we head to a 4PM start in Game 3 tomorrow should the Astros blame a potential loss on shadows saying this game should be played at night? No, they won't --they will employ best at bats possible in those conditions. And I can tell you they will hustle every moment no matter what the situation. And Baker's use of his bullpen could be the key in this series.  It has already put Yanks in an 0-2 hole.

 

NY Yankee Fans

I hear NY Yankee fans complaining Judge shot would be a homer with closed roof. First of all, that is an MLB decision not an Astro decision and secondly if Yanks won the season series from Astros in regular season tonight's game would have been in the Bronx--you know the one with minor league outfield wall dimensions. Yankee fans pipe down and just get ready for games in the Bronx down 2 games to none.

On Yankees/Astros

On Yankees/Astros:

These teams are evenly matched with one notable exception: the manager's chair as Dusty Baker is better in these close games than Boone

It's The Astros

My ALCS pick is Astros in 7 as this Houston team is deeper, better managed by Dusty Baker and possesses a better bullpen, better lineup and a better ace pitcher in Justin Verlander. The 2 best post-season clutch hitters in this series--Altuve and Alvarez--wear Astro hats and because Astros swept the Mariners while the Yankees Guardians went the distance lets Astros use Verlander twice while Yankees cannot use Cole or Cortes till Game 3. Can the Yankees win? Of course, they can in a short series, but this Astro team is just a better squad and I think they will end Yankee season for the 4th time in the past 7 years. This matchup reminds me of 70's Yankees/Royals as KC was a great team but could not beat the Yanks till 1980 cause the Yankees were a better team in those years.

Edwin Diaz

A Yankee loss like that was pretty hard to believe--but proves beyond a shadow of a doubt how valuable the right arm of Edwin Diaz is for the Mets--They MUST re-sign him PERIOD

 

Tough Day

I know today is a tough day for Met fans but bottom line is you have to keep knocking on the playoff door to get what you want. Look at Nats Dodgers and Braves--they had numerous playoff series losses but keep getting playoff spots and finally got rings, it can be done. Big off-season with plenty of tough decisions for Mets but unfortunately post-season failures are sometimes price you pay to learn how to win in that second season.

 

 

Mets End the Season

The Met regular season ended without winning the division which is certainly disappointing but a playoff spot for a team that won101 games (only Dodgers and Astros won more) plus the NL Batting Champion, the RBI champion, 2 100+ rbi players, and sports best closer before we even talk about starting pitching. Playoffs start tomorrow and this Met team is loaded. And come playoff time watch for Vogelbach to become an unsung hero in these games.

Tough Nights

Two tough nights in Atlanta but gives Braves credit--they beat 2 of the best pitchers in the sport--Tonight's game is still huge as a Met win gives them the tiebreaker which would mean they would then just match versus Nats what Braves do vs Marlins, A Met loss means the division is likely gone but still in playoffs. Granted would be a tougher road to the promised land as a Padre series (even though all games would be in NY) is a tough road. If you get past them the Dodgers would be next and strange thing is maybe you are better playing them in a best of 5 than a best of 7 although pitching would be tough as you might have to start Carrasco or Walker in Game 1 of that series if you had to use deGrom, Max and Bassitt to get past the Padres.

 

Needless tonight is a huge game but not the end of the season if they lose.  Keep the faith Met fans--I know it has been a tough weekend in Atlanta but as a fan your team needs far more in the rough moments than when things are going great.