The Mets got blown out by the Blue Jays for the second night in a row, getting shutout by Toronto 7-1 at the Rogers Centre on Thursday. Here are my takeaways from Thursday’s loss…
More bad defense.
The Mets got some absolutely brutal defense once again on Thursday night. Between more unturned double plays, and balls not caught on the infield Bartolo Colon was forced to throw way too many extra pitches thanks to the extra outs the middle infield in particular afforded the Blue Jays in the second and fourth innings.
It all came crumbling down for Colon and the Mets infield in the fourth when Wilmer Flores was unable to catch a relatively easy line drive hit right to him by Kevin Pillar. It would’ve been the second out and more than likely Colon would’ve gotten out of the inning unscathed or with minimal damage. Instead, the extra out allowed the Blue Jays to string together three consecutive hits, and that pretty much ended the Mets night.
It’s been said time and time again. This defense simply has not been passable in too many games. Whether it’s Flores one day, Dilson Herrera the next, Granderson’s inability to throw well, the countless unturned double plays, it’s all culminating into too many unearned or undeserved runs, too many extra pitches the pitchers are throwing, and pitchers are being to forced to throw those pitches under duress at that.
It’s just not going to work. Unfortunately, it’s probably not going to change, either.
Bartolo Colon is not off the hook.
It’s not like Colon pitched well and bailed out the poor defense. He couldn’t command the outside part of the plate to either lefties or righties at all tonight, forcing him to come back over the plate with meatballs, and he got absolutely mauled in the fifth inning with one fastball up after another.
He’s a strike thrower, but when he isn’t down in the zone, he just gets crushed, and that’s pretty much what happened to him tonight, the mistakes behind him not withstanding. He’s just not a guy who can be effective if he’s not throwing that two-seamer on the corners at this point in his career. That’s what happened tonight, and it turned into one of those throw away games for Colon.
The offense was really, really bad, again.
I don’t know of a team that goes to the Rogers Centre and literally can’t score a single run. But, the Mets and their inept offense never ceases to amaze.
The Mets made a lot of lazy contact on Wednesday against Drew Hutchinson, but they looked like the 1927 Yankees in comparison to tonight. They did absolutely nothing against former mate R.A. Dickey, despite drawing five walks against him in seven innings.
There’s really nothing else to say about it other than the offense was utterly brutal in these two games in Toronto. Outside of the third inning when they walked three times and still didn’t score, there were hardly any baserunners to be seen for the Mets on Thursday night.
Maybe they’ll go to Atlanta and hit in a pitchers park? I guess we will see.
Other notes from Thursday:
Logan Verrett made his Mets debut, and pitched two perfect innings of relief.
With his 0-for-4 at the plate on Thursday, John Mayberry Jr. is 0-for-his-last-11 at the plate.
Ruben Tejada went 0-for-3 to end his four-game hitting streak.
The Mets were outscored 15-1 in the Canadian portion of their home-and-home series with the Blue Jays.
Just Mets 