GDT 6/24/23 New York Mets (Scherzer) @ Philadelphia Phillies (Sánchez, C)

[LoneStarPhan]

8th and 9th innings end with a double play.

Felt like a game that was winnable. Pitching not perfect but not terrible.

Phillies lose three of first four at home this week.

Disappointing.

[Patchmk88]

Another sub major league effor from our team and manager.

[zambonir]

Big Mets crowd there today, including a group of a thousand or more behind home plate in the upper deck, all wearing "Sunny"-themed t-shirts ('It's Always Amazing On Broad Street.").

Too bad, winnable game. But more on the offense than the bullpen overall.

And all teams have fringey relievers 5-8. But Thomson obviously loves Marte, who just the other night was pitching a perfect inning to save a one-run game. Of course we all remember his early season too. But we can also remember when both Soto and Kimbrel looked like guys who were going to cause heartburn all year. Marte in particular is someone they think can be another Alvarado but it took Alvarado several years to become that.

At some point this is on Dombrowski - Thomson isn't the one keeping Covey on the roster, nor Hoffman, both of whom can't be optioned (Vasqez being the other at the bottom of the pen). And I'm not sure he trusts Strahm right now. Meanwhile our fourth and fifth-best relievers from last season are both sitting in AAA. But this is actually a good thing.

[Sabin]

Felt like a game that was winnable.

I wasn't as optimistic seeing them fall behind early against Scherzer. This offense is just too weak right now - Turner still struggling to claw back to a .700 OPS; Harper not 100%; June Schwarber flashed a return but lead-off homers only count as one run; Stott and Marsh have shown capable of delivering some hits but the platoons filling the other two spots at the bottom of the order seem incapable of brining them home. And Bohm seems a microcosm of the Phillies as a team: not enough bat to mask the deficiencies with the glove.

The team has some holes in the field and amongst the pitching staff, but it wasn't the fifth starter and JV bullpen crew that blew the game tonight, it was an offense that couldn't plate a third run.

[zambonir]

So you don't disagree that it was winnable, just didn't have much faith in the bats to do it. Agreed, but I did think our bullpen might be able to match theirs (and might have if someone other than Marte had come in first!). I thought they might get to Robertson when they got men on base, and especially over five outs.

When Harper came to the plate I said "if this was October of last year I know what would happen here"; when Bohm did I expected nothing (still 87 OPS+ against RHPs, let alone good ones).

That Bryson Stott is a heck of a player though.

[andyb]

We are getting more and more evidence to suggest that Darick Hall or Drew Ellis (reverse splits in the minors) would be better than Clemens. Marsh has played better the last few days so there really is not room for Cave, but a 1B that can hit some home runs could help this club.

[zambonir]

I think they legit wanted Hall to spend a bit more time in the minors. The fact that he was the notebook item for multiple writers a couple of days ago suggested it's close.

[allentown]

Ellis looks like he would be a good choice to replace Clemens.

[gmwannabe]

I think you bring up Long Ball and put him at first. Move Bohm back to 3rd. The pitching seems to have been straightened out. they need to start scoring more runs. Sosa is a little lax in offense.
gm

[Austinfan]

Sanchez looked solid, 92-94, three pitches, needs to build up, took him out at the right time, velo was starting to drop after 5 IP. But looks like he could be the 5th starter.

[Sabin]

I tend to go into most games thinking they're winnable - whether my confidence will be the same a few innings in is another matter. With the funk the team has been in offensively, seeing them fall a couple of runs behind a strong SP - coupled with their more dependable BP arms having been used the previous night - had me thinking a win wasn't likely. But I was pleased to see them take two runs back against Scherzer and make a game out of it.

And like I said, that Sanchez and a pen of Marte/Strahm/Hoffman/Covey kept them in it until the end was a positive. I'm just a bit glass-half-empty when it comes to the bats right now.

[zambonir]

I'm just a bit glass-half-empty when it comes to the bats right now.

The new offensive strategy of making contact with their bodies rather than the bats is probably not sustainable