The Amazins in Astoria: May 23-29

Image: Fansided

Welcome back to the Amazins in Astoria, a season long chronicle of my life in relation to the 2022 New York Mets.

For the first entry in this series, click here.

For the previous entry in this series, click here.

May 23rd-Game 44 vs. San Francisco Giants (28-15)

The 9:45 start for West Coast games was devised as a tease, and you can't convince me otherwise. It's like they heard complaints from East Coast fans regarding 10:10 first pitches, and feigned throwing the a bone by moving the start time up to this weird section of the hour that ends up pleasing nobody. As you can probably tell, my energy entering this game is pretty low, half due to the late start, and half due to the gutted pitching rotation the Mets have to work with for the next month-and-a-half or so.

My energy quickly perks back up as the Mets get off to a sizable lead by the 3rd inning. Alex Cobb had some serious trouble against the Mets back when they played in Flushing last month, and it's pretty much the same story in the Bay today. For a team that can really flex their power when they want it, the Mets are getting on the board pretty much by knocking each other forward from base to base. Very Little League-esque, might I say. That is, of course, until Alonso pipes one to center to cement a 5-2 lead. Cobb leaves after 6 having earned another 3 on the Mets, and the Amazins suck any life out of a San Fran rally in the last 2 innings by piling on another 7 runs.

Big wins against big teams. That's what it takes for these Mets to take it to a new level.

May 24th-Game 45 vs. San Francisco Giants (29-15)

I feel like saying that the rotation currently relies on Chris Bassitt is a bit of an exaggeration, but outside of maybe Carrasco, it's pretty accurate. If tonight's performance is an indicator of what to expect before Scherzer and DeGrom (with a thousand fingers crossed) return, the beginning of this Summer is going to be pretty rough. Bassitt gets absolutely lit up through 4.1 IP, and by the time Joc Pederson hit his 3rd homer of the game, I'm ready to call it a night. 2 runs scored in the top of the 7th help lighten the blow, but there's no way they can repeat what they did in Philly, right?

Right?

I never thought I'd be so happy to see Jeff McNeil bat twice in one inning, but after the rally the Mets put on in the 8th, I'm losing it, a bit quietly of course, as to not wake my roommates who have already gone to bed. Again, it's not even their power that's getting runs on the board! It's these little bloop singles that continue to rattle Tyler Rogers until he gives up a 3 rbi triple from Francisco Lindor. To be honest, that play was a bit more on Joc Pederson for slipping on the scoop, but it's enough to get Rogers pulled after 25 pitches. After an Alonso sac fly, and a Canha grounder to end the inning, the Mets are up 11-8, and if this comeback holds, I may be watching this game during rain delays for the next 30 years.

That is, of course, if Joc Pederson wasn't playing. In the bottom of the 8th, Peterson smacks an absolute rocket to right field, and after the Mets grab another 12-11 lead in the top of the 9th, Pederson hits a blooper to tie the game. Crawford walks it off with a grounder to left, and the Giants with their stupid color gradient jerseys celebrate winning what some are calling the best game of the year so far. Considering the fact that my teams don't usually find themselves involved in all-time games too often, I'm a bit shocked at how crappy it feels to be one the losing side of one.

May 25th-Game 46 vs. San Francisco Giants (29-16)

Like I said, it's going to be a rough few months with this rotation. In 1.1 innings pitched, Thomas Szapucki lets up 9 runs, ending this game before I even have a chance to get the radio feed on. I hate to sound like a spoiled fan after my team drops just their second series of the year, but man, this team's problems are so glaringly obvious it hurts.

May 26th-No Game

I'm sitting in the Moynihan Train Hall, eating one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. As I savor this prosciutto and burrata on soft focaccia bread, I try and figure out who the Mets could grab before August to fix this gaping hole in the roster. Jose Quintana, maybe? When it comes to who the Mets should give up for another solid pitcher, I'm dreading coming up with a name. My biggest fault as a fan is that I get way too attached to players, so giving up Dom Smith, or even a prospect like Brett Baty, just might be too heartbreaking.

May 27th-Game 47 vs. Philadelphia Phillies (29-17)

I'm playing the dumbest game of chicken with my friends in regards to buying tickets tonight. The weather report is not looking great, but it's also not entirely in postponement territory. We end up deciding to go to the Sunday game instead, and after some brief showers pass through Astoria, and then Flushing, the Mets and Phillies take the field for Game 1 of their latest bout. I don't know why, but considering the weather, I'm compelled to listen to this one on the radio. Howie and Wayne's broadcast remind me of listening to a game on the beach in July, so I guess I'm trying to evoke some of that.

The Mets get off to a very quick lead in the bottom of the 1st, scoring 3 runs due in large part to some disorganized fielding from the Phillies. As Bryson Stott bumbles the throw to 1st, letting Nimmo reach safely, Howie Rose is unsurprised. "Welcome to Philly baseball in 2022," he says. Scalding, Howie. Absolutely scalding.

Aside from the Phillies fielding not being up to the challenge, the Mets are cranking it today. Alons hits his 8th homer of the month, and man, does it not get old. The Lindor-Alonso 1-2 punch in the lineup can be a bit hot and cold, but this week, it's been hot. The pair single and double respectively to give the Mets the last 2 runs of the day. Again, the bullpen nearly send this one crashing down, letting up 6 runs in the 6th, but they're able to fend off a comeback just enough to secure the series opening win, as well as that 30th win that eluded the Mets for a bit longer than expected.

May 28th-Game 48 vs. Philadelphia Phillies (30-17)

When I first heard the "J-E-F-F" chants this season, I thought it was the silliest things to ever come out of the Mets fandom. However, as McNeil pipes one into right, giving the Mets a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the 4th, I can't help but mutter it to myself in my living room. Another offensive clinic from the Mets tonight, and a 6 strikeout night from Taijuan Walker gives them a chance for the ever-elusive sweep on Sunday.

May 29th-Game 49 vs. Philadelphia Phillies (31-17)

The vibes at Citi Field are immaculate as I get off the train. As a massive crowd files into the stadium for a nationally televised game, the Mets have set up a dj booth blasting disco, and fans are dancing in the pavillion with Mr. and Mrs. Met. I'm sure if Steve Dahl gets wind of this, he'll have a heart attack. As my friend and I find our seats, tonight's prop bet of the day, highlighted on the jumbotron, is "O/U 0.5 Fantasy football disputes between players."

The Mets get going early, scoring 3 in the bottom of the 1st. Funny enough, the 1st 3 RBIs of the game are all scored without the batters recording a hit. Lindor opens scoring with a fielder's choice that sees everyone safe due to some classic Phillies overthrowing, and Escobar and Canha move runners forward by grounding out. On the mound, Bassitt is having himself quite the redemption game. He's not really tunneling his pitches by any means, but he's giving plenty of tough pitches for the Mets to make plays on.

Everyone in the cheap seats is having a good time until the relief comes in. Drew Smith makes two decent outs, but has to leave after an attempted snag at a ground ball bends back his finger. I can see the ESPN broadcast from one of the bars near my seat, and it looks pretty gnarly. Joely Rodriguez comes in to replace him, finishes the inning, and puts two guys on base in the 8th for Adam Ottovino to clean up. Ottovino cleans nothing, and gives Nick Castellanos a four-seamer that he pipes into left center, giving the Phillies a 4-3 lead.

The Mets need some heroics to ensure the sweep, and if I had to pick who that hero would be, my last choice would be Nick Plummer. I've got nothing against the guy, but after getting called up and down several times since Mid-April, I just wouldn't have expected his first major league hit to be the clutch dinger that it was. On the first pitch from Cory Knebel, Plummer rockets it into the right field 2nd deck, sending Citi Field into absolute bedlam. McNeil, Guillorme, and Marte all can't walk it off, so we head to extras, where again, my expectations are shattered.

Diaz smokes the Phillies in the top of the inning, giving Lindor and Alonso the perfect opportunity to end this one in the bottom of the 10th. Lindor strikes out, and Alonso is intentionally walked. As Eduardo Escobar steps up to the plate, I say to the guy behind me that using Lazy Mary as his walk-up song is bad luck. Again, I'm proven wrong, and Escobar bloops one to right for the walk-off RBI double. I'm airborne out of my seat, and for a brief moment, Citi Field is New York's hottest club.