Carlos Mendozas priorities are in wrong place with Mets season teetering on edge
So much of this season, especially the last 4 ½ months, has been about fun, about characters, about an endless feel-good vibe that invaded the Mets clubhouse around June 1 and never let go.There were comebacks aplenty — both in the standings, and in the many games that allowed them to rise in those standings.Fun is a big part of baseball.
Fun has its place.But this is no longer about positive vibes and cheerful mojo.There’s only so much that a purple fast-food mascot can do, especially when OMG has so swiftly turned to SMH.
The Mets are now halfway to the abyss, and they face their latest must-win adventure Thursday night, Game 4 of the NLCS at Citi Field, after this 8-0 throttling in Game 3.Carlos Mendoza would surely prefer to channel Darrell Royal, the old Texas Longhorns coach, who famously said, “Dance with the one who brung ya.” In fact, less than 20 minutes after this slaughter was over, he literally paraphrased it.“The guys out there got us to this point,” he said.And look: part of why Mendoza had such a great rookie year as a manager is that he is unfailingly loyal.The players know he has their backs.
He doesn’t make lineup switches out of panic.But this isn’t panic.
The Mets can no longer afford to go with Royal’s credo, or Mendoza’s.Too much is at stake.The lineup for Game 4 should look different than the one he ran out for Game 3.
But he said with absolute conviction that this will not happen.Francisco Alvarez is the obvious candidate to get a rest.
His second-inning error led to the first two unearned runs and cast a pall over an electric crowd of 43,883 that desperately wanted to serve as the Mets’ wingman Wednesday.He also struck out in the bottom of the inning with one out and the bases loaded, when even a sacrifice fly would have reengaged the ballpark.He has now left 10 runners on in the last two games.
He’s young and he’s scuffling.Luis Torrens, his backup, is not Pudge Rodriguez and has only six hits since the f...