picture courtesy of newsday.com
One thing that got a lot of Mets fans to support manager Terry Collins and his way of running the team was his insistance of playing the game right regardless of who was in the lineup. While Jerry Manuel openly told reporters the team was waiting for injured players to get back, Collins expects production regardless of who is injured and who is in the lineup. Collins also mentioned that if players hit, they would play.
The last statement would imply that he would be more inclined to play the hot hand. It has not been the case as Collins has continued to insist on playing a predominantly right handed hitting lineup against left hand pitchers, a lineup that has not given the Mets much of a chance against southpaws. Scott Hairston has had a very good season, particularly against left handers, but the rest of the team has not. Guys like Justin Turner and Ronny Cedeno have hit the same against right and left handers this season. Daniel Murphy (coming off a 4 hit game) has handled left handers as good as Turner and Cedeno. Yet Murphy is on the bench and so is Jordany Valdespin, who hit another pinch hit homerun in his last at bat.
The fact that the Mets have struggled against left handers should lead to more left handed bats being run out there. Collins has done that a lot with Lucas Duda and Ike Davis and did that early on with Murphy. But, it seems like every time a left hander is on the mound, he unloads his right handed bench, thinking it going to work. IT NEVER DOES! Josh Thole, though its agreeable that he has not had a good offensive season, is hitting .255 against LHP, while Mike Nickeas has hit .200. Yet Nickeas is run out there just about everytime a left hander is pitching.
It is fair to say Valdespin does not have a position, but it doesn't mean he gives the team less of a chance against a LHP. I'm wondering when there will be a finalization that the lineup against lefthanders does not work. To say a lineup with Murphy, Thole and Valdespin could at least do the same as a lineup with Nickeas, Cedeno and either Bay or Torres would be an understatement. But, as time goes on, it is a wonder whether that will ever happen.
Collins has preached it doesn't matter what the name says on the back of the jersey, but maybe it only applies to whether it's a star calibur player or not. Right handed hitting players play against LHP regardless of how much they give the team a chance to win, apparently. As this team is hitting a potentially fatal stretch of the season, it would be nice to see a lineup consist of the team's best hitters, not the overthinking involved in right-left matchups. If it's all about the numbers, the numbers show its not working. It's time to change this matchup obsession before its too late. But, it may not matter a week from now.
The fact that the Mets have struggled against left handers should lead to more left handed bats being run out there. Collins has done that a lot with Lucas Duda and Ike Davis and did that early on with Murphy. But, it seems like every time a left hander is on the mound, he unloads his right handed bench, thinking it going to work. IT NEVER DOES! Josh Thole, though its agreeable that he has not had a good offensive season, is hitting .255 against LHP, while Mike Nickeas has hit .200. Yet Nickeas is run out there just about everytime a left hander is pitching.
It is fair to say Valdespin does not have a position, but it doesn't mean he gives the team less of a chance against a LHP. I'm wondering when there will be a finalization that the lineup against lefthanders does not work. To say a lineup with Murphy, Thole and Valdespin could at least do the same as a lineup with Nickeas, Cedeno and either Bay or Torres would be an understatement. But, as time goes on, it is a wonder whether that will ever happen.
Collins has preached it doesn't matter what the name says on the back of the jersey, but maybe it only applies to whether it's a star calibur player or not. Right handed hitting players play against LHP regardless of how much they give the team a chance to win, apparently. As this team is hitting a potentially fatal stretch of the season, it would be nice to see a lineup consist of the team's best hitters, not the overthinking involved in right-left matchups. If it's all about the numbers, the numbers show its not working. It's time to change this matchup obsession before its too late. But, it may not matter a week from now.
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