While Max Scherzer hadn’t allowed a hit all day, the Mets made the most of their opportunities, thanks to an awful defensive day by almost-Met Ian Desmond, who threw one ball directly into the ground from short but made a more costly mistake on a pop fly off the bat of David Wright.
Scherzer escaped the afternoon with a zero ERA, but I am sure that doesn’t give him much solace with a big “L” on his resume. David Wright’s pop-up should have been caught, but Desmond, for some reason, called off Dan Uggla while he was on the second-base side of the bag. Uggla gave way and the ball dropped in. Curtis Granderson advanced to third (more on that in a second) and Wright was at second. Lucas Duda drove them in with a single to right center.
One thing that was peculiar to me was that SNY didn’t give us a second look at Granderson’s baserunning. With how long the ball was in the air, he should have been able to score. But sure enough, he ended up on third base and it ended up not being spotlighted. Duda’s hit made it a moot point anyway.
In light of the situation, I thought back to the famous pop-up play with Luis Castillo from several years ago. Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez was pitching and Alex Rodriguez was at the plate. The game should have been over, but a famous drop by Castillo ultimately led to a loss in what was another long and frustrating season for the Amazins’.
While it didn’t mean much yesterday, hustle should be a mantra of this team. I am not killing Granderson, but that hesitation or assumption could cost a win or two in the future, and that could be the difference between making or missing the playoffs. That’s something to take into consideration, even in April.
Optimism is brewing in Queens, and it sure does smell good.
