Dave Dombrowski, Brodie Van Wagenen: Help! We Need Relief!
This has been a maddening baseball season for Brodie Van Wagenen of the New York Mets since day one, and now that Dave Dombrowski and the Boston Red Sox were thoroughly mauled by the Yankees in London last weekend, he might be pulling out a few hairs, too. Both could be heard screaming, Help! We need relief.
It’s been a maddening season so far for the Red Sox, expected by many to repeat as World Series champs. Only to find themselves at the halfway point of the 2019 season 12 games behind the hated Yankees in the loss column, 11 back in the standings, and 1-6 in their 19-game season series. Ugh.
The Mets, on the other hand, have yet to show they’re even a .500 team. Before the season began, their new GM Van Wagenen preposterously claimed that the Eastern Division of the National League would come through Citi Field. He could not have been more wrong. Every game Van Wagenen’s Mets have continually devised creative ways to lose games with aplomb usually avoided by major league players. Everyday reporters are screaming at Van Wagenen, Help! You need relief.
That’s why, at the halfway point of the season, the Mets abysmal record of 39-48 has them 12.5 games out of first place with 12 more losses than the Atlanta Braves. There are few, if any, optimistic reasons why the Mets might play any better the second half of the season.
Imagine, the Red Sox and Mets in the same Boat?
They have played baseball with the same glaring deficiencies this season. Admittedly the Boston Red Sox are a better offensive team than the Mets (Boston averages 5.53 runs a game to the Mets’ 4.7 runs a game), but they’ve both lost too many games the same way.
Because of a glaring problem that has festered in their bullpens since the beginning of the season.
The Mets are number one in the majors with 21 blown saves, and the Red Sox are number two with 17 in 87 games for each team. Add those blown saves to both team’s win totals and their seasons would be completely different. But coulduh, woulduh, shoulduh do not count.
Both teams have had to rely on a shaky foundation of starting pitching (that once was considered top-notch) exacerbated by ineffective relief pitching. The Red Sox witnessed just how brutal bad pitching can be, first hand, in London.
As Xander Bogearts was heard to say after Sunday’s game, he could not believe the Red Sox did not win one of the two games, after scoring 13 and 8 runs in the games. After all, the old baseball adage was if you scored five runs in a game, you should win the game.
The Yankees, even with all the runs they scored, 29 in two games, never felt their lead was secure in either game until the 27th out was recorded, Boston’s offense was so tenacious.
But When It Counts …
It’s fair to say Boston’s relievers have pitched better than the Mets. Boston’s bullpen ERA is 4.43 after 87 games, which is 15th in the majors, while the Mets come in at 5.51 after 87 games, or 28th out of the 30 major league teams.
But when it counts, both teams have been unable to rely on those pitchers brought into shutdown a game.
It’s no wonder these teams watch game after game they’re leading in late slip into the loss column. Perhaps, because Boston is not the team I have rooted for for half a century, their games don’t scar me with same emotional angst that Mets’ games do. Thank goodness I’m not a Mets’ season ticket holder. I’d hate to feel compelled to attend their games.
As of the All-Star break, FanGraphs rightfully predicts the Mets have a 6.9 percent chance to make the playoffs while they believe Boston has a 61.9 percent chance to make the playoffs as a wildcard. Although, after London, things don’t look as good.
The Red Sox are now 2.5 games behind Cleveland for the second Wild Card spot. They also trail the A’s and Rangers for that second spot. If they look over their shoulders, the Angels and Mike Trout are catching up, just 2.5 games behind. So, all this losing is beginning to catch up with the Sox. And as they continue to drown their cries of Help! We need relief, have fallen on deaf ears.
Rather than pretend they’re a World Series contender, maybe it’s time Dave Dombrowski becomes a seller and moves some pieces. J. D. Martinez can opt out of his contract after this season. Mookie Betts, a free agent next year, is suffering through a terrible season. On the other side, Rick Porcello is a free agent. David Price could be moved, despite pitching well. And, if they ate salary, they could move Chris Sale, who has been inconsistent this year. This would end the pretense they are a championship team, and restock the coffers. The question is would Dave Dombrowski do this? Word has it the Red Sox are looking at relief pitching. Can Dave Dombrowski really keep the boat afloat with one or two new relief pitchers?
Brodie Van Wagenen can only wish he were in the position of Dave Dombrowski. The Mets should sell everything not nailed to the floorboards. I’d even auction off Van Wagenen, but he has no value to anybody. The Mets can scream, Help! We need relief. But a few pitchers will not make a difference.
Isn’t a Renaissance of Pitching Possible?
The fact these two teams suffer from the same malady points out the importance of the reliever in a game where even the best starters barely pitch six innings anymore. Will the day come, again, when one team develops starters in the minor leagues who can throw complete games? Then bring them to the majors and begin carrying eight or nine pitchers rather than the 13 or 14 pitchers on the 25-man roster today. Will we ever see a Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Sandy Koufax, or Jim Palmer again? A game where a team won’t require an eight- or nine-man bullpen anymore? Or games where managers can move players around, again, because there are more than three position players on the bench?
Isn’t a renaissance of pitching possible? Or are we going to hear more and more GMs and managers scream, Help! We need relief.
