Ask manager Terry Collins about a call that resulted in his first ejection of the season that had different interpretations. An apparent foul ball could not be caught by Wilmer Flores in the fourth inning because a bat boy on the third base side interfered with the play.
Bases loaded and Zack Wheeler got out of a jam. That made it easier for the Mets before another loss.
Collins argued. The rule could not be interpreted correctly, and that explains how this New York Mets season is going. Fact, and according to the rule book this year, nothing is going right for the manager and his team as they split four games with first place Milwaukee.
And with Wheeler throwing hard, the Brewers went after the first pitch and a fastball they could not miss. The bad breaks of the game, that is what continues to be a theme of this 2017 Mets team and even a technicality with Flores, the umpires, the manager and a batboy puts more emphasis on what goes wrong at Citi Field.
“You can’t get mad at him,” Flores said about a batboy who may or not be an employee of the New York Mets. This unique interference of a call that went wrong was not to be faulted on the new “Mr. Met” or was it the old “Mr. Met” who was relieved of his duties Wednesday night after inappropriate behavior of pointing a finger in the wrong direction.
Flores added, “He went the wrong way. I had the ball.” Again the play did not factor in the Mets 2-1 loss and at a time with the bases loaded. The Mets inconsistency did them in, as Chase Anderson tossed 7.0 scoreless innings and allowed three hits.
Collins said the Mets inefficiency to start a winning streak was attributed to a pitcher named Anderson. “He did not miss a spot,” he said.
Overall, it’s one thing and then another for Collins. Just when things are looking good the pessimism returns, Optimism is always important and so is consistency, and these Mets are not showing that ability to get a streak going, one that can create some leverage between them and the first place Nationals.
Then again, there is still plenty of time to get the consistency going with a bad Pittsburgh Pirates team coming to Citi Field for three games that begins Friday night. But the distractions keep coming even though this was an apparent misinterpretation of a rule.
The rules that are official, according to the book says, unintentional interference if a bat boy or security person, or someone else permitted on the field by accident gets in the way of a fielder. That should be an out. By now that rule has a way of its own and the point here is a Mets season going on a way of its own.
The Mets were glad to see Hernan Perez off their schedule and unless they meet the Milwaukee Brewers in the postseason his six games against them and a .429 average are in the books this year. In the third inning he drove a double to right off a Wheeler fastball that produced one of the two runs.
But all they will be talking about is how the Mets can’t develop a winning streak. And about an apparent simple rule that needs clarification had nothing to do with this latest Mets loss.
That went in the record books in a season of what to expect next.
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