McDonald: Mickey Callaway Needs To Make A Bold Move And Bench Jay Bruce

Another game and another loss.

More importantly, another wasted Jacob deGrom outing.

The way things are going, it’s not a question of if the Mets should trade him at the deadline, deGrom may ask off this team. The Mets ace has a 1.57 ERA and only four wins to show for it.

Tonight, against the Yankees, he suffered his first loss in the Bombers 4-1 win over the Mets.

“I made a mistake and lost us a ballgame,” deGrom said of Brett Gardner’s homer which was the difference in the game. “I left one up in the strike zone.”

Seriously, though, you can’t blame deGrom for this loss. He gave the Mets a chance to win. You again need to blame the bats. Up and down the lineup, the Mets’ sticks are frozen and not doing anything.

Tonight, Brandon Nimmo hit Mashiro Tanaka’s second pitch out of Citi Field and then there was silence for the next 27 outs. Something must be done. They are winless this homestand, losing seven straight and lost 12 of their last 14 games.

“It’s difficult, because you have to give the same thin, you have to bring energy everyday,” said manager Mickey Callaway, who seems to be answering the same questions over and over again. “For the most part the players have done that.”

So great, the Mets have energetic outs. But the same results are happening again and again. So maybe something needs to be done. A bold move.

As mentioned the other day, both Jay Bruce and Michael Conforto are killing the Mets. Both are hitting terribly, while wasting a spot in the middle of the lineup.

Yeah, we know Yoenis Cespedes is doing a rehab in Binghamton and will probably take one of those spots, but for this weekend at least, it’s time for Callaway to bench Bruce and put Jose Bautista in the lineup.

At 37, Callaway is using Joey Bats sparingly, mainly as a pinch hitter and against some lefties. That time has passed. Bautista is hitting .281 with five doubles and three RBI. A very small sample to be sure, but Callaway needs to do something.

Bruce is hitting .226 with three homers and 15 RBI in 195 at bats. He just looks cold out there and needs something to jumpstart his bat. Keeping him in the lineup is a detriment to the club.

Callaway preaches that this is a meritocracy and those who produce will play. Of course, we know many times this isn’t true and with Bruce starting everyday and Jose Reyes still on the roster, it’s been business as usual.

Now with the season on the brink, something needs to be done. Benching Bruce would be a start and once Cespedes comes back, then maybe give Conforto some time off as well.

Only by playing the hot hands will the Mets be able to get out of this slump.

Right now they have no hot bats in the starting lineup.

It’s time to make a statement Mickey or the next two games against the Yankees will give you the same result.

 

 

About the Author

Joe McDonald

Editor-in-Chief
Joe McDonald is the founder and former publisher of NY Sports Day. After selling to i15Media in 2020, he serves as the Editor-in-Chief and responsible for the editorial side of the publication. In the past, Joe was the managing editor of NY Sportscene magazine and assistant editor of Mets Inside Pitch. He has covered the Mets since 2004.

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