Tag: milwaukee-brewers

New York Mets: Despair, and Then, Elation

I knew they could do it.

Even at 2-0 in the top of the 9th inning, I held fast to the belief that the New York Mets would find a way to steal victory away from the Milwaukee Brewers. I said all during the day and I saw no reason to change my mind. Actually, my faith was made stronger when Devin Williams was only given the final inning as opposed to coming in the game in the top of the 8th. More on that later. Anyhow, as you can imagine, once Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick went deep in consecutive at bats, it was doom and gloom in the Lynch household. Even the mild mannered wife raised her voice in disgust at the sight of Milwaukee celebrating their display of power.

OMG they did it again. Photo from Sports Illustrated

As for Matthew……

Let’s just say he did not take it well. Growing up, Matthew was very hard to console after a loss, even a seemingly innocent one at the beginning of May. The zenith of this was that game in Washington in 2019 when the Mets took a 10-4 lead into the 9th inning only to lose 11-10. Come on, Met fans you know which one I am talking about that. Even non-Met fans remember that. In any event, as he got older Matthew calmed down quite a bit, taking each loss in stride. As I’ve mentioned previously, he went to Game 3 of the Wild Card round in 2022 and though gloomy, was nowhere near the fire breather he was three years prior to that. Maybe it was the stakes of the game last night. Maybe it was how the game unfolded. Maybe it was the thought of a series defeat after working so hard to get that point. THAT Matthew returned last night, but in a different way. He was more measured and though there was an outburst, it was limited to a couple of words. He did send out a very long text to our group chat, letting us all know what he thought of the Brewers, their fans and the fact he wasn’t alive the last time the Brewers made the World Series.

And then…..

Pete Alonso took control. His three run home run sent us into a frenzy. Again, the mild mannered wife showed emotion, this time of a different kind. And Matthew repeated “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness” about 20 times in succession while jumping up and down repeatedly. He was reminded that it was late and his grandmother was sleeping downstairs. He would later tell us he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Matthew was over the moon and I couldn’t have been happier for him. He and his team deserved to play another series. I think while watching the final out he was thrilled but also relieved. Who knows what kind of teasing he would have gotten from his Yankee friends at school had the Mets lost.

Back to me. I will admit that I got nervous once the Brewers took the lead. I thought manager Pat Murphy would go to Devin Williams to get the final six outs. You know, bring in your best guy immediately to close the deal. Instead, Freddy Peralta retired the Mets in order in the 8th and Williams was summoned for the 9th. Let this be the final lesson to all Major League managers. You are going to get burned when you continuously play Reliever Roulette. It very nearly happened on Tuesday when the Tigers removed Tarik Skubal after six dominant innings. It struck Pat Murphy and the Brewers last night.

As for the Lynch House, these next seven days will be………….challenging.

The Week Ahead in Major League Baseball May 27-June 2

It’s hard to believe the Major League Baseball season is already two months old. The warm weather is finally here and school is almost done. We are starting to get an idea of which teams are serious contenders, which are headed for a long Summer and the rest, well, they teeter between slightly below or slightly above average. There is a World Series rematch this week as the Arizona Diamondbacks will visit the Texas Rangers for two games. We will also see how the Atlanta Braves fare with Ronald Acuna, Jr beginning a stint on the Injured List. Here is what else will be going on this week around the league.

Aaron Judge goes to San Francisco for the first time since Arson Judge appeared. Photo from Fox News.

Series to Watch: Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers

It’s a battle for early control of the National League Central as the second place Cubs visit the first place Brewers. The Crew is a feisty bunch; Sunday against the Boston Red Sox was the third time this year Milwaukee was involved in a benches-emptying encounter. Cubs’ fans always make a Milwaukee their home away from home. Aces battle on Wednesday when Shota Imanaga pitches agianst Freddy Peralta. The two teams face each other for the second time in 2024. The Cubs won two out of three games at Wrigley Field during the first weekend in May.

Player to Watch: Aaron Judge

Since a slow April, Judge has been near impossible to get out. He is hitting .359 over his last 30 games with 13 home runs. On Tuesday, he goes to San Francisco for the first time since he came oh-so-close to signing with the Giants after the 2022 season (remember Jon Heyman’s Arson Judge tweet?). I’m sure the venom Giants’ fans have for the Los Angeles Dodgers will come out during Judge’s plate appearances. The Yankees then travel to Anaheim for the weekend; Judge owns 11 home runs vs the Angels in 31 career games.

Turnaround for the Cincinnati Reds?

Things are looking up in Cincinnati. The Reds are coming off a home weekend sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers and now have a chance to make up ground in the National League Central. Up next are three games against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals followed by a weekend set in Chicago vs. the Cubs. Nick Lodolo makes his return this week from a groin injury and Alexis Diaz picked up back-to-back saves against the Dodgers, showing signs he is out of his early season funk.

Hot in Cleveland

The Guardians are riding a nine game winning streak. Up next is a trip to Colorado to take on the Rockies, one of the worst teams in the National League. The weekend brings a visit from the Washington Nationals who are better but still below .500. Despite the streak, the Guardians are still only 2.5 games ahead of the Kansas City Royals. These next two series offer the opportunity for Cleveland to increase their lead in the American League Central.