Buck Showalter has been a bad manager this season.
From the Daniel Vogelbach obsession to puzzling bullpen decisions to letting Mark Vientos rot on the bench only to be sent back to Triple-A, Buck has failed to push all the right buttons like he did last year.
His players have also underperformed and Billy Eppler has not put together enough depth for this team to win.
Everything is going wrong.
That showed again over the weekend as the Mets lost two of three to one of the worst teams in baseball in the Cardinals.
There’s still 91 games remaining, but the Mets are going to need to string a bunch of wins together, because they are 5.5 games back of the final wild-card spot and are already pretty much toast in terms of winning the NL East.
To talk about a bad weekend in Queens and where the Mets stand, we bring you a new episode of the “Amazin’ But True” podcast with Nelson Figueroa and me.
We play our short interview with Donovan Mitchell that we conducted on the field before the Subway Series. We also are joined by Nelson’s dad, Nelson Figueroa Sr., for Father’s Day.
Amazin’ But True Podcast with Jake Brown & Nelson Figueroa:
- CARDINAL SIN: Mets lose two games to one of the worst teams in baseball. Sunday’s loss was frustrating. Adam Ottavino should not have been in there in the ninth inning and shouldn’t be leaving a fastball down the middle to Nolan Arenado.
- NO LUCK BUCK: Showalter with an inexcusable decision to pull David Robertson after the eighth inning after just eight pitches. He has to put Robertson back out there for the ninth, especially against the middle of the Cardinals order. Also, why does he keep going to Daniel Vogelbach? There was no need to pinch-hit him for Mark Canha in the ninth on Sunday. Canha is a better hitter and was having a good day at the plate. The Vogelbach experiment has got to end. Why do they keep giving him endless chances? Are the Mets playing for Buck like they did last year?
- EARLY ALONSO: It feels like Pete Alonso came back way too early on Sunday, just 11 days into a 3-4 week window he was supposed to be out with the wrist injury. He did not look right at the plate or in the field on Sunday.
- BILLY IN-EPPLER: Every trade he has made has been awful. He has not brought enough depth. This team is keeping guys around who are not helping the Mets win games.
Donovan Mitchell Interview:
Cavaliers guard, Mets fan
- METS FANDOM: Growing up around the team with his dad working for the Mets. Friends now with a bunch of guys on the team. Has a big Mets memorabilia collection. His Gary Carter personalized signed photo is his favorite piece.
- FAVORITE METS MEMORY: Sweeping the Cubs in 2015 in the NLCS. Endy Chavez’s catch is still a photo he has on his wall. Mike Piazza’s post 9/11 home run is up there.
Nelson Figueroa Sr. Interview:
Figgie’s dad
- FIGGIE’S JOURNEY: Everybody compared him to Greg Maddux since he didn’t throw hard and used off-speed stuff. It’s all about location. Flew a long way to Texas for a lot of money for his MLB debut. He pitched well.
- PITCHING FOR METS: “It’s like dying and going to heaven.” That’s what he told Kevin Burkhardt when he asked him about seeing his son pitch for his favorite team. Grew up a big Mets fan and going to games at Shea Stadium.
- COMING HOME: Living at home while pitching for the Mets. Walking up to the 14th floor at their apartment in the projects. Getting home after bad starts and having his dad tell him what he did wrong in the start.
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Catch up on all episodes of “Amazin’ But True,” a New York Mets podcast, by subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Jake Brown on Twitter and Instagram @JakeBrownRadio and Nelson Figueroa @FiggieNY. Follow the podcast on Twitter @AmazinButTrue.