The media questioned Buck Showalter, the manager of the New York Mets, on his late-game selection.
Instead of using All-Star Jeff McNeil as a pinch hitter for the New York Mets when the game was on the line, Buck Showalter would rather let Tomas Nido, who had a poor hand, hit for the team.
The San Diego Padres defeated New York by a score of 2-1, marking their third straight defeat. Although the Mets managed to score one run against the visiting Friars in the final stanza, Showalter’s choice to retain Nido in the game rather than insert McNeil as a pinch hitter was definitely perplexing. The Mets’ advantage over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East shrank to just half a game.
Here, Showalter is being questioned by the press over his choice to pass on McNeil in that situation.
Late in the game, the New York Mets’ manager makes a dubious decision that results in a defeat
On Saturday night, Nido was the Mets’ ninth-place hitter. Nido only went 1-for-3 on the day, and his season average is only.213.
Additionally, he had to leave a game early in the series due to a left hand injury. Showalter chose to keep McNeil on the bench when they were down to their final out and had a chance to win it in a walk-off. He could have performed better, yet he might not have.
Although the Red Sox once had a sizable lead over the Braves in the NL East competition, one would anticipate that the contest for the division title would now be close. Since June 1, Atlanta has been playing outstanding baseball.
Although the Mets are undoubtedly one of baseball’s top teams, the Braves have won the division four times in a row and are the defending World Series champions.
It may not be necessary for New York to defeat the Padres on Sunday Night Baseball in order to maintain first place after the Braves allowed five runs to the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning of yet another masterpiece from Ian Anderson.
But this most recent defeat to San Diego has just highlighted the necessity for New York to add one or two bats before the trade deadline on August 2. Atlanta certainly has a talent for making runs…
Only one game presently separates the Mets and Braves in the division, and not even that.
