All right, the Mets have their emotional opening to get the Subway Series rolling and their season finally moving in the right direction.
It’s time to put up or shut up, starting with general manager Sandy Alderson.
Silent Sandy declined multiple media requests Sunday to explain what is going on with his team following the Mother’s Day Miracle win over the Phillies, a 5-4, 11-inning victory at Citi Field that included a three-run ninth inning to tie the game and Ruben Tejada’s walkoff single against a depleted Phillies bullpen that did not have closer Jonathan Papelbon.
Now it will be four straight against the Yankees, starting Monday night at Yankee Stadium. Remember, the Mets swept the Subway Series last year. Bartolo Colon will go against Hiroki Kuroda to start.
“The energy in the Subway Series is an animal of its own,’’ manager Terry Collins said. “But to go in on a positive note is big, especially to get us off what’s happened here in the last six days. We were a ground ball or a base hit away of winning four of those six, so to get us going again was big. Our guys relish the challenge in front of them.’’
“We just needed a win,’’ admitted Daniel Murphy, who hit a monster two-run home run in the ninth to bring the Mets within one. Then Chris Young ended an 0-for-18 streak with a double and wound up scoring the tying run on a ground out by Juan Lagares. That is not to be confused with Tejada’s 0-for-17 streak, snapped earlier in the game. Tejada was playing because Wilmer Flores is sick.
Over the last five games, the Mets’ five through nine hitters were batting .109.
An emotionally drained Collins admitted he had to “think outside the box’’ to get the offense going after losing five straight and eight of nine. That included giving Anthony Recker the green light on a 3-0 pitch, which is frowned upon in Alderson’s Bases Per Out World.
“You can call it desperation,’’ Collins said of his moves. “I’d rather have it a little more positive than standing on the edge of the cliff.’’
The Mets still are not saying if Jenrry Mejia will be a closer or a Wednesday starter for the Subway Series, but Collins was tremendously encouraged by Jeurys Familia’s big performance Sunday, 1 ²/₃ innings of hitless relief, and said Familia is moving closer to getting the closer’s role. In all things Mets, though, the manager has to check with the GM, who makes those final decisions.
The two men met after the game to talk over plans, but Sir Sandy, through a spokesperson, declined to meet with the media.
The 17-19 Mets need to have Eric Young Jr. in the leadoff role because of the energy he brings to that spot in the moribund lineup. They are 2-8 when he does not start. Young picked up three hits and scored two runs on Sunday.
“This win may really be the win that gets us going,’’ Collins said.
The win was a big win for Collins, who cannot afford to have too many losing streaks. General managers don’t fire themselves, they fire managers. The Mets are short in the bullpen and do not have enough hitting, but the bottom line is Alderson essentially put Collins on notice with the challenge the Mets are a 90-win team.
What was the energy level in the dugout when Tejada got his winning single against Jeff Manship?
“Everybody left, the coaching staff was about the only guys left out there,’’ Collins said with a laugh.
As for calling up some young, fresh arms, Collins deferred to his GM, but said: “I think it’s going to be pretty exciting when they get here. We’ve seen what it has done in Miami. We’ve seen what it has done in Pittsburgh, in St. Louis, but it’s got to be the right time, and I think that is what Sandy is real good at, having a feel for what is the right time.’’
There’s no time to get rolling like Subway Series time.