New York Mets manager Terry Collins had seen enough of the feeble swings and zeroes on the scoreboard.
Before his team played the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 25, he told his assembled group in the clubhouse, “Whoever is swinging the bat (well) is going to play. It’s about scoring runs right now.”
On cue, the Mets hammered out an improbable 21 hits and won, 15-2.
Managing is not always so magical and no one is calling the offence the Menacing Mets, yet. But the rare, lopsided victory touched off a 9-2 run that has pushed the team into first place past the big National League East favourites, the Washington Nationals, who have not been the convincing dynamo most pundits predicted.
When the season began, the Nats celebrated pitching rotation was the envy of baseball, having added the most coveted free agent on the market, right-hander Max Scherzer.
As the pennant race heats up, it is the Mets much younger staff of hard-throwing strikeout artists that really impress everyone from casual fans to insiders.
One unidentified scout told ESPN’s Jayson Stark he would rather have the Mets starting rotation right now, as well as the future.
Hard to argue.
Last season’s Rookie of the Year, Jacob deGrom, 27, has graduated into Cy Young Award conversations, with a 10-6 record and a 2.09 earned run average.
Matt Harvey, 26, has rebounded from Tommy John (elbow) surgery to post typically solid, 10-7, 2.76 numbers. This season’s ROY candidate Noah Syndergaard is 6-5, with a 2.66 ERA, and recent call-up Steven Matz went 2-0, 1.32 before straining a muscle. He is hoping to return in early September.
The parade does not seem to end. Another rising mainstay, Zack Wheeler, 25, joined the Tommy John club just before the season began. When any of them throw, the radar gun lights at 95mph and rises.
If the Mets do make the postseason, they will bring the scariest collection of starting pitchers to the party.
The offence, not so much. Only the Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox have scored fewer runs than the Mets.
First baseman Lucas Duda, with 21 home runs and 53 runs batted in, is the closest thing to dangerous. Mostly the Mets slap the ball around, hope to score three or four runs, get seven shut-down innings from a starter, and see if the deep bullpen, anchored by closer Jeurys Familia, can hold on.
The Mets have been among the more active buying teams in the trade season, trying to jump start the offence by grabbing streaky, veteran hitters Yoenis Cespedes, Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe.
Elder statesman Curtis Granderson, 34, has had a solid year (17 homers, 41 RBI). But it is a bad sign when your power-challenged team cannot run, either. The greying outfielder is the team’s stolen base leader, with just nine.
The young arms do not just pitch brilliantly because they can, it is because they have to.
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Asia Cup 2018 final
Who: India v Bangladesh
When: Friday, 3.30pm, Dubai International Stadium
Watch: Live on OSN Cricket HD
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
