Mets News: Rally Pimp streak ends, Francisco Lindor homecoming, bullpen management

Two words none of us ever thought would show up consecutively: Rally Pimp. It was fun while it lasted. The newest good luck charm of the New York Mets showed up on the broadcast late in game two on Thursday only for the Mets to take the win and follow it up with another victory on Friday.

The fun may now be over. The identity of this temporary hero, Max Wiener, has been revealed. By himself no less! Two games into being the good luck charm and it’s like Spider-Man unmasking himself, Superman putting on a pair of spectacles, or Bruce Wayne accidentally talking in a gravelly voice during a casual conversation.

Why can’t we have nice things? We needed all of the mojo the team could get going into the Atlanta Braves series.

Steve Cohen approves three cheers for Francisco Lindor

If Steve Cohen approves of it, it must be good. The owner of the Mets has been a little more active on Twitter this year. Either it’s the excitement of baseball coming back or a bit of damage control. A part of what made him so endearing to the fans was interaction on social media. He took a step back from it for the last two seasons, but seems to be back and speaking positively. No more citing the slugging percentage.

Here’s what he had to say in response to a tweet about cheering Francisco Lindor upon the team’s return to Citi Field:

Lindor is now 1 for 31 on the year. He’s making contact but just hitting it where someone already is. A standing ovation upon his return to Citi Field will be a tough ask from some fans, especially if the team struggles through the upcoming Braves series.

It’s a nice gesture to support the players. We do need more to get him out of this slump, though. This is where the Rally Pimp really would’ve helped. They're the ones who perform magic, right?

Everyone on the Mets should run a lap for the bullpen management

Yohan Ramirez escaped the seventh quickly on Saturday and was asked to come back for the eight. There is no reason why a pitcher of his caliber should be pitching the eighth inning of a 5-4 game let alone two innings in a row. Criticizing a team for the way they handle the bullpen isn’t uncommon. Through 8 games, it has been one of the weakest points of the Mets.

The doubleheader didn’t help matters with the first game requiring all but Reed Garrett to come into the game. He was able to play the hero in game two. A day later, with everyone except for Ramirez used, the Mets again asked for their better arms to get them from start to finish.

There are a couple of people to blame for this. First, the starting pitchers aren’t going long. Secondly, this team doesn’t have enough optional players to the minor leagues to even bring up a fresh arm. They only now have one spot at their disposal with Michael Tonkin getting DFA’d. Then there’s the manner of how Carlos Mendoza has used the relievers excessively.

The players, the front office, and the manager all continue to do the same thing and it cost the Mets. No one person is responsible here. But gosh, when the last guy who made your team is already being asked for such important outs, you have a problem.