New York Mets Broadcast Ripped ‘Criminal’ Mismanagement That Left Opponent Battered

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Mets broadcasters ripped the Braves' roster management decisions.


The New York Mets blasted the Atlanta Braves 14-3 on Monday night in NL East action. Relief pitcher Connor Thomas took the brunt of the beating.

The lefty was hammered in the loss, recording fewer outs than runs allowed. The scene got so bad that the Mets broadcast crew began to feel sorry for him.

Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling called the roster management “criminal.” They ripped the Braves for leaving Thomas out to dry.

Connor Thomas was shelled.

The reliever entered a tied contest in the bottom of the sixth frame. He quickly surrendered the lead on a Marcus Semien home run.

An inning later, Tyrone Taylor took Thomas yard. It pushed the score to 8-3.

The lefty’s night ended in the eighth after Francisco Lindor went deep with a three-run bomb. Thomas was removed from the game with the score at 14-3.

His stat line was abysmal. He allowed 11 runs on 10 hits and five walks across 2.2 innings. It went about as poorly as possible.

Thomas was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett on July 25th. This is his second time with the Braves this season.

The first try didn’t go well as he surrendered four runs over 3.2 frames in a loss to the Pirates. This one was much worse.

Thomas is a former fifth-round pick out of Georgia Tech. He made his MLB debut last year with the Brewers. Unfortunately, he’s struggled in the bigs.

Across four appearances, he owns a career 20.83 ERA. He’s allowed 27 runs and seven homers while completing less than 12 innings.

He’s likely on his way back to the minor league system soon. Former pros Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez were not happy with how the Braves managed the situation.

Mets broadcast blasts Atlanta.

“Literally, I’m sick to my stomach,” Darling said on the air. “I’m not a happy camper at all, pretty disgusted with it.”

There was a reason for the decision. The Braves entered the contest having played nine one-run games in their last 13 tries. That included five straight nail biters, two of which went to extra innings.

Simply put, the bullpen was shot. Thomas paid for it. When things got out of hand, Atlanta chose to leave him on the mound in order to save pitching. He was replaced by shortstop Jorge Mateo, who recorded the final out.

It’s unfortunate, and certainly a hit to the lefty’s confidence. The Braves were willing to make the sacrifice for the health of the pitching staff.