After the Mets were swept last night by the Diamondbacks, SNY Mets post game co-host Bobby Ojeda issued several loud criticisms of Mets Manager Jerry Manuel.
Suggesting that Manuel’s consistent re-ordering of the batting lineup throughout the season has contributed to the Mets offensive slump, Ojeda then went on to say that he thought Manuel demonstrated a counterproductive lack of confidence in his players.
Ojeda on the Mets recent offensive struggles:
“I just think that the unsettledness that this ball club has dealt with all year, as far as lineups, has played a role in this.”
“I see guys, and these are good major league hitters, and they’re going up there with some awful cuts.”
Ojeda mentioned that “almost everyone” on the team has admitted bluntly to Kevin Burkhardt in interviews that they are “pressing” in their at-bats.
Ojeda continued, “What does that tell you? That tells you the way they’re being run, and the way those lineup cards are being put out is not taking pressure off, it’s putting pressure on ’em.
“And they’re showing definite cracks in their behavior by going up there and taking awful swings at mediocre pitches.”
Ojeda’s criticism of Manuel continued. “So far everything that Jerry’s done isn’t working. And how do I know that? Well look at the record. Look at what’s going on. Look at (their performance) on the road.
“This is just mind blowing to me that this team can play so well at home and then go on the road and then just completely fall apart. Now what changes? Its the same pieces in the game. I don’t understand it.”
Asked to explain the Mets recent post-All-Star Game struggles, Ojeda again criticized Manuel, this time for not showing confidence in his players.
“This is has been a progression into this, and I look at a couple examples.
“One, the Angel Pagan situation. He wasn’t told he was going to be an everyday starter even after he clearly outplayed Jeff Francoeur. He still wasn’t given a vote of confidence, and that spreads throughout your ball club.”
Ojeda also criticized the way Manuel has run his bullpen.
“When the bullpen has always been, ‘the hot hand goes, you turn cold on me, you’re buried…’ that spreads…”
“Listen, players are a temperamental people. They depend a lot on confidence and sometimes that confidence has to come from external things. And if that’s your managers… if that’s your coaches, so be it.
“But you need to have some confidence. You need to have some people believe in you. And the guy who fills out the lineup card has to show some belief in his guys, and right now, his patience is being tested the way this ball club is playing.”
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