Whiffing on a changeup is one thing. Whiffing on a changeup before the ball gets even remotely close to the plate is another.
Mets second basemen Javier Baez was guilty of the latter during the team’s 8-0 thrashing at the hands of the Giants Tuesday night at Citi Field. In the bottom of the second inning, San Francisco hurler Sammy Long’s changeup, which didn’t go over 80mph that inning, prompted Baez to swing absurdly early.
Baez, who came to New York in a trade with the Cubs before the July 30 deadline, ended up walking – but the Mets were already losing 3-0. Earlier in the inning, Mike Yastrzemski smashed a two-run homer before the Giants poured on four more runs in the fourth and another in the eighth.
