Strategy matters. A lot. And bad strategy often begets bad outcomes.

Speaking of strategy. No plan existed to write this until something unfolded last night.

Those who discuss baseball (and softball too) with me know how important I view the construction of a batting order, the ephemeral lineup.

I look at constructing (choice of word intended) a lineup as much the same as putting together a building or vehicle. A weak link and it topples or falls apart.

The failure of the Mets to insert J.D. Davis into the starting lineup Friday eve troubled me. He was their best batter before going down. It foreshadowed for me the underperformance experienced Friday eve when National League baseball resumed.

It became magnified when the Mets lineup with Davis inserted scored a bunch of runs and looked primed to win handily. Alas not to be. Moves got made later and a lineup weakened. You might ask how it carries over to pitching – since the two best relievers failed miserably. Well weaken things on your side and it gives hope to the other side; rather than lie down, the Bucs rose up. On the pitching side, I saw a move not made until too and a dinger before as a result. It foreshadowed the next inning when one might think “we” survive and get slammed instead.

One hopes a manager I otherwise find promise recognizes the imperative of better batting deployment and not messing with them.