[nypost.com] — Saturday, October 8, 2022 4:05:00 AM
Knicks’ Derrick Rose on playing time: ‘whatever Thibs wants’ New York Post
[heavy.com] — Saturday, October 8, 2022 12:21:13 AM
Former Knicks Star Sounds Off on New York Heavy.com
[news.yahoo.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 10:49:39 PM
Obi Toppin shines, Cam Reddish struggles in Knicks’ preseason win over Pacers Yahoo News
[observer-reporter.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 10:35:33 PM
N.Y. Knicks 131, Indiana 114 | Agate | observer-reporter.com Observer-Reporter
[www.mrt.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 10:18:15 PM
N.Y. Knicks 131, Indiana 114 Midland Reporter-Telegram
[www.si.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 10:18:01 PM
Indiana Pacers suffer first preseason loss to Knicks in New York Sports IllustratedObi Toppin shines, Cam Reddish struggles in Knicks win over Pacers New York Daily NewsKnicks 131, Pacers 114: Scenes from the Obi Toppin dunk-a-thon Posting and ToastingJalen Brunson, Obi Toppin shine in Knicks’ preseason win over Pacers New York Post 3 developments to monitor in Knicks’ second preseason game against Pacers Daily KnicksView Full Coverage on Google News
[www.nhregister.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 10:11:01 PM
N.Y. Knicks 131, Indiana 114 New Haven Register
[www.si.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 9:13:21 PM
New York Knicks Star Has Bold Take On Draymond Green Situation Sports Illustrated
[www.detroitbadboys.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 7:00:00 PM
Pistons vs. Pelicans GameThread: On the road in New Orleans Detroit Bad Boys
[www.cbssports.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 5:55:42 PM
Knicks’ Cam Reddish: Set to start Friday CBS Sports
[nbaanalysis.net] — Friday, October 7, 2022 5:06:47 PM
NBA Rumors: This Knicks-Suns Trade Features Jae Crowder NBA Analysis Network
[nypost.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 3:50:00 PM
NY Knicks co-owner stands to reap payday from Twitter-Musk deal New York Post
[bleacherreport.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 3:23:05 PM
Knicks’ Complete 2022-23 Season Preview and Predictions Bleacher Report
[hoopshype.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 3:05:50 PM
Tommy Beer: Knicks announce Cam Reddish (spra? Hoops Hype
[njmonthly.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 2:30:22 PM
Different Strokes: Former Knick J.R. Smith Talks Transition to College, Golf New Jersey Monthly
[www.washingtonpost.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 12:51:00 PM
At the Athletic and New York Times, a marriage with promise and tension The Washington Post
[sports.yahoo.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 12:27:21 PM
Dolans Declare Knicks, Rangers Undervalued, Net Instant $70 Million Yahoo Sports
[www.cbssports.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 11:44:28 AM
Knicks’ Evan Fournier: Resting Friday CBS Sports
[www.foreverblueshirts.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 9:15:02 AM
James Dolan reaffirms New York Rangers and New York Knicks not for sale Forever Blueshirts
[www.postingandtoasting.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 9:00:00 AM
Ep. 171 Shock Jacques Knicks Podcast Posting and Toasting
[www.si.com] — Friday, October 7, 2022 8:00:00 AM
Knicks’ Miles McBride Seeks to Make Difference on Defense Sports Illustrated
94 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2022.10.08)”
“There is no way you can get back to being teammates after a punch like that.”
— Evan Fournier
Last night was super fun if you were a fan of Obi Toppin, although it was mostly fast breaks and a few threes that swished. I will be curious if he can do some of that low post play we saw towards the end of last year, when he is playing alongside a bunch of more ball dominant guys than the roster had late last season
Look, like Fox Mulder, I want to believe. If only so that trade will seem less stupid. There is just so much more evidence of him being bad then of him being good. I remember how desperately I kept trying to fill the idea of Frank as a point guard into existence, and would get super excited when one time out of every three games, he would make an interesting offensive play. But at a certain point, a player is who he is. Maybe cam can be the exception to that, but if everyone is healthy, it’s hard to imagine how he will get that chance.
Yeah, Reddish is just not ready for a rotation spot on this team. In a practical sense, he’s not the worst 11-12 guy to have on your bench.
You can criticize Thibs for a lot of things, but he seems pretty smart in hindsight for not wanting either Kemba or Reddish. The issue with that is he will play on that to try to move the needle on FO decisions, and we already know that he was a god-awful GM.
I missed the entire game last night, sounds like Obi went off, Brunson was good again, RJ had a great first half, and Julius deferred.
Hard to tell how impactful Deuce was from his stat line. He only shot 2-7 but hig a couple of 3s, had 2 blocks but no steals, and 3 assists vs. 1 TO. He tied with Obi for the team high with a +16. How did he look?
Thibs is handling the Cam situation correctly.
1. He giving him a chance in pre season when the games don’t matter.
2. If he decides to bury him on the bench, now the critics can’t say he’s not giving him a chance.
Last year he was reluctant to throw him into the mix until there were injuries because he was trying to win games. He didn’t want to experiment with a kid that doesn’t know the schemes in a marginal situation. Now Cam has had a full camp. If he can’t earn the spot, so be it. If he earns over time in practice or when he does get a chance to play. that’s great.
“The issue with that is he will play on that to try to move the needle on FO decisions, and we already know that he was a god-awful GM.”
There’s a difference between recognizing which players will excel at what you are trying to do as a coach, fitting them together well, and knowing how much to pay them or pay for them in a trade. I trust him on the former but not the latter, like another coach we all know.
I have a funny feeling it was Thibs that pushed for Grimes and Deuce.
What we don’t want him doing is wildly overpaying any of the players he likes or giving away the farm to get someone he likes in a trade.
I thinks it’s pretty clear what he likes. He likes high energy defenders and workers that bring something to the table on offense over guys that mostly just score.
“But at a certain point, a player is who he is.”
I always ask, what does this guy do at a “plus” level now and what are the holes in his game that prevent him from becoming a net plus player overall.
If I can envision the holes being plugged well enough over time to at least be average in those areas, then I want to see more. He may just be a role player, but he could be a very good one.
Cam doesn’t do anything well. 😂
The trip from where he was/is to something really useful is a tougher path than for a guy that’s already very good on one side but weak on the other. But he can do a few things on the court that most other players can’t. That’s what keeps people interested. But right now he still looks like a bad player with some talent.
Do you folks think Draymond Green will still be a Warrior this season?
It depends on how Green responds to the big suspension that GSW will now feel forced to give him due to the video getting out.
That was such a vicious and unnecessary punch, I think 41 games or even the season should be in play. I don’t see how those guys could ever play together again. One of them has to be traded and it should be Green.
He’s not getting extended and Poole probably is. Don’t think that there is much of a market for him, so ultimately I think the Dubs work it out internally and he stays this season.
I’d love to know what words were exchanged…wondering if something like “you donkey-looking mfer” was involved…
Good one Z-man! I could see Draymond coming back after a 10 game or so suspension. Thankfully Poole wasn’t seriously injured.
We are looking like a good, versatile, and deep team. To me we look more like the Billups’ Piston teams than the Gallinari Nuggets. It’s going to be a very exciting season.
Play Obi at the 3!
Portis only got 8 games for a much more damaging punch to Mirotic’s face.
Personally, I think Green has a mental health problem. I’m not qualified to say what it is, but we all have a little “on and “off” switch that prevents us from doing certain things that would cause damage to ourselves and others even if in our gut that’s what we want to do. He doesn’t have it. That why instead of just shoving him back he tried to land a KO punch. That’s why he blurts things out that get him into trouble. That’s why he gets so many techs and gets suspended for kicking players in a critical playoff situation etc…. There’s a loose wire.
I keep reading this about Reddish, but i have to say i’m intrigued by what are those things, can anybody tell me?
Dray is not expiring, he has a player option for next season at 27.6M. And given the recent events, the most likely scenario is that he’ll opt in.
This means we’re aiming for the championship? 😀
You guys are probably right that Cam is never going to do much in the NBA. But I still don’t understand why he was playing the two. Yes it was a chance for him to shine, but it would have been a better chance if he played a position he was more familiar with.
“I keep reading this about Reddish, but i have to say i’m intrigued by what are those things, can anybody tell me?”
I would say tough shot making. Most guys wouldn’t even attempt some of the things he tries and pulls off, but what good is it if you can’t make the shots you are supposed to make often enough. He had one ridiculous make yesterday. I think it was the only shot he hit.
I didn’t understand that SG assignment either, but I wasn’t watching the matchups closely. He’s taller and longer than RJ. His natural position is SF, but maybe that had something to do with it. Maybe they needed the length at guard or Thibs just wanted to see if he could handle it.
“I have a funny feeling it was Thibs that pushed for Grimes and Deuce.”
(Eyeroll) this was widely reported, Strat.
“ But I still don’t understand why he was playing the two.”
Because he can’t (or refuses to) rebound.
It’s Cam’s fourth season, and it’s not like he has a flaw that needs fixing. The thing that needs fixing is that he’s not particularly good at anything. He has no feel for the game, and doesn’t score, pass, rebound, or defend well.
He’s good at being a formerly prized high school recruit and that’s about it. He’s in the fine tradition of Emmanuel Mudiay, Dennis Smith Jr, and Noah Vonleh— draft busts who came to the Knicks and continued to stink. It’s not a bad idea to take flyers on guys like this if you can acquire them for nothing, but effectively trading a 1RP for Reddish was a bad idea. Nobody is disputing that anymore.
I didn’t get to catch the game because my daughter’s school had movie night. But I did look at the box score and saw Quickley’s, Obi’s, and Mitch’s raw numbers and was thoroughly impressed. I believe that Obi has the ability to play all 3 frontcourt position- so why not give Obi some burn at the 3? That way you’re not wasting the pick because you’re finding ways to get Obi on the court. I mean- we finally have strong PG play, right? I would love to see Hartenstein/ Randle/Obi/Grimes/Brunson out there to see what they can do. To say Obi reminds me of a thinner Amare is too lazy. I see alot of big wing a la James Worthy in him. Athletic, aggressive, corner 3, will pass, long, and smart. I’m not suggesting full time big wing- just enough to give the team time to figure out this Randle situation. As in do we keep him or find a team to trade him to- without sacrificing Obi’s minutes. I think the Lakers having strong PG play helped Worthy fit at SF. Make no mistake- he was the size of PF’s in those days and alot of centers. Then again so was Magic lol. But I’m sayin- Obi’s rising, and it gives Thibs the perfect opportunity to see just what he can do and still use Randle at PF.
Z–Man, Deuce played well on D as per usual, had a very short stretch where he hit two threes in a row (and I briefly lost my shit), and otherwise blew an easy layup on a great give-and-go from iHart and didn’t make anything else. He seemed more settled on O this game, but needs to start hitting his shot more consistently.
As for Cam, he has quick hands that can disrupt passes but only occasionally makes up for being out of position all the time, and has an occasional impressive foray to the rim (as with the excellent up-and-under) but otherwise was a big bag of nothing on O.
Cam was likely playing the 2 because RJ is our 3. Thibs is the kind of guy who wants RJ to get reps at the position he’ll play
Things Cam is good at: (1) taking ill-advised shots, (2) losing his mark on a screen….
Well that covers the first 2 possessions, don’t know if I can do the whole game. But not stepping out on his man in transition was another issue
@Cyber Yes, we’re shooting for a championship. We may not ever get there, but we’re going to be fun to watch the next few years. And we have enough ammo for one big all in trade when the time is right.
Cam is theoretically built for positionless 5-out basketball, but he’s an atrocious rebounder, a disinterested defender without any clue off the ball and always nonchalantly try to put too much style in what he does.
Giving him a flyer was understandable (but for a 1st, even if protected?) but right now he’s a terrible team player and the clock is ticking.
Yesterday’s minutes with him and Randle on the floor together, basically stepping on each other, were sadly comical.
RE: Randle.
It’s preseason but 0 turnovers in 2 games, mostly good effort on defense, yeoman work on the boards, positive body language and only a handful of worrying minutes where he took the ball up 3 or 4 consecutive times…
Good signs, I can live with that.
We’ll be a fun team.
Pistons already had their defensive C for years (Ben Wallace, now Mitch), drafted their SF (Prince, now RJ) and signed their PG in free-agency (Billups, now Brunson). Well, now we “just” need to trade for the modern versions of Rip Hamilton and Sheed. 😉
We’ll see.
I am just worried about how he’s going to react if every single game has the home fans chanting for Obi.
We have enough horses to throw some interesting lineup combos out there.
Thibs exists though.
Me too… And I would also chant Obi’s name if I were at the Garden 🙂
Oh, I wasn’t aware that the new bearded coach was Thibs camuflaged… look at that playing time distribution!
😉
@ Cyber Randle is ‘sheed. Evan is Rip.
Randle actually seems to be relieved to have Brunson to me. The true test will be once the regular season starts. Right now, it’s so far so good.
Thibs really has a lot of options. If he can’t use this group effectively, it’s time for a new coach.
I think one of the false narratives that emerged last season was that Randle is a selfish diva who after getting a taste of being the man the previous season is unwilling to defer to a point guard, be a second or third option on a team and not have the ball in his hands most of the time.
I don’t think that is the case at all. I think after the playoffs he was smart enough to realize that he needed help but I think he got frustrated last year bc Kemba was not the solution. I don’t even think he hated Kemba. I think he tried to make it work but Kemba was washed and then he got into his head bc playing the “right way” wasn’t working but playing through him wasn’t working anymore either.
I think he’s probably relieved and excited to have Brunson here and not have defenses home in on him all the time.
Thibs is distributing minutes more evenly now because he can without jeopardizing meaningful wins. Once the season starts, imo he’s going to go back to his usual “win games” mode and try to get us into the playoffs and himself into consideration for another COTY. Lol. But first he has to see who’s in and who’s out and what combinations he likes to start the season.
really enjoying the new wild card format…what a weekend if baseball…
it was interesting to watch during a timeout, thibs was basically just speaking to jalen and mitch…
I think our team will be in great shape if those two are our on court leaders…
ha, funny to think of mitch as a leader, but, I can see it…
I’m pretty excited for 2023 Mitch.
It’s funny, during the off-season I think 38.5 sounded fair to most people but now they’re we’ve been reminded how deep this team is it seems crazy to bet the under.
I don’t want to move off my prediction of 44 based on a few preseason games, but I have a feeling that’s going to end up a modest number when everyone makes their picks.
Makes sense. Brunson anchors and leads the offense, Mitch anchors and leads the defense.
It’s pre-season. Everyone is pretty healthy. The roster is mostly the same as last year except that we have a new starting point guard. We’ll agree that Brunson is healthier, younger and better than Kemba Walker. Instead of an oft-injured backup center, Nerlens Noel is replaced by Isaiah Hartenstein. If you want to toss Knox for Cam in there, go ahead. Otherwise this is the same team as last year.
So, why are we optimistic?
1) The team needed a point guard like fish need water and we need air.
2) The team starts with the type of chemistry that continuity brings.
3) The team is healthy and in great shape.
How much is that worth? They won 37 games last season. I’m optimistically saying 42 this year. What gets us to 50 and a legitimate chance at a title?
A superstar. Who do you replace in the starting lineup and for whom?
Randle’s been interesting to watch, so far doing what he’s ‘supposed’ to do, which is play hard, stay in the background for the most part and letting Jalen run the show, and now and again asserting himself (and scoring in bunches). And then stepping back again.
It’ll be really interesting to see if he can maintain that. Maybe he could be our Sheed…
As for our Rip, that’s the love child of RJ and IQ.
Ok, then Grimes is Prince. I’m thinking 42-44 wins is possible. Mitch should be a leader. He has been here longer than anyone else after all.
We won 37 last year, and were a 41 win team with Pythag method.
On the one hand, we won a lot of meaningless games late, when we were playing balls out to rack up marginal wins against teams playing out the string. So the 37 wins (41 Pythag) are maybe a wee bit inflated.
On the other hand, it’s better to have played well late in the season than to have started out great and collapse down the stretch. If a bunch of things go right— namely RJ taking a step forward— a mid-40’s win total doesn’t seem like an unattainable goal.
I’ll probably do League Pass this year because the team seems watchable. They have piqued my interest.
Obi really is the elephant in the room – how is Thibs going to find him more than the 17 minutes per game he averaged last year? You know he’ll play Randle 35-38 minutes like he did the last 2 seasons so where does he find minutes for Obi?
(And I don’t think the answer is playing them together, the few times that was tried last year it really wasn’t effective. )
It really would have been SO helpful if we could have found a new home for Randle before the season started. Oh well…..
Yeah, Thibs is not a matchup innovator, so you’re not likely to see him go smallball and play Randle at the 5/Obi at PF or go with a big lineup with Randle, Obi, and a center.
I think some of those lineups could work in the right situations, so it’s a bummer that we have such a rigid coach.
I find it interesting that Keels has barely touched the court.
You’d think there’d be some hype on him. Does he just suck, or are they prioritizing the guys still trying to make the roster?
Best pre-season signs so far:
1. Brunson looking exactly as expected. He’s not the greatest playmaker- he’s not going to pass JR/RJ open all that much- but his offense will keep teams from loading up on them which should help a lot (esp. w/Randle).
2. RJ hitting his spot up threes- a high 30s three point % and better free throw shooting should at least get him in the neighborhood of average. Just getting him back to .540 TS would be huge.
3. Randle looking like a normal, sane basketball player who’s willing to play team ball. I think as long as the team is winning (and the OBI chants aren’t constant every night) he’ll be okay but if things go south all bets are off.
4. Mitch, Obi and Quick all looking like they’ll be better players this year. This not just helps the team now but them raising their asset value might be the best path to a true superstar. Obi and Quick might not have been enough to land Mitchell but if they take solid steps forward they’ll be very valuable this off-season with two years left on their rookie deals. Grimes too could raise his asset value. The Knicks young guys all work their asses off so I think there’s a good chance that they both add multiple wins this season and give the Knicks better options to improve via trade down the road.
It’ll be interesting to see how the minutes shake out once Grimes is back. Tough to see Cam or Deuce getting much run once everyone is available. I’d love to see Cam go to the G-league and play 36 minutes a night and see if that can kick start him but he looks like a lost cause at the moment.
I don’t think games against Detroit and Indiana can say a lot about the Knicks chances. We’re supposed to beat easily the worst teams because of our depth. That’s what we’re doing. Even Washington isn’t a good team, but at least it’s a team that’ll be in the fight for the play-in (like the Knicks). I’ll wait for games against good NBA teams to check where we’re at.
The Wiz will be a much better test than DET or IND.
The Wiz will be a much better test than DET or IND.
Keels is one of the youngest players drafted, had a crazy high body fat %, and his shot is a mess. Good 2nd round flyer but he’s a project. Good size and frame for a guard, in a Marcus Smart sort of way.
I have loved watching Draymond Green and the GS Warriors play basketball over the past few years, but I did not like seeing the sausage get made. That was ugly.
Re: Portia/Mirotic, Mirotic was the aggressor. But I imagine the punishment will be something like 10 games. Ultimately the warriors are trying to win-if they think Draymond will ruin their season they should trade him and if not suspending him half the season is cutting off your nose to spite your face
“ On the one hand, we won a lot of meaningless games late, when we were playing balls out to rack up marginal wins against teams playing out the string. So the 37 wins (41 Pythag) are maybe a wee bit inflated.”
You can’t give the one hand here and neglect to mention all the fourth quarter collapses that came at the hand of The Alec Burks Point Guard Experience. I have a feeling that inserting Brunson into the game at the 6 minute mark with a lead won’t doom the team for the entire month of February.
Oh, I know plenty about keels. I just assumed they’d try and get him more reps.
There’s also very little fanfare and hype about him in the media for a rookie, even as a 2nd rd draft pick.
I feel like there’s usually more articles about what they love in the rookie or how he looked good in practice doing xyz. Or at least a profile on the work he did in the offseason.
There’s just nothing at all on Keels.
My concern is that Keels is just completely physically outmatched even for an 18yo. It’s concerning.
He completely bombed the athletic testing at the combine. Johnny Juzang has significant questions about his defense and he beat Keels in almost every category. For a player who is supposedly a good defender, but wasn’t really that great in college despite the hype, it could be a problem.
All that said, his strength-based below the basket game probably will take more time to develop, if it does st all, than high flyers or sharp-shooters.
But I’m not sure I’ve even seen a “best shape of his life” type statement (not literally that statement as he’s still clearly overweight). Though maybe I’ve missed whatever version they’d use instead.
If the Mets lose tonight, would it be fair to call this season a disaster?
If the Mets lose tonight how much are they going to offer Aaron Judge?
I already predicted the Mets opening offer (if Judge actually reaches free agency) as 6 years, $300 million. Opening offer.
Maybe the Mets read this blog? One night after we openly questioned leaving Taijuan Walker off the roster, the Mets activated him today. They dumped Joely Rodriguez. LOL. Megill lives on!
d-mar, I’d say not a “disaster,” but a huge disappointment based on payroll, etc. Got some highly paid dudes on this roster.
If the Mets lose this game tonight, they will have gone 0-5 in games that really mattered at the end of the season, four of those started by Scherzer and deGrom.
Hard pass for me on bringing deGrom back. As great as he has been, I have no interest in rolling the dice on age 35-38 Jacob deGrom.
Actually, if the Mets lose tonight and Seattle advances (Cleveland already has), maybe “disaster” is appropriate, given the big “win now” trades the Mets made with those two teams in recent years.
I think they still owe Cano $20 million next year.
Lindor!
Too many missed opportunities with RISPs for the Mets.
This deja vu stuff sucks.
Unless something changes very unexpectedly very quickly, I think “deGrom and Scherzer will be tough in the playoffs” has failed the proof of concept stage
Like Scherzer, deGrom can’t control his breaking stuff, so they’re sitting on his FB.
What was with the galaxy brained “we’re not starting DeGrom unless we need to” thing? That seemed insane to me. It’s a 3 game series, you “need” him from the jump. It was like the starter version of Buck not putting Britton in the 2016 wild card game.
It’s really really time to put up a crooked number on Snell.
BTW, this home plate ump is ridiculously inconsistent.
WTF is Buck doing
deGrom finally looks like he’s in a groove, locating his pitches, bottom of the order due up for SD, and Buck is warming up… Diaz? For the three inning save?
I’m gonna call this now, this is a terrible and weird idea
ESPN crew speculated Diaz in the 7th and 8th inning, then Ottavino in the 9th. We’ll see.
Hitting Ruf vs. a righty was weird, too. And then, after pinch running, not bunting with Nido who, though he failed at that last at bat, is usually a good bunter. He swings at the first pitch into a double play, wasting the PR.
All won’t matter if they win.
I guess the idea is to have Diaz pitch two innings, then let Ottavino finish, hoping Diaz has already gotten through the Padres’ best hitters?
This is brutal
Usually as a Yankees fan I laugh at other teams bullpen struggles but considering this year the Yankees bullpen is full of question marks and Boone is gonna have to actually manage the bullpen this postseason I’m shitting in my pants at the decisions he’s bound to make.
Really gotta get some runs here with bases loaded, no outs and Diaz sitting on the bench for eternity
The batting champion finally breaks it open!
Another run or two and maybe sit Diaz so that he can potentially pitch tomorrow?
Let’s hope they put up like five more runs so they can pull Diaz
Now with a five run lead they have nobody up in the bullpen. Diaz on the bench for like 40 minutes.
Buck playing 4-dimensional chess on a 2-dimensional board
I don’t think they would play Keels in the preseason much, certainly not with anyone they plan on having make the team. I dont think they have any plan to have him on the big team this year.
Well, Diaz threw 28 pitches, not ideal but at least he got five outs
Gotta be joking with this shit
Why do I even bother?
Do we get Dr. Jekyll Lugo or Mr. Hyde Lugo?
Dr. Jekyll it is!
Can I sue Ottavino for the years he just took off my life?
I skip over most of the rotation posts and other 2022 Knick minutiae discussion, but for some reason I’m finding this metsblogger.net stuff enjoyable, even though I don’t know who any of these people are, what is actually happening in the game, or even who the opponent is. This deGrom fellow seems like a total asshole, and, yes, you can and should sue Lugo Ottovino, even though he sounds like a Bond villain that you don’t really want to cross.
Tonight deGrom actually pitched well. He kept the Mets in the game and was looking better as the game went on. The HR he allowed to Grisham was a 100 MPH fastball right on the outside corner, there was nothing wrong with that pitch.
When the Mets broke through in the seventh they forced the Padres to throw a whopping 50 pitches. Several epic at-bats in there. In this game they finally got that grind-out-ABs stuff to work.