3 UP

1. All Stars Were All Stars

Jacob deGrom allowed just two earned (should have been one) on three hits over seven innings in his start. Pete Alonso hit two homers and broke Mets, NL, and MLB rookie records. Jeff McNeil had a 4-for-5 game on Saturday.

These trio played at a high level in this series much like they have all season. So long as they are on the field the team remains watchable, and at least in those at-bats, they are fun to watch.

2. Rosario Hitting

Against the Phillies, Amed Rosario was 3-for-10 with a double and a walk. Over his last seven games, Rosario is hitting .375/.407/.458 with two doubles and an RBI.  Over his last 16 games, Rosario is hitting .333/.365/.456 with four doubles, a homer, and five RBI.

This is exactly what you want to see with him entering the All-Star Break. With the Mets needing to assess and self reflect in the second half, Rosario will need to continue showing the strides he made over the past few weeks. If he his like this, the Mets will find a place for him to play whether that is short or center.

3. Mets Still Have Fight

It’s incredible how this team still fights. They had a lead on Friday before bad umpiring and an Edwin Diaz meltdown cost them the game. On Saturday, they rallied back on a Michael Conforto double with Todd Frazier and Mickey Callaway getting tossed from the game. On Sunday, they went from being nearly no-hit to nearly getting Alonso to the plate with a chance to tie the game.

We keep hearing Callaway speak about how the Mets have a chance, and it sounds ridiculous. That said, you can see it when the Nationals rebounded from a similar spot, a weaker second half schedule, and a team that is still going out there and fighting.

3 DOWN

1. Take a Seat

According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Brodie Van Wagenen was so irate the team blew another Jacob deGrom start he berated the coaching staff right after the game.

Initially, when reporters requested to speak with Van Wagenen about the state of the bullpen, he informed them that he was unavaible to speak with them and even sought to say there was nothing to discuss. This comes on the heels of his refusing to speak with the media when Matthew Allan was signed. Now, he’s meeting reporters in Miami.

Looking deeper, as noted by Michael Mayer of MMO, Jay Bruce has as many home runs against the Mets as Robinson Cano has for the Mets this year.

There are also reports the Mets are still unsure about whether they need to sell at the trade deadline. That’s their purorted position with the team being 10 games under .500 and closer to last place than third.

Honestly, there isn’t much to say here other than this being worse than anyone could have possibly imagined.

2. State of Umpiring

During the Mets’ Friday night loss, Home Plate Umpire Brian Gorman blew a call in the seventh inning. He missed Wilson Ramos getting the tag down on Rhys Hoskins, who didn’t touch home plate. Mickey Callaway couldn’t challenge the play, as he unsuccessfully used his challenge earlier and the umpires could only initiate Crew Chief Challenge in the eighth inning or later.

In terms of Zack Wheeler‘s start, if you followed the game on MLB.com, you will notice a number of missed strike calls. That ramped up his pitch count, and it forced him to throw the ball more in the hitting zone. He was hit hard. No, Wheeler’s tough start was not the sole result of bad umpiring. That said, the bad umpiring did exist, and it did have an impact.

The Mets have so many problems right now with a thin margin of error. With every mistake an umpire mistakes, it makes it all the more difficult for the Mets to even have a chance.

3. Matz’s Struggles

Steven Matz was moved to the bullpen because of his struggles in the rotation. In his appearance against the Phillies, he allowed three hits to the five batters he faced. He would allow an inherited runner to score putting the one game the Mets one in jeopardy.

Mostly, like most of this Mets team, Matz appears lost, and there does not appear to be a solution at the moment. Now, the team is going to have to decide what they want to do with him. Really, that should mean returning to the rotation, but that is mostly the result of the team having absolutely not starting pitching depth. Matz now owns a 4.89 ERA and 5.39 FIP in 81 innings pitched.