3 UP

1. cyGrom

At this point, who cares about the wins? Watching Jacob deGrom pitch is just a joy.

In the suspended game, he ramped it up to 100 MPH. He made great defensive plays. He left Daniel Murphy saying “Yowsers” after he struck him out in a big spot.

He’s been so great this year he’s now in Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden territory.

He now has tied Seaver’s team record with 19 quality starts in a season. He’s tied Gooden’s team record having 24 straight starts with three or fewer runs allowed.

Not only is deGrom cementing the Cy Young, he’s also cementing himself as one of the all-time Mets greats.

2. Rosario Taking the Next Step

Maybe one day when we reflect back on the terrific career of Amed Rosario, we’ll look back at August 2018 as the turning point.

So far this month, Rosario is hitting .286/.319/.411 with three doubles, five homers, and seven stolen bases. Save doubles and slugging percentage, all are high water marks for any month in his young career.

Astonishingly, he has four separate three hit games this month. The way he’s playing there are definitely more to come.

3. Vargas Is Good?

Over his last three starts, Jason Vargas is finally looking like the pitcher the Mets believed they were acquiring this offseason.

He has three straight wins, and he’s lowered his ERA from 8.75 to 6.56. Hopefully, Vargas will continue pitching this well and drive that ERA even lower.

Photo by Jennifer Nieves, MMN

3 DOWN

1. Not Doing the Wright Thing

Against all odds, David Wright is playing baseball right now. He’s making barehanded plays at third. He has some extra base hits. Mostly, he’s able to suit up and play.

While everyone is deliriously happy at the prospect, John Ricco comes around to throw cold water on everyone saying Wright is missing milestones (whatever they may be), and “It’s unrealistic to think he’ll be activated anytime soon.”

David Lennon of Newsday reported if Wright played the final month of the season, the team would owe him $3.2 million.

Mike Puma of the New York Post reports the Mets are hesitant to activate Wright due to the financial implications.

It would be one thing if the Mets had reinvested the insurance proceeds into the team, but as they readily admit, they haven’t. They’ve also eschewed better returns in trades for financial savings.

Wright is doing everything he can do to play again. Fans want to say good bye. If the Wilpons had a soul, they’d let him come back and end his career on the field instead of the trainer’s table.

2. Bautista Finally Traded

The Mets finally traded Jose Bautista, but not without playing him in a game due to his numbers against Jon Lester.

Yes, the Mets risked a deal to win a meaningless game against the Cubs.

In the end, the Mets traded Baustisa to the Phillies for cash or a player to be named later.

Essentially, the Mets held onto Bautista for nearly a full month to get nothing of value in return and to block playing time for young players.

You could not have botched this situation more than the Mets did.

3. Thor Is Human

One of the more confounding aspects of this season has been while deGrom and Zack Wheeler have taken off, Noah Syndergaard has taken a step back.

This series was a good example with him allowing four earned on nine hits and three walks.

Right now, his ERA, ERA+, WHIP, hits per nine, K/9, and K/BB are career worsts.

Right now, it’s hard to pinpoint a reason. Maybe it’s just bad luck with him yielding a .350 BABIP. Maybe he’s not a sharp with his injuries the past two years. Maybe his velocity isn’t so intimidating or special anymore.

Whatever the case, he and the Mets need go figure it out if they have any intentions to contend next year.