3 UP

1. Pitchers Who Rake And Pitch

Friday night, Jacob deGrom struck out 11 over eight innings while allowing just one earned run. At the plate, he was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

On Saturday, Seth Lugo earned a win as well after he allowed three runs over 6.2 innings. At the plate, he hit his first career home run.

The offensive exploits highlight how well Mets pitchers have hit this year. They are second in the Majors with hits, batting average, and homers. They lead the Majors in extra base hits and wRC+.

2. Mets Won An Important Series

It’s easy to look at yesterday’s loss and get frustrated with this team. They blew a chance to sweep the Rockies and get some real momentum going.

Lost in that loss was the Mets won the series, and they looked like the much better team – a team that could go on a run. There’s still some time before the trading deadline to make a run with the Cardinals, Athletics, Padres, and Mariners on the schedule.

If the Mets play like they did in the first two games of this series, the Mets are about to rack up a lot of wins.

Even if this doesn’t lead towards the Mets entering the Wild Card race, it should at least be more entertaining to watch.

3. Duda Getting Hot

Lucas Duda came out of the All Star break swinging, literally and figuratively. In the three-game series against the Rockies, he was 4-for-12 with three runs, a walk, double, homer, and three RBI.

On the surface, it looks like Duda is hitting one of his hot streaks. If so, it’s coming at just the right time with the trade deadline two weeks away. With a huge run, he could catch the attention of a contender who needs a 1B/DH who can lengthen their lineup.

3 DOWN

1. Cespedes Hurt

The All Star Break seemed to be just what Yoenis Cespedes needed. He was 5-for-9 with two runs, a double, and an RBI. He showed off his throwing arm nailing a runner at the plate. He had his swagger back, he was producing, and Mets fans were getting reminders of the 2015 season.

Then Cespedes slid for a ball in left field and pulled up lame. After the game, he called it a hip issue. Terry Collins held him out of the lineup on Sunday even with the Mets having a chance to sweep the Rockies. With his history of leg issues and the way the Mets handle injuries, who knows when Cespedes can play again?

2. Mets Not Showing Up On Sundays

It doesn’t matter what the Mets do; they just don’t show up to play on Sundays. It’s beyond ridiculous at this point.

The Mets outscored the Rockies 23-5. You could feel some optimism building. That optimism was quickly dispelled when Steven Matz allowed seven runs in his one-plus innings pitched.

On the season, the Mets are 5-10 on Sundays. On Sunday day games, they are 3-9 getting outscored by an average of five runs per game. For what it’s worth, Matz has had just two bad starts all year. Both on Sunday.

3. Nationals Get Better While Mets Afraid To Upgrade Their Roster

The Nationals went out and obtained Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson. Not only does this move make the Nationals better this year, it makes them better next year as both players remain under contract. Even acknowledging the National League East race is over this year, it’s not in 2018.

Meanwhile, the Mets are too afraid to upgrade their roster. Recent reports suggest Amed Rosario remains in Triple-A because they don’t want to bring him into a potentially toxic clubhouse. Specfically, reports mentioned Asdrubal Cabrera‘s displeasure with being moved to second base.

No one expects the Mets to be buyers at this point of the season. However, we should reasonably expect them to field the best roster possible. This is a reason why the Nationals are in first place now and are poised to do so again next year.

After taking two of three from the Rockies, the Mets have an opportunity to jump the Cardinals in the Wild Card standings in a three game set at Citi Field.

On a personal note, thank you to everyone from the MMO community who reached out to wish my son well with his surgery Friday. Everything went well, and he’s home happy and healthy.