Good morning Mets fans! After four days in which there was no New York Mets baseball, the Amazin’s return to action in Miami as they open a three-game series with the Miami Marlins.

Latest Mets News

Jason Vargas (3-4, 3.77 ERA) will get the first taste of second half action as he is matched up against Caleb Smith (4-4, 3.50 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT, with coverage on SNY, WCBS 880 and ESPN Deportes 1050.

Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote about the Mets’ trade-deadline reality. He also mentioned how they would have to be overwhelmed by an offer to trade Noah Syndergaard or Steven Matz.

James O’Connell of the New York Daily News wrote about how even the throw-ins of the Mets’ offseason trade with the Seattle Mariners have been a catastrophe for the Mets.

Keith Law of ESPN ranked Ronny Mauricio 48th in his updated Top 50 MLB Prospects list. Law also placed Anthony Kay in his honorable mention notes.

Latest MLB News

The Texas Rangers (49-42) defeated the Houston Astros (57-34) 5-0 in the first game back from the All-Star break and only game played on Thursday.

Jake Marisnick was suspended for two games due to his home-plate collision with Jonathan Lucroy, per Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com.

The Atlantic League announced four new rules that will be implemented in the second half of the season. These rules involve the pitcher needing to step off the rubber in order to attempt a pickoff, one foul bunt being permitted with two strikes before a strikeout is called, batters being allowed to steal first base on any pitch not caught in flight (the risk being that the batter can be thrown out if he attempts to run), and the check swing rule being made more batter-friendly.

The Boston Red Sox released an update on the condition of David Ortiz. They announced that he underwent a third surgery for complications resulting from his gunshot wound.

Bubba Starling, the fifth overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, will make his MLB debut for the Kansas City Royals per Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports.

Shelby Miller agreed to a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Latest NL East News

The Atlanta Braves start the second half of the season in first place at 54-37. The Washington Nationals are currently 6.0 games behind the Braves at 47-42. The Philadelphia Phillies are neck-and-neck with the Nats as they stand at 6.5 games behind first at 47-43. The Mets and Marlins are double-digit games behind first, with the Mets at 40-50 and 13.5 games back, and the Marlins at 33-55 and 19.5 games back.

The Phillies and Nats will battle for second in the NL East and first in the NL Wild Card race over the next three days as they open a series against one another in the City of Brotherly Love.

Teams have reached out to the Marlins about Starlin Castro according to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. However, McPherson considers their biggest trade asset to be Sergio Romo, with Curtis Granderson and Neil Walker being veteran players on one-year deals that some teams may be interested in as well.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Mojo Hill analyzed Edwin Diaz‘s first-half struggles and explained why there is hope that he will turn things around.

Tim Ryder graded the performance of the Mets outfielders during the first half of the season.

John Sheridan wrote a special version of his “3 Up, 3 Down” series, focusing on the Mets’ first half.

Sheridan also wrote a Mets “Neon Moment of the Week” piece highlighting Pete Alonso‘s Home Run Derby victory.

Rob Friedland wrote a piece highlighting Jeff McNeil‘s accomplishments.

Michael Mayer recapped the games played by the Mets minor league affiliates on Wednesday.

This Day in Mets History

2011: The Mets traded Francisco Rodriguez and cash to the Brewers for two players to be named later. The two players were pitchers Danny Herrera and Adrian Rosario.

Birthday(s): Dick Rusteck turns 78.