Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets may not be buried yet, but if the Dodgers broke ground on their gravesite over the weekend, the Giants – shovels in hand – are about knee deep in the proverbial hole.

The Giants flexed the muscles that have made them the best team in the league to this point, defeating the Mets 7-5 Monday night in the Bay.

It was the Mets’ fourth straight loss, dropping them 3.5 games out of first place behind the streaking Braves. They’ve fallen to .500 for the first time since May 6.

Hits with runners in scoring position continues to be the team’s biggest issue, as the Mets went just 1-for-7 in those situations, stranding nine men in the loss.

Brandon Nimmo started the game by doing what he normally does, working a full count ahead of an eventual walk. Michael Conforto fouled off two mid-90s fastballs over the heart of the plate from Kevin Gausman before waving at a good splitter that dropped out of the zone for the first out of the game. Like his predecessor, Pete Alonso was only able to foul off a couple of Gausman misses in the zone before grounding into a fielder’s choice. Dominic Smith flew out to end the inning.

Rich Hill worked a flawless first, striking out Austin Slater to start his night before retiring Kris Bryant on a fly ball and Buster Posey on a chopper to second.

J.D. Davis recorded the first Met hit of the night with a one-out single to right in the second. That’s right where he would stay though, as Gausman retired both Jonathan Villar and James McCann swinging to end the inning.

Hill retired the first two he faced in the bottom half of the inning before Brandon Crawford snuck a grounder past the diving glove of Alonso for the Giants first hit. Old friend Wilmer Flores flew out to center to end the inning.

Nimmo’s grounder deflected off the glove of the normally sure-handed Crawford to give the Mets a one-out baserunner. Conforto’s fielder’s choice and Alonso’s hit by pitch put two on with two outs for Smith, but he grounded out to end the top half of the third.

Donovan Solano got into one to lead off the bottom of the third, but Nimmo ran it down in Triple’s Alley for the first out. Gausman grounded out softly to second and Slater flew out to end the first third of the game in a scoreless tie.

Davis recorded his, and the Mets, second hit of the game in the fourth – again on an opposite-field single with one out. After Villar struck out, McCann laced a single to center to give the Mets runners at first and second with two outs for the second consecutive inning. Unfortunately for the Mets, the designated hitter doesn’t exist in the National League, and Hill struck out on four pitches to end the threat.

After Bryant flew out to start the inning, Posey ripped a double to left center and was singled in by Darin Ruf for the first run of the game. Ruf though was retired at first for the second out of the inning. The ball was thrown behind him on his hit and replay eventually showed he stepped on Alonso’s foot, thereby not making contact with the bag as he was being tagged.

Evan Longoria and Crawford both singled following the replay-induced out and Flores recorded the fifth-straight Giant hit to score Longoria. That was it for Hill after just 68 pitches and 3.2 innings. A night that started out promising for the veteran came unraveled in a hurry against the hard-hitting Giants.

Miguel Castro entered with runners on the corners and two outs to face pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella. He smoked one to right, but directly at Conforto to end the inning with the Giants up 2-0.

Nimmo reached to lead off the inning on an infield single that La Stella almost made an incredible play on. Conforto worked a walk to put two runners on for the third straight inning, this time with no outs though.

Alonso made it hurt, driving one into the gap in right center – which lived up to the Triple’s Alley moniker in giving Alonso his first three-bagger of the year – scoring two to tie the game. That triple broke a streak of 68 games without one for the Mets, the longest such drought in major league history.

Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Smith was able to do his job, flying out deep enough to left to score Alonso and give the Mets the lead. McNeil and Davis both lined out hard to each corner of the infield, reaching the midway point of the tilt with the Mets up 3-2.

That lead lasted just three batters though, as Castro stayed in and gave up a one-out, pinch-hit double to Alex Dickerson and a bullet homer to Bryant over the shallow center field fence. Castro rebounded to strikeout the next two batters, keeping the score at 4-3 Giants after five.

Jay Jackson replaced Gausman in the sixth, and was immediately greeted by a Villar single. McCann followed up with a bunt single – no, that’s not a typo – ahead of pinch-hitter Travis Blankenhorn. He flew out to left for the first out of the inning and Giant manager opted to Jose Alvarez to face the top of the Met order with two on and one out.

It took just one pitch for Alvarez to retire Nimmo – on a pop out to third – for the second out of the inning. Villar stole third during Conforto’s at bat, but he struck out looking to end the Met threat.

Jeurys Familia entered for the sixth, looking to atone for the homer he gave up in extras on Friday to Will Smith. He struck out Longoria to start the inning, but Crawford singled on the first pitch he saw. In his first career at bat against his former teammate, Flores ripped a single up the middle to give the Giants two men out with one out (insert crying emoji).

After Familia struck out La Stella, Aaron Loup entered to face Mike Yastrzemski. He hit a grounder through Loup’s legs and into the waiting glove of Villar to end the inning.

Lefty Tony Watson came on to face Alonso to start the inning, striking him out on a pitch off the plate. Smith and McNeil both grounded out to the black hole that is Crawford’s mitt as the Mets went quietly in the seventh.

Trevor May got the call for the bottom of the frame in Monday’s battle of the bullpens and immediately surrendered Brandon Belt’s 16th home run of the year. His next pitch gave Bryant his second homer of the night – a blast to left to extend the Giant’s lead to 6-3.

May retired the next two batters before walking Longoria and allowing a bullet triple to Crawford on the first pitch he saw. An injury check for May and a Flores flyout ended the inning with the Giants up 7-3.

Davis led off the eighth against submariner Tyler Rogers with his third hit of the night and Villar deposited the first pitch he saw over the right field wall to trim the Met deficit to two.

Pinch-hitter extraordinaire Brandon Drury singled to bring the tying run to the plate with one out in the form of Nimmo. He struck out ahead of Conforto, who grounded out to end the top half of the frame.

Seth Lugo – with the aid of a sparkling catch by Nimmo – breezed through the bottom of the eighth to set the Mets up with the middle of their lineup due to face Giant closer Jake McGee.

The veteran southpaw got Alonso to fly out to right for the first out. Smith waved feebly at a fastball just off the outside corner for strike three and McNeil stretched his hitless streak to 0-for-14 with a game-ending groundout to third.

The Mets will look to even the series Tuesday night at 9:45 p.m. on SNY and WCBS Radio 880. Marcus Stroman (8-11, 2.79 ERA) looks to build off two strong starts against the Giants’ Logan Webb (6-3, 2.96).

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Tylor Megill has been a godsend for the injury-riddled Mets this season. So, when he gave up four runs before recording an out, it was up to the Met bats to pick him up.

In short, they didn’t, losing 6-3 to the Marlins in Miami Monday night in game one of a four-game set. The Mets went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.

They’ve dropped four of their last five, and their lead is down to just 2.5 in the NL East after the Phillies beat the Nationals to climb to .500 on the year.

Things couldn’t have started much worse for Megill after the Mets went 1-2-3 in the first. Jazz Chisholm and Miguel Rojas singled, Jesus Aguilar reached on catcher interference and light-hitting cleanup hitter Lewis Brinson increased his RBI total on the season to 12 with an opposite field grand slam.

The Mets cut the Marlins 4-0 lead in half in the top of the second. Javier Baez walked, advanced to third on J.D. Davis’s single and scored on a Jesus Luzardo wild pitch. Davis was driven in by a double of the bat of the scorching-hot Brandon Drury.

Megill kept the score 4-2 after two, striking out two in the inning around Chisholm’s second hit of the game. Pete Alonso led off the top of the third with his 24th homer of the year, but the Mets weren’t able to get anything else going and headed to the bottom of the frame down 4-3.

The Marlins wasted no time in once again extending their lead to two, as Brinson singled and scored on Isan Diaz’s double. Megill rebounded to strike out the last two batters he faced, keeping the deficit at 5-3 after three.

The fourth inning proved to be the first uneventful frame of the night. Drury was hit by a pitch with one out and advanced to second on Megill’s sacrifice bunt, but Kevin Pillar grounded out to leave him there.

Megill responded with is first clean inning of the night, retiring eight, nine and one in the Marlins order – including Chisholm for the first time on the night. Luzardo was equal to the task though, allowing an Alonso infield single before coaxing a 4-6-3 double play from Jeff McNeil and a Baez inning-ending strikeout.

Megill recorded his second-straight 1-2-3 inning, all on groundouts, and the Mets got into the Marlin bullpen after five innings from Luzardo in his Miami debut. Davis hit reliever David Hess’s slider deep to left, but Brinson caught it at the fence for the first out. Dom Smith took a fastball down the middle for strike three and James McCann grounded out to end the top of the sixth.

Like Luzardo, Megill’s night ended after five innings. The rookie allowed five runs (four earned), but rebounded well after the first inning grand slam to allow just one run on three hits over the next four innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk anyone.

Aaron Loup entered for the Mets and worked a painless sixth, recording two fly outs and a strikeout of Alex Jackson to cruise through the frame. Loup has a 0.38 ERA in his last 25 appearances. Sponsor this man already, Busch Light.

The appropriately-named Anthony Bender made his 37th appearance for Miami in the seventh. He started his night with a three-pitch strikeout of Drury – getting him swinging at a slider that broke roughly three feet off the plate. Brandon Nimmo – who was a late scratch from the starting lineup as he nurses a sore hamstring – pinch hit and grounded out to third. After fooling Pillar early in the at-bat, Bender drilled the struggling center fielder in the back to give the Mets a two-out base runner for Alonso. He popped out to right though, making it eight-straight Mets without a hit.

Jeurys Familia ended the seventh painlessly for the Mets, striking out Magneuris Sierra, forcing former-friend Joe Panik to ground out and retiring Chisholm on a hard liner to center. That made it 14-straight Marlins retired by Met pitchers.

The second-straight Anthony B. – this one’s surname: Bass – entered for Miami in the eighth to face the middle of the Met order. McNeil put a charge into one the other way, but Brinson ran it down on the warning track. Baez, running on a bad heel, beat out a slow roller to third to break the Mets hitless streak at nine.

Davis came up as the tying run and missed taking a 97 MPH cutter to the face by just inches, eventually fouling out on a nice play by the first baseman Aguilar. Smith jumped on the first pitch and singled, giving the Mets runners on the corners with two outs. Luis Rojas opted to pinch hit Jonathan Villar for McCann, and the super sub worked a well-earned walk to load the bases.

Marlin bench coach James Rowson – filling in for manager Don Mattingly, who has COVID-19 – opted for Dylan Floro to face Drury, who chased a fastball a foot above the strike zone, then took one right down the middle before eventually grounding out to short to strand three in the eighth.

Trevor May looked to keep the Mets within striking distance in the eighth, but was greeted by the Met-killing Rojas and his stand-up triple. May then walked Aguilar on five pitches. Brinson hit a slow roller to Baez, who had to go to first but threw it away, scoring Rojas and giving the Marlins second and third with no one out.

After intentionally walking Diaz to load the bases, Bryan De La Cruz struck out to give May his first out. Jackson lined one hard, but Baez picked it off in the hole and Sierra grounded to second to limit the damage to just one run.

Floro stuck around for the ninth, facing Michael Conforto to lead off the inning. The slumping right fielder broke out of an 0-for-13 stretch with a badly-needed double down the right field line. Pillar grounded one to short for the first out, moving Conforto to third. He was unable to score from there on Alonso’s hard-hit line out to right. McNeil hit a bullet the other way, but right at Diaz for the final out.

The Mets will look to even the series Tuesday behind Taijuan Walker (7-5, 3.71 ERA), who desperately needs to bounce back coming off three duds out of the All-Star break. The Marlins have not yet announced a starter. The action can be caught on SNY and WCBS Radio 880 at 7:10 p.m.

The post Brinson’s Slam, Lack of Clutch Hits Doom Mets in 6-3 Loss to Marlins appeared first on Metsmerized.

Credit: Andy Marlin, USA TODAY

For three innings, it looked like Taijuan Walker may have regained the form that earned him his first All-Star nod earlier this month.

But he was touched up for five runs over the next two innings and the Mets were unable to come back, dropping the rubber game of this five-game series, 6-3, to the Braves on Thursday afternoon at Citi Field.

The loss moved Walker’s ERA to 3.71 on the year, and 5.54 over his last 10 starts, as he seems to maybe be suffering from some fatigue following last year’s shortened season.

Walker cruised through the first two innings, making use of his rarely-used curve ball and striking out three of the first six batters he faced.

Credit: Andy Marlin, USA TODAY

Nimmo did what he does in the first, falling behind 0-2 before turning a nine-pitch at bat into a walk against Brave starter Drew Smyly. Pete Alonso struck out swinging ahead of Dom Smith, who singled to give J.D. Davis runners at the corners with one out.

Davis, and eventually McCann both went down swinging on curveballs outside of the zone. The silver lining was that it took 31 pitches for Smyly to get through the opening inning, but the Mets plate discipline certainly left something to be desired.

Michael Conforto and Jonathan Villar both went down looking to start the second, giving Smyly four-straight strikeouts ahead of Brandon Drury, who made it 7-for-7 since being called back up with a line drive single to left. Walker’s half-hearted bunt attempt didn’t pan out though, ending the frame.

Stephen Vogt walked to lead off the third, but Walker retired the next three batters, including Joc Pederson swinging on a high fastball. Nimmo led off the bottom half of the inning with a tailing liner to left that went off Abraham Almonte’s glove for a double.

Alonso’s dribbler back to the pitcher moved Nimmo to third with one out for the second time in the first three innings. This time, the Mets were able to bring him around as Smith smoked a ball off the top of the fence in right. The only problem was that he hit the ball too hard, as Pederson was able to field the carom and cut down Smith at second base. Davis grounded out to end the third with the Mets up 1-0.

After a leadoff walk to Albies – Walker’s second-straight inning issuing a free pass to begin a frame – Freeman flew out and Austin Riley hit his 200th homer of the series (actual number: four) to put the Braves up 2-1. After Dansby Swanson grounded out, Almonte made it 3-1 with a towering homer to right. Walker hadn’t allowed a hit before Riley’s bomb.

The Mets comeback bid in the fourth started with a McCann bloop single, but he was erased on Conforto’s broken-bat, 6-6-3 double play. Villar singled ahead of Drury, who made it 8-for-8 with a one-hopper past Swanson at short. Walker again awkwardly tried to bunt though, eventually fouling out to strand two.

Guillermo Heredia started the fifth with a single to center, but Smyly was unable to advance him – fouling out attempting to bunt ahead of the top of the Brave lineup. Pederson worked a nine-pitch at-bat and eventually grounded one through the shift on the right side to put runners on the corners with one out for the most dangerous part of the Atlanta lineup.

Albies hit a mile-high pop-up that Nimmo just couldn’t quite reach to bring in the Braves fourth run of the game. Walker caught Freeman looking with his best slider of the day, but Riley drove in his 10th run of the series with a soft liner to left.

Down four runs in the bottom of the fifth, Nimmo lined a single the other way to reach base for the third time. It took Alonso just one pitch to cut the lead in half, as he got a hanging slider and hit one of the longest homers in Citi Field history into the upper deck in left field.

That prodigious blast chased Smyly, who was replaced by Jesse Chavez. The well-traveled righty retired Smith, Davis and McCann in order to keep the score at 5-3 after five.

Miguel Castro kept the score right there after the top of the sixth. He gave up a two-out walk to Heredia, but struck out pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval – his second K of the inning – to end the frame.

Lefty Tyler Matzek made his second appearance of the series for the Braves in the bottom half of the inning. He fed Conforto a diet of fastballs to get him swinging before Villar got the tying run to the plate with a bloop single to right. That’s where Drury’s streak would come to an end though, as his broken bat grounder towards the middle resulted in an easy inning-ending double play.

Aaron Loup bounced back from his rare rough outing on Wednesday to retire the top of the Braves order on just eight pitches in the seventh. Matzek meanwhile stayed in for the Braves and made pinch-hitter Kevin Pillar look foolish on a three-pitch strikeout. It took him just one pitch to retire Nimmo for the first time today – via a groundout to third. Alonso’s ground out to first gave Matzek his sixth out on just 12 pitches.

Jeurys Familia entered for the Mets in the eighth and struck out Riley in short order. Swanson gave the Braves an insurance run though, jumping on a first pitch sinker that stayed straight and depositing it over the fence in right center. Familia rebounded to retire his final two batters, but the Braves took a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth.

Luke Jackson looked to make that score stand up in the eighth and retired Smith quickly on a hard-hit grounder into the shift. Davis followed that up with his third strikeout of the day, each looking feebler than the last. McCann singled, but Conforto’s flyout to left center left him on first.

Akeem Bostick entered for the Mets in the ninth, making his first career appearance and tying a franchise record as the 56th player to appear for the team this season. He retired the first two batters to face him on fly outs to center before walking Pederson to bring up Albies. It took just one pitch for Bostick to retire Albies though, forcing a pop up that Davis was able to track down in shallow left.

Braves closer Will Smith came on to face the bottom third of the Mets order. Villar greeted him with his third hit of a game, a laced double to the fence in left. Drury hit one hard to right, but Pederson tracked it down for the first out. Nido similarly drove one to right, but again Pederson was equal to the task. Nimmo struck out to end the game and leave Alonso as the tying run on deck.

The Mets start a weekend series with the Reds, led by the scorching-hot Joey Votto, on Friday. Carlos Carrasco will make his first start as a Met, who will don their alternate black jerseys for the first time since 2012. He’ll be opposed by Sonny Gray (2-6, 4.50 ERA). The action can be caught on SNY and WCBS Radio 880 at 7:10 p.m.

The post Braves Get to Walker, Beat Mets 6-3 toTake Rubber Game appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Thanks to their terrible injury luck, the Mets have needed – and received – contributions from a bevy of unfamiliar faces. Rookie pitcher Tylor Megill and (to a lesser extent) journeyman reserve Brandon Drury have planted themselves firmly on that list.

Megill, who celebrated his 26th birthday Wednesday, was stellar again through 5 1/3 innings, holding the Braves to a lone run in the Mets’ dramatic 2-1 win to even the series through four games at Citi Field this week.

Drury’s pinch-hit, two-out solo homer in the seventh inning proved to be the game-winner as five Met relievers – behind some outstanding defense – combined to shut out a talented Braves lineup that exploded for 12 runs the night before.

Megill had his work cut out for him early on. His first inning was mostly uneventful, save for the token Freddie Freeman base hit. Megill erased that on a strikeout of Austin Riley. After the first two Braves reached in the second, Megill rebounded to retire the next three, including a strikeout of Braves pitcher Max Fried on a high 95 MPH fastball. The K prompted a brief show of emotion from the normally even-keeled Megill. He allowed another baserunner in the third – this one on an Ozzie Albies bloop – but was able to force a Freeman groundout and get Riley to fly out to right to end the frame.

Fried mostly coasted during his first turn through the Met order. The de facto ace made it through the first eight batters unscathed – allowing only a single to Jonathan Villar, who he then picked off. Megill gave Fried his first real trouble with two outs in the third, lacing his second career hit into right field. Brandon Nimmo followed him and activated his patented forcefield, coaxing a walk ahead of Pete Alonso.

The Polar Bear ripped a single to right, not hard enough to score Megill from second, but enough to load the bases for Jeff McNeil. He swung at the first pitch and also ripped a single the other way, bringing in the game’s first run and extending his career-best hitting streak to 15 games. J.D. Davis struck out swinging at a ball in the dirt to leave the bases loaded and end the threat.

Armed with a lead, Megill had his easiest inning of the night in the fourth, retiring the Braves in order – including a strikeout of Dansby Swanson. Fried followed suit, hitting Michael Conforto with a pitch but allowing nothing else. Kevin Pillar’s deep fly ball was tracked down on the center field warning track by Guillermo Heredia to end the inning.

Megill extended his scoreless streak to 17 innings in the fifth, striking out the first two batters he faced before walking Joc Pederson. Megill got an important third out, though, forcing Albies to fly out weakly to left and leave Freeman in the on-deck circle.

Fried stuck out Megill on three pitches to start the bottom of the fifth, and McNeil the same way to end the inning. Alonso worked a walk in the interim, but to no avail.

Megill struck out Freeman on a high fastball, but wasn’t able to get the same pitch quite high enough to Riley, who deposited it a few feet over the outstretched glove of Nimmo and just to the right of the Home Run Apple in dead center to tie the game at one. The bomb was Riley’s fifth in the last six games. That ended Megill’s day on a sour note, but 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball is nothing to sneeze at. Through seven starts in his young career, Megill’s ERA is 2.04, good for third best in franchise history behind Terry Leach and Nolan Ryan.

Seth Lugo took over from there, getting Swanson to ground out on his first pitch and Abraham Almonte to pop out on his third to easily make it through the frame.

Fried kept cruising along in the bottom of the inning, retiring Davis, James McCann and Conforto in order to keep the game tied 2/3 of the way through regulation.

Lugo’s two outs on three pitches wasn’t enough to earn himself a second inning of work, as Luis Rojas opted for Trevor May in the seventh. No matter for May, who disposed of Heredia and Kevan Smith, both flailing at high fastballs, and Fried via groundout in his lone clean inning.

After Fried downed the -illars to start the inning, Drury pinch hit, enjoying a month in which he’s gone 5-for-5. The reserve made it 6-for-6 in a big way, launching a hanging curve over the Great Wall of Flushing to put the Mets up 2-1 after seven. Rojas opted for his best reliever, Aaron Loup, in the eighth against the top of the Braves’ order. Pederson and Albies greeted Loup with line-drive singles to set up Freeman with two on and no one out.

The reigning MVP tapped one back to Loup, who bobbled the ball, but stuck with it enough to get Freeman at first. His night would end there, as Jeurys Familia entered to battle the equally dangerous Riley. Familia unleashed a bevy of devastating sinkers to strike out Riley and got Swansby to ground one deep into the shortstop hole. Villar made a nice play and Alonso made a better pick to escape the jam – prompting primal yells from both Familia and Alonso.

Chris Martin entered for the Braves and erased a McNeil single with a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Davis to keep the Met lead at just one for Edwin Diaz. Almonte gave the Braves an immediate runner in scoring position with his ground-rule double to right field off a hanging slider. Diaz was able to get noted Met-killer Heredia to fly out to shallow right to keep the tying run at second with one out.

Ehire Adrianza pinch hit after his big night on Tuesday and laced one into right field, but Conforto unleashed an absolute pearl of a throw home to nail Almonte trying to tie it up.

It took eight more pitches, but Diaz was finally able to get pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval to line out to left for the final out. Citi Field erupted, trumpets blared, euphoria ensued.

The matinee rubber match of this five-game series is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. on Thursday. Taijuan Walker (7-4, 3.43 ERA) looks to find his first-half form against veteran southpaw Drew Smyly (7-3, 4.30). The action can be caught locally on SNY and WCBS Radio 880, and nationally on the MLB Network.

The post Drury’s Homer, Conforto’s Arm Fuel Mets’ Win Over Atlanta appeared first on Metsmerized.

Still short on starting pitchers, the Mets needed a heroic effort out of their bullpen if they wanted to salvage the second game of Monday’s double header.

That’s exactly what they got, as six pitchers combined for seven shutout innings to make Jeff McNeil’s RBI double stand up in the Mets’ 1-0 win over the Braves Monday night at Citi Field.

The win gave the Mets their ninth split in 11 double-headers this season. It was just the fourth time the Braves have been shut out on the season.

Aaron Loup garnered opener duties for New York, working a seamless first with a strikeout of Joc Pederson to start the game. That was it for the lefty, as his day was finished after just 11 pitches. Tonight’s Busch Light was well earned.

The Mets threatened briefly in the first against Brave starter Bryse Wilson, thanks to a two-out McNeil single through a vacated left side of the infield and Dom Smith hit by pitch, but J.D. Davis grounded out to short to strand the pair.

Jeurys Familia entered for the second and immediately found himself in trouble thanks to Pete Alonso losing Austin Riley’s high pop up in the Queens twilight and Dansby Swanson’s grounder sneaking past the outstretched glove of Davis. The big righty rebounded though, striking out the next three batters and letting out an emphatic roar as he exited the field for the evening.

James McCann reached with two outs in the second thanks to arguably the most inaccurate throw in baseball history (apologies, 50 Cent), but Travis Blankenhorn’s pinch-hit strikeout ended the inning and brought in Anthony Banda for his third appearance in orange and blue.

The quick-working southpaw struck out the first two batters he saw – making it five in a row for Met pitchers – in a 1-2-3 third. The Met offense still couldn’t get much going in the bottom half of the frame though, despite a leadoff walk from Brandon Nimmo.

Banda became the first and only Met pitcher to work more than one inning in the fourth, allowing Riley’s second hit of the game – this one a more conventional line drive – but nothing else in his second scoreless frame.

Davis doubled to start the bottom half of the inning and was moved to third on Michael Conforto’s single, chasing Wilson in favor of bespectacled journeyman Jesse Chavez.

With runners on the corners and no one out, Jonathan Villar struck out on four pitches. McCann followed with broken bat roller to short that the Braves were able to turn over, ending the Met threat.

Trevor May entered in the fifth, becoming the fourth Met pitcher of the nightcap, and worked a 1-2-3 inning without much hindrance. Luke Jackson came on for the Braves in the bottom half of the inning as the Mets looked to break a 13-inning scoreless streak.

They did just that, and it was McNeil – who drove in the last Met runs in the sixth inning of yesterday’s win – that ended the schneid. With Nimmo on first and two outs, McNeil drilled one off the center field fence to give the Mets a slim 1-0 lead after five.

The onus was put on Seth Lugo to protect that lead against the top of the Atlanta lineup. Pederson greeted the righty with a single to right and Albies walked on four pitches to bring up Chipper Freddie Freeman with two on and no one out.

Freeman briefly gave the Citi Field faithful heart palpitations, but Kevin Pillar was able to reel in his deep fly ball with his back against the left field fence for the first out. Outs two and three came courtesy of a tidy 4-6-3 double play turned by Luis Guillorme and Villar up the middle, preserving the Met lead.

The Mets couldn’t get anything going against Sean Newcomb, leaving it up to Edwin Diaz to make the lone run stand up in the seventh and final inning.

He did so in style, striking out the side – all on sliders – to sound the trumpets and keep the Braves five games back in the division.

The five-game series continues Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY and WCBS 880. Charlie Morton (9-3, 3.65 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Braves, while the Mets once again have their starter listed as TBD.

The post Six Mets Relievers Shut Out Braves, 1-0, in Nightcap appeared first on Metsmerized.

If Sunday was truly – finally – Carlos Carrasco’s last rehab start before joining the Mets for the first time in 2021, then Cookie certainly has something to build off.

The veteran righty went three innings for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets. He gave up just two singles, didn’t allow a run or walk and struck out six, including the first three he faced. His fastball reached 96 MPH and his off-speed pitches were effective.

Carlos Carrasco had three strikeouts in the first inning of today's rehab start: pic.twitter.com/lhLy7gsmNA

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 25, 2021

That performance was a far cry from his last outing for Syracuse, in which he allowed five runs – including three homers – in just 1.2 innings of work as he makes his way back from a torn hamstring suffered in spring training.

Carrasco only threw 38 pitches (32 strikes) in Sunday’s effort and is certainly not completely stretched out, but the Mets reportedly plan to forego a full rehab assignment in favor of plugging him into the currently vacant fifth spot in the rotation.

With the newly-acquired Rich Hill starting for the big-league club on Sunday, the Mets have now used 16 starters on the year, good for most in the league.

If Carrasco returns before next weekend as expected, the Mets will have a full five-man rotation for the first time in weeks as they await the return of Jacob deGrom and, further down the road, Noah Syndergaard.

The post Carlos Carrasco Dazzles In Potential Final Rehab Start appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

A week ago, I called the Mets’ loss in their last game before the All-Star break – a game they lead 5-0 after the first inning – the worst loss of the season.

And for six whole days, it was.

Saturday, in classic Met fashion – and against the same Pirate team – they topped that, losing 9-7 on Jacob Stallings’ walk-off grand slam. The Mets led that game 6-0 in the eighth inning. Until that point in 2021, teams up at least six runs in the eighth inning had been 314-0.

To their credit, they bounced back Sunday to salvage one game of the series after falling behind 6-0 in the first inning of Taijuan Walker’s worst start as a Met.

Seven-straight games against the Pirates sandwiched around the All-Star break were supposed to give the Mets breathing room in the division. Instead, Pittsburgh took four of the seven, and two in heart-wrenching fashion. If not for Michael Conforto’s heroic two-run homer in the ninth inning Sunday, the Mets would be in legitimate trouble.

Oh, and by the way, Jacob deGrom and Francisco Lindor both landed on the IL over the weekend. So, they still might be.

Weekly Record: 1-2

2021 Record: 48-42

162 Game Pace: 86-76

What Went Right: Pete Alonso Assaulting Baseballs

Perhaps lost in the disappointment from the weekend was the show the Polar Bear put on in the Home Run Derby last Monday.

Alonso cruised to his second-straight crown, setting the record for most homers in a round with a ridiculous 35 prodigious blasts. He clearly loves the event, and was certainly made for it.

Also shout out 64-year-old bench coach Dave Jauss, who was absolutely lights-out as Alonso’s pitcher.

What Went Wrong: Beating the Freaking Pirates

Seriously, how did the Mets keep losing to those guys? Fine, the bats weren’t there on Friday, but losing Saturday was flat-out embarrassing and Sunday would’ve been the most LOLMets meme of all time if they lost because their starting pitching flung a fair ball 35 feet away from the field and stood there as three runs scored.

Credit to Luis Rojas for his animated argument – despite being wrong – and injecting a little fire into the team.

Stock Up: Travis Blankenhorn

Called up because of the injury to Lindor, the June waiver claim mashed over the weekend. After his pinch-hit RBI double on Saturday, Blankenhorn’s mammoth first-pitch, three-run, pinch-hit homer completely changed the complexity of Sunday’s come-from-behind win.

Stock Down: Edwin Diaz

After a brutal 2019 in Queens, Diaz looked to have firmly turned things around both in 2020 and the first half of this year. He’s been shaky lately, though, blowing two games against Pittsburgh, including giving up the grand slam on Saturday.

If the Mets are going to survive their most recent injuries and truly make a run, Diaz simply has to be good Diaz down the stretch.

Injury Report

Once again, deGrom lands on the IL, this time with forearm tightness. When he’s been on the mound this year, deGrom has been unquestionably the best in the game, the problem is those starts have at times been few and far between. While the injury isn’t considered serious, there’s no timetable for his return and he won’t throw until he feels no more pain.

Meanwhile, Lindor had been one of the lone Mets that had avoided injury this season, but now is considered week-to-week with an oblique strain. Defensively, the Mets don’t lose anything with Luis Guillorme manning the position, and Jonathan Villar looked like he could still be effective in the field, but at the plate and in the clubhouse, this is a loss the team just cannot afford right now.

On a positive note, Carlos Carrasco made a rehab start for Brooklyn last week and seems to truly be on the precipice of his Met debut.

Next Up

The two teams the Mets play this week – the Reds and Blue Jays – oddly enough enter Monday with the same number of wins as the Mets (48). There’s not a much better barometer in that regard to see where exactly the team is at this point.

The problem of course, is in the rotation, where the Mets have three healthy pitchers – including a rookie that’s made five career starts. Jerad Eickhoff is starting Monday, and there are reports that Robert Stock could go Tuesday. The Mets will desperately need to continue to put up runs, and the bullpen needs to return to form if they want to hold off the surging Phillies for another week.

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Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets have done a lot of good things through the first half of 2021 to dispel the LOLMets moniker they’ve so painfully earned over the years.

Sunday’s loss to the lowly Pirates – in a game they Mets led 5-0 after one inning – was not one of those things.

A four-game split with Pittsburgh wasn’t the worst-case scenario, but it certainly wasn’t what the Mets had in mind headed to the All-Star break. That sting is culled a little by the fact they were able to take two-of-three from the scorching-hot Brewers earlier in the week.

And hey, the Mets have been alone in first place for the better part of the season. They’re tops in the NL East at the break for the first time since 2007. One bad game doesn’t change the fact that the first half of the season has been an objective success.

Weekly Record: 4-3

2021 Record: 47-40 (1st Place, NL East)

162 Game Pace: 88-74

What Went Right: A Major League Lineup

The Mets still aren’t exactly tearing the cover off the ball, but having a fully healthy big-league lineup for the first time since Opening Day has been a breath of fresh air. Brandon Nimmo’s impact cannot be overstated and it’s having a trickle-down effect on the rest of the position players – leading to a much more consistent threat than the last couple of months.

What Went Wrong: Having Four Starting Pitchers

Through no fault of their own, the Mets are down to just four healthy starters in the rotation. Rookie Tylor Megill has been good – though, inefficient – through his first four starts, and the combination of Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker and Marcus Stroman have paved the way for the Mets to finish the first half with the best starting pitcher ERA in the majors.

Still, having to try to piece together a game every turn through the rotation has been less than ideal. Sunday’s bullpen game was indicative of that. Carlos Carrasco could reasonably return by the end of the month, but the Mets can’t count on that. They have to add a major-league caliber starter before the deadline.

Stock Up: Jeff McNeil

The second baseman is starting to look much more like a player with a .310 career batting average. Over his last seven games, McNeil is slashing .389/.476/.444. The power numbers aren’t there, but truthfully, he doesn’t need to hit a high volume of homers as long as he’s finding gaps and driving in runs.

Stock Down: Luis Rojas

Let me preface this by saying I am a self-proclaimed Rojas apologist. For all the flack he gets, the second-year manager has done an excellent job of piecing the team together despite immense injury issues.

That being said, Rojas completely bungled the last couple days of the Pittsburgh series over the weekend. The Mets knew in advance they weren’t going to start deGrom on short rest Sunday. They should have pushed Megill back to that nine-inning game, thereby using a bullpen game in one of the seven-inning contests on Saturday.

Also, trying to get two innings out of Miguel Castro and then five outs from a taxed Edwin Diaz ended up costing the Mets the game. Rojas said after the game that he was trying to save Drew Smith in case the game went to extras, but if he was available – which he obviously was – it would have made more sense to try to win the game outright than use him as insurance.

Injury Report

As previously mentioned, Carrasco could be on the precipice of making his Mets debut. He’s been throwing bullpen sessions and a simulated game and by all accounts has looked and felt great in those.

J.D. Davis will join the Mets in Pittsburgh on Friday, giving the lineup a much-needed bat that can thrive off left-handed pitching – something they’ve struggled mightily with all season in his absence.

Next Up

What’s next for the Mets is a much-needed break. Four days off is just what the doctor ordered for this team. They’ll have a chance to get healthier, Pete Alonso gets to defend his Home Run Derby crown Monday and they’ll come out of the break with another three games against the Pirates. Presumably, it’ll happen with their top three in the rotation on the hill.

The post Mets Week in Review: Sunday’s Loss Leaves Sour Taste in Mouth Ahead of Break appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

For the eighth time this year, the Mets split a doubleheader.

This time though, they decided to switch up their usual routine, dropping the first game before rebounding to win the nightcap 4-2 behind strong performances from Tyler Megill and Jeff McNeil.

Megill began his fourth career start with a strikeout of Kevin Newman. He followed that up with a three-pitch K of Ke’Bryan Hayes and pop out from All-Star Bryan Reynolds.

Max Kranick – making his second career start after going five perfect innings in his first two weeks ago – similarly started his night with a strikeout of Brandon Nimmo. It would take just two more pitches for Kranick to allow the first baserunner of his young career, as Francisco Lindor ripped a single into left center. a

Pitching from the stretch for the first time as a major-leaguer, Kranick walked Dom Smith to give the Mets two on with one out in the opening frame. After Pete Alonso struck out, Jeff McNeil roped a double into the gap in right center, scoring two.

The double was McNeil’s first extra base hit in 60 at bats since returning from the IL. Michael Conforto followed that with a walk – bringing Kranick’s pitch count to 29 in the first – but Jonathan Villar flew out to shallow center to leave two stranded.

Pitching with a lead, Megill started the second off by walking Ben Gamel on five pitches. He rebounded to strike out the scorching hot John Nogowski and Rodolfo Castro, but walked his second batter of the inning in Jacob Stallings. Megill would escape though, thanks to a fine play from Jeff McNeil on a Jared Oliva’s chopper.

Kranick’s second inning was decidedly easier than his first. James McCann fouled out, Megill struck out and Nimmo grounded out to ease him through the frame.

After Kranick grounded out to start the third, Newman recorded the Pirates’ first hit with a perfect bunt to the left side. Hayes snuck a grounder past a diving Alonso, giving Pittsburgh runners on the corners with one out for its best hitter in Reynolds.

He made it hurt, ripping a single to right to cut the Met lead in half. Megill got Gamel to pop out to shallow left and struck out Nogowski to escape the jam, but pushed his pitch count up to 66 through three innings in doing so.

After Kranick retired Lindor and Smith via strikeout to start the third, Alonso hit a missile of a homer off the facing of the second deck in left to extend the Met lead to 3-1 and awaken the Citi Field faithful.

McNeil followed with his second hit of the game and Conforto walked to put two on with two out, but Villar’s foul pop out ended the threat.

Megill struck out Castro and Stallings to start a scoreless fourth. Those strikeouts – his sixth and seventh of the day – gave Megill a tie for most strikeouts through his first four starts in franchise history.

Megill has pitched really well through his infant career, but longevity has been an issue.
After walking Oliva and allowing a seeing-eye single to Wilmer Difo, Megill would exit in favor of Jeurys Familia. He got Newman to ground into a fielder’s choice to Lindor.

Former Met Chasen Shreve entered for the Pirates and was greeted by McCann’s soft line drive single. Shreve made a beautiful behind-the-back stab of Kevin Pillar’s grounder to force a fielder’s choice.

After a Nimmo walk gave the Mets two on with one out, Lindor tapped one in front of the plate that acted as a sacrifice swinging bunt, moving both runners over. Smith worked a nice at bat – just missing a three-run homer foul – but eventually lined out hard to first to strand the runners.

McNeil’s second fancy defensive play of the game got Seth Lugo’s night off to a sparkling start. A groundout to first from Reynolds and walk to Gamel brought up Nogowski as the tying run with two outs. Lugo got ahead 0-2 and forced Nogowski into a groundout to get through the fifth.

Conforto drew his third walk of the game with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but Villar’s groundout stranded the seventh Met runner of the game.

Lugo stayed in for a second inning of work and gave up a one-out solo homer to Stallings to cut the Met lead in half midway through the sixth inning.

McCann led off the bottom half of the inning with a walk off new Pirate pitcher Clay Holmes. Pillar moved him over to second with a soft grounder to bring up the top of the Met order looking for some insurance.

Per usual, Nimmo worked a full count, but watched strike three for the second out of the inning. Lindor was intentionally walked to bring up pinch hitter Billy McKinney. He lined one the other way through the shift to give the Mets that insurance run they were looking for. Alonso’s fielder’s choice ended the inning, stranding the eighth and ninth runners of the game for the Mets.

Edwin Diaz entered for the seventh, hoping to make that number irrelevant. It took him just 10 pitches to strike out the side and sound the trumpets in an absolutely dominant seventh, locking down the win.

The Mets and Pirates will play their final game of the first half Sunday at 1:10 p.m. on SNY and WCBS Radio 880. The Mets – who haven’t announced a starter yet – will look to take the four-game set against Chase De Jong (1-3, 5.08).

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Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Entering their league-leading 10 doubleheader on Saturday, the Mets were among the best in the majors both in first games of twin bills and contests in which they scored first.

Neither would end up mattering however, as the Pirates came from behind to down the Mets 6-2 in the first of two seven-inning games at Citi Field.

Tyler Anderson pitched well through five innings for Pittsburgh and added a go-ahead homer in the win. The loss moved the Mets to 35-10 when scoring first and 8-2 in doubleheader openers.

Brandon Nimmo had himself quite the first inning. First, he went over the fence in center field to bring back what would have been a home run off the bat of Bryan Reynolds for the final out in the top of the frame.

He followed that up with a leadoff single in the bottom half of the inning, and after advancing to third on Dom Smith’s single, scored the game’s first run on Kevin Pillar’s two-out liner into left field.

Armed with a 1-0 lead in the second, Marcus Stroman downed the Pirates in order via a weak groundout to first, a strikeout and a shallow pop up to left. Anderson responded in kind, sending the Mets away in the bottom of the inning despite an opposite-field single from Tomas Nido.

Stroman coaxed grounders to first and second and struck out his counterpart to make it through three perfect innings. Anderson likewise was able to retire the Mets in order, getting Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso to fly out around a Smith groundout.

Adam Frazier started Stroman’s second time through the order with a single to left for Pittsburgh’s first hit of the afternoon. With one out, he moved to third on Reynolds’ bloop into right center. Stroman struck out Ben Gamel for the second out, but John Nogowski ripped a 3-1 sinker just past the diving glove of Jonathan Villar and down the left field line – scoring both runners and giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead at the midpoint of the seven-inning affair.

Jonathan Villar didn’t waste much time in tying it up in the fourth, hitting his third homer in the last two days over the Great Wall of Flushing to knot the game at two.

After a single and double play gave the Pirates two outs and nobody on with the pitcher up, it seemed as if Stroman and the Mets were in good shape. Anderson showed bunt on the first two pitches of his at bat and then decided to swing away, bashing one over the right field wall to put the Buccos up 3-2 midway through the fifth.

Jeff McNeil pinch hit for Stroman in the bottom of the inning and laced a single into left. From there, Nimmo grounded into a fielder’s choice, Lindor popped out and Smith flew out to get Anderson through the inning unscathed.

Trevor May took over for Stroman in the top of the sixth, making it three straight starts in which Stroman has failed to go more than five innings. May walked Ke’Bryan Hayes to lead off the frame, and Reynolds hit another one over the wall – this time far enough that no one could catch it – to give the Pirates a three-run lead.

May labored for the rest of the sixth – allowing a hit and a walk – but escaped without allowing another run.

David Bednar entered for the Pirates with a 5-2 lead and struck out Alonso on four pitches. Pillar reached on an infield single (that was really an error) but flyouts from Villar and pinch-hitter Michael Conforto left him at first.

Drew Smith entered for the seventh inning and was greeted with a Jared Oliva single through the shift. He stole second and scored on a hustle double from Hayes to extend the Pirate lead to four. After an intentional walk to Reynolds, Smith struck out Gamel and Nogowski flew out to left to end the frame.

Pirate closer and fastball machine Richard Rodriguez entered for the seventh to face pinch-hitter Billy McKinney. Rodriguez disposed of McKinney on four pitches, getting him looking at a high fastball. McNeil fouled out to third and Nimmo struck out on a slider at his foot to end the game.

The Mets will look for a Saturday split with Tylor Megill on the mound, making his fourth career start. He’s opposed by Pittsburgh’s Max Kranick, making just his second start. In his first career appearance two weeks ago, Kranick went five perfect innings against the Cardinals before being removed. The game can be watched on SNY around 7 p.m.

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