Jun 20, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) throws the ball during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

In his first season with the New York Mets, Taijuan Walker is in the midst of a career year. The 28-year-old right-hander has been one of the best pitchers in the National League this season and his elite performance has now been recognized, as Walker has been selected to play in this year’s All-Star Game.

This will be the first taste of All-Star experience for Walker, accomplishing the feat in his ninth season in the big leagues. After allowing two runs in five innings on Friday night, Walker finishes the first half of the season with a tidy 2.50 ERA, which ranks eighth in the NL.

Manager Luis Rojas was the first to tell the media about Walker’s All-Star selection after the game. Donning the championship belt for being the player of the game, Walker later spoke with the media about the honor of being selected to the team.

Taijuan Walker talks about finding out he was named to the All-Star team, and is excited to "watch Pete [Alonso] win the Home Run Derby" pic.twitter.com/AWl6K8vRJK

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 10, 2021

Unless another player like Marcus Stroman or Edwin Diaz is added over the weekend, Walker will be the Mets lone All-Star representative in Colorado next week. Jacob deGrom was obviously selected as well, but chose to skip the events to focus on getting ready for the second half of the season and to spend time with his family.

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Coming into today’s doubleheader between the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers, it was clear that Game 1 featured the far more sexy pitching matchup as the league’s two best strikeouts aces went head-to-head. Jacob deGrom entered the start leading MLB with his 14.4 K/9 and Corbin Burnes was in second at 13.2.

A matchup between two of this year’s NL All-Stars is just a bit better than the Brett Anderson vs. Robert Stock matchup we are heading towards in the night cap, but at least there is more Mets baseball coming your way!

One run can make all the difference in any great pitching battle. Especially when you are playing a seven-inning game. That is why it was so stunning to see the best pitcher in the world give up a leadoff homer to Brewers third baseman Luis Urias.

After allowing the home run, deGrom settled in and retired the next 12 batters he faced, striking out six. DeGrom seemed to get stronger as the start went on, reaching 101 MPH in a fourth inning where he struck out the side.

Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Trailing 1-0 before getting their first turn at-bat, the Mets wasted no time getting on the board and evening things up against Burnes. Brandon Nimmo continues to provide a spark atop the Mets lineup and did so again as he ripped a line drive to left-center field on the seventh pitch of his first at-bat.

The double gave the Mets an early runner in scoring position and Francisco Lindor cashed it in right away, flaring a hit over the infield that scored Nimmo and tied the game. Burnes then began to showcase his All-Star pedigree, striking out Dom Smith and Jeff McNeil, working around another single he allowed to Pete Alonso.

With one out in the second inning, Tomas Nido ripped a line drive to the opposite field for a single. Burnes then settled in and retired the next eight batters he faced, striking out four Mets in the process.

The tie was finally broken in the top of the fifth inning, when Jace Peterson got a hold of a slider out over the heart of the plate and hit a 426-foot home run. DeGrom struck out the next two batters to avoid further damage in the fifth. He later worked around a single in the following inning, inducing a double play that retired the side in order.

Clinging to his one-run lead, Burnes finally began to run into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth inning. After striking out Lindor and Smith at the start of the frame, Pete Alonso hit a double to spark a two-out rally.

Jeff McNeil reached base next with an infield single, which forced Burnes out of the game as Brewers manager Craig Counsell opted to have relief ace Devin Williams get the final out of the inning. Williams hit Michael Conforto with a pitch that loaded the bases, but ultimately got Luis Guillorme to ground out to end the inning.

Sitting at just 69 pitches after six innings, deGrom completed the game for the Mets in the seventh, working around another single to hold the Brewers to just two runs through seven innings. DeGrom finished the day with 1o strikeouts, no walks and just four hits allowed, but the two solo home runs made all of the difference.

Brewers closer Josh Hader entered the game in the bottom of the seventh, looking to convert his 21st save of the season. The hard-throwing left-hander had been perfect in his first 20 save opportunities this season.

The bench mob was asked to do the impossible and scratch a run against Hader, who has dominated the Mets in the past. Kevin Pillar pinch-hit first and was set down on strikes. Then it was Jose Peraza‘s turn to pinch-hit and he shocked the Brewers All-Star, tagging Hader for his first home run allowed of the season.

After Nimmo was set down on a questionable strike three call, Lindor flew out to left field, sending the game into extra innings.

Edwin Diaz came into the game for the eighth inning to try to work around the free runner on second and keep the Brewers off the board. Unfortunately he was unable to do so, as a lack of control hurt Diaz again in a non-save situation.

The Mets closer retired the first two batters he faced, but then issued two walks to load the bases. Diaz then hit Christian Yelich with the first pitch, bringing in the free runner for the Brewers. The unearned run is all Diaz would allow, as he struck out Willy Adames to strand three runners.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Mets once again showed their resilience, putting together a game-winning rally.

Left-hander Brent Suter replaced Hader for the Brewers and he dealt with control issues of his own. Suter hit Smith on the wrist with a pitch, then James McCann drew a walk in a nine-pitch at-bat. With the bases loaded, McNeil came up to the plate and produced the first walk-off hit of his career, a single that scored two.

JEFF MCNEIL

WALK IT OFF

METS WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/SgWANQVxJJ

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 7, 2021

It was the seventh time this season that the Mets have won via walk-off and their 11th victory in 17 chances when playing doubleheaders. Now having won another series, the Mets will look to complete a sweep of the first place Brewers in the night cap.

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Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Conforto returns to the starting lineup tonight and is batting third, as has been anticipated for a few days now. But Conforto’s addition is just the tip of the iceberg, with the Mets making a handful of roster moves ahead of tonight’s game against the Atlanta Braves.

Here are the following roster moves that were just made:

• Michael Conforto activated off the Injured List.
• Corey Oswalt and Tylor Megill have been selected from Tripe-A Syracuse.
• Tomas Nido is heading to the 10-day IL with a wrist injury.
• Sean Reid-Foley and Yennsy Diaz optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.
• Joey Lucchesi and Robert Gsellman moved to the 60-day IL.

After the Mets bullpen was tasked with covering eight innings of relief last night when Marcus Stroman exited his start in just the second inning, New York has added two fresh arms in Megill and Oswalt.

Megill is starting and making his MLB debut, while Oswalt will now become the Mets long-man to provide some insurance in case they need length out of the pen. This will be Oswalt’s fourth season with the Mets, as he has made appearances with the team dating back to 2018.

Across his career, Oswalt has only pitched at the MLB level with the Mets and has a career 6.19 ERA. Last season, Oswalt pitched to a 4.85 ERA with 11 strikeouts across 13 innings pitched.

To make room for both Oswalt and Megill on the 40-man roster, Lucchesi and Gsellman were both moved to the 60-day IL. Lucchesi is out for the season as he is scheduled to get Tommy John surgery tomorrow, meanwhile Gsellman has been shut down for at least six weeks with a torn lat.

Patrick Mazeika is serving as the backup catcher after being called up prior to yesterday’s game while the Mets waited to see how Nido’s wrist would respond to treatment. While the MRI on Nido’s wrist came back clean, there was still too much discomfort for him to be available right away, so the Mets have optioned him to clear up the roster spot for Conforto.

Jonathan Villar has remained on the active roster as he deals with a calf injury. While he is not in the starting lineup, Luis Rojas said that Villar is available off the bench in tonight’s game.

The post Mets Make Flurry of Roster Moves Ahead of Tonight’s Game appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Pete Alonso has been the reigning Home Run Derby champion for nearly two years now and he is not looking to cede his crown any time soon, as the Mets slugger will once again participate in the competition at this year’s All-Star break.

Metsmerized‘s Mike Mayer reported the news, as Alonso has been asked to once again be part of the field competing in the annual Home Run Derby when the game’s greatest stars head to Colorado for the All-Star Game festivities.

In 2019, Alonso was part of a Home Run Derby field that notably included Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who only had nine regular season home runs entering the competition. Guerrero stole the show however, as he set a derby record for most home runs in a round with 40, taking down Joc Pederson in a matchup that had three overtimes.

Guerrero went on to set another record for most home runs ever hit in the competition with 91, yet it was Alonso who came up victorious, hitting 23 home runs in the final round to beat his fellow rookie counterpart. The derby win was just one part of a magical rookie campaign for Alonso, which saw him take home the Rookie of the Year Award, as well as setting a new rookie record for the most home runs ever hit in a player’s first season.

This year, Alonso has not quite had that some type of an offensive season, as he missed some time with an injury and has not produced the same power numbers the Mets are accustomed to seeing from their young slugger.

Still, Alonso leads the team with his 11 home runs and will look to showcase his power once again, this time in the thin Denver air at Coors Field.

The post Pete Alonso to Defend His Crown in 2021 Home Run Derby appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jacob deGrom was perfect tonight, striking eight batters in three innings of work, but once again left the game with a sour taste in his mouth.

For the second-straight start, deGrom has left a start early due to injury. Last time out it was due to flexor tendinitis, but today’s injury is apparently a new one.

According to New York Daily News beat reporter Deesha Thosar, deGrom left the game today with shoulder soreness. We will update you when we have more information on his injury status moving forward.

The post Jacob DeGrom Exits Start with Shoulder Soreness appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mandatory Credit: Kam Nedd-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets continue to get positive injury news, as players work their way back off the injured list. The most significant return could be on the horizon, as Luis Rojas told the media that Michael Conforto is starting a rehab assignment in Syracuse and will start tonight.

Rojas believes that Conforto could return to the lineup in about a week, giving the Mets a huge boost ahead of the All-Star break.

After getting off to slow start this season, Conforto was beginning to turn things around before he landed on the injured list. The 28-year-old had reached base safely in his last 14 games, before exited the Mets game against the Tampa Bay Rays after one at-bat on May 16th with a hamstring injury.

In his absence, the Mets have relied on newcomer Billy McKinney primarily out in right field. When Conforto returns, we could see McKinney shift out to center, as the Mets may look to keep both powerful left-handed bats in the lineup.

In other injury news, MLB.com‘s Anthony DiComo reported that Carlos Carrasco is beginning a throwing program following a PRP injection he received to strengthen his injured hamstring. Carrasco is not throwing off the slope just yet, but is throwing off a flat ground. DiComo says the Mets are still hopeful he could return in July.

The post Michael Conforto to Begin Rehab Assignment, Carrasco Resumes Throwing appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Dellin Betances took the mound for the St. Lucie Mets today for the second appearance of his rehab assignment with the Low-A club. In his first time out on Sunday, Betances pitched a scoreless frame, picking up two strikeouts with one walk. Today things did not go so well for the right-hander.

Entering a tie game in the seventh inning, the 33-year-old struggled mightily, as the only out he recorded was a sharp line drive. He walked the first batter, gave up two singles, got the line drive out, then walked another batter before giving up one last single and being removed from the game.

Jeffrey Colon came in relief of Betances and promptly allowed a single which scored both inherited runners that had been left on the mound by the four-time All-Star.

All told, Betances finished with an ugly line of: 0.1 IP, 5 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 0 K

Betances made one appearance for the New York Mets this season, allowing a run in an inning of work on April 7th against the Philadelphia Phillies. He was then put on the injured list with a shoulder injury and was later transferred to the 60-day IL.

According to MMO‘s Mike Mayer, Betances’ fastball was sitting at 92/93 in his appearance today, which is still down from the upper-90’s fastball he once featured when he was one of the best relievers in baseball for the New York Yankees.

There is no telling if Betances will ever rediscover that stuff again, or at least be able to make due with what he has to be an effective reliever.

The post Dellin Betances Allows Five Runs in St. Lucie Rehab Appearance appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

When the New York Mets acquired Joey Lucchesi as part of a three-team trade that sent Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres, it was unclear how big of a role the left-handed starter would play this season.

Lucchesi figured to be good starting pitching depth for the Mets. But when they signed Taijuan Walker at the end of the offseason, it appeared like his chances of sticking in the rotation would be very slim.

Going into spring training, Lucchesi and David Peterson were competing for the final spot of in the rotation, along with some other arms who were brought into camp like Jordan Yamamoto and Jerad Eickhoff.

Ultimately when Carlos Carrasco went down with a hamstring injury, the door was open for both Lucceshi and Peterson to make the Opening Day rotation and for better or worse, that has essentially been the duo the Mets have been using at the back-end of their rotation all year.

Peterson has been more of a fixture than Lucchesi, as he has started in every game he has pitched, while the Mets have played around with an opener when the former Padres starter has been schedule to pitch. Still, Lucchesi remains a big part of this Mets team thus far and he is at least showing some signs of improvement over the last few weeks.

Through his first six appearances this season, Lucchesi was not having much success no matter what role he was asked to fill. The 28-year-old pitched to a 9.19 ERA, with a 1.53 WHIP. Opposing batters were hitting .306 against him and his walk rate of 3.0 BB/9 was certainly not helping his cause either.

Yet over his last three starts, Lucchesi has suddenly started to flash the signs of being the effective starting pitcher he was back in 2018 and 2019 for the Padres.

The turnaround began on May 22nd, when Lucchesi took the mound against the Miami Marlins and faced the minimum across four innings pitched. He needed just 43 pitches (34 strikes) to get through those four scoreless frames, striking out eight Marlins along the way.

Many were surprised that Lucchesi was not asked to go back out to pitch the fifth inning in that game, but with three power-hitting right-handed batters in Adam Duvall, Brian Anderson and Garrett Cooper due up, Luis Rojas decided not to press his luck by sending him out for another inning.

Lucchesi has taken the ball twice since then and has yielded just one run over 7 2/3 innings pitched, on a solo home run off the bat of Manny Machado last Friday night. All told, Luccheshi has pitched to a 1.46 ERA, with a 0.81 WHIP over his last three starts. Opposing batters are hitting just .167 against him during that span.

If you are wondering what the big change has been that has allowed Lucceshi to turn things around so quickly, there is a pretty clear mechanical adjustment that has been made to the left-hander’s delivery.

Looking back to Lucchesi’s worst start of the season against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 3rd, when he gave up six runs off seven hits, you can see that he was throwing more over the top with a release point well over six-feet on his churve and at around six-feet with his sinker.

Fast-forward to his most recent start against the Padres, you can see Lucchesi releasing his pitches at more of a pronounced three-quarter arm slot, dropping his release point on both pitches.

By changing his arm slot, Lucchesi has generated better control of his best pitch, his churve and is now able to keep the pitch at the bottom half of the strike zone. Earlier on this season, he was too often hanging those churves up in the zone, where batters could square the pitch up and drive it.

Here is a look at the pitch charts for Lucchesi in the two starts shown above against the Cardinals and then the Padres.

As you can see from that second image, by adjusting his arm slot, Lucchesi’s churve is now living almost entirely at the bottom of the zone, with the pitch never coming in above belt-high for the batter.

Through his first six appearances this season, the whiff rate on Lucchesi’s churve was 35.5%. Over his last three starts, that number has climbed to 43.3%.

With these clear improvements, one may wonder if it is time to start stretching Lucchesi out to go deeper into games. Last Friday’s start against the Padres was the first time this season that he recorded an out in the fifth inning, but he was not allowed to finish the frame as he was pulled in favor of Jacob Barnes with two outs and two runners on.

The timing of the hook was no coincidence, as leadoff batter Tommy Pham was about to step into the box for the third time against Lucceshi. While it would be great to see him get that opportunity to close out the inning himself, it is understandable for the Mets to be cautious of asking too much from Lucchesi.

For his career, there has been a clear regression with each time a lineup gets the chance to see Lucchesi, as he is essentially a two-pitch pitcher. When facing a lineup the third time through, batters have hit .312/.395/.548, against Lucchesi across 234 career plate appearances.

This season, the Mets have not allowed Lucchesi to face any batters more than twice in a game, and there is no indication that they will adjust that strategy any time soon. Yet despite the lack of length that he provides, Lucchesi can still be a valuable fifth starter for this team moving forward.

The Mets have gotten great pitching from their bullpen all season, particularly from relievers pitching multiple innings. Robert Gsellman, Sean Reid-Foley and Tommy Hunter are just a few of the arms that have been tasked with covering multiple innings when Lucchesi pitches and all of them have found success in these spots.

Seth Lugo‘s return to the mix should only help the Mets manage these shorter starts from Lucchesi further, as he presents an outstanding option to bridge the gap to the later innings for New York in a close game.

Where the Mets can run into trouble with Lucchesi is if he were to follow up a bad performance from a starter like David Peterson.

Pitching Peterson and Lucchesi on back-to-back days spells trouble for the Mets bullpen, as they could quickly become overused if neither left-hander provides much length. This might be the reasoning behind the Mets current alignment of the rotation, as Lucchesi is scheduled to take the ball on Saturday, once again facing his former team.

With two off-days this week, Jacob deGrom is set to start Friday night’s game and Marcus Stroman would have been available to pitch on five day’s rest on Saturday. Instead, the plan is to go to Lucchesi first, which will sandwich him between the Mets top two starters.

Assuming the Mets stick with this alignment moving forward, this should help the bullpen manage Lucchesi’s starts much easier, as deGrom and Stroman will provide the length that allows them to rest before and after his starts.

Obviously the Mets rotation would be better if they had a healthy Carlos Carrasco and/or Noah Syndergaard in Lucchesi’s place. But for the time being, the Mets must make do with what they have available.

Lucchesi has shown that he can be very effective if used properly and a great four-inning pitcher is better than any alternative presently available on the roster.

The post Understanding Joey Lucchesi’s Turnaround and Role Moving Forward appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Just when the New York Mets begin to get healthy, another key contributor goes down.

The latest injured Met is Jonathan Villar, who started his 27th-consecutive game today, but exited in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The 30-year-old infielder went 2-for-4 and scored two runs prior to leaving the game with an injury to his right hamstring. Villar flew out in the top of the sixth inning, so he likely aggravated his hamstring running on that play.

Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil are both on the injured list right now with hamstring injuries, having both gone down in the same game back on May 16th. We will keep you updated on the severity of Villar’s injury as soon as we get more information.

The post Jonathan Villar Exits Game with Hamstring Tightness appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Update: 6/2/21, 2:30 p.m. 

Arizona Diamondbacks color commentator Bob Brenly has issued the following public apology to Marcus Stroman for his comments during the broadcast of last night’s game.

Broadcaster Bob Brenly issued the following statement through the Diamondbacks about his remark last night on Marcus Stroman. pic.twitter.com/zXcdAWtx5J

— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) June 2, 2021

Mets manager Luis Rojas was also asked about Brenly’s comment during his pre-game Zoom meeting with the media today and he said the following.

Here is Luis Rojas’ full answer on the initial question about Bob Brenly’s comment. pic.twitter.com/qGbK7kj46R

— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) June 2, 2021

Original Post:

Last season, everyone was shocked when long-time play-by-play announcer Thom Brennaman was caught on a hot mic making a homophobic slur during the broadcast of a Cincinnati Reds game.

Brennaman was immediately let go from his duties announcing NFL games with Fox and would eventually resign from his position with the Reds, after being informed that he would not be returning to the booth for the 2021 season.

Ultimately Brennaman was held responsible for his actions, as there is no room for hate speech on any broadcast. With that precedent in mind, MLB and the Arizona Diamondbacks need to hold Bob Brenly accountable for the comments he made during last night’s game.

For those who may have missed it, Brenly made a comment about Marcus Stroman‘s du-rag during the Diamondbacks broadcast of the game saying, “I’m sure that’s the same du-rag that Tom Seaver used to wear when he pitched for the Mets.”

mannn… why? comes out of nowhere and gets smartly totally ignored by his partner. pic.twitter.com/q810Azt1WK

— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) June 2, 2021

While Brenly does not blatantly use a racial slur in the same way that Brennaman uttered a homophobic one, the racial undertones in what Brenly says are still apparent. But unlike Brennaman, Brenly knew he was on the air and still chose to make this racist comment.

Brenly has a history of making remarks such as this one as well. In 2019, he commented on the necklace Fernando Tatis Jr. was wearing saying, “It would probably be easier to run the bases without that bike chain around his neck.”

Both of these instances show that Brenly is a man out of touch with what is acceptable to say in 2021. Major League Baseball cannot simply ignore Brenly’s comments and chalk them up to him being a 67-year-old from a different time.

If they really want to show that they stand with people of color, and are against the hate speech that has permeated in their sport for far too long, they must hold Brenly accountable.

The way that Brenly laments a du-rag or a big chain necklace shows that he does not like seeing these aspects of other cultures being brought into the game he played back in the 1980s.

After last night’s game, Stroman did not call out Brenly directly, but instead chose to take the high road when addressing his comments.

Onward and upward…through all adversity and racist undertones. The climb continues through all! 🗣

— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) June 2, 2021

Stroman always preaches positivity on social media, while also understanding that some would try to misconstrue his comments if he were to speak out against Brenly. The fact that Stroman would receive backlash for addressing Brenly’s remark head-on shows the problem that still exists to this day.

If Brenly doesn’t face consequences for using this type language when addressing an African American athlete, than it is as if Major League Baseball and the Arizona Diamondbacks are condoning it. This is a big test for MLB to show that they really stand with their black athletes.

Hopefully they make an example out of Brenly to show that this cannot be tolerated any longer.

The post MLB Should Hold Bob Brenly Accountable for Mocking Stroman’s Du-Rag appeared first on Metsmerized Online.