Sean Manaea was quite strong once again. He threw seven strong innings allowing only one run on three hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out a season-best 11. He induced 19 swings-and-misses. In doing so, he lowered his season ERA to 4.13. A far cry from the 6.85 mark he sported following an appearance on May 10.

Behind Manaea, Jack Weisenburger made his big league debut and posted two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. He struck out Jhostynxon Garcia for his first big league punch-out in the ninth. The 28-year-old was called up prior to the game and has played with Triple-A Syracuse and the Mexican League in 2026.

Offensively, Bo Bichette led the way. He was a perfect 5-for-5 and had the hit that blew the game open in the fourth inning. He cleared the bases with a bases-loaded double putting the Mets up 8-1 at the time.

Elsewhere, Luis Robert Jr. drove in a season-high four runs. He hit a two-run home run in the third, had a sacrifice fly in the first, and singled home Bichette in the seventh.

In all, four Mets had multi-hit games. The aforementioned Bichette and Robert Jr. were joined by Carson Benge (2-for-5, RBI) and Jared Young (3-for-5). Lastly, Francisco Alvarez added his 13th home run in the fifth.

With the victory, the Mets move to 52-67 on the season.

Player of the Game: Sean Manaea

Sean Manaea quietly continues to string together strong starts. On Sunday, he spun seven brilliant innings, allowing just a single run and set a season-high in strikeouts with 11. His season ERA is now 4.13. Outside a game on July 18, Manaea has not allowed more than three earned runs in a game since April.

On Deck

The Mets are right back at it Monday as they travel to Atlanta to face the Braves. The first game of the three-game set is slated for a 7:15 pm ET first pitch. The probable pitching matchup is Christian Scott versus Bryce Elder.

The post Mets Sink Pirates Behind Manaea, Bichette In 11-1 Series Victory appeared first on Metsmerized.

The New York Mets’ win streak couldn’t go on forever. The Pittsburgh Pirates rolled through the Mets Saturday night scoring three runs in the first inning and never looking back. The Pirates eventually scored nine runs and held the Mets to no runs and three hits. Robert Stock took the brunt of it, allowing eight runs over three innings. Luis Torrens stepped up for the bullpen, pitching two innings to close out the game.

The Mets still have the ability to win the series though with a win Sunday afternoon.

Mets Lineup

1. A.J. Ewing – LF
2. Francisco Lindor – SS
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Carson Benge – RF
5. Luis Robert Jr. – CF
6. Jared Young – 1B
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. Brett Baty – DH
9. Francisco Alvarez – C

Starting Pitcher: Sean Manaea

Sean Manaea has pitched in 24 games this season totaling 97 2/3 innings with a 4.33 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 1.328 WHIP, and a 96 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed only five runs over 18 innings from 18 hits and nine walks while striking out 14 batters (2.50 ERA, 4.09 FIP). Since joining the rotation he has made 10 starts totaling 54 2/3 innings with a 3.79 ERA and 4.53 FIP.

Manaea’s first game of the season was 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief against the Pirates. The Pirates have the following career stats against him:

• Henry Davis 0-0, BB
• Nick Gonzalez 0-4, 2 K
• Brandon Loew 0-8, 3 K
• Bryan Reynolds 2-9, HR, 2 BB, K
• Jared Triolo 0-2, BB

Pirates Lineup

1. Jake Magnum – CF
2. Ronny Simon – RF
3. Bryan Reynolds – DH
4. Nick Gonzales – 3B
5. Esmerlyn Valdez – LF
6. Brandon Lowe – 2B
7. Rafael Flores – 1B
8. Jared Triolo – SS
9. Henry Davis – C

Starting Pitcher: Jared Jones

The Mets’ bats will get a look at Jared Jones Sunday afternoon. Over 12 starts (56 innings), Jones has a 4.02 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 1.107 WHIP, and a 107 ERA+. Jones has allowed a bunch of runs recently, six in his last 10 innings. Before that though he had a 21-inning stretch over four starts where he allowed only three runs while striking out 28 batters (1.29 ERA, 1.61 FIP).

Jones missed the series against the Mets in March because he was still recovering from 2025 internal brace surgery. The Mets have the following career stats against Jones:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, 2 K
• Gabriel Arias 0-2, K
• Brett Baty 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 0-2, K

Game Notes

The New York Mets announced the following roster moves prior to Sunday’s game:

• RHP Xzavion Curry was optioned to Triple-A following Saturday night’s game.
• RHP Jack Weisenburger was selected to the major-league roster. He will wear No. 82.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Gabriel Arias. The Mets claimed Arias off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians earlier this week and he joined the Mets before Saturday’s game. Once the game was out of reach, interim manager Andy Green took Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette out of the game which game Arias his first game time as a Met (0-for-2, K). Arias was hitting .244/.284/.386 (85 OPS+) over 42 games this season, which is an upgrade compared to other options the Mets have rolled with this season. He’s also hitting above his career line of .218/.275/.359. He’ll get plenty of opportunities with the Mets for the rest of the season.
2. Contain Jake! Jake Mangum was twice drafted by the Mets and was eventually traded to the Marlins. From the Marlins he made his way to the Rays where he made his major league debut in 2025. The Rays traded Mangum to the Pirates last December. He’s having a fantastic season slashing .300/.354/.380 with a 102 OPS+ and a 1.5 bWAR. That would tie him with Luis Torrens for fourth on the Mets. Mangum got the better of the Mets Saturday going 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and a stolen base.
3. Marcus Semien. Semien has slashed .245/.317/.547 in his last 17 games, going 13-for-53 at the plate with a double, five home runs, and six walks. He’s not putting up crazy numbers, but his slugging is up 34 points over this stretch. His OPS+ is still the lowest in his career by a long shot (76, career average 107), but he’s only one homer away from reaching last year’s total and still has a shot to reach 20 on the season.

The post Game Chat: Mets vs Pirates, 1:35 P.M. appeared first on Metsmerized.

“I think he found himself behind in the count pretty frequently and by the fourth inning he was out of gas,” manager Andy Green said after the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 9-0 win Saturday night snapped New York’s (51-67) four-game winning streak. “Had trouble commanding the baseball at that point in time.”

Stock earned the start Saturday after pitching well (one run on three hits in five innings) in his season debut against the Marlins on August 2. After Saturday night’s effort, Green said it was too early to say if he will get another turn in the rotation.

Stock gave up eight earned runs on nine hits, walked five, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch and was yanked after allowing six consecutive batters to reach to start the fourth inning.

“I experienced some bad luck early in (the outing), but that can always be overcome by striking people out,” he said. “So there’s some pitches I can execute better. And then by the fourth inning I’m looking up at the board just feeling my velo go down and my arm get tired. It wasn’t the pitch count total (80), I think it was the pitches per minute. It was pretty quick.

“I need to be more resilient to getting fatigued and not start losing the counts. Two things, if I execute pitches better early in the game then I don’t have to deal with the fatigue. And even when you get fatigued, it’s going to happen, you still need to fill up the zone.”

Stock felt like he let the team down not only because of the runs he gave up, but also by not pitching deeper into the game. Xzavion Curry and Luis Torrens combined to throw five innings of one-run ball in relief.

“Falling behind in the count late in the game is inexcusable … even though your team is losing, now the manager is looking at you to eat innings so you can not have to go to the pen. And that was the worst part of tonight was that when I got fatigued, I didn’t battle through it. I kind of gave into it so that’s on me.”

The post Stock Plummets In Pittsburgh appeared first on Metsmerized.

Meanwhile, the trade deadline acquisitions just keep performing. Most notably, consensus top-100 prospect, Jefferson Rojas, posted his first extra-base hit with the organization and went 3-for-4 in Binghamton’s (Double-A) slim defeat. Meanwhile, in Brooklyn’s (High-A) first game of the day, Sammy Stafura and Aidan Smith combined to combined to go 5-for-8.

Ronny Mauricio. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Triple-A

Syracuse Mets 13 (55-57), Columbus Clippers 7 (59-53)

Box Score

• SS Ronny Mauricio: 4-4, HR, 5 RBIs, 4 R (.921 OPS)
• RF Jose Ramos: 2-5, 2 HR, 2 RBIs (1.118 OPS)
• CF D’Andre Smith: 1-3, HR, RBI, BB (1.255 OPS)

Mauricio stole the show in Syracuse’s 13-run outburst Saturday. He went a perfect 4-for-4 with three extra-base hits and five RBIs. He is now hitting .292 with a .921 OPS in Triple-A in 2026.

Ramos, 25, was called up on August 4 and has swung the bat well. He hit .218 with a .722 in Double-A. However, is 5-for-17 with four extra-base hits to begin his Triple-A career.

• RHP Tobias Myers: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 4 SO (5.40 ERA)
• RHP Brian Metoyer: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO (4.50 ERA)
• RHP Austin Warren: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO (2.45 ERA)

A plethora of arms that will either see, or have seen, major league time this season pitched on Saturday for Syracuse. Myers started the game but needed 61 pitches to get through 3 1/3 innings, allowing four runs with two walks. His Triple-A ERA is up to 5.40.

Following him, Warren, who is still on a rehab assignment, tossed two strong innings. He will likely be back in Queens in the near future.

Billy Amick. Photo credit: Braden Botts, Wichita Wind Surge

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies 6 (43-64), Hartford Yard Goats 4 (54-52)

Box Score

• SS Mitch Voit: 2-3, 2 R, BB, SB (1.536 OPS)
• 2B Émilien Pitre: 2-4, R (.800 OPS)
• 3B Jefferson Rojas: 3-4, 3 RBIs, 3B (.713 OPS)
• DH Billy Amick: 1-3, HR, 2 RBIs (1.322 OPS)

It was another splendid day for a Binghamton offense that has come alive since the trade deadline. The group combined for six runs and 10 runs.

Leading the way was Jefferson Rojas; a top-100 prospect and acquired in the Clay Holmes/Tyrone Taylor trade from the Cubs. Rojas posted his first extra-base hit with the organization, a triple that gave the Rumble Ponies a lead momentarily. He is now slashing .269/.337/.458 (.795 OPS) in Double-A this season.

Amick also added another home run. He hit his fourth homer since joining the organization in the A.J. Minter trade from Minnesota. He now has 27 homers and 82 RBIs on the season in Double-A. His OPS is .851.

• RHP Gabe Davis: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO (9.00 ERA)
• RHP Bryce Conley: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO (6.16 ERA)

Davis, acquired in the Huascar Brazobán trade, made his organizational debut and struggled. He threw three innings and allowed three runs on five hits and a walk. He is listed at 6-foot-9 and 234 pounds.

Sammy Stafura. Photo by Greensboro Grasshoppers

High-A

Game 1: Wilmington Blue Rocks 6 (53-51), Brooklyn Cyclones 5 (45-59)

Box Score

• SS Sammy Stafura: 3-4, 3 R, 2 2B (1.028 OPS)
• LF Aidan Smith: 2-4, HR, 3 RBIs (.761 OPS)

Stafura and Smith combined to propel the Cyclones’ offense to five runs in their first game of a Saturday doubleheader.

Stafura, acquired in the Luke Weaver trade, is 5-for-12 to begin his Mets career. Meanwhile, Smith, acquired in the Freddy Peralta trade, had homered in three straight games and three of four since joining the organization.

• RHP Luke Gabrysh: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO (5.23 ERA)

Gabrysh made his organization debut. He only lasted four innings and allowed three earned runs, however, he struck out nine and induced an impressive 16 swings-and-misses which was the most at the High-A level on Saturday. The Wilmington, Delaware native was acquired from Philadelphia in the Brooks Raley trade.

Game 2: Wilmington Blue Rocks 4 (54-51), Brooklyn Cyclones 0 (45-60)

Box Score

• RF Aidan Smith: 1-3 (.760 OPS)
• CF Trey Snyder: 1-3, SB (.590 OPS)

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Cyclones only mustered three hits while getting shutout. Smith led off the game and has one of the team’s three hits. He finished his doubleheader 3-for-7.

• RHP Jose Chirinos: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 3 SO (4.61 ERA)
• RHP Ryan Dollar: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 SO (3.12 ERA)

Dollar, an undrafted free agent, has excelled with High-A Brooklyn after spending time with St. Lucie (Single-A) to begin the season. The former Houston Cougar has a 3.24 ERA across 25 High-A innings to go along with 34 strikeouts. The opposition is hitting a mere .184 against him.

Julio Zayas by Ed Delany / MMO

Single-A

Game 1: St. Lucie Mets 3 (49-56), Daytona Tortugas 1 (45-60)

Box Score

• DH Julio Zayas: 1-3, HR, 3 RBIs (.746 OPS)
• CF Aiden Robbins: 1-2, R, BB (.764 OPS)
• SS Elian Peña: 1-3 (.761 OPS)

Zayas followed up his walk-off homer on Friday with another homer in the first game of St. Lucie’s doubleheader on Saturday. Zayas leads the team with 53 RBIs. He is slashing .391/.440/.826 (1.266 OPS) in August.

Robbins, the Mets’ third-round pick in 2026, has had a nice start to his professional career. He went 1-for-2 with a walk in game one.

• RHP Nathan Hall: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO (5.40 ERA)
• RHP Miguel Mejias: 1.2 IP, 10 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO (3.66 ERA)

Mejias, 21, is putting together a nice debut season at the Single-A level for St. Lucie. After 1 2/3 innings scoreless on Saturday, he has a 3.66 ERA with 47 strikeouts across 39 1/3 innings. The 21 walks are a concern, however.

Game 2 (Aug. 4 makeup): Daytona Tortugas 15 (46-60), St. Lucie Mets 7 (49-57) 

Box Score

• LF Simon Juan: 2-3, HR, RBI, 2B (.621 OPS)
• RF Kuhio Aloy: 1-4, HR, 2 RBIs (.619 OPS)
• 2B Vladi Gomez: 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SB (.836 OPS)

Aloy hit his first professional home run in the second game of St. Lucie’s doubleheader. The 21-year-old was the Mets’ 11th-round pick out of Arkansas this year. He is, however, only 3-for-18 to begin his career with St. Lucie.

Gomez, 20, is becoming quite a story. He reached base three times and stole two bases in St. Lucie’s second game. He is now hitting .325 with a .862 OPS and has stolen 39 bases.

• RHP Tyler McLoughlin: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO (9.17 ERA)
• LHP Wilmer Lugo: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 0 SO (40.50 ERA)
• LHP Luis Sotillo: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO (17.18 ERA)

It was a disaster of a nightcap for the St. Lucie pitching. McLoughlin, Lugo, and Sotillo combined to allow 11 earned runs on seven hits and a staggering eight walks.

Dominican Summer League

DSL Mets Orange 3 (26-23), DSL Angels 2 (28-19)

Box Score

• C Cesar Acosta: 1-3, RBI (.849 OPS)
• CF Jhonael Cuello: 1-3, 2B (.831 OPS)

Despite the victory, the DSL Mets Orange offense was quiet, mustering only three hits. Acosta drove in his 30th run of the season and his 1-for-3 effort has the 18-year-old hitting .271 with an .849 OPS on the season. It is his second full season in the DSL.

• RHP Anderson Ozuna: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO (2.77 ERA)
• LHP Cesar Morales: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 4 BB, 3 SO (1.56 ERA)

Morales, 19, lowered his season ERA to 1.56 through 17 1/3 innings. The left-handed pitcher has struck out 26 over his work split between DSL Mets Orange and Blue.

DSL Mets Blue 5 (19-30), DSL Giants Black 0 (31-18)

Box Score

• CF Royner Bravo: 2-3, 2 RBI, 3B, BB (.844 OPS)
• C Frank Moreno: 2-3, RBI (.782 OPS)

Bravo, 17, stayed red hot on Saturday, tripling and driving in two runs. His 2-for-3 day raised his average to .299 and he has a .844 OPS. Bravo has also stolen 12 bases. He is batting .480 with an 1.256 OPS.

• RHP Josbel Torrez: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO (6.75 ERA)
• RHP Esteban Mejia: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO (5.18 ERA)

Two pitchers, Torrez and Mejia, combined for a no-hitter (seven innings) for DSL Mets Blue on Saturday. They combined to allow three walks and strike out five in the effort.

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The Mets prospects they traded for at the deadline are already adjusting well to the new teams they’ve been placed on and contributing to the Mets organization positively. Per Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online, Mets prospect Aidan Smith (acquired by the Mets in the Freddy Peralta trade with Tampa Bay) has homered in three straight games for High-A Brooklyn.

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies also shared a video of Billy Amick hitting his fourth home run since joining the Mets organization via the A.J. Minter trade with the Minnesota Twins. He has now combined to hit a total of 27 home runs in Double-A in 2026.

Aidan Smith. Photo credit: MLB Pipeline

Up in the major leagues, the Mets’ four-game win streak came to an end on Saturday with a 9-0 loss to the Pirates. They conclude their series against Pittsburgh on Sunday with a 1:35 p.m. series finale at PNC Park. It will be left-handed pitcher Sean Manaea (3-5, 4.33 ERA, 95 SO) on the mound for New York against right-handed pitcher Jared Jones (2-3, 4.02 ERA, 62 SO) on the hill for Pittsburgh.

Latest Mets News

The Mets on Saturday announced that infielder Gabriel Arias has reported to the major league team and infielder Eric Wagaman was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.

Latest MLB News

The New York Yankees shared a letter from Tommy John on their 78th Old-Timers’ Day. In his note, John says a final goodbye to baseball as he battles health issues from home in Bradenton, Fla.

As shared by MLB, Max Scherzer recorded strikeout No. 3,516 on Saturday night. That puts him in front of Walter Johnson and in the No. 10 spot on the all-time strikeouts leaderboard.

Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, the Toronto Blue Jays removed George Springer from their game Saturday with left shoulder tightness.

Latest on MMO

James Villani dissects Calvin Ziegler’s rough comeback from injury and his journey of attempting to work his way back.

David Melendi recapped the Mets’ minor league affiliate games for Friday that included Noah Hall striking out 10 for Double-A Binghamton.

Mojo Hill took a look at what made the biggest impact in the Mets’ win over the Pirates on Friday.

Chris Bello broke down the MLB power rankings for week 16.

Robert Colonna went back in time and reviewed the Mets 2023 draft and where those players are now.

Evan Mazza broke down the Mets’ win streak ending with a 9-0 loss to the Pirates on Saturday.

On This Date in Mets History

1986: The Mets defeated the Montreal Expos 10-8.

1988: The Mets played their very first night game at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.

Born on This Date: Pat Mahomes (1970), Tommie Agee (1942)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets’ New Prospects Adjusting Well to New Teams appeared first on Metsmerized.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Plummets

Stock became a feel-good story for the Mets after his first start on the big league club. At 36 years old, Stock was added to the team’s roster in early August and was coming off surgery. Stock pitched well last Sunday against the Miami Marlins and gave the Mets five good innings.  However, the Pirates knocked him out of his second start on Saturday after just three innings. Jake Mangum led off the bottom of the first inning with a double. Bryan Reynolds then singled, and Mangum scored on an RBI groundout by Nick Gonzalez. On the next at-bat, Ronny Simon doubled to score two and made it 3-0 Pirates. 

In the bottom of the third inning, Simon bunted his way to first base and later stole second base. Jacob Gonzalez notched an RBI single off Stock to score Simon. Stock went back out there in the fourth inning and did not record an out. Henry Davis began the inning with a single and Mangum drove him in with a double. Mangum’s second double of the game. Stock then walked Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds to load the bases with nobody out. A wild pitch on the next at-bat from Stock would score Mangum before he walked Spencer Horwitz. Nick Gonzales would end Stock’s day on a two-RBI double as the Pirates extended their lead to 8-0. Xzavion Curry would come on in relief of Stock.

All in all, Stock allowed nine hits, eight runs, five walks, and a wild pitch. It’s only been two starts, but the outing put his ERA up to 10.13. Curry, meanwhile, pitched three shutout innings in relief and struck out four batters, while lowering his ERA to 2.81.

Mets Offense Also Comes Down to Earth

During the winning streak, the Mets offense had scored 31 runs. Six runs or more in their last four games. But the Mets offense against Pirates starter Bubba Chandler only mustered up three hits and couldn’t get anything going. AJ Ewing provided the only walk of the day for the Mets. The early hole was too steep for manager Andy Green, so he pulled Francisco Lindor and Bo Bichette in just the bottom of the fifth inning. Leaving the Mets for the rest of the game without their two best bats in a lineup that also doesn’t have Juan Soto at the moment. 

Carson Benge Update

Before the game, the Mets got some good news on rookie Carson Benge. Benge was removed from Friday night’s game after slamming his wrist on the left field wall while making a sliding catch. X-Rays on his left wrist came back negative, and Green said that it is a bone bruise, but the Mets don’t believe he’ll miss much time. Benge said that he should be back in a few days. He was left out of the lineup on Saturday.

On Deck:

The rubber game of this three-game series on Sunday will see Sean Manaea start for the Mets against Jared Jones. The game is at 1:35 pm EDT and will be televised locally on SNY and broadcast on WHSQ 880AM.

The post Mets Winning Streak Ends as Stock Struggles in 9-0 Loss to Pirates appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets look to stretch their winning streak to five games tonight! Friday night, the Mets took a big lead early against the Pirates and were able to hold on to it throughout the night. Marcus Semien had another massive home run. Carson Benge put it all on the line with an amazing catch (and thankfully, x-rays were negative). Devin Williams struggled, but it wasn’t enough to upset the game.

Robert Stock looked great last weekend in a game in which the Mets couldn’t give him any run support. Let’s hope for a repeat performance from Stock, but with a high-powered lineup behind him!

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Lineup

1. A.J. Ewing – LF
2. Francisco Lindor – SS
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Jared Young– 1B
5. Luis Robert Jr. – CF
6. Brett Baty – RF
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. Jorge Polanco – DH
9. Francisco Alvarez – C

Starting Pitcher: Robert Stock

Robert Stock made his 2026 debut last weekend and allowed only one run on three hits over five innings while striking out four batters. Stock used his entire arsenal in his last start, throwing his low-90’s cutter a third of the time and his mid-90’s fastball a bit less. He mixed in his mid-90’s sinker, low-80’s changeup, and low-80’s sweeper to round out his game. The only player on the Pirates to face Robert Stock before is Brandon Lowe (0-0, 2 BB).

Opposing Lineup

1. Jake Mangum – CF
2. Brandon Lowe- 2B
3. Bryan Reynolds – DH
4. Spencer Horwitz – 1B
5. Nick Gonzales – 3B
6. Endy Rodríguez – C
7. Esmerlyn Valdez – LF
8. Jacob Gonzalez – SS
9. Ronny Simon – RF

Bubba Chandler has pitched 110 1/3 innings this season with a 4.49 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 1.414 WHIP and a 96 ERA+. In his last two starts, he has pitched 10 innings, allowing eight runs, but only five earned, from 11 hits and five walks while striking out eight. Chandler has big stuff, with a four-seamer averaging 98.5 mph. He has a hard slider and changeup that sit in the low 90’s. The Mets missed Chandler when they faced each other earlier in the season, and no one on the roster has faced him before in a Major League game.

Game Notes

• The Mets have won three of four games, which matches the team’s longest streak of the season. The Mets won four
  straight games twice this year – April 3-7 and May 27-31. The Mets have posted a 3.65 ERA (15 ER/37.0 IP) with 21 walks and 37 strikeouts over the stretch. They are batting .296/.357/.572 with eight doubles, two triples, 10 homers, 30 RBI and a .930 OPS over the last four games. The Mets have outscored their opponents 31-17 during the streak.
• Over the last 11 games, A.J. Ewing is batting .302 (13-43) with seven runs, four doubles, three RBI, three walks, four steals, a .347 OBP and a .395 SLG…Over his last 27 games, the outfielder is slashing .283/.325/.434 with 11 extra-base hits, nine RBI, seven steals and a .759 OPS. He is 6-16 on the trip with two runs, three doubles, one steal and a .974 OPS.
• The Mets have had seven players make their Major League debut this year – OF Carson Benge, OF A.J. Ewing, LHP Nate
  Lavender, OF Nick Morabito, and RHP Matt Seelinger, LHP Zac Thornton, and LHP Jefry Yan. The Mets had nine players make their Major League debut in 2025.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Stealing! The Mets have been abysmal on the basepaths for most of the season. Losing Antoan Richardson to the Braves after 2025 has been the main reason. Two of the Mets’ most prolific base stealers have missed time with injury and haven’t been the same on the base paths because of their injuries (Soto & Lindor). The fastest players this year have struggled with getting caught. Andy Green has been more aggressive on the base paths since taking over, and it’s been showing. The Mets are now 20th in the league in stolen bases. They have stolen six bases in the last two games without being caught once.
2. A.J. Ewing. Ewing had a massive game Friday night, going 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored. In his last four games, he has gone 6-for-16 with three doubles. He now has a 2.6 bWAR, 15 doubles on the season and 15 stolen bases. His 2.6 bWAR puts him just barely behind Juan Soto for the team lead (in 12 fewer games). His 15 doubles are just two behind Bo Bichette for the team lead (in 40 fewer games). His 15 stolen bases are just three behind Carson Benge for the team lead (in 38 fewer games).
3. Nate Lavender. With the rain delay Friday night, the Mets had to take Thornton out a bit early and use four different relievers to get to the end of the game. Nate Lavender last pitched on Thursday and has pitched twice since Tuesday, but is probably on the short list to go this afternoon if needed. He has pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief since joining the Mets, allowing one walk and nothing else while striking out three. It’s been a long road to the majors for Lavender, and he’s showing us why we have been so excited to see him healthy. He has primarily used his low-90’s fastball and mid-80’s slider since being called up.

Let’s go Mets!

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Nolan McLean, taken in the third round, may be the most impactful player taken. The Mets drafted him as a two-way player with an eye for what he could do on the pitching side. Within a year, he stopped hitting, and a year later he went through a massive overhaul in Triple-A in the summer of 2025, leading to his quick call-up. He has pitched to a 3.20 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 143.1 innings and looks like he could be a potential frontline starter for years to come.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The other player who can claim the most impact is A.J. Ewing, who was taken in the fourth round. Ewing was drafted as a shortstop but quickly moved to the outfield, where he has developed into a plus defensive center fielder with flex at second base. He dominated Double-A and Triple-A, forcing his way onto the 2026 major league roster in May, and has slashed .275/.360/.412/.772. The swing change he made in the minors this year has helped him get to his power better, and his HR/162 pace currently sits at 14 while his stolen base pace sits at 28. Even if he tops out as a 15 home run player, Ewing looks like he can man center field for the long haul while also providing flexibility in the infield.

The Mets liked Brandon Sproat so much they drafted him twice, this time in the second round. He struggled heavily in 2025 to maintain velocity or command the major league baseball, which led him to change up his pitch mix and try to be a contact-suppression-based pitcher. He has had mixed success at best but has looked better in his two most recent starts. Across 95.2 innings between the Mets and Brewers, Sproat has a 5.17 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. He was part of the trade that brought Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers to Queens.

Colin Houck, taken in the first round, has unfortunately looked like one of the worst picks the Mets have made in recent history. He has struggled heavily in High-A, slashing .105/.270/.315/.585 across 119 games, and it is hard to see him having a path to Double-A, let alone the majors. In a draft where he was drafted five picks before Kevin McGonigle, who the Mets were rumored to be linked to, this only looks worse in hindsight.

Zach Thornton, taken in the fifth round, has pitched twice in the majors and his most recent outing against the Phillies, he pitched six innings of one-run ball. He made some interesting pitch mix changes in that start that could elevate his ceiling a bit. Right now he still projects to be a backend starter, swing man, or up-and-down pitcher, but if he could ever get to some more velocity, a decent comparison might be David Peterson. But you are much happier drafting David Peterson in the fifth round than the first round.

Jack Wennigner has gotten top 100 list buzz the past few months, and while he has not made any of the major lists yet, he is very clearly on the bubble. He has struggled a bit in June but overall is having a good season. He has struggled to maintain velocity across outings, which may end up making his future as a back-end reliever, but that is a good outcome for a sixth-round pick.

Thirteenth round pick Ben Simon has looked great in both Double-A and Triple-A this year flashing multiple plus pitches and pitching to a 2.35 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He is making a real case to force his way onto the major league roster at some point this year.

Third-rounder Kade Morris was traded to the Athletics for Paul Blackburn, who started strong for the Mets, got hurt, and then struggled heavily, leading the Mets to eventually cut him. Morris has had mixed results in Triple-A and the minors in general, pitching to a 4.41 ERA and 1.38 WHIP this year.

You can see the full draft here:

• Round 1 – Colin Houck – SS
• Round 2 – Brandon Sproat – P
• Round 3 – Nolan McLean – TWP
• Round 3 – Kade Morris – P
• Round 4 – Wyatt Hudepohl – P
• Round 4 – A.J. Ewing – SS
• Round 4 – Austin Troesser – P
• Round 5 – Zach Thornton – P
• Round 6 – Jack Wenninger – P
• Round 7 – Noah Hall – P
• Round 8 – Boston Baro – SS
• Round 9 – Nick Lorusso – 3B
• Round 10 – Christian Pregent – C
• Round 11 – Brett Banks – P
• Round 12 – Brady Kirtner – P
• Round 13 – Ben Simon – P
• Round 14 – John Valle – P
• Round 15 – Justin Lawson – P
• Round 16 – Jake Zitella – 3B
• Round 17 – Bryce Jenkins – P
• Round 18 – Gavyn Jones – P
• Round 19 – Christian Little – P
• Round 20 – Kellum Clark – OF

The post Reviewing the Mets 2023 Draft appeared first on Metsmerized.

The club has jumped out to a 15-6 record in the second half, and entering Saturday, are one of two teams in the majors with 70 wins. The offense has been potent, but their pitching has bounced back from their mid-season swoon. The staff hasn’t allowed more than three runs dating back to July 30, and Tyler Mahle sparkled in his Braves’ debut against the Yankees.

This club looks dangerous. And it could give the Dodgers a run for their money come October.

1. Braves

Atlanta heated up last week, and currently looks like the best team in baseball.

The Braves rode an eight-game win streak into the Bronx Friday, and despite losing in extras due to a blown save by Raisel Iglesias, it was just the sixth loss of the second half for the club.

Matt Olson is playing like an MVP, and currently leads baseball with 33 homers and 29 doubles. All the talk has been about Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani battling for the MVP, but Olson more than deserves to be in the conversation.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is also heating up. The right fielder is slugging .567 with three homers in his last seven games. If the Braves can get the Acuña Jr. of old, then this club is a serious World Series contender.

2. Brewers

The Crew might have whiffed on Tarik Skubal, but that talk has distracted most from one simple fact: This club is and has been the best team in baseball.

Their 72-44 record is the best in the majors. Their +139 run differential is tied with the Dodgers. And Jackson Chourio has been released from his funk, and has homered three times in the last four games.

Milwaukee again is built upon their strong defense and pitching. But this club also has some serious thumpers in Chourio, William Contreras and Christian Yelich. Time will tell if it’s enough this season.

(Also, how do you only add Dustin May, Bo Naylor, and Antonio Senzatela at the deadline?)

3. Red Sox

Boston could easily be number one on this list. Heck, they’ve been the best team in baseball over the last two months.

The club has lost three games since July 3. They’ve built a nine-game winning streak after winning 15 in a row earlier in the season. They’re 32-5 since June 25.

Nothing is slowing this club down. And there’s reason to believe they’re going to get exponentially better. Craig Breslow finally pushed his chips in, acquiring Adley Rutschman at the deadline. Plus Garrett Crochet will eventually be added back to the rotation. Buckle up Boston, and enjoy the ride. Seasons like this are magical.

4. Dodgers

The Dodgers at four? This might shock some who don’t follow the standings.

Los Angeles is currently playing its worst baseball of the season, and enters Saturday on a seven-game losing streak. Friday might have been the worst loss during the stretch, with Edwin Díaz blowing a save in Arizona via a walk-off homer from Ryan Waldschmidt.

The pitching has been the culprit during this stretch, allowing 46 runs across seven games. That’s good for a 6.57 ERA. Still, the club has a seven-and-a-half-game lead over the second-place D-backs, and had one of the most electric deadlines by adding Skubal.

5. Cubs

List the Cubs as another team decimating their schedule in the second half.

Remember when this team was floundering after their hot start? Looked stuck in the mud? Well, they enter Saturday with a 68-49 record, trail the Brewers by only four and a half games, and are 11-4 since July 24.

The pitching was holding this club back, and yes mostly due to injury, but the Cubs front office attacked their weakness at the deadline. They added Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes before the deadline, giving the rotation two arms in October that can be trusted. David Peterson has also been better, pitching to a 4.03 ERA in seven starts on the North Side.

This club shouldn’t be taken lightly. And it’s not ludicrous to say they’re the Dodgers’ number one threat in the postseason.

6. Rays

Give Tampa Bay credit. They actually added a bat at the deadline.

The Rays made a call across the state, and acquired catcher Liam Hicks from the Marlins. It wasn’t the bat most thought would be on the move, but give the Rays credit for being creative.

Tampa also acquired Freddy Peralta from the Mets, hoping to utilize their Rays’ magic to fix the former ace as they head into October. If they can figure out Peralta’s bugga-boos, then this rotation could mow down any competition in the American League. That looks like a tall task, however, as Peralta allowed seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in his Rays debut.

7. Yankees

The Yankees have been hovering around .500 in the second half. Not terrible, but concerning when the Red Sox are in the rearview mirror.

They’re 11-9 in the second half. And are still waiting on the return of their Sultan of Swat, Aaron Judge. In the meantime, Brian Cashman added some big bats to their lineup. The Yankees went out and acquired Luis García Jr. from the Nationals and Heliot Ramos from the Giants. Oh, and they didn’t give up a serious prospect.

It was an underately great deadline from Cashman. Plus the promotion of George Lombard Jr. has also paid early dividends.

8. Phillies

Philadelphia is starting to come back down to earth.

They’re 8-12 in the second half, and with Atlanta surging, the club has fallen eight and a half games out of first place. The struggles can be attributed to many factors, but Kyle Schwarber has seriously cooled off. He’s slashing .176/.323/.235 in his last 15 games, and hasn’t homered since July 18.

It’s time for another player in this lineup to pick up the slack. And it’s also a testament to how crucial Schwarber’s bat was to this team’s turnaround. They did go out and get Luis Arraez at the deadline, plus lefty Brooks Raley. But who knows if it’ll be enough.

9. White Sox

The White Sox have hit a little bit of a skid. But can you blame them? They had to face Boston.

The Sox are currently riding a four-game losing streak, which has opened a window for the Twins and Guardians to reenter the race for the Central. Friday wasn’t great either, as the club lost 8-2 to Cleveland to drop their division lead to only two games.

Still, the team added some nice pieces at the deadline and are marching toward a seat in October. Luis Castillo in the rotation could play, plus Huascar Brazobán in the bullpen gives Will Venable another reliable option.

10. Diamondbacks

The Snakes didn’t have an exciting deadline, which is shocking due to their position in the standings.

The D-backs currently sit at 62-55, have an ace in Eduardo Rodriguez (2.71 ERA), and a formidable lineup if guys like Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll heat up.

All they added was Lars Nootbaar from the Cardinals. They could have really used a starting pitcher. Apparently they had a deal in place for Mets’ righty Holmes, but the deal fell through due to one of their prospects’ medicals.

This club isn’t a lock to make the playoffs. They’re tied with the Phillies in the Wild Card standings, but hold a slim two-game lead over the Padres with two months left to play.

Rest of the Field

11. Astros
12. Pirates
13. Guardians
14. Rangers
15. Padres
16. Cardinals
17. Nationals
18. Reds
19. Twins
20. Tigers
21. Mariners
22. Marlins
23. Orioles
24. Mets
25. Blue Jays
26. Royals
27. Giants
28. Angels
29. Rockies
30. Athletics

The post 2026 MLB Power Rankings: Week 16 Update appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets, now 4-0 since the trade deadline, have been playing loose since selling some of their major pieces.

Photo Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

They came out running on Friday. They took advantage of a rattled starter in Carmen Mlodzinski, who struggled mightily after a 36-minute rain delay going into the third inning. The Mets stole four bases in the first six innings — and they would have had two more on a double-steal had Bo Bichette not swung at a first-pitch cutter in the third inning. Despite that little blunder, Francisco Lindor‘s third steal of the season set up an opportunity for Carson Benge‘s second RBI single of the game.

A.J. Ewing did the same thing with two outs in the fourth. He stole second, and Lindor drove him in with an RBI hit.

Ewing and Benge have been doing the bulk of the stealing for the Mets. Benge has 18, and Ewing has 15 — that’s good for 33 of the team’s 63 stolen bags on the season.

Lindor’s hit in the fourth inning made it 6-0 Mets.

With a good but abbreviated start from Zac Thornton, it was New York’s defense that proved key in holding on for a 6-4 win.

“We’ve got a ton of great energy in this clubhouse,” Thornton said. “Guys that are hungry for it. Guys that are hungry to win. I think we’re playing for each other, so it’s awesome to see.”

The first key play was Benge’s catch in the third inning. The only negative was that Benge hurt his wrist and had to be taken out, having had a fantastic game thus far on both sides of the ball. But Benge, playing left field because of Pittsburgh’s park dimensions instead of his usual right field, took a likely leadoff double away from Ronny Simón.

Ewing added a nice catch, too, on a 102.4-mph liner to end the fifth inning. It helped Thornton strand two runners.

“They’re amazing. They’re incredible defenders,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said of Benge and Ewing. “They’re not afraid of anything. … [Ewing’s catch] was not easy. It was a phenomenal jump. Great range. A catch we needed there.”

Thornton — another young piece for the Mets getting a chance to shine in this lost season — navigated the rain delay, which cost him nearly an hour between pitches, to pitch five scoreless innings. If not for the delay, he almost certainly would have been kept in to throw more than 63 pitches.

“The way he was pitching is the type of outing you see seven or eight innings from. We would have loved to have been able to do that,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said. “But with the rain, it just wasn’t right for him.”

The Mets’ bullpen limped to the finish line a little bit.

That’s what made the defense so key.

One of the critical plays came from a pitcher helping his own cause: Jefry Yan, in just his second major-league outing. Yan was called in to clean up Dedniel Núñez‘s mess in the seventh inning. He allowed two inherited runners to score, but was able to avoid further damage by covering the plate as Jared Triolo attempted to score from third base on a wild pitch.

Luis Torrens, who leads MLB catchers in defensive runs saved, retrieved the ball quickly and threw a dart to Yan, who was perfectly positioned in front of the plate to get the tag down. Naturally, Yan brought some of his signature flair to the celebration.

“I wasn’t surprised by some of the emotion that came after,” Green said.

With the Mets’ lead cut to 6-2 and runners on the corners, the combined effort of Torrens and Yan prevented the inning from spiraling. It also kept Yan’s ERA at an even 0.00.

Devin Williams finished it out, but that didn’t go smoothly, either. He gave up a long run-scoring single to Jacob Gonzalez — then was gifted an out as Brett Baty came up with an assist from right field. He gunned down Gonzalez trying to stretch his hit into a double.

And that out proved extra massive as Brandon Lowe ended up hitting a two-out single to make the lead even tighter at 6-4. Without Baty’s assist, it could have been an entirely different ballgame.

Marcus Semien put a bow on the strong overall defensive game with a nice play at second base, for good measure.

“[Benge] sacrificed his body, and that’s all you can ask for in your outfielders,” Semien said. “And then great play by Baty, a guy who’s been playing all over the field. So to play that wall, which is a tough wall in right and make a great throw, was exactly what we needed.”

Though the bullpen wasn’t at its sharpest, the Mets showed some flair on Friday in getting their fourth consecutive win. Stealing bases and going above and beyond defensively were two major keys in separating themselves and holding off the Pittsburgh comeback attempt.

The post Stolen Bases, Defensive Plays Help Mets Keep Pirates At Bay appeared first on Metsmerized.