Morning Briefing: Good Fortune Softens Disastrous Loss to Cubs

Good morning, Mets fans!

The Mets fell 10-3 to the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, as they struggled against Cubs starter Matthew Boyd. Francisco Alvarez was a bright spot with a massive two-run homer, and Juan Soto added a solo shot in the eighth, but the Mets couldn’t overcome the Cubs’ early offensive outburst. Seiya Suzuki, Moisés Ballesteros and Matt Shaw led Chicago’s offense, with Shaw and Michael Busch hitting home runs that put the game out of reach.

Today, the Mets will send rookie Nolan McLean (4-1, 1.27 ERA) to the mound against Japanese southpaw Shota Imanaga (9-7, 3.38 ERA) in the series’ rubber game. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET on SNY.

In the NL Wild Card race, the Reds lost to the Pirates in 11 innings. Paul Skenes outdueled Hunter Greene, and despite the Pirates’ bullpen allowing two runs to tie it, former Met Yohan Ramirez was able to shut the door in the 11th.

The Diamondbacks lost to the Dodgers 5-4 in another 11-inning thriller. This was despite the Dodgers’ bullpen blowing a 4-1 lead in the eighth. The Diamondbacks had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 10th, with the game tied, but former Met James McCann couldn’t come through. Los Angeles went on to take the lead and hold on in the 11th.

The Mets are fortunate — with losses by all three teams, they remain a game ahead of both the Reds and Diamondbacks with four games to play.

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Latest Mets News

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are your 2025 Eastern League champions!

The Mets have designated outfielder Jose Siri for assignment. Siri, 30, still had two years of team control remaining, but it appears David Stearns preferred a Cedric Mullins/Tyrone Taylor time-split over a Siri/Taylor split.

The Mets lead all organizations in Baseball America Minor League All-Stars this year. Jonah Tong earned First Team honors, while A.J. Ewing, Carson Benge, and Jacob Reimer were all named to the Second Team. Read MMO’s coverage on the news here, via David Melendi.

Kodai Senga’s live BP session on Wednesday in Florida went “just okay,” Carlos Mendoza said (via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo). His velocity was down to the 93 mph range, and the hot weather seemed to be wearing him out.

The Mets endured seven-game losing streaks in both June and August, followed by an eight-game skid in September. According to Opta Stats, the only team in MLB history with three separate seven-plus-game losing streaks that still made the playoffs was the 2006 Cardinals, who went on to win the World Series.

Mets radio broadcaster Howie Rose “hopes and expects” to return to the Mets radio booth next season but is taking it year by year, he said on The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman. Hear his full comments here:

Latest MLB News

Cal Raleigh hit his 60th home run of the season on Wednesday as the Seattle Mariners clinched their first AL West title since 2001.

Baseball America‘s J.J. Cooper analyzed MLB hitters and pitchers who could potentially benefit from the new ABS challenge system. He notes that even with the new challenge system, called strikes in the “shadow zone” vary widely among hitters, so it’s unclear who will gain the most.

The Washington Nationals are set to hire Paul Toboni as their new head of baseball operations, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Wednesday. Toboni, 35, became assistant GM for the Boston Red Sox in November of 2023 and is considered one of MLB’s top young executives. Toboni oversaw drafts that included Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early and prospects traded for Garrett Crochet.

The Cleveland Guardians announced on Wednesday that David Fry suffered several minor facial and nasal fractures after being hit by a 99-mph fastball from Tarik Skubal. He is expected to make a full recovery in 6-8 weeks without requiring surgery.

Padres outfielder Ramón Laureano has a fractured finger, manager Mike Shildt said (via Dennis Lin of The Athletic), and will miss the first round of the playoffs. The 31-year-old was enjoying a breakout season before the injury, hitting .282/.343/.514 overall. However, he’s been struggling in September, batting just .224/.286/.368.