Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

The Mets close out a three-game series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Thursday night, hoping to salvage a game after dropping the first two of the set. Southpaw Joey Lucchessi (0-1, 5.40) will toe the rubber, making his second start of the season, as he faces off against the Cubs’ Trevor Williams (2-1, 5.02).

First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET, and once again will will be broadcasted on SNY and WCBS 880.

Former Met hitting coach Tom Robson passed away on Wednesday night. Robson was the hitting coach for the team throughout much of Bobby Valentine’s tenure as manager, and Valentine shared some nice words on Robson via Twitter. 

Latest Mets News

The Mets were blown out by the Cubs Wednesday by a score of 16-4, dropping the second consecutive game of a three-game set. Chicago took advantage of a miserable defensive effort behind starter David Peterson (1-2, 6.75), which sparked a seven-run fourth inning, and the Cubs never gave up the lead. You can read the full recap here. 

The team remains in first place, hanging on by a thread after wins by Washington, Atlanta, Miami, and Philadelphia on Wednesday. 

The Mets shared Wednesday that catcher James McCann and his wife, Jess, donated gift cards to all the families in the NICU at Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center.

Latest MLB News

The Phillies placed middle infielder Jean Segura on the 10-day injured list. Segura hurt himself when running out a grounder on Tuesday night, and he’s classified as having a strained right quadriceps. The team recalled Scott Kingery from the alternative site in a corresponding move.

Dinelson Lamet, one of the Padres’ several aces, was removed from his highly anticipated season debut against the Brewers after just two innings due to some tightness in his right forearm. 

Shakeia Taylor wrote a piece for Baseball Prospectus about the Marlins’ budding star Jazz Chisholm, and the electricity he brings to his team and the sport of baseball.

The Oakland A’s continued their winning ways, beating the Twins in wild, walk-off fashion en route to their 11th straight. 

Latest on MMO

Michael Mayer took a delve into what’s been going on at the Mets’ Alternate Site in Brooklyn — notably, some scoreless performances from potential bullpen candidates Sam McWilliams and Arodys Vizcaíno.

Judy Kamilhor analyzed Shohei Ohtani’s value as a two-way player, looking into usage of the DH, and taking a closer look at how the Angels can best utilize Japan’s newest phenom.

Reliever Drew Smith could be getting closer to a return from the injured list, and Pat Ragazzo breaks down that report. 

Thomas Hall wrote about Marcus Stroman’s strong start to the season as the Mets’ #2 starter behind ace Jacob deGrom, peering into the numbers behind Stroman’s first few starts of the year and how he has exceeded expectations. 

Ragazzo also explained what went on regarding Taijuan Walker’s ejection from Tuesday’s game in an article that includes quotes from both Walker and manager Luis Rojas.  

Beyond the Blog

On today’s episode of Locked On Mets, host Ryan Finkelstein breaks down the circus that was the Mets game last night and how they kicked the ball around like the Bad News Bears. He once again talks about J.D. Davis’ play at third base and wonders how long the Mets can afford to keep starting him at the position.

Also, MMO’s Brian Wright joins the show as part of a new Throwback Thursday segment to talk about Mets history. Today they talked about the early years of the Mets, which included a season of play from Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn.

On This Date in Mets History

On April 21, 2014, former Mets first baseman Ike Davis hit a grand slam off of Cincinnati’s Mike Leake — in a Pirates uniform. Prior to being traded to Pittsburgh, Davis had hit a slam for the Mets in walk-off fashion against the Reds, as well. Davis was the first player ever to hit two grand slams for two different teams in the month of April.

Let’s go Mets!