Morning Briefing: Mets Look To Win First Home Series of Second Half

Good morning, Mets fans!

The Mets take game one of their series against the Padres in a 5-2 win. Jason Vargas threw six brilliant innings of one-hit baseball; he struck out eight batters and walked four. Vargas lowered his ERA to 3.96 for the season. The star of the game, however, was Robinson Cano who hit three home runs in one game for the first time in his career.

In three consecutive at-bats, the eight-time All-Star hit two, two-run homers and a solo homer to carry his team to victory scoring all five runs for the Mets.

Today, flame thrower Noah Syndergaard (7-4, 4.36) will face off against RHP Dinelson Lamet (0-2, 5.14). Syndergaard is coming off two stellar performances with back-to-back outings pitching seven innings apiece and giving up two and one run(s) in each outing. Lamet has 14 innings pitched and has allowed eight earned runs through three starts this year.

Latest Mets News

Dwight Gooden was arrested in New Jersey Monday night while driving under the influence. He was caught driving the opposite direction down a one-way street in Newark, NJ, as per Craig McCarthy of the New York Post.

The Mets have added Chick-A-Fila advertisements to their foul poles. Pictures of the new designs can be found in this tweet from Neil Best.

Latest MLB News

Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.com wrote an article entitled, “The World’s 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2019” were he analyzes 50 sports teams’ ranking according to their value in a dollar amount, and their operating income. The New York Mets rank 38th.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, there was an article posted from Mike Petriello of MLB.com talking about 20 trade predictions he has for 20 players who have been labeled as possible trade pieces.

The Yahoo Mets subscription site has ended after the agreement for the site took longer for approval than once perceived. The deal was supposed to focus on creating events for subscribers and giving them access to higher-ups in the Mets organization without having to pay for it. Andrew Marchand wrote about the site’s downfall in a New York Post article.

Mariners have place Dee Gordon in the injured list due to a left quad strain that was described as “worse than a typical Grade 1 strain but not quite a Grade 2 sprain” and in turn have selected the contract of infielder Tim Lopes from Triple-A. To make room on the 40-man roster the club designated Parker Markel for assignment.

Hanley Ramirez underwent right shoulder surgery after years of discomfort in the area. The three-time All-Star hopes to return to the Indians and play in 2020.

The Los Angeles Angels have released former Mets pitcher Matt Harvey. He is officially a free agent after clearing waivers. In 12 starts, Harvey has pitched to a 7.09 ERA with 59.2 IP and 47 earned runs given up with a 1.54 WHIP.

The Dodgers have outrighted catcher Rocky Gale, who spent most of the year in Triple-A, had only two hits in 15 at-bats with the major league club.

The Chicago Cubs have been on the hunt for left-handed bullpen arms, because of this they have selected the contract of Tim Collins from Triple-A to help. He has a 4.67 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 6 walks in 27 innings pitched.

Ian Gibaut has been designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays. Matt Duffy will take his spot on the roster in his return from the injured list. The team has also placed Yandy Diaz on the injured list with a foot injury.

Latest NL East News

Nationals shortstop, Trea Turner, hit for the cycle against the Colorado Rockies going 4-for-5. He completed the cycle in the 7th inning with a double. This is Turner’s second time hitting for the cycle, his first was achieved in 2017, also against the Rockies.

Phillies right-hand pitcher, Tommy Hunter, underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon. His ulnar collateral ligament was examined as well to rule out the need for Tommy John surgery that usually keeps. Hunter was clear of damage to it.

The Phillies outrighted former Mets relief pitcher, Fernando Salas. With the Phillies in 2019, he threw only 2.2 IP and gave up two earned run in that time. In the minors, he pitched to a 1.88 ERA in 14.1 IP giving up three earned runs total.