Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (10-8) received a day off on Thursday after concluding a seven-game road trip within the NL East. They are back in action on Friday as they finish their road trip by opening a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals (10-8) at Busch Stadium.
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Jason Vargas (1-0, 14.21 ERA) will get the nod in the first game of the series despite the fact that he has given up 10 runs in 6 1/3 innings to start the season. He will be opposed by Adam Wainwright (1-1, 3.94 ERA). The game can be viewed on SNY and heard on WCBS 880, with first pitch scheduled for 8:15 p.m. EDT.
When asked whether he would like to participate in the Home Run Derby, Pete Alonso indeed expressed his interest in doing so, per Tim Healey of Newsday.
Tim Britton of The Athletic promoted his account, @1969NYMets, which follows the 1969 Mets’ season in real time.
Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote a piece about Robinson Cano who is confident that he will turn things around as he feels that despite having hit the ball hard, the hits are simply not falling in at the moment. Once they do, Cano said “it’s going to be a bunch, like raining.”
Mike Lupica of MLB.com wrote a piece on Jeff McNeil, who he considers “a throwback contact hitter out of the past.”
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Khris Davis agreed to a 2-year, $33.5 million extension with the Oakland Athletics according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
JJ Cooper of Baseball America followed up on a hypothesis from the beginning of the season in which he expected home runs to increase in Triple-A since they would be adopting the same type of ball used in MLB. He noted that although a small sample size, the home run rate has indeed increased dramatically.
Eddie Matz of ESPN.com shared the fake jobs that eight different MLB players have told fans that they hold, in order to stay discreet.
Latest NL East News
On Thursday the Philadelphia Phillies (11-7) fell to the Colorado Rockies 6-2, the Washington Nationals (9-8) beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2 and the Atlanta Braves (9-9) fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1. The Miami Marlins (4-15) had the day off.
Patrick Corbin pitched a gem for the Nationals on Thursday as he went 7 2/3 innings, struck out nine and allowed two hits, one walk and one run. Corbin brought a one-hit shutout into the eighth inning before giving up an RBI double to Erik Kratz.
Kris Willis of Talking Chop shared the results of their Week 4 SB Nation FanPulse survey which said that 79% of fans approve of manager Brian Snitker‘s performance in 2019. However, the voting was completed before the Braves got swept by the Diamondbacks.
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Michael Mayer reviewed the Mets’ upper level bullpen arms and how they have fared thus far in 2019.
Mayer also analyzed Michael Conforto‘s strong start to the season.
Similarly, Matt Musico analyzed McNeil’s torrid start to the season.
John Sheridan continued his “3 Up, 3 Down” series by reflecting upon the Mets’ recent divisional road series.
Sheridan also made the case that Edwin Diaz should be pitching in highest leverage situations rather than always just the final three outs during a save opportunity.
Bob Colling recapped the Syracuse Mets’ recent tough road trip.
This Day in Mets History
1998: The Mets defeated the Cincinnati Reds by a score of 14-0 which equaled their largest margin of victory in a shutout.
2005: David Wright‘s seventh inning grand slam against the Phillies set a franchise record for home runs hit as a team in a single game, as they combined for seven in their 16-4 victory.
2013: Matt Harvey became the first pitcher in modern baseball history to win his first four games of the year while also holding his opponents to less than 10 hits total.
Birthdays: Ambiorix Burgos turns 35, Brent Mayne turns 51 and Frank Viola turns 59.
