Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (76-70) completed a four-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks (75-72) with an 11-1 victory on Thursday afternoon at Citi Field. The Mets now play host to the NL West Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers (94-53) for a three-game set as they currently sit two games behind the second Wild Card spot with 16 games to go.

Latest Mets News

Noah Syndergaard (10-7, 4.06 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets in the series opener, while Clayton Kershaw (13-5, 3.06 ERA) will do the same for the Dodgers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT with game coverage on SNY, WCBS 880 and ESPN Deportes 1050.

The Mets ended Thursday having increased their home run total at Citi Field to 113 home runs. That set a new home record for home runs in a single season.

Dominic Smith‘s rehab is up to running and hitting off a tee according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Smith is striving to work himself towards a return for when he is first eligible to come off the injured list on Sept. 25.

Steven Matz was named the Mets’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. The award is given to the MLB player who “best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”

Pete Alonso announced that he will be at the Team Mobile located on West 46th and Broadway from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday for a fan meet-and-greet.

Latest MLB News

The Los Angeles Angels announced that Shohei Ohtani will undergo surgery Friday to address a bipartite patella in his left knee. They gave a general timetable of 8-12 weeks for the procedure.

Luis Severino will meet the New York Yankees in Toronto and is set to start Tuesday’s game against the Angels, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Hoch also noted that Aaron Boone said Giancarlo Stanton could rejoin the team for their series against the Angels which they open on Tuesday.

Justin Dunn, the Mets’ 2016 first-round pick, made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners. He allowed no hits, five walks, and two runs in 2/3 of an inning versus the Cincinnati Reds to start the game.

Mychal Givens plans to pitch for Team Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic in 2021, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Givens played for Team USA in 2017, but plans on playing for Team Puerto Rico in 2021 in honor of his great-grandmother who raised him.

Nick Senzel is out for the rest of the season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder according to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.

In the AL Wild Card race, the Oakland Athletics sit in the first Wild Card spot and hold a 0.5-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays who sit in the second Wild Card spot. The Cleveland Indians trail the second Wild Card by half a game.

In the NL Wild Card race, the Washington Nationals hold a 3.5-game lead while in the first Wild Card spot and both the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers hold a 2.0-game lead while in the second Wild Card spot. The Mets (76-70; 2.0 games back), Philadelphia Phillies (76-70; 2.0 games back) and Diamondbacks (75-72; 3.5 games back) are all in the hunt.

Latest NL East News

The Atlanta Braves (91-57) remain atop the NL East standings, followed by the Nationals (80-64; 9.0 games back), Mets (76-70; 14.0 games back), Phillies (76-70; 14.0 games back) and Miami Marlins (51-95; 39.0 games back).

The Phillies beat the Braves 9-5, the Nationals beat the Minnesota Twins 12-6 and the Marlins fell to the Brewers 3-2.

Matz’s fellow Roberto Clemente Award nominees from around the NL East are Anthony Rendon from the Nationals, Charlie Culberson from the Braves, Martín Prado from the Marlins and Rhys Hoskins from the Phillies.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Michelle Ioannou wrote about Alonso who bought cleats for his teammates in honor of 9/11.

John Sheridan analyzed the chances each remaining National League Wild Card contender has to make the playoffs.

Tim Ryder wrote a piece on how the Mets’ starters currently have an opportunity to make a strong statement to the baseball world in this upcoming three-game series with the Dodgers.

Ryder also broke down Matz’s start from Wednesday.

Michael Mayer wrote about Francisco Alvarez and Corey Oswalt who were named to Baseball America All-Star teams.

This Day in Mets History

1963: Roger Craig lost his 21st game of the season after only allowing one run in nine innings to the Houston Colt .45’s at the Polo Grounds. It was Craig’s fifth time of the season in which he was charged with the loss in a 1-0 game.

1968: Jerry Koosman pitched his seventh shutout of the season which tied the National League rookie record for shutouts. The southpaw led the Mets to a 2-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates for their franchise-record 67th win of the season.

1983: Catcher Mike Fitzgerald hit a home run in his first MLB at-bat, becoming the 48th major leaguer to do so.

Birthdays: Daisuke Matsuzaka turns 39, Grant Roberts turns 42, Rodney McCray turns 56 and Tom Parsons turns 80.