Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

Joe Pantorno of amNewYork quotes Buck Showalter on pitcher Max Scherzer saying “So far, so good” and targets a Monday return. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets with Scherzer’s return to the rotation, the team will move pitcher David Peterson to the bullpen. Only throwing 29 pitches on Wednesday night, he will likely be available as a relief option this weekend.

The Mets broke out of their three-game skid in style as they defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in a rout, 7-1 on Thursday. On the night Major League Baseball celebrated the life of Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican born native Francisco Lindor played a big part in the win, providing a two-run homer that aided pitcher and Clemente award winner Carlos Carrasco with the win. For more on this win, check out our recap of Thursday night’s game.

The Braves had an off day, so the Mets’ lead in the NL East is back to a full game.

Now onto the morning briefing!

Latest Mets News

Tim Healey of Newsday tweets out a photo of current Mets coach Joey Cora and shortstop Francisco Lindor posing for a photo with former Mets players Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado. All players are of Puerto Rican descent and were on hand for the ceremony for Roberto Clemente.

The Mets Single-A affiliate in Port St. Lucie have clinched the Florida State League East Division and will play in the Florida State League Championship Series.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com notes that Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez will be away from the team for personal reasons. The team hopes he will rejoin the club next week in Milwaukee.

Baseball America reports that the Mets are expected to sign Venezuelan shortstop Christopher Larez for at least a million during the 2023 IFA signing period.

Latest MLB News

Matt Eddy of Baseball America writes about Cubs prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong‘s recovery from his surgery and how his down time led to his breakout 2022 season. Crow-Armstrong was dealt to the Cubs from the New York Mets in exchange for pitcher Trevor Williams and shortstop Javier Baez.

Jayson Stark of The Athletic writes about the differences of infield dirt on every major league diamond and how that will be affected by the new shift rules.

Latest on MMO

Sandy Alderson is stepping down as the Mets’ president.

Make sure to check out our Series Preview as the Mets and Pirates play three more times.

We also talked about Topps’ newest release, 2022 Topps Chrome that comes out today.

On This Date in Mets History

1976: Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman hit the 20-win mark for the first (and only time) as a Met, beating the Cardinals in a 4-1 win.

1996: Mets center fielder Lance Johnson hit his 20th triple of the season off Atlanta Braves pitcher Denny Neagle. Johnson became the first Met to hit 20 triples in a season and the first National League player to do so since Willie Mays in 1957.

Birthdays: Chris Carter (39), Desi Relaford (48), Orel Hershiser (63)