Morning Briefing: Vargas Set to Fry the Fish

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Today at 7:10 p.m., the Mets (3-1) will take on the Marlins (2-3). Jason Vargas will make his season debut against the Marlins’ Opening Day starter Jose Urena (0-1, 9.64 ERA). The game can be viewed on SNY and WCBS 880.

Yesterday, the Mets took advantage of some late-game heroics from Pete Alonso and Amed Rosario. Despite struggling early, Steven Matz eventually settled into a groove, retiring 10 out of 11 batters at one point. Tim Peterson also contributed 1.2 scoreless innings.

Meanwhile, Juan Lagares smacked a game-tying dinger in the seventh inning. After Amed Rosario snuck a go-ahead RBI single into the right field, Pete Alonso picked a perfect time to hit his first Major-League homer, turning around a 94-mph Drew Steckenrider fastball over the center field wall. It left his bat at 113 mph and went a projected 444 feet, which would be the 14th longest Mets homer in Statcast history.

Latest Mets News

After visiting his doctor in Miami, Yoenis Cespedes spent yesterday with the team.

Lenny Dykstra is threatening to sue Ron Darling per Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post.

Tim Healey of Newsday hears that Todd Frazier and Travis d’Arnaud are making progress in their respective rehabs.

MetsMerizedOnline’s own Jacob Resnick reported that the Mets top pitching prospects David Peterson and Anthony Kay will report to Double-A Binghamton to begin the 2019 season.

Baseball America recapped the Mets 2018-2019 international class.

Latest News in the MLB

Bob Nightengale of The USA Today offers his condolences to scout Greg Booker, who passed away over the weekend.

Jeff Passan of ESPN looks at the strange dynamic of the 2018-2019 offseason

Kevin Coward, formerly of the Baltimore Sun, wrote a touching novel about April 12, 2015, the day that the Orioles and White Sox played a contest without fans due to the protests from Freddie Gray’s death.

The Long Island Ducks picked up former Met Jon Niese.

Alex Bregman promoted his charity, tweeting out that he’ll donate $1,000 dollars to his ABforAutism foundation for every Astros win this month.

The Reds announced that top pitching prospect Hunter Greene will undergo Tommy John Surgery.

Miguel Andujar suffered a small labrum tear and could be facing season-ending surgery.

The Yankees also placed Giancarlo Stanton on the Injured List with a left biceps strain.

The Padres acquired one of their former prospects Matt Wisler from the Reds in exchange for Diomar Lopez.

The Diamondbacks promoted top prospect Jon Duplantier.

Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe learned that Xander Bogaerts will fund a baseball development academy in Aruba with the money from his new extension.

Mandy Bell of MLB.com wrote that Francisco Lindor will receive a second opinion on his injured ankle.