Good morning, Mets fans!
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Mets are one of the teams interested in Kris Bryant of the Cubs. Bryant, a free agent after the season, has a 133 OPS+ and has played five different positions this year.
The New York Mets are scheduled to open up the second half of the season tonight as they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The Mets and Pirates split a four-game series at Citi Field just before the break and the Mets look to try and take the series on the road.
The Mets begin the second half with a record of 47-40 and sit atop the National League East with a 3.5 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. Marcus Stroman (6-7 2.75) toes the rubber for the Amazin’s. Stroman has pitched well in 2021 but has struggled of late, having last won a game on June 12 against the Padres. He has not gone more than five innings in a start since June 17. He last pitched on July 10, so he will have five days of rest heading into this start.
The Pirates have a record of 34-56 and are last in the National League Central division. They have yet to announce a starting pitcher for Friday’s game.
Latest Mets News
The New York Mets announced via their Twitter page that the highly anticipated return of the black jerseys will happen soon. The jerseys will debut on July 30 when the Mets take on the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. Several players including Marcus Stroman and Pete Alonso have been vocal about wanting to see the jerseys return. They will finally do so. The jersey will also be worn on August 13, August 27, September 10 and September 17, which equates to all the remaining Friday night home games starting on July 30.
Pitcher Carlos Carrasco completed his first rehab assignment on Thursday, hurling two innings for the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets high Single-A affiliate. Carrasco threw two innings, giving up just one hit while striking out two. He threw 27 pitches in total. It was the first game action of the season for the righty, who was acquired by the Mets in a trade with the Cleveland Indians during the off-season.
According to Tim Healey of Newsday, J.D. Davis has joined the Mets in Pittsburgh and the team plans to activate him before Friday night’s game. He has been on the IL since June 3 with a sprained left hand. Davis has been raking of late, hitting .370 in his ten games with the Triple-A Syracuse Mets. A roster move has yet to be announced by the club.
Minnesota Twins pitcher Jose Berrios is a name the Mets are considering trading for before the July 30 trade deadline. One of the reasons for that may be is because of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. Hefner was the assistant pitching coach for Minnesota in 2019 before taking the role as pitching coach with the Mets. According to SNY’s John Harper, Hefner has a good relationship with the right-hander and highly recommended him to the front office. Stay tuned.
Former New York Mets great Howard Johnson was on the Beat the Shift Podcast this week. Johnson went to the podcast to discuss the recent incident with his grandson Tanner Johnson. He also talked about his life and career including what it was like having Davey Johnson and Sparky Anderson as managers and about his career year in 1991.
Keith Hernandez said on a recent episode of the Shea Anything podcast that he will return to the booth for the next SNY telecast on Friday night. Hernandez missed his last couple of games on SNY after an accident with a hedge trimmer at his home. The incident, which resulted in a hospital stay, required some stitches according to the 1986 world champion. Hernandez said that he is feeling much better and will be ready to go on Friday. He will be joined in the booth by veteran broadcaster Gary Thorne, who will make his SNY debut filling in for Gary Cohen who has the weekend off.
Latest MLB News
It was a wild day in New York as the crosstown New York Yankees were scheduled to open up the second half of the regular season in a game against the Boston Red Sox. That game, however, was canceled when three Yankee players tested positive for COVID-19 and three others have pending COVID-19 tests.
It is reported that some of the players who either tested positive or have a pending test are Aaron Judge, Kyle Higashioka, Gio Urshela, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Wily Peralta. Cortes and Peralta were put on the COVID-19 list earlier in the day but the game was canceled as more tests news came about. The Boston Red Sox also had questions about contact tracing, which is also a reason for the game being canceled.
There is no word on just how long the series will be delayed, as the two rivals were scheduled for a four game set at Yankee Stadium this weekend.
The Seattle Mariners announced that they will recall outfielder Jarred Kelenic to their Major League club on Friday. Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto made the announcement on a Seattle radio station on Thursday. Kelenic was one of the key pieces the M’s received in a trade with the Mets for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. It will be his second stint in the majors this season. His first stint lasted 23 games and he struggled batting just .096 with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs.
According to ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan Mariners reliever Hector Santiago’s 10-game suspension has been upheld. Santiago was found to have a foreign substance on his glove on June 27 and was immediately ejected from the game. Following further investigation the league suspended the left-hander 10 games, in which he appealed. His suspension will begin on Friday.
The New York Yankees made a couple of roster moves prior to their scheduled Thursday night game with the Boston Red Sox. Pitchers Nestor Cortes and Wily Peralta were placed on the Covid-19 injured list. They also announced that reliever Zach Britton was reinstated from the 10-day IL. Britton was on the IL with a pulled hamstring.
They also announced that outfielder Trey Amburgey was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Amburgey had an impressive 42 game on-base streak broken over the weekend. He was hitting .307 with 6 HRs and 34 RBIs in 37 games with the Railriders this season. The 26-year-old Floridian will wear No. 95 for the Bombers.
The club has not officially announced the status of the other players who tested positive for COVID-19 but it is expected they will have to miss some time.
Latest NL East News
The Atlanta Braves have acquired outfielder Joc Pederson from the Chicago Cubs for minor league first baseman Bryce Ball, the club announced via their Twitter page on Thursday. Pederson was hitting .230 with 11 HRs and 30 RBIs in 73 games with Cubbies this season. He was an All-Star in 2015 and spent the first seven years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves had a hole in the outfield after a season-ending injury to outfielder Ronald Acuna, Jr.
It’s the first of what is expected be a plethora of moves for the Cubs, who have recently said they are open to dealing a number of key players before the trade deadline. Ball has spent this season in Single-A Rome for the Braves and was hitting .207 with six homers in 53 games played this season. The 23-year-old was a 24th round draft pick for the Braves in 2019.
Latest on MMO
Gabe Angieri graded the first half for the Mets’ infielders. What grade will Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso receiver? Read to find out.
What is there to look forward to in the second half? Matt Musico takes a look at the Mets second half and what scenarios he sees coming to fruition.
Patrick Glynn has more on Carlos Carrasco‘s rehab assignment from Brooklyn on Thursday.
On This Date in Mets History
On this date in 1967 the New York Mets swept a doubleheader from the first-place St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Dennis Bennett pitched seven strong innings to help secure the win in game one as he was aided with a two-run homer by Ed Kranepool in the 7th inning off of Ray Washburn. Hal Reniff threw two scoreless innings to close out the game. The Mets won 2-1. In the second game, Kranepool hit another homer, this one off of Jack Lamabe. Lamabe was acquired by the Cardinals from the Mets the day before to help the Cards try and ease the loss of Bob Gibson, who was out with an injury. This day though, belonged to Ed Kranepool. He went 3-for-9 with two homers and five RBIs. Bob Shaw got the victory in relief for the Mets throwing five innings of scoreless baseball as the Mets won 8-5 sweeping the double-header.
On July 16, 1984, the New York Mets defeated the Houston Astros 13-3 in the Astrodome. The Mets beat former friend and future nemesis Mike Scott, who gave up five earned runs and nine hits in just five innings of work. In all, the Mets had 22 hits, one shy of a club record. George Foster and Mike Fitzgerald had three RBIs a piece, however the story of the day belonged to the 21-year-old left hander who started for the Mets. Sid Fernandez was called up from Triple-A Tidewater to make his first start for the Mets and he did not disappoint. He threw seven innings and gave up two hits to earn his first Major League victory.
The Mets hit five home runs, including two grand slams off Chicago Cub pitching in a 13-7 victory at Wrigley Field on this date in 2006. Carlos Beltran and Cliff Floyd hit a grand slam a piece, with David Wright, Chris Woodward homering as well. Floyd hit two homers on the night his first one being a solo blast in the fifth off of Cubs starter Sean Marshall. Marshall would relinquish Floyd’s slammer in the sixth and Roberto Novoa would give up Wright’s slam in an 11-run sixth inning to push the Mets in front for good.
Birthdays: Norm Sherry (1931)
Let’s go Mets!
