While the hot stove is currently buried in 10 feet of snow, MLB has announced some news regarding 2025 Opening Day. On March 27, which will be MLB Opening Day, ESPN will have extra coverage, as they’ll be showcasing a doubleheader to kick off the season. The two World Series representatives will be in action; the first game will be the Milwaukee Brewers taking on the New York Yankees in the Bronx at 3 p.m., while the Los Angeles Dodgers will host the Detroit Tigers in Chavez Ravine at 7 p.m.

Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

The Mets ranked 28th in farm system hitting rankings, based on data from all leagues and levels, per Dylan White of Baseball America.

Keith Hernandez‘s longtime beloved cat Hadji passed away last week at the age of 22, the ’86 World Series champion announced on twitter.

Latest MLB News

Now-former Blue Jays assistant major league hitting coach Matt Hague is accepting a job as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ hitting coach, per Scott Mitchell of TSN Sports. 

The All-MLB Team Awards Show will be happening on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET on MLB Network. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates are signing Brent Strom as an assistant pitching coach, per Noah Hiles of The Pittsburgh Gazette. 

Diamond Sports Group, owner of Bally Sports, have agreed to a multi-year deal with Amazon Prime Video, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic. However, this does not mean you can watch your local team, as you will have to buy an additional add-on to do so.

Latest on MMO

Take a look at a possible infield addition for the Mets, Willy Adames.

MMO gave Mets backup catcher Luis Torrens a grade for his 2024 season.

Could the Mets look to add another southpaw to their rotation? Get to know Garret Crochet!

On This Date in Mets History

2018: Jacob deGrom receives 29 of 30 first place votes en route to his first Cy Young Award. DeGrom finished the season with a 1.70 ERA and a 218 ERA+.

2012: R.A. Dickey becomes the third different Met to win the Cy Young Award. Dickey became the first knuckleballer to earn the award, while tallying 20 wins and a 2.73 ERA in his award-winning season.

1986: Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon purchase the Mets from Doubleday & Co. for $80.75 million, splitting the franchise at 50% apiece.

Born On This Date: Francisco Lindor (1993), Akeel Morris (1992) Joely Rodríguez (1991), Xavier Nady (1978), Tim Hamulack (1976), Darrell Sutherland (1941), Jim Piersall (1929).

The post Morning Briefing: ESPN Announces Opening Day Doubleheader appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to MLB Network citing sources, it looks like the New York Mets have swung a deal with the Atlanta Braves for utility infielder and outfielder Kelly Johnson.

The Mets are reportedly sending pitching prospect Akeel Morris to the Braves in exchange for Johnson. Additionally, the Mets are getting cash back in the deal.

Johnson, 34, was batting .215 with a .526 OPS in 132 plate appearances with the Braves. He batted .250 for the Mets last season in 49 games.

Akeel Morris struck out 27 batters over his last 18.2 innings and has held opponents to a .169 average in that span. Walks still an issue though.

It’s expected that Ty Kelly will be optioned back to Triple-A Las Vegas.

The post Braves Deal Kelly Johnson Back To Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

This is the fourth and final part of our own All-Star team that brings you the best performers from the Mets minor leagues in the bullpen. This particular group was tough to be to pick with so many guys in the Mets system having good years out of the pen. I will repeat that the team we put together was not based on prospect standing but purely on how each player statistically did in 2015.

I originally meant to keep this team to 25 players but was unable to when I got to the bullpen and didn’t want to leave out some strong performers. Here are my choices for the best performances out of the bullpen:

Closer – Paul Sewald (Binghamton Mets) The 25-year old right-hander had another great season posting a 1.75 ERA (7th best in Eastern League, 50 IP/MIN) and collecting a career high 24 saves (3rd in EL). He had a sparkling 0.86 WHIP which was fourth in all of Double-A baseball. He allowed only 34 hits in 51.1 innings and struck out 56 despite being a guy that lives in the 89-92 range with his fastball. He did not allow a run in his first 16 innings of the season and was an EL All-Star.

Closer – Alex Palsha (Brooklyn Cyclones, Savannah Sand Gnats) The right-handed closer was unhittable in the New York-Penn League holding opponents to a .125 average in 24.2 innings. He had a 0.36 ERA (2nd in NYPL/Min 20IP), 0.77 WHIP (5th), and 13 saves which was tied for second in the league. He did not allow a homerun extending the homerless streak to begin his career to 43.2 innings. The 23-year old and Mets 2014 27th round pick struck out 34 batters compared to 9 walks for the Cyclones. He pitched 1.2 innings for Savannah in the final week of the season.

Setup – Akeel Morris (St.Lucie & Binghamton Mets) Outside of a rough Major League debut the 23-year old from the U.S. Virgin Island had another great season posting a 2.05 ERA in the minors. In 61.1 innings he allowed only 28 hits while striking out 81 batters. Opponents hit just .137 against the right-hander which was the second lowest in all of Minor League baseball (50 IP/MIN). His 0.93 WHIP trailed only Sewald in Mets full season minor league play. He also picked up 13 saves in 14 chances for St. Lucie and gave up only one run over his final 21 innings of the season for Binghamton.

Setup – P.J. Conlon (Brooklyn Cyclones) The Mets drafted Conlon in the 13th round in 2015 and the 22-year old sparkled in his pro debut. He pitched 17 innings for the Brooklyn Cyclones in his professional debut without giving up an earned run. The left-hander only allowed eight hits and two walks while striking out 25 hitters. He was even more dominant against left-handed hitters who went 2 for 16 with ten strikeouts off him.

LOOGY – Dario Alvarez (Binghamton, Las Vegas 51’s) Another pitcher that struggled in his short Major League stint in 2015 but was fantastic in the minors and actually performed better at AAA than AA. The 27-year old left-hander pitched 11 innings for the 51’s sporting a 2.45 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 19 strikeouts. Lefties combined were a measly 9 for 66 against him with 35 strikeouts. Over his final 25 minor league innings he allowed three runs and struck out 39 hitters. For the season in the minors he had a 3.00 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and held opponents to a .181 batting average.

Swingman – Kyle Regnault (St. Lucie Mets) The 27-year old left-handed had a great pro debut in 2015 with a 1.99 ERA and 1.06 for St. Lucie in a variety of different roles. He pitched in 39 games, making one start and also picking up seven saves. He allowed just 43 hits in 58.2 innings and struck out 53 batters. His ERA, WHIP, and opponents average were all fifth among full season Mets relievers.

Flamethrower – Josh Smoker (St. Lucie & Binghamton) The former first round pick of the Nationals impressed in his return to affiliate ball and not just on the radar gun where he was hitting 97 MPH with his fastball. Between Savannah, St. Lucie, and Binghamton he had a 3.12 ERA and 1.184 WHIP while striking out 11.0 batters per nine innings. Only allowed 39 hits in 49 innings including giving up just one long ball. He gave up only two runs in his first 15.2 Double-A innings before hitting a little bit of a fatigue wall towards the end of the season. For the season he held right-handed hitters to a .547 OPS.

Crossover – Alberto Baldonado (Savannah Sand Gnats) The left-hander from Panama had his best season setting career best with his 1.041 WHIP, 56.2 innings, and his 3.08 SO/W. His 11.8 K/9 was third best for Mets full season relievers behind Morris (11.89) and Alvarez (13.29). The 23-year old held opponents to a lowly .180 batting average and had a 1.91 ERA. He was effective against both lefty and righty holding them to a .562 OPS and .502 OPS respectively in 2015.

Other arms that received consideration where Misael Familia (1.21 ERA, DSL Mets), Paul Paez (2.14 ERA, 1.101 WHIP), David Roseboom (4.00 SO/W), and Christian Montgomery (43 K’s in 25 IP). Also of note were St. Lucie relievers Kelly Secrest (57.1) and Robert Coles (58.2) who were the only two Mets full season pitchers to pitch more than 50 innings and not allow a home run.

Part One: Position Players Led by Dominic Smith, Gavin Cecchini

Part Two: Rotation Anchored by Robert Gsellman

Part Three: Bench Strengthened by MVP Luis Guillorme

For more minor league coverage head over to MetsMinors.net where we recently named our Prospects #35-31 Including Shortstop Gregory Guerrero. 

The post Mets Minors: Sewald, Morris Lead Our All Star Bullpen appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

“This Mets team right now, it doesn’t matter who comes off the bench. Everyone contributes.” – Ron Darling.

I couldn’t have said it any better myself.

It is quite possible that, a year from now, I won’t be able to remember a specific, standout home run hit by Lucas Duda, Travis d’Arnaud, or Curtis Granderson this season. Kirk Nieuwenhuis has just four homers in 2015, yet they’ve been four of the most memorable, and unexpected home runs hit by a Met this year.

In case you did in fact spend September 8, 2015 under a rock, Captain Kirk’s 8th inning solo shot was the final run scored in an 8-7 New York victory over Washington, one that was a 7-1 Nationals lead with one on and two out in the top of the 7th inning before 8 consecutive Mets batters reached base safely.

It really does take (at least) 40 guys to compete for a championship. Through 137 games, the Mets have had 48 different players make an appearance for them, from David Wright, Daniel Murphy, and Jacob deGrom, all the way to Alex Torres, Danny Muno, and even Akeel Morris. Somewhere in that mix (probably closer to the Akeel Morris end of the spectrum) is Kirk Nieuwenhuis, a player that truly personifies the club’s season-long roller coaster ride and exemplifies how far these 2015 New York Mets have come.

Just like the Mets endured months of, to put it lightly, offensive struggles, Nieuwenhuis struggled through adversity of his own; namely, being designated for assignment by the Mets, getting traded for cash, being released by the Angels, and hitting at a rate that only Mario Mendoza himself would be impressed with.

But like the Mets, this isn’t the same Kirk from the first half of the year. Obviously, he is still a marginal bench player at best. But April or May’s Kirk Nieuwenhuis finds a way to ground into a double play with no one on base, not hit a home run in the 8th inning off of Jonathan Papelbon to clinch the Mets’ biggest win of 2015.

And like the Mets, he has become the best form of himself. He competes and doesn’t give up. How many times do you see someone that played as poorly as he has this season come through in a situation like that? About as often as you see a team transform itself from the league’s worst offense to the league’s best. He fought his way back into a position that allowed him the opportunity to make an impact like the one he made tonight, while the Mets have battled and scrapped through both rough patches in the season and through so many individual games.

These Mets are special. I can’t count how many times the words, “way to fight back!” have audibly left my mouth this season. It’s not like I don’t hear the ghost of Mets fans past whispering, warning, “don’t fall for it.” But something about this team just feels different. They may fall short of winning a championship this year, but it won’t be because they let a 7 game lead with 17 games remaining slip through their fingers. If they don’t come away from 2015 with World Series rings, it will be because they were beaten by a superior opponent, and you can bet they went down kicking and screaming (and maybe crying just a bit).

Regardless of what happens over the next one to two months–no matter how many times Murph “murphs,” Jon Niese gives up five runs in an inning to Philadelphia, or Scott Boras tells Matt Harvey to stop pitching–the 2015 New York Mets will go down as one of my favorites. This is the most enjoyment I’ve gotten out of a baseball season in my lifetime (2006 included), and that can be credited largely to the passion, heart, and fight this team displays on a nightly basis.

In the face of this franchise’s history that has left so many fans burned badly before–I’m all in. And whether you like it or not, if you got chills as you watched Nieuwenhuis’ ball land beyond the right field fence of Nationals Park, you are too.

The post Goosebumps. So Many Goosebumps. appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by MiLB.com

El Paso 2, Las Vegas (75-64) 1 F/11

The 51’s came into the four games series against the Chihuahuas with 1.5 game division lead but have seen it dwindle down to half a game after losing two of three. They play the last game of the series tonight with Seth Lugo on the mound for Las Vegas at 10:05 ET. Then they play a four game set at home vs. Tacoma to finish out the regular season.

El Paso scored a run in the top of the 11th on a solo homerun by Jason Hagerty off Chasen Bradford who took his fourth loss of the year. Las Vegas went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the inning with Dilson Herrera grounding out to the game. The 51’s offense was non-existent as they collected only three hits with the big one being Travis Taijeron hitting his 25th homerun of the season. Here is video of the homerun.

Brandon Nimmo was 0-4 while playing center field and batting eighth, he is hitting just .138 in his last ten games. Matt Reynolds was 0-3 with a walk lowering his average for the year to .265. Herrera went 0-5 out of the leadoff spot.

Tim Stauffer made another great start going 7 innings allowing one run on eight hits and struck out three. He now has a 2.10 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 51.1 innings for Las Vegas. Vic Black pitched a scoreless 9th inning allowing a walk and striking out one. Dario Alvarez faced two batters, allowed a single and recorded a strikeout. Scott Rice lowered his ERA to 1.86 with scoreless inning. Box Score

Binghamton (75-61) 16, Reading 4

The B’Mets took care of business winning and dropping their magic number to one before waiting to see the outcome of the Trenton Thunder game which went extra innings. Trenton lost 6-5 to New Britain in 12 innings later in the night which clinched a playoff spot for the defending champion Binghamton Mets.

Binghamton pounded out 21 hits and walked five times as well as going 11-25 with runners in scoring position. Everyone in the Mets lineup had at least one hit and RBI. Xorge Carrillo was 4-6 with three runs scored, three RBI, and two homeruns. Here is video of the second homerun. L.J. Mazzilli went 4-5 with a walk, two RBI, two runs scored, and his 18th double.

Joe Benson was 1-3 with three walks, three walks, and his 4th homerun for Binghamton. Josh Rodriguez was 1-4 with a run scored and two sac flies giving him 76 RBI on the year. T.J. Rivera was 2-6 with a RBI, he has five straight multi-hit games and has hit in 13 straight.

Starting pitched Tyler Pill helped himself going 3-5 with a double, RBI, and two runs scored. He now has a .458/.462/.542 slash line this year in 24 at bats after hitting .400/.400/.650 in 20 at bats last season. He also moved to 6-0 with the B’Mets this year after going 7 innings allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks. He struck out three and lowered his ERA to 2.08 in AA.

Josh Smoker pitched a scoreless 8th inning issuing a walk, he has walked six and allowed three runs over last 5.2 innings. Some fatigue may be setting in for Smoker who has thrown just 28 innings last season after missing all of 2013.  Akeel Morris struck out the side in the 9th inning. Over his last 20 innings he has allowed one run on eight hits while striking out 22. Box Score

Savannah Sand Gnats had their final regular season game at historic Grayson Stadium rained out but they will return there on September 11th for game two of the first round of playoffs.

Brooklyn (32-38) 7, Connecticut 1 Game One

Desmond Lindsay (1-3, two RBI) got the Cyclones on the board in the 4th inning with a two-out two-run single which would be all the offense starter Edioglis Villasmil needed to pick up his first Brooklyn win. Villasmil went 6 innings allowing one run on six hits. P.J. Conlon pitched a scoreless innings giving up a single and struck out two. He has not allowed a run in 16 pro innings with 24 strikeouts.

Catcher Jose Garcia was 1-3 with two RBI, two runs scored, and his 6th double raising his season average to .304 for Brooklyn. David Thompson went 1-4 with two runs scored and Vinny Siena was 1-3 with a run scored and a sacrifice fly. Box Score

Connecticut 2, Brooklyn (32-39) 1 Game Two Walk-off

Brooklyn lost on a two-out walk-off single by the Tigers first basemen Will Allen. Jeffrey Diehl supplied the offense for the Cyclones going 2-3 with his 5th homerun. Lindsay was 1-1 with a walk extending his hitting streak to five games. Nicco Blank fell to 0-5 giving up one run in 3.2 innings of relief. Box Score

Update: both Siena (2015 14th rounder) and Diehl have been promoted to St. Lucie who have four games left in the season.

Kingsport Mets start their playoff run tonight vs the Greeneville Astros at 7:00 ET.

The post Mets Minors: B’Mets Clinch Playoff Spot, 51’s Lead Shrinks appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Here you can see the first six in the Mets Midseason Top Prospects 25-21

#20 Matthew Bowman
Preseason: #22
Age: 24 – May 31, 1991
Drafted: 13th round in 2012
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Bowman has had the worst year of his professional career going 7-13 with a 5.19 ERA and 1.62 WHIP to start the season for the Las Vegas 51’s. He has allowed 153 hits in 121.1 innings and has a bad 1.61 SO/W ratio. He did have a good showing in Spring Training this year allowing two runs in 10 innings with seven strikeouts.

Matt has been better against right-handed hitters this year holding them a .706 OPS with only one homerun in 249 at bats. Lefties have scorched him hitting .324/.380/.541 with twelve homeruns in 234 at bats. He was much better in 2014 with both Binghamton Mets and the 51’s going 10-8 with a 3.22 ERA while striking out 124 batters in 134.1 innings.

He was named PCL pitcher of the week on July 27th after pitching a complete-game shutout against Fresno with six strikeouts. Obviously the numbers for Matt aren’t as pretty this year but he is still getting groundball outs which is evident by the 14 doubles plays that have been turned behind him. He throws a heavy sinker in the lows 90’s, changeup, slider, and curveball without any of the secondary offerings being plus pitches. He follows the line of current Mets pitchers swinging the bat well with his career .191 average. Video from his two-hit complete shutout this season.

#19 Seth Lugo
Preseason: Unranked
Age: 25 – November 17, 1989
Drafted: 34th round in 2011
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Jacob Lugo has overcome being a late round pick from a D III school and being diagnosed with Spondylolisthesis which happens when there is a displacement of a vertebra in the spine. After his first pro season he underwent the lumbar fusion and surgery despite the risk that he may never pitch again. He was bedridden for almost 3 months and had his entire 2012 season wiped out following the surgery.

Lugo is 7-5 overall with a 3.79 ERA, 3.38 FIP, and 1.272 WHIP this year in 20 starts (19 with the Binghamton Mets, 1 with Las Vegas 51’s) with his best month coming in July when he was 4-1 with 2.39 ERA. He was named the Eastern League pitcher of the week for 7/20-7/26 after going 2-0 with one run allowed in 14 innings and 16 strikeouts in that span. It has been a streaky year for Lugo who’s ERA by month are 1.38, 3.41, 7.06, 2.39, and currently 6.30 in two August starts.

Lugo comes at you with the kitchen sink throwing two different fastballs, slider, curveball, and a changeup.He throws a two seamer at 88-90 with his 4 seamer topping out at 94. His best secondary pitch is his curveball which has good bite but sometimes gets left it up in the zone. Slider is average and the changeup below average as pitches he throws occasionally to keep the hitter off balance. He has kept the ball in the park this year allowing only 8 homeruns in 114 innings and holds runners on well giving up four steals all year.

I talked to multiple scouts this year that told me they liked Lugo’s pitchability and that he could be a Major League 4th or 5th starter. Paul DePodesta was also quoted saying that “he certainly has Major League potential” in an NJ.com article earlier this year. Here is video from a eight strikeout game this year.

#18 Max Wotell
Age: 18 – September 13, 1996
Drafted: 3rd round in 2015
Bats/Throws: Right/Left

The Mets drafted the 6’3 left-hander in the 3rd round this year out of Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw, North Carolina. In his senior year he went 14-0, led his team to the state championship, and was named the North Carolina Gatorade player of the year. Wotell was committed to the University of Arizona, instead he signed with the Mets for $775K which was over the slot value of $666,500.

In high school he was consistently at 89-91 while topping out at 93 MPH with his fastball and will surely add more velocity as he fills out. He has a deceptive three-quarters arm slot delivery with a curveball that has a chance to be a plus pitch. His third pitch is a changeup that some scouts think he has some feel for but needs to work controlling the pitch better in the strike zone. He has an unconventional delivery that he needs to work on to make it more repeatable for long-term success.

Max made his professional debut on June 24th with the GCL Mets pitching a scoreless inning with one walk and two strikeouts. In 7 pro innings he has allowed two hits, two runs, six walks, and struck out eleven. He is yet to allow an extra base hit or a hit with the bases empty. Here is video of him in 2014.

#17 Matt Reynolds
Preseason: #16
Age: 24 – December 3, 1990
Drafted: 2nd round in 2012 (Comp pick for Jose Reyes)
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Matt put himself on the Top 25 prospect scene with a great year in 2014 hitting .343/.405/.454 with 21 doubles, 7 triples, 6 homeruns, 61 RBI, and 20 stolen bases combined playing with Binghamton and Las Vegas. He showed up in great shape for Spring Training and impressed hitting .375/.404/.583 with two homeruns and ten RBI in 48 at bats. He went to Las Vegas and kept right on hitting having a great month of April posting a .903 OPS with 12 extra base hits, 12 RBI, and 5-5 in stolen base attempts.

He then came back down to earth hitting .252/.310/.365 from the start of May until the end of July in 230 at bats. He was limited to only 27 at bats in July because of an elbow injury that he tried playing through before ultimately being put on the disabled list. Coming back from injury he has hit better albeit without walking at all with a .310/.333/.448 line. Overall this year he is hitting .278/.331/.416 with 25 doubles, 5 triples, 5 homeruns, 61 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. However, his slash line is actually mediocre compared to the average PCL line of .272/.337/.414.

Reynolds has a nice short line drive stroke and can use the whole park but his reluctance to take walks while hitting for league average power limits his value to me. He plays a passable shortstop and has played 11 games at 2B where I think he can be an above average defender. Would like to see the Mets have him play winter ball this year and play some games at third base where he played in college. Matt was a Pacific Coast League All-Star but was unable to participate because he was on DL during the break.

Matt was left in Vegas this year when David Wright and Daniel Murphy were hurt leaving you to wonder what the Mets opinion of him could be. I think next year depending on who the Mets resign he could play a valuable role off the bench ala Justin Turner when he was here. He definitely has the athleticism to play some outfield as well if the Mets choose to turn him into a super utility guy. Still believe he has the potential to be a Major League regular at second base. Video of a homerun earlier this year.

#16 Akeel Morris
Preseason: #14
Age: 22 – November 14, 1992
Drafted: 10th in 2010
Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Akeel has excelled since the Mets switched him to a primarily a reliever for Brooklyn in 2013 and full-time closer for Savannah last season. He put up video game numbers last year pitching 57 innings allowing a minuscule 19 hits while recording an eye popping 89 strikeouts. He sported a 0.63 ERA, 0.719 WHIP, and saved 16 games but did walk 22 batters. Akeel shared the Sterling Award (MVP) with Dario Alvarez for Savannah in 2014. He was an All-Star in 2014 and 2015, also named MiLB’s Fans Choice for best relief pitcher in 14′.

He started this year right where he left off in 2014 shutting down hitters in the Florida State League for the St. Lucie Mets allowing only 11 hits in 32 innings while recording 13 saves. The strikeouts did drop from 14.1 K/9 last year to 12.9 K/9 in St. Lucie and the walks rose from 3.5 BB/9 to 3.9 BB/9. The Mets saw enough in him to promote Akeel straight to the big leagues when they needed a bullpen arm in June, although mostly done because he was on the 40-man roster. He wasn’t ready yet and unsurprisingly struggled giving up five runs in his only outing.

When Morris was sent back down he went to the Binghamton Mets where he struggled at first allowing six runs and five walks in his first 4.1 innings. He has settled down since though giving up two runs on eleven hits and six walks while striking out seventeen in his last 17.1 innings. Over that span he is holding the Eastern League to a .183/.254/.283 slash line. He has always been able to keep the ball in the park allowing just 16 homeruns in 270 pro innings.

Akeel throws his fastball in the 93-95 MPH range that seems even harder with his deceptive straight over the top delivery. His changeup is his bread and butter, gets a good downward plane with a 13-15 MPH separation from his heater. Rarely throws a slider that needs work to become a Major League pitch. His fastball-changeup combination is good enough to get him to the big leagues if he is able to limit the walks. If he can improve his slider to a Major League average pitch he will be a back-end of the bullpen type guy. Video of Morris pitching in 2014.

The post Mets Midseason Top Prospects 20-16 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Las Vegas (66-52) 7, El Paso 1

Veteran right-hander Tim Stauffer had his one-hit shutout bid snapped by the pinch hitting Jake Goebbert who led off the 9th inning with a solo homerun. Stauffer’s final line: 9 innings, 2 hits, R, 3 walks, HBP, and 5 strikeouts. He threw just 104 pitches with 70 of them going for strikes.

The 51’s offense was supported by solo homeruns from Brandon Allen (13th) and Travis Taijeron off former Astros outfielder Jason Lane. Travis went 2-4 with five RBI with his 18th and 19th homeruns of the season. He is now hitting .283/.403/.587 with 60 RBI and 125 strikeouts in 322 at bats.

Dilson Herrera was 3-5 and now has 16 hits in his last ten games. Brandon Nimmo was 1-3 with a run scored and walk, hitting out of the 8th spot in the lineup while playing center field. Matt Reynolds was 0-4 with a strikeout. Box Score

Altoona 5, Binghamton (63-52) 2

Gavin Cecchini had a rough night going 0-4 with a walk while committing two errors in the field (both fielding), with the second leading to a three unearned runs. L.J. Mazzilli had an error in the 4th inning as well but went 2-3 with a walk at the dish. Robert Gsellman fell to 6-6 going 5 innings allowing four runs (one earned) on three hits, two walks, and struck out two.

Over his last 36.1 innings Gsellman has allowed only three earned runs on 21 hits and the league is slashing an incredibly low .160/.203/.186 against him. His sinker is incredibly hard to lift as shown by the fact he has given up 21 extra base hits all year in 469 at bats.

Akeel Morris pitched a scoreless 6th inning giving up one single and striking out one. In his last 15.1 innings the Eastern League is batting .185/.254/.296 with 15 strikeouts against him. He has given up one run in that span and hasn’t allowed a run in his last 11.1 innings.

Jeff Walters got four outs before allowing a double and two walks in his second inning of work. Josh Smoker came in with the bases loaded and limited the damage allowing one inherited runner to score before ending the inning with a groundout. In 14.1 AA innings he has struck out 20 and held opponents to a .212 batting average.

T.J. Rivera has his power surge continue hitting his third homerun in two days with a solo shot in his first at bat last night. Here is video of the homerun. Jared King was 2-4 and is hitting .385 over his last ten games. Vince Belnome was 1-3 with a RBI, he is hitting .306/.381/.389 in 12 games since signing with the B’Mets. Box Score

Fort Myers 1, St. Lucie (59-56) 0

The Mets outhit the Miracle 9-6 but went 1-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine baserunners. Kevin McGowan was the tough luck loser pitching 7 innings giving up one run on four hits. The rehabbing Erik Goeddel pitched a scoreless 8th inning with one strikeout and gave up a single. He also produced two ground ball outs.

Dominic Smith stretched his hitting streak to six games with a 1-4 night. Catcher Colton Plaia was 2-2 with his 10th double and a sac bunt. Matt Oberste was 1-4 and has now reached base safely in 17 straight games. Las Vegas outfielder Kyle Johnson continued his rehab assignment and went 1-4 with two strikeouts. Amed Rosario was 0-3 with a sac bunt and his 15th error. Box Score

Savannah (66-48) 12, Rome 3

The Sand Gnats scored all 12 runs in the first five innings including seven in the 5th that was helped by five straight walks. Wuilmer Becerra was 2-5 with a run scored, his 24th double, 12th stolen base, and 47th RBI of the season. Tomas Nido went 1-1 with a walk, sacrifice fly, and his 6th homerun of the year off Braves recent acquisition Touki Toussaint.

Luis Guillorme went 1-5 with two runs scored and two RBI out of the leadoff spot, extended his hitting streak to ten games. Jean Rodriguez was 1-3 with a walk, two runs, and his 12th double of the year as he extended his own hitting streak to thirteen games. Eudor Garcia was 1-4 with a walk, run scored, and his 19th double. John Mora was 1-4  with a walk, 19th double, and 56th RBI.

Ricky Knapp moved to 6-2 with a 2.60 ERA after going 6 innings allowing one run on nine hits and three walks while striking out three. Luis Mateo worked around a double and a HBP to pitch a scoreless 9th with one strikeout. Box Score

State College 7, Brooklyn (25-26) 6 

The Cyclones scored two runs in the bottom of the 9th on a wild pitch that the catcher threw away trying to get the first runner. Tyler Badamo struggled giving up six runs on seven hits (HR) and struck out six in 5.1 innings. His record dropped to 2-6 with a 3.75 ERA and has won just once in his last seven starts.

Catcher Jose Garcia was the only Brooklyn player with more than one hit going 2-4 with his 5th RBI of the year. Enmanuel Zabala was 1-4 with two RBI while playing center field. David Thompson went 0-3 with a walk, HBP, and two runs scored. Vinny Siena was 1-5 with a run scored, slash line fell to .298/.362/.330 though. Box Score

Kingsport (25-23) 7, Burlington 4

Kevin Kaczmarski led the Mets offensive charge going 3-4 with two runs scored and a three-run homerun. He is now fourth in the league with his .337 average after going 20-44 over his last ten games. Shortstop Luis Carpio went 3-5 with a double, run scored, and two stolen bases. Patrick Mazeika was 2-3 with a walk and his league leading 22nd double, now hitting .361 on the year.

Milton Ramos had his second straight two-hit game and stole his third base of the year for Kingsport. Dash Winningham was 1-5 with a run scored and a two-run double. Ivan Wilson went 1-4 and scored a run, he also struck out twice giving up 51 in 36 games to start the year.

Nabil Crismatt improved his record to 4-1 after going 7 innings allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk while striking out five. The 20-year old right-handed pitcher lowered his ERA to 2.28 and WHIP to a measly 0.98 in 43.1 innings. Box Score

GCL Marlins 4, GCL Mets (25-20) 0

The Mets had as many hits as errors (3) last night with Jose Miguel Medina, Will Barring, and Franklin Correa each having one hit. Ali Sanchez went 0-4 with three strikeouts while batting third and serving as the DH. Desmond Lindsay has not played in the last two games.

Edwin German took the loss allowing three unearned runs in four innings on six his and a walk. Box Score

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The Mets (36-31) fell to the Blue Jays (35-32) by a score of 8-0 on Wednesday night in Toronto.

Jon Niese took the hill for the Mets and pitched well, going seven innings while allowing three runs on seven hits and four walks, striking out six.

Toronto took an early lead they would never relinquish in the bottom of the second, when Kevin Pillar‘s RBI single made Niese pay for a pair of walks.

The Mets had several runners get into scoring position in this one, but failed to capitalize against Drew Hutchison and his relievers. An RBI double in the sixth by Chris Colabello put the Blue Jays up 2-0, and the hosts got a third run against Niese when Pillar hit a solo shot in the seventh.

The game was blown wide open in the bottom of the eighth with Akeel Morris, a Single-A pitcher called up to provide the bullpen with a live arm for a few days, making his MLB debut for the Mets. Morris walked the first two hitters he faced before being victimized by a few soft hits and plays not made behind him in the field. But there was nothing soft about the three-run shot Danny Valencia hit to put the Jays up 8-0 and turn Morris’ debut into an utter “nightmare,” as an equally out-of-place Ron Darling said on the play-by-play broadcast.

Jack Leathersich got the final out in the eighth, before the Mets went down quietly in the ninth to end the ballgame.

Well, that got ugly late. Morris was here to provide innings in already-decided games, which is what he did tonight (although you could argue the game was within reach until he showed up).

But this game felt like it was over pretty early, because the Mets seemed completely flat on offense. They hit a few doubles, but were taking bad swings all night, even when they got ahead in the count.

Niese pitched a solid game, which is good for him, good for the team, good for the bullpen, and good for his trade value. But the bats— which were pretty good over the homestand— didn’t help him out.

This team needs to be better on the road. There’s nothing more to say about it.

UPDATE: Morris has been sent to Double-A (which is a promotion considering that he came from Single-A). Logan Verrett has been promoted.  

Up Next: The Mets will look to split the road portion of their series with Toronto tomorrow night. Bartolo Colon (9-4, 4.41 ERA) will face RA Dickey (2-6, 5.29 ERA) at 7:10 PM.

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According to the Mets on Twitter, RHP Akeel Morris is set to join the Mets tomorrow, and be activated upon his arrival.

Morris, 22, was drafted by the Mets in the 10th round of the 2010 first-year player draft out of Charlotte Amalie High School in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Morris has spent 2015 thus far with Single-A St. Lucie, and has pitched to a 0-1 record and 12 saves with a 1.74 ERA in 23 games. He will make the jump straight to the majors, having never pitched above A-ball.

In 6 minor league seasons, Morris has a 12-12 record, with a 2.80 ERA, 31 saves, 12.1 K/9 and 1.11 WHIP.

Morris ranks in at the Mets #19 top prospect according to MLB.com, as well as #14 on MetsMerizedOnline’s top 25 prospect list.

He figures to only be up for a short amount of time to add a fresh arm to a heavily taxed bullpen after this past series with Atlanta, but who knows? He’s a very talented young player with a lot of upside, and if he pitches well, he might stick around awhile.

A corresponding move has yet to be announced, but we congratulate Akeel on his call-up to the show!

The post Mets To Promote Akeel Morris; Set To Join Team Tomorrow appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Las Vegas (31-28) 5, El Paso 4

The 51’s were losing 4-2 heading into the bottom of the 8th before they score one that inning and Travis Taijeron tied the game in the bottom of the 9th with his 10th HR of the year. Here is video of the HR.  Brandon Allen came up with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 10th working a walk for the walk-off victory. Taijeron now has three hits in his last two games and they are all homeruns. Matt Reynolds was 4-5 with two doubles and three runs scored, he is now tied for league lead with 21 doubles. Reynolds is hitting .416/.457/.677 with 9 RBI’s and 6 extra base hits (5 2B’s & HR) over his 8-game hitting streak. Dilson Herrera was 1-5 with a RBI double off the left field wall. Travis d’Arnaud was 1-5 with a double while catching all 9 innings and throwing out the only would be base stealer.  Johnny Monell was 1-3 with two walks and a RBI extending his hitting streak to 6 games.

Logan Verrett got his 2nd straight start and was stretched out to 4.2 innings giving up four runs on five hits (HR to rehabbing Wil Myers), two walks, and striking out just one. Scott Rice came in to relieve Verrett getting a ground out to 1st basemen Monell stranding the inherited runner. Cody Satterwhite followed with two scoreless innings allowing just one runner and striking our four. He now has a 2.13 ERA over his last 10 games with 19 strikeouts in 12.2 innings. Vic Black pitched a scoreless 8th inning giving up only a double while striking out two hitters and reaching 93 MPH on the gun. Zack Thornton pitched a scoreless 9th inning lowering his ERA to 3.67 and his WHIP to 1.11 on the year. John Church pitched a clean 10th inning picking up his 3rd win of the season. Box Score

Darin Gorski (3-5, 5.71) starts today for the 51’s in a rare day game at 3:05 ET against the Chihuahuas.

Binghamton had the day off and are back at it today at 6:35 against Bowie with Rainy Lara (3-2, 3.91) on the mound

St. Lucie (29-28) 6, Daytona 4

The Mets came up to bat in the 2nd inning already trailing 3-0 before 2-run homeruns by both Dominic Smith (2nd) and Stefan Sabol (1st) gave them a 4-3 lead they would never relinquish. Smith was 2-4 boosting his slash line to .270/.314/.414  with 30 RBI’s on the year.  Sabol also collected two hits and is now hitting .364/.432/.545 with 8 RBI’s and three stolen bases since being promoted from Savannah. Amed Rosario was 1-4 scoring a run while picking up his 8th stolen base of the year. Maikis De La Cruz was 1-3 with a walk and his 10th double of the season, he also had his 3rd OF assist cutting down a guy at 2nd base.

Robert Whalen had a quality start going 6 innings giving up three runs on five hits  and one walk while striking out four. He was good enough to pick up his 3rd win of the year with his ERA now at 3.36. Robert Coles followed pitching two innings allowing an unearned run on a walk and a hit with one strikeout. Akeel Morris came in to get his 11th save of the year pitching a perfect 9th striking out all three hitters he faced. Box Score

The Mets play Daytona again tonight at 7:05 with Kevin McGowan (4-4, 5.13) making the start.

Savannah was off yesterday and are back at it today with their ace Casey Meisner (5-1, 1.88) taking on West Virginia at 7:05.

DSL Mets1 (5-3) 6, DSL Red Sox 4 Box Score

Catching prospect Juan Uriarte hit a game-winning 3-run homerun in the 8th inning.

DSL Marlins 4, DSL Mets2 (5-3) 2 Box Score

News and Notes

Akeel Morris, Jeff McNeil, Robert Gsellman, and Michael Conforto were all named to the Florida State League All-Star team with Gsellman & Conforto not being able to play since they are now in AA Binghamton. Wilmer Becerra was named the South Atlantic League offensive player of the week after hitting .429/.467/.857 with 6 doubles, 2 HR’s and 7 RBI’s. The Sand Gnats swept the honors as Savannah pitcher Scarlyn Reyes was named pitcher of the week after throwing 7 shutout innings on Friday.

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