Brett Baty. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets got the scoring started early, putting a run up against former Met Taijuan Walker in the first inning. With Brandon Nimmo standing on second, Pete Alonso hit a blooper into shallow right field that just stayed fair before bouncing into the seats. With the ground rule double, the Mets took an early 1-0 lead.

The Mets didn’t score again until the fifth inning, still in a 1-0 game. With Walker’s pitch count rising, he started showing signs of fatigue as he allowed three straight hits off the bats of Rafael Ortega, Omar Narváez, and Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo’s hit came with runners on the corners, and he hit a laser into right field to double the Mets’ lead to make it 2-0.

With the Phillies still not on the board in the fifth inning, it’s no surprise that Mets’ starter Tylor Megill was pitching well against what is a really good lineup. Outside of a Trea Turner walk in the first inning and a Kyle Schwarber double in the third inning, Megill had everything working for him early. Even in the fourth and fifth innings, when he found himself in trouble by allowing a leadoff baserunner, he was able to work around them to avoid putting the Phillies on the board.

Megill then found himself in trouble again in the sixth inning and that’s where things went south. With one out already recorded, Megill spiked a breaking ball in the dirt that came up and hit Bryce Harper who appeared to be in a bit of pain afterwards. Alec Bohm then reached on an infield single, putting two runners on with one out.

Megill then struck out Bryson Stott, needing just one more out to get out of trouble and likely secure a six-inning, no-run outing. However, J.T. Realmuto played spoiler and put a jolt into the Philadelphia crowd by unloading a fastball into the seats in left field, giving the Phillies a 3-2 lead for their first lead of the night.

BRETT BATY OFF CRAIG KIMBREL IN THE 9TH TO TIE THE GAME!

(via @AppleTV) pic.twitter.com/nzqmAUeFG1

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 23, 2023

Despite allowing the home run to Realmuto and that being the moment that will define his start, Megill still had a really solid outing. Over six innings, he allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six, and with the performance, he now has a 2.89 ERA over his last five starts.

Phil Bickford relieved Megill out of the bullpen and the Phillies immediately tacked on to extend their lead. After Johan Rojas reached on a single, he advanced to third after a bad throw on his stolen base attempt at second base. Schwarber then poked a ball into left field, scoring Rojas, giving the Phillies a 4-2 lead.

The Mets wouldn’t go down quietly, though. With two outs in the eighth inning, Francisco Lindor launched a solo homer into left field for his 27th of the year to bring the Mets back to within one run. Jeff McNeil singled after him to bring Pete Alonso to the plate as the go-ahead run. Alonso popped up on the infield, failing to bring the runner home to end the inning.

With one final chance to tie the game or take the lead in the ninth, the Mets found themselves two outs away from another disappointing loss after Ronny Mauricio recorded the first out. Brett Baty then stepped up to the plate and provided a heroic late-game moment the Mets haven’t experienced much of this season, sending a fastball from Craig Kimbrel 432 feet to dead center to tie up the game at 4-4.

The Mets were able to hold the Phillies at bay in the bottom of the inning, setting the table for extras. In the top of the 10th inning, the Mets loaded the bases against Seranthony Domínguez with a chance to really put pressure on the Phillies in the bottom of the inning. Domínguez, however, struck out Alonso in a crucial moment in the game, sending it to the bottom of the 10th in a tie game.

Just as Megill’s start ended in disappointing fashion, so did the game for the Mets. Despite the late-inning heroics provided by Lindor and Baty, Adam Ottavino couldn’t keep the Phillies from scoring as Alec Bohm dumped a ball into right field on just the second pitch of the inning. Trea Turner scored easily, giving the Phillies a 5-4 victory for the second consecutive night. With the loss, the Mets are now 71-83 on the year and are officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Stat of the Game

With his home run in the eighth inning, Francisco Lindor broke his own record that he set last year for the most home runs in a season by a Mets shortstop. He is now just three home runs shy of a 30-home run, 30-stolen base, 30-double season and could become the first Mets player to achieve those numbers since David Wright did so in 2007.

On Deck

The Mets’ series with the Phillies will continue on Saturday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET. José Quintana (3-5, 3.02 ERA) will get the start for the Mets as his fantastic debut season with the team winds to a close. For Philadelphia, former Met Zack Wheeler (12-6, 3.63 ERA) will take the mound. The Mets roughed up Wheeler in his only start against the team this year, attacking him for five runs over 5 1/3 innings. The game will be broadcast on SNY and can be listened to on WCBS 880.

The post Phillies Spoil Mets’ Late-Game Heroics With 5-4 Walk-Off Win appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mauricio made an emphatic statement in his first plate appearance as a major leaguer. Leading off the bottom of the third inning, he smoked a ball into right field at 117.3 miles-per-hour which resulted in a standup double. He wound up advancing to third base but was unable to score as Logan Gilbert set down the Mets’ 1-2-3 hitters in order. Mauricio recorded another hit later in the game, a ground ball up the middle, giving him two hits in what was an impressive debut.

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets’ starter for the game was Kodai Senga, who had the tough task of pitching against a Mariners team that just set a franchise record for most wins in a month (21 wins in August). However, Senga made the hottest team in baseball look anything but. Outside of allowing a J.P. Crawford solo home run in the fourth inning, Senga looked very comfortable, even in high-pressure situations. With two on and nobody out in the sixth inning, he managed to strike out the next three batters to get out of the inning.

Senga stayed on for the seventh inning but the Mariners threatened to put themselves ahead after Teoscar Hernández led off the inning with a double. Senga worked around it though, striking out two more Mariners batters to keep the game tied. That finished his outing, and it was a brilliant one. Over seven innings and 104 pitches, Senga allowed just five hits, two walks, one run, and struck out 12. He lowered his season ERA from 3.17 to 3.08, putting him right behind Blake Snell and Justin Steele for the third-best ERA in the National League.

For the bulk of the game, it appeared as though another phenomenal start by Senga would be wasted with his opposite number, Gilbert, pitching a shutout through five innings. Brandon Nimmo finally put the Mets on the board, though, as he led off the sixth inning with a solo homer, his 20th of the season, to put the Mets even with the Mariners at one apiece.

Both starters exited the game with the game still tied, pinning the rest of the game on the bullpens. Phil Bickford did his job by throwing a scoreless eighth inning, giving the Mets a chance to take a late lead with flamethrower Andrés Muñoz on the mound for Seattle in the bottom of the inning. That’s exactly what happened, with smart baserunning by Francisco Lindor paving the way.

Lindor led off the inning with a single before stealing a base, his 25th of the year which ties a career-high. Lindor then advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Muñoz, allowing him to be driven in on an opposite-field RBI single by Daniel Vogelbach. That gave the Mets the lead for the first time all night, giving the team the chance to close it out in the ninth inning.

The Mets sent out Drew Smith, who entered the game with three home runs given up in 11 innings in the month of August, to try to record the save. Smith walked Cal Raleigh to lead off the inning but made up for it with an impressive pickoff move to record the first out. After recording the second out of the inning easily, Smith gave up a single but subsequently struck out Ty France to record his third save of the season and give the Mets a tough 2-1 win. With the win, the Mets improved to 62-73 on the year.

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Player of the Game

In his first game in the big leagues, Ronny Mauricio is the player of the game. Not only did he look comfortable at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a scorching double, he also looked comfortable in the field, finding himself in the middle of several crucial plays. The hope is that he can keep up this performance down the stretch, as the Mets will get to see what they have in their highly-touted prospect.

Stat of the Game

According to Sarah Langs, Ronny Mauricio’s 117.3 miles-per-hour double in the third inning was the hardest-hit first career hit by any player in the Statcast era (since 2015). Not only that, it was also the hardest-hit ball in play by any Met during the entire 2023 season. With one swing of the bat, Mauricio demonstrated the power he possesses that Mets fans will be hoping to see more of during the final month of the season.

On Deck

The series between the Mets and Mariners continues at 7:10 p.m. ET Saturday evening. David Peterson (3-7, 5.23 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets, looking to continue his stretch of strong performances. Luis Castillo (11-7, 3.01 ERA), one of the frontrunners for the American League Cy Young Award, will be on the mound for the Mariners. The game will be broadcast on SNY.

The post Mauricio Impresses in Mets’ 2-1 Win Over Mariners appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets defeated the Cardinals on Friday night 7-1, giving the team three consecutive wins for the first time since July 16-19. The team is in the midst of a solid stretch, having won five of their last six, after looking completely flat following the trade deadline. With their better play of late, even with that abysmal stretch after their sell-off, the Mets enter today just seven games out of a wild card spot, the exact number of games back they were at the trade deadline.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Now, onto the morning briefing!

Latest Mets News

During the Mets’ 7-1 victory over the Cardinals, Joey Lucchesi pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings in his first start since May. Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil shined offensively, each recording three hits and a home run.

Nimmo recorded his 18th home run of the season on Friday night against the Cardinals, breaking his previous single-season home run record of 17 set in 2018. The Mets’ left fielder has been dynamic for New York this season, recording a 123 OPS+ and 3.2  bWAR this season before Friday night’s matchup.

Brandon Nimmo sets a career-high with his 18th home run of the year! pic.twitter.com/KZSzYIYfsc

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 19, 2023

Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote about Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the star Japanese pitcher set to be posted this offseason, and Kodai Senga‘s thoughts on him. Senga said, “I have known him since he was 20 years old. He’s been at the top level since he was very young, and I know he has a ton of talent. He is an amazing player.” On if Yamamoto were to potentially join the Mets, Senga noted, “Everybody on the team is such a great teammate… I think he would be a great fit and the whole team would welcome him.”

Darryl Strawberry was at the Syracuse Mets’ game on Friday night which was eventually canceled due to weather. Strawberry signed merchandise and souvenirs for fans while at the game.

Latest MLB News

Michael Clair of MLB.com wrote about Genevieve Beacom, an 18-year-old who is a two-way superstar from Australia. She has drawn comparisons to Shohei Ohtani, the best two-way player in the world.

The Angels called up 2023 first-round pick Nolan Schanuel, who was drafted by the team just last month. Schanuel, 21, was in Double-A and had posted a .955 OPS over 75 plate appearances there.

The Dodgers signed infielder Kolten Wong to a minor league contract. Although he struggled mightily this year in Seattle, he is just one season removed from having a 117 OPS+.

Per Sarah Langs, Julio Rodríguez is the second-youngest player with 12 hits in a three-game span since 1901. The only player younger than him to achieve that feat was Buddy Lewis in 1937.

Latest on MMO

In the latest Mets Minors Recap, Sean Kenny wrote about Luke Ritter and Carlos Cortes‘ strong performances with Triple-A Syracuse.

Michael Mayer argued that Ritter and Cortes should get a chance with the Mets.

Michael Mayer wrote about Kodai Senga‘s willingness to help recruit Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as well as the Mets’ reported interest in Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga.

Michael Famulari recapped José Quintana‘s quality start in the Mets’ victory over the Cardinals Thursday night.

Rich Sparago looked at fans’ and customers’ different perspectives on the Mets’ 2023 season.

On This Date in Mets History

1969: Tommie Agee hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 14th inning to give the Mets a 1-0 victory over the Giants. Juan Marichal had given up just five hits and no runs through 13 1/3 innings up to that point, and he recorded the loss despite a fantastic performance. For the Mets, Gary Gentry and Tug McGraw combined to shut out the Giants over 14 innings with McGraw recording the win.

Birthdays: Chris Capuano (45), Jeff Tam (53), Matt Franco (54), Ron Darling (63), Mike Phillips (73)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Win Three Straight For First Time In August appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jun 18, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi (47) throws to the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The key to the Mets’ victory was a strong pitching performance by Joey Lucchesi, who made his first big league start since May 13. After loading the bases in the first inning, he managed to escape the inning scoreless and pitched effectively over the rest of his outing.

After a strenuous first inning, Lucchesi retired 12 in a row, generating lots of easy ground balls over that stretch. His streak of retired batters was broken on the first hit in Masyn Winn‘s MLB career.

Lucchesi exited the game with runners on second and third with two outs in the sixth inning. Phil Bickford relieved him and walked Jordan Walker to load the bases before striking out Alec Burleson to keep the Cardinals off the board. That ensured Lucchesi would end his night with a scoreless performance, which dropped his season ERA almost a full run from 4.43 to 3.54.

Offensively, the Mets put themselves ahead right away before putting the game away late. Brandon Nimmo led off the game by taking the lefty Zack Thompson deep, socking his career-high 18th home run of the year to give the Mets and Lucchesi an early lead to play with. Jeff McNeil added to the lead in the third inning by knocking an RBI single up the middle, scoring Lindor from second base to extend the lead to 2-0.

Joey Lucchesi drops the churve on Jordan Walker and gets out of bases-loaded trouble pic.twitter.com/XrPT4brwQL

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 19, 2023

Both offenses remained quiet until the seventh inning when the Mets blew the game open. Still up by just two, the Mets loaded the bases with nobody out. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Francisco Lindor, with a questionable throw home by the young shortstop Winn, brought home a run before Francisco Álvarez hit an opposite-field RBI single to make it a 4-0 game.

Jeff McNeil then unloaded a three-run shot over the right field fence, his sixth home run of the year, to extend the lead to 7-0. That home run was McNeil’s third over his last 14 games after he had just three home runs all season before that. He has been swinging the bat much better of late, having entered this game batting .288 in the month of August.

Sam Coonrod and Dennis Santana combined to pitch the final three innings after Bickford managed to escape the sixth inning without allowing a run. Coonrod set down the Cardinals in order in the seventh inning before Santana gave up the shutout with two outs in the ninth inning on a Richie Palacios double. Still, Santana stayed on to record the final out and give the Mets a 7-1 win.

The Mets have now won five out of their six last games, improving their record to 57-66. They have now clinched at least a series tie with the Cardinals with two games still to play before heading to Atlanta to take on the Braves for the final time this season.

Player of the Game

Brandon Nimmo gets player of the game honors in this game. Not only did he set a new career-high for home runs in a season with 18, but he also finished the game 3-for-5 while extending his hitting streak to ten games as he continues to look scorching hot at the plate.

On Deck

The Mets will look to secure a series win against the Cardinals on Saturday evening, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET. Kodai Senga (9-6, 3.30 ERA) will look to continue his stellar rookie campaign as he takes the mound for the Mets, while Miles Mikolas (6-8, 4.27 ERA) gets the start for the Cardinals. The game will be broadcast on PIX11.

The post Nimmo, Lucchesi Shine As Mets Defeat Cardinals 7-1 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets actually fell into a three-run deficit within the first two innings as Kodai Senga failed to strand Boston baserunners early. Jarren Duran scored on a fielder’s choice in the first inning before Yu Chang plated two with a double off the Green Monster in the second inning.

The Mets displayed impressive resiliency, though, as they erased the 3-0 Boston lead in a hurry. Brandon Nimmo made Kutter Crawford pay by sending a hanging curveball over the right field wall in the top of the third for a two-run homer. Daniel Vogelbach hit a two-run shot of his own the following inning, sending a much more difficult pitch above the strike zone into the right field bleachers.

That was all the two teams were able to play Friday night due to the rain, with play resuming at 2:10 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon from the same point in the game where it stopped.

Needing the bullpen to piece together 5 2/3 innings, the Mets called on Grant Hartwig to start things back up and he dealt with the tough task by putting together two scoreless innings and keeping the Mets’ lead intact. David Peterson followed him by giving up a run over 2/3 of an inning, but Dominic Leone, Brooks Raley, and David Robertson combined for three more scoreless innings to finish out the game and secure a 5-4 Mets win.

The lone run given up by the bullpen was in the seventh inning after the Mets had already made it a 5-3 game on an RBI infield single from Brett Baty. Peterson allowed a leadoff triple to Triston Casas after Mark Canha had trouble fielding the ball in right field. Peterson was then relieved for Leone, and the runner on third scored on a Rob Refsnyder sacrifice fly.

Daniel Vogelbach SOCKS a 2-run shot to right to give the Mets a 4-3 lead! pic.twitter.com/txhdMVPsCy

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 22, 2023

Looking to blow the game open in the eighth inning, the Mets loaded the bases with nobody out after three straight singles. However, the opportunity to score was squandered after a Francisco Álvarez infield pop up and a Brett Baty ground ball double play kept it a one-run game. Then in the ninth inning, the Mets failed to score yet again after putting runners on first and second with nobody out.

The Mets brought in Robertson for the bottom of the ninth, hoping the Mets’ offensive woes with runners on base didn’t come back to hurt them. Robertson made sure there were no dramatics with an easy 1-2-3 inning to give the Mets the win, improving the team’s record to 46-51.

Player of the Game

Brandon Nimmo continued his power surge by hitting his 15th home run of the season to open the scoring for the Mets in this one. The two RBIs on that homer made the difference in this one-run Mets’ win. He also added on another hit with an opposite field single, going 2-for-5 in the game as he continues his impressive offensive season.

On Deck

Action will pick right back up tonight with the second game of the doubleheader at 7:10 p.m. ET. Max Scherzer (8-3, 3.99 ERA) will take the mound for New York, hoping to put together another fantastic outing after giving up just one hit and no runs in seven innings against the Dodgers his last time out. For Boston, it will be James Paxton (5-2, 3.51 ERA) on the mound who, unlike Scherzer, will be hoping to move on from his last outing in which he gave up six earned runs in three innings against the Cubs. The game will be broadcast on PIX11.

The post Mets Defeat Red Sox 5-4 In Game One Of Doubleheader appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets are set to play a doubleheader today after last night’s game between the Mets and Red Sox was suspended due to inclement weather that persisted well after the game was originally delayed. The game will resume at 2:10 p.m. ET, while the game originally scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET will be pushed back to 7:10 p.m. ET.

The game will resume in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out and nobody on, with the Mets holding a 4-3 lead. The Mets’ four runs scored on a pair of two-run blasts by Brandon Nimmo and Daniel Vogelbach.

Latest Mets News

The Mets officially announced that they recalled Mark Vientos to the major league roster, taking the place of Starling Marte who was placed on the injured list.

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Latest MLB News

The Cardinals traded reliever Génesis Cabrera to the Blue Jays for minor-league catching prospect Sammy Hernandez. Cabrera has pitched to a 5.06 ERA in 32 innings for the Cardinals this season.

Yankees catcher Jose Trevino will undergo season-ending wrist surgery. Trevino said he expects to be ready to go for spring training in 2024.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that the chances of Tim Anderson being traded are increasing. Anderson has been swinging the bat well since the All-Star break after having a dreadful first half of the season.

Morosi also reported that there is a lot of trade interest in Kerry Carpenter of the Tigers, but rival executives expect him to remain in Detroit.

Latest on MMO

In the latest Mets Minors Recap, Michael Mayer highlighted impressive performances by Ronny Mauricio and Jett Williams.

Michael Famulari recapped José Quintana‘s debut as a Met.

Jack Markowski wrote about the continued struggles of Pete Alonso.

On This Date in Mets History

Birthdays: Rob Johnson (41), Jesse Hudson (75)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Set For Doubleheader After Rainout appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Although play halted with the Mets in the lead, it was the Red Sox who scored first. Jarren Duran reached base with a leadoff single and then advanced to third after Francisco Álvarez’s throw on an attempted stolen base found its way into center field. A weak ground ball off the bat of Justin Turner with the infield playing back brought Duran in to give the Sox an early 1-0 lead.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Kodai Senga got into more trouble in the second inning after retiring the first two batters he faced. A walk to Triston Casas and an infield hit off the bat of Connor Wong brought up Yu Chang batting in the ninth spot in the order. Chang sent a ball into left field that just scraped off the Green Monster which scored the two baserunners to extend the Boston lead to three.

The three-run lead didn’t remain for long, though. With Brett Baty on second base after a leadoff double in the top of the third, Brandon Nimmo connected on a hanging breaking ball that he crushed over the right field wall, giving him his 15th home run of the year and bringing the Mets back within one run.

The Mets erased the Red Sox’ lead entirely the following inning. Jeff McNeil reached second base on a leadoff double, just as Baty had the previous inning, and then Daniel Vogelbach demonstrated serious power by crushing a ball above the strike zone over the wall in right field for the Mets’ second two-run homer in as many innings.

That was all the two teams could fit in before it started pouring. Senga, of course, will not take the mound when the game resumes tomorrow. His outing ends after 3 1/3 innings pitched in which he gave up three hits, one walk, and struck out three while giving up three earned runs.

The game will pick up tomorrow with one out and nobody on in the bottom of the fourth inning with the Mets holding a 4-3 lead. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET, while the game originally scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET will be pushed back to 7:10 p.m. ET.

The post Mets, Red Sox Series Opener Suspended Due to Rain appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

If there are two main reasons why the Mets have been a sub-.500 ball club this year, it’s because of first-inning struggles and inexcusable mental miscues. When you fall behind early and consistently make mistakes, you’re going to lose more games than you win.

That remained true on Friday night as the Mets fell behind due to multiple defensive mishaps and couldn’t get the offense going, losing 5-1 to the Phillies.

After the game, Buck Showalter pinpointed the Mets’ mistakes on trying too hard: “Everybody is trying to make the perfect play, be everything to everybody every night. The want to is through the roof — sometimes through that, you push for some things that aren’t there.”

The first example of this occurred during the Phillies’ first at-bat of the game when Brandon Nimmo dropped a Kyle Schwarber fly ball which resulted in a leadoff baserunner. Kodai Senga battled for the rest of the inning, throwing 28 pitches and giving up two unearned runs on a Bryce Harper bloop single and a Bryson Stott sacrifice fly.

An inning like that has a chance to affect a pitcher for the rest of the game, trying to pitch with a high pitch count and an early deficit. Not Senga, though, as he shut down the Phillies’ offense for the next several innings before leaving the game with runners on the corners and one out in the sixth.

Josh Walker came into the game and immediately induced a high pop-up just beyond the infield in left field, and it appeared as though the Mets would be getting a crucial second out in the inning while keeping the runners on their respective bases. Francisco Lindor seemed to call for the ball and wait underneath it before ducking out of the way at the last second, thinking it was Tommy Pham‘s ball. The ball fell to the ground and allowed the runner on third to score.

That miscue, which was ruled a single, was the second pop-up of the game with at least a 95% catch probability that was not caught by Met defenders and both resulted in runs. Lindor took responsibility after the game for not catching the ball during the play: “It was on me, I should’ve taken full charge of the ball.”

In support of both Nimmo and Lindor, Buck Showalter stated: “You’ve got a majority of people that usually execute it really well… Just miscommunication by two people who normally make those plays easily.”

With rain pouring at this point in the game both literally and figuratively, Trea Turner added on with a two-run single to extend the Phillies’ lead to 5-1.

Along with the defense, the offense just wasn’t there either. Save for a Nimmo solo homer in the third, the Mets rarely threatened to score as Taijuan Walker and the Phillies bullpen set the Mets batters down with ease. It was a night where little went right for the Mets as they dropped their third game in a row to fall seven games below .500.

Stat of the Game

Sitting now at 34-41, the Mets are closer to having the worst record in the National League than they are to being in a playoff spot. As the end of June nears, the Mets have not yet had the kind of turnaround they have been hoping for as things just keep getting worse.

The Mets are closer to the worst record in the NL (6 games) than they are a playoff spot (7.5 games).

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) June 24, 2023

Mid-Game Trade

During an otherwise mundane game for the Mets, it was announced by the Apple TV booth that the Mets traded Eduardo Escobar to the Angels. While the booth was doing a mid-game interview of Lindor, he said of Escobar: “He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. We’re going to miss him a lot.” Showalter said after the game that he told Escobar he was traded during the second inning: “It’s a tough conversation, I wish I had more time to spend with him. Everybody has a lot of respect for him.”

On Deck

The Mets look to end their three-game skid as the series with the Phillies continues on Saturday with a 4:05 p.m. ET first pitch. Max Scherzer (6-2, 4.04 ERA) was bumped up a day in the rotation so he will get the start for the Mets rather than going on Sunday. For the Phillies, it will be long reliever Christopher Sánchez (0-0, 3.24 ERA) who is expected to take the mound. The game will be broadcast on PIX11 and FS1.

The post Defensive Mishaps Punish Mets in 5-1 Loss to Phillies appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

During Friday night’s game, Brandon Nimmo recorded a stat line that has only been achieved four other times since 1901. He went 2-for-2 with two triples and three walks which, before he did it on Friday night, hadn’t been done since 2010 when both Shane Victorino and Dexter Fowler put up the same stat line. Mike Schmidt also did it in 1977. With his performance, Nimmo raised his on-base percentage from .373 to .387 and his OPS from .802 to .842.

Latest Mets News

In addition to Nimmo’s stellar performance in Friday night’s game, the Mets also got great performances from Francisco Lindor (2-for-4, HR, 4 RBIs) and Max Scherzer (7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO) in a 5-2 victory against the Rockies.

Neil Best of Newsday wrote about Gary Cohen and Howie Rose, their friendship, and their induction into the Mets’ Hall of Fame in early June.

On the show Foul Territory, Pete Alonso told a story from earlier in the season. In a game against the Reds, he badly needed to go to the bathroom as he came up to bat against Hunter Greene so he decided to swing at the first pitch no matter what. That pitch ended up being a hanging slider which Alonso hit for a home run.

Mets players selected Brandon Nimmo as their MLBPA player representative for the 2023 season. Francisco Lindor also holds a position on an eight-player executive subcommittee within the MLBPA.

The Get Metsmerized Podcast announced a giveaway in collaboration with Athlete Logos who is set to appear on the podcast soon. Retweet this post on Twitter and subscribe to the podcast for a chance to win a shirt featuring the Baby Mets.

Latest MLB News

With Liam Hendriks set to return to the majors soon, Stephen Nesbitt of The Athletic wrote about Hendriks’ personality, reputation, and the cancer diagnosis that led to his absence from baseball.

Matt Snyder of CBS Sports wrote about MLB’s attempt to embrace legalized gambling.

Prior to Friday’s game, the Yankees recalled pitcher Randy Vásquez from Triple-A and officially released Aaron Hicks. Vásquez started Friday’s game against the Padres and gave up two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings pitched.

With the Hall of Fame Classic being played today in Cooperstown, former Met Glendon Rusch tweeted about his excitement in representing the Mets in the game. Rajai Davis and James Loney are other former Mets participating in the game.

During the Giants vs. Brewers game on Friday, Brian Anderson hit a foul ball into the Brewers’ dugout that struck Willy Adames. According to reports, Adames appeared okay and was able to walk into the clubhouse before going to the hospital for “tests and scans.”

With his save against Atlanta on Friday, Craig Kimbrel became just the eighth reliever ever to reach 400 career saves.

Luis García of the Nationals went 6-for-6 on Friday night. At 23 years and 10 days old, García became the second-youngest player ever to record six hits in a nine-inning game. Only Jesús Alou was younger when he achieved the feat in 1964.

Latest on MMO

Michael Mayer broke down the latest Mets minor league news, including Ronny Mauricio extending his on-base streak to 16 games.

Michael Mayer also updated his top 35 Mets’ prospect list.

Michael Famulari recapped Carlos Carrasco‘s wonderful start of one run in 6 2/3 innings against the Cubs.

On This Date in Mets History

2010: The Mets completed a three-game series against the Phillies in which they shutout the Phillies in each game. This was just the second time in the team’s history and the first time since 1969 that the Mets swept a three-game series while giving up zero total runs.

Birthdays: Todd Hundley (54), Ed Núñez (60)

The post Morning Briefing: Nimmo Makes History in Friday Night’s Game appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this month, the New York Mets lost two out of three at home against the Colorado Rockies. On Friday night, the Mets began a series, this time on the road, with the Rockies hoping to avenge their previous series loss against the team. Game 1 of the series presented a great chance with a favorable pitching matchup for the Mets as Max Scherzer faced off against Connor Seabold.

Scherzer threw seven phenomenal innings as he bested Seabold and Francisco Lindor drove in four runs, as the Mets came away with the first game of the series in a 5-2 victory.

Brandon Nimmo worked a seven-pitch walk to lead off the game, and immediately after, Lindor crushed a home run to right-center field to give the Mets a rare first-inning lead, putting them up 2-0 early. The ball traveled 439 feet, no doubt aided by the Denver altitude, but it was a great swing and result nonetheless, one the Mets have seen far too infrequently in the first inning of games this year. The next three batters for the Mets flew out to keep their lead at two.

First inning runs!

Francisco Lindor clubs a two-run homer for the early lead! #LGM
pic.twitter.com/IQiAUWf3T0

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) May 27, 2023

Leading off the bottom of the first, Charlie Blackmon bounced an 0-2 pitch right back up the middle for a single. Scherzer would keep Blackmon on first base, though, as a strikeout, popout and flyout allowed him to complete the inning having thrown just 11 pitches.

The Mets’ lead was cut in half in the second inning as a hanging curveball by Scherzer was knocked out of the park by Ryan McMahon. Like the first inning, Scherzer set the next three batters down in order after allowing the leadoff baserunner, but now the Mets were playing with a 2-1 lead.

A hit by pitch with Francisco Álvarez at the plate and Nimmo’s second walk of the game put runners on first and second with nobody out to begin the third inning. Lindor worked a full count, but on the ninth pitch of the at-bat he popped the ball up behind home plate to record the first out of the inning. Jeff McNeil then hit a ground ball that looked like it could have been a double play to end the inning, but the throw to second base from the first baseman Nolan Jones hit Nimmo in the back, resulting in everyone being safe.

That brought up Pete Alonso with the bases loaded and one out. After throwing an up-and-in fastball, Seabold got Alonso to chase a slider away for a strikeout for the second out of the inning. Seabold then got Brett Baty to go down swinging, escaping what could have been a disastrous inning without giving up a run.

In the bottom of the third inning, Scherzer put up his first 1-2-3 inning of the night with the help of two strikeouts at the expense of Ezequiel Tovar and Jurickson Profar. He also got Blackmon to pop a ball up on the infield, ending his inning after just nine pitches.

With one out in the top of the fifth inning, Nimmo lined a ball into the left-center field gap for a triple, his second game in a row with a three-base hit. Then with a full count, Lindor lined a ball into center field for a single to drive in Nimmo and make it a 3-1 game. In a nearly identical at-bat to the one he had in the third inning, McNeil hit a ground ball that probably should have been a double play, but once again, an awkward throw to second base allowed everyone to be safe.

With still just one out in the inning, Alonso flew out to right field, which advanced Lindor to third base. In the next at-bat, Baty drove in Lindor with an opposite-field line drive to give the Mets a 4-1 lead. That was all for Seabold, as he exited the game after 4 2/3 innings. Matt Carasiti relieved Seabold and got Starling Marte to ground out to end the inning.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, Scherzer had been pitching wonderfully having retired his last 11 in a row. Alan Trejo broke that up with a line drive that just escaped the reach of Baty down the third base line for a double. Scherzer, however, remained composed and struck out Tovar for the second time to get out of the inning and strand Trejo in scoring position.

With a single up the middle with two outs in the top of the sixth inning, Francisco Álvarez extended his hitting streak to six games. Nimmo then walked for the third time to put two runners on for Lindor. Falling behind in the count 0-2, Lindor lined out to right field to end the inning.

Having thrown 85 pitches through six innings, Scherzer came out for the seventh inning for the first time this season. After a ground ball out, Harold Castro hit a bloop single but Scherzer was able to get Nolan Jones to strike out to record the second out of the inning. Alan Trejo then recorded his second extra-base hit of the night by lining a double down the left field line to put runners on second and third and bring the tying run to the plate. A fly ball out off the bat of Tovar allowed Scherzer to get out of the inning without giving up a run and end his outing after seven brilliant innings.

David Robertson relieved Scherzer to start the bottom of the eighth inning and was immediately greeted with a solo homer off the bat of Blackmon to cut the Mets’ lead to 4-2. Robertson was able to set the next three batters down in order, including a strikeout of Kris Bryant, to ensure the Mets would pitch in the bottom of the ninth with at least a two-run lead.

Leading off the top of the ninth inning, Nimmo hit another line drive, this time to the right-center field gap, that allowed him to advance to third yet again for his second triple of the game. Nimmo’s two-triple, three-walk game is a feat that has only been achieved four other times since 1901. Lindor then hit a deep fly ball for a sacrifice fly that allowed Nimmo to score, giving the Mets some insurance and extending the lead to 5-2.

Brooks Raley came in to pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning with a chance for a save. Raley walked the leadoff batter McMahon, a lefty. Randal Grichuk stepped up to the plate to pinch-hit and hit a sharp line drive to center field that was caught by Nimmo for the first out of the inning. Raley then walked another lefty in Nolan Jones in four pitches to bring the tying run up to the plate. Buck Showalter had seen enough, as he pulled Raley to give Adam Ottavino a chance to record the final two outs.

Alan Trejo hit a sharp ground ball to third base that Eduardo Escobar had trouble coming up with, and it bounced just beyond the dirt into the outfield. It appeared that the Rockies might score, or at the very least have the bases loaded with one out. But as the baserunner Jones rounded second base, Lindor made a heads-up play by recovering the ball and throwing behind Jones as he attempted to dive back into second base. Jones was called out to give the Mets a crucial second out. Ottavino then struck out the pinch-hitter Mike Moustakas to put the game to bed and secure the 5-2 victory.

Player(s) of the Game

Despite Nimmo’s historic performance in which he went 2-for-2 with two triples, three walks, and three runs, the players with the biggest impact on the game were Lindor and Scherzer. Lindor was able to take advantage of Nimmo getting on base ahead of him by hitting a home run, a single and a sacrifice fly to record four of the Mets’ five runs batted in, giving him 38 RBIs on the year which is good for third in the National League.

For Scherzer, this game was his best outing of the year as he went seven innings and gave up just one run on six hits while walking none. He also struck out eight batters and lowered his season ERA to 3.54. Entering tonight’s game Scherzer had never recorded a win in Coors Field, but in a ballpark notorious for being friendly to hitters, he shut them down in a dominant performance.

On Deck

The series with the Rockies continues on Saturday night as Justin Verlander (2-2, 3.60 ERA) hopes to build off of his previous start against the Guardians in which he gave up just one earned run in eight fantastic innings. For the Rockies, Chase Anderson (0-0, 1.15 ERA) will be making his third start with the team after beginning the season with the Rays. The game will begin at 9:10 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on PIX11.

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