The disappointing part isn’t just that they lost, but how. Bases loaded – twice, 17 runners hung out to dry, and men standing on bags in all but one inning. Would the outcome have been different if the Mets could’ve carried Game 5’s momentum into Game 6 without a day off in between? Oy, why do I do this to myself?

Francisco Lindor’s four pitch leadoff walk to start the first and the subsequent wild throw that placed him on third felt like a good omen. Pete Alonso’s infield single that scored the first run seconded that emotion. Jesse Winker’s free pass with the hot hitting Starling Marte at the plate made me prematurely giddy until the 35-year-old flied out to end the inning.

Dodger manager Dave Roberts’ kitchen sink of bullpen pitchers got redemption this time against Mets ace Sean Manaea, who couldn’t duplicate the swing and miss good fortunes he reaped in the series tying Game 2.

LA shortstop Tommy Edman, the NLCS MVP to be named later, was the gnat NY could not swat away. Four runs in two at bats – ever since the start of this series, I’ve cursed him every time he’s come to the plate. And when Teoscar Hernandez came out of his 0-18 shell, I knew it was not going to be pretty for any Met on the mound.

With a 4-1 lead, Manaea was pulled for Phil Maton, who always looks like he’d rather be playing Fortnite than pitching in the Majors. The pouty righthander did what he’s infamous for – retiring the first two batters, before giving up a two-run homer, this time, to Will Smith.

Trailing by five in the fourth, Francisco Alvarez’s prolific of late bat sent a leadoff single to center off LA’s third reliever, Anthony Banda, who replaced Ben, “I’m Casparius! I’m Casparius!”  With two down, Ryan Brasier gave up a two-run shot to the Mets postseason darling, Mark Vientos, cutting the lead 6-3.

Edwin Diaz arrived earlier than usual in the bottom of the fourth, keeping LA quiet with vintage sliders and four-seam fastballs.

With Evan Phillips on the rubber, the Mets loaded them up once again in the sixth on an Alvarez single, and back-to-back walks to Vientos and Pete Alonso. While I’m thinking the Mets are due for a go-ahead grand slam – Jesse Winker’s bat answered back, “Not from me,” as his inning ending fly ball landed in the glove of Teoscar Hernandez in left.

Ryne Stanek, whose been a workhorse out of the Mets bullpen, failed to keep the Dodgers at bay, walking Smith, allowing Chris Taylor to sacrifice him to second, surrendering a 3-2 rbi single to Shohei Ohtani – after he had him 0-2.

In the top of the seventh, Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil delivered one out singles off Daniel Hudson, and Alvarez got back a run on a sac fly to right. With the hope of a comeback lingering, Lindor left the second baseman holding the bag at first.

Kodai Senga returned from his poor Game 1 performance in the bottom frame, and after plunking leadoff hitter Max Muncy, he retired the next three batters, which made me wonder, maybe he should’ve been an option a few innings earlier.

Blake Treinen dashed any run scoring ideas the Mets may have had up their away jersey sleeves, striking out the side in the top of the eighth. When Senga came back for seconds in the bottom frame, he made it very clear why I shouldn’t be an MLB manager.  He gave up three runs on singles, a double, a fielder’s choice and sac fly.

In their final at bat, with two away, Taylor and McNeil delivered too little too late back-to-back singles, that a Jewish mother manager would remark, “Now you get hits?”- eking out a run, ending their miracle postseason season on Alvarez’s ground out to second.

You gotta give kudos to rookie skipper Carlos Mendoza who ran a steady, tight ship over rocky waters – always believing the Mets were the best team on the field even when they were two outs away from clearing out their lockers.

The post The Mets End Their Storybook Season in LA appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The College Baseball Foundation revealed the latest inductees into the College Baseball Hall of Fame, and among the 12 honorees is Ron Darling, a former Met and the current broadcaster for the team. Darling, who was a student at Yale from 1979 to 1981, is set to be officially inducted during the ceremony scheduled for February 15, 2024.

Now onto the morning briefing!

Latest Mets News

Jay Horwitz tweets that former Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson and his wife, Rosa, are currently in England for the week, actively promoting the Mets London Series alongside the Phillies, scheduled for June 8-9 at London Stadium.

Mookie Wilson and his wife Rosa are spending the week in England promoting the @Mets London Series with the Phillies, June 8-9 at London Stadium. We couldn’t have a better representative. https://t.co/dNayBp8g8Q

— Jay Horwitz (@Jay_HorwitzPR) December 7, 2023

Latest MLB News

Jon Heyman of the New York Post tweets that the Washington Nationals have signed outfielder Nick Senzel to a one-year, $2 million contract with $1 million in performance bonuses.

According to information by Will Sammon from The Athletic, the Milwaukee Brewers are making a staff change by transitioning Charlie Greene, the assistant director of player development, to the role of bullpen coach on their major-league staff. Greene has garnered respect for his contributions to player development. Notably, this move follows the shift of Jim Henderson from bullpen coach to assistant pitching coach.

Gillian Tan for Bloomberg reports that David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group Inc., is reportedly in discussions to purchase the Baltimore Orioles, as per anonymous sources familiar with the matter. While talks are ongoing, no final agreement has been reached, and the possibility of the negotiations collapsing still exists.

As reported by Chandler Rome from The Athletic, the Houston Astros have officially signed reliever Wander Suero to a minor league contract, as indicated in their transaction log.

As reported by Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves have confirmed the signing of left-handed pitcher Angel Perdomo, whom they non-tendered. Perdomo’s agreement is a one-year, non-guaranteed split deal. Additionally, Evan White has been outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett, resulting in his removal from the 40-man roster.

The Los Angeles Dodgers tweet and congratulate the family of outfielder Chris Taylor for the birth of his son, Theo.

Latest on MMO

Rivka Boord goes in-depth on the mindset of David Stearns and what was revealed.

Mets Madness Series Preview: 1969 Mets versus the 1997 Mets.

The Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes comes down to the Mets and Yankees.

On This Date In Mets History

1961: On December 8th, 1961, the New York Mets acquired Richie Ashburn from the Cubs. Serving as the Mets’ inaugural All-Star, Whitey concluded the final year of his illustrious Hall of Fame career with the ’62 team. He achieved an impressive .306/.424/.393 line and hit a career-high seven home runs, with some assistance from the Polo Grounds.

Birthdays: Alex Torres (36)

The post Morning Briefing: Ron Darling Elected To College Hall Of Fame appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning, Mets fans!

The Mets got Max Scherzer back Tuesday night, and he was great. The Mets’ offense was not so great, failing to score a run in a 1-0 loss.

In other news, the Red Sox designated Hansel Robles for assignment. Bring him home?

Latest Mets News

Francisco Alvarez is now ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 prospect in all of baseball.

The Mets will celebrate Disability Pride Night on July 7, according to a team press release.

Latest MLB News

Bryce Harper had three pins put in his left thumb, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported. They’ll have to be there for at least three more weeks.

Chris Taylor has a left foot fracture, according to David Vassegh of MLB Network.

A clause in the new CBA could allow “legends” to be added to All-Star rosters, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Jesus Aguilar stole the first base of his MLB career.

Josh Harrison joined the 5.8% of MLB players to record 1,000 hits.

Latest on MMO

Alex Horowitz named Eduardo Escobar and Edwin Diaz as the Mets’ players of the week.

George Giakoumis wrote about Brandon Nimmo‘s impressive July 4 performance.

Alexis Farinacci talked about Dominic Smith‘s success since coming back up from Triple-A.

On This Date in Mets History

Birthdays: Dave Eiland (66), Jeff Innig (70)

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Red Sox Designate Hansel Robles For Assignment appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

David Stearns

Good morning, Mets fans!

According to multiple reports, the Mets are hoping that Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns is available next offseason to come to New York. The reports say the Mets are operating under the belief that Stearns contract runs out after the 2022 and that he would have serious interest in coming to the new he grew up rooting for.

The Mets have tried to lure Stearns away from the Brewers the last two offseason, but have been denied permission to talk to him by Milwaukee.

Now, let’s get into the morning briefing.

Latest Mets News

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that Javier Baez‘s team had a meeting with the Mets today. The topic of the discussion was whether Javier Baez will commit to the Mets for the 2022 season and beyond.

Feinsand also speculated that “the market for Baez appears to be quite active in the early days of free agency.” Therefore, the Mets may have to outbid an unknown number of teams to secure Baez for the upcoming season. Matt Musico has more on this story.

Pete Alonso was named an All-MLB team finalist.

Kumar Rocker will re-enter the MLB draft, according to Scott Boras. Rocker was the Mets’ 2021 first-round draft pick, but didn’t end up signing.

Latest MLB News

The U.S. Mint and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum are collaborating to issue gold, silver and clad coins that commemorate the Negro Leagues and could help raise money for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.

Chris Taylor is expected to reject his 18.4 million dollar qualifying offer due to there being a great market for him because of his versatility and strong performances recently.

MLB and the union are currently engaged in CBA talks. The expectation is that a resolution will not come quickly, as the December 1 deadline is fast approaching.

Japanese OF Seiya Suzuki is drawing interest from multiple MLB teams. Suzuki is a 4-time All-star for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and was a part of the Japanese gold medal team during the Tokyo Olympics this past summer.

Reliever Joakim Soria is retiring after a 14-year, nine-team career. Soria has a career ERA of 3.11 in 763 innings pitched and two All-Star selections (2008, 2010). The news was announced yesterday by his agent, Oscar Suarez.

Latest on MMO

Nate Mendelson invites you to guess all 20 of the current POBO and GM candidates.

Nate Mendelson talks about Scott Boras’s bold comment regarding Michael Conforto (his client).

Joe D. breaks down Jacob deGrom‘s slider.

On This Date in Mets History

1998: Bobby Bonilla returned for his second stint as a New York Met after a trade with the Dodgers. Bonilla began the season as the starting right-fielder, but he was removed from the starting lineup by mid-May. A knee injury kept him out for most of the remainder of the season, but he did have some pinch-hit appearances in September of the 1998 season. The Mets decided to remove Bonilla from the roster after the conclusion of the season (his .160 batting average that season probably did not help his case to stay on the roster).

Birthdays: Mike Bacsik (45), Damion Easley (53), Roberto Hernandez (42), Dave Telgheder (56)

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Banking on David Stearns For Next Offseason appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

In front of a sold out crowd sans the presence of super fan Mary Hart, and Gavin Lux in the lineup, the Dodgers dusted off their humiliating loss to stave off elimination.

Chris Taylor, the guy responsible for his teammates donning uniforms late into October, launched a postseason record three home runs in a win or go home, showing Braves offensive man of the hour, Eddie Rosario, whatever you can do, I an do better.

It was an ominous start when Joe Kelly, the first of many bullpen bodies to take the mound, left the game with bicep tightness after surrendering a sneaky Ozzie Alibies single, followed by a two-run homer to Freddie Freeman, one batter shy of completing the inning.

Former Atlanta reliever Evan Phillips came to the rescue earlier than expected, striking out Adam Duvall, preventing any further damage.

Braves ace Max Fried, who looks like an older version of the boy who took me to the sixth grade prom, surrendered a lone single to Trea Turner in the bottom frame, hopefully a sign of good things to come for the slumping second baseman.

Evans returned for seconds in the top of the second, getting Joc Pederson on a pop up to center, fanning Dansby Swanson and Travis d’Arnaud looking and swinging at a series of nasty sliders – prompting Ron Darling to share through Braves skipper Brian Snitker, that the righty didn’t have that stuff when pitching for Atlanta.

In the bottom half leadoff batter A.J. Pollock took Fried’s 94 mph four-seamer into the left field seats. Albert Pujols proving he’s still got game, delivered a sharp single to left, and Taylor, hammered a first pitch fastball, much further in the same direction, 406 ft. to be exact, putting LA ahead, 3-2.

Alex Vesia and his porn mustache, reminiscent of Charlie Finley’s Oakland A’s, replaced Phillips. As Will Smith flashed a sequence of signs, my husband complained that he was getting mixed signals. Max Fried, a good hitting pitcher, was punched out on a called strike three. Rosario singled to center, Albies flied out to left and with Freddie Freeman and his scorched bat at the plate, Smith nailed Rosario trying to swipe second.

In the bottom of the third, we learned that Sandy Koufax was Fried’s favorite player, sharing not only their Jewish heritage, but also his number 32, that he wore in high school. Unable to channel his hero, the lanky lefty lost Pollock on a base hit to left, followed by Pujol’s single to right center, and Taylor’s RBI single up the middle.

With a 4-2 lead, Dodger reliever Brusdar Graterol, always appearing hopped up on Adderall, retired the side in order in the fourth, striking out Duvall on a 90 mph slider after three servings of 100 mph heat.

Fried answered back with his first 1,2,3 inning on milder in comparison pitches in the mid-90’s.

In the top of the fifth, Graterol used eight pitches to erase the side in order, getting Pederson swinging and looking at a cutter, sinker and slider.

Leading off the bottom frame, Smith drew a walk and was eliminated along with Pollock on a 643 double play. Pujols free pass on seven pitches ended Fried’s outing, bringing Chris Martin to the mound. On his third pitch, Taylor took his namesakes 95 mph four-seam fastball into the center field seats for two more ribbies, extending the Dodger lead 6-2, receiving another hug at the plate from Pujols.

Blake Treinen, a calmer version of Graterol, took care of business in the top of the sixth keeping the hot-hitting Rosario from cashing in on his double by getting Albies and Freeman to fly out to left.

Braves brought in Dylan Lee to stop the bleeding in bottom half, which he succeeded, allowing a sole single to the surging Turner, who for the first time in the NLCS, was sitting at 2-3.

It took Treinen six pitches to retire the Braves in order in the seventh. And in the bottom of the inning, it took Taylor the same amount to drive in his sixth run, with a solo blast to left center, his third, living up to his moniker, CT3.

Corey Knebel struck out the side in the top of the eighth after surrendering a lead off single to Swanson. Jacob Webb had the dubious honor of pitching to the Dodgers in the bottom half, and didn’t fare better than those who preceded. Betts was back to playing like Betts, singling and stealing second. Turner brought him home on his first RBI base hit of the NLCS. Seager singled to center and Pollock, playing second fiddle to Taylor, knocked in three more runs with his second homer on a 94 mph four-seamer.

Kenley Jansen closed it out, retiring the Braves heart of the order, in order, with his signature hip twitching pitching.

So, for the Dodgers it’s now on to Atlanta with a hopeful, let’s win there.

The post Dodgers Say, ‘Not So fast,’ Beating the Braves to Survive Another Day appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Well, it was quite a letdown from the epic Wild Card walk-off, but to give some unsolicited inspiration for Dodger fans — Boston crushed Tampa Bay in their domed backyard after being blanked the night before. Not buying it? Okay, you got me.

Let’s face it. While San Francisco starter Logan Webb had Tim Lincecom/Madison Bumgarner playoff numbers, Walker Buehler channeled Max Scherzer’s un-commanding performance on Wednesday.

In his first postseason outing, Webb was superb — tossing 7 2/3 shutout innings of four hit ball, fanning 10 without a free pass. He blew away the Los Angeles line-up on a bevy of off-speed brilliance.

The Dodgers had some baserunners to do some damage, but unfortunately, their heroics didn’t leave the building – they never entered.

No Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger lost his patience at the plate, twice swinging on strike three, and what appears to loom the largest, Matt Beaty – 0-6 in the post season while filling in for the injured Max Muncy. Boy, they’re really going to miss his bat.

You know whose bat they’re also missing? Former teammate, Kike’ Hernandez. The Kieran Culkin doppelganger devoured Rays pitching going 5-6 with a solo home run, three doubles, a base hit that plated a pair and three runs scored.

Saturday the reigning champs look to Julio Urias to even the series against their northern nemesis. The 25-year-old lefty has some magic up the sleeve of his Dodger jersey – posting a 20-3 record, more than any pitcher in the majors this season.

So for now, sit back, relax and enjoy the bumpy ride.

The post Dodgers Caught Up In Logan’s Webb, Giants Take Game 1 of NLDS appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

No ball club wanted to face St Louis in a one-off Wild Card game. Winners of 17 straight down the stretch, with a veteran 40-year-old pitcher and his killer curveball, they seemed destined to be this postseason’s Cinderella story.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Boys in Blue who hail from a show biz city hatched their own Hollywood ending that was literally Taylor-made.

Dodger outfielder Chris Taylor, who came late to the party as a double switch in the sixth, launched a walk-off two-run homer off Redbirds reliever Alex Reyes to clinch a NLDS play date with the San Francisco Giants – their first in playoff history.

Taylor, who was having a banner year, struggled so much in the second half, manager Dave Roberts dropped him from the starting line up. The 2021 All-star was 8/72 before his season saving blast into the centerfield seats, and his clutch diving catch in the seventh saved a possible go-head run.

When Albert Pujols got the call to pinch-hit in lieu of Gavin Lux, it appeared that the stage was set for some redemption against the team he left with some bitterness.

But the alternate ending, call it a rewrite if you will, gave Taylor a leading role, and Cody Bellinger, banished to eighth in the line up, second fiddle for a single, and a pair of walks he converted into stolen bases.

Dodger ace Max Scherzer had uncharacteristic control issues – laboring through 4 2/3 innings in front of a sold out crowd, which included two of his former Washington Nats.

The blue and brown-eyed right-hander was lifted in the fifth with one out, two men on base and a 94-pitch count. His only mistake was a run scored on a wild pitch – He scattered three hits, three walks and fanned four.

When Roberts came to the mound and put out his hand, a disappointed Scherzer shook it instead of delivering the ball. Although it seemed like the right move, it reeked of Monday morning quarterbacking until reliever Joe Kelly saved his manager’s hide, getting out of the inning on a 3-2 strikeout, securing the 1-1 tie.

Cardinals counterpart, Adam Wainwright was sharp shutting down LA on a steady diet of sinkers, cutters and curves. His one misstep, a 75 mph curveball Justin Turner took 401 feet for the game tying solo shot to left.

The Dodgers brilliant bullpen kept the Cards off the scoreboard with a pair of singles, a walk, punching out six.

So on a night when it was win or clean out your locker, the baseball gods got it right by giving the team with 106 victories a seat at the NLDS table over the ball club who coughed up a mere 90.

The post Dodgers Move to NLDS With a Better Hand Over Cards appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

MLB Network continued their “Top 10 Right Now” series on Sunday with the second base installment, and Jeff McNeil took home No. 2 honors, behind only DJ LeMahieu of the New York Yankees.

The Top 10 shakes out like this:

1. DJ LeMahieu
2. Jeff McNeil
3. Ketel Marte
4. Brandon Lowe
5. Cavan Biggio
6. Jake Cronenworth
7. Donovan Solano
8. Chris Taylor
9. Jose Altuve
10. Ozzie Albies

McNeil, 28, has a clear path to play second base this season after Robinson Cano‘s season long suspension, barring any external moves.

The three-year MLB veteran has bounced around the diamond during his tenure with the Mets, playing mostly second and left field with some third base and right field mixed in as well.

In the shortened 2020 season, McNeil was worth 1.2 fWAR, owned a triple slash of .311/.383/.501 and had four long balls to go along with a 130 wRC+ and .360 wOBA.

In the field, McNeil played just 68.2 innings at the keystone, and had -2 defensive runs saved (DRS) and a -0.1 ultimate zone range (UZR). The California native actually spent most of his time in left field where he had 2 DRS and a 1.1 UZR.

In 774.0 innings at second in his career, McNeil has 1 DRS and a 0.5 UZR.

McNeil’s best season came in 2019, where he was worth 4.5 fWAR for the Mets, had a triple slash of .318/.384/.531 with 23 long balls and appeared in his first career All-Star Game.

McNeil was ranked as the No. 5 third baseman in baseball by MLB Network in 2020.

The Mets have had several other players appear on MLB Network’s Top 10 Right Now, with Jacob deGrom ranked as the No. 1 starting pitcher, Pete Alonso as the No. 7 first baseman, Dominic Smith as the No. 6 left fielder, Brandon Nimmo as the No. 5 center fielder and James McCann as the No. 10 catcher.

MLB Network will reveal their Top 10 shortstops on Tuesday Feb. 2 and right fielders on Wednesday, Feb. 3.

The post MLB Network Ranks Jeff McNeil No. 2 Second Baseman appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning, Mets fans!

Days until pitchers and catchers report: two days

Days until Opening Day: 47 days

Latest Mets News

Jessica Mendoza has resigned from her job as special advisor for the New York Mets. Brodie Van Wagenen and the Mets released a statement on her resignation. According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, Mendoza has resigned as Mets advisor and will continue to work for ESPN. It was later reporter, by AP Sports, that she had signed a contract extension with ESPN, but will remain there as an analyst, according to AP Sports.

Brian Schneider is going to assume the role of quality control coach in lieu of Luis Rojas‘ promotion to manager. The Mets announce this hire on Twitter. Schneider was supposed to serve as Triple-A manager for the Syracuse Mets. He spent the last four years as catching coach for the Miami Marlins. After his 13-year career playing professional ball, he managed the Single-A affiliate for the Marlins.

Latest MLB News

The Boston Red Sox’s manager search is rumored to be over. MLBTR writer, Steve Adams, reported that the team plans to hire Ron Roenicke as their 47th manager.

Speaking of the Red Sox, MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred, believes that he will come to a conclusion on the Red Sox possible cheating scandal next week, according to AP Sports.

The Dodgers have agreed to a two-year deal with INF/OF Chris Taylor, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.

Marly Rivera of ESPN, reported that Kendrys Morales has officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball.

Bob Nightengale, of USA Today, reported that the San Francisco Giants have signed both OF Billy Hamilton and RHP Nick Vincent to minor league contracts.

Hunter Pence is going back to the San Francisco Giants, his deal is official according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

The MLBPA made an announcement on Friday afternoon stating that the reported deal between the Dodgers, Red Sox, Twins, and Angels must be resolved as soon a possible as it is unfair to the players and their families to have their fate in limbo. The Players Association also mentioned that the “unethical leaking of medical information” is unacceptable and reveals how players are “treated as commodities” rather than people.

Baseball America posted an article ranking the minor league baseball broadcasts.

Sean Forman was awarded SABR‘s Conference Lifetime Achievement award.

Reliever, Jake Petricka, is in agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to Robert Murray.

The Texas Rangers have signed RHP Cody Allen to a minor-league deal with an invite to major league spring training.

Cameron Rupp was signed to a minor-league deal by the Cleveland Indians and was invited to major league camp.

Latest on MMO

Pat Ragazzo wrote about just how important is it for Jeurys Familia to perform this upcoming season in order for the Mets to reach their potential.

Mike Mayer continues MMO,’s Top 30 Mets prospect list with No. 18, RHP Dedniel Nunez.

Jack Hendon engages fans with an article on how former Met, Pedro Martinez, has helped Edwin Diaz prepare for the 2020 season.

On This Date in Mets History

1979: Jesse Orosco becomes the PTBNL in the Mets trade of Jerry Koosman to the Twins.

The post Morning Briefing: Mendoza Resigns As Special Advisor appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Sunday, September 15, 2019 • 7:05 p.m.
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Walker Buehler (13-3, 3.14) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (11-7, 4.21)
ESPN • WCBS 880 AM • ESPN 1050 AM

The Mets have the Sunday night game again, this time as they try to take the series from the Dodgers. Yesterday played out exactly as advertised as Ryu and deGrom had a classic pitcher’s duel. The game was scoreless in the 8th inning as Rajai Davis, (RAJAI DAVIS!) hit a bases clearing double putting the Mets in the lead. The move was controversial because putting Davis in the game meant taking Seth Lugo out but Justin Wilson pitched a stress free 9th inning! The Mets just need to do it one more time.

Mets Lineup

1. Jeff McNeil – 3B
2. Pete Alonso – 1B
3. Michael Conforto – RF
4. Wilson Ramos – C
5. Robinson Cano – 2B
6. J.D. Davis – LF
7. Brandon Nimmo – CF
8. Amed Rosario – SS
9. Zack Wheeler – RHP

Dodgers Lineup

1. Joc Pederson – RF
2. Max Muncy – 1B
3. Chris Taylor – 3B
4. Cody Bellinger – CF
5. Corey Seager – SS
6. Will Smith – C
7. Gavin Lux – 2B
8. Enrique Hernandez – LF
9. Walker Buehler – RHP

Zack Wheeler looks to keep the ball rolling. He is 11-7 over 28 games and 173.1 innings with a 4.21 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 1.310 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. In Wheeler’s last three starts he has allowed 3 runs off 21 hits and 7 walks in 18.0 innings, a 1.50 ERA. Opponents are hitting .300/.359/.343 against him so if the only three runs allowed doesn’t vibe with a feeling of a lot of runners on base – you know why now. The Dodgers have the following numbers against Wheeler:

• Jedd Gyorko 1-9, 5 K
• Cody Bellinger 4-8, 4 HR, 3 K
• Joc Pederson 0-6, 2 BB, 4 K
• Justin Turner 4-8, HR, K
• Enrique Hernandez 1-6, BB
• Max Muncy 1-4, HR, 2 BB, K
• Corey Seager 1-2
• Chris Taylor 1-2, K

The Mets bats will try to score early against Walker Buehler who is 13-3 over 27 starts / 166.1 innings with a 3.14 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 1.016 WHIP and 131 ERA+. If you look at all of Buehler’s starts, he’s good for about one terrible start a month. He already has terrible start on September 2nd where he allowed 6 runs over 5.0 innings against the Rockies and bounced back against the Orioles last week, shutting them out over 7.0 innings. His bad start in May was against the Mets where he allowed 5 runs over 5.0 innings from 7 hits and a walk. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Joe Panik 2-7, 2B, K
• Pete Alonso 2-3, 2 HR
• Michael Conforto 0-2, BB, K
• Robinson Cano 0-2, BB, K
• Wilson Ramos 0-3, K
• Amed Rosario 0-3
• J.D. Davis 0-2, 2 K
• Todd Frazier 1-2

Game Notes

Robinson Cano has hit safely in his lat 13 games, he’s 21-for-46 during that span.

Seth Lugo has thrown 14 consecutive innings since August 17.

Rajai Davis as gone 29-for-91 with 73 RBIs during his career with the bases loaded.

Let’s Go Mets!

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