The New York Mets were defeated tonight at Citi Field by the Boston Red Sox (3-4) by a score of a 4-2.

Steven Matz came off an outstanding season debut against the Atlanta Braves (0-0, 1.50 ERA).

Matz made his second start of the season looking to reflect on his last outing. The journeymen left-hander Martin Perez (0-1, 7.20) was the opposing starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.

Before tonight’s game, the Mets announced some corresponding moves. Infielder Eduardo Nunez is heading to the injured list. Brian Dozier was selected from the Mets Alternate Site Camp which also led to Hunter Strickland being designated for assignment. Strickland will depart from the Mets making three appearances surrendering four runs (three earned) on six hits just in 2 1/3 innings pitched. Left-hander Daniel Zamora was also called up before today’s game to take Strickland’s spot in the bullpen.

Dozier originally signed with the San Diego Padres earlier this summer but ended up getting released from the organization about a month ago. The Mets jumped on the opportunity to ink the middle infielder midway through Summer Camp. Manager Luis Rojas gave him the nod to start at second base tonight to give Robinson Cano a rest and with his success against Red Sox starter Martin Perez he’s had in the past it seemed like a no brainer. Dozier is 5 for 17 against Perez with two home runs.

Pitching:

Steven Matz wasn’t as effective as he was in his prior outing, against the Red Sox this evening. Matz pitched 5 1/3 frames, gave up three earned runs, eight hits, and walked two batters. The three earned runs were all given up to Christian Vazquez on two laser beam home runs. Matz was pulled out from the game after 101 pitches with one out, being responsible for the runner at first.

Drew Smith the first candidate to be pulled out of the bullpen. The 26-year-old right-hander successfully secured the next two outs to complete the inning. Luis Rojas had Smith pitch into the sixth inning, had a very successful outing pitching a 1-2-3 inning. He has made three appearances out of the bullpen and has shown trust so far with his pitching mechanics not giving up any runs yet this season.

Jeurys Familia looked absolutely sharp coming out of the bullpen in the eighth, he struck out two out of the three batters he faced.

Edwin Diaz pitched the ninth inning in a non save situation. Diaz had not pitched since last Saturday against the Atlanta Braves but all I can say he did not look great. The command from Diaz was all over the place he could not locate his fastball or control his slider. Luis Rojas pulled the plug on Diaz finally after hitting Jose Peraza which brought in another run for the Red Sox.

Paul Sewald came in to get out of the bases-loaded jam with one out so the Mets had at least a chance at the bottom of the ninth inning to come back. He struck out Kevin Pillar and then got the next batter to fly out to center to end the frame.

Offense:

It took till the bottom of the third inning to get the bats rolling, already being down 1-0 on a solo shot from the scorching hot catcher Christian Vazquez.

Wilson Ramos started off the inning with a leadoff walk. Brandon Nimmo next up to bat, doing what he does best he got hit by the pitch, now the table is set with runners at first and second. Amed Rosario grounded out to the third baseman, Jose Peraza took the force out at third. Rosario ended up reaching first though on a throwing error by Peraza moving runners to first and third now. Pete Alonso was next in the batting order, walked on a 3-2 count to set up bases loaded for Jeff McNeil.

McNeil smacked a line drive past the shortstop into left field for a two-RBI single, Nimmo and Rosario came around to score to give the Mets their first lead of the night at 2-1.

Brian Dozier made his Mets debut at second-base going (0 for 2) striking out his first at-bat, then grounding out into an inning-ending double play. He was pinched hit for Robinson Cano in the seventh inning.

The Mets had so many chances of scoring tonight to get back ahead of the Red Sox being down 3-2 since the fourth inning. It was all in the hands of recent rookie call up Andres Gimenez with the bases loaded with 2 outs to try and get the Mets the lead. But unfortunately, he grounded out to the first baseman to end the inning with no runs scored. The Mets offense struggled immensely with runners in scoring position going 1 for 9.

On Deck:

Rick Porcello (0-1, 27.00 ERA) will look to bounce back in his second start against the Atlanta Braves tomorrow as the Mets will start their first road series of the year in a four-game series. The Braves will be starting Sean Newcomb (0-0, 2.70 ERA). Tomorrow’s game will be back on SNY with the best broadcasters in baseball with the call from Gary, Keith, and Ron. The game will start at 7:10 pm.

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The New York Mets announced on Thursday that they’ve made a series of roster moves including placing Eduardo Nunez on the injured list, selecting the contract of infielder Brian Dozier, recalling lefty reliever Daniel Zamora, and designating right-handed reliever Hunter Strickland for assignment.

Nunez has a knee contusion after stepping awkwardly on first base recently. The veteran utility man is 1-for-2 with a stolen base in two games for the Mets this year.

Dozier was signed to a minor league contract earlier this month after being released by the Padres. The 33-year-old hit .238/.340/.430 with 20 doubles and 20 home runs in 2019 for the Nationals.

The right-handed hitter had a .900 OPS vs left-handed pitching in 2019 and has a career .855 OPS against southpaws. He is playing second base and hitting seventh tonight.

Strickland signed a minor league deal with the Mets in June and allowed three earned runs in 2 1/3 in his three appearances with the team.

Zamora returns to the Mets for his first big league action of 2020, the lefty has a 4.08 ERA in 17 2/3 major league innings.

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The New York Mets announced on Thursday they’ve designated left-handed pitcher Stephen Gonsalves for assignment. The Mets needed to make room on the 40-man roster for veterans LHP Chasen Shreve, RHP Hunter Strickland, and INF Eduardo Nunez, all had the contracts purchased on Thursday as well.

Gonsalves, 26, was claimed off waivers from the Twins back in November of 2019 by the Mets. The former fourth round pick threw five scoreless innings during the original Spring Training in three appearances this year.

The move is somewhat of a surprise as the Mets starting pitching depth is thin right now after Marcus Stroman was placed on the injured list. Gonsalves’ only big league experience came in 2018 with the Twins, when he posted a 6.57 ERA in seven games.

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New York Mets (6-9-3) vs Houston Astros (7-8-2) 1:05 PM 

FITTEAM Ballpark, West Palm Beach

RHP Rick Porcello vs LHP Framber Valdez

The Mets tied the Miami Marlins by a score of 1-1 on Monday afternoon in Jupiter. It was the third tied result of the spring.

The Mets’ offense was virtually silent once again, but pitching continued to shine.

Walker Lockett looked good, allowing only three hits in 3.0 innings with two strikeouts. Corey Oswalt became the first Mets pitcher to toss 4.0 innings in a Spring Training game this year. He allowed three hits and one unearned run while striking out five.

Seth Lugo made his spring debut and looked good with a clean inning of work and Tyler Bashlor rebounded from his previous awful outing allowing a walk and a hit and nothing else in one inning of work.

The Mets only mustered five hits yesterday. In the good news department – Rosario had an extra-base hit for a second straight day, a triple this time, raising his spring OPS to .481. Alonso who has also struggled getting hits this spring added one as well.

Note

Michael Conforto hurt his side while making a catch yesterday. He received an MRI in Florida but is heading back to New York for a further evaluation. Not a good sign right now.

Pitching Today

Rick Porcello gets the start today, as he continues to battle Steven Matz and Michael Wacha for a rotation spot. In three appearances and 6.0 innings Porcello has allowed six hits and one run while walking one and striking out seven. Pretty good. We expect him to toss somewhere between 3-4 innings today.

Mets Lineup

1. Brandon Nimmo, CF
2. Robinson Cano, 2B
3. J.D. Davis, LF
4. Wilson Ramos, DH
5. Dominic Smith, 1B
6. Eduardo Nunez, 3B
7. Rene Rivera, C
8. Ryan Cordell, RF
9. Andres Gimenez, SS

Eduardo Nunez has been getting a lot of playing itme and he’s been making the most of it with 8 hits including a double and a triple in 25 AB, hitting .320/.393/.440. Luis Guillorme, who he is competing with, is hititng .182/.217/.227 in 22 AB.

Let’s Go Mets! Check 213 Miles From Shea for more Mets insights!

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New York Mets non-roster invitee Eduardo Nunez has apparently earned himself a more in-depth audition for his new team with his encouraging 8-for-25 start at the plate this spring (double, triple, five RBIs, two strikeouts).

Per Tim Healey of Newsday, Mets skipper Luis Rojas said Nunez, 32, will begin to see time at shortstop — a position he hasn’t played regularly since 2013 (75 appearances with the Yankees in 2013; -10 DRS, -13.4 UZR) — and the corner outfield spots — 163.2 innings in the corners with San Francisco is his career-high and he hasn’t played the outfield since — over the next two weeks.

Clearly, the Mets are trying to find a spot for the Dominican product on their 26-man roster. After a disappointing season in 2019 (.228/.243/.305, 35 wRC+), this early production is an encouraging sign. Whether it’s sustainable is another question altogether.

More quality depth is always a good thing and, as we’ve seen over the last two seasons, versatility has become a hallmark of this organization.

Spring Training is the perfect time to see if Nunez can provide serviceable defense at a variety of positions. It will also give his hot start at the plate some time to breathe. If Nunez continues to hit, it might be tough to keep him off this roster.

Luis Guillorme, who is the only other viable, MLB-ready shortstop on the roster bubble (excluding Andres Gimenez, of course), is a terrific fielder and showed some promise of his own over the final two months of last season (.282/.378/.462 over 47 plate appearances from August 5 through the end of the year).

Unfortunately, after a quick start this spring, Guillorme’s offense — along with most of his teammates not named Brandon Nimmo or Jeff McNeil — has petered out (4-for-24, seven strikeouts). While his defense is pristine, if he can’t be counted on at the plate, the Mets may have to go with the hot hand.

As Jacob Resnick of MMO noted on Monday’s episode of Simply Amazin’, without Jed Lowrie in the picture, there is certainly a scenario where both Nunez and Guillorme make the Opening Day roster. With just over two weeks until the first pitch of the season, it appears the Mets are exploring all their options.

We’ll keep you posted with more information as it becomes available.

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The Mets tied the Miami Marlins by a score of 1-1 on Monday afternoon in Jupiter. The Mets’ offense was virtually silent once again, while pitching continued to shine.

Pitching

Walker Lockett started it off for the Mets, pitching three scoreless innings and racking up two strikeouts. The right-hander actually hit 95 MPH with his fastball multiple times in the outing.

Seth Lugo took the fourth, throwing a scoreless inning of his own while striking out one. His fastball was up to 95 MPH and he was spinning his beautiful curveball for strikes.

Corey Oswalt covered the fifth through the eighth, but did not get through unscathed. In the bottom of the sixth, the Marlins scored on a forceout, tying the game at 1-1. The right-hander didn’t allow an earned run (one unearned) in four innings of work and struck out five.

Tyler Bashlor rounded out the game with a clean ninth.

Offense

Again, Mets bats were relatively quiet. The team’s lone run scored in the fifth on an Eduardo Nunez groundout.

Pete Alonso, Amed Rosario, and Eduardo Nunez each went 1-for-3 on the day.

Jake Marisnick notched a hit of his own, going 1-for-2.

The Mets had just five hits and two walks in the game, they began the game ranking 28th in OPS this spring.

Up Next

The Mets will once again face off against the Houston Astros on Tuesday at FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, FL. Game time is 1:05 p.m.. The starter for the Mets is Rick Porcello, while Houston will start Framber Valdez.

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The Mets struggled in their game against the Nationals at Clover Park on Saturday, falling by a score of 5-0 (Box Score). Steven Matz got the start against Austin Voth.

Pitching

Matz had an excellent game of threes, lasting three innings, giving up just three hits, and striking out three. His outing lowered his spring ERA to 1.29.

Dellin Betances made his spring debut for the Mets in the fourth and struggled. He lasted just a 1/3 of an inning, giving up three runs (two earned) on one hit and two walks.

Rob Whalen would relieve Betances, finishing off the fourth and giving up just one hit.

Jeurys Familia would pitch in the fifth, struggling as well. He gave up one run on our hits, striking out two. In the sixth, Brad Brach threw a perfect inning, striking out two

Paul Sewald would replicate Brad Brach‘s sixth inning in the seventh, striking out two In the eighth, Daniel Zamora allowed a run on two hits, striking out three.

Chasen Shreve pitched the ninth and struck out one in a clean inning.

Offense

The offense was nearly nonexistent on Saturday, collecting only five hits and four walks

Brandon Nimmo started off the game with a leadoff double to center in the first, but Robinson Cano would line into a double play.

Michael Conforto would follow with a single to right, but Jake Marisnick would end the inning with a fly out to center.

The Mets would not collect another hit until the third when Nimmo would hit another double, this time to left field. Cano would then strike out to end the inning

In the fourth, Marisnick would work a walk, Eduardo Nunez would single, and Tomas Nido would walk, leaving the Mets with the bases loaded with two outs. Andres Gimenez, however, would leave them loaded by flying out to center

The Mets would not gather another hit until the sixth, where Braxton Lee would lead off with single to center.

The Mets would go down hitless in the final three innings, losing by a final of 5-0.

On Deck

On Sunday, the Mets will face Justin Verlander and the Astros in Port St. Lucie. The game will be at 1:10 p.m. and can be seen on WPIX.

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Photo by Ed Delany/MMO

The Mets welcome the Nationals to St. Lucie today at 1:10 p.m. with Steven Matz set to start the game after being delayed a few days with flu-like symptoms (which also knocked out Guillorme for a few days and now McNeil). So if you were looking for baseball as an escape from virus talk, sorry!

Last Night:

The Mets had another night spring training game! It was also the second night game that wasn’t televised in the NYC Metro area. The Astros beat the Mets with a walk-off in the ninth inning against Yefry Ramirez who was signed in June with the Mets on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Yefry is not the real story for the Mets last night.

The real story, as it will be all spring when Michael Wacha, Rick Porcello or Steven Matz pitch, is the battle for the back of the rotation. Wacha allowed five hits and a walk leading to his first Spring Training run in 2.2 innings of work. Kevin Smith, a rising prospect in the Mets system, turned in his first strong spring training appearance of the year allowing a hit and nothing else over two innings of work.

As for the bats, the Mets didn’t get on base a lot last night. Brandon Nimmo got two hits in three trips, raising his OPS to 1.030. Johneshwy Fargas, the cycle hitter from the previous game, later pinch ran for Nimmo and swiped two bags, bringing his spring training total to five.

On the Mound Today:

It’s the return of Steven Matz! I felt disrespected for Matz two days ago. The official MLB account tweeted out an image of the Mets and Dodgers rotation asking “Who is Better” and they didn’t even list Matz as a starter on the Mets! This will be Steven’s third spring training game. So far he has tossed three innings allowing one run off a homer, and two hits total. Depending on stamina (he is recovering from a flu-like bug), he should go about three innings or so today.

Lineup

1. Brandon Nimmo – CF
2. Robinson Cano – 2B
3. Michael Conforto – RF
4. Jake Marisnick – DH
5. Dominic Smith – 1B
6. Eduardo Nunez – 3B
7. Tomas Nido – C
8. Andres Gimenez – SS
9. Johneshwy Fargas – LF

Fargas is getting a longer look now after his play the last couple of days. He went from hitting for the cycle to stealing two bags last night. That definitely perks interest. He’s competing with Cordell and Parker on the outfield depth chart.

Let’s Go Mets! Check 213 Miles From Shea for more Mets insights!

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The New York Mets took on the Houston Astros at FITTEAM Ballpark in Palm Beach, Florida on Friday evening and lost 3-2 on a walk-off homer.

The Mets sent right-hander, Michael Wacha to the mound, with Lance McCullers Jr. starting for Houston. Check the box score here 

Pitching

Michael Wacha had a solid outing on Friday where he went 2 1/3 innings, allowing five hits, one walk, and only one run. Despite giving up three two-out singles, the 28-year-old veteran held the Astros offense to one run. Wacha’s spring training ERA now stands at 1.17 after three outings.

Ryder Ryan was the second pitcher to come in for the Mets where he faced one batter to end the 3rd.

Right-hander Pedro Payano replaced Ryan in the fourth, where he struggled with his command walking two batters and allowing a run.

Ryley Gilliam walked the first batter he faced to load the bases in the fourth, but go out of the jam. He then bounced back with a 1-2-3 fifth.

Kevin Smith was the fifth pitcher used by the Mets. Smith pitched two scoreless innings while giving up only one hit and striking out two batters.

Adonis Uceta pitched a scoreless eighth inning with two strikeouts. Uceta lowered his ERA to 7.20.

Yefry Ramirez took the mound in the ninth inning and immediately gave up a walk-off home-run to Chas McCormick.

Offense

The Mets bats were quiet on Friday, but Brandon Nimmo got the Mets started with his leadoff triple where he was then driven in by Pete Alonso on an RBI groundout.

Amed Rosario started the 2nd with a leadoff triple and he was then driven in by Eduardo Nunez on another RBI groundout.

Luis Guillorme smacked a double and also made a few fine defensive plays at third base. Nimmo was the only Met with two hits on the night, he has a 1.030 OPS this spring.

On Deck

The Mets will head home to Clover Park on Saturday, where they will face their division rival, the Washington Nationals. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET with Steven Matz taking the mound for the Mets with Austin Voth for the Nationals.

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Good Morning, Mets fans! We made it over the hump, which means the week is almost over! Here’s what you need to know:

The Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon by a score of 4-1.

Pete Alonso drove in the first run with a single, while the second scored after Michael Conforto grounded into a double play with the bases full. The scoring continued in the fourth with an Eduardo Nunez triple. In the sixth, Eduardo Nunez drew a bases loaded walk, bringing Ryan Cordell in for their fourth run. Jeff McNeil continued his impressive start, adding two doubles and bumping his spring hit total to ten.

Starter Marcus Stroman shined, pitching three scoreless innings and striking out four. Daniel Zamora, Erasmo Ramirez, and Chasen Shreve all followed with scoreless innings of their own. The lone Cardinal run came in the eighth, after Stephen Nogosek gave up a solo homer to Nolan Gorman. Francisco Rios closed out the game with a clean ninth.

The Mets will once again face the Cardinals this afternoon at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter. Game time is 1:05 p.m. Rick Porcello will start for the Mets, while Adam Wainwright will toe the mound for the Cards.

Latest Mets News

ESPN mic’d up Pete Alonso, Dom Smith, Jeff McNeil, and J.D. Davis during Wednesday’s game – and they had a blast. Following his all-access broadcast (and an f-bomb tossed in for good measure) Alonso stated he’d like to see more of the mics, as he feels it is an important part of “growing the game.”

Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News relayed comments from Mets’ GM Brodie Van Wagenen, who said that Matt Adams – initially sent out to New York for additional cardiac testing – has been cleared and can resume baseball activities on Friday.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com covered Van Wagenen’s comments on Jed Lowrie, who will consider the use of a “transition brace” to help him make his way back to the field.

Per Mike Puma of the New York Post: Steven Matz has returned to Mets camp after leaving on Tuesday due to illness.

J.D. Davis says that he expects to be ready for Opening Day.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com polled the Mets clubhouse in order to find out who has impressed the most thus far in Spring Training.

Yoenis Cespedes went five years without the chance to speak to his younger brother, Yoelkis – and eight years without being able to see him. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports on the brothers’ growing relationship, as they prepare for Yoelkis’ impending free agency. According to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, the younger Cespedes becomes a free agent on March 18.

Andres Gimenez added a leg kick to his swing, and the early results of this tweak have been very encouraging.

The Mets have three prospects in ESPN’s top 100 prospect list.

Latest MLB News

Bruce Bochy has returned to the managerial role – if only for a short period of time. Bochy will be heading France’s national team for the World Baseball Classic qualifier, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

According to Christopher Smith of Mass Live, Red Sox ace Chris Sale will get another opinion on his sore elbow. This comes after Dr. James Andrews’ recent review of Sale’s MRI.

The Pirates are said to be exploring multi-year deals for some of their young players, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Among the list of players are Bryan Reynolds, Kevin Newman, and Joe Musgrove.

MLB.com has compiled a list of ten “breakout hitters” for the 2020 season.

Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Giants pitcher Tyler Beede has been diagnosed with a UCL sprain and a flexor sprain in his pitching elbow. Beede, however, believes he can avoid Tommy John surgery.

Zach Kram of The Ringer, ever a fan of Backyard Baseball, imagines a 2020 version of the video game that contains some of MLB’s current superstars.

Latest NL East News

In Matt Gelb’s latest for The Athletic, Phillies pitcher David Robertson discusses the often-neglected mental side of Tommy John recovery.

Latest on MMO

Matt Mancuso dives into Marcus Stroman‘s impressive start on Wednesday.

Roberto Correa shares all on the Mets’ No. 10 prospect, pitcher Josh Wolf.

It’s worth noting Jeurys Familia‘s strong start to spring, says Laney Ortiz.

This Day in Mets History

1972: Infielder Jim Fregosi, acquired from the Angels during the offseason for future Hall-of-Famer Nolan Ryan, breaks his right thumb during Spring Training. Poor Fregosi would go on to have a dismal season, batting .232 in 101 games, after the Mets had labeled him as the solution to their hole at third base.

Birthdays: Mike Hessman turns 42, Kevin Brown turns 54, Les Rohr turns 74, and Larry Elliot turns 82

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