While the Dodgers captured a 5-2 win over the Padres in Seoul on Wednesday, that was far from the biggest story in “The City of Angels.”

Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reported that Shohei Ohtani‘s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was accused of “engaging in a ‘massive theft’ of the ballplayer’s funds to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker who is the target of a federal investigation.” The accusation comes from Ohtani’s representatives, who did so after finding out that Ohtani’s name came up in said investigation, reportedly involving millions of dollars.

According to Tisha Thompson of ESPN, Mizuhara asked Ohtani to pay off nearly $4.5 million in gambling debt, which he did and Mizuhara promised to never do again. After the news came out, Ohtani’s now-fired interpreter commented:

“I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting. I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again.”

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

Christian Scott had an impressive four-inning outing in the Mets’ 6-3 spring training win against the Miami Marlins. Click here for the game recap. 

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced that Tylor Megill will be in the starting rotation to begin the season. Click here for more information on the decision. 

Edwin Díaz said he will pitch back-to-back days (Wednesday and Thursday) in one of his biggest hurdles since his knee injury, per Andre Tredinnick of North Jersey.com. He threw 21 pitches while recording two outs on Wednesday. 

Latest MLB News

The Dodgers kicked off the MLB season with a 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres in the first of two games in the Seoul Series in South Korea.

The Texas Rangers and RHP Michael Lorenzen came to an agreement on a one-year,$4.5 million deal, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal includes $2.5 million in incentives and could max out at $7 million.

The New York Yankees and lefty free agent starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery are reportedly back in talks, per Jon Heyman of the NY Post. 

The Blue Jays traded infielder Santiago Espinal to the Cincinnati Reds and received RHP Chris McElvain in return, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network. 

Cincinnati Reds top prospect Edwin Arroyo is going to miss the 2024 season as he will be having surgery for his torn labrum, per Charlie Goldsmith of Enquirer. 

MLBPA’s power struggle will likely come down to a vote on MLBPA executive director Tony Clark, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic.

Latest on MMO

Francisco Álvarez continues to gun runners out in spring training. 

Brett Baty hitting his groove as spring training closes.

Tylor Megill earns final starting rotation spot. 

On This Date in Mets History

2013: David Wright is named as the fourth captain in New York Mets franchise history. He joined Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez, and John Franco as the only Mets to receive the honor.

Birthdays: Anthony Kay (29), Jimmy Yacabonis (32), Bobby Wahl (32), Carlos Carrasco (37), Shawon Dunston (61)

The post Morning Briefing: Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter Fired, Accused of ‘Massive Theft’ appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets’ struggles continued at Citi Field with a series loss to the Colorado Rockies, another team that was previously on track for over 100 losses on the season. With the defeat, the Mets fell below .500 after a season’s first week for the first time since the final day of the 2021 season.

Although Billy Eppler and others have preached patience, the way the Mets are losing speaks to greater concerns about the team’s immediate future. Not being overly influenced by short-term results is one thing, but when does the short-term become not-so-short-term? Losing four consecutive series, three of which to some of the worst teams in baseball, will breed significant questions.

3 Up

Senga Shows Upside

Kodai Senga has endured an up-and-down adjustment to American baseball. He’s had some nice moments with his ghost fork, but he often starts slow, labors with many pitches, and falls apart somewhere around the fifth inning.

Against the Rockies Friday night, Senga showed the upside that made the Mets decide to invest in him as a 30-year-old rookie. He went six shutout innings, surrendering just two hits. After ceding four balls in play above 100 mph in the first three innings, Senga kept the contact against him soft over the next three. Free passes and throwing strikes continue to be issues—he surrendered four walks and threw just 52% of his pitches for strikes—but a WHIP of 1.00 in the game is still a huge improvement.

If Senga can stack quality starts, it would be huge for a starting rotation that has been statistically one of the worst in Mets’ history.

McHits Breaks Mini Funk

Jeff McNeil started off the 2023 season slowly before going on a tear. He had again cooled down, going 0-for-10 in the four games prior to the series finale. However, a 3-for-5 game with two RBIs, including the Mets’ last go-ahead RBI, got McNeil back on track. This might not be a traditional “up,” but once again there was not much to choose from. Brandon Nimmo‘s homer and nice catch in the opener and Brett Baty‘s two-run single were other options.

Anyone Else?

It’s been really difficult to write the “3 Up” section of this column for the last few series. This one is no exception. I’ll go with Francisco Álvarez after the rookie went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, two walks, and a well-struck double that just missed leaving the yard. Álvarez is making his case to stay in the majors when Omar Narváez returns, which would force the team to designate Tomás Nido for assignment.

Other than Álvarez’s short-stint success, David Robertson and Drew Smith each threw a scoreless inning in the series opener. Daniel Vogelbach hit his second homer of the season in the finale with the game already out of reach. Brett Baty came through with an early two-run single in that game.

There just isn’t a lot to smile about for the Mets right now.

3 Down

Permanent Starting Pitching Malaise?

Despite Senga’s strong start, the other two games of the series epitomized the Mets’ starting pitching woes. Tylor Megill continued to scuffle, allowing three runs in 4.2 innings while raising his ERA to 4.33 and his WHIP to 1.50. He is now in the 22nd percentile or below in xERA, xBA, xSLG, strikeout rate, walk rate, whiff rate, and chase rate. That is seriously concerning for his future performance, as well.

Meanwhile, Joey Lucchesi pitched on three days’ rest and gave up three runs in four innings. He once again allowed a run in the first inning, which left the Mets in an early hole. When the team gave him a two-run cushion, he could not maintain it. Though he left with a 4-3 lead, his four walks allowed and 17.5 pitches per inning once again left the team in a deep bullpen game.

It seems that in the games where the Mets’ lineup does manage to show up, their pitching blows the game. Last season, the Mets went 55-4 (.932) when they scored six or more runs in a game, per Baseball Savant, which occurred in 36% of their games. Thus far in 2023, they’re 7-2 (.778) in those games, which have occurred 25.7% of their total games played.

Justin Verlander‘s presence in this rotation could possibly stop the bleeding as he builds up strength, but overall, there are more questions than answers for the Mets’ starters.

Bullpen Blowups

Coupling with the starting pitching woes are the bullpen scuffles. It’s a different pitcher each day. Last week, Jimmy Yacabonis performed brilliantly with a nine-up, nine-down performance. He could not duplicate that performance in the final games of the series, giving up five runs while recording just one out to lose the lead and put the game virtually out of reach. Tommy Hunter sealed the deal by giving up another three runs in 2.2 innings.

In the prior game, it was Stephen Nogosek who allowed two runs in 2.1 innings to give the Rockies a cushion they did not cede. Nogosek did some good work for the Mets last season but is yet another JAG (Just A Guy) whom the team is relying on for meaningful middle innings.

The Mets have gone from scrubs like Dennis Santana to the most recent shot in the dark with Dominic Leone. With the league-wide usage of 13 pitchers in recent years, this is hardly a problem unique to the Mets, but it’s that much more glaring with the starter struggles.

Polar Bear Icecaps

Pete Alonso went from unstoppable to being unable to buy a hit over the last few weeks. He is now 4-for-27 in May after enduring a 1-for-9 series against the Rockies. The most painful part of Alonso’s struggles is his tendency to chase pitches that are way out of the strike zone, especially breaking balls.

When Alonso is right, there may just be no more lethal hitter in baseball. But when he’s wrong, he’s so wrong that it seems like he’ll never break out of it. Perhaps a big part of it is the knowledge that there is no other real game-changing power on this team, which causes him to get stuck in his head and try to hit a home run on every pitch.

As good as Alonso is, the way he’s played this year epitomizes both the reason that the Mets should lock him up long-term and the fact that he cannot do it all on his own. If the team is going to commit to him long-term, they’ll need to surround him with other talent that can take some of the load off his shoulders.

Dishonorable Mention: Vogelbasepaths

Although there are many downs in this series, the level of the baserunning gaffe committed by Vogelbach deserves a mention of its own. With the Mets already up 3-1 in the first and runners on first and second with two outs, Luis Guillorme singled, which should have easily scored Brett Baty. However, Vogelbach was caught taking too wide of a turn around second, and his tag-out prior to Baty crossing the plate cost the Mets another run.

This was inexcusable on several levels. For one thing, there is no reason that Vogelbach should be even a step past second base on a typical single, especially not with two out and a runner coming to the plate. Baty had slowed up slightly after picking up the on-deck batter telling him he didn’t have to slide. Vogelbach, meanwhile, missed his third-base coach’s signal that the throw was coming to second and not home.

Vogelbach owned up to his mistake, stating that the game could have been completely different if not for it. The Mets would have been up 4-1 and still had runners on first and second with two out. It’s hard to project how a game goes in that situation.

Mets fans have been getting frustrated with Vogelbach’s lack of tools as a player. A robust roster with other positional versatility can perhaps afford to carry a platoon DH with no consistent ability other than taking a walk. However, on a team that already has multiple scuffling hitters and other one-tool players (Nido and Guillorme, specifically), Vogelbach is increasingly becoming a player they just cannot afford to clog up the roster.

Lack of speed (fourth percentile sprint speed) is one thing, but when his baserunning actively costs the team runs, that makes the case even stronger.

The Mets head to Cincinnati to face the 14-20 Reds on Tuesday (6:40 p.m. ET start).

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Lose Fourth Straight Series, Fall Below .500 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Malcolm Emmons, USA Today

Good morning, Mets fans!

Six-time All-Star Vida Blue passed away on Sunday at the age of 73. Blue was a second-round pick by the Kansas City A’s in 1967 and debuted with the team as a 19-year-old in 1969. In 1971, Blue won the AL Cy Young and MVP awards as a 21-year-old, turning in a magnificent 1.82 ERA with 301 strikeouts in 312 innings, and throwing 24 complete games. He went on to help lead Oakland to three straight World Series rings from 1972-74, and remained an effective pitcher for the Giants and Royals later in his career. Former A’s All-Star Dave Stewart was one of many people to pay tribute to Blue on social media.

Vida Blue rest in peace, my mentor, hero, and friend. I remember watching a 19 year old phenom dominate baseball, and at the same time alter my life. There are no words for what you have meant to me and so many others. My heart goes out to the Blue family🙏🏿🙏🏿

— Dave “Smoke” Stewart (@Dsmoke34) May 7, 2023

Latest Mets News

Jeff McNeil collected three hits, Daniel Vogelbach hit a solo homer, and Brett Baty hit a two-run single, but the Mets’ offense couldn’t overcome a seven-run fifth inning by the Rockies as Colorado took the series finale at Citi Field, 13-6. Joey Lucchesi tossed four innings, allowing three runs, four hits, and three walks with four strikeouts, but Jimmy Yacabonis only recorded one out before being pulled. He took the loss, getting charged with five runs. The Mets have begun their stretch of 13 straight games against sub-.500 opponents with five losses in six games, and have lost 11 of their last 14 overall.

The Mets get a day off before beginning a seven-game road trip with a three-game set against the Reds at Great American Ballpark. Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Kodai Senga are slated to start the three games.

Latest MLB News

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune reports that the Dodgers and Padres are likely to begin the 2024 season with a series in Seoul, South Korea. This would mark the first ever MLB games played in the country. The deal is expected to be finalized soon.

In an interview with The Athletic, Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak refuted the notion that Willson Contreras will be moved to the outfield this season. However, Contreras is expected to see a fair amount of time as the team’s designated hitter.

Latest on MMO

James Villani recaps the Mets’ loss to the Rockies on Sunday.

Christian De Block looks at Tylor Megill‘s start on Saturday.

On This Date in Mets History

1961: The new National League franchise in New York is officially named the “Mets” at a ceremony at the Savoy Hilton. The name is chosen from a field of 10 finalists including the Continentals, Burros, Skyliners, Skyscrapers, Bees, Rebels, NYBs, Avengers, and Jets.

1983: Darryl Strawberry collects his major league hit – an RBI single off Reds reliever Ben Hayes. The Mets win the game 10-5, as a six-run seventh inning puts them over the top.

1998: Rick Reed surrenders the 400th home run of Mark McGwire‘s career, but the Mets get the last laugh of the day as they use a pair of four-run innings to down the Cardinals, 9-2. Brian McRae smacks a three-run homer, and Preston Wilson collects three hits, giving him six knocks in his first eight MLB at-bats.

2016: With a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning, Antonio Bastardo escapes a bases-loaded, no-out jam with two strikeouts and a popout. Jeurys Familia pitches a 1-2-3 ninth inning to give the Mets a series split with the Padres and first place in the NL East. Yoenis Céspedes hits his 11th homer of the season, and Matt Harvey strikes out 10 in six innings of two-run ball.

Birthdays: John Maine (42), Adrián González (41), Sean Gilmartin (33)

The post Morning Briefing: Vida Blue Passes Away appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Buck Showalter. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets (17-18) finished off their three-game set against the Colorado Rockies Sunday afternoon. On a sunny day at Citi Field in Flushing, NY the Mets got woeful pitching and allowed 13 runs in a 13-6 series finale loss. The Mets drop to under .500 for the first time since the beginning of the season.

New York’s first inning pitching woes continued. Randal Grichuk launched a second-deck solo shot off Mets’ starter Joey Lucchesi. As has been in the case in several games this season, the Mets trailed 1-0 right off the bat.

In what was an extremely rare occurrence this season, the Mets experienced an offensive outburst in the opening frame. Jeff McNeil lined a run scoring hit to bring home the New York’s first run of the game. Then, Brett Baty – in his new slot in the batting order (fifth) – singled home two more runs.

Just like that, New York had a rare multiple run lead after the first inning, 3-1. Interestingly enough, before the outburst, New York only had six first inning runs all season long. They scored half that on Sunday in the opening frame.

The Mets’ starters’ struggles continued. In the third inning, Lucchesi gave up two run thanks to three hits. This tied the game back up. Through three innings, Lucchesi’s pitch total stood at a hefty 58. This spelled the end of his afternoon, as he allowed three runs, four hits, and walked three over just four innings of work. His season ERA increased to 4.43 as his struggles since his first start of the season continued.

New York responded in the fourth inning after they loaded the bases. As a result, they chased Rockies’ starter Ryan Feltner after only 3 1/3 innings of work as the team drew six walks. McNeil tallied an infield single which brought home the Mets’ fourth run of the game. Though, Brett Baty hit a hard ground ball to the pitcher which ended the inning with the bases loaded. The Mets led 4-3 after four innings.

The Rockies responded right back and stormed to a large lead with a huge seven-run inning. Jimmy Yacabonis relieved the struggling Lucchesi and promptly allowed five runs. Tommy Hunter then entered and allowed two innings of his own. Before you knew it, the score read 10-4 as the game entered to the bottom of the fifth inning.

Tommy Hunter’s day ended after he gave up another run. He ate up a decent amount of innings for New York, going 2 2/3 innings but struggled mightily allowing three runs and four hits.

New York tallied runs in the fifth and seventh innings ending their offensive output at six on the afternoon. Daniel Vogelbach‘s home run was the sixth and final run of the day.

Jeff Brigham pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Though, Dominic Leone allowed allowed two runs on three hits which brought the Rockies’ final offensive output total to 13 runs.

Mets’ pitchers allowed 14 hits and 13 runs to go with six walks. Another forgettable performance for the group who are struggling mightily.

Jeff McNeil. Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Player of the Game: Jeff McNeil

McNeil was the best of the solid Mets’ offense on Sunday He went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. He is now slashing .289/.345./.508 which is good for a .799 OPS.

On Deck

The Mets get a much-needed day off on Monday. They will pick back up on Tuesday at 6:40 pm ET in Cincinnati against the Reds for a three-game set. The projected pitching matchup for that game is Max Scherzer (5.56 ERA) versus Luke Weaver (7.88 ERA).

The post Pitching Struggles Again, Mets Lose 13-6 In Series Finale appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

It might just be time to start asking hard questions about the New York Mets.

For all the talk that it is early in the season, getting swept by the Detroit Tigers one week after nearly doing so to the Washington Nationals must flash warning signals. The baseball season is long, but the age of the Mets’ roster means that struggles will be questioned as natural regression rather than just a speed bump in the 162-game grind.

This series against Detroit showcased the Mets’ weaknesses in many areas of their roster. The team has now lost nine of its last 11 games to fall to the .500 mark.

3 Up

Yacabonis Boon

Jimmy Yacabonis began the season in the minor leagues, and the fact that he has options likely means he’ll find his way down there, again. However, his performance in the opening game of the series gave the Mets a chance to take the lead before they blew it in the eighth.

After Joey Lucchesi struggled through four innings, giving up four runs on two homers, Yacabonis entered and righted the ship for the next three innings. He was a perfect nine up and nine down on 36 pitches, including three strikeouts. That level of pitch efficiency (12 pitches per inning) is not something the Mets are accustomed to this season.

Relief pitching is highly volatile, which means Yacabonis could easily find himself in the “3 Down” section of this article in the next series. However, just those three innings were one of the only bright spots for the Mets in a miserable three games. Yacabonis’ .290 xSLG and 33.3% hard-hit rate, albeit in just 8.2 innings pitched, suggest that he’s doing something right, even if his 2.55 FIP is offset by a 3.85 xFIP.

Pham Picks it Up

Tommy Pham broke an 0-for-17 slump in style in the series opener, going 3-for-4 with a home run and a double. He also put up one of the two hits the Mets managed off Eduardo Rodriguez in the finale. Overall, he was 4-for-7 in the series.

Pham has also had his streaks this season, starting slow before heating up, then going ice-cold before having a strong two games against the Tigers. He hasn’t quite helped against left-handers in the early going, which is one of the reasons that he has only 51 plate appearances in the Mets’ first 32 games. With Mark Canha and Starling Marte struggling in the early going, Pham has the opportunity to earn more playing time if he can be more consistent and hit against lefties.

Verlander Settles Down

It was a rough first inning back for Justin Verlander, as he allowed two home runs in the first inning of the game. However, he settled in to throw four scoreless and limit his former team to two runs in five innings. Though he was the pitcher of record on the short side, the Mets still hope that Verlander can steady their rotation as he stretches out.

Verlander’s start did include many hard-hit balls, but he still managed to limit the damage in his first start back. Two runs in five innings should be enough to win against a bad team. The Mets did run into a battering ram in Rodriguez, but their hitting has often been so lackluster that the margin for error for their pitchers is virtually nonexistent.

Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

3 Down

Struggles vs. Bad Teams

Whether the Mets can be a good team or not remains to be seen. If they want to be a good team, though, they need to beat up on bad teams. Objectively speaking, the Detroit Tigers are a bad team; they came into the series with a 10-17 (.370) record, which would translate to over 100 losses. Instead, not only did the Mets lose the series, but they got swept.

In the last few weeks, the Mets have lost series to the Nationals and Tigers and failed to win a series against the Giants. They will face the Rockies next, another team with a sub-.500 record and a poor roster. Struggling against the softballs on the schedule will leave the Mets in a tight spot as the season progresses.

Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Scherzer Hitting an Age Wall?

Max Scherzer‘s start against the Tigers was nothing short of a disaster. Eight hits and six earned runs in 3.1 innings is inexcusable from a player making $43 million per year. Sure, it was a return after a 10-game suspension, but that doesn’t fully explain why Scherzer’s velocity and spin rates were both significantly down.

Scherzer continued to be victimized by the home run, yielding two more bombs. He has now yielded a 13.6% barrel rate this season, which is nearly double the MLB average (6.8%) and ranks in the seventh percentile. His other numbers are also poor, including xERA (5.26, 26th percentile), xSLG (.503, 16th percentile), strikeout rate (20.8%, 39th percentile), and walk rate (10.2%, 34th percentile).

It’s still early in the season, and Scherzer has only made five starts thus far. However, the level at which he is getting hit is deeply concerning. With his strikeout rate down nearly 10% from last season (which was already the lowest mark of his career at 30.6%), the question has to be asked about whether Scherzer is hitting a wall.

Of course, Scherzer has been vocal about his opposition to the pitch clock, which could be interfering with his pitching. In general, the limited time between pitches could be affecting the Mets’ older throwers more than it does younger hurlers. Still, until and unless there is an adjustment to the pitch clock time, this could be a significant issue holding Scherzer back.

Meet the Mets’ Offense

As the Mets keep waiting for their hitting to come together, it’s time to start questioning whether that is actually going to happen.

Hitters like Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and Brandon Nimmo have all been extremely streaky throughout their careers. Considering the length of their respective ups and downs, it is likely that there will always be significant overlap in their down streaks. The trio combined to hit 6-for-34 (.176) in the series with one home run, two RBIs, and 11 strikeouts.

Daniel Vogelbach continues to frustrate Mets fans with his extreme patience and unwillingness to swing at balls that should be hit with authority. He is tied for the lowest meatball swing rate (50%) of any batter with at least 73 plate appearances, despite facing a 7.4% meatball rate, which is in the 60th percentile. A .405 on-base percentage is nice, but for the Mets, it is offset by Vogelbach’s .383 SLG. A player who cannot run or field must bring more value than simply getting on base. Vogelbach went 1-for-6 in the series.

Brett Baty and Francisco Álvarez have shown signs of promise in recent weeks, but they’re going to take their lumps as young players. The pair quieted down in the series, going a combined 1-for-11. The Mets were not meant to be relying on their youngsters to prop up an anemic offense.

The Mets combined to bat 18-for-94 (.194) in the series, including 8-for-59 (.136) in the final two games. They remain unable to hit left-handed pitching, particularly starters. They went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and did not manage to maintain an at-bat with runners in scoring position in the finale.

Maybe this Mets offense will pick it up again. They were in the top 10 in most meaningful run-scoring categories last season, after all. It’s hard to imagine that running it back with a similar lineup would produce such diametrically opposite results.

But maybe they won’t. 2021 showed what could happen to an offense that was good on paper. That year, Lindor, Michael Conforto, Dom Smith, Jeff McNeil, and James McCann all hit much worse than expected. Maybe this is just who the offense is. Time will tell, but there is a reason to be concerned.

The Mets return to Citi Field to face the Rockies over the weekend.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Get Swept By One of MLB’s Worst Teams appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets continued finding ways to win this week, beating the Dodgers two games out of three despite pitching struggles and being shut out by Clayton Kershaw. The final game came in tribute to Metsmerized founder Joe D, may he rest in peace.

It was a good time for the Mets to get the Dodgers, who have scuffled out of the gate. Still, the Mets are giving no apologies for beating a team that won 111 games last season when they’re down.

3 Up

Nimmo Continues to Rake

Brandon Nimmo continues to justify the Mets’ investment in him. He went 8-for-14 in the series, including a 5-for-5 finale with a two-run homer off ex-teammate Noah Syndergaard. Nimmo also made another fantastic catch in the opener; he seems to like showing off his glove against the Dodgers.

BRANDON NIMMO AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/4KIkoRC7x7

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 18, 2023

Nimmo is currently slashing .349/.481/.476/.957 through 63 at-bats. His batting average is the ninth-best among all qualified hitters in baseball, while his OBP is second. He has 15 walks (tied for third) vs. seven strikeouts (tied for the seventh-fewest).

Nimmo’s five-hit game was the second of his career; the last was on August 15, 2018, against Baltimore. The Mets’ record for five-hit games in a career is Keith Hernandez‘s three. Nimmo has plenty of time to go with the team to tie and even break that record.

Bullpen Bend But Don’t Break

The Mets’ bullpen once again ate up many innings in this series—12 out of the 26 innings the team pitched. In the middle game, the bullpen broke and allowed the runs that put the game out of reach, although the Mets were unlikely to come back from down 3-0, anyway, before John Curtiss gave up two runs in the eighth to make it 5-0.

However, in the two victories, the bullpen did enough. In the opener, Brooks Raley pitched 1.2 innings, allowing two hits in the eighth and giving way to Drew Smith to finish off the inning. Adam Ottavino slammed the door shut with a 1-2-3 ninth.

In the rubber game, the bullpen combined for six innings of three-run, four-hit ball with three walks and four strikeouts. It wasn’t perfect, but it did the trick. The most dangerous spot of the game was when David Robertson allowed an RBI double to J.D. Martinez in the eighth inning, making the score 3-2 and forcing an intentional walk to Max Muncy to leave runners on first and second with just one out. Robertson escaped by getting popouts from Jason Heyward and Miguel Vargas.

After Mark Canha gave the Mets two insurance runs, Ottavino gave one back on a homer to David Peralta. However, he retired the next three in order to earn the save.

With the injuries, poor performances, and lack of length that the Mets have received from their starters for much of this season, the bullpen has held down the fort. For all of their individual struggles, they somehow find a way to lock it down in the end, helping the team to a 5-1 road trip thus far and a 7-2 record in their last nine games.

Maybe Canha Can, After All

Mark Canha has endured a slow start to the season, hitting just .213/.319/.393. However, he showed some signs of life against the Dodgers, going 3-for-9 in the series, including an epic 13-pitch at-bat against Kershaw that ended in a single. In the finale, he hit a key two-run double in the eighth inning to give the Mets breathing room against the Dodgers.

Canha did not light up the stat sheet in the series, but he did several good things that could give him something to build on going forward.

Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

3 Down

Pitching Poorly for His Job

Before the season started, I argued that David Peterson deserved the rotation spot vacated by José Quintana. Peterson has done anything but demonstrate that. His outing against the Dodgers did last six innings, but he allowed six runs on seven hits, including three home runs. Peterson’s ERA is now 6.10 on the season, and his FIP is 5.49. His saving grace is that his xFIP is 3.56, and the BABIP against him is .368; this suggests that he may be getting somewhat unlucky. However, his 2.18 HR/9 allowed is more than double his rate from last season and continues to victimize him.

Peterson will certainly be around for the time being due to the Mets’ injuries in the rotation and Scherzer’s likely looming suspension. However, with the return of Justin Verlander expected in two weeks and Scherzer’s timeline roughly the same, the lefty could find himself the odd man out in the rotation.

Marte Misery

Starling Marte had a very poor series against the Dodgers statistically, going 1-for-12 with six men left on base and two double plays. To add injury to insult, he left the finale with neck stiffness.

Marte was the Mets’ most consistent hitter last season, finishing the year with a .292/.347/.468 stat line. The team dearly missed him down the stretch, and his lack of health may have been the single biggest reason for their first-round exit from the playoffs.

In the early going of this season, though, the ball is not bouncing Marte’s way. His average exit velocity and hard-hit rate are both below average, but they’re actually both higher than in 2022; for the most part, throughout his career, Marte’s success has not come from being a masher. However, his xBA is in the 67th percentile for hitters at .271, while his actual average is just .233.

Many of Marte’s other underlying metrics are actually better than they were last season, including barrel rate, xSLG, xwOBA, strikeout rate, and walk rate. These all suggest that the ball will eventually start bouncing his way with more regularity.

The Mets will need to check on Marte’s neck, as he previously strained it during a stolen base attempt against the Marlins on April 9.

Wrong End of a Milestone

Kershaw is, perhaps, the most dominant pitcher of his era. The Mets have experienced that firsthand, as Kershaw owns a career 11-0 record and 2.03 ERA in 17 appearances against them.

Still, New York got Kershawed in the middle game of the series, as he completely shut them down through seven dominant innings. He allowed just three hits against no walks, striking out nine. 77% of his pitches went for strikes.

It was Kershaw’s 200th career victory, and the Mets were his victim. They continue to struggle against left-handed starters this season, slashing .198/.291/.323/.613 against them in nine games. Kershaw was the best of the bunch.

The Mets conclude their road trip with a four-game stint in San Francisco to play the Giants.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Take Another West Coast Series appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The primary focus coming out of Wednesday’s Mets-Dodgers game will be the ejection of Max Scherzer, who was tossed in the fourth inning after a substance check from umpires Phil Cuzzi and Dan Bellino. Scherzer could be facing a 10-game suspension from the ejection, pending appeal. Scherzer became only the the third MLB player ejected for foreign substances since the league instituted checks.

However, despite Scherzer’s early exit, the Mets managed to hang on with a 5-3 win over the Dodgers to take their the series in LA thanks to a five-hit game from Brandon Nimmo and some clutch pitching from multiple relievers.

Before his ejection, Scherzer had been settling in nicely after a tough first inning in which he faced a bases-loaded jam and threw 28 pitches. He was able to avoid any damage after getting Miguel Vargas to ground out to end the threat.

The Mets had a few scoring chances early in the game, but Starling Marte grounded into a double play with two men on in the third, and the Mets also left a runner in scoring position in the top of the fourth. Marte would later leave the game with what Buck Showalter described postgame as neck stiffness, and was replaced by Mark Canha.

Following the wild Scherzer ejection, the Mets were forced to turn to a rather depleted bullpen, but got a big boost from Jimmy Yacabonis. Yacobonis allowed a run on a sac fly in the fourth, but fought his way through 2 2/3 innings, allowing only the one run.

The Mets did not trail for long. In the top of the fifth, Nimmo continued his perfect day at the plate with a two-run homer off of old friend Noah Syndergaard to put the Mets up 2-1.

In better news for the Mets, Brandon Nimmo just went yard. His first home run of the season is a two-run shot.

Mets 2, Dodgers 1, top five. pic.twitter.com/NpJIUp45fJ

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 19, 2023

Los Angeles threatened in the bottom of the sixth, but with the tying run in scoring position, recently recalled Jeff Brigham got Vargas to fly out to preserve the lead.  After the Mets left the bases loaded in the top of the frame, Drew Smith came on to pitch in the bottom of the seventh, tossing a 1-2-3 inning thanks to some strong defense at third base from Brett Baty.

Brett Baty shows off the arm to get the second out of a 1-2-3 seventh inning.pic.twitter.com/KHk90BFK1g

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) April 19, 2023

In the top of the eighth, the Mets added another run to increase the lead to 3-1. After Francisco Lindor led off the inning with a double, he eventually came around to score thanks to a Tommy Pham sacrifice fly.

David Robertson was next to pitch for New York in the bottom of the eighth and allowed his first run in a Mets uniform on an RBI double from J.D. Martinez. However, after a risky strategy from Showalter that saw him put the go-ahead run on base with an intentional walk to Max Muncy, Robertson made the gamble pay off by getting Jason Heyward and Vargas to pop out to end the threat.

Robertson gets Miguel Vargas to pop up to strand two baserunners!

On to the 9th, #Mets lead 3-2.
pic.twitter.com/AQmv7AH5ib

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) April 19, 2023

With the lead back to only one run, Nimmo collected his fifth hit of the afternoon following a Luis Guillorme walk, which set the stage for Canha to come through with a clutch two-run double.

Mark Canha rips a two-run double!

5-2 #Mets, top 9.
pic.twitter.com/zBdd3AVnyw

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) April 19, 2023

Adam Ottavino gave up a solo home run to David Peralta in the bottom of the ninth but avoided any other baserunners and finished out the save in the Mets’ 5-3 win. With the victory, the Mets move to 12-7 on the season, and have now won four consecutive series.

Player of the Game

Brandon Nimmo has been playing like an All-Star already early in this season, but Wednesday was his best performance yet. Nimmo went 5-5 from the plate with a two-run homer earning the second 5-hit game of his career. After Wednesday, Nimmo raised his average to .339 on the young season.

While he wasn’t the player of the game, it’s also worth giving a shout out to Francisco Álvarez, who came into the season having only one hit on the season but went 2-4 on the day.

On Deck

The Mets travel to San Francisco on Thursday for a four-game series against the Giants. Among the former Mets they will face off with include Michael Conforto, Wilmer Flores, J.D. Davis, and Darin Ruf.

The post Nimmo Propels Mets to Win Over Dodgers Despite Scherzer Ejection appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Good morning, Mets fans!

Max Scherzer played catch on Sunday, which he takes as a step forward to making his next start. Buck Showalter said that Scherzer is “keeping everything moving” and expects the 38-year-old to pitch against the Dodgers on Wednesday afternoon. Scherzer was initially supposed to face the A’s on Sunday, but he was pushed back due to some back soreness.

Latest Mets News

Tommy Pham, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso all homered, and Eduardo Escobar scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the 10th inning as the Mets escaped Oakland with a 4-3 win on Sunday, securing their first sweep of the year. José Butto pitched five-plus innings, allowing five hits and four walks but only one run with two strikeouts. After Alonso’s game-tying homer, Jimmy Yacabonis danced around danger in the ninth inning and was helped out by a fantastic grab by Brandon Nimmo off the bat of Jace Peterson. David Robertson also got into a jam in the 10th inning, but induced groundouts from Conner Capel and Esteury Ruiz to earn the save.

The Mets begin a three-game series with the Dodgers in Los Angeles tonight, with David Peterson (0-2 4.91 ERA) looking to get his first win of the year against Dustin May (1-1, 1.47 ERA). Peterson allowed two runs and six hits with two walks and six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings against the Padres last time out but got charged with the loss. Last season, the Mets took four of the seven matchups with the Dodgers, winning the season series with LA for the first time since 2015. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 pm.

Brett Baty is expected to join the Mets in Los Angeles tonight. The team has not announced a corresponding move. Eduardo Escobar, who might lose playing time to Baty, said through an interpreter, “He deserves everything he’s getting right now, now that he’s getting called up. He’s put in the work. He deserves to come up here and play and do what he does because he’s that good of a player. He’s the future of this team.” The 23-year-old was off to a rip-roaring start in Triple-A Syracuse, hitting .400/.500/.886 with five homers and 15 RBIs through nine games.

Dylan Bundy made his first start of the year for Syracuse on Sunday, getting rocked for nine runs on 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings. Bundy served up four home runs, three of which were to Jake Bauers.

Latest MLB News

The Dodgers placed catcher Will Smith on the seven-day injured list with a concussion, retroactive to April 13. They have signed veteran backstop Austin Wynns to an MLB contract and moved right-hander Alex Reyes to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster.

Latest on MMO

Mets Minors is giving a signed José Butto baseball card on Twitter to celebrate his start on Sunday. MMO is also giving away a Brett Baty card on Twitter to celebrate his getting called up.

Anthony Gabbianelli recaps the Mets’ win over the A’s on Sunday.

On This Date in Mets History

1964: The Mets play their first home game at Shea Stadium, losing to the Pirates 4-3. Willie Stargell hits the first home run in the stadium’s history.

1970: Bud Harrelson hits just the second home run of his career – and his first since 1967 – to kickstart a 6-0 win for the Mets over the Phillies. Tom Seaver throws a complete-game shutout to earn the win.

2006: Pedro Martínez allows three runs and six hits while striking out eight in 6 2/3 innings against the Braves to earn the 200th win of his career. He joins Dennis Martinez, Luis Tiant, and Juan Marichal as the only Latin-American-born pitchers to reach that plateau. Xavier Nady and Carlos Delgado both hit homers, and Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner combine to record the final seven outs.

2009: Trailing the Brewers 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Gary Sheffield hits a pinch-hit homer off Mitch Stetter for the 500th long ball of his career. He remains the only player to hit his 500th career homer as a member of the Mets. Luis Castillo‘s infield single in the bottom of the ninth brings home Carlos Delgado for the Mets’ first walk-off in Citi Field history.

2010: The Mets outlast the Cardinals in 20 innings to win the longest game since 2008, 2-1. The game is scoreless into the 19th inning when Jeff Francoeur brings home Jose Reyes with a sacrifice fly off Cardinals outfielder Joe Mather. Francisco Rodríguez gives up a game-tying single to Yadier Molina though, but the Mets get a sacrifice fly from Reyes in the 20th. Mike Pelfrey gets the save after he works out of a two-out jam.

The post Morning Briefing: Max Scherzer Still in Line to Pitch Wednesday appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Jose Butto. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Good morning, Mets fans!

The Mets (9-6) and Athletics (3-12) wrap up their three-game series this evening at 4:07 p.m. ET at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. José Butto will make his first start of the season in place of Max Scherzer against JP Sears (0-1, 5.59 ERA) for the Athletics. The Mets will look to complete a three-game sweep.

Latest Mets News

The Mets on Saturday announced a few roster transactions:

• Selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Jimmy Yacabonis from Triple-A. He will wear No. 73.
• Recalled right-handed pitcher Jose Butto from Triple-A. He will wear No. 70.
• Right-handed pitcher Dennis Santana was designated for assignment.
• Right-handed pitcher Stephen Nogosek was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow bone bruise.

Per Tim Healey of Newsday Sports, Justin Verlander threw his first bullpen session Saturday since his injury a couple weeks ago. According to Buck Showalter, the bullpen session went well and Verlander’s next step will be another bullpen session, then live batting practice, then possibly a rehab game.

Latest MLB News

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Los Angeles Angels called up shortstop Zach Neto on Saturday. Neto will mark the first 2022 draft pick to make his debut.

MLB Deadline News shared a video of Rocco Baldelli expressing his frustration of Domingo German coming back out to pitch for the Yankees after he was stopped twice for long exams of his hands and gloves, one of which the umpires resulted in telling German to “wash his hands” before they allowed him to pitch again in the fourth inning. Baldelli was later ejected from the game for his arguments of the situation.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post later elaborated on the situation, reporting that the gist from crew chief James Hoye was that German had rosin, asked him to remove it after the top of the third. There was apparently still a little on his pinky when he came back out for the fourth inning, but because it is not an illegal substance, Hoye and the crew allowed German to remain in the game as it did not call for an ejection.

Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic shared a video explaining how Sportsnet’s Blue Jays broadcast turned closer Jordan Romano’s entrance into a “cinematic experience.”

Latest on MMO

Colby Morris recaps the Mets’ minor league affiliate games from Friday, April 14 that included big nights from Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio.

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki discusses Francisco Lindor’s seven-RBI night on Friday night in the Mets’ big night against the Athletics.

Andrew Steele-Davis talks about how the Mets are getting it wrong handling their current prospects.

Matt Mancuso talked about the Mets designating Santana and recalling Butto and Yacabonis.

Alexis Farinacci recaps the Mets’ 3-2 win over the Athletics.

Andrew Steele-Davis discusses Scherzer’s start being pushed back to Wednesday and Butto starting today instead.

On This Date in Mets History 

1985: Shea Stadium was christened by its namesake, Bill Shea, with two bottles: one containing water from the Gowanus Canal and the other carrying water from the Harlem River. 

Birthdays: Daniel Zamora (30), Adeiny Hechavarria (34), Aaron Laffey (38), Ricky Otero (51), Jeromy Burnitz (54)

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Jose Butto. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The New York Mets selected the contract of RHP Jimmy Yacabonis and recalled RHP José Butto from Triple-A on Saturday, the franchise announced. In corresponding moves, the team DFA’d Dennis Santana and placed Stephen Nogosek on the 15-day IL with a right elbow bone bruise.

A standout in Spring Training, Yacabonis was signed to a minor-league contract this winter. He’s appeared in four games for the Syracuse Mets this season, throwing 4.1 scoreless frames. The right-handed reliever will wear #73.

Jimmy Yacabonis, 92mph Sinker with 24 inches of run. pic.twitter.com/di4teeD5bW

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 4, 2023

Butto had a forgettable Major-League debut last season, allowing seven runs to score against the Phillies, in a game where the Mets rode a pair of late home runs from Mark Canha en route to a victory. MMO’s 13th-ranked prospect has made two starts with Syracuse this spring; he’s allowed two runs over 9.2 innings. He will wear #70 and is expected to start a game during the club’s West Coast road trip.

Nogosek appeared in relief of Kodai Senga on Friday night but was forced to leave prematurely after getting struck on the back by a comebacker. The out-of-options reliever was off to a nice start this season, throwing to a 2.84 ERA, despite a .412 BABIP.

Santana was picked up off waivers from the Minnesota Twins in Spring Training.  A 28.6% strikeout percentage was particularly impressive, though it was followed by a 7.11 ERA and a 14.3% BB%. He will have 10 days to either be claimed on waivers or risk being sent to the Mets’ minor-league system.

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