Friday, September 11, 2020 • 6:37 p.m.
Sahlen Field • Buffalo, NY
RHP Jacob deGrom (3-1, 1.69) vs. RHP Chase Anderson (0-0, 4.94)
SNY • WCBS 880 AM • WQBU 92.7 FM

The Mets travel to Toronto Buffalo tonight as they take on the Buffalo Toronto Blue Jays! Just as a quick recap – Canada has taken the global pandemic much more seriously than the United States and it logistically it was going to be impossible to have the Blue Jays play in Toronto. The Blue Jays went through several different plans of splitting time time at other major league stadiums and ultimately had to settle with playing their games at their AAA site in Buffalo – which seemed like the best plan anyway compared to the Blue Jays going to their Spring Training site or any other city. But I digress.

The other big news surrounding tonight’s game, is that the Mets will finally wear first responder hats DURING play.

The Mets are coming off an improbable comeback win against the Orioles. After being down early (and down often), the Mets slugged their way back into the game and played some of their best defense in recent memory. Now the Mets are 4 games under .500 in a rapidly concluding season. Can they pull this off?

Mets Lineup

1. Brandon Nimmo – CF
2. Michael Conforto – RF
3. J.D. Davis – 3B
4. Dominic Smith – 1B
5. Robinson Cano – 2B
6. Pete Alonso – DH
7. Jeff McNeil – LF
8. Andres Gimenez – SS
9. Wilson Ramos – C

Blue Jays Lineup

1. Cavan Biggio – RF
2. Randal Grichuk – CF
3. Travis Shaw – 3B
4. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
5. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – LF
6. Jonathan Villar – DH
7. Joe Panik – 2B
8. Danny Jansen – C
9. Santiago Espinal – SS

Jacob deGrom will take the mound tonight. Over 8 starts and 48.0 innings he has a 1.69 ERA (league leading), 2.03 FIP, 0.875 WHIP, 256 ERA+ and a 13.1 K/9 rate (league leading). In his last four starts he has pitched 26.0 innings with a 1.04 ERA and opponents have hit .160/.210/.266/.476 against him. The Blue Jays have the following numbers against Jacob:

• Randal Grichuk 3-8, 2B, 2 HR, BB, 3 K
• Travis Shaw 3-8, 2B, 3 BB, 3 K
• Joe Panik 3-19, 2B, 3 BB, 5 K
• Jonathan Villar 2-12, 2B, BB, 6 K
• Caleb Joseph 0-3, 2 K

The Mets bats will try to keep their momentum against Chase Anderson who is in his first season with the Jays after four years with the Brewers. This year in 23.2 innings and 6 starts he has a 4.94 ERA, 4.91 FIP, 1.437 WHIP and 92 ERA+. He started against the Mets last April allowing 2 runs and 5 hits over 4.2 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Brandon Nimmo 2-4, 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
• Robinson Cano 2-4, 2B
• Michael Conforto 2-11, 2 HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-3, 2B
• Amed Rosario 1-3
• Pete Alonso 0-2, BB, K
• Todd Frazier 1-12, BB, 4 K

Game Notes:

The Mets Triple-A affiliate played in Buffalo from 2009-2012. In addition, Buffalo was also a Mets minor league affiliate from 1963-1965…Ed Kranepool, Ron Swoboda and Cleon Jones each played in Buffalo before helping lead the 1969 Miracle Mets to the World Series title. Jeurys Familia is the only current Mets player who played in Buffalo as a Mets affiliate, doing so in 2012…Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner played in Buffalo in 2012 and bullpen coach Ricky Bones served the Bisons pitching coach from 2009-2011.

Andrés Giménez is on a six-game hitting streak, batting .409 (9-22) with six runs, a double, one home run, five RBI, one walk and a 1.031 OPS. He is batting .393 (11-28) with eighth runs, a double, two home runs, a walk, seven RBI, a steal and a 1.062 OPS over his last nine games with a plate appearance.

McNeil did not homer in his first 33 games and has now homered in four straight. It is the first time in his career that he has homered in four straight… Dominic Smith homered in four straight games from August 12-15 this year. The regular season club record is five consecutive games with a home run, accomplished by Richard Hidalgo from July 1-5, 2004.

Let’s Go Mets!

The post MMO Game Thread: Mets at Blue Jays, 6:37 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports that the Toronto Blue Jays have signed Joe Panik to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training.

Panik, 29, signed with the New York Mets in August this past season and hit .277/.333/.404 with two home runs and 12 RBI in 39 games with them. The left-handed-hitter joined the team after being released by the San Francisco Giants.

The second baseman was non-tendered this offseason by the Mets and he became a free agent at the end of October.

The post Blue Jays Sign Joe Panik To Minor League Deal appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

James Kratch of NJ Advanced Media reports the New York Mets have hired St. John’s head coach Ed Blankmeyer to replace Edgardo Alfonzo as the manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones.

He will also be the Mets extended Spring Training coordinator.

Blankmeyer, 65, is an either time Big East Coach of the Year, and he has led the Red Storm to 10 NCAA Regionals. Overall, in his 24 years at St. John’s, he has amassed an 829-499-4 record.

He is the coach in St. John’s history, and he is the winningest coach in Big East history. In 2017, he was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame.

While at St. John’s, he has coached future Major Leaguers like Craig Hansen, Joe Panik, and Cody Stashak. When he was an assistant at Seton Hall, he had the opportunity to coach Craig Biggio, Mo Vaughn, and John Valentin.

While coaching Panik at St. John’s, he had the honor of managing the first ever game played at Citi Field. In that game, Panik was 2-for-4 with two RBI in a game Georgetown won 6-4.

In terms of his coaching, he told Inside Pitch Online, “We don’t talk. We just play hard. There are expectations in our program of how you prepare, how you work, how you compete. Competing is not talking, it’s ‘show me.’ Let your actions speak, not your words.”

While this may sound like an old school approach, Blankmeyer is well versed in analytics and incorporates them into his coaching. For example, as detailed in Torch Online, St. John’s has Rapsodo and has incorporated it into its pitching instruction.

The Mets have recently hired Brian Schneider to be their Triple-A manager and Lorenzo Bundy to be Double-A manager. Chad Kreuter will return to manger St. Lucie and we have yet to hear about Single-A Columbia.

The post St. John’s Legend Ed Blankmeyer Named Brooklyn Manager appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to various reports from the beat, as expected, the New York Mets have officially declined the $9.5 million option they held on outfielder Juan Lagares for the 2020 season, making him a free agent.

Lagares, 30, was the longest-tenured Mets player on the roster, with seven seasons in Queens under his belt. His time in Flushing was marred by injury and underperformance, but, as evidenced by his 2014 Gold Glove Award, his strength on the field lied within his glove.

Juan Lagares was a .254/.297/.361 hitter over 716 games with the Mets — nothing spectacular — but racked up 82 defensive runs saved (third-most among NL outfielders from 2013 to 2019) and an 11.5 ultimate zone rating per 150 innings in the outfield during his time here.

In other roster news, second baseman Joe Panik (.277/.333/.404 over 103 plate appearances with the Mets after signing with the team on August 9) and left-hander Donnie Hart (one appearance, one clean inning) both declined outright assignments to Triple-A Syracuse, making them free agents, as well.

We’ll keep you posted with any additional updates.

The post Juan Lagares, Joe Panik, Donnie Hart Become Free Agents appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

By John Sheridan

Michael Conforto would put it off for a day, but now, the Mets are officially eliminated from postseason contention. With the Mets falling short in the fashion they have, there are a number of what-ifs which occurred during the course of the season.

One of those what-ifs is what if the Mets didn’t blow this game or lose that game. While there were several of those games in the first half, that was all the more the case in the second half when the team was playing well and making a charge. With the Mets being five games out, here are five games in the second half which the Mets certainly wish they had back:

Reds 3 – Mets 2
Saturday, September 21

The Mets absolutely had to have this game. For the Mets to actually grab a Wild Card spot, they were going to have to win out or come very close to it. With a big pitching mismatch between Zack Wheeler and Anthony DeSclafani, this seemed like a game the Mets should win easily.

The Reds would score two first-inning runs due to a Todd Frazier error and misplay. It would be hard to put this loss on Frazier as he would collect two of the Mets three hits on the day, and he would score one of their only two runs scored.

Ultimately, the team squandered two huge opportunities. They only scored one run after having runners at second and third with no outs in the third. They’d only score one run with the bases loaded and one out with the top of the lineup coming up in the top of the fifth.

The loss was made all the worse with Justin Wilson getting into trouble, and Seth Lugo allowing one of his inherited runners to score. As bad as that was, it would be Christian Colon who delivered the RBI single, off a Lugo curveball to boot, to put an effective end to the Mets season.

Marlins 8 – Mets 4
Friday, July 12

The Mets were 10 games under .500 heading into the All-Star Break. Despite the team being that many games under .500, they had a favorable schedule in the second half, and with their being only seven games back of the second Wild Card, they did have an opportunity. The key for them was getting off to a fast start out of the break.

Instead of putting their best foot forward, they started Jason Vargas. Vargas would blow a third inning 2-0 lead allowing homers to Curtis Granderson and Garrett Cooper in the third. Vargas would last into the sixth where he would implode again. Overall, he’d allow six earned over his five-plus innings.

After the bullpen couldn’t keep it closer, the Mets ninth-inning rally would fall short in an 8-4 loss. Sadly, this would not be the only time the Mets were beaten by Caleb Smith and the Marlins in the second half.

Giants 3 – Mets 2 (16)
Thursday, July 18

Back when the Mets were pairing Noah Syndergaard with Tomas Nido to get the best out of Syndergaard, they’d get a great performance from Syndergaard with him allowing just one earned over seven innings. Much like the 2016 Wild Card Game, the Giants had Madison Bumgarner match him pitch for pitch, and we’d see Bumgarner last nine innings.

After nine, it was tied at 1-1, and the Mets would get an opportunity they didn’t have in that Wild Card Game. They’d get to face the Giants bullpen.

In the 10th, that appeared serendipitous as they loaded the bases with just one out against Will Smith only to see Conforto and Jeff McNeil strikeout. The Mets would also squander opportunities in the 13th and 15th as their bullpen put forth their best effort of the season.

Then finally, the Mets broke through as Pete Alonso would break out of his slump hitting a huge go-ahead homer in the 16h inning giving the Mets a 2-1 lead. That’s when seemingly innocuous decisions made previously would present their ramifications.

In Minnesota, the Mets had used Chris Mazza to pitch the final two innings of a blowout 14-4 victory over the Twins. What was curious about that decision was the Mets had Jacob Rhame available for that game, and they knew he had a suspension looming from an April incident. Before the game against the Giants, Rhame agreed to a suspension making him unavailable for this game.

With Mazza being the last guy in the bullpen, the Mets would look on as a tired pitcher could not record one out as the Giants would score two in the bottom of the inning to win 3-2. This loss was made all the worse because there was a clear hangover with the Mets being unable to score a run over 10 innings leading them to waste yet another Jacob deGrom start.

Braves 2 – Mets 1 (14)
Friday, August 21

The Mets were flying high entering this series having won 16 out of their last 18 games. As a result, they were seven games over .500 for the first time since April 24, 2018. At the time, the Mets were only 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot putting them in the thick of the postseason race. With a strong series against the Braves here, the Mets had an opportunity to put the division in play.

Instead, the Mets would get swept by the Braves leading to the team losing six straight games. Even though the Mets would make another run at it, they ultimately could not overcome this stretch, and it would be with an absolutely brutal loss.

Mike Foltynewicz, a pitcher with a 6.09 ERA entering this game, would allow just two hits over seven innings. Ultimately, the only batter to get to him was deGrom, who would hit a sixth-inning homer to tie the score at 1-1. As bad as the Mets bullpen had been all year, you could argue the Braves bullpen was worse. That combined with the Mets having last licks, you could argue the Mets were in position to pull out this game.

The Mets had a huge opportunity in the 10th against former teammate Anthony Swarzak. The team would put together a two-out rally and load the bases, but Amed Rosario would strikeout to end the inning.

The Mets blew an 11th inning chance as well. After Joe Panik was hit by a pitch by Sean Newcomb, he’d move to third after two wild pitches during Alonso’s at-bat. Alonso and Conforto would strikeout, and the Braves intentionally walked J.D. Davis to force Brad Brach out of the game and to face the Mets last pinch hitter on the bench – Aaron Altherr. He’d ground out to end the inning.

What would make that even more maddening was the Mets passed on the opportunity to claim Billy Hamilton, who could have been a real upgrade to this team, off waivers. As luck would have it, Hamilton would face Jeurys Familia, and he would drive home the go-ahead run.

What made that all the more maddening was it was an Adeiny Hechavarria ground-rule double which put the go-ahead run into scoring position. In essence, the player the Mets cut rather than pay him a roster bonus, and the player the Mets would not claim so they didn’t have to pay him more than the league minimum Altherr, would prove to be two players who helped cost the Mets the game.

As we know, that was a winnable game the Mets needed to have. While it did not push the Mets out of contention, it would prove to be the first in a series of losses which took the Mets from the thick of the race to the periphery.

Nationals 11 – Mets 10
Tuesday, September 4

After a potentially season-ending sweep against the Cubs, the Mets got off the mat taking two of three from the Phillies, and they took the first game in the series against the Nationals to pull within 4.0 games of a Wild Card spot. They were up 10-4 and about to pull within seven games of the Nationals for the top Wild Card spot.

The Mets had a 99.7 percent chance of winning that game, and they were 806-0 in franchise history when they led by six after nine innings.

That’s when we saw an epic bullpen meltdown; one we have never before seen the Mets have in their history. Paul Sewald, Luis Avilan, and Edwin Diaz combined to record just one out as the Nationals scored seven ninth-inning runs. While many in hindsight would question removing Seth Lugo or question not using Justin Wilson against two batters with great numbers against left-handed pitching, the truth of the matter neither of those things were the problem.

The problem was this Mets bullpen was so unreliable that they cannot even be trusted to hold a six-run lead. Therein lied the problem with this game, and it was a big problem throughout the season. It was a contributing factor in this and other losses the Mets suffered both in the first and second half. Huge soul-crushing losses. That makes this bullpen just one of the biggest reasons why the Mets are not going to be in the postseason this year.

The post Five Crucial Losses That Cost Mets The Postseason appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

By Tim Ryder

In an outstanding feature with Justin Toscano of The Record, New York Mets second baseman Joe Panik remarked on his time spent in Flushing, as well as what might be next.

“Oh, for sure,” Panik replied when asked if he’d be inclined to stay with the Mets, adding, “It’s been a fun few months for me. Playing in New York; I grew up here and I love the passion here.”

As for what the future might hold — Panik will be arbitration-eligible this offseason, but the team could simply release him — the six-year MLB veteran seems content with allowing the process to unfold as it may.

“I felt like I’ve played well here. Things will work out one way or another […] Wherever I land, whatever happens, I’m very confident in my abilities.”

After slashing .235/.310/.317 over 388 plate appearances with the San Francisco Giants this season, the team designated Panik for assignment on August 7, after five seasons, including a World Series title and an All-Star appearance (2015).

The Mets employed the Hopewell Junction, New York product’s services on August 9 to help ease the blow of losing Robinson Cano to a torn hamstring on August 5.

From his debut on the day he signed with the Mets through the end of the month, Panik hit .277/.319/.354 with three doubles, a triple, and seven RBIs over 70 plate appearances.

Cano’s nearly miraculous one-month rehabilitation saw him return to the Mets on September 4, substantially reducing Panik’s playing time down the stretch and appearing to adversely affect his production levels (.222/.323/.370 over 31 PA in September).

Regarding his resurgence immediately following the trade, Panik told Toscano, “I think I kind of showed that I can still play a little bit”.

Whether the Mets reciprocate Panik’s feelings regarding a potential return to Queens remains to be determined.  Though with Cano, Jeff McNeil, and Jed Lowrie all expected to be on the roster in 2020, there may be no room for Panik (-3 DRS over 949.1 innings at second this season) in Flushing.

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

Panik reflects a bit more on his time in Flushing (“Just a lot of excitement here, a lot of resiliency”) and Toscano speaks with Panik’s former skipper, Bruce Bochy, about the tough conversation they had regarding Panik’s release in the article, as well. It’s well worth the read (link above). 

The post Joe Panik Hoping to Stay With Mets appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning Mets fans! It may have taken two rain delays and over five hours, but the New York Mets (67-60) completed the sweep of the Cleveland Indians (74-54) early Friday morning after the game was called in the bottom of the eighth as the Mets led 2-0. The Mets will now open a three-game series with the first-place Atlanta Braves (77-52) as they continue their nine-game homestand.

Latest Mets News

Jacob deGrom (8-7, 2.61 ERA) takes the mound looking to lead the Mets to five straight victories as he faces Mike Foltynewicz (4-5, 6.09 ERA) and the Braves. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT, with coverage on SNY, WCBS 880 and ESPN Deportes 1050.

The Mets designated Ruben Tejada for assignment and recalled Chris Flexen.

Jed Lowrie returned to rehab action following a day off on Wednesday with the St. Lucie Mets. Lowrie went 1-for-4, with his lone hit being a double.

Jeff McNeil began a rehab assignment in Triple-A Syracuse which was suspended in the top of the second due to rain. McNeil was hit by a pitch in his only plate appearance. He stole a base and scored a run after getting plunked.

Latest MLB News

Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press was denied access to speak to Justin Verlander at the pitcher’s request. Verlander cited “unethical behavior in the past” in a tweet about the situation.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced their 2019 induction class.

MLB is prohibiting players from participating in the Venezuelan Winter League according to Jared Diamond and Kejal Vyas of The Wall Street Journal. This will be in effect as MLB seeks to clarify how to comply with the U.S.-imposed economic embargo that is against the government of Venezuela.

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they have released Francisco Cervelli. The Braves will reportedly sign him according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Latest NL East News

The Braves (77-52) remain atop the NL East standings, followed by the Washington Nationals (70-57; 6.0 games back), Mets (67-60; 9.0 games back) Philadelphia Phillies (66-60; 9.5 games back) and Miami Marlins (45-81; 30.5 games back).

The Nationals defeated the Pirates 7-1 and the Braves walked-off against the Marlins 3-2. The Phillies had an off day on Thursday.

Max Scherzer returned to the mound for the first time since July 25. Although capped at 71 pitches over four innings, Scherzer limited the Pirates to four hits, one walk and one run.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Michael Mayer wrote about J.D. Davis‘ heroics from Wednesday.

Mayer looked at the Mets’ success at home and pointed to how their schedule the rest of the way is favorable due to all the Mets’ remaining home games.

Mayer also wrote about how Jeurys Familia, Luis Avilan and Justin Wilson are helping their team’s playoff push now that they are all healthy.

Tim Ryder wrote about how Joe Panik is easing the Mets’ concerns with McNeil and Robinson Cano currently on the shelf.

John Sheridan wrote a prospect profile on the Mets’ 2019 third-round pick Matthew Allen.

Christopher Soto recapped the games played by all the Mets’ affiliates on Wednesday.

This Day in Mets History

2009: Eric Bruntlett of the Phillies turned the Mets’ attempted double steal into a game-ending unassisted triple-play.

Birthdays: Pat Strange turns 39, Prentice Redman turns 40, Raul Casanova turns 47, Ed Hearn turns 59, and Julio Franco turns 61.

The post Morning Briefing: Rain Delays Mets’ Sweep Of Indians appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Though it’s come in a small sample-size, New York Mets second baseman Joe Panik has thrived since arriving in Flushing on August 9.

Whether it be via his Gold Glove defense at the keystone position or his 12-for-35 start at the plate in blue and orange, the 28-year-old’s transitioned seamlessly into his new home.

His role seems destined to change once Jeff McNeil (strained left hamstring) and, down the line a bit further, Robinson Cano (torn left hamstring) return from their respective ailments, but, for now, Panik has done all he can to bridge the gap.

Over his first ten games with the Mets (heading into Wednesday; 33 plate appearances), the Hopewell Junction, NY native — and St. John’s alum — put together a .323/.364/.419 slash line with a double, a triple, three RBIs, and nine runs scored.

His .336 weighted on-base average and 111 weighted runs created plus will both summarily suffice in the absence of McNeil and Cano from the Mets’ lineup, but Panik’s peripherals give credence to the notion that he truly is coming out of the season-plus funk he was mired in with the Giants.

Panik’s been taking the ball out to all fields (31% pull rate, identical 34.5% center and opposite-field rates) and his 1.88 groundball-to-fly-ball ratio, 93.1% contact rate, 6.1% strikeout rate, and 3.0% swinging-strike rate rank third, first, first, and first, respectively, among qualified NL second basemen since the trade.

Again, he’s still got quite a way to go before proving beyond a reasonable doubt that a simple change of scenery really can bring a downtrodden, former All-Star back to baseball life. But the beginning of his tenure in Queens has been encouraging, nevertheless.

Panik seems to be adjusting well to his new surroundings, noting he’s been “working on staying short to the ball and compact with my swing” with hitting coaches Chili Davis and Tom Slater, as told to Mike Puma of the New York Post.

“Wow, he has been terrific. I think you have a lot of confidence with him handling the bat,” Mets skipper Mickey Callaway told the Post. “He’s putting together great at-bats, the defense has been solid, and we are getting a lot of production out of him.”

Although San Francisco is enjoying a feel-good season of their own — sending off retiring, future Hall of Fame manager Bruce Bochy with a rose — Panik seems to be thrilled with the situation he’s found himself in with the Mets.

“This is what you want and play for. I have been fortunate enough to have gone through the playoffs […] before. I know I want to be here. This is what you play for — the late-August, September push […].”

It appears Joe Panik’s doing all he rediscover his form as a ballplayer and get the Mets back to the postseason.

His 2-for-4 night — including a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt that led to Amed Rosario scoring the tying run in the ninth — in Wednesday’s win over Cleveland provides ample evidence of the type of addition Panik is to this team.

Moving forward, let’s hope this continues.

The post Joe Panik Easing Mets’ Concerns With McNeil, Cano On Shelf appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (64-60) had a chance to rest up on Monday as they enjoyed a day off. They now go back into action at Citi Field as they host the Cleveland Indians (74-51) for a three-game set to kick off a nine-game homestand.

Latest Mets News

Steven Matz (7-7, 4.33 ERA) gets the ball in Game 1 of the series as he takes on Shane Bieber (12-5, 3.27 ERA) and the Indians. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT, with coverage on SNY, WCBS 880 and ESPN Deportes 1050.

Al Jackson, an original 1962 Met, passed away at the age of 83 on Monday.

Tim Britton of The Athletic caught up with Mets prospects Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos and Shervyen Newton.

Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote a piece about Joe Panik turning his career around with the Mets.

Kevin Kernan of the New York Post wrote about Mets pitching coach Phil Regan‘s curious way of inspiring the team.

The Mets signed former major leaguer Nick Rumbelow to a minor league contract according to MMN‘s Jacob Resnick. He was most recently playing Independent ball for the Sugar Land Skeeters.

Latest MLB News

The Oakland Athletics are promoting their No. 2 prospect A.J. Puk ahead of Tuesday’s game with the New York Yankees, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com.

Nathan Patterson, the man from the viral pitching machine video at Coors Field who recently signed with the Athletics, struck out the side in his professional debut in the Arizona League.

Chris Sale will not need Tommy John surgery according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Boston Red Sox then released a medical update that stated Sale will be shutdown from throwing and re-evaluated in six weeks by Dr. James Andrews.

Carlos Correa left the Houston Astros’ game against the Detroit Tigers on Monday with back discomfort.

Andrew Simon of MLB.com wrote about seven players who have broken out in 2019.

Latest NL East News

The Atlanta Braves (74-52) remain atop the NL East standings, followed by the Washington Nationals (68-56; 5.0 games back), Mets (64-60; 9.0 games back) Philadelphia Phillies (64-60; 9.0 games back) and Miami Marlins (45-78; 27.5 games back).

The Nationals shutout the Pittsburgh Pirates 13-0. The rest of the NL East had off on Monday.

The Braves claimed Billy Hamilton off waivers.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Joe D. recounted his memories of Al Jackson in response to his passing.

Samantha Brown broke down Zack Wheeler‘s start from Sunday.

Matt Musico took a closer look at Jacob deGrom and continual dominance.

Brian Devine wrote about the NL Wild Card race and where the Mets find themselves as of now.

Michelle Ioannou wrote a piece on the current state of the Mets, following their series victory in Kansas City.

John Sheridan continued his “3 Up, 3 Down” series following the Mets’ series victory in Kansas City.

Sheridan also listed and wrote about the weekly top performers in all the Mets minor league affiliates.

This Day in Mets History

1963: Grover Powell threw a complete-game shutout against the Phillies in his first MLB start. It stood as Powell’s only MLB win as his effectiveness took a dive after getting hit by a line drive off the bat of Donn Clendenon in his next appearance against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

1985: Dwight Gooden tossed a complete-game shutout and struck out 16 batters in the Mets’ 3-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants. His performance earned him his 13th consecutive win and helped him pass the 200 strikeout mark for the second season in a row.

Birthdays: Lance Broadway turns 36, Cory Sullivan turns 40 and Cliff Cook turns 83.

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Host Cleveland To Begin Nine-Game Homestand appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets (61-59) fell to the Atlanta Braves (72-50) by a score of 6-4 on Wednesday night at SunTrust Park (Box Score). The Mets have now lost three games in a row after winning 15 of 16.

Pitching

Steven Matz (7-7, 4.33 ERA) took the mound looking to build off a solid start against the Miami Marlins on Aug. 7 in which he allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings. He did exactly that as he went six innings, struck out five hitters and limited the Braves to two hits, one walk, and one run.

The Mets entered the bottom of the seventh with a 2-1 lead with Seth Lugo taking the mound. Lugo, who has been the Mets’ best reliever in 2019, had a rare night off in terms of production. He was charged with five runs on a walk and five hits, while only recording one out in the inning. His ERA went from 2.65 to 3.41 after his rough outing.

Luis Avilan came in with runners on first and second after four runs scored off Lugo. He allowed an RBI single to Ozzie Albies, which accounted for Lugo’s fifth run of the night. However, he followed that up by getting Freddie Freeman to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Jeurys Familia pitched the eighth inning and worked around a couple of walks before getting out of the inning unscathed.

Offense

The Mets had a relatively quiet night offensively for the first eight innings as they only managed two runs, both off the Braves bullpen.

Those two runs came off the bat of J.D. Davis whose single in the seventh drove in two runs to give the Mets a 2-1 lead.

The Mets started a rally in the ninth following Ruben Tejada‘s groundout to short. Juan Lagares, Joe Panik, Amed Rosario, and Luis Guillorme strung together four straight hits to give the Mets runners at first and second, with their deficit cut to 6-4.

Pete Alonso then grounded into what should have been an inning-ending double play, but one that Albies bobbled. While Alonso was originally called out, the play was challenged and overturned so that the Mets had the bases loaded with one out.

However, the Mets’ rally was short-lived as Wilson Ramos and Michael Conforto both struck out swinging to end the game.

The Mets out-hit the Braves 12-8, but could not take hold of the opportunities presented throughout the night.

Matz, Davis, and Rosario all had multi-hit games. Matz went 2-for-3 with a run scored, Davis went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Rosario went 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

On Deck

Marcus Stroman (6-11, 3.20 ERA) is set to make his third start in a Mets uniform as the team tries to avoid the sweep against Julio Teheran (7-7, 3.35 ERA) and the Braves. First pitch is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. EDT, with coverage on SNY, WCBS 880 and ESPN Deportes 1050.

The post Game Recap: Mets Late Rally Falls Short in 6-4 Loss To Braves appeared first on Metsmerized Online.