Mets owner Steve Cohen held a press conference on Wednesday where he assessed the state of the team as the Mets have fallen to fourth place in the NL East despite having the largest payroll in baseball. After the Mets’s blowup in Philadelphia on Sunday, there were many questions about GM Billy Eppler and manager Buck Showalter‘s job security; Cohen put those rumors to rest as he responded “Absolutely” after being asked if the two will keep their jobs throughout the season. Cohen also commented on the Mets’ mindset regarding the trade deadline as well as future front office moves, which you can read about here.

As for on the field, the Mets suffered yet another disappointing loss as they fell to the Brewers, 5-2. New York was unable to cash in on some early opportunities against Wade Miley, while Kodai Senga pushed through five solid innings of two-run ball. The Mets offense was not able to muster up any runs in the late innings as the Brewers bullpen put the game to bed.

The Mets will try to split the four-game set as they throw Max Scherzer (7-2) against Milwaukee’s Adrian Houser (2-2).

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It was announced on Thursday that José Quintana will be making his fourth, and hopefully last, rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday. Quintana, who is coming back from a left rib fracture, threw 47 pitches through his four innings of work for High-A Brooklyn on Sunday and is hoped to be back in the Mets rotation by next week.

Mets pitching prospect Christian Scott has been dealing as of late, and that continued as he threw seven scoreless innings last night in his third Double-A start. The 2021 fifth0round draft pick out of Florida has accumulated 23 strikeouts and a 1.37 ERA in his three starts in Binghamton while allowing two or less runs in seven consecutive starts, per Metsmerized Michael Mayer.

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Yankees starter Domingo Germán faced the minimum last night as he became the first pitcher since Félix Hernández in 2012 to throw a perfect game. Germán made quick work of the Athletics last night as he only threw 99 pitches on his way to perfection becoming the fourth Yankees pitcher to throw a perfect game; joining a list that includes: Don Larsen, David Wells, and David Cone.

White Sox reliever and cancer survivor, Liam Hendriks, will be the recipient of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2023 ESPYS. Hendriks made his triumphant return to a major league mound on May 29 after his bout with Stage-4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which he was diagnosed with this past December.

Pirates third-baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes was put on the 10-day IL (retroactive to June 25), due to lower back inflammation. In a corresponding move, Pittsburgh called up third baseman Jared Triolo who made his big league debut against the San Diego Padres last night. Hayes joins Bryan Reynolds and O’Neil Cruz on the IL as the Pirates have been inundated with injuries while their quick start has come to a halt.

Cardinals star third baseman Nolan Arenado left Wednesday night’s game against the Houston Astros with lower back tightness, the team said.  Arenado, who tied the game with a three-run home run earlier in the game, is said to be day-to-day and the Cardinals are hoping he can avoid time on the IL.

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Rich Sparago looked into the possible causes of the MLB’s attendance increase this season.

On This Date In Mets History

1969: Tom Seaver notches his 44th career win to take hold of the franchise record in wins. Seaver still holds said record with 198 career wins.

2012: R.A. Dickey throws eight shutout innings to propel the Mets past the Dodgers. This gem improved his ERA to 2.15 and record to 12-1.

Birthdays: Yolmer Sanchez (31), Brooks Raley (35), Larry Stahl (82)

The post Morning Briefing: Showalter, Eppler Will ‘Absolutely’ Retain Their Jobs appeared first on Metsmerized.

Tylor Megill. John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

On a night when the Mets desperately needed a deep outing from their starter, Tylor Megill struggled to dodge the traffic on the base paths. The right-hander failed to make it out of the fourth inning and wound up being charged with nine runs (seven earned) while only striking out one batter as the Mets dropped their seventh straight game.

Megill allowed a one-out single to Bryan Reynolds in the bottom of the first inning but was able to escape the inning unscathed after striking out Andrew McCutchen and getting a groundout from Carlos Santana. Staked to a 1-0 lead, the right-hander retired Jack Suwinski to begin the second inning but gave up a single to Ke’Bryan Hayes before walking Ji Hwan-Bae. After Josh Palacios flew out to the centerfield fence and a double steal by Hayes and Bae, Austin Hedges gave the Pirates the lead on a ground-rule double.

After the Mets tied the game in the third inning, Megill set down Reynolds to lead off the frame before giving up an infield single to McCutchen. Megill induced a double-play grounder from Santana, but Francisco Lindor failed to pick it up cleanly, giving Pittsburgh extra lives. Megill walked Suwinski, then Hayes lined an 0-2 slider into left-center field to give the Pirates a 4-2 lead. The Mets’ defense didn’t help Megill out on Bae’s squeeze bunt, which Eduardo Escobar threw down the right-field line, allowing two more runs to score and Bae to get all the way to third. The bleeding didn’t stop there, as Palacios lined the first pitch he saw into right field to bring in Bae with the fifth run of the inning. The inning mercifully came to an end when Megill got Hedges to ground into a double play.

Megill set down the first two batters in the bottom of the fourth, but the roof caved in on him once again. He walked McCutchen and allowed a single to Santana before being pulled from the game. Zach Muckenhirn delivered the final blow to Megill’s line, allowing a two-run double to Suwinski to bring home both inherited runners.

When asked why he’s felt he’s lacked consistency, Megill said, “Walks, hits, and getting taken out of the game. As simple as that.”

Megill’s fastball velocity was up in his outing, averaging 95.1 miles per hour compared to his season average of 94.4. However, he generated just one whiff on 17 attempts against his heater, and he only got two whiffs on his slider. Megill didn’t get a single swing-and-miss on his curveball or change-up, giving him a weak eight percent whiff rate on the night. The Pirates’ average exit velocity of 87.6 MPH against Megill was lower than his season average of 89.1, but his failure to miss bats led to the Pirates racking up eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Megill’s ERA is now up to a season-worst 5.14, but it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll lose his spot in the rotation spot any time soon. He is far from the only Mets pitcher who’s struggled on this road trip, as the staff has allowed 40 runs through the first four games of the trip. Megill’s next start is slated for Friday at home against the Cardinals.

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