The Mets won a series! The Mets won a series!

After losing 14 of 17 games, the Mets have now won two games in row on the back of a strong performance from David Peterson against the Milwaukee Brewers and are building a bit of momentum heading into this weekend’s series against the Yankees, who are also in a bit of a slump. They just got swept by the Toronto Blue Jays, who took over first place in the AL East as a result.

The Mets’ rotation, though, is in shambles. The club announced on Thursday that Paul Blackburn was headed to the injured list with a right shoulder impingement. Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning and Blackburn have now all landed on the IL, leaving the Mets in a bit of a pickle.

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Brandon Nimmo – LF
2. Francisco Lindor – SS
3. Juan Soto – RF
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Jeff McNeil – 2B
6. Luis Torrens – C
7. Brett Baty – 3B
8. Ronny Mauricio – DH
9. Tyrone Taylor – CF

Hagenman, who was recalled on Thursday, will get the bulk of the work today. He’s pitched two games for the Mets totaling six innings while allowing only one run on five hits and striking out five batters. His success in the majors has not been replicated consistently with Triple-A Syracuse, where he has a 6.21 ERA over 42 innings. Following Hagenman’s last outing with the big league club in June, he’s allowed six runs over 8 2/3 innings in Syracuse. When pushed, Hagenman can go 70-80 pitches.

Opposing Lineup

1. Jasson Domínguez – LF
2. Aaron Judge – RF
3. Cody Bellinger – CF
4. Giancarlo Stanton – DH
5. Jazz Chisholm Jr. – 3B
6. Paul Goldschmidt – 1B
7. J.C. Escarra – C
8. Anthony Volpe – SS
9. DJ LeMahieu – 2B

Former Met Marcus Stroman will get the nod for the Yankees this afternoon. He has made four starts this season totaling 14 1/3 innings with a 8.16 ERA, 6.58 FIP, 1.674 WHIP and a 50 ERA+. His year got off to a rough start, as he posted an 11.57 ERA over three starts from the end of March through mid-April. A knee injury sidelined him for a few months, and he came back strong in his last outing, allowing only one run over five innings against the Athletics.

The Mets have the following career numbers against Stroman:

• Pete Alonso 2-5, 2B
• Brett Baty 0-3
• Travis Jankowski 3-11, 2B, 5 K
• Francisco Lindor 6-27, 2B, 2 BB, 6 K
• Starling Marte 1-8, BB
• Jeff McNeil 0-5
• Brandon Nimmo 1-5, 3 BB, 2 K
• Juan Soto 3-10, 2B, HR, 4 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-2, 2B

Game Notes

• Drew Gilbert and Nolan McLean both had big days as part of a winning effort for Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday.
• As noted by MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, the Mets are expected to roll with Frankie Montas and Brandon Waddell as their starting pitchers on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
• Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that the Mets hope Kodai Senga (hamstring) will throw 60 to 65 pitches in a rehab start for Double-A Binghamton tomorrow. Tylor Megill (elbow sprain), meanwhile, is set to restart a throwing program off flat ground on Saturday, per DiComo.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Brandon Nimmo. From June 22 to July 1, Nimmo played in nine games where he hit well (9-for-33, .273/.314/.303) but only had one extra base hit. In his last two contests, however, he has gone 3-for-9 with two home runs, including a grand slam on Wednesday night. The offense is still struggling to score runs as a whole, but a Nimmo hot streak can go a long way towards relieving the Mets’ tired pitching staff.
2. Juan Soto. Luckily for Mets fans, all three games this weekend against the Yankees are being broadcasted on SNY. During the nationally-televised Sunday Night Baseball matchup in May’s rendition of the Subway Series, we got our fill of Soto talk. During that series, he went 1-for-10 with four walks (.357 OBP). Over Soto’s last 31 games, he is hitting .320/.474/.699 with 12 home runs and 29 walks, earning him NL Player of the Month honors for June!
3. Devin Williams. Williams last pitched on July 2, where he allowed two runs and got tagged for the loss in an 11-9 game vs. the Blue Jays. He has had an up-and-down season so far, but is coming off a tremendous month of June where he allowed only one run over 9 2/3 innings while striking out 12 batters. He pitched two scoreless innings against the Mets earlier this year, which was his first time facing the Mets since Alonso hit a go-ahead home run against him in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series.

Let’s go Mets!

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On Wednesday, the Mets announced that lefty reliever Danny Young will be placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to April 27, with a left elbow strain. Along with that move, righty Chris Devenski was selected from Triple-A Syracuse and the recently signed lefty Brooks Raley was transferred to the 60-day IL. Unfortunately, this does not seem like a short-term stint, as Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that the southpaw may need Tommy John Surgery.

On the field, the Mets came up short against the Arizona Diamondbacks last night. Despite getting 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief from Brandon Waddell pitching in the big leagues for the first time since 2021, a ninth-inning rally from the Mets offense came up shy, resulting in a 4-3 loss. Click here for a full-game recap of Wednesday night’s loss at Citi. 

The Amazin’s will look to take the rubber match against Arizona on Thursday as Kodai Senga (1.26 ERA, 3-1) will face Zac Gallen (5.57 ERA, 1-4) at 1:10 PM EST. New York will look to get back in the win column before hitting the road for a 6-game road trip in St. Louis and Arizona.

Latest Mets News

Francisco Lindor stopped by St. John’s University to speak with the school’s baseball and softball teams.

Chris Majkowski was the producer-engineer for his 5,000th consecutive Mets game on radio on Wednesday night. Jay Horwitz went in-depth on the man behind the Mets radio broadcast. 

Latest MLB News

The Cubs called up veteran RHP Chris Flexen from the minors, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Flexen had a 1.16 ERA in 5 starts at Triple-A Iowa. 

Bo Bichette intends to join his brother and play for Brazil at the WBC, per Ayako Oikawa of MLB.com. Bo Bichette on the matter, “It means a lot to our whole family. We want to do our best to contribute to the team’s victory and draw some attention to Brazilian baseball.”

A fan fell onto the field from the Clemente Wall bleachers (21 feet in height) in right field during the Pirates game at PNC park last night. The latest update from the Pirates was that Pittsburgh EMS, along with both clubs’ athletic training teams, responded immediately, and he was taken to Allegheny General Hospital.

Mike Trout left Wednesday night’s Angels game with precautionary knee soreness, per Jeff Fletcher of SoCal News Group. Trout is already feeling better and will try to play on Thursday.

Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough announced that outfielder Griffin Conine will miss the remainder of the 2025 season after undergoing shoulder surgery on Tuesday. He is expected to be a full-go for 2026 spring training. 

The Seattle Mariners selected the contract of former Mets draft pick OF Rhylan Thomas and will make his MLB debut when he first appears in a game. 

Former Met Jake Diekman signed with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association.

The Miami Marlins released their new City Connect uniforms.

Latest On MMO

Brandon Waddell sparkled in his MLB return. 

Mark Vientos was the subject of MMO’s Weekly Statistical Spotlight.

Mets ninth-inning rally came up short.

On This Date In Mets History

2011: The crowd erupts in “U-S-A” chants during the ninth inning of a Mets-Phillies game after news of Osama Bin Laden’s death breaks.

1987: Tim Tuefel hits a walk-off pinch-hit solo homer to beat the Expos 7-6.

Born On This Date: Marcus Stroman (1991), Manny Acosta (1981), Joe Hietpas (1979), Armando Reynoso (1966), Charlie O’Brien (1960), Ray Searage (1955), Roy Lee Jackson (1954)

The post Morning Briefing: Danny Young Might Need Tommy John Surgery appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

On Wednesday, the New York Mets held a live Zoom call with Mets legends Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden as they announced the dates of their jersey number retirements. Doc’s number will be retired on Sunday, April 14, and Darryl’s number will be raised later in the season on Saturday, June 1. 

But aside from setting the date for the festivities, the iconic duo were receiving questions and they both gave some poignant answers as they reminisced on their time in Queens. One of those coming from Darryl as he said, “My heart and soul bleeds blue and orange. Always have. Always will.” Along with that, Darryl also commented on the Mets’ current situation with Pete Alonso, “I ended up personally with a belly full of regrets from leaving, because there is nothing like playing in New York.”

To hear more about what Doc and Darryl had to say about their special day, click here!

Latest Mets News

Mets prospects Jett Williams, Ronny Mauricio, and Drew Gilbert cracked Baseball America‘s top 100 prospects list. Click here to see where they landed on the list!

MLB released the first workout dates for all 30 major league clubs; the Mets will have their first pitcher and catchers workout on Wednesday, February 14 and first full squad workout on Monday, February 19. For more information on the release, click here!

Alfredo Franceschi of El Emergente wrote an article highlighting Mets vice president of baseball operations, Eduardo Brizuela. The article mentions how Brizuela is at the highest level of any Venezuelan in Major League Baseball and highlights his unique journey to this point. 

Latest MLB News

Right-handed pitcher Yariel Rodríguez and the Toronto Blue Jays came to an agreement on a four-year, $32 million deal, per Francys Romero of MLB.com. For more information on Rodríguez and the deal click here!

The New York Yankees officially announced the signing of starting pitcher and former Met Marcus Stroman to a two-year deal with a conditional player option for 2026. In a corresponding move, they designated former Guardians outfielder Oscar Gonzalez for assignment. 

Austin Voth and the Seattle Mariners came to an agreement on a one-year, $1.25 million deal, per Robert Murray of Fan Sided. 

The Kansas City Royals announced that they signed veteran catcher Sandy Léon to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league spring training. 

Free-agent utility man Josh VanMeter signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. 

The Cincinnati Reds signed LHP Tyler Gilbert to a minor league contract with an invite to major league camp. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed RHP Jesse Hahn to a minor league deal with an invite to big league spring training, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. They also signed southpaw Stephen Gonsalves to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training per JP Hoornstra of DodgersNation.com.

An article by Derrick Goold of STL Today highlighted Amazon’s agreement to purchase a minority stake in Diamond Sports Group, which owns Bally Sports. This deal provides DSG a framework to rise out of bankruptcy and will keep TV operations at status quo for the time being for many major league clubs. 

Latest on MMO

Take a look at the highest international free agent bonuses in Mets team history!

Check out which Mets prospects cracked Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list.

Baseball is around the corner! Read up on when Mets pitchers and catchers report!

The post Morning Briefing: Strawberry’s ‘Heart and Soul Bleeds Blue and Orange’ appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns introduced the Mets two biggest offseason signings to the club via Zoom on Wednesday afternoon. Among some of the better quotes in the press conference were in regards to Harrison Bader, as Stearns noted that he expects him to play a majority of the games at center field which would kick Brandon Nimmo to left field for the most part. Along with that, Bader expressed how playing in New York has always been a dream and that he imagined himself as a Met even during his time with the Yankees; he has family who are Mets fans. 

In terms of Severino, Stearns said that when talking with the former Yankee, his determination to get his body in a good space along with late-season improvements gave him confidence to sign the veteran pitcher. When asked about adding more starting pitching alongside him, Stearns responded, “I don’t think you’re ever finished.”

However, Stearns’ main focus was on improving the Mets’ bullpen. To get a breakdown of Stearns’ thoughts on the bullpen, click here!

Luis Severino. Photo credits USA Today

Latest Mets News

The Mets announced that they have signed relief pitcher Yacksel Ríos to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. To learn more about Ríos click here!

MLB announced the game times for the 2024 season and the Mets will be playing six games on Fox/FS1 including one of the London Series games against the Phillies on June 8th at 1 o’clock. 

In an interview with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman of the New York Post, David Stearns answered, “The future for 2024 is he is our everyday first baseman.” in response to questions about Pete Alonso’s future. 

Latest MLB News

The Chicago Cubs came to an agreement on a four-year, $53 million deal with lefty Japanese pitcher Shōta Imanaga, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The details of the deal came out and after the first two years, the team has an option to extend the deal to $80 million over five years. If they were to decline that option, Imanaga has the option to become a free agent and this would repeat for after the third year. 

The Yankees have emerged as the top candidate to sign Marcus Stroman, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network. He also noted that the sides have had productive discussions in recent days; this would definitely be a strange arrangement after Stroman’s well-noted distaste for the Yankees organization. For more information on the report, click here!

Major League Baseball announced the entire spring training and regular season game time schedule for the 2024 season. The season will open with the Dodgers and Padres, who will be playing the first ever MLB game in South Korea as part of the Seoul Series starting on Wednesday, March 30. 

An MLB.com article by Jonathan Mayo had MLB executives vote for the best farm systems of 2024. While there were many categories, the Orioles got 79% of the vote when it came to who had the best overall farm system. 

MLB Network released their top 10 catchers as of right now, and Adley Rutschman topped the list after his first two seasons.

The Seattle Mariners are hiring former pitcher Danny Farquhar as a pitching strategist and assistant pitching coach on their major league club. 

Travis Sawchik of The Score did an article on the change in structure among the modern ballparks, and whether or not MLB can bring back the connection the fans at the field used to have to the game. It is a great read if you have the time!

The Texas Rangers are signing right-handed pitcher Austin Pruitt, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Pruitt had a 2.98 ERA in Oakland last year and will be in the Rangers big league camp.

The New York Yankees officially announced their 2024 coaching staff, among the names joining Aaron Boone are Brad Ausmus, Matt Blake, and Luis Rojas. 

The Dodgers are signing right-handed pitcher Elieser Hernández to a minor league deal that includes an invite to spring training, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Latest on MMO

Read up on David Stearns focus on the Mets bullpen.

Look into the Mets top 75 prospects going into 2024!

Check out the report linking Marcus Stroman to the Yankees.

On This Date in Mets History

2022: The Mets announce that they will be retiring Keith Hernandez’s number 17. Keith won six Gold Gloves and a World Series while with the club.

1988: The New York Mets announced that they are retiring Tom Seaver’s number 41. Seaver won three Cy Young Awards and a World Series championship throughout his career. 

Birthdays: Stephen Nogosek (29), Jermaine Allensworth (52), Rey Ordóñez (53), Dan Norman (69), Jim McAndrew (80)

The post Morning Briefing: Stearns Praises New Additions, Still Wants More appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Position: Starting Pitcher

Bats/Throws: R/R

Age: 05/01/91 (32)

Traditional Stats: 27 G, 10-9, 3.95 ERA, 1.259 WHIP, 136 2/3 IP, 119 K

Advanced Stats: 2.7 fWAR, 3.58 FIP, 4.18 xERA, 9.0 BB%, 20.7 K%

Rundown

After attending the prestigious Duke University, Marcus Stroman was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft. He would quickly navigate his way through the Blue Jays farm system before making his MLB debut in 2014.

Stroman made an immediate impact in his rookie campaign, starting 20 games with 11 wins and a 3.65 ERA. His advanced metrics show that this was no fluke, as he accumulated a 2.84 FIP and 3.4 fWAR.

His path to success was promptly interrupted by a torn ACL that required surgery, which curtailed most of his 2015 season. However, in only four starts, he pitched to a 1.67 ERA in 27 innings.

Since then, Stroman has established himself as one of the premier durable starters in the league, eclipsing 30 games started in three of his next four seasons after that. While he struggled in 2016 with an uninspiring 4.37 ERA, he bounced back in 2017 with a 3.09 ERA in 201 innings pitched. His ability to produce quality results while staying on the field has made Stroman a hot commodity among contenders.

Although he struggled in 2018 with just 19 games started and a 5.54 ERA, he secured his first All-Star selection in 2019. He started his All-Star campaign with the Blue Jays, where he accumulated a 2.96 ERA among 21 starts until he was traded to the New York Mets around the trade deadline period.

This trade would bring Stroman into the New York spotlight during a pennant race, and he did not disappoint. In 11 starts, he struck out 60 batters in 59 2/3 innings with a 3.77 ERA. While the Mets did not live up to their playoff aspirations that season, Stroman played a large part in keeping them afloat during the final months of the season.

Consequently, Stroman made the personal decision to withdraw from playing in the 2020 shortened season. However, his absence in 2020 did not impact his 2021 results, as he started an impressive 33 games with a 3.02 ERA. While his ground ball rate was lower than usual at 50.8%, his career-best 7.94 strikeouts per nine innings shows that Stroman is a versatile pitcher who could use several methods to retire batters.

After a commendable season, Stroman entered the free agent market and cashed in on a three-year deal with the Chicago Cubs worth $71 million. He would pick up right where he left off with the Mets during his first season as a member of the Cubs. In 25 games started, he accumulated a 3.50 ERA in 138 2/3 innings with 119 strikeouts.

He would continue this success in his second year with the Cubs, where he nabbed his second All-Star selection. Like the previous season, he started 25 games and struck out 119 batters. The only difference is that his ERA increased to 3.95.

Despite that, Stroman decided to opt out of his remaining year with the Cubs and test the free-agent market once again. The right-handed pitcher, known for his outstanding career ground ball rate of 56.7 percent, looks to leverage his pedigree of reliability and success to earn himself a more lucrative deal.

Stroman’s repertoire most notably includes his sinker, which he used 46.4 percent of the time in 2023. This is the pitch that has generated a lot of ground balls for Stroman during his career. He also features a slurve that had a tremendous whiff rate of 30.6 percent in 2023. His combination of strikeouts and ground balls has made his skillset unique among the vast array of flamethrowers around the league.

Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

Contract

The idea to include a third-year player option in his initial contract with the Cubs paid off for Stroman, as he enters the free agent market as a 32-year-old reliable starting pitcher with multiple years of experience.

MLB Trade Rumors estimates that Stroman will receive a two-year deal worth $44 million, citing Nathan Eovaldi‘s similar two-year $34 million contract he signed with the Texas Rangers as the floor for what Stroman would get. They claim that he could potentially earn a three-year deal, depending on the demand for starting pitchers this offseason.

Recommendation

The Mets are in a position where they can use all of the help they can get in the starting pitching department. The recent injury news regarding David Peterson only magnifies this concern.

Despite his controversial relations with the Mets’ fanbase and media, Stroman would be a great asset for this Mets team as he has proven he can succeed in the Citi Field environment. Further, he has displayed a knack for staying on the field without compromising the quality of production.

If they can negotiate a deal within a reasonable range, it would be an intelligent decision to bring Stroman back to Queens.

The post Free Agent Profile: Marcus Stroman, RHP appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

The crawl to the explosion of the MLB offseason is on, as several decision on player and team options are being made. The Cincinnati Reds on Saturday announced that they declined the 2024 club option on the contract of Joey Votto.

The madness is quickly approaching.

Latest MLB News

Per Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Marcus Stroman has opted out of his contract with the Chicago Cubs and has decided to become a free agent. He had $21 million and a year remaining on his contract.

The Milwaukee Brewers announced that they acquired right-handed pitcher Blake Holub from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for infielder/outfielder (and former Met) Mark Canha.

According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, the Chicago White Sox are declining the option on shortstop Tim Anderson. He now becomes a free agent.

Per Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the San Diego Padres declined their two-year, $32 million club option on Michael Wacha. He is expected to enter into free agency.

Per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald, Josh Bell is staying with the Marlins as he exercised his $16.5 million player option for 2024.

Latest on MMO

Sean Kenny takes a deep dive into the Mets’ center field depth as part of Metsmerized’s Mets organization depth chart series.

Sean Kenny breaks down a strong performance by Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a must-win game.

Colby Morris discusses the Mets’ potential 2024 starting rotation contributors.

Allison Waxman talks about the trade of Mark Canha from the Brewers to the Tigers.

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki analyses outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler in a free agent profile.

On This Date in Mets History 

1986: The Mets rallied late to beat the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 to win the 1986 MLB World Series.

Birthdays:

• Jose Santiago (49)
• Mike Bishop (65)
• Jim Bethke (77)

The post Morning Briefing: Reds Decline Joey Votto’s Team Option appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In the midst of being swept by the Phillies, who moved a giant step closer to clinching a postseason berth, the Mets must have thought they should have been the team piling up wins down the stretch and playing meaningful baseball into October.

Instead, New York was the bottom-feeder being beat up on and the end of the regular season can’t come soon enough for a franchise desperate to wave goodbye to a miserable 2023, and instead focus on a 2024 season that should bring a lot of hope.

However, with just six games remaining on the slate, the Mets’ first focus will be ensuring they aren’t leapfrogged by the Nationals and finish rock bottom in the NL East.

Ronny Mauricio. John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

3 UP

RIGHT-HANDED EXCELLENCE 

There is never going to be a whole lot of positives when you get swept, but another eye-catching highlight reel play from Ronny Mauricio is certainly one. The rookie continued to flash plenty of promise offensively, and he was able to absolutely crush his second home run in the big leagues. This one was more special given that it was Mauricio’s first as a right-handed hitter, and it was an impressive shot in every way imaginable. The two-run blast came 1.23 ft above the ground, while leaving the bat at 112.9 mph. Per the excellent Sarah Langs of MLB.com, that’s the hardest-hit home run on a pitch that low or lower under Statcast since 2015. The previous mark you ask? That happens to be Yoenis Céspedes on a 1.21 ft pitch for the Mets back in 2018. Mauricio is now hitting .260/.305/.377/.682 on the year with three doubles, two homers, nine RBIs and six stolen bases. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, Mauricio also made a stunning play with his glove in the fourth inning on Sunday to bail out Mark Vientos at first and showcase his defensive acumen.

NOT MAILING IT IN

You can tell a lot about certain players when the season has been over as long as it has for the Mets. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising if certain players lowered their effort levels a little bit. Or even mailed it in completely. Not Brandon Nimmo. The veteran has been playing as hard as ever down the stretch and even earned an off day on Sunday after going a little too hard on Saturday. The leadoff hitter experienced some right leg soreness sliding into home plate. He is, however, expected to be good to go on Tuesday. And that sums Nimmo up. He has built a career on playing hard, and that hasn’t stopped even with the Mets being an absolute hot mess this year. Nimmo had himself a good series in Philadelphia, hitting a double and a triple and his 13 triples since the start of 2022 are tied for fifth in the majors. Furthermore, as long as he plays out the remaining six games of the year, Nimmo will achieve a new career-high in games played, beating the 151 mark he set last year. This has been a healthy Brandon Nimmo for the most part in 2023, and he’s one of the very few positives to emerge from a lost year. His attitude towards playing the game will be a big plus for the Mets’ slew of young players heading into 2024.

THE LONG WINDING ROAD BACK

Anthony Kay‘s baseball journey has certainly been an interesting one up to this point. Selected in the first round of the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft by the Mets – three years after being drafted by the same team but not signing with them – Kay was sent to Toronto as part of the package to acquire starter Marcus Stroman in 2019. Kay spent a few seasons for Toronto before locking on with the Chicago Cubs, where he posted a 6.35 ERA in 13 games in 2023. Then came the full circle moment. The Mets opted for a third spell with Kay, claiming him off waivers earlier this month. He was called up to the big leagues on Sunday, finally making his Mets debut all these years later. And it was well worth the wait. The lefty struck out a pair and induced a double play over 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Although a very small sample size, it was an impressive outing from Kay who could provide the Mets with another useful lefty weapon to use out of the bullpen in 2024. His journey with the New York Mets started years ago but, in many ways, it could actually just be the beginning.

Photo by Roberto Carlo

3 DOWN

PAIN THRESHOLD

Francisco Álvarez is getting used to being banged up behind the plate by foul balls. After leaving a game earlier this month thanks to an errant foul ball, it happened again on Sunday as the catcher exited the game in the seventh inning. Álvarez took consecutive foul balls off his left hand, with manager Buck Showalter revealing after the game that his catcher had suffered a finger contusion. The good news is that the X-rays came back negative but, again, you do worry about the amount of punishment Álvarez is taking behind the plate at the moment. You just hope that one of these foul balls doesn’t cause serious injury and that he has to miss a substantial amount of time. Leaving games early twice in a month has hardly been ideal for his development, with Álvarez needing to take advantage of every rep he can get both at the plate and behind it.

NIGHT TO FORGET

This was hardly a vintage series for starting pitching for the Mets. José Quintana and José Butto struggled in their respective starts. However, David Peterson really put up a dud in his outing on Thursday that set the tone for the remainder of the series. The lefty walked two and gave up two singles to put his team in an early first inning hole, and it didn’t really get any better from there. He gave up a further three hits in the third, including a home run to Alec Bohm, and he left the game after the fourth having given up four earned runs on five hits while allowing two walks and striking out seven. With time rapidly running out on the regular season, this was hardly the lasting impression Peterson would have wanted to leave as he battles for a bigger role in 2024.

UNWELCOME CONFIRMATION

We all knew it was coming. The writing has been on the wall for a considerable amount of time when it comes to this being a lost year. We just got ugly confirmation of that over the weekend. With a loss to the Phillies on Thursday, it was guaranteed that the Mets would finish under .500 in 2023. It confirmed the franchise’s 35th losing record in 62 seasons. Then, with another loss on Friday, the Mets were officially eliminated from playoff contention. The sweep in Philadelphia just hammered home how big of a hot, steaming dumpster fire this year really has been. Armed with a whopping $364 million payroll entering the year – the biggest in baseball – these not so Amazins’ have fumbled the bag at every opportunity, a myriad of failures that led to what was supposed to be a legit contender missing the postseason and the franchise opting for a rapid change in direction as a result. Just six games remain before the Mets can pack away their lockers, depart for the winter and really reflect on one of the biggest busts and most bitter disappointments in franchise, and indeed baseball, history.

The 71-85 New York Mets have an off day on Monday before opening up their final homestand of the year against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. The Mets have six games remaining in 2023, three against the Marlins and three against the Phillies, all at Citi Field.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Swept By Phillies appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Shohei Ohtani. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After the news of Shohei Ohtani being shutdown for the remainder of the season with an oblique injury, the New York Mets took the field against the Cincinnati Reds.

In the second game of the three-game set at Citi Field, the Reds defeated the Mets for the second-straight day, 3-2. The teams will showdown Sunday at 1:40 pm ET with New York looking to avoid the sweep.

Latest Mets News

Anthony Kay, who was traded for Marcus Stroman years back and was claimed off waivers this week, made his Triple-A debut and threw a perfect 1 1/3 innings.

Latest MLB News

It was reported by Alden González of ESPN that Shohei Ohtani season is over due to an oblique injury. He will now focus on an upcoming elbow procedure.

According to the Philadelphia Phillies, former manager Charlie Manuel suffered a stroke. They added that, “the next 24 hours will be crucial to his recovery.”

Matt Olson slugged his 52nd home run of the season. This is good for the major-league lead.

Latest on MMO

MMO’s Tyler Antonelle recapped what occurred in the baseball work on September 16.

MMO’s Sean Kenny analyzed how the system performed on September 15.

MMO’s Mathias Altman-Kurosaki analyzed David Peterson‘s outing on Friday which featured a career-high in strikeouts.

MMO’s John Sheridan explained how big the Mets’ deadline acquisitions were in Double-A Binghamton’s clinching of a playoff spot.

MMO’s Chris Bello recapped the Mets’ 3-2 Saturday loss to the Reds.

On This Day In Mets’ History

2001: Mets win their first game back after September 11 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Birthdays:

• John Franco, 63

The post Morning Briefing: Shohei Ohtani Set To Miss Rest Of Season appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mets owner Steve Cohen flew to Kansas City on Wednesday to address both the team and the media following the mets flurry of moves at Tuesday’s trade deadline. Among many other topics that were addressed, Cohen echoed general manager Billy Eppler’s sentiment from the day prior that although the Mets will not have previous years’ expectations, the Mets will still be competitive. Click here to see what else the Mets owner had to say on the state of the team. 

The Mets fell to seven games under .500 as they lost to the Kansas City Royals by a score of 4-0 last night. Kodai Senga gave up three runs in the first two innings of the game but was able to navigate traffic throughout his 5 2/3 innings of work to keep the Mets in the game. The Mets’ offense was not able to cash in with runners in scoring position, which culminated in the ninth inning by leaving the bases loaded.

The Mets will try to salvage the last game of the series as they will throw Carlos Carrasco (3-5, 6.40 ERA) against the Royals’ Brady Singer (6-8, 5.46 ERA). 

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Mets catcher Francisco Álvarez was awarded National League Rookie of the Month for his resurgent month of July where he slugged eight home runs and 16 RBIs with an OPS of .974. 

Brandon Nimmo missed his second game in a row last night after experiencing tightness in his left quad during batting practice on Tuesday. According to Andrew Tredinnick of NorthJersey.com, Nimmo ran yesterday and said he felt really good but said he was “missing that last 10%” and considers himself day-to-day. 

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Domingo Germán was placed on the restricted list as he agreed to voluntarily submit to inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse. The Yankees pitcher, who threw a perfect game earlier this season, will not be returning to the club this season per Yankees manager Aaron Boone. 

The Chicago Cubs announced that they are placing starting pitcher Marcus Stroman on the 15-day IL (retroactive to August 1st) with right hip inflammation. Stroman, a former Met, was having a career year as he had a 2.47 ERA through three months, but he has struggled as of late as he holds a 9 ERA in his last seven starts and will now be sidelined for the next couple of weeks.

Blue Jays star shortstop Bo Bichette was officially placed on the 10-day IL (retroactive to August 1) with right knee patellar tendonitis. Bichette suffered the injury as he pulled up short after rounding first while trying to stretch a single into a double against the Orioles on July 31; Toronto dodged a bullet as Bichette should be back in the near future. 

White Sox closer Liam Hendriks will most likely be sidelined until at least 2025 as the club announced he underwent Tommy John surgery. Hendriks returned earlier this season after his bout with non-Hodgkin lymphoma this winter. After posting a 5.40 ERA through five games, he will be sidelined yet again.

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Alexis Farinacci wrote about Álvarez being named NL Rookie of the Month.

Ross Bentley highlighted Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso‘s reactions to the Mets selling at the trade deadline.

Michael Famulari introduced Mets fans to the Mets new prospect from the Houston Astros, Ryan Clifford. 

On This Date in Mets History

2015: Michael Conforto hits his first career major league home run in the seventh game of his career. The Mets former first round pick would go on to make an all-star team and belt 132 home runs in his seven seasons with the club.

2004: Mets legendary announcer Bob Murphy passes away at the age of 79. Murphy did play-by-play for the Mets from their inagural season in 1962 all the way up until he retired in 2003. He has been inducted to the National Baseball, Mets, and National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame’

Birthdays: Travis Blankenhorn (27), Kevin Elster (59), Mackey Sasser (61)

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Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

On Thursday night, the Mets and Cubs concluded their three-game series at Wrigley Field, with the Mets securing an impressive 10-1 victory, courtesy of an outstanding performance by Carlos Carrasco. Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso played key roles in the Mets’ triumph, contributing significantly to the team’s second-highest run total of the season. Notably, five Mets players achieved multi-hit games during the matchup. For more, here’s our recap!

The Mets will begin a series with the Rockies at Coors Field tonight at 7:40 p.m. ET.

Now onto the morning briefing!

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During the middle game of the three games series versus Chicago, Former Met and current Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman, successfully ended the eighth inning with a ground-ball double play while his team was leading 4-2. In an exuberant display, Stroman directed his excitement towards the Mets’ dugout, shouting and thumping his chest. While some Mets fans and players may have taken offense to his celebration, Mets player Pete Alonso defended Stroman’s actions, acknowledging his outstanding performance and suggesting that the Mets should have performed better if they were bothered by it. Mets manager Buck Showalter also commented, stating “If you don’t like it, do something about it. Play better.”

In his first rehab game for High-A Brooklyn, Mets catcher Omar Narváez had a mixed performance at the plate. He had no hits in one at-bat, which resulted in a strikeout due to a pitch clock violation. However, he did manage to draw a walk and spent five innings playing as a catcher.

Omar Narváez went 0-for-1 with a strikeout on a pitch clock violation and a walk.

He played five innings behind the plate in his first rehab game for High-A Brooklyn.

pic.twitter.com/uy0IGA3Jhf

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) May 26, 2023

In collaboration with Citi, Wheelchair Sports Federation, and the Mets Accessibility & Disability Alliance Employee Resource Group, the Amazin’ Mets Foundation organized a Wheelchair Softball Tournament & Clinic at Citi Field. The event saw the participation of adult athletes from local wheelchair softball teams, who received encouragement from Mets alumni Todd Zeile, Mr. Met, and Mrs. Met. The athletes competed in the tournament and also had the opportunity to attend a clinic specially designed for students with disabilities.

On December 30, 2022, former Mets draft pick Matthew Budgell lost his battle with cancer. Despite his own battle, Matthew started a foundation to support other cancer patients. The family is now seeking to collect all of Matthew’s baseball cards, particularly his 2011 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects 1st Bowman Card. A collector has already found the Superfractor, but more cards are needed to complete the collection. People are encouraged to search for Matthew’s cards and contact @FunkoPopHead on Twitter to contribute. The goal is to bring joy and support to the family through the shared passion of collecting baseball cards.

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Jeff Passan of ESPN writes about the implementation of automated balls and strikes (ABS) in the future of MLB’s minor leagues. Referred to as “robo-umps,” these automated systems use cameras and artificial intelligence to accurately determine whether a pitch is a ball or a strike. The article explores the advantages and challenges of ABS, such as improved consistency, decreased umpire errors, and potential impact on the game. While ABS has already been tested in some minor league games, there are still adjustments and fine-tuning needed before potentially introducing it to the major leagues. Passan emphasizes that ABS is not intended to replace umpires entirely but rather to enhance the accuracy and fairness of the game.

Eric Hosmer, the veteran first baseman, has been released by the Cubs, as indicated on his MLB.com profile page. After being designated for assignment last week and going unclaimed on waivers, Hosmer will now enter the open market following his release.

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Tommy Pham Not Catching On With Mets

Mark Vientos Struggling to Get Consistent Playing Time

Francisco Álvarez Cementing His Place As Mets’ No. 1 Catcher

On This Date in Mets History

2011: On May 26, 2011, Johan Santana displayed his brilliance by shutting out San Diego at Citi Field, all within a tight 96-pitch count. The Mets provided robust offensive support, scoring a total of nine runs, with four in the first inning and five in the eighth. However, the most extraordinary aspect of the game, surpassing Johan Santana’s impressive return after a year sidelined by shoulder surgery, was the electrifying final burst of runs. What made it particularly memorable was that a significant portion of those runs came from a remarkable grand slam hit by Mike Nickeas.

Birthdays: Sam Haggerty (29), Gabriel Ynoa (30), Paul Sewald (33)

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