MLB Pipeline has updated their Top 100 Prospects list. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony holds onto the top spot, with the recently debuted Chase Burns climbing to second. Notably, a couple of Mets made significant jumps, with Jonah Tong rising from No. 92 to No. 59, and Nolan McLean from No. 97 to No. 76. Meanwhile, Brandon Sproat fell off the list after a disappointing first half in Syracuse.

Jett Williams is the top Mets prospect listed at No. 45, and Carson Benge comes in at No. 74.

Tong, 22, sports a 1.73 ERA in Double-A Binghamton and has fanned hitters at a ridiculous 40.5% rate. McLean, 23 has a 2.25 ERA across time with both Binghamton and Syracuse. Tong and Benge were recently named to the 2025 All-Star Futures Game roster.

Latest Mets News

Tuesday’s Mets-Brewers game was rained out and will be made up today as a split doubleheader at 1:10 and 7:10 p.m. July 1 tickets are valid for game one. Fans who don’t attend can exchange them for select future games.

Game 1 of the doubleheader will see Mets sinkerballer Clay Holmes (8-4, 2.97 ERA) duel Brewers ace Freddy Peralta (8-4, 2.90 ERA). For Game 2, New York will send out Blade Tidwell (0-1, 10.13 ERA) to oppose rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski (3-0, 1.13 ERA) and his 96 MPH slider.

According to manager Carlos Mendoza (via SNY), right-hander Kodai Senga threw to hitters on Sunday and is currently slated to throw a bullpen and take fielding practice today. When asked if Senga might go on a rehab assignment after today’s bullpen, Mendoza answered carefully, saying only that it’s a possibility.

The Mets have traded veteran infielder Donovan Walton to the division-rival Phillies in exchange for cash. Walton, 31, was hitting .222/.315/.377 with 11 home runs for Triple-A Syracuse.

Sean Manaea and Jesse Winker were scheduled to play for Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday, but they were also rained out. The Rumble Ponies will play a doubleheader starting at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Latest MLB News

The Atlanta Braves acquired right-handed reliever Hunter Stratton from the Pirates in exchange for minor leaguer Titus Dumitru and cash, per an official team announcement. Stratton was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett following the move.

Left-handed slugger Yordan Alvarez has suffered a setback in his return from injury. According to Astros general manager Dana Brown, (via The Athletic’s Chandler Rome), Alvarez reported hand soreness and will be shut down for now. Further updates are expected by Wednesday.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that Trey Mancini has opted out of his minor league deal with the Diamondbacks and will test free agency. The 33-year-old first baseman had a strong June with Triple-A Reno, hitting .363 with nine home runs and a 1.125 OPS.

Latest on MMO

Jorge Eckardt writes about Jett Williams and his 2025 breakout season.

The latest MMO roundtable asks MMO staff whether they believe the Mets will make the playoffs given their recent slide.

Tyler Antonelle writes his weekly report on the Mets’ minor league affiliates.

On This Day In Mets History

2010: With the Mets up two and the tying run on first base, Francisco Rodríguez picks off Roger Bernadina to end the game.

The post Morning Briefing: Tong, McLean Moving Up Prospect Rankings appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning Mets fans!

The Mets took the rubber game of a three-game set from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday by a score of 5-0. David Peterson continued New York’s historic run of work from starting pitchers.

Today, the 7-2 Giants come into town as the two teams start a four-game series. It will be Tylor Megill (2-0, 0.00) up against Alex Cobb (1-0, 3.60).

Latest Mets News

Read a full recap of yesterday’s shutout win.

The Mets announced that they have dedicated their press box to the great Jay Horowitz.

Latest MLB News

Perennial MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. will start a rehab stint with the Gwinnett Stripers, the Triple-A affiliate of MLB’s reigning champion Braves.

Mike Trout, who left yesterday’s game after being hit in the hand, is considered day-to-day after negative X-rays.

A 20-year-old phenom from Japan, Rosi Sasaki, followed up his perfect game last week with another eight innings of perfection on Saturday night. That’s 52 batters retired consecutively.

Buck Martinez, broadcaster for the Toronto Blue Jays, announced that he is battling cancer and will be stepping away from the booth for the time being. We wish Buck all the best.

Rich Hill will start today against the Twins, on Boston Marathon Monday, about a week after the passing of his father, who ran the marathon 37 times.

Latest on MMO

Patrick Glynn wrote about Jon Heyman’s report that the Mets are not a realistic suitor for Aaron Judge come free agency.

On This Date in Mets History

Birthdays: Rico Brogna (52)

Let’s go Mets!

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David Stearns

Good morning, Mets fans!

While Mets president Sandy Alderson expressed disappointment this week with the club’s inability to hire a president of baseball operations in 2021, news on Thursday gave Mets fans a little more hope. The news was that a big name baseball executive may still be in the mix for the job, though his hiring may have to wait.

One of the names linked to the job since the beginning was Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns. According to reports, the Mets are open to leaving that position open and hiring Stearns in 2022. Stearns says he is happily employed with the Brewers, though the Mets are hopeful the the New York native is still an option as long as that position remains open. It is not clear though, how long he is tied contractually with the Brewers, and the organization denied the Mets permission to interview him in 2020 and 2021.

Latest Mets News

While the hiring of the Mets front office personnel has been slow, the team has greatly expanded their analytic department. The team is now at 26 employees in that department, significantly up from where they were a year ago and even higher than under the previous ownership group.

One of the names that is rumored that the Mets have been interested in hiring for their front office has been former Washington Nationals Director of Baseball Research and Development, Sam Mondry-Cohen. The Athletic’s Eno Sarris listed Mondry-Cohen as an option in his piece examining who may be the next generation’s general managers in baseball.

Latest MLB News

MLB’s Silver Slugger awards were announced on Thursday with nine players, one for each position being awarded that position’s best hitter.

Here are the nine hitters to receive the award in the National League: 1B Freddie Freeman, 2B Ozzie Albies, 3B Austin Riley, SS Fernando Tatis Jr. OF Juan Soto, OF Nick Castellanos, OF Bryce Harper, C Buster Posey, P Max Fried.

For the American League the award winners were: 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2B Marcus Semien, 3B Rafael Devers, SS Xander Bogaerts, OF Cedric Mullins, OF Aaron Judge, OF Teoscar Hernandez, C Salvador Perez, DH Shohei Ohtani.

The Kansas City Royals announced that long time scout Art Stewart has passed away. Stewart was 94 years old at the time of his passing and just completed his 52^nd year working for the organization. He is credited with more than 70 players he scouted that reached the big leagues.

Ken Rosenthal and Even Drellich of The Athletic report that in place of salary arbitration Major League Baseball (MLB) proposed players being paid via Fangraphs calculations of WAR during their meeting with the Major League Baseball Players Associations on Wednesday. Full details of the proposal were not released but it is expected that this part of the proposal would be rejected by the players.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan is reporting that the Philadelphia Phillies are hiring former Rays front office personnel, Anirudh Kilambi as the team’s Assistant General Manager. Kilambi is 27 years old and was the assistant director of research and development for the Rays during the 2021 season.

Tim Healey of Newsday posted that former Blue Jays and Mets pitcher Steven Matz has generated a lot of interest on the free agent market. The left-hander was at the GM meetings this past week. Healey mentioned the Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers and Cardinals as all being interested in the Stony Brook, New York native.

Pirates outfielder and 2021 All-Star Bryan Reynolds is drawing some trade interest, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. Morosi says the team feels no pressure to move him but the Yankees and the Mariners have inquired about the 26-year-old star. Reynolds won’t be a free agent until after the 2025 season.

The Detroit Tigers are one of the that are expected to be very active in the free agent market. Sources told Jon Morosi that the organization has shown interest in free agent pitcher Jon Gray. Gray, formally of the Colorado Rockies was rumored to be traded around the July trade deadline but was not traded and stayed with Colorado. The team did not give him a qualifying offer, therefore any team that he signs with will not have to forfeit a draft pick to sign the right-hander.

Jon Heyman states that infielder Marcus Semien will turn down the $18.4 million qualifying offer from the Toronto Blue Jays. It should be no surprise as Semien is coming off one of his best seasons in the majors. The hit 45 home runs and drove in 102 runs in the 2021 season.

Heyman also reported that the World Series champion Atlanta Braves are hopeful that starting pitcher Mike Soroka will have an early summer return in 2022. Soroka tore his Achilles tendon on August 3 2020, ending his season. He had surgery to repair the injury four days later and but had a setback in May and had to have another surgery in the area.

Starling Marte is one of the top outfielders in this season’s free agent market and several teams will be interested in the 33-year-old. The Philadelphia Phillies are a team that are expected to be hot and heavy for the outfielder.

Latest on MMO

A potential free agent that is on the Mets radar is Eduardo Escobar. John Flanigan gives you all the information you need on the free agent infielder.

Matt Musico examines four potential trades that the Mets can make to add a pitcher to their starting rotation.

Washington Nationals President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo discussed Mets General Manager candidate Adam Cromie on Thursday. John Flanigan has that story.

On This Date in Mets History

Tom Seaver wins his third career National League Cy Young on this date in 1975. Seaver led the National League in victories (22) and had a 2.38 earned run average. He also struck out 243 hitters over 280 innings, leading the league in that category. Seaver also won the award in 1969 and 1973.

Birthdays: Aaron Heilman (43), Gary Thurman (57), Al Schmelz (78)

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: David Stearns Says He’s Happy in Milwaukee appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

The Dodgers are headed to the NLCS to take on the Braves after winning a nail-biter Thursday night over the Giants, 2-1. The game ended on a questionable check swing from old friend Wilmer Flores, with Max Scherzer recording the save.

Game 1 of the NLCS begins on Saturday at 8:07 p.m. on TBS.

Today, Game 1 of the ALCS will be played between the Red Sox and Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Framber Valdez will get the start for the Astros, while the Red Sox have yet to announce a starting pitcher for the game. First pitch is at 8:07 p.m. on FOX.

Latest Mets News

According to several sources, the Mets are interesting in bringing back utility infielder Jonathan Villar. The sources also say that Villar is interested in returning to the club. It has been reported that the two sides are working on an extension. Villar signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Mets this season and played well, hitting .248 with 18 home runs and 42 RBIs. He played solid defensively as well, playing third base, shortstop and second base over 142 games for the Amazins’ in 2021.

Latest MLB News

The Cardinals fired manager Mike Shildt on Thursday. In a surprising move, Shildt’s tenure with the team ends after three and a half seasons. The Cardinals finished the season with a 90-72 record and played in the Wild Card game this past week against the Dodgers. They lost the contest 3-1 to get eliminated from the playoffs. Cardinals president John Mozeliak said that philosophical differences was the reason for the firing.

The Yankees made a plethora of coaching changes on Thursday. The club did not renew the contract of third base coach Phil Nevin. Nevin had been with the team since the 2018 season and was recently the subject of controversy when he sent home Aaron Judge, who got thrown out trying to score during last week’s Wild Card game against the Boston Red Sox. Nevin wasn’t alone. The club also announced that hitting coach Marcus Thames and assistant hitting coach PJ Piliterre would not return for the 2021 season. Piliterre had been with the organization since the 2004 season, in a variety of roles. Thames had been the hitting coach for the club since the 2016 season.

The Yankees finished the season with a record 92-70 and lost to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card game. The club has yet to announce the status of manager Aaron Boone, whose contract with the team expires after the World Series.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger wrote a piece that was published in The Athletic on Thursday. Haniger examined the Mariners 2021 season in which the club finished just a game shy of making the playoffs. He also spoke about the ups and downs in his career and spoke about how optimistic he is about the future of the ballclub.

Astros shortstop Carlos Correra is a free agent at the end of the 2021 season and there will be several teams who are interested in his services. One of those teams may be the Chicago Cubs, who had their eyes on him in the draft nine years ago. Gordon Whittenmeyer discusses how the team and players paths may cross again in the off-season.

On the field, Trey Mancini’s 2021 season was almost perfect. Off the field however, Mancini’s road wasn’t so smooth. Dan Connolly of The Athletic writes about the scare the Orioles outfielder had back in June. Mancini is telling his story to help other people battling cancer.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the eight finalists for the 2022 Ford C. Frick Award. It’s an annual award given for broadcasting excellence. The eight finalists are Pat Flanagan, Jack Graney, Waite Hoyt, France Laux, Rosey Rowswell, Hal Totten, Ty Tyson and Bert Wilson.

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Francisco Lindor‘s 2021 season was one that did not go as planned for the superstar shortstop. Matt Musico explains it’s not the only time that a young star came to the Mets and had a tough go of it at first. He also explains how it worked out okay for Carlos Beltran.

Austin Simmons gives out his 2021 Report Card on Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman.

On This Date in Mets History

One of the most iconic catches in Mets history occurred on this date in 1969. On October 15, 1969, the  Mets and Orioles squared off in Game 4 of the 1969 World Series. Tom Seaver got the ball for the Amazins’ and was spectacular.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a solo home run by Donn Clendenon. Seaver would hold the lead until the ninth inning when the Orioles threatened. Back-to-back singles by Boog Powell and Frank Robinson put runners on first and third with one out for Brooks Robinson. That’s when ‘the catch’ occurred. Robinson hit a sinking line drive to right field and Mets outfielder Ron Swoboda tried to make a play. That’s when Swoboda, running to his right, leaped forward and made a spectacular catch, robbing Robinson of extra bases.

The Orioles would tie the game on the catch, as Frank Robinson came home to score the tying run on a sacrifice fly, but it could have been much worse. The Swoboda catch helped Seaver escape trouble in the ninth. The game would move to extra innings where the Mets would win in the 10^th inning to take a 3-1 series lead.

The most memorable game in Mets postseason history occurred on this date in 1986. It was Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS, when the Mets defeated the Houston Astros to advance to the franchise’s third ever World Series. The game lasted four hours and 46 minutes, marking the longest post-season game up until that point. It was a 16-inning marathon that started as a 3-0 Astros lead in the ninth inning. The Mets would score three runs in the ninth on a rally started by Lenny Dykstra and Ray Knight. They would take a 7-4 lead in the 16th inning but the Astros scored two runs to pull the game within a run before Jesse Orosco struck out Kevin Bass to end the game.

The Mets advanced to the NLCS on this date in 2015. Leading the NLDS two games to one, the Mets had young Jacob deGrom take the hill. The Dodgers jumped out to an early 2-1 lead in the first but the Mets tied the game in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Travis d’Arnaud. Then in the sixth inning, Daniel Murphy hit a solo home run to give the Amazins’ a 3-2 lead. That was all the Mets needed. DeGrom was brilliant after the first inning and Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia came in in relief and shut down the Dodgers offense the next three innings, not allowing a hit. Familia struck out Howie Kendrick to end the game and advance the Mets to the NLCS.

Birthdays: Lou Klimchock (82)

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Dodgers Win a Controversial Classic appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Met fans!

Both American League Division Series (ALDS) began on Thursday night. It started with the opening game of the between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros from Minute Maid Park in Houston.

The Astros took Game 1 of the series by a score of 6-1. Yordan Alvarez hit a fifth inning homer and Michael Brantley ripped a two-run single. They were the big hits for the Stros as Houston starter Lance McCullers threw 6.2 innings giving up just four hits and no earned runs. Game 2 of the series begins at 2:00 ET on Friday. The scheduled starters are Lucas Giolito (11-9 3.53) for the White Sox. He will be opposed by Framber Valdez (11-6 3.14) for Houston.

As for the other ALDS, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 5-0. Randy Arozarena performed his postseason magic again with a long home run in the fifth inning. Nelson Cruz got the scoring also launched a homer in the third. Shane McClanahan threw five innings of shutout ball to get the victory. Eduardo Rodriguez pitched for the Red Sox and only lasted 1.2 innings, giving up two earned runs.

Game 2 of the series is Friday with veteran Chris Sale (1-2 5.76) on the mound for the Red Sox and rookie Shane Baz (2-0 2.03) pitching for the Rays.

Latest Mets News

Mets acting general manager Zack Scott’s DWI case was adjourned on Thursday with a trial date that is set for December 8. Scott was arrested on August 31 after he was found asleep in his car at a traffic light.

Metrospective, a Mets podcast via The Athletic, features Ted Berg and Tim Britton. This week the duo discusses the Mets decision to let go of manager Luis Rojas as well as the very busy offseason that lies ahead for the Mets.

Former Mets manager Mickey Callaway will return to the dugout, though it is not in the United States. Callaway will be the manager of the Acereros de Monclova ballclub in the Mexican Winter League. Callaway has been on Major League Baseball’s ineligible list since May. He is not eligible to return until after the 2022 season. This was in relation to Callaway being the subject of an investigation into sexual harassment and misconduct of at least five women over a five-year period.

Latest MLB News

The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays released their rosters for their American League Division Series (ALDS). Red Sox outfielder J.D. Martinez was included on the roster, but did not start Game 1 of the series on Thursday. Martinez is nursing an ankle injury.

The Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox released their roster ahead of their matchup in the ALDS that began on Thursday night.

According to Jake Kaplan of The Athletic, Astros owner Jim Crane acknowledged that the Astros are likely to extend a qualifying offer to 38-year-old starting pitcher Justin Verlander. Verlander missed the entire 2021 season recovering from Tommy John Surgery. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has 226 career victories and an ERA of 3.33. He is set to become a free agent following the 2021 season.

David O’Brien from The Athletic wrote about Braves starter Charlie Morton and his mindset as the Braves begin their National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.

Latest on MMO

October is the start of the postseason and it is also the start of the offseason rumor mill. One source says that Mets outfielder Michael Conforto will not accept a qualifying offer from the Mets, shall he get one. Henry Gold has more.

In addition to a new manager, the Mets will be looking for some new coaches in 2022. Michael Mayer explains the situation and also talks about a coach that may stay on the staff.

Former Met Neil Walker was a fan favorite in his short time in a Met uniform. Walker sat down with our Mathew Brownstein to discuss his life and career including his favorite memories as a Met.

A couple of Mets prospects were selected as Double-A All-Stars. Michael Mayer tells you who.

On This Date in Mets History

The Mets won Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on this date in 1973. Rusty Staub hit two home runs to help give the Mets a 9-2 victory. Staub’s first home run came off of Reds starter Ross Grimsley in the first inning. He hit his second blast in the second inning off of Tom Hall, this one being a three-run blast. The game is famous for a scuffle between the Reds’ Pete Rose and Mets shortstop Buddy Harrelson. Mets starter Jerry Koosman threw a complete game, giving up eight hits and two runs to the powerful Reds lineup. The victory pushed the series 2-1 in favor of the Mets.

Arguably the greatest game pitched in the history of the New York Mets occurred on this date in 2000. Bobby Jones threw a complete game one-hitter in game four of the 2000 National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants. The effort was good enough to get the Mets a 4-0 victory and advance the team to their second consecutive National League Championship Series. It was the first one-hitter thrown in the post-season since the 1967 World Series. The lone Giants hit was a fifth-inning double by Jeff Kent. The Mets scored four runs off of Giants starter Mark Gardner, including a two-run first-inning homer by Robin Ventura.

Let’s go Mets!

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Mandatory Credit: Kam Nedd-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

The Mets closed out Citi Field in style on Thursday with a dominating victory over the Miami Marlins winning by a score of 12-3. Pete Alonso hit two homers and Francisco Lindor rocketed a grand-slam on a memorable night in Queens.

For Alonso it was home runs number 36 and 37 on the season. He will try and reach 40 this weekend in Atlanta. Lindor’s blast was his 20th of the season, becoming just the second shortstop in club history to hit 20 or more home runs in a season.

At the end of the game Met fans paid tribute to Michael Conforto who went 3 for 5 and had a nice diving catch in the ninth inning. Conforto has played seven years in New York and is a pending free agent. Thursday night could have been his last game played at Citi Field and while Conforto was walking off the field, Met fans gave him a standing ovation.

Starting pitcher Rich Hill got his first win as a Met, going five innings giving up two earned runs on six hits. Brad Hand, Miguel Castro, Trevor May and Heath Hembree all threw in relief of Hill to secure the victory.

The Mets begin their final series of the season on Friday night as they head to Truist Park in Atlanta to start a three-game series against the Braves. Tylor Megill (3-6 4.78) will make his final start of the season for the Mets, who come into the game with a record of 76-83.

Huascar Ynoa (4-5 3.98) gets the ball for the Braves who clinched the National League Eastern division on Thursday. They have a record of 86-72.

Latest Mets News

The New York Mets have announced their starting rotation for their final series of the season in Atlanta. Rookie Tylor Megill will get the start on Friday with Trevor Williams and Noah Syndergaard finishing out the rotation. Syndergaard pitched an inning on in his start on Tuesday, making his season debut.

Baseball America released their top 10 prospects from the Low-A Southeast League on Thursday and Mets center field prospect Alex Ramirez was ranked as the No. 10 prospect in the league. Ramirez hit .258 in Port St. Lucie this season with 5 HR and 35 RBIs. He played 76 games, including 70 in the outfield. The Dominican Republic native is just 18 years old.

Former Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson was on the podcast “Untold Stories” with host Hookah Doncic this week. On the podcast Granderson told stories about what it was like being black in a Major League Baseball clubhouse and shared some of his favorite memories during his career.

Latest MLB News

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt confirmed on Thursday that veteran starter Adam Wainwright will get the start in their wildcard matchup on Wednesday night. The Cardinals have clinched a spot in the wildcard game following a 17-game winning streak that ended earlier this week. They will play either the Dodgers or the Giants.

The Boston Red Sox fell to the Baltimore Orioles by a score of 6-2 on Thursday night. Ryan Mountcastle hit a three-run homer off of Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta to give the Os the lead and they never looked back. The loss drops the Red Sox record to 89-70 and they now find themselves tied for the second wildcard spot with the Seattle Mariners. The Red Sox head to the nation’s capital this weekend to start a three-game set against the Washington Nationals. The Mariners finish the regular season at home against the Los Angeles Angels.

The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 on Thursday to give them some breathing room for the first American League wildcard position. The Yankees hit five home runs, two by Aaron Judge and one a piece from Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres and Brett Gardner. Corey Kluber threw 4.2 innings giving up two runs, but it was the Yankees bullpen who really stood out. Michael King, Luis Severino, Chad Green and Aroldis Chapman all had scoreless outings to give the Yankees the victory. The Yankees now find themselves up two games in the first wildcard spot, with just three games left to play. The Blue Jays are now a game out of the second wildcard spot, behind both the Red Sox and Mariners.

The Houston Astros topped the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Thursday to clinch their fourth American League West division title in five years. Lance McCullers Jr. beat Ryan Yarbrough at Minute Maid Park. Carlos Correa hit his 25^th home run of the season. It was a three-run job in the 4^th inning and was all the scoring the Astros needed.

Major League Baseball also announced the times of the Wild Card games for both leagues on Thursday. Next Tuesday’s American League Wild Card game will begin at 8:08 p.m. ET and will be broadcasted on ESPN. There will be an alternate statcast-driven broadcast on ESPN2. The first pitch for next Wednesday’s National League Wild Card game will be at 8:10 p.m. ET. That game will be show on TBS. Both games will have a one-hour pregame show on their respected networks.

Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas has purchased a controlling interest in Go the Distance Baseball, LLC, the venture that owns the All-Star Baseball Heaven and the Field of Dreams movie set. Thomas made the purchase along with friend and former Los Angeles Angels General Manager Dan Evans. Thomas will serve as the Chief Executive Officer while Evans will serve as Chief Operating Officer of the venture.

Latest NL East News

The Atlanta Braves clinched the National League East division on Thursday by beating the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 5-3. Jorge Soler and Austin Riley homered for the Bravos and Ian Anderson got the victory going six strong innings. It’s the fourth straight division title for the Braves.

Matt Gelb from The Athletic reported on the toxic culture within the Philadelphia Phillies farm system. Gelb describes the problems inside their minor league systems not off the field but on the field as well.

Latest on MMO

Team President Sandy Alderson gave his season ending press conference on Wednesday. Nate Mendelson writes about the five things we learned from Alderson on Wednesday.

Jeurys Familia‘s sinker is a pitch has is known for. However, in 2021 Familia’s sinker was very hit or miss in 2021. Matt Musico dove deep into the numbers to look at Familia’s sinker from an analytical perspective.

On This Date in Mets History

The Mets clinched the National League East on this day in 1973. In the first game of a scheduled make-up doubleheader at Wrigley Field, a day after the regular season ended, the New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs, 6 – 1, to capture the National League East flag. The Mets were 11 1/2 games behind and in last place on August 5th but won their 82nd game and clinched the division, making the second game of the twin bill unnecessary.

The Mets stayed alive in the race for the National League East division on this date in 1985. The Mets were facing off against the St. Louis Cardinals, who they trailed by three games for the lead in the division. The Mets were able to keep their season alive with a 1-0 victory in 11 innings. The lone run came on a solo home run by Darryl Strawberry off of Cardinals reliever Ken Dayley. Ron Darling threw nine scoreless innings for the Mets but Cardinals starter John Tudor matched him going ten scoreless innings. Jesse Orosco pitched the 10^th and 11^th for the Mets to earn the victory.

Birthdays: Brandon Knight (46), John Thomson (48), Chuck McElroy (54), Jeff Reardon (66), Pete Falcone (68), Bob Myrick (69), Buzz Capra (74), Chuck Hiller (1934)

Let’s go Mets!

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Photo by Chris Simon

Good morning, Mets fans!

The New York Mets head to Milwaukee on Friday to take on the Milwaukee Brewers to begin a three-game series at American Family Field. Tylor Megill (3.5 4.57) takes the mound for the Mets to start the series.

The club comes into the series in desperate need of some wins. They have a record of 73-79 and have just 10 games to play in their season. They sit 7.5 games out of the lead in the National League East Division and are 10 games out in the division. They have won just twice in the last eight games.

The Brewers, meanwhile, have clinched a playoff spot and lead the National League Central division. They have a record of 91-62 and a 7.5 game lead in the division. Left-hander Eric Lauer (6-5 3.03) is the scheduled starter for the Brewers on Friday.

Latest Mets News

James McCann’s season at the plate has not gone the way many expected. Tim Britton of The Athletic discusses what went wrong with McCann’s season and how to fix some of the problems that occurred in 2021.

Thursday’s scheduled game for the Syracuse Mets against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders was postponed due to rain. This comes a day after Wednesday night’s game was suspended due to weather. That means there will be extra baseball for the clubs on Friday and Saturday.

Friday will begin with Wednedsay’s suspended game. The game will start with two outs in the top of the fifth inning, just as it left off before the rainout. Both games on Friday will be nine innings. On Saturday, the teams will play two seven inning games, starting with the make up game from Thursday and finishing with the regularly scheduled game on Saturday.

Latest MLB News

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic is reporting that the Arizona Diamondbacks have extended the contract of manager Torey Lovullo. The extension ensures Lovullo will be back for the 2022 season and in addition, there will be a club option for 2023.

Lovullo has been the skipper of the D-backs since the 2017 season. He has a career record of 333-365 and made the playoffs in the 2016 season. In 2021, Arizona has a record of 49-104 and are in last place in the National League West division.

Major League Baseball will be experimenting with a new baseball for the final ten games of the Triple-A season Baseball America is reporting. MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword said that a handful of teams in the league will use a pre-tacked baseball. The organization also reported that MLB will experiment with a lot of different rules for the upcoming Arizona Fall League.

The Toronto Blue Jays have designated infielder Jake Lamb for assignment. The Jays needed the 40-man roster spot after Breyvic Valera returned from the COVID-19 IL. Lamb was picked up off of waivers by the Jays from the Chicago White Sox on September 3. In 12 games with Toronto Lamb had four hits in 31 at-bats with a homer and six RBIs.

The Blue Jays also made news for other reasons. Manager Charlie Montoyo and reliever Ryan Borucki were suspended for their role in a Wednesday night’s eighth inning incident involving Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier.

Montoyo received a one game suspension and a fine, while Borucki got a three game suspension for intentionally hitting Kiermaier with a pitch on Wednesday. Montoyo missed Wednesday’s game against the Twins to serve the suspension. The incident came just two days after Kiermaier picked up a game-plan card that was dropped by Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk.

Latest on MMO

The Mets have lost a member of their coaching staff. Matthew Newman has more.

Although the Mets have not performed the way the team had hoped in the last month of the season, infielder Javier Baez has. Drew Rosen discusses whether or not Baez has done enough to stay in New York after this season.

Pete Alonso has been the Mets most consistent offensive player in 2021. His power numbers are something that is rarely seen in this organization. Matt Musico breaks down Pete’s power numbers and see how they stack up with other power hitters in the Mets organization.

On This Date in Mets History

The Mets clinched their first ever division title on this date in 1969. Gary Gentry threw a complete game shutout, giving up just four hits against the St. Louis Cardinals at Shea Stadium. Offensively, the Mets hammered Cardinals starter Steve Carlton, knocking him out of the game in the first inning after only recording one out. Donn Clendenon hit a three-run homer and Ed Charles wacked a two-run shot to give the Mets a 5-0 lead after the first inning. That was all Gentry needed as he shut the Cardinals down. After the game, the Mets would celebrate on their home field  winning the first ever National League East title.

Mets third baseman Howard Johnson set a major league record on this date in 1991. On September 24, 1991 Johnson hit his 37^th home run of the season in the Mets 10-8 loss to Pittsburgh Pirates. HoJo broke his old record for most home runs by a switch-handed hitter in the National League, which he had set in 1989 when he hit 36 bombs. Johnson would finish the season with 38 blasts becoming the first NL switch-hitter to lead the league in that category.

Birthdays: Drew Smith (28), Hunter Strickland (33), Bernard Gilkey (55), Hubie Brooks (65)

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Desperate Mets Head to Milwaukee for Weekend Series appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

The New York Mets swept a doubleheader against the Washington Nationals on Thursday. Game one featured a solid pitching performance by Marcus Stroman and a three-run homer and a four-RBI game from Brandon Nimmo in a 4-1 Mets win.

Game two was looking to be a similar affair as the Mets led 4-1 heading into the top of the seventh inning. However, Trevor May and Jeurys Familia struggled, giving up the lead as the Nationals tied the game in the seventh. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Pete Alonso stepped up to the plate and hit a walk-off homer to give the Mets a 5-4 victory against the Nats at Citi Field.

The two wins on Thursday meant the Mets swept the three-game set against the Nationals, putting their record at 59-55. It also brings the club to within 0.5 games of the lead in the National League East behind the Philadelphia Phillies. The defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers come into Citi Field starting on Friday for a three-game set.

Left-hander Julio Urias (13-3 3.41) will be on the bump for the Dodgers on Friday night. Urias leads the National League in victories and hasn’t lost a game since May 7. Rookie Tylor Megill (1-2 3.20) will throw for the Mets. He will make his tenth big league start and while he hasn’t pitched poorly, he has lost his last two decisions. The Mets will wear their black jerseys for the second time this season.

Latest Mets News

The New York Mets have signed veteran outfielder Josh Reddick to a minor league deal. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com broke the news. Reddick, a 13-year major league veteran, was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 7 and will add more depth to the Mets outfield.

The 34-year-old hit .258 this year with just two home runs and 21 RBIs in 54 games for the D-backs. His on-base percentage was .285. In his career, Reddick has played a significant role on some successful teams, including winning a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2017. He’s been to the postseason eight times in his career and has 146 career home runs.  It is expected that Reddick will join the Mets Triple-A squad in Syracuse, New York.

Mets outfielder Jose Martinez went 1 for 2 in a rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie on Thursday. The 33-year-old played five innings in right field in his third game back after suffering a torn meniscus in Spring Training on March 7. The Mets haven’t given a timetable for Martinez’s return but say he could be back soon depending on how the rest of his rehab assignment goes.

Latest MLB News

Tim Anderson capped off what was a wonderful night for baseball on Thursday night as the Chicago White Sox shortstop smashed a walk-off two-run home run off of Zack Britton to give his team a 9-8 victory against the New York Yankees.

The game took place in a cornfield in Dyersville, Iowa and was an homage to the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams.” The game featured eight homers, including Anderson’s game ender. The Yankees led by a score of 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth after a four-run inning in their half of the frame. Giancarlo Stanton launched a two-run homer off of Liam Hendricks to give the Yankees the lead in the 9th. However, Britton wasn’t able to shut the game down and the Yankees fell in the historic matchup.

Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Chris Davis announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Thursday. The left-handed hitter made the announcement via the Baltimore Orioles Twitter page. Davis, whose contract ran through the 2022 season, had not played in the 2021 season due to a lower back strain. He also recently had hip surgery and that combined with the previous injury forced Davis’ decision.

Davis had a rocky tenure in Baltimore. Prior to the 2016 he signed a seven-year $161 million contract with the Orioles. This was coming off four straight seasons of 26 or more home runs. He followed that season up with two more seasons of 26 or more homers, but his production dropped substantially following the 2017 season.

His contract had recently become sort of a financially hamstring for a money strapped organization like the Baltimore Orioles. In all, Davis played 13 big league seasons, including 10 with the Orioles. He hit 295 career home runs and drove in 780 career runs. The Orioles will still pay Davis the remaining $17 million of his contract, according to Dan Connolly of The Athletic. However, the team will spread that money over the course of multiple years so the Orioles do not have to pay a lump sum in 2022.

The 2015 National League Cy Young Award winner is now available to be had. The Chicago Cubs have placed starting pitcher Jake Arrieta on unconditional release waivers on Thursday. Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic had the story. Arrieta, a 35-year-old right hander, was 5-11 with a 6.88 ERA for the Cubs in 2021. He was due to make $4 million in 2021 and had a $10 team million option with a $2 million buyout for the 2022 season.

Arrieta is now available to be claimed by any one of the remaining 29 major league teams. If a team shall claim him off waivers, that team is obligated to pay the remaining portion of his contact. Arrieta has the right to reject that claim and explore free agency. If Arrieta clears waivers the Cubs will be no longer responsible for the remaining money on his contract and he will be a free agent.

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired right-handed pitcher John Curtiss in a deadline deal with the Miami Marlins to help their bullpen but unfortunately for the Brew Crew, it looks like lTommy John surgery is on the table for Curtiss. This is according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The club has elected to get a second opinion to explore all their options. Curtis left his August 10 appearance against the Chicago Cubs with elbow soreness.

Latest NL East News

The Philadelphia Phillies topped the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park, salvaging the final game of the three-game set between the two first-place teams. Ranger Suarez went 4.2 innings for Phils and gave up just one run. Enyel De Los Santos, Hector Neris, Archie Bradley and Ian Kennedy threw 5.1 innings scoreless innings in relief to help preserve the victory.

The win means Philadelphia maintains their lead in the National League East. They lead the New York Mets by 0.5 games and the Atlanta Braves by one game. The Phillies host the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game set this weekend.

The Atlanta Braves hosted the Reds this week and failed to get the sweep on Thursday after a 12-3 defeat at Truist Park. Reds outfielder Jesse Winker hit a grand slam off Braves left-hander Kyle Muller in the second inning, which broke the game open. Vladimir Gutierrez got the win for the Reds, going six innings giving up an earned run and five hits.

The loss put the Braves one game back in the National League East. They head to Washington D.C. this weekend to take on the Nationals at Nationals Park. Charlie Morton gets the start on Friday for the Braves.

Latest on MMO

21 years ago on Thursday, Benny Agbayani made one of the most legendary blunders in New York Mets history. Brian Wright brings us back to that day and the circumstances around that play.

A couple of Mets prospects are smashing the ball down in the minor leagues. Connor Grey catches you up on some of the biggest names in the Mets farm system.

On This Date in Mets History

On this date in 1967 the Mets won both games of a double-header against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Shea Stadium. The Mets won game one by a score of 3-0 thanks in large part to a four hit shutout pitched by the great Tom Seaver. It was his first of 61 career shutout victories. The soon-to-be rookie of the year won his 12^th game of the season and lowered his ERA to 2.95. In game two, the Mets won 11-9. A Ron Swoboda three-run homer was the big blow for the Mets and Ed Kranepool drove in three runs as well. Don Shaw got the win in relief for the Mets, despite giving up two earned runs in two innings pitched.

On this date in 2000 the New York Mets won their fifth game in a row, a 2-0 shutout against the San Francisco Giants. Al Leiter threw eight innings of shutout ball, striking out 12 in a brilliant performance. John Franco closed the game out for the Mets, striking out former teammate Jeff Kent looking to end the game. The win pulled the Mets within 1.5 games of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East and gave them a 5.5. game lead in the National League Wild Card race.

Birthdays: Taijuan Walker (29), Hansel Robles (31), Jon Switzer (42)

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Get Back on Track With Doubleheader Sweep appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

White Sox catcher Yermin Mercedes made an interesting Instagram post on Wednesday. The 28-year-old stated that he was walking away from the game of baseball with the post starting with the words “I’m done.” In it he thanked his family and friends for their support.

However, he was back in the lineup for the White Sox Triple-A affiliate on Thursday night with another Instagram post explanation his post from the night before. In Thursday’s post, he expressed his love for the game and for his fans. He also talked about his dream to play in the major leagues and the frustration he has gone through not being able to be an established major leaguer. His retirement lasted less than 24 hours..

The Mets had a day off on Thursday but they better have enjoyed it. The team will play a stretch of 18 games in 17 days starting on Friday. They have a four-game lead in the National League East as they enter play on Friday with a record of 50-43.

The Mets will play host to the Toronto Blue Jays in an interleague series at Citi Field. The Blue Jays come into the series with a record of 48-44 and trail the Boston Red Sox by eight games in the American League East, entering Thursday. They are 4.5 games back of the second wildcard in the American League.

For the Mets, Tylor Megill (0-0 2.63) will make his sixth career start. Megill has been very competitive so far in his starts but has yet to receive a decision. He gave up six hits in six innings in his last start for as the Mets fell to the Pirates on Saturday.

He will be opposed by former Mets left-hander Steven Matz (8-4 4.36). Matz was traded to the Blue Jays from the Mets in the off-season for pitchers Sean Reid-Foley and Yennsy Diaz. The Stony Brook, New York native got off to a red-hot start in 2021, starting the season off with a 4-0 record. However, he has cooled off since then. He threw five shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles in his last outing on Sunday.

Latest Mets News

Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman hosted the first ever HDMH Foundation baseball and softball game on Thursday. The event was well received and even had a few special visitors in Mr. & Mrs. Met.

HDMH Foundation is the official charitable foundation of Stroman. HDMH stands for Height Doesn’t Measure Heart. Stroman, who is 5-foot-8, was told repeatedly in his life that he was too short to accomplish his dream of becoming a Major League Baseball player. With hard work and determination, he was able to do just that. He hopes that he can inspire kids to fulfill their dreams no matter what obstacles they may face.

Stroman also told Newsday’s Tim Healey that he and the Mets have yet to discuss a contract for the 2022 season and beyond. Stroman signed a one-year qualifying offer with the Mets in the off-season. The deal was worth just north of $18 million.

Jim Callis from MLB Pipeline reported that the Mets have signed their 11th-round draft pick Rowdey Jordan for $125k. The Mississippi State outfielder was part of the championship winning team in 2021. He is a switch hitter, who gives the Mets above average speed on the base paths, controls the strike zone and gets on base. No word yet on what level Jordan will report to. Callis also reported that the Mets signed 14th-round draft pick Nathan Lavender with a signing bonus of $125k. The Illinois left-hander led the Big Ten Conference in strikeout to walk ratio.

Latest MLB News

The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired DH Nelson Cruz in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the news. The 40-year-old slugger has 19 homers and 50 RBI in 346 plate appearances for the Twinkies in 2021. The Twins received two pitching prospects from the Rays in the deal.

One was Joe Ryan, a 25-year-old right-hander starting pitcher from San Francisco, California. He was a seventh-round draft choice for Tampa Bay in 2018. He spent the 2021 season in Triple-A Durham where he had a 3.63 ERA. He was the Rays’ 10th best prospect according to MLB.com. The Twins also received the Rays’ No. 17 prospect, Drew Strotman. Strotman is a 24-year-old starting pitcher who was in Triple-A Durham as well. He is from Sunnyvale, California and was the Rays’ fourth-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft.

MLB insider Jon Heyman is reporting that rival executives are telling him that while the Chicago Cubs are expected to be big time sellers at the trade deadline and move several key pieces don’t included shortstop Javier Baez or first baseman Anthony Rizzo into that conversation. The Cubs expect both Baez and Rizzo to sign contract extensions with the club, although negotiations have yet to begin.

Latest NL East News

Veteran Marlins reporter Craig Mish tweeted that sources told him that Marlins outfielder Monte Harrison was the instigator in a confrontation with teammate Starling Marte. The incident happened in their series with the Washington Nationals this past week. Mish stated that the sources told him that the club has handled the incident internally.

The Atlanta Braves took down Philadelphia Phillies 7-2 on Thursday. Charlie Morton got his 9th win of the season going six strong innings. Dansby Swanson hit a grand-slam to break the game open in the 3rd inning. The win moves -the Braves to within four games of the lead in the National League East. They improved their record to 47-48.

Latest on MMO

The Mets have a long stretch of games coming up. Nate Mendelson discusses the upcoming games and how the Mets offense has picked it up in the month of July.

FanGraphs released a new list of baseball’s top 100 prospects. Five Mets made the list; can you guess which ones? Michael Mayer has the names and more insight into those prospects.

On This Date in Mets History

On July 23, 1965, John Stephenson’s 10th-inning single off of Jack Baldschun give the Mets a 3-2 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium. The game was tied at 2-2 since the fourth inning until Stephenson’s single sent the crowd of 38,533 home happy. Jack Fisher pitched all 10 innings for the Amazins’ getting the win. He gave up two runs on five hits and struck out five.

A Wally Backman walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th put the Mets past the Cardinals 4-3 at Shea Stadium on this date in 1984. He did it off former Met Neil Allen and Mike Fitzgerald scored to give the Mets the victory. Walt Terrell started for the Mets and pitched seven strong innings but the bullpen was even better, throwing five innings of shutout ball that resulted in Ed Lynch getting his eighth win of the season. The win gave the Mets a 56-37 record and a 1.5 game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the NL East.

John Maine pitched seven strong innings to help the Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 6-3 on this date in 2008. Maine gave up six hits on three earned runs and was aided by a Jose Reyes three-run home run in the sixth inning off of Ryan Madson. 53,444 patrons at Shea Stadium witnessed the Mets pull to a dead even tie of the Phillies atop the National League East.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Yermin Mercedes Retires, Comes Back Next Day appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good morning, Mets fans!

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Mets are one of the teams interested in Kris Bryant of the Cubs. Bryant, a free agent after the season, has a 133 OPS+ and has played five different positions this year.

The New York Mets are scheduled to open up the second half of the season tonight as they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The Mets and Pirates split a four-game series at Citi Field just before the break and the Mets look to try and take the series on the road.

The Mets begin the second half with a record of 47-40 and sit atop the National League East with a 3.5 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. Marcus Stroman (6-7 2.75) toes the rubber for the Amazin’s. Stroman has pitched well in 2021 but has struggled of late, having last won a game on June 12 against the Padres. He has not gone more than five innings in a start since June 17. He last pitched on July 10, so he will have five days of rest heading into this start.

The Pirates have a record of 34-56 and are last in the National League Central division. They have yet to announce a starting pitcher for Friday’s game.

Latest Mets News

The New York Mets announced via their Twitter page that the highly anticipated return of the black jerseys will happen soon. The jerseys will debut on July 30 when the Mets take on the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. Several players including Marcus Stroman and Pete Alonso have been vocal about wanting to see the jerseys return. They will finally do so. The jersey will also be worn on August 13, August 27, September 10 and September 17, which equates to all the remaining Friday night home games starting on July 30.

Pitcher Carlos Carrasco completed his first rehab assignment on Thursday, hurling two innings for the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets high Single-A affiliate. Carrasco threw two innings, giving up just one hit while striking out two. He threw 27 pitches in total. It was the first game action of the season for the righty, who was acquired by the Mets in a trade with the Cleveland Indians during the off-season.

According to Tim Healey of Newsday, J.D. Davis has joined the Mets in Pittsburgh and the team plans to activate him before Friday night’s game. He has been on the IL since June 3 with a sprained left hand. Davis has been raking of late, hitting .370 in his ten games with the Triple-A Syracuse Mets. A roster move has yet to be announced by the club.

Minnesota Twins pitcher Jose Berrios is a name the Mets are considering trading for before the July 30 trade deadline. One of the reasons for that may be is because of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. Hefner was the assistant pitching coach for Minnesota in 2019 before taking the role as pitching coach with the Mets. According to SNY’s John Harper, Hefner has a good relationship with the right-hander and highly recommended him to the front office. Stay tuned.

Former New York Mets great Howard Johnson was on the Beat the Shift Podcast this week. Johnson went to the podcast to discuss the recent incident with his grandson Tanner Johnson. He also talked about his life and career including what it was like having Davey Johnson and Sparky Anderson as managers and about his career year in 1991.

Keith Hernandez said on a recent episode of the Shea Anything podcast that he will return to the booth for the next SNY telecast on Friday night. Hernandez missed his last couple of games on SNY after an accident with a hedge trimmer at his home. The incident, which resulted in a hospital stay, required some stitches according to the 1986 world champion. Hernandez said that he is feeling much better and will be ready to go on Friday. He will be joined in the booth by veteran broadcaster Gary Thorne, who will make his SNY debut filling in for Gary Cohen who has the weekend off.

Latest MLB News

It was a wild day in New York as the crosstown New York Yankees were scheduled to open up the second half of the regular season in a game against the Boston Red Sox. That game, however, was canceled when three Yankee players tested positive for COVID-19 and three others have pending COVID-19 tests.

It is reported that some of the players who either tested positive or have a pending test are Aaron Judge, Kyle Higashioka, Gio Urshela, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Wily Peralta. Cortes and Peralta were put on the COVID-19 list earlier in the day but the game was canceled as more tests news came about. The Boston Red Sox also had questions about contact tracing, which is also a reason for the game being canceled.

There is no word on just how long the series will be delayed, as the two rivals were scheduled for a four game set at Yankee Stadium this weekend.

The Seattle Mariners announced that they will recall outfielder Jarred Kelenic to their Major League club on Friday. Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto made the announcement on a Seattle radio station on Thursday.  Kelenic was one of the key pieces the M’s received in a trade with the Mets for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. It will be his second stint in the majors this season. His first stint lasted 23 games and he struggled batting just .096 with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs.

According to ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan Mariners reliever Hector Santiago’s 10-game suspension has been upheld. Santiago was found to have a foreign substance on his glove on June 27 and was immediately ejected from the game. Following further investigation the league suspended the left-hander 10 games, in which he appealed. His suspension will begin on Friday.

The New York Yankees made a couple of roster moves prior to their scheduled Thursday night game with the Boston Red Sox. Pitchers Nestor Cortes and Wily Peralta were placed on the Covid-19 injured list. They also announced that reliever Zach Britton was reinstated from the 10-day IL. Britton was on the IL with a pulled hamstring.

They also announced that outfielder Trey Amburgey was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Amburgey had an impressive 42 game on-base streak broken over the weekend. He was hitting .307 with 6 HRs and 34 RBIs in 37 games with the Railriders this season. The 26-year-old Floridian will wear No. 95 for the Bombers.

The club has not officially announced the status of the other players who tested positive for COVID-19 but it is expected they will have to miss some time.

Latest NL East News

The Atlanta Braves have acquired outfielder Joc Pederson from the Chicago Cubs for minor league first baseman Bryce Ball, the club announced via their Twitter page on Thursday. Pederson was hitting .230 with 11 HRs and 30 RBIs in 73 games with Cubbies this season. He was an All-Star in 2015 and spent the first seven years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves had a hole in the outfield after a season-ending injury to outfielder Ronald Acuna, Jr.

It’s the first of what is expected be a plethora of moves for the Cubs, who have recently said they are open to dealing a number of key players before the trade deadline. Ball has spent this season in Single-A Rome for the Braves and was hitting .207 with six homers in 53 games played this season. The 23-year-old was a 24^th round draft pick for the Braves in 2019.

Latest on MMO

Gabe Angieri graded the first half for the Mets’ infielders. What grade will Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso receiver? Read to find out.

What is there to look forward to in the second half? Matt Musico takes a look at the Mets second half and what scenarios he sees coming to fruition.

Patrick Glynn has more on Carlos Carrasco‘s rehab assignment from Brooklyn on Thursday.

On This Date in Mets History

On this date in 1967 the New York Mets swept a doubleheader from the first-place St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Dennis Bennett pitched seven strong innings to help secure the win in game one as he was aided with a two-run homer by Ed Kranepool in the 7^th inning off of Ray Washburn. Hal Reniff threw two scoreless innings to close out the game. The Mets won 2-1. In the second game, Kranepool hit another homer, this one off of Jack Lamabe. Lamabe was acquired by the Cardinals from the Mets the day before to help the Cards try and ease the loss of Bob Gibson, who was out with an injury. This day though, belonged to Ed Kranepool. He went 3-for-9 with two homers and five RBIs. Bob Shaw got the victory in relief for the Mets throwing five innings of scoreless baseball as the Mets won 8-5 sweeping the double-header.

On July 16, 1984, the New York Mets defeated the Houston Astros 13-3 in the Astrodome. The Mets beat former friend and future nemesis Mike Scott, who gave up five earned runs and nine hits in just five innings of work. In all, the Mets had 22 hits, one shy of a club record. George Foster and Mike Fitzgerald had three RBIs a piece, however the story of the day belonged to the 21-year-old left hander who started for the Mets. Sid Fernandez was called up from Triple-A Tidewater to make his first start for the Mets and he did not disappoint. He threw seven innings and gave up two hits to earn his first Major League victory.

The Mets hit five home runs, including two grand slams off Chicago Cub pitching in a 13-7 victory at Wrigley Field on this date in 2006. Carlos Beltran and Cliff Floyd hit a grand slam a piece, with David Wright, Chris Woodward homering as well. Floyd hit two homers on the night his first one being a solo blast in the fifth off of Cubs starter Sean Marshall. Marshall would relinquish Floyd’s slammer in the sixth and Roberto Novoa would give up Wright’s slam in an 11-run sixth inning to push the Mets in front for good.

Birthdays: Norm Sherry (1931)

Let’s go Mets!

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Interested in Kris Bryant appeared first on Metsmerized.