Of Mets pitchers, the first guess would have been Freddy Peralta (3.12 ERA) and then maybe Nolan McLean (2.78), but after his eighth consecutive start of allowing two earned runs or fewer Holmes’ ERA leads the NL at 1.86. He’s been so good that giving up two runs in 5 2/3 innings in the 2-1 loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday made his ERA rise.

The last time he gave up more than two earned runs in a game was on September 10. He is tied for fifth in the NL in innings pitched (48 1/3), ninth in WHIP (1.01), and 10th in batting-average against (.190). What is the 33-year-old’s secret?

William Liang-Imagn Images

“Just being able to limit damage, that’s what I do with kind of my repertoire, I’ve been able to limit damage and when I’m in the zone and don’t give free passes then I set myself up for success,” Holmes told the media. “In between the sinker and changeup, curveball, the sweeper, just able to get outs on the ground and really limit the damage. It helps me kind of go deeper in games and just try to give the team the best chance to win.”

Holmes entered Saturday in the 93rd percentile for ground ball percentage, per Baseball Savant. He had thrown his sinker 50 percent of the time, followed by the sweeper (17 percent), change (15 percent), curve (9 percent) and cutter (eight percent).

Unfortunately, for Holmes, a couple of ground balls found holes in the third inning. The first was a base hit by Corbin Carroll. The second was a two-out, bases-loaded single by Ildemaro Vargas that was just out of the reach of a diving Bo Bichette. It plated two runs and the Mets (15-24) never recovered.

Holmes (4-3) gave up five hits, walked two, struck out six and threw 64 of 103 pitches for strikes.

“I thought he was very good even though they put together some really good at-bats,” Carlos Mendoza said. “He gave us a chance and another solid outing from him.”

The post Consistent Clay Holmes Leads National League In ERA appeared first on Metsmerized.

How do we think the Mets will do? Who do we think will take the National League East? How will the rest of the league fair? Here’s what we here at MMO think.

Juan Soto (22) Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Christian De Block

Mets Record: 95-67

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Padres, Phillies, Diamondbacks

AL East: Orioles
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Astros
AL Wild Card: Blue Jays, Mariners, Red Sox

David Melendi

Mets Record: 93-69

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Phillies, Padres, Pirates

AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Royals
AL West: Mariners
AL Wild Card: Blue Jays, Yankees, Tigers

Chris Bello

Mets record: 87-75

NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Reds
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Cubs, Mets, Padres

AL East: Blue Jays
AL Central: Guardians
AL West: Mariners
AL Wild Card: Yankees, Orioles, Royals

James Villani

Mets Record: 96-66

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Phillies, Padres, Giants

AL East: Blue Jays
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Mariners
AL Wild Card: Yankees, Red Sox, Astros

Allison Waxman

Mets Record: 89-73

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Braves, Padres, Brewers

AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Mariners

AL Wild Card: Orioles, Royals, Red Sox

Jack Markowski

Mets Record: 92-70

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Pirates
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Phillies, Cubs, Brewers

AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Mariners
AL Wild Card: Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki

Mets Record: 93-69

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Brewers, Braves, Padres

AL East: Blue Jays
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Mariners
AL Wild Card: Red Sox, Yankees, Astros

Johnluke Chaparro

Mets Record: 91-71

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Brewers
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Reds, Phillies, Padres

AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Astros
AL Wild Card: Red Sox, Blue Jays, Mariners

Patrick Glynn

Mets record: 90-72

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: the stupid Dodgers
Wild Card: Phillies, Brewers, Giants

AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Astros
AL Wild Card: Blue Jays, Yankees, Mariners

The post MMO Roundtable: Mets Record, Division Winners, And Playoff Predictions appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets (82-78) fell to the Marlins (78-82) 6-2 Friday night. New York got out to a 2-0 lead just four batters into the game but couldn’t muster up any offense afterwards. The team’s sloppy defense continued, and it contributed greatly to a six-run fifth inning for the Marlins that put the game to bed.

Meanwhile, the Reds (82-78) won their game over the Brewers (96-64) 3-1 to put the Mets back on the outside looking in. The Mets and Reds once again own the same record, but with the Reds holding the tiebreaker, they have taken back control of the third Wild Card spot. The Diamondbacks fell 7-4 to the Padres, so it’s officially down to two teams.

As the Mets try to squeeze back into a playoff spot, it was reported late Friday night that they’ve called up flamethrower Dylan Ross. Will Sammon of The Athletic was first with the news.

Ross owns a 2.17 ERA across three minor league levels this season. He worked his way back from two UCL surgeries, as discussed in further detail in an exclusive Metsmerized interview by Mojo Hill this past summer.

Ross’s campaign includes a 1.69 ERA over 32 innings in the hitter-friendly International League. He has an 11 K/9 in that span, although accompanied by a 6.2 BB/9.

He adds a weapon to the Mets’ beleaguered bullpen over these crucial final two days of the regular season.

Dylan Ross. Photo by Kylie-Richelle

Latest Mets News

Brett Baty left Friday’s game with side discomfort after appearing to tweak something on a swing early in the game. The Mets announced after the game that it was an oblique injury, and there’s a fear Baty is done for the season.

Prior to Friday’s game, manager Carlos Mendoza announced that Clay Holmes would start Saturday’s game against Miami and that Sunday’s starter was to be determined. Mendoza, on constructing the rotation, said “this is literally one day at a time.”

According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, doctors have recommended that Reed Garrett get Tommy John surgery, but he is seeking a second opinion first. Garrett would be out all of next season if he does in fact need the surgery.

Latest MLB News

After walking off the Tigers Friday night, the Red Sox clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2021.

MLB released the top 20 jersey sales from this season. Shohei Ohtani had MLB’s most popular jersey for the third consecutive year, while the Mets had three players inside the top 20: Francisco Lindor (no. 5), Juan Soto (no. 6), and Pete Alonso (no. 17).

Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 30th home run of the season on Friday to join the 30-30 club for the first time in his career. Sammy Sosa was the only other Cub to have achieved the feat.

The Braves announced that they claimed former standout pitcher Alek Manoah off waivers from the Blue Jays and transferred Ozzie Albies to the 60-day injured list to make room on the roster. Manoah had a 3.96 ERA in 10 minor league starts this season and last pitched in the majors in May of 2024.

Baseball Savant added a feature to pitchers’ pages which displays their pitch mixes to righties and to lefties.

Latest on MMO

Kai Chang discusses why Nolan McLean got the job done in Thursday’s win over the Cubs despite seemingly poor numbers.

On This Date in Mets History

2000: The Mets punched their ticket to the postseason with a 6-2 win over the Braves, clinching a Wild Card spot. The Mets would go on to win the National League pennant.

Born on This Date: Luis Guillorme (1994), John Lannan (1984), Jon Rauch (1978), Jason Phillips (1976), Don Schulze (1962).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Call Up Dylan Ross For Final Two Games appeared first on Metsmerized.

But that’s why games are played on fields and not on paper. Philadelphia fared better against McLean than the first time they faced him, and Nola brushed aside his dreadful season to deliver a vintage start, leading to a 1-0 Phillies win. In a key game that the Mets could have and should have won, the offense failed to show up.

Nola was unusually dominant, especially considering his 9.96 ERA over his last six starts. He was rarely ever in trouble, allowing only three hits and two walks over six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. The lone threats against Nola came in the second and third innings. In the second, the Mets put runners on first and third, but Cedric Mullins struck out to end the scoring chance. In the third, Pete Alonso reached second on a two-out double, but Brandon Nimmo also struck out to end the inning.

McLean, on the other hand, was far from bad, but he did not have nearly the same kind of success he had against the Phillies less than two weeks ago. Battling with a bloodied nail on his throwing hand for most of the night, McLean was unable to control his breaking ball to the extent he’s been able to early in his career. He still lasted into the sixth inning, going 5 1/3 and allowing a run on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

The only run against McLean occurred during a second inning in which the Phillies peppered four hits—all singles—against McLean. Nick Castellanos delivered the run-scoring hit, an opposite-field single, to drive in Max Kepler from third base. McLean did a good job limiting the damage and received help from Cedric Mullins, who threw out Harrison Bader trying to stretch a single into a double.

McLean’s ability to keep the Mets in the game gave them several chances to tie the Phillies or take the lead, both against Nola and the Philadelphia bullpen. With Nola getting through six scoreless, David Robertson entered the seventh inning in a 1-0 game and silenced Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil, and Francisco Alvarez with ease. Robertson struck out two in the inning, Vientos and Alvarez, both on three pitches.

After Brooks Raley delivered a six-pitch, 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh, Matt Strahm entered in the top of the eighth as the Mets’ next test. The Mets countered with a pair of righty pinch hitters—Starling Marte and Luisangel Acuña—batting for Brett Baty and Cedric Mullins at the bottom of the order, but neither reached base. Francisco Lindor walked to send Juan Soto to the plate as the go-ahead run, but Soto hit a bullet ground ball right at Bryson Stott to send the game to the ninth.

Ryan Helsley delivered one of his best outings as a Met in the top of the ninth, putting the Phillies down in order with strikeouts to his final two batters. Helsley stuck with his breaking pitches and threw the fastball just one time out of a total of 15 pitches. Helsley’s effectiveness gave the Mets one more chance to score just one run in the bottom of the ninth against flamethrower Jhoan Duran, who they had walked off at Citi Field just a few weeks earlier.

Pete Alonso sent Duran’s first pitch of the night back up the middle for a slow ground ball single. Brandon Nimmo followed up Alonso’s hit with a flyout to left before Mark Vientos sent a deep line drive to right field over Castellanos’ head. Ronny Mauricio, running for Alonso, headed over to third while Vientos got into second base, standing to put runners on second and third with one out. Jeff McNeil put together a good at-bat, working a 2-2 count, but was blown away with 102 miles per hour to put the Mets down to their final out.

The game fell into Francisco Alvarez’s hands, but Alvarez swung at three straight curveballs in the opposite batter’s box to end the game. One of the more excruciating losses of the season, the Mets are now eight games behind the Phillies with 18 to play and will have to hope they can hold onto their grasp of a Wild Card spot.

Statistic of the Game: Rare Company

With his start in this game, Nolan McLean became just the second pitcher in MLB history to begin his career with five starts of at least five strikeouts and fewer than three runs scored. The other pitcher was Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.

Player of the Game: Nolan McLean + the Bullpen

While McLean wasn’t at his best, he gave the Mets every chance in the world to win the game. Gregory Soto, Brooks Raley, and Ryan Helsley combined for 2 2/3 perfect innings out of the bullpen in one of the more encouraging bullpen performances in some time.

On Deck

The Mets will play the second of their four-game series with the Phillies on Tuesday night at 6:45 p.m. ET. Sean Manaea (1-2, 5.60 ERA) will be hoping to reverse his fortunes, while Ranger Suárez (11-6, 2.89 ERA) gets the ball for Philadelphia. The game will air on SNY.

The post Mets Drop Heartbreaker in Crucial Game Against Phillies appeared first on Metsmerized.

Beginning with Saturday’s game against the Reds, the Mets are about to enter a three-game stretch where Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean will start for New York.

Sproat’s outing will be his major league debut, while Tong and McLean have put a jolt into a Mets team that badly needed it — McLean has had a historic four-start stretch to begin his career, while Tong looked great in his first outing last Friday. The Mets will be hoping all three can perform in big games against the Reds and Phillies.

Jonah Tong by Roberto Carlo

Latest Mets News

The Mets (76-65) defeated the Reds (70-71) 5-4 in their series opener in Cincinnati Friday night. The Mets got out to an early 4-0 lead but quickly saw that shrink to 5-4. Edwin Díaz found trouble in the bottom of the ninth by loading the bases with no outs, but he miraculously got out of it with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to earn the win.

With the win, the Mets are now six games ahead of the Reds in the NL Wild Card race, but just four games ahead of the Giants, who have surpassed the Reds with a recent hot streak. The Mets also remain six games behind the Phillies, who won on Friday, in the NL East.

Prior to Friday’s game, the Mets optioned starter Kodai Senga to Triple-A and activated Francisco Alvarez from the injured list. Senga’s expected to make a couple of starts in Syracuse to hopefully get right after he has been largely ineffective since returning from the injured list. Meanwhile, Alvarez rejoined the starting lineup Friday and went 1-for-4.

Mike Petriello of MLB.com wrote about Juan Soto‘s recent success with runners in scoring position and how he’s been able to reverse his fortunes from earlier in the season.

Former Cub Adbert Alzolay, who is currently in the Mets’ system rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, posted a video to X of himself facing live batters.

FOCO released a Mets cowboy hat, which can be purchased for $50.

Latest MLB News

Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan is being placed on the injured list with a right adductor strain. Finnegan has yet to allow a run in 14 1/3 innings since being traded to Detroit at the trade deadline. The Tigers also activated Parker Meadows from the injured list.

The Red Sox placed reliever Jordan Hicks on the injured list with right shoulder tendinitis. Hicks had a brutal 8.20 ERA in 21 games since coming over from the Giants in the Rafael Devers trade.

On Saturday, the Oakland Ballers of the Pioneer League will become the first professional sports team to be managed by AI. Manager Aaron Miles will defer all decision-making to artificial intelligence, including the starting lineup, when to bring pitchers in from the bullpen, and when to use pinch hitters.

Latest on MMO

Gabe Herz writes about McLean emerging as the potential ace of the Mets’ staff.

Johnluke Chaparro breaks down the 2025 season for Brandon Sproat and whether he’s ready for the big leagues.

On This Date in Mets History

Born on This Date: Donnie Hart (1990), Jerry Blevins (1983), Alex Escobar (1978).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Set for Three Straight Rookie Starts appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets defeated the Braves 12-7 on Friday night. The offense woke up in a big way, recording 21 hits, while Nolan McLean dazzled in seven strong innings. Reed Garrett and Ryan Helsley faltered, though, and gave up a combined five runs over the final two innings.

With the Mets’ win, and the Phillies and Reds both losing, the Mets gained ground in both the NL East and the Wild Card race. The Mets are now 6 games behind Philadelphia for the division lead and 1.5 games ahead of Cincinnati for the final playoff spot in the National League.

Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

Tylor Megill pitched well in his latest rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse. Megill went five innings and allowed no runs on just a hit and a walk with four strikeouts.

The Mets signed catcher Ali Sánchez to a minor league deal. Sánchez spent time with the Mets in 2020 and provides depth for the team after Francisco Alvarez was put on the injured list.

Latest MLB News

The Orioles signed catcher and top prospect Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million extension. Basallo recently made his MLB debut and just turned 21 years old.

Eno Sarris of The Athletic wrote about Bubba Chandler, who made his MLB debut on Friday, and some of the top starting pitching prospects still in Triple-A.

According to Red Sox manager Alex Cora, the team is moving starter Walker Buehler to the bullpen. Buehler has struggled this year with a 5.40 ERA in 22 starts.

The Twins DFA’d reliever José Ureña to make space for Mick Abel, who they acquired from the Phillies in the Jhoan Duran trade. Abel will make his Twins debut in a start on Saturday.

Latest on MMO

Kai Chang details the continued struggles from Sean Manaea.

On This Date in Mets History

Born on This Date: Billy McKinney (1994), Pat Strange (1980), Prentice Redman (1979), Raúl Casanova (1972), Ed Hearn (1960), Julio Franco (1958).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Gain Ground in NL East, Wild Card Race appeared first on Metsmerized.

The beginning of the game was defined by the starters’ elevated pitch counts and the lack of production with runners on base. Both Frankie Montas and Dylan Cease threw a ton of pitches and created traffic on the basepaths, but they were both able to limit the opposition to just one run each through the first four innings. In that span, both pitchers left five runners stranded.

A pivotal moment in the game occurred at the top of the third inning, when the home plate umpire made two questionable strike calls on Juan Soto, who struck out looking. Soto was incensed, and to save him from being ejected, Carlos Mendoza sacrificed himself and got himself booted from the game. It was Mendoza’s third ejection of the season, and it caused him to miss the rest of what turned into a crazy game.

Just an inning later, Mark Vientos nearly had a two-run, go-ahead home run to give the Mets the lead. He sent a pitch by Cease deep to right field, over the wall, but Fernando Tatis Jr. made a brilliant leaping grab over the wall to bring it back and rob Vientos. The play kept the game tied at one, and Cease was able to get out of the inning without allowing the Mets to score.

In his next at-bat the following inning, with two outs and the bases loaded, Vientos lifted another Cease pitch to the same area of the ballpark. This time, it went way over Tatis’ head and gave Vientos that elusive home run he nearly had the previous inning, his first long ball in two months. This one was grand, turning a 1-1 tie into a 5-1 lead.

Vintage Vientos.
pic.twitter.com/sPPCt4fsmh

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) July 29, 2025

That statement slam didn’t last long, as Montas and Huascar Brazobán melted down in the bottom of the inning. The two combined to surrender five runs, including a two-run shot off the bat of Luis Arráez and a would-be, inning-ending ground ball out that Brazobán was too slow covering first to get. A massive shot of momentum for the Mets quickly turned in favor of the Padres, who now held a 6-5 lead.

After Brazobán was finally able to get out of the fifth inning, the game became much milder with neither team scoring until yet another crazy inning in the ninth. Adrián Morejón, Jeremiah Estrada and Jason Adam combined for three hitless innings, bridging the way to closer Robert Suarez. Suarez, who had only allowed one home run all season before Monday’s game, left a fastball middle-away for Ronny Mauricio, who crushed it over the wall in right-center field. Mauricio’s second home run in as many games tied the game and sent it to the bottom of the ninth.

The bottom of the inning began as a disaster, with a single and a Gregory Soto throwing error on a sacrifice bunt, putting the winning run on second with no outs. Soto quickly recorded two outs on a fielder’s choice and a strikeout, but with one out to go and in a two-strike count, Elias Díaz lined a base hit into left field to secure a Padres walk-off win.

The Mets’ loss ends their win streak at seven games and keeps them 1.5 games ahead of the Phillies in the National League East.

Player of the Game

Mark Vientos’ grand slam was massive in the moment, considering how it affected the game, but also considering the trade chatter surrounding Vientos recently. He’s had a really rough season, but he’s swung the bat well lately and was rewarded (almost twice) for it tonight.

On Deck

The Mets continue their series with the Padres Tuesday night with first pitch scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET. Sean Manaea (1-1, 2.19 ERA) will take the mound for New York while San Diego’s starter is to be determined. The game will air on SNY and MLB Network.

The post Mets Win Streak Ends in Wild Loss to Padres appeared first on Metsmerized.

On Friday, the Mets announced that Paul Blackburn would begin a rehab assignment with High-A Brooklyn. Blackburn made that start Friday night, and he allowed two runs in three innings while striking out six batters. Blackburn has yet to appear in a major league game this year but he’s on his way, and he will certainly be counted on for innings either as a sixth starter or bulk man upon his return.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Latest Mets News

The Mets (22-11) defeated the Cardinals (14-19) 9-3 on Friday night. Clay Holmes tossed a quality start and lowered his ERA to 2.95 while Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo homered. Five Mets batters, including Alonso and Nimmo, recorded two or more hits in the victory.

Two Mets were recognized with monthly awards for the month of April. Pete Alonso was named National League Player of the Month by hitting seven home runs and accumulating a 1.131 OPS, while Luisangel Acuña was named National League Rookie of the Month by recording a .288 batting average with seven stolen bases.

Prior to Friday’s game, the Mets announced that reliever Austin Warren has been recalled from Triple-A while Ty Adcock, who pitched in Thursday’s loss and recorded one out, was sent back down.

According to a report by Daniel Wexler, which was later confirmed by MMO’s own Mike Mayer, the Mets decided to call up Blade Tidwell to make a spot start in St. Louis on Sunday. Tidwell is one of the best pitching prospects in the Mets’ system and has pitched much better than his 5.00 ERA in Triple-A would suggest.

Latest MLB News

Per Yankees manager Aaron Boone, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has a “high grade” oblique strain and is expected to be out “a while.”

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, former Met J.D. Davis is returning to the Angels a day after being optioned and electing free agency. It is a minor league deal, and Davis will be reporting to Triple-A.

Latest on MMO

Kai Chang relives the breakout, two-home run performance by Juan Soto in Thursday’s loss against the Diamondbacks.

On This Date in Mets History

1988: David Cone threw his first career shutout in an 8-0 win over the Braves on this day 37 years ago. Cone began the 1988 season in the bullpen but joined the rotation after Rick Aguilera went down with an injury. Cone went on to deliver one of the best years of his career, going 20-3 with a 2.22 ERA in over 230 innings.

Born on This Date: Walker Lockett (1994), Jack DiLauro (1943), Chris Cannizzaro (1938).

The post Morning Briefing: Paul Blackburn Makes Rehab Start appeared first on Metsmerized.

Wild Card Update

Despite the Mets getting shellacked by the Phillies in a 12-2 loss Friday night, they remain two games ahead of the Braves for control of the final Wild Card spot after Atlanta lost to the Marlins 4-3. It’s a painful loss for the Braves, who couldn’t defeat the lowly Marlins to take advantage of New York’s defeat.

While the Mets will take staying two games in front of the Braves, with their loss they fell back behind the Diamondbacks and further behind the Padres, as both teams won Friday night. The Mets are now one game behind Arizona for the second Wild Card spot and three games behind San Diego for the top Wild Card spot.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

The Mets and Phillies play their third game of the four-game series at 4:10 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon. It will be a battle of lefties, with Sean Manaea (11-5, 3.26 ERA) taking the mound against Ranger Suárez (12-7, 3.13 ERA).

Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters before Friday’s game that Kodai Senga will pitch for Syracuse on Saturday and he will throw about 30-35 pitches over one or two innings. The belief is that Senga’s next outing after that will be in the major leagues, which could come in the final series against the Brewers.

Mendoza also mentioned to reporters that Francisco Lindor would resume baseball activities on Friday, and there was a hope he’d be able to return to the lineup for Saturday’s game.

The Mets announced their Player Development Award winners early Friday, given to this season’s top minor league players and staff members. Here are the winners:

• Player of the Year: Nick Morabito (.312/.403/.398/.801, 4 HR, 32 RBI, 59 SB, 74 R, 142 H in 119 games between St. Lucie and Brooklyn)
• Pitcher of the Year: Brandon Sproat (7-4, 3.40 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 130 SO, 116 1/3 IP in 24 appearances between Brooklyn, Binghamton, and Syracuse)
• DSL Player of the Year: Edward Lantigua (.263/.397/.395/.792, 1 HR, 22 RBI, 9 SB, 28 R, 40 H in 45 games)
• DSL Pitcher of the Year: Jose Guevara (3-2, 1.64 ERA, 0.841 WHIP, 52 SO, 44 IP in 10 appearances)
• Minor League Staff Member of the Year: Ches Goodman (Coordinator, Minor League Operations)
• Dominican Academy Staff Member of the Year: Anthony Sambois (Manager, Latin America Baseball Systems)

Latest MLB News

Juan Soto was scratched from the Yankees’ lineup Friday night, a day after he injured himself sliding into the outfield wall. Soto experienced soreness and swelling in his knee, prompting his removal from the lineup. Soto’s X-rays came back negative, and he is not expected to undergo additional testing.

The Diamondbacks reinstated outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from the injured list and designated former Met Luis Guillorme for assignment. Gurriel last played September 1, but he’s been a big part of the Diamondbacks offense this year with 17 home runs and a .744 OPS. Guillorme, meanwhile, had just a .563 OPS in 18 games with Arizona, and he has a .574 OPS overall this year between three teams.

Latest on MMO

In the latest Mets Minors Recap, Michael Mayer highlights another stellar performance in Syracuse from Jett Williams.

Colin Chatto breaks down the fantastic night at the plate from Brandon Nimmo on Thursday, which helped the Mets defeat the Phillies.

David Melendi writes about how Mark Vientos has earned consideration for the Silver Slugger Award this year. He would become just the third Mets third baseman (Howard Johnson, David Wright) to win the award.

On This Date in Mets History

2001: The Mets played in the first sporting event in New York City following the 9/11 attacks just 10 days prior. Mike Piazza delivered his iconic home run in the eighth inning to help the Mets defeat the Braves 3-2.

Born On This Date: Antonio Bastardo (1985), Joaquín Arias (1984), Greg Burke (1982), Scott Rice (1981), D.J. Dozier (1965).

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Keep Ground in Wild Card Race Despite Loss appeared first on Metsmerized.

When he would flash the strikeout stuff, but also walk too many batters and hand the ball to the bullpen with at least twelve outs to get.

Well, that was first half Manaea. And when the Mets started winning toward the All-Star break, Manaea continued to work, dropped his arm slot, and has turned out an ace-like second half.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In 13 starts post All-Star break, Manaea is 11-2 with a 3.09 ERA in 81 2/3 innings. Length has also been a strong suit, with the lefty recording at least six innings in 10 of his 13 starts.

It was no different on Monday, where Manaea turned out a much needed, shutdown outing against the Nationals. He carved up the young and improved division rival Nationals, striking out six across seven innings of one-run ball.

He kept young phenom James Wood to a single, 2023’s No. 2 overall draft pick Dylan Crews 0-for-4, and set the Mets up for their dramatic comeback win where they scored runs in the eighth and tenth innings.

It was yet another exclamation point by Manaea. And another page in the impressive book he’s been writing in September. In four starts this month, the lefty is 4-0 with a 1.98 ERA in 27 1/3 innings.

“I’ve learned the hard way, when you stop trying to put in the work and get better bad things will happen,” Manaea said on his strong season. “I never want to be caught off guard like that again.”

Outing after outing, Manaea has given the Mets a chance to win, which the team has taken as they’re 11-2 in his second-half starts. It’s all coming together for the starter and the Mets as they continue to win and chase a playoff spot this season.

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re in a playoff atmosphere,” Manaea said on his one-run performance. “We’ve got to take it like that every day.”

Zooming in, Manaea has established himself as one of the best starters in the majors this season. He’s 15th in the majors in ERA and seventh in the National League.

He’s pitched well above his contract, and has solidified himself as the ace of the Mets staff in a season where the club has gotten one start from Kodai Senga.

Sean Manaea overpowers James Wood to work out of trouble in the third pic.twitter.com/E9aTXS5ojb

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 16, 2024

Manaea is one massive reason the Mets are in a pennant race right now. He leads the rotation in starts (30), wins (11), strikeouts (177), WHIP (1.082), and is second in ERA (3.26). Manaea would easily get the Game 1 start if the Mets secured a playoff spot.

And that’s a testament to how good Manaea has been this season. Not the Mets’ position as a team. Manaea has been a top 10 pitcher in the NL this season, and is easily in the conversation for the Cy Young award.

No, he won’t win due to Chris Sale‘s renaissance in Atlanta, but he’ll garner votes. Heck, Manaea could finish in the Top 5 by the season’s end.

As pointed out by Anthony DiComo, Manaea ranks second in the NL in games started, fourth in Win Probability added, fifth in WHIP, sixth in ERA and ERA+, seventh in strikeouts, ninth in innings, and 12th in wins.

The numbers speak for themselves. Manaea, along with Luis Severino, has been a great sign by David Stearns and will continue to push the Mets toward the pennant in a year where they were supposed to be retooling.

Manaea’s next two starts especially will factor into whether or not the Mets are playoff-bound. The lefty’s next start is against the Phillies, who tagged him for six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings back on June 8.

Then, it’ll be the Braves, indisputably the biggest series of the season. Unsurprisingly to say the least. As of now, the Mets will enter Atlanta desperately needing the tiebreaker over the Braves. Manaea hasn’t faced them this season, but will look to leave his mark on the mound with the season on the line.

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