Prior to the game, Francisco Lindor was a late scratch from the lineup due to right-side soreness, making this the first game he didn’t play in all year. The Mets announced during the game that Lindor will undergo imaging tomorrow to hopefully diagnose the issue.

Without one of their best hitters in the lineup, the Mets couldn’t find the big hit against Morton who struggled with command all game. He allowed nine baserunners over the first four innings by issuing a career-high seven walks and allowing two hits, but he was able to keep them all from scoring as the Mets failed to pull ahead early.

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Following a 1-2-3 fifth, Morton exited the game after allowing a leadoff single in the sixth. His night ended with a zero in the score column despite throwing more balls than strikes and allowing ten baserunners over five-plus innings.

For the Mets, Megill had everything working for him early, even with some hard exit velocities given up. Through three innings, he allowed just one hit with his fastball topping out at 99 miles-per-hour. Megill’s luck ran out soon after, though. You can only silence the Braves’ lineup for so long.

An Austin Riley double was followed by a Matt Olson broken-bat single and a Marcell Ozuna dribbler that stayed fair to load the bases in the fourth inning. Eddie Rosario took advantage by dropping a ball into center field which cleared the bases after Brandon Nimmo couldn’t field the ball cleanly, putting the Braves ahead 3-0.

The Braves tacked on in the fifth with a pair of runs before adding another run in the sixth to put them firmly ahead, 6-0. This offensive onslaught chased Megill out of the game with one out in the sixth inning. Over his start, he allowed five earned runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out three batters. His ERA on the season rose slightly from 5.45 to 5.64.

Jimmy Yacabonis served as the mop-up man for the Mets, finishing out the game by throwing 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball. His lone blemish was a solo homer off the bat of Austin Riley in the seventh inning. With a seven-run deficit late in the game, the Mets pulled Nimmo from the game for DJ Stewart, moving Jeff McNeil to center field for the first time in his career.

The Mets couldn’t muster up any comeback, dropping the game 7-0 to fall to 52-63 on the year. They fall to 1-6 on the year against the Braves, with six games still to go against the National League leaders.

Stat of the Game

Per OptaSTATS, the Mets are the only MLB team in the modern era to record at least seven hits and nine walks in a nine-inning game and not score a single run. The Mets were 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position tonight and bailed out Charlie Morton in what should have been a far worse outing.

The Mets are the only MLB team in the modern era to collect 7+ hits and draw 9+ walks in a 9-inning game but not score a single run.

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 12, 2023

On Deck

The series with the Braves will continue on Saturday with a doubleheader. Denyi Reyes (0-1, 6.14 ERA) has joined the Mets and will get the start in the first game, while José Quintana (0-3, 3.42) will start the nightcap. Spencer Strider (12-4, 3.94 ERA) and Allan Winans (0-0, 4.15 ERA) will both start for the Braves, though which games they’ll pitch in is yet to be determined.

The first game will begin at 1:10 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on SNY. The second game will start at 7:15 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FOX.

The post Mets Set Embarrassing Record in 7-0 Loss to Braves appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The beginning of the 2023 Major League Baseball season is here, and that means it is time to take a look at the betting odds for all of the awards in the National League. Let’s take a look at where some of the New York Mets fall on these lists.

National League MVP Odds

Here are the top five betting favorites for this award.

1. San Diego Padres OF Juan Soto +550
2. Philadelphia Phillies SS Trea Turner +800
3. Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuña Jr. +850
4. Los Angels Dodgers OF Mookie Betts +900
5. San Diego Padres SS Fernando Tatís Jr. +1000

Some of the Mets that are featured on this list include first baseman Pete Alonso at +1500, shortstop Francisco Lindor at +2500 and starting pitcher Justin Verlander at +8000.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

National League CY Young Odds

Here are the top five betting favorites for this award.

1. Miami Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara +450
2. Milwaukee Brewers RHP Corbin Burnes +550
3. New York Mets RHP Justin Verlander +600
4. New York Mets RHP Max Scherzer +800
5. Atlanta Braves RHP Spencer Strider +950

Kodai Senga can also be found at +5000 on DraftKings.

Photo by MMO’s Ed Delany

National League Rookie of the Year Odds

Here are the top five betting favorites for this award.

1. St. Louis Cardinals 3B Jordan Walker +360
2. Arizona Diamondbacks OF Corbin Carroll +400
3. Los Angeles Dodgers 3B Miguel Vargas +700
4. New York Mets RHP Kodai Senga +950
5. Colorado Rockies SS Ezequiel Tovar +1200

Some of the Mets that are featured on this list include catcher Francisco Alvarez at +1800 and third baseman Brett Baty at +1900.

The post Betting Odds for 2023 National League Awards appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Billy Eppler and Justin Verlander. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The National League East was one of the best divisions in baseball last season. The division saw three teams move on to the playoffs, it housed two 101-win team, and supplied the National League’s representative in the World Series. Once again, it’s projected to be one of the most competitive divisions in the league. The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves each have top-five odds to win the World Series, and the pennant-winning Philadelphia Phillies are not far behind.

Given the above, it is no surprise that several of the NL East teams were active this off-season. How active you may wonder? Let’s take a look at each team’s additions and subtractions.

Parameters

Next to each player’s name under the ‘subtractions’ section is last year’s WAR generated by the player. This year’s projected WAR for the player will be listed next to their name in the ‘additions’ section. The net WAR added/subtracted will be disclosed at the bottom of each section.

All WAR projections and figures from last year are per Fangraphs.

Not all subtractions and additions are included. The only subtractions are the ones that played a valuable role, for better or worse, with the club last year. As for the additions, only players listed on the Fangraph’s 2023 projected depth charts for the specific clubs are listed.

Dansby Swanson. Photo credits: USA Today

Atlanta Braves

Additions:

• Sean Murphy, C (trade): 4.0 WAR
• Joe Jimenez, RP (trade): 0.6 WAR
• Jordan Luplow, OF/1B (free agent): 0.6 WAR
• Lucas Luetge, RP (trade): 0.2 WAR
• Sam Hilliard, OF (trade): 0.1 WAR
• Nick Anderson, RP (free agent): 0.0 WAR
• Dennis Santana, RP (trade): 0.0 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 5.5 WAR

Subtractions:

• Dansby Swanson, SS: 6.4 WAR
• William Contreras, DH/C: 2.4 WAR
• Kenley Jansen, RP: 1.1 WAR
• Adam Duvall, OF: 0.9 WAR
• Jesse Chavez, RP: 0.9 WAR
• Robbie Grossman, OF: 0.2 WAR
• Jake Odorizzi, SP: 0.1 WAR
• Ehire Adrianza, OF: 0.1 WAR
• Guillermo Heredia, OF: 0.0 WAR
• Darren O’Day, RP: 0.0 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): 12.1 WAR

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: -6.6 WAR

Kodai Senga. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York Mets

Additions:

• Justin Verlander, RP (free agent): 4.0 WAR
• Kodai Senga, SP (free agent): 2.2 WAR
• Omar Narváez, C (free agent): 2.0 WAR
• Jose Quintana, SP (free agent): 1.9 WAR
• Tommy Pham, OF (free agent): 0.5 WAR
• David Robertson, RP (free agent): 0.4 WAR
• Brooks Raley, RP (trade): 0.2 WAR
• Elieser Hernández, RP (trade): 0.2 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 11.4 WAR

Subtraction

• Chris Bassitt, SP: 2.7 WAR
• Taijuan Walker, SP: 2.5 WAR
• Jacob deGrom, SP: 2.2 WAR
• Trevor Williams, SP/RP: 0.6 WAR
• James McCann, C: 0.4 WAR
• Joely Rodriguez, RP: 0.4 WAR
• Seth Lugo, RP: 0.2 WAR
• Trevor May, RP: 0.1 WAR
• Mychal Givens, RP: -0.1 WAR
• Dominic Smith, 1B/DH: -0.1 WAR
• Tyler Naquin, OF: -0.1 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): 8.8 WAR

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: 2.6 WAR

Trea Turner. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Phillies

Additions:

• Trea Turner, SS (free agent): 4.5 WAR
• Taijuan Walker, SP (free agent): 1.5 WAR
• Craig Kimbrell, RP (free agent): 0.5 WAR
• Gregory Soto, RP (trade): 0.5 WAR
• Kody Clemens, INF/OF (trade): 0.2 WAR
• Matt Strahm, RP (free agent): 0.1 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 7.3 WAR

Subtractions

• Kyle Gibson, SP: 1.8 WAR
• Jean Segura, 2B: 1.7 WAR
• Zach Eflin, SP/RP: 1.4 WAR
• Noah Syndergaard, SP: 1.1 WAR
• Nick Maton, INF: 0.8 WAR
• Odúbel Herrera, OF: 0.4 WAR
• Johan Camargo, INF: 0.4 WAR
• David Robertson, RP: 0.3 WAR
• Brad Hand, RP: 0.3 WAR
• Corey Knebel, RP: 0.0 WAR
• Matt Vierling, OF: 0.0 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): 8.2 WAR

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: -0.9 WAR

Pablo Lopez. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Marlins

Additions:

• Luis Arráez, INF (trade): 3.3 WAR
• Jean Segura, 2B (free agent): 2.4 WAR
• Johnny Cueto, SP (free agent): 0.9 WAR
• JT Chargois, RP (trade): 0.1 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 6.7 WAR

Subtractions

• Pablo López, SP: 2.8 WAR
• Miguel Rojas, SS: 1.2 WAR
• Brian Anderson, 3B/OF: 0.5 WAR
• Jeff Brigham, RP: 0.2 WAR
• Cody Poteet, RP: -0.1 WAR
• Cole Sulser, RP: -0.2 WAR
• Lewin Diaz, 1B: -0.7 WAR
• Elieser Hernández, RP: -0.9 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): 2.8 WAR

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: 3.9 WAR

Dominic Smith. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Nationals

Additions:

• Jeimer Candelario, 3B/1B (free agent): 1.6 WAR
• Dominic Smith, 1B (free agent): 1.1 WAR
• Trevor Williams, SP (free agent): 0.9 WAR
• Corey Dickerson, OF (free agent): 0.6 WAR
• Stone Garrett, OF (free agent): 0.4 WAR

Total Projected WAR Added (per Fangraphs): 4.6 WAR

Subtractions:

• César Hernández, 2B/OF: 0.5 WAR
• Erick Fedde, SP: 0.4 WAR
• Anibal Sánchez, SP: -0.2 WAR
• Luke Voit, 1B: -0.3 WAR
• Steve Cishek, RP: -0.3 WAR
• Nelson Cruz, DH: -0.8 WAR

Total WAR Subtracted (per Fangraphs): -0.7

Net WAR Added/Subtracted: 5.3 WAR

Summary

• Nationals: +5.3 WAR
• Marlins: +3.9 WAR
• Mets: +2.6 WAR
• Phillies: -0.9 WAR
• Braves: -6.6 WAR

Final Thoughts

As you can see, it was a busy off-season for several teams in the NL East. The division added some new stars in the likes of Trea Turner, Justin Verlander, Sean Murphy, and Luis Arráez. The division also saw the departure of some familiar faces in Jacob deGrom, Dansby Swanson, Miguel Rojas, Pablo López, and Zach Eflin. Regardless, expect the competition to be at an all-time high.

Loose projections have the lowly Nationals being the ‘most improved,’ with the Marlins right behind them. It appears Fangraphs also likes what the Mets did this off-season, showing a net improvement.

As for the Braves, despite adding Sean Murphy, overall, they did not add a lot and lost the likes of Dansby Swanson, William Contreras, and Kenley Jansen all depart. Thus, a potential for some regression this upcoming season. Lastly, despite adding superstar Trea Turner, the Phillies lost a decent number of depth producers (Segura, Eflin, Maton, Syndergaard, etc.) resulting in a lackluster overall value being added.

Despite all this, projections are only that. Only time will tell how all these off-season moves pay off for the each team. Certainly an exciting season in the making, nonetheless.

The post Analyzing The Off-Seasons Of Each National League East Team appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mandatory Photo Credits: Reinhold Matay, USA Today

There is only one new entrant into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The man who is receiving that distinct honor is Fred McGriff. He was selected by the Contemporary Era committee, this committee was comprised of 16 individuals, all of which voted for him. To gain entry, nominees needed at least 12 votes from the 16 electors.

McGriff, who endured a 19-year career, played from 1986 to 2004. The teams he played the longest for were the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (five years) and Atlanta Braves (five years). McGriff registered 2490 hits over his career, as well as 493 home runs and 1550 runs batted in. The left-handed first baseman owns a career slash line of .284/.377/.509, which is good for a .886 OPS.

Overall, an immensely successful career ending in well-deserved enshrinement to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Notable individuals that were not elected are Don Mattingly, Curt Schilling, Dale Murphy, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens. Mattingly was the closest as he received eight votes, while Schilling and Murphy registered seven and six, respectively. Bonds and Clemens each received fewer than four.

The post Fred McGriff Lone Electee Into National Baseball Hall of Fame appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Happy Baseball Day (so the start time moved, we will adjust)! After a lockout that lasted more than three months, a delayed spring training and a delayed start of the regular season, baseball is finally here. This will be full season unlike any other since 1972, when both the American and National Leagues did not have the Designated Hitter. Yes, the DH is in the National League now, and it’s permanent (unlike the 2020 pandemic-shortened season).

I do not like the DH rule, and I never have. No, I’m not a traditionalist, in fact, I think the game has to innovate to re-generate fan interest. I’m not opposed to the “ghost runner”, I think it adds an element of strategy and excitement to extra innings. I really like the new schedule that we will see in 2023, in which every team will play every other team each year. And I like seven-inning games. The stakes are higher in every inning, and I think it makes the game more exciting (as well as two and one-half hours long, which it what it should be).

The DH is being employed for several reasons, some of which are reasonable. First, there has to be  the same rules in both leagues to implement the new scheduling format. The DH helps prevent injuries to pitchers (see Jacob deGrom), and it may allow starting pitchers to pitch deeper into games.

However, there is an inherent beauty of nine players against nine players in baseball. Every player plays a position, and bats. The concept is elegant in its simplicity. Player removal decisions have to be carefully contemplated and timed. That conjures up the “strategy” word. For 50 years, AL fans would say that no one goes to the game to see strategy. I would say “nonsense”, the NL plays chess while the AL plays checkers. The NL games was always more interesting, at least to me.

The days of nine on nine are now gone. We have to accept it. Some (maybe many) will like it. In an article for ESPN.com, Tim Kurkjian recaps some of the moments that pitchers taking their swings have provided over the years, the likes of which we will never see again:

We will never see a pitcher hit two home runs on Opening Day, as Madison Bumgarner — the only pitcher ever to do that — did in 2017. Adrian Beltre hit 477 homers and Johnny Bench hit 389, but neither hit one on Opening Day; Bumgarner hit two on the same Opening Day.

We will never have a competition within a pitching staff like the one on the 2021 Brewers. Bench coach Pat Murphy bought a 4-foot-tall wooden statue that was awarded to any Brewers pitcher who drew a walk without swinging his bat. The honorary statue was placed in that pitcher’s locker until the next pitcher accomplished the feat. “It’s in my locker now,” said Brewers pitcher Adrian Houser proudly. “It’s very competitive. As soon as it happens, the statue is moved immediately. It might be in my locker forever.”

We will never see a pitcher hit like George Brett‘s older brother, Ken, who hit a home run in four consecutive starts, a major league record. George always liked to say that Ken was the best hitter in the family.

And of course, there’s this one:

Indeed. In 2016, the overweight, underestimated, unforgettable Bartolo Colon, at age 42, became the oldest player ever to hit first major league home run, which featured one of the slowest, most joyous trips around the bases in baseball history, and it triggered one of the wildest dugout celebrations we have ever seen. “When we get back to the dugout, it’s just me and Bartolo; everyone else is down hiding in the tunnel,” said then-Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki, who was on base at the time of the home run. “I didn’t know what to do, bear hug him again? And then, everyone comes shooting out of the tunnel. It was unbelievable. Every guy on the team went over and gave him a big hug. It was absolutely nuts.”

It was nuts. It was magic. Now that magic is gone.

Current day pitchers have varied opinions on no longer digging in to take their swings. From the ESPN.com article:

“I’m going to miss it,” said New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer, who loves hitting and running the bases as much as any pitcher in the game. “It bothers me as much as it should bother me.”

“I’m not going to miss it,” said Atlanta Braves pitcher Charlie Morton. “I don’t think anyone wants to watch me strike out on three pitches and walk back to the dugout 98 times out of a hundred.”

Baseball will now have uniformity, that’s true. But if that’s so important, why aren’t all the ballparks using the same dimensions? Anyway, I digress.

The National League held out for 50 years. Thank you to league presidents Chub Feeney, Barlett Giamatti, Bill White, and Leonard Coleman for sticking with original baseball from 1973 through 1999, then to the National League team owners for keeping the game nine versus nine for twenty two more years (save for the pandemic season).

Let’s play ball, even if the rules have changed. It’s still baseball, it will still be in our midst for seven months, and it’s still the greatest game on the planet.

The post For National League Fans, It’s a New Ball Game appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Congratulations to Mike! Keep up the great work!

The post Mike Pelfrey Named National League Player of the Week appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Today is one of those days as I decided to look at each National League team’s top two pitchers, and see where they ranked against each other. I didn’t think the Mets would rank anywhere in the top, but I never thought they would rank as low as they did. I had to take a few things into consideration as I compiled my list and they included injury, age, experience, inexperience, upside and decline.

Here’s what I came up with…

1. San Diego: J. Peavy – C. Young – Easily the best 1-2 punch in the National League…

2. Atlanta: J. Smoltz – T. Hudson – Smoltz is still the guy you want in a big game…

3. Arizona: B. Webb – D. Haren – Could easily be the best by the All Star Break…

4. Philadelphia: C. Hamels – B. Myers – Hamels has stuff that makes scouts drool…

5. Houston: R. Oswalt – W. Rodriguez – Oswalt has enough bravado for both of them…

6. Los Angeles: B. Penny – D. Lowe – Two competitors who can pitch a gem on any given day…

7. Chicago: C. Zambrano – T. Lily – A couple of nut jobs, but oh can they pitch… 

8. St. Louis: A. Wainright – B. Looper – Who knew Looper was starting pitcher material…

9. San Francisco: B. Zito – N. Lowry – With some run support both would have won 17 games… 

10. New York: P. Martinez – J. Maine – Can Maine improve, will Pedro make 30 starts?

11. Milwaukee: B. Sheets – J. Suppan – Could have easily edged Mets out of top ten…

12. Colorado: J. Francis – A. Cook – I’m not buying it, let them do it again in 2008…

13. Cincinnati: A. Harang – B. Arroyo – They won’t get too far with these two…

14. Pittsburgh: I. Snell – T. Gorzelanny – Lots of talent + zero run support = a long summer…

15. Florida: S. Mitre – S. Olsen – The Marlins can only go up from here…

16. Washington: J. Patterson – S. Hill – Make Mets 1-2 look like Cy Young and Walter Johnson…

I hope you enjoy…

The post Who Has The Best 1-2 Punch In The National League? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

I have many reasons to back up my claim, and I have already explained one of those reasons as the re-signing of Luis Castillo. There is another reason even more compelling than the addition of Luis Castillo… It is the addition of the powerful middle of the order hitter the Mets had been lacking all season last year. No, I’m not talking about Brian Schneider or Ryan Church, although their contributions will both be positive upgrades in 2008. I speak of our lumbering first baseman, Carlos Delgado, whose prodigious power was missing in action last season.

When the Mets showed up for spring training last year, it was clear that Delgado had not yet fully healed from his two off season surgeries. He did all that was asked of him and showed up in perfect shape, but when you are 34 years old, your body does not heal like it once did when you were 24. In his willingness to help the team, he altered his stance and his swing so that it wouldn’t be as painful. Instead it only put more pressure on other parts of his body and caused him to go through a half dozen changes in his swing throughout the year. His poor production affected his psyche and soon his focus. In the end, he finished the season with the lowest homerun and RBI totals of his career.

His poor production greatly affected the performance of Carlos Beltran who flourished with Delgado hitting behind him in 2006. It called for drastic measures and by mid season, it was David Wright who was batting cleanup instead of Carlos Delgado. The lineup never really clicked. The Mets missed their big clutch RBI machine who was once the most feared hitter in our lineup. It caused both Beltran and Wright to go after pitches outside the strike zone, and changed their approaches at the plate. Runners were being stranded on the bases at an alarming rate, and it became very clear how much the Mets needed their left handed power-hitter to emerge from his funk. It never happened.

This season will be different. Carlos Delgado is completely healthy and determined to prove that last season was an aberration. He is 100% confident that he can still be the dominating presence in the middle of the lineup that he once was. His workout regimen this off season only hints at the comeback he has planned for the 2008 season. Another thing working in the Mets favor is that Delgado is in his walk year. Never underestimate the impact that a contract year can have on a players performance.

I believe Carlos Delgado will have one of the best seasons in his career in 2008. Most importantly… he believes it too. He is a proud man and a vocal leader in the clubhouse. He believes he let the team down and aims to rectify that in the upcoming season.

A solid year from Delgado will bring out the best in Carlos Beltran and David Wright. It will allow the lineup to work they way it should have last year. No more will pitchers pitch around Beltran or Wright so that they could get the big guy out. The Mets will have the clutch hitter that they sorely missed last year and everyone else in that lineup will feel more relaxed and thus become more productive.

I for one can’t wait to see Delgado launch a 450 foot blast on Opening Day and set the tone for what is bound to be another magical thrill-ride for the New York Mets in 2008. The power bat we have all been yearning for has been on the team all along. A word of warning to the pitchers of the National League East… Beware of Carlos Delgado!

The post A Word Of Warning To The National League East appeared first on Metsmerized Online.