Major League Baseball is introducing a brand new showcase for top prospects around the league to show off their talent, titled “Spring Breakout.” The event will put each organization’s best prospects against each other in a game that will be part of a doubleheader with a regularly scheduled spring training game. MLB is looking to use this as an opportunity to better market their minor leaguers; the games will be in the main major league spring training stadiums and fans will have the opportunity to meet the prospects after the game. The article by Jeff Passan of ESPN also detailed how MLB could televise the game on MLB Network. 

When asked about the event, commissioner Rob Manfred talked glowingly about it, saying, “We are thrilled that Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and all of our Clubs are working closer than ever to grow the game and to shine a brighter light on our future All-Stars.”

The event will take place March 14-17.

Jett Williams, Photo by Bronson Harris of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Latest Mets News

The Mets came to an agreement on a minor league deal with veteran outfielder Trayce Thompson, the deal comes with an invite to spring training, per Andy Martino of SNY. For a more in-depth look at the Mets’ signing, click here!

Former Mets relief pitcher, and 16-year MLB vet, Tommy Hunter, has officially retired from baseball, per Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic. 

Andy Martino of SNY reported that the Mets are now in the race for Yoshinobu Yamamoto after there being no buzz between the star pitcher and the Mets for an extended period of time. 

The Mets held their annual holiday party on Wednesday, José Quintana appeared as Santa Claus and Mark Vientos came as his elf along with an appearance from manager Carlos Mendoza. Of note, Mendoza mentioned how the Mets feel good about what they have internally at third base despite the loss of Ronny Mauricio; Vientos mentioned how he has learned a lot while working out with Francisco Lindor during the offseason and will work with him again in January, via Danny Abriano of SNY.

Latest MLB News

A report from Beth Harris and Ronald Blum of AP, detailed how Shohei Ohtani‘s $700 million contract with the Dodgers has potential opt-outs if current owner Mark Walter or president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman lose their roles with the club.

Shohei Ohtani’s introductory press conference as a Los Angeles Dodgers will take place on Thursday at 6 P.M. eastern, per the club. 

On a Bleacher Report live stream, Jon Heyman reported that it is likely that Yoshinobu Yamamoto will receive the longest pitching contract of all-time. Along with that, Heyman also reported that Yamamoto has meetings planned with the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Phillies. For more information on the star pitcher’s free agency, click here!

Among a flurry of reports on Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s free agency on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported that Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani were present at the Japanese superstar’s meeting with the Dodgers. 

The Dodgers are reportedly in trade talks with the Tampa Bay Rays where they would acquire starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny DeLuca are part of a possible package that could be going back to Tampa. 

Shohei Ohtani set Fanatics’ all-time record for highest sales within 48 hours of a jersey release, via Fanatics. 

Former White Sox, and now free-agent, closer Liam Hendriks is looking to return to the field around the trade deadline after undergoing Tommy John Surgery on August 2, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com.

The Chicago Cubs signed free agent catcher Jorge Alfaro to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, per Robert Murray of FanSided. 

Right-handed relief pitcher Daniel Hudson and the Los Angeles Dodgers came to an agreement on a minor league deal, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. If Hudson makes the team he will earn $2 million and has the ability to make $2 million more in performance bonuses. 

On what would have been his 100th birthday, former Cleveland Guardian Larry Doby was awarded with the Congressional Gold Medal. Members of the Doby family gathered at the United States Capitol to honor his achievements both on and off the field. 

Former Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins outfielder Andrew Stevenson signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters of the NPB, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. 

Veteran catcher Roberto Pérez agreed to a minor league deal with the Red Sox which includes an invite to spring training, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. 

Latest on MMO

Andrew Tripaldi looks back at the possibility of Ken Griffey becoming a New York Met. 

Check out the Mets Madness series recap between the 1973 and 2007 Mets. 

What options do the Mets have at third base following Ronny Mauricio’s injury?

On This Date in Mets History

2013: The New York Mets and veteran free-agent starting pitcher Bartolo Colón agree to a two-year, $20 million deal. Colón would go on to be a vital part of the Mets World Series run in 2015 and was named an all-star with the club in 2016.

1995: The New York Mets sign reigning AL hit king and outfielder Lance Johnson to a two-year deal. In 1996, Johnson would hit .333 and become the first and only hitter to lead each league in hits. 

Birthday: Shaun Marcum (42)

The post Morning Briefing: MLB Announces ‘Spring Breakout’ Prospect Showcase appeared first on Metsmerized.

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets led by at least three runs in each of the games against the Atlanta Braves. They came out on the wrong side of all three of them, getting swept for the second consecutive series. The Mets now sit at 30-33 and are 8.5 games back of the Braves in the National League East. For the first time in Mets franchise history, they’ve lost three straight games in which they had at least a 3-run lead.

3 Up

Just Play the Kid

Francisco Álvarez went 3-for-9 against the Braves. All three of his hits left the yard, including two in his first career start as a designated hitter. The Mets don’t want to play Álvarez at DH because an injury to Omar Narváez would then cause the Mets to lose the extra hitter. However, having Pete Alonso out of the lineup necessitated some more thump, causing the Mets to turn to Álvarez. He rewarded them with his second multi-homer game of this season.

Álvarez did also strike out four times in the series, but he provided some spark that the Mets sorely needed in their lineup.

Marte Clawing His Way Back

Starling Marte didn’t necessarily do anything world-beating in the series, but his final line reads 4-for-13 (.308) courtesy of a three-hit game in the finale. Marte’s batting average is now up to .254 after sitting at .217 on May 11. His slugging percentage is also up to .332 after falling to .294 on May 27. Marte still has a long way to go, but perhaps he can find his way back into the conversation as a Mets table-setter.

Lindor Life?

Another slumping hitter also had a nice series at the plate. Francisco Lindor went 4-for-10 with a homer and two walks. This was a desperately-needed sign of life for the struggling shortstop, who heard boos at Citi Field over the Mets’ last homestand. Although June is historically Lindor’s worst month—he’s hit .245/.302/.435/.738 for the month in his career—perhaps he can reverse that trend and get back on track.

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

3 Down

Putrid Pitching

As good as the Mets’ starters were in the last turn through the rotation, they have now been equally terrible four-fifths of the next time through. After Kodai Senga did not escape the third inning on Sunday, Carlos Carrasco, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander followed him up with three absolute clunkers.

It started with Carrasco, who had given up one run through five but then imploded in the sixth. He gave up a two-run double to Sean Murphy, and Murphy was brought in as an inherited runner on a double by Marcell Ozuna against Drew Smith.

In the next game, Scherzer had a similar meltdown. He held the Braves scoreless through three before allowing a run in the fourth inning, two in the fifth, and another two in the sixth. Though he struck out 10, he also allowed 11 hits. It was yet another time that he failed against the Mets’ biggest rival.

A couple of weeks ago, I cautioned in this column that it was too early to be concerned about Verlander. No longer is that the case, though. The 40-year-old allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in just three innings of work, walking four and striking out three. It took him an astounding 82 pitches to get through those three innings. Verlander threw a first-pitch ball to 14 of the 20 batters he faced, and five of the seven hits he allowed were hit at 99.7 mph or above. His ERA is now 4.85 through seven starts.

This issue continues to plague the Mets, and after some signs of improvement, the starting pitching has now gone backward again.

End of Vogelrope?

After another 0-for-7 series, Daniel Vogelbach is slashing .203/.343/.297 with one extra-base hit over his last 20 games. He is hitting .083/.250/.111 over his last 15 games and .179/.304/.256 over his last 30. The excuse made for Vogelbach was always that he gets on base, but he has now seemingly lost even that half-tool. Even a manager who loves Vogelbach as much as Buck Showalter will likely reach the end of his rope at some point. Considering that this was another sunk cost from Billy Eppler, that rope will likely be even longer than what Showalter would be willing to give.

More Bullpen Blowups

Another series, another bullpen meltdown. Every facet of the Mets’ team has contributed toward their losses, and the bullpen was directly responsible for all three losses despite the poor starting pitching. In the first game, it was Drew Smith who entered a 4-3 game in the sixth and, after retiring the first two batters he faced, allowed a game-tying double to Ozuna, followed by Orlando Arcia‘s go-ahead RBI single.

In the middle game, the Mets tied the game at five in the seventh inning after blowing a 4-1 lead. Brooks Raley and Adam Ottavino gave it right back, as Ozuna’s double off Raley set up Michael Harris’ ultimately game-winning two-run homer off Ottavino.

In the finale, the Mets’ bullpen entered in the fourth inning with an 8-5 lead. After Stephen Nogosek escaped a jam in the fourth, he allowed a solo homer to Ozuna in the fifth before giving way to Jeff Brigham to work around a one-out double. Brigham got out of the fifth, and the Mets scored a run for the second consecutive inning to open up a 10-6 lead. However, Brigham gave it right back on two singles, sandwiching a grounder that moved the runner to second.

In the seventh, Smith entered with a runner on first and one out and induced a groundball double play from Ronald Acuña to end the inning. However, in the eighth, Smith gave up a single to Austin Riley followed by a two-run homer from Travis d’Arnaud to cut the Mets’ lead to 10-9. David Robertson relieved him and got the final two outs, but with one out in the ninth, Arcia smacked a game-tying homer.

The game went into extra innings, and when the Mets failed to score in the top of the 10th, the end of the game was nigh. Tommy Hunter, sporting a 6.00 ERA and a .779 OPS against, got two outs sandwiching a walk, but Ozzie Albies hit a walk-off three-run homer to clinch the sweep for the Braves.

Overall in the series, the Mets’ bullpen pitched 12 innings and gave up 19 hits, 12 earned runs, and five home runs. Obviously, the enormous workload has played a role, but the Mets simply cannot buy quality innings from their relief pitching. Even Robertson, who started the season strong, has worn down from numerous multi-inning appearances.

The Mets will head to Pittsburgh on Friday night (7:05 p.m. ET) to try to stop their six-game skid.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Get Swept By Braves, Losing Streak at 6 appeared first on Metsmerized.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

When the New York Mets are in a funk, it’s often as hard for a writer to put pen to paper (or to type the words) as it is for the reader to focus on them. The weekend series against the Nationals seemed to have the possibility of finally giving some cause for optimism after the Mets won two of the first three. Alas, the series was a wraparound, and David Peterson killed that dream faster than you can say “minors.” The Mets failed to win their sixth consecutive series.

3 Up

Two Stellar Starting Efforts

The meltdown of the Mets’ starting rotation has been one of the most disappointing parts of their early season. Despite injuries, the team thought it had the depth to weather storms and has seemingly been sorely mistaken. That was not necessarily disproven in this series, but they did get a pair of much-needed decent outings.

A five-inning, one-earned-run effort from Tylor Megill was actually enough to earn a victory, as was Max Scherzer‘s five-inning, one-run performance. It remains highly imperfect: Megill threw 93 pitches in those five innings and continued his WHIP problem by allowing four hits and four walks, while Scherzer got into trouble in the second, putting the Mets in another early hole. Still, the team will take it and just hope that the pair can build upon whatever modest success they found. Scherzer threw 50 strikes out of 83 pitches, and his velocity ticked back up from his previous start.

Nimmo Sparks Rallies

Brandon Nimmo seems to be coming out of his funk, as he had another strong series. He went 6-for-17 in total and scored the go-ahead run on a three-run single from Francisco Lindor in the opener. He added a sac fly in his first at-bat continuing Saturday’s suspended game, immediately knotting the game at one. He also had an RBI single in the third to push across the go-ahead run and buoy the Mets’ eight-run fifth.

Whatever the sluggers have been doing (or not) behind him, Nimmo is getting back in gear.

Some Bullpen Wins

Lost in the Mets’ suspended-game defeat was how good a job their bullpen did, relatively speaking. After the umpires mismanaged Saturday’s suspended game, Buck Showalter was forced to use his bullpen for six innings in the first of a twin bill. All told, Stephen Nogosek, Dominic Leone, and Dennis Santana combined to allow two runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Despite Leone’s surrendering the go-ahead home run to C.J. Abrams just after the Mets had tied it up, this game, on the whole, cannot be blamed on the pitching. The bullpen trio did yeoman’s work.

In the opener, Jeff Brigham, Adam Ottavino, David Robertson, and Drew Smith all tossed zeroes at the Nationals, backing up the Mets’ razor-thin lead. Robertson worked five outs before tiring at 40 pitches in the ninth, forcing Smith into the game with runners on first and second and two outs. Smith struck out Lane Thomas to end the threat and earn his first career save.

The third game of the series was already in mostly comfortable territory by the time the bullpen got involved, although things did get slightly dicey. After Scherzer left the game, Brooks Raley danced around three walks to keep Washington off the board, but Zach Muckenhirn got into some trouble in the eighth. He allowed a run and loaded the bases but got Thomas to ground out, ending the mini-threat. Muckenhirn finished the game.

While Tommy Hunter did allow four runs in three innings in the finale, the game was already pretty far out of reach beforehand. Hunter essentially filled the punter role for Buck Showalter, enabling him to save his other relievers from further work.

Aside from Hunter, Mets relief pitchers threw 14 innings, allowing three runs on 11 hits, seven walks, and 14 strikeouts. That’s a good sign, regardless of whom it’s against, and even though the walk numbers are way too high.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

3 Down

First Inning Woes

The Nationals scored a first-inning run in three of the four games, adding to the Mets’ streak of digging a hole early. There’s something seemingly symbolic about the reversal of last season’s trend when the Mets gave other teams fits in the first inning. It wasn’t all bad: the Mets did make MacKenzie Gore work in the first inning on Friday night and ended up chasing him after four innings even though they did not score against him.

Still, the Mets have been outscored 37-9 in the first inning this season. They might want to start thinking about a different way to set up the team for success, particularly since the first inning tends to be the highest-scoring inning across baseball each year.

Runs Still At a Premium

Despite the Mets’ eight-run outburst in the fifth inning of the third game, they still struggled to score runs in this series. Other than that barrage, the Mets played 35 innings and scored eight runs, an average of 2.0 runs per nine innings. That is an absolute bottom-of-the-barrel performance by the offense, even if the overall series averages (4.0 runs per game) don’t seem as terrible.

As constituted, this team has so little margin for error: when either their hitting or their pitching is up to snuff, they must win to salvage the all-too-many games when all aspects of the team are crumbling. The Mets thought they had built a team predicated on pitching but still able to win on the offensive side. That has not been the case at all in the early going.

Not a Major League Pitcher

Peterson seemingly does something more shockingly awful every time he pitches. Somehow, he managed to raise his ERA in this game when it came in at 7.71. He put the Mets in a hole from the get-go once more, then abruptly gave up two runs in the third and fourth to put the game out of reach (for this iteration of the Mets, anyway). He added another run in the fifth for good measure.

The Mets may seemingly not have a choice, but they can’t keep running Peterson out there. Denyi Reyes and José Butto have at least had their moments this season; Peterson is a guaranteed blow-up every single time he takes the mound.

It’s hard to understand what happened to Peterson this season. Still, the Mets are becoming a lollipop team when he pitches. Common sense would dictate leaving him in the minors regardless of need at this point. The Mets are more likely to catch lightning in a bottle elsewhere than to fix Peterson’s issues on the fly.

The Mets head home for a series with the MLB-leading Tampa Bay Rays beginning on Tuesday.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Blow Another Chance to Win A Series appeared first on Metsmerized.

Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets (18-20) were looking to claim a series win against the Cincinnati Reds (16-21) on Thursday afternoon. Unfortunately, they have had a tough time in the first inning all year and it happened to them again. The Reds scored four runs in the first against Kodai Senga (4-2, 4.14 ERA) and New York could never catch up as they ended up losing, 5-0. They have now been shut out a major league-leading seven times this year.

The bottom of the first began when Jonathan India got ahead of Senga in the count 3-0 and doubled down the left field line. Three batters later, Jake Fraley drove him in with an RBI single. After a Tyler Stephenson single, Nick Senzel had an RBI double to right.

As the inning continued, Henry Ramos drew a walk and Kevin Newman drove in two runs with a single past Francisco Lindor and into left field. The Reds had a 4-0 lead after the first inning. This year, the Mets have been outscored 34-9 in the first and Senga has a 6.43 ERA (.323 batting average against) in the first:

Make that 34-9. https://t.co/1hsmOlmCiD

— Mojo Hill (@mojohill22) May 11, 2023

Senga eventually recovered as he struck out the next five hitters in a row after the Newman single, but he could not go deep into his outing like Justin Verlander did Wednesday night. He kept the Reds scoreless until the fifth, when Spencer Steer hit a solo home run to extend the lead to 5-0.

On the afternoon, Senga went five innings, allowed five runs on eight hits, walked a batter, and struck out seven on 95 pitches (59 strikes) in the loss.

The Mets offense faced an opener in Derek Law as Nick Lodolo had his start pushed back, which made the Reds go to a bullpen game. They ended up having six hits, with four of them coming against one pitcher (Ben Lively). Lively ended up getting the win (1-0, 0.00), while Jimmy Herget (1.69 ERA) ended up throwing three scoreless innings (two hits, four strikeouts) to pick up his first save of the year.

Two of New York’s best chances came in the fifth and seventh inning. In the top of the fifth, the Mets had two on and one out, but Lindor struck out swinging and Jeff McNeil grounded out to first, which got Lucas Sims out of the inning.

In the seventh, Francisco Álvarez picked up a one-out double for his second hit of the day. Unfortunately, he did not come around to score as Ramos threw him out at the plate when Lindor hit a single to right. As a team, the Mets were 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and they left nine on base in the defeat.

After Senga left the game, Tommy Hunter came in and was able to preserve some of the arms in the bullpen. He went 2 1/3 innings, allowed no runs on two hits and struck out two on 31 pitches (20 strikes). Hunter got into trouble in the eighth, but Dominic Leone came in and was able to induce an inning-ending double play.

Player Of The Game

On a day when the Mets’ offense did not do much, Álvarez is the player of the game. He was the only player in the lineup to have a multi-hit day, as he went 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout. He went 4-for-10 in the three-game series with two home runs and a double, and he has provided New York some much-needed offense at the bottom of the order.

On Deck

The Mets continue their road trip on Friday when they begin a four-game series against the Washington Nationals (16-21). You can catch the game on WPIX-11 beginning at 7:05 p.m. ET. LHP MacKenzie Gore (3-2, 3.65 ERA) will get the start for the Nationals. Meanwhile, the Mets have not announced any pitchers for this upcoming series.

In the only series the two clubs have faced each other so far this season, the Nationals took two out of three from the Mets at Citi Field (April 25-27).

The post Mets Shut Out For MLB-Worst Seventh Time appeared first on Metsmerized.

Buck Showalter. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets (17-18) finished off their three-game set against the Colorado Rockies Sunday afternoon. On a sunny day at Citi Field in Flushing, NY the Mets got woeful pitching and allowed 13 runs in a 13-6 series finale loss. The Mets drop to under .500 for the first time since the beginning of the season.

New York’s first inning pitching woes continued. Randal Grichuk launched a second-deck solo shot off Mets’ starter Joey Lucchesi. As has been in the case in several games this season, the Mets trailed 1-0 right off the bat.

In what was an extremely rare occurrence this season, the Mets experienced an offensive outburst in the opening frame. Jeff McNeil lined a run scoring hit to bring home the New York’s first run of the game. Then, Brett Baty – in his new slot in the batting order (fifth) – singled home two more runs.

Just like that, New York had a rare multiple run lead after the first inning, 3-1. Interestingly enough, before the outburst, New York only had six first inning runs all season long. They scored half that on Sunday in the opening frame.

The Mets’ starters’ struggles continued. In the third inning, Lucchesi gave up two run thanks to three hits. This tied the game back up. Through three innings, Lucchesi’s pitch total stood at a hefty 58. This spelled the end of his afternoon, as he allowed three runs, four hits, and walked three over just four innings of work. His season ERA increased to 4.43 as his struggles since his first start of the season continued.

New York responded in the fourth inning after they loaded the bases. As a result, they chased Rockies’ starter Ryan Feltner after only 3 1/3 innings of work as the team drew six walks. McNeil tallied an infield single which brought home the Mets’ fourth run of the game. Though, Brett Baty hit a hard ground ball to the pitcher which ended the inning with the bases loaded. The Mets led 4-3 after four innings.

The Rockies responded right back and stormed to a large lead with a huge seven-run inning. Jimmy Yacabonis relieved the struggling Lucchesi and promptly allowed five runs. Tommy Hunter then entered and allowed two innings of his own. Before you knew it, the score read 10-4 as the game entered to the bottom of the fifth inning.

Tommy Hunter’s day ended after he gave up another run. He ate up a decent amount of innings for New York, going 2 2/3 innings but struggled mightily allowing three runs and four hits.

New York tallied runs in the fifth and seventh innings ending their offensive output at six on the afternoon. Daniel Vogelbach‘s home run was the sixth and final run of the day.

Jeff Brigham pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Though, Dominic Leone allowed allowed two runs on three hits which brought the Rockies’ final offensive output total to 13 runs.

Mets’ pitchers allowed 14 hits and 13 runs to go with six walks. Another forgettable performance for the group who are struggling mightily.

Jeff McNeil. Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Player of the Game: Jeff McNeil

McNeil was the best of the solid Mets’ offense on Sunday He went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. He is now slashing .289/.345./.508 which is good for a .799 OPS.

On Deck

The Mets get a much-needed day off on Monday. They will pick back up on Tuesday at 6:40 pm ET in Cincinnati against the Reds for a three-game set. The projected pitching matchup for that game is Max Scherzer (5.56 ERA) versus Luke Weaver (7.88 ERA).

The post Pitching Struggles Again, Mets Lose 13-6 In Series Finale appeared first on Metsmerized.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets (15-11) had never had a four-game losing streak with Buck Showalter as manager. That was spoiled Wednesday. On Thursday, they were able to avoid their first five-game losing streak and being swept by the Washington Nationals (9-15) as the offense found a way to rally in the eighth inning for a 9-8 victory.

In the win, the Mets offense broke out for 16 hits, and the top five hitters in the batting order combined to go 9-for-24 with six RBIs. Also, six of the nine hitters in the order had two or more hits.

The Mets got the scoring started in the bottom of the second. After back-to-back one-out singles by Jeff McNeil and Daniel Vogelbach against former Met Trevor Williams, Mark Canha drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly to left.

Washington answered back immediately in the third when Alex Call led off the inning with a solo shot to center, his second of the season against Joey Lucchesi.

However, the Mets gained the lead back in the fourth with a crooked inning. After Williams struck out Vogelbach and Canha to begin the frame, Brett Baty hit a solo shot to center to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. It was Baty’s first home run of the season and the third of his young career.

BRETT BATY HOME RUN!

Baty’s first of the season gives the Mets the lead! #LGM
pic.twitter.com/IZQ92EP7NL

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) April 28, 2023

As the inning continued, a Francisco Álvarez walk, a Brandon Nimmo single, and a Starling Marte walk loaded the bases for Francisco Lindor and the shortstop made them pay as he pulled an 0-2 inside pitch down the right field line for a two-run double to extend the lead to 4-1.

Francisco Lindor adds on with a 2-RBI double!!

4-1 #Mets, top 5.
pic.twitter.com/yPC7GiIIM8

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) April 28, 2023

On the night, Williams went five innings, allowed four runs on nine hit, walked two, and struck out four on 95 pitches (62 strikes) in the no-decision.

Lucchesi was having a strong outing going until the sixth. Joey Meneses led off the inning with a single. Two batters later, Lane Thomas singled and that ended the left-hander’s night. Lucchesi went 5 1/3 innings, allowed three runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out three on 90 pitches (57 strikes) in the no-decision.

Showalter went to the bullpen and brought in Tommy Hunter to try to limit the damage. While Hunter kept the Mets in front, he did allow a pair of RBI singles to Luis García and Victor Robles that cut the lead to 4-3.

Like earlier in the game, the Mets answered back in the bottom of the frame. Nimmo led off with a single for his second hit of the night against Erasmo Ramírez and came around to score on a double by Lindor, his second of the night.

Francisco Lindor with his second RBI double of the game!
pic.twitter.com/MIpbHQ5sk2

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) April 28, 2023

As the inning continued, Pete Alonso and Vogelbach each had RBI singles of their own that gave New York a 7-3 lead.

That lead would soon disappear in the top of the eighth as the Nationals scored five runs on just one hit. Due to back-to-back hit-by-pitches and a Lindor error, the Nats had the bases loaded and Showalter went to Brooks Raley (1-0, 4.76). Raley could not stop the bleeding as Garcia had a sac fly, Robles was hit by a pitch, and then CJ Abrams hit a stunning grand slam to give the Nationals an 8-7 lead.

But, for the third time in the game, the Mets did not let Washington’s lead last for long. Davey Martinez went to Mason Thompson, who pitched three innings two days previous, to face the heart of the Mets order and he struggled. Marte led off with a single, stole second, and made it to third on a Lindor sac fly. Alonso ended up being the hero with a double into the gap in right-center that tied the game at 8.

PETE COMES THROUGH AND IT’S A TIE GAME!
pic.twitter.com/UWSjVtaiBd

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) April 28, 2023

Then, McNeil ended up hitting a triple off the wall in right to get the Citi Field crowd going crazy and it put New York in front, 9-8:

Jeff McNeil gives the Mets the lead with an RBI triple off the wall!!

9-8 #Mets, bottom 8.
pic.twitter.com/jprKucuc8Q

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) April 28, 2023

David Robertson came in to pitch the ninth and was dominant as he threw a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts to pick up his fifth save of the season.

There was some injury news as Álvarez ended up leaving the game after the eighth inning. During the game, he had been struck in the back of the head twice on backswings. Showalter said after the game that

Player Of The Game

Tonight’s player of the game goes to Brett Baty as he picked up the first three-hit performance of his career. He was able to take advantage of a 0-1 curveball from Williams in the fourth that hung just enough in the zone for a 400-foot home run in the fourth. He worked a six-pitch at-bat against Williams for a single in the second and then got an 0-1 pitch down the middle and picked up his third hit in the fifth with a single.

On the night, Baty was 3-for-3 with a walk as he took advantage of the opportunity to get more playing time and he’s now reached base in six straight games.

On Deck

On Friday night, the Mets will continue their homestand as they begin a four-game series against the reigning NL East champions, the Atlanta Braves (17-9). You can watch the game on WPIX-11 or MLB Network (out-of-market) at 7:10 PM ET. It will be a battle of southpaws as David Peterson (1-3, 7.36 ERA) takes the ball for the Mets against Max Fried (1-0, 0.60 ERA) for the Braves.

The post Baty, McNeil Power Mets to 9-8 Comeback Over Nationals appeared first on Metsmerized.

Good morning, Mets fans!

Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon has been suspended five games and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball for trying to hit a fan on Thursday night in Oakland. The confrontation occurred as the team was leaving the visiting dugout following their 2-1 loss to the A’s. Rendon heard the fan heckling him, which led to the situation escalating.

Rendon will appeal the suspension, and already had it reduced to four games, Jeff Fletcher of SoCal News Group reported.

Latest Mets News

Carlos Carrasco struggled mightily and the Mets’ bats couldn’t get anything going against Freddy Peralta as they dropped their series opener with the Brewers, 10-0. Carrasco threw 96 pitches in four-plus innings, getting charged with five runs on four hits and four walks. His fastball averaged just 91.1 miles per hour, the lowest he’s averaged in any start in his career. Tommy Hunter got roughed up too, giving up five hits and five runs, including a grand slam to rookie Brice Turang. The lone highlight for the Mets was Luis Guillorme tossing a scoreless inning of relief in the bottom of the eighth.

The Mets will look to bounce back with Max Scherzer (1-0, 4.50 ERA) on the hill for his second start of the year, facing off against southpaw Wade Miley. Scherzer was solid in his start against the Marlins on Opening Day, allowing three runs, four hits, and two walks with six strikeouts in six innings. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m.

Right-hander Jeff Brigham was placed on the injured list by Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday. That move leaves the Mets without any non-MLB relievers on the 40-man roster.

Jeff McNeil was honored by MLB.com, winning the Play of the Week presented by Chevrolet for his great hustle and throw to cut down a run in the fifth inning of Friday’s game in Miami.

Jeff McNeil flashed the leather to secure 2023's first Play of the Week presented by @Chevrolet. pic.twitter.com/o6o0r2ceRf

— MLB (@MLB) April 3, 2023

Latest MLB News

Michael Conforto hit his first homer of the season for the Giants in San Francisco’s 12-3 win over the White Sox. Deesha Thosar of FOX Sports spoke to the former All-Star as he seeks redemption with his new team.

Before the Angels and Mariners squared off Monday night, Shohei Ohtani and Ichiro Suzuki exchanged pleasantries in the outfield.

Los Angeles Angels' Shohei #Ohtani takes off his hat and bows to former Seattle Mariners player #Ichiro Suzuki before a baseball game Monday, April 3, 2023, in Seattle. For @AP_Images pic.twitter.com/hkQzsDd30R

— Lindsey Wasson 📸 (@lindseywasson) April 4, 2023

Latest on MMO

Chris Bello recaps the Mets’ series-opening loss to the Brewers.

Nate Mendelson gives us three takeaways from the Mets’ loss on Monday.

Rivka Boord publishes the first edition of 3 Up, 3 Down for the 2023 season.

On This Date in Mets History

1994: With the wind blowing out at Wrigley Field, Dwight Gooden surrenders three homers to Tuffy Rhodes, but the Mets bang out 16 hits, including four from Jeff Kent in a 12-8 win on Opening Day. Kent, José Vizcaíno, and Todd Hundley all go deep, and the Mets’ bullpen records the final 10 outs to seal the win.

2014: Lucas Duda hits two two-run homers and Jenrry Mejia allows just one run in six innings as the Mets earn their first victory of the season, 4-3 over the Reds. José Valverde puts two men on with one out in the ninth inning but gets Joey Votto to fly out and strikes out Jay Bruce to secure his first save as a Met.

2018: The Mets continue their strong start to the season, completing a two-game sweep over the Phillies with a 4-2 victory. Amed Rosario‘s two-run triple and Yoenis Céspedes‘ two-run homer provide all the Mets’ offense, and the bullpen throws five shutout innings after Noah Syndergaard exits.

Birthdays: Ron Locke (81), Tom Herr (67), Eric Valent (46), Cameron Maybin (36)

The post Morning Briefing: Anthony Rendon Suspended For Incident With Fan appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The New York Mets made a couple of key roster decisions on Saturday.

Per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Tommy Hunter has been informed that he is going to make the Mets’ Opening Day roster. The righty had a contractural out that he could have exercised if he wasn’t added to the 40-man roster. However, the 36-year-old will now begin the 2023 season in the bigs.

The move will become official once the Mets select Hunter’s minor league contract prior to the matchup against the Miami Marlins on Opening Day. However, a decision had to be made on Saturday due to that clause in Hunter’s contract.

Hunter struggled with injuries throughout the 2022 season and threw a total of just 22 1/3 innings. However, he has looked strong during spring training and hasn’t allowed an earned run in eight innings of work. Hunter has also struck out nine of the 30 batters he has faced this spring. He was brought back on a minor league deal this winter and the low-risk move has seemingly paid off for both team and player.

The Mets bullpen has to do some shuffling with Edwin Díaz out for the year, so Hunter may find himself in a much larger role than originally expected. When healthy, Hunter has proved he can be a reliable arm with a career 3.14 ERA, 45.6% grounder rate 20.8% strikeout rate, and 5.4% walk rate over 424 1/3 innings since the start of the 2013 season. 

The Mets also announced on Saturday that they have signed Dylan Bundy to a minor league deal. The right-hander spent all of the 2022 season with the Minnesota Twins, pitching to an 8-8 record with a 4.89 ERA in 29 starts. Bundy gives the team another veteran who can step in and start at any given moment. The Mets depth in their rotation is already being tested with José Quintana out until at least July with a rib injury.

Interestingly another, Bundy is yet another pitcher with ties to Mets manager Buck Showalter. The two were together in Baltimore where Bundy pitched to a 4.67 ERA with 602 strikeouts in 127 games. The 30-year-old owns a career 4.74 ERA with a 54-65 record, 852 strikeouts and a 7.4 WAR.

You can never have enough pitching depth in baseball and, given that the Mets have had their depth tested already, Bundy is potentially a really smart pickup who could play a valuable role in 2023.

The post Tommy Hunter Makes Opening Day Roster, Dylan Bundy Signs MLD appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The New York Mets are just a week away from opening day 2023 and an opening day in which will be missing a key pitcher in Edwin Diaz who was injured during the World Baseball Classic last week. But it’s “next man up” mentality for the Mets’ bullpen and Buck Showalter still has decisions to make for the last couple of spots. Jimmy Yacabonis, T.J. McFarland, Tommy Hunter, and Jeff Brigham all pitched on Wednesday as they look to finalize their bids for a roster spot.

Yacabonis struggled on Wednesday against the Astros, walking two and giving up two earned runs in just one inning pitched, but overall this spring he has looked good in relief. In seven games played, he has struck out eight and has an ERA of 2.57, with a WHIP of 0.86. He has allowed just four hits (two on Wednesday) and given up only the two runs he gave up on Wednesday as well.

McFarland’s spring started off good in his first outing, but his next two were shaky. In his second outing against Houston, he gave up three earned runs on three hits in one inning pitched. He struck out two in that game, but gave up two home runs.

In his next two appearances, McFarland gave up one earned run against Miami on two hits and struck out one in one inning pitched. His fourth appearance of the spring was against Washington, where he struggled the most, giving up two earned runs on three hits, with a walk and a strikeout.

Though his first four outings were rough, McFarland has since settled in toward the end of March. In his last three, including Wednesday against Houston, he has not given up an earned run and has allowed just two hits. He has two strikeouts across those three games and no walks.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

In total, McFarland has a 6.75 ERA with seven strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.63 through seven games. The veteran McFarland’s fate is really tied to fellow lefty reliever Brooks Raley and whether or not Raley’s hamstring is ready to start the season.

Hunter, who threw two very strong innings on Wednesday against the Astros, has been impeccable this spring. In six games that he’s come in in relief, Hunter has a 0.00 ERA and nine strikeouts. He has a WHIP of 0.63. With spring training coming to a close and Opening Day around the corner, Hunter is making a case to be part of the roster.

Looking back at 2022, Hunter gave up just six earned runs on 21 hits in 22 1/3 innings pitched. He struck out 22 and had an ERA of 2.42. Hunter looks to have a inside track on one of the roster spots given his success this spring and over the last two seasons with the Mets.

Brigham, the right-handed reliever who the Mets got from the Marlins in a trade in November has the upper hand on the previously mentioned relievers because he’s the only of the group on the 40-man roster.

Brigham has given up three earned runs on four hits in 7 2/3 innings pitched this spring for an ERA of 3.52. Brigham has used his impressive slider to help produce 10 strikeouts in that span.

The Mets bullpen has three locks for the Opening Day roster in righties David Robertson, Adam Ottavino, and Drew Smith, and Raley will be there as well if he’s healthy enough to go. Stephen Ridings, Sam Coonrod, and Bryce Montes de Oca will all start the season on the injured list. That leaves the four arms that pitched on Wednesday to compete with John Curtiss, Elieser Hernandez (Mets might keep him stretched out as a starter), recently claimed Dennis Santana, Stephen Nogosek (out of options), and Zach Muckenhirn battling for the last couple of bullpen spots.

The post Tommy Hunter Continues Strong Spring appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

It’s hard to believe, but we are in the last week-and-a-half of spring training with just two weekends left in the spring season, including this weekend. The Mets traveled from Port St. Lucie down south to West Palm Beach to face the Houston Astros in a night cap at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

Saturday’s matchup featured two aces: left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez for the Astros against right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer for the Mets. Scherzer went the deepest he has this spring, going seven deep. He struck out 8 and ended with a 0.77 spring ERA. Scherzer looks like he’s in mid-season form in the spring.

Both Valdez and Scherzer looked sharp in the first, retiring their respective sides in order. Following a similar trend of copying each other, Valdez allowed a double to Mets’ prospect Mark Vientos in the second and then Scherzer allowed a double to Chas McCormick in the bottom half of the inning, but they both retired the other three batters they faced to keep the game scoreless after two innings.

It continued to be a pitcher’s duel in the third. Valdez allowed one hit to the Mets in the third, while Scherzer retired the Astros in order, striking out two in the inning to bring his strikeout count to three through three innings.

The Mets grabbed the lead in the top of the fourth. Tommy Pham and Darin Ruf hit back-to-back singles to open the inning. They both advanced on a wild pitch by Valdez. Two batters later, the young prospect Vientos hit a sacrifice fly deep to center field that scored Pham to give the Mets a 1-0 lead over the Astros in the fourth.

Scherzer continued to stroll through the Astros lineup in the bottom of the fourth, retiring the home team in order and recording his fourth strikeout of the night. The Mets got more momentum rolling in the fifth inning.  Jose Peraza walked to open the inning. Two batters later, Tim Locastro became the latest Met to be hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Another two batters later, with two outs, Pham walked to load the bases.

Pham’s walk and the bases loaded was the end for Valdez as the Astros went to their bullpen. Bryan Abreu replaced Valdez on the mound for the Astros. He grounded out Ruf to end the inning and keep the game at 1-0, stopping the Mets from doing any damage in the inning. Valdez’s final line read: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 0 HR, 1.98 ERA.

Scherzer came back out for the fifth. He allowed two base runners (a walk to Corey Julks and a deep single to Rylan Bannon) as the Astros tried to spark some fifth inning momentum, but in pure Scherzer fashion, he retired the other three batters he faced to get out of trouble and keep it a 1-0 Mets lead. Through five strong innings, Scherzer had five strikeouts and allowed no runs to the Astros.

The Mets’ bats were quieted in the sixth as Abreu retired the side in order, retiring the first four Mets he faced. Max Scherzer continued to roll in the sixth. He allowed a one-out single to Alex Bregman, but a double play got the Mets out of the inning and it was on to the seventh for the Mets and Astros in a fast-paced spring training game.

The Astros went back to their bullpen in the seventh. They brought in Rafael Montero to replace Abreu on the mound. The Mets extended their lead in the seventh off the bat of Locastro. He hit a long two-out solo home run to deep center to extend the Mets’ lead over the Astros to 2-0. That was Locastro’s first home run of the spring, but it was a continuation of a strong spring for the righty outfielder. Through Saturday’s game, he is hitting .342 with a .444 OBP and a 1.049 OPS. He has eight RBIs and six stolen bases as well.

Max Scherzer came back out to pitch the seventh for the Mets in his deepest outing of the spring. He allowed a lead-off double that made some think he was beginning to tire. But Scherzer put those worries to rest as he struck out the next three batters he faced. Through seven innings, Scherzer was still throwing a scoreless gem with eight strikeouts and a spring ERA of 0.77.

The Astros went back to their bullpen in the eighth. Austin Davis came on to replace Montero on the mound for Houston. Davis retired the Mets in order to take the game to the bottom half of the inning. The Mets went to their bullpen for the first time Saturday in the eighth inning as Max Scherzer’s day was done. Drew Smith came in to pitch the eighth for the Mets in relief of Scherzer. It was a stellar outing for Scherzer who finished with an equally impressive line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR, 0.77 ERA

Smith continued the Mets’ strong pitching performances. He allowed a walk and a single, but struck out three to end the inning. Through eight innings, Mets’ pitchers had combined to strike out 11.

The Astros went back to their bullpen again in the ninth. Ty Buttrey came on to replace Davis on the mound. He retired the Mets in order to send the game to the bottom of the ninth. It was the last chance for the Astros to try and muster up some offense.

Tommy Hunter got the call to come in and close it for the Mets in the bottom of the ninth. He allowed one hit, but struck out two to end the inning and close out the win for the Mets. He also made it a combined total of 13 strikeouts by Mets pitchers, and Hunter collected his first save of spring training too.

Player Of The Game

Max Scherzer takes home the player of the game honors in this one and it isn’t even close. The surefire future Hall of Famer was dominant as he didn’t allow a run in seven innings of work, striking out eight and walking just one batter. With Opening Day getting closer, Scherzer is gradually getting into his groove and it would have been pleasing for everyone to see him own his best stuff against the Astros. The veteran starter was locked in from the very first pitch on Saturday, and he sure looks ready for the proper games to begin.

On Deck

The Mets are back in Port St. Lucie on Sunday as they face the St. Louis Cardinals at Clover Park. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET.

The post Max Scherzer Dominates As Mets Beat Astros 2-0 appeared first on Metsmerized.