In a conversation with Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Evan Longoria made it all but official that he is done with baseball. Longoria said that throughout his last season with the Diamondbacks, he had some more clarity with the situation. “And then, being able to go to the World Series, have the experience that I had, it made it a pretty easy decision for me going into the offseason,” he said.

However, he did say the door is slightly open to one final run, depending if the interested team is in contention; he also mentioned the Rays and Diamondbacks as possible options.

In his career, Evan accomplished it all except the evasive World Series win. “So if you said I would go hit .080 for the rest of the season, but the team would win the World Series, then I’d go do it,” he said. “But that’s probably about the only thing I’d want to do.”

Latest Mets News

The New York Mets claimed veteran left-handed reliever Alex Young off waivers from the San Francisco Giants and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse. In a corresponding move, they designated Tyler Jay for assignment. Click here to learn more about the move.

The Mets signed four undrafted free agents: LHP Hoss Brewer (Little Rock), RHP Chandler Marsh (Georgia), RHP Hayden Cooper (West Virginia), and RHP Hunter Hodges (TCU).

Latest MLB News

The Chicago White Sox DFA’d veteran catcher Martín Maldonado, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. After signing with Chicago in the offseason, Maldonado has had a rough start to the season, batting .119/.174/.230 with a -1.5 WAR.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals are said to have interest in trading for White Sox and former Mets outfielder Tommy Pham, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The White Sox signing of Nick Senzel was made official by the club on Wednesday, they DFA’d INF Danny Mendick and optioned INF Lenyn Sosa to Triple-A to make room.

Former Yankees starting pitcher Domingo Germán has been released by the Pittsburgh Pirates after exercising the opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the team, per Robert Murray of FanSided.

Latest on MMO

David Melendi gave every Mets position player a grade for their first half performance.

Ricky Keeler gave an MLB draft Day 3 update, where the Mets stocked up on right-handers.

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki looked into a possible trade target to strengthen the Mets bullpen, Colin Poche.

On This Date in Mets History

2021: The Mets overcome a 6-0 deficit to beat the Pirates, 7-6. Travis Blankenhorn pulled the Mets within striking distance with his first career home run and Michael Conforto hit a two-run shot in the ninth to take the lead.

2008: Billy Joel performs the final concert at Shea Stadium in front of 55,000 fans.

2006: Carlos Beltrán becomes the 23rd player in MLB history to hit a grand slam in back-to-back games.

Birthdays: Robert Gsellman (31), Joe Torre (84)

The post Morning Briefing: Evan Longoria Eyeing Retirement appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Young, 30, pitched two scoreless innings for the Cincinnati Reds this season before being traded to the Giants on July 8 for outfielder Austin Slater. He did not appear in a game with San Francisco. He is 16-18 with a 4.40 ERA and 1.41 WHIP for his career. Last season with the Reds, he struck out 50 and walked 20 in 53 2/3 innings while pitching to a 3.86 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.

Jay had a 7.71 ERA in 4 2/3 innings with New York, last pitching on July 1. Jay was a first-round pick by the Minnesota Twins in 2015, and signed a minor league deal with the Mets in August of last year. He had a 2.40 ERA in 41 1/3 innings with Triple-A Syracuse this season.

The post Mets Claim Lefty Alex Young Off Waivers appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

And well, although the Mets offense has been pouring it on with absolutely blazing performances, the Mets bullpen has been a different type of storm – more like a torrential downpour.

After a 7-5 loss to the Nationals on Wednesday evening, the bullpen woes are now more apparent than ever. Christian Scott left the game midway through the sixth, and the arm barn was tasked to hold a one-run lead through the end of the game.

Jul 3, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jake Diekman (30) throws a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Ottavino, who hasn’t been without his fair share of struggles this season, managed his way through an inning of work before Jake Diekman was tasked with getting one out with two away in the seventh.

Unfortunately, a walk, a double, and two singles later, the Nationals had taken a 6-5 lead, one they would hold on to until the game’s end.

Diekman, who has struggled all season long, gave up his 21st walk of the season, contributing to a 17.5 percent walk percentage, which ranks in the bottom one percent of the league this season.

In fact, the Mets pitching staff carries the highest walk percentage in the league so far this season, at 10.1 percent. 

That’s a higher walk percentage than the 25-63 Chicago White Sox.

Diekman isn’t the only Mets reliever who has struggled.

Ottavino holds his highest season ERA since 2017, but has been stronger since an abysmal month of May. Tyler Jay couldn’t keep it together on Monday night, and hosts an unfortunate 2.14 WHIP through his small sample size of innings pitched. 

These bullpen struggles have been compounded by the fact that Edwin Díaz was suspended ten games for violating MLB’s policy on “sticky stuff” while pitching in Chicago. Plus, Sean Reid-Foley, Drew Smith, Brooks Raley, and Shintaro Fujinami are all missing varying amounts of time.

The reliable pieces thus far have been unexpected, with converted reliever Adrian Houser, Reed Garrett, and Dedniel Núñez stepping up when necessary; the latter of whom has continued to impress since his recall to the team a couple of weeks back. 

On the bright side, there is a bit of hope. 

The Mets have brought José Buttó back from Triple-A to help with long relief, and Kodai Senga is set to return relatively soon. Tylor Megill, who has struggled in his recent starts, can hopefully also provide support as a reliever if necessary. Additionally, Díaz’s suspension will be up next week, and Fujinami is currently on a rehab assignment.

Needless to say, support is on the horizon. Plus, the trade deadline is just a few weeks away. The Mets have to weather the storm until then, which has been a tall task as the pitching has lost two this week where the offense gave them 5-0 leads. 

The post Mets Bullpen Shaky Again in Wednesday’s Loss appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Tyler Jay has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. During Monday’s 9-7 win over the Nationals, Jay struggled in the bottom of the 10th inning while trying to hold a 9-3 lead. He gave up four runs (three earned), four hits, two walks, and recorded just 2 outs. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza had to go to Reed Garrett to close the game out. 

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Buttó’s Versatility 

With Buttó taking over Jay’s spot, he will be slotted into the bullpen. During his stint earlier this season in the rotation, Buttó pitched to a 3.08 ERA in seven starts in 38 innings. His biggest issue, however, was walks. He walked 21 batters in those seven starts. Walks have hurt the Mets all season. The bullpen needs all the help it can get as Mendoza and the Mets scramble to find options. They need guys who can get outs and give them length; he can give them that if the walks get cut down.

Buttó could also provide them with an option as a spot starter or even if they go to a six-man. The return of Scott and the eventual season debut of Kodai Senga, as he begins his rehab assignments, makes it harder for Buttó to get a spot in the rotation. 

In his last four Triple-A starts, Buttó pitched to a 2.19 ERA. In his previous start, he went seven innings, striking out give, and walked just two. Buttó can now join Adrian Houser and Dedniel Nunez as a multi-inning reliever out of the bullpen for the Mets and gives Mendoza what he hopes to be a solid option as the Mets piece together a struggling bullpen and await the return of Edwin Diaz on Saturday.

The post Mets Recall José Buttó To Join Bullpen appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Monday’s game was almost another disheartening loss for the Mets, who would have lost their third in a row. They held the lead into the eighth inning, but a baffling misplay by Tyrone Taylor on a blooper in right field allowed Jesse Winker to score from first to tie the game. The Nationals then had a chance to walk it off in the ninth when James Wood reached second base with nobody out, but Jake Diekman stranded him to give the Mets a chance, which they took full advantage of. Still, it wasn’t easy as the Nationals, somehow, made it a ballgame down six in the bottom of the 10th.

The first of the four-game series saw a matchup between David Peterson (3-0, 3.51 ERA) and MacKenzie Gore (6-7, 3.47 ERA), whom the Mets attacked for six runs in 4 1/3 innings the last time they saw him just under a month ago.

David Peterson had a relatively easy first two innings before running into trouble in the third. He recorded the first out of the inning before allowing four straight batters to reach on a walk and three singles, then getting a double play to get out of the inning. In total, the Nationals tagged Peterson for two runs in the inning.

The score remained 2-0 well into the middle innings as MacKenzie Gore had a much smoother go of it this time around against the Mets. He cruised through the lineup and avoided early trouble in the first inning after allowing a leadoff single to Francisco Lindor when Nick Senzel snatched a 107.6 miles-per-hour rocket off the bat of Harrison Bader and turned a nifty double play.

Gore eased his way from there until the sixth inning, when he exited the game with two outs and a runner on second due to a lofty pitch count. It appeared he could escape without a run on his ledger, but Derek Law came in and immediately allowed an RBI single to Mark Vientos, charging Gore with the run.

Vientos’ run-scoring hit made it a 2-1 game, and the inning became a disaster for the Nationals after CJ Abrams had a routine ground ball go through his legs to continue the inning. Francisco Alvarez then rocketed the first pitch he saw into the left-center field gap to drive in two and give the Mets a 3-2 lead.

Peterson settled in after his rough third inning and found himself pitching into the seventh inning. After a ground ball out and an infield single, he was removed from the game in favor of Dedniel Núñez, who easily got the two necessary outs to escape the inning.

The eighth inning looked like it would be another easy inning for Núñez, but Jesse Winker was able to reach on a walk. His ability to reach was especially irking, considering Núñez appeared to freeze him with a backdoor slider, but the home plate umpire ruled it a ball instead of a strike, which kept the inning alive. This is where Joey Meneses blooped a ball into right field, and Tyrone Taylor couldn’t play it properly, resulting in the tying run scoring.

The Mets went down 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, allowing the Nationals a chance to walk it off. James Wood, MLB’s No. 3 overall prospect making his MLB debut, reached second base after Jake Diekman spiked a hurried throw to first base. He was unable to score, however, partly due to Tyrone Taylor making a game-saving grab on a Jacob Young line drive with two outs to bring the game to extras.

The Mets’ offense woke up right there, with J.D. Martinez breaking out of his slump with a huge three-run homer to put the Mets up three. From there, Francisco Alvarez and Jose Iglesias provided much-needed insurance runs, given what the Nationals would do in the bottom of the inning.

JD MARTINEZ!!! A clutch 3-run home run in the 10th makes it a 6-3 Mets lead!!! pic.twitter.com/lZluqNiqE5

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) July 2, 2024

Washington surely gave the Mets a scare, as Tyler Jay came on and somehow allowed the tying run to come to the plate after entering the game with a six-run lead. Jay allowed two walks and two doubles to score three runs, which led to Reed Garrett entering the game to bail him out. Garrett needed just one out to end the game, and he allowed yet another RBI hit to make it a 9-7 game with the winning run at the plate.

Reed Garrett then made every Mets fan sigh a huge breath of relief by striking out Luis García Jr. to put the game to bed. It was a rollercoaster, but every win counts the same. With that, the Mets are back to .500 at 41-41.

Stat of the Game: Extra-Inning Madness

The Mets played their 12th extra-inning game of the year, including their second consecutive game that extended past nine innings. They have eight losses in extras, which is the most of any team this year, but their six runs ensured that total wouldn’t reach nine. The Mets’ six runs tied a franchise record for the most runs scored in any extra inning of a game.

Player of the Game

J.D. Martinez’s three-run homer in the 10th inning was the difference, as the Mets only ended up winning by two. It was a huge hit for Martinez, who entered the game in the midst of his first real slump of the season. His home run was his only hit of the game, but he also walked twice. Martinez will continue to be a threat in the heart of the Mets’ order as they vie for a playoff spot.

On Deck

The Mets’ series with the Nationals continues on Tuesday at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Sean Manaea (5-3, 3.89 ERA) will go up against rookie DJ Herz (1-2, 5.48 ERA) in a second consecutive battle of southpaws. Manaea is 1-1 with a 5.28 ERA in three career appearances against Washington and has not yet faced them this year. Meanwhile, Herz allowed four runs in four innings against New York earlier this year and will make just his sixth major league appearance.

Tuesday’s game will air on SNY, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET.

The post Game Recap: Mets Survive Extra Innings Scare, Defeat Nationals 9-7 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

• RHP Tylor Megill and LHP Danny Young optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.
• LHP Tyler Jay and RHP Matt Festa have been selected from Triple-A Syracuse.
• LHP Brooks Raley has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.
• OF Duke Ellis has been designated for assignment.

Tylor Megill’s rough season continued on Saturday, as he was only able to last 5 1/3 innings and gave up four runs and five hits. His season ERA sits at 5.08 as his career-long struggles to emerge as a consistent major-league starter continues. Megill’s demotion paves the way for Christian Scott to be recalled and make a start within the week and it also allows for a much-needed fresh bullpen arm to arrive for Sunday’s series finale.

Also, Danny Young continues his up-and-down movement in the system. Young tossed 1 1/3 innings in Saturday’s contest, allowing three runs and two hits. His major-league ERA sits at 5.11 on the season.

Tylor Megill. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The fresh reinforcements to the bullpen are in the form of left-hander Tyler Jay and right-hander Matt Festa. Jay, who has tossed four innings in the big leagues this season, has thrown 36 innings for Triple-A Syracuse this year. He owns a 2.00 ERA. He last pitched for Syracuse on June 28.

Meanwhile, Matt Festa, who was signed a minor-league deal with the Mets after being released by the San Diego Padres organization earlier in the season, has a 3.16 ERA in Triple-A this year split between two organizations. He has impressed since joining Syracuse, tossing 15 1/3 innings with 19 strikeouts and a 1.76 ERA.

Festa last pitched on June 25 for Syracuse and has seven appearances with the Triple-A Mets of longer than one inning. So, if needs be, he can give New York some length. He owns a 4.32 ERA, 4.77 FIP across 93 2/3 major-league innings, all with Seattle. He threw 54 innings for the Mariners in 2022, posting a 4.17 ERA (4.26 FIP) with 64 strikeouts. Festa throws mainly two pitches, a low-90 mph fastball and sweeper.

Additionally, Brooks Raley underwent Tommy John surgery about a month ago, so his move to the 60-day injured list was expected at some point, his season has been over. Outfielder Duke Ellis was claimed off waivers from the Chicago White Sox on June 16. He was with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A) at the time of his DFA.

The Mets go for another series win this afternoon at 1:40 pm ET against the Houston Astros at Citi Field.

The post Mets Announce Plethora Of Roster Moves Ahead Of Series Finale Against Houston appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Triple-A

Syracuse (15-11) 13, Rochester (12-12) 5

Box Score

• Luisangel Acuña: 1-6, 2B, R, RBI (.643 OPS)
• José Iglesias: 2-5, 4 RBI, 2 HR (.846 OPS)
• Luke Ritter: 3-4, RBI, BB (.857 OPS)           

The Syracuse Mets ended up scoring 12 unanswered runs after starter Dom Hamel didn’t have his best day. Down 4-1 in the top of the fourth, Yolmer Sánchez hit a three-run home run to tie the game 4-4 in the top of the 4th inning. In the top of the 6th, José Iglesias would then give Syracuse a lead they would not relinquish with a two-run homer to put them up 6-4. He would strike again with another two-run home run in the top of the 7th inning to give Syracuse an 8-4 lead. It was the beginning of a seven-run 7th inning for the Mets. It featured a Rylan Bannon two-run home run, an RBI double from Sanchez and another RBI double from Acuña.

• Dom Hamel: 4 1/3 IP, 7 H, 4 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 3 K, 5.16 ERA
• Tyler Jay: (W, 1-0) 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1.42 ERA
• Jon Duplantier: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 7.88 ERA
• Hunter Parsons: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 3.00 ERA

While Dom Hamel struggled by allowing seven hits and four earned runs, the Mets offense picked him up. The bullpen, led by the feel-good story Tyler Jay, also picked Hamel up. Jay earned the win on this day, his first for Syracuse. Jay has a 1.42 ERA in Triple-A. Jon Duplantier also pitched a scoreless inning.

Ryan Clifford, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

High-A 

Brooklyn (12-10) 9, Aberdeen (11-11) 2

Box Score

• Ryan Clifford: 2-4, 2 H, 2 R, BB, 2 K (.783 OPS)
• Omar De Los Santos: 1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K, (.250 OPS)
• Nick Lorusso: 2-3, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, BB

Back on Coney Island, the Brooklyn Cyclones offense opened the floodgates early in the first inning with seven runs. RBI base hits from Stanley Consuegra, Nick Lorusso, and William Lugo gave Brooklyn a 5-0 lead. The seven-run inning culminated in an Omar De Los Santos blast one into Luna Park. His first of the season for the Cyclones. Brooklyn would score two more in the bottom of the 6th inning as Lorusso tripled to score Wilfredo Lara and Ryan Clifford. Speaking of Clifford, one of the two Mets acquired for Justin Verlander, he had a nice day with two hits and scored twice. 

• Douglas Orellana: 4 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 1.02 ERA

• Jordany Ventura: (W, 2-0) 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 K, 2.57 ERA

• Victor Castaneda: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 5.59 ERA

Jordany Ventura highlighted the Cyclones’ work on the mound. He threw almost four shutout innings with five strikeouts. He relieved starter Douglas Orellana, who, while he wasn’t able to qualify for a win, was solid with three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings pitched in his first start for Brooklyn. Victor Castaneda couldn’t complete the shutout and gave up two earned runs in the top of the 9th inning on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single. 

Low-A

St. Lucie (10-12) 11, Jupiter (15-7) 1 

Box Score

• Christopher Suero: 2-4, HR, 2 H, 3 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB (.974 OPS)
• Yohairo Cuevas: 2-4, 1 RBI, 2 H, (.433 OPS)
• Diego Mosquera: 2-5, 1 RBI, 2 H, 1 R, 1 K (.572 OPS)
• Nick Morabito: 2-3, 2 H, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K (1.047 OPS)

Over at Clover Park, the St. Lucie Mets followed in what their Syracuse teammates did by pulling double-digits on their opponent. Eleven runs totaled on this day, highlighted by Christopher Suero, who crushed a two-run home run, his second of the season, to give the Mets a 6-0 lead. It was part of a four-RBI day for Suero. He hit a two-RBI single later in the game. Yohairo Cuevas, Diego Mosquera. and Nick Morabito also contributed with RBIs. Ronald Hernandez walked and scored on Suero’s RBI single. 

Coming off a hamate injury, Boston Baro made his season debut, going 1-for-3 with a walk, RBI and a run scored. 

• Wyatt Hudepohl: (W,1-1) 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K, 3.57 ERA
• Jimmy Loper: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 4.32 ERA
• Miguel Alfonseca: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 0.00 ERA
• Layonel Ovalles: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 6.10 ERA

Wyatt Hudepohl got the start for St. Lucie and was impressive. He struck out eight batters in five innings of work and allowed just an unearned run. The eight strikeouts are the highest he’s had in his minor-league career. 

The post Offense Leads The Way For Mets Minor Leaguers appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets are rolling.

With a 9-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Mets earned a series sweep over the Buccos and have now won four straight series to get back over .500. Luis Severino had another solid outing and the offense continued swinging their hot bats during their four-game win streak. Click here for a full breakdown of the Mets’ win on Wednesday.

Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Now, the Mets are heading out west as they have to go on one of those vaunted west coast trips. After their 0-5 start it seemed as though this would be an impossible task, but after winning 10 of their last 13, the Mets will go into California with momentum.

Starting on Friday, New York will go to Dodger Stadium and face reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani and the other prize of this past offseason, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in a three-game set. After facing the struggling Dodgers, who have lost three of their last four series, they will head up the coast to San Francisco to take on the third-place Giants. 

After bouncing back the past two weeks, even a split of these next six games would leave the Mets in a great spot for their next homestand. What’s your prediction for the Mets’ west coast trip?

Latest Mets News

The early reports on Brett Baty are encouraging and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza believes he will be able to avoid the IL, per Will Sammon of The Athletic. Baty left Tuesday’s game against the Pirates with left hamstring tightness.

The Mets announced that they have claimed Michael Tonkin off of waivers from the Minnesota Twins and have DFA’d Tyler Jay. Click here for more information on the transaction.

Mets RHP prospect Christian Scott joins Baseball America‘s top 100 list. Click here for more information.

Laura Albanese of Newsday dove deeper into Mets fan, “The Rally Pimp,” and how his aura has helped turn the Mets’ season around. 

Michael Clair of MLB.com wrote an article about the possibility of bringing baseball to Wrexham AFC as the Mets and Phillies prepare to face off in London this season.

Jack Fisher, who was the starting pitcher for the Mets for the first game at Shea Stadium, threw out the first pitch at Wednesday’s game, 60 years later. Click here for a flashback to that game 60 years ago.

Latest MLB News

Robert Stephenson will miss the season with an elbow injury, the Angels announced.

Justin Verlander will be coming off the IL and is planning to make his first start of the season for the Houston Astros on Friday against the Washington Nationals, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock was placed on the 15-day IL with a left oblique strain. To fill the spot, they called up LHP Joe Jacques from Triple-A Worcester.

The Colorado Rockies placed former MVP Kris Bryant on the 10-day IL (retroactive to April 14) with a low back strain. They subsequently recalled outfielder Sean Bouchard from Triple-A Albuquerque. 

The San Diego Padres placed their all-star pitcher, Yu Darvish, on the 15-day IL (retroactive to April 15) with neck tightness. They called up RHP Logan Gillaspie from Triple-A El Paso to take his spot.

The Cleveland Guardians sent cash considerations to the San Diego Padres and received RHP Pedro Avila in return. 

The Seattle Mariners reinstated INF/OF Sam Haggerty from the 10-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Tacoma.

Mike Trout tells Alden González of ESPN.com, a trade “hasn’t even crossed my mind.” González added that Trout seems hellbent on proving that he’s still elite and can bring the Angels to the playoffs.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said that catcher Joey Bart was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup as he has not felt well after getting hit in the head with a home run in batting practice, per Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The incident happened while Bart was catching in the bullpen.

Latest on MMO

Metsmerized is giving away a rally pimp T-shirt on Twitter. The Rally Pimp will also be joining the MMO podcast this week!

Metsmerized Online continues to remember the founder of the website, Joe D., a year later.

Read up on the Mets 9-1 win against the Pirates, claiming their first sweep of the season!

On This Date in Mets History

2014: The Mets trade first baseman and former first-round pick Ike Davis to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Zach Thornton and a player to be named later (Blake Taylor). Davis hit .241 with 68 home runs during his time in Queens. 

Birthdays: Brady Clark (51), Rico Brogna (54), Doug Flynn (73)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Have Won 10 of 13 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Tonkin started the season in the majors with the Mets before he was DFA’d on April 5 and then traded to the Twins for cash four days later. In his only appearance for the Twins, Tonkin allowed two runs in two innings and struck out five before they designated him for assignment.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The 34-year-old allowed two earned runs in four innings with the Mets to start the season, though he had a 1.75 WHIP during that span.

Jay made his MLB debut last week against the Braves, giving up one run in two innings. He tossed two scoreless innings on Saturday in the Mets’ 11-7 loss to the Royals and was sent to Triple-A Syracuse the following day. The former first-round pick pitched two scoreless innings on Tuesday for Syracuse and has allowed only one earned run in 9 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year.

The Mets will have to make a move to create a spot on the active roster for Tonkin before their game on Friday against the Dodgers.

The post Mets Claim Michael Tonkin; DFA Tyler Jay appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Considering that Atlanta is normally a house of horrors for the Mets, a split of what was originally a four-game set with the Braves would have been considered a nice bonus.

Instead, the Mets got a timely explosion from their offense that enabled them to absolutely beat the tar out of their NL East rivals as they took two out of three to improve to 5-7 on the year.

The way in which New York piled up the runs in three games to win their first series in Atlanta since July of 2022 was nothing short of impressive. The Mets also showed a lot of guts and a lot of fight by nearly erasing a six-run deficit in the second game of the series.

Overall, this was a really impressive three-game set where we learned a lot about this Mets team. We also saw tantalizing signs of what they could be capable of moving forward.

And, on that note, let’s dive into the latest edition of a very positive, and very happy, 3 Up, 3 Down…

3 UP

Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

TRENDING UP

Man, Brett Baty just keeps getting better. There is no doubt that the young third baseman has been the best and most consistent player for the Mets through the first couple of weeks of the year. He is 10-for-27 with 2 RBIs while in the midst of a current six-game hitting streak, and he’s also reached base in all but one game he’s played so far this season. After hitting an RBI double on Thursday, Baty is now slashing .311/.354/.378/.732 on the year. He is also excelling against lefties with four hits in 10 at-bats after struggling mightily in that department during the 2023 campaign. Having also shown considerable improvement defensively, Baty is quickly turning into the real deal at the hot corner for the Mets.

BREAKING OUT

We were waiting for this offense to show up, and boy it certainly did that in Atlanta as the Mets scored a total of 29 runs across three games. The 16 they put up in Thursday’s finale was the first time all year that they’ve scored 10 or more runs in a single game. Talk about just what the doctor ordered. Brandon Nimmo had a big series, going 7-for-14 with seven RBIs. Pete Alonso went 4-for-8 with a home run, three RBIs, three runs scored and two walks in his last two games. Jeff McNeil woke up with four hits and three RBIs while DJ Stewart broke out of his slump with a couple of big-time homers.

The bottom of the order also contributed with Harrison Bader scoring three runs on Thursday, while Tyrone Taylor hit a grand slam to put the icing on the top of the cake in the rubber match. This series was the perfect tonic for an offense that had largely scuffled in the opening nine games of the season, and hopefully it is just the start of good things to come.

FEEL-GOOD STORY

I have a feeling the pitching is going to be an emotional rollercoaster all year long – both in the starting rotation and the bullpen – and that was the case in this series. But, let’s accentuate the positives for a hot minute. It was really cool to see LHP Tyler Jay make his MLB debut on Thursday, just shy of his 30th birthday. The former first-round pick gave the Mets two innings and got the final six outs of the game. Given his long and challenge-laden path to get to the majors, it was really cool to see Jay finally get to the big stage and impress in his first taste of the show.

3 DOWN 

Photo by Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports

KICK IN THE PANTS

Ace Kodai Senga was placed on the 60-day IL during the Braves series, meaning the earliest Senga can now return is May 27. Due to the ramp-up required, it is more likely that the Mets won’t see their No. 1 starter until sometime in June. That is obviously a blow, especially for a rotation already razor-thin in depth. The Mets are absolutely right to play it safe with one of their most prized assets, but the longer he is out, the bigger the wildcard this rotation will continue to be moving forward.

NOT WHAT YOU WANT

Sticking with the starting rotation, this was not a good series for the position group. Outside of José Quintana’s outing on Thursday, which was solid but hardly stellar, the starters laid an egg in Atlanta. It began with Julio Teheran, who lasted all but a day in a Mets uniform after allowing four earned runs on six hits in the 8-7 win on Monday. Adrian Houser wasn’t much better in his start on Tuesday, giving up five earned runs on eight hits in a 6-5 loss. A real lack of depth is hurting the rotation deeply, and we’re still just in April.

WORKING THROUGH IT

Okay, this is a negative but one that will turn into a positive soon. At least I hope that’s the case. I’m talking about Francisco Lindor, who continued to struggle against the Braves. The shortstop went a combined 2-for-14 in three games without an extra-base hit. He’s now hitting an alarming .098/.203/.176/.380 on the year. However, as detailed in a previous edition of 3 Up, 3 Down, Lindor is known for getting off to slow starts and then quickly settling into a groove. While this sluggish start is particularly worrisome, and having a poor series when the rest of the offense figured it out is hardly encouraging, I don’t think there is any need to be concerned long-term when it comes to Lindor. I just don’t.

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