Mauricio made an emphatic statement in his first plate appearance as a major leaguer. Leading off the bottom of the third inning, he smoked a ball into right field at 117.3 miles-per-hour which resulted in a standup double. He wound up advancing to third base but was unable to score as Logan Gilbert set down the Mets’ 1-2-3 hitters in order. Mauricio recorded another hit later in the game, a ground ball up the middle, giving him two hits in what was an impressive debut.

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets’ starter for the game was Kodai Senga, who had the tough task of pitching against a Mariners team that just set a franchise record for most wins in a month (21 wins in August). However, Senga made the hottest team in baseball look anything but. Outside of allowing a J.P. Crawford solo home run in the fourth inning, Senga looked very comfortable, even in high-pressure situations. With two on and nobody out in the sixth inning, he managed to strike out the next three batters to get out of the inning.

Senga stayed on for the seventh inning but the Mariners threatened to put themselves ahead after Teoscar Hernández led off the inning with a double. Senga worked around it though, striking out two more Mariners batters to keep the game tied. That finished his outing, and it was a brilliant one. Over seven innings and 104 pitches, Senga allowed just five hits, two walks, one run, and struck out 12. He lowered his season ERA from 3.17 to 3.08, putting him right behind Blake Snell and Justin Steele for the third-best ERA in the National League.

For the bulk of the game, it appeared as though another phenomenal start by Senga would be wasted with his opposite number, Gilbert, pitching a shutout through five innings. Brandon Nimmo finally put the Mets on the board, though, as he led off the sixth inning with a solo homer, his 20th of the season, to put the Mets even with the Mariners at one apiece.

Both starters exited the game with the game still tied, pinning the rest of the game on the bullpens. Phil Bickford did his job by throwing a scoreless eighth inning, giving the Mets a chance to take a late lead with flamethrower Andrés Muñoz on the mound for Seattle in the bottom of the inning. That’s exactly what happened, with smart baserunning by Francisco Lindor paving the way.

Lindor led off the inning with a single before stealing a base, his 25th of the year which ties a career-high. Lindor then advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Muñoz, allowing him to be driven in on an opposite-field RBI single by Daniel Vogelbach. That gave the Mets the lead for the first time all night, giving the team the chance to close it out in the ninth inning.

The Mets sent out Drew Smith, who entered the game with three home runs given up in 11 innings in the month of August, to try to record the save. Smith walked Cal Raleigh to lead off the inning but made up for it with an impressive pickoff move to record the first out. After recording the second out of the inning easily, Smith gave up a single but subsequently struck out Ty France to record his third save of the season and give the Mets a tough 2-1 win. With the win, the Mets improved to 62-73 on the year.

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Player of the Game

In his first game in the big leagues, Ronny Mauricio is the player of the game. Not only did he look comfortable at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a scorching double, he also looked comfortable in the field, finding himself in the middle of several crucial plays. The hope is that he can keep up this performance down the stretch, as the Mets will get to see what they have in their highly-touted prospect.

Stat of the Game

According to Sarah Langs, Ronny Mauricio’s 117.3 miles-per-hour double in the third inning was the hardest-hit first career hit by any player in the Statcast era (since 2015). Not only that, it was also the hardest-hit ball in play by any Met during the entire 2023 season. With one swing of the bat, Mauricio demonstrated the power he possesses that Mets fans will be hoping to see more of during the final month of the season.

On Deck

The series between the Mets and Mariners continues at 7:10 p.m. ET Saturday evening. David Peterson (3-7, 5.23 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets, looking to continue his stretch of strong performances. Luis Castillo (11-7, 3.01 ERA), one of the frontrunners for the American League Cy Young Award, will be on the mound for the Mariners. The game will be broadcast on SNY.

The post Mauricio Impresses in Mets’ 2-1 Win Over Mariners appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets actually fell into a three-run deficit within the first two innings as Kodai Senga failed to strand Boston baserunners early. Jarren Duran scored on a fielder’s choice in the first inning before Yu Chang plated two with a double off the Green Monster in the second inning.

The Mets displayed impressive resiliency, though, as they erased the 3-0 Boston lead in a hurry. Brandon Nimmo made Kutter Crawford pay by sending a hanging curveball over the right field wall in the top of the third for a two-run homer. Daniel Vogelbach hit a two-run shot of his own the following inning, sending a much more difficult pitch above the strike zone into the right field bleachers.

That was all the two teams were able to play Friday night due to the rain, with play resuming at 2:10 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon from the same point in the game where it stopped.

Needing the bullpen to piece together 5 2/3 innings, the Mets called on Grant Hartwig to start things back up and he dealt with the tough task by putting together two scoreless innings and keeping the Mets’ lead intact. David Peterson followed him by giving up a run over 2/3 of an inning, but Dominic Leone, Brooks Raley, and David Robertson combined for three more scoreless innings to finish out the game and secure a 5-4 Mets win.

The lone run given up by the bullpen was in the seventh inning after the Mets had already made it a 5-3 game on an RBI infield single from Brett Baty. Peterson allowed a leadoff triple to Triston Casas after Mark Canha had trouble fielding the ball in right field. Peterson was then relieved for Leone, and the runner on third scored on a Rob Refsnyder sacrifice fly.

Daniel Vogelbach SOCKS a 2-run shot to right to give the Mets a 4-3 lead! pic.twitter.com/txhdMVPsCy

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 22, 2023

Looking to blow the game open in the eighth inning, the Mets loaded the bases with nobody out after three straight singles. However, the opportunity to score was squandered after a Francisco Álvarez infield pop up and a Brett Baty ground ball double play kept it a one-run game. Then in the ninth inning, the Mets failed to score yet again after putting runners on first and second with nobody out.

The Mets brought in Robertson for the bottom of the ninth, hoping the Mets’ offensive woes with runners on base didn’t come back to hurt them. Robertson made sure there were no dramatics with an easy 1-2-3 inning to give the Mets the win, improving the team’s record to 46-51.

Player of the Game

Brandon Nimmo continued his power surge by hitting his 15th home run of the season to open the scoring for the Mets in this one. The two RBIs on that homer made the difference in this one-run Mets’ win. He also added on another hit with an opposite field single, going 2-for-5 in the game as he continues his impressive offensive season.

On Deck

Action will pick right back up tonight with the second game of the doubleheader at 7:10 p.m. ET. Max Scherzer (8-3, 3.99 ERA) will take the mound for New York, hoping to put together another fantastic outing after giving up just one hit and no runs in seven innings against the Dodgers his last time out. For Boston, it will be James Paxton (5-2, 3.51 ERA) on the mound who, unlike Scherzer, will be hoping to move on from his last outing in which he gave up six earned runs in three innings against the Cubs. The game will be broadcast on PIX11.

The post Mets Defeat Red Sox 5-4 In Game One Of Doubleheader appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Mets are set to play a doubleheader today after last night’s game between the Mets and Red Sox was suspended due to inclement weather that persisted well after the game was originally delayed. The game will resume at 2:10 p.m. ET, while the game originally scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET will be pushed back to 7:10 p.m. ET.

The game will resume in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out and nobody on, with the Mets holding a 4-3 lead. The Mets’ four runs scored on a pair of two-run blasts by Brandon Nimmo and Daniel Vogelbach.

Latest Mets News

The Mets officially announced that they recalled Mark Vientos to the major league roster, taking the place of Starling Marte who was placed on the injured list.

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Latest MLB News

The Cardinals traded reliever Génesis Cabrera to the Blue Jays for minor-league catching prospect Sammy Hernandez. Cabrera has pitched to a 5.06 ERA in 32 innings for the Cardinals this season.

Yankees catcher Jose Trevino will undergo season-ending wrist surgery. Trevino said he expects to be ready to go for spring training in 2024.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that the chances of Tim Anderson being traded are increasing. Anderson has been swinging the bat well since the All-Star break after having a dreadful first half of the season.

Morosi also reported that there is a lot of trade interest in Kerry Carpenter of the Tigers, but rival executives expect him to remain in Detroit.

Latest on MMO

In the latest Mets Minors Recap, Michael Mayer highlighted impressive performances by Ronny Mauricio and Jett Williams.

Michael Famulari recapped José Quintana‘s debut as a Met.

Jack Markowski wrote about the continued struggles of Pete Alonso.

On This Date in Mets History

Birthdays: Rob Johnson (41), Jesse Hudson (75)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Set For Doubleheader After Rainout appeared first on Metsmerized.

Although play halted with the Mets in the lead, it was the Red Sox who scored first. Jarren Duran reached base with a leadoff single and then advanced to third after Francisco Álvarez’s throw on an attempted stolen base found its way into center field. A weak ground ball off the bat of Justin Turner with the infield playing back brought Duran in to give the Sox an early 1-0 lead.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Kodai Senga got into more trouble in the second inning after retiring the first two batters he faced. A walk to Triston Casas and an infield hit off the bat of Connor Wong brought up Yu Chang batting in the ninth spot in the order. Chang sent a ball into left field that just scraped off the Green Monster which scored the two baserunners to extend the Boston lead to three.

The three-run lead didn’t remain for long, though. With Brett Baty on second base after a leadoff double in the top of the third, Brandon Nimmo connected on a hanging breaking ball that he crushed over the right field wall, giving him his 15th home run of the year and bringing the Mets back within one run.

The Mets erased the Red Sox’ lead entirely the following inning. Jeff McNeil reached second base on a leadoff double, just as Baty had the previous inning, and then Daniel Vogelbach demonstrated serious power by crushing a ball above the strike zone over the wall in right field for the Mets’ second two-run homer in as many innings.

That was all the two teams could fit in before it started pouring. Senga, of course, will not take the mound when the game resumes tomorrow. His outing ends after 3 1/3 innings pitched in which he gave up three hits, one walk, and struck out three while giving up three earned runs.

The game will pick up tomorrow with one out and nobody on in the bottom of the fourth inning with the Mets holding a 4-3 lead. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET, while the game originally scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET will be pushed back to 7:10 p.m. ET.

The post Mets, Red Sox Series Opener Suspended Due to Rain appeared first on Metsmerized.

Daniel Vogelbach. Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

The Mets defeated the Cardinals 6-1 on Friday night, giving them consecutive wins for the first time in June. The Mets entered the game with a 3-9 record during the month, struggling mightily and failing to gain any sort of momentum. Now with two straight wins and two more games against the reeling Cardinals on deck, the Mets have a chance to get back on track.

During the Mets victory, Tylor Megill pitched six excellent innings, giving up one earned run. Additionally, Daniel Vogelbach homered for the first time since May 7 as he looks to turn his season around.

Latest Mets News

Wednesday night’s game between the Mets and Yankees was ESPN’s second-most watched MLB game of 2023, averaging just under two million viewers.

Before Friday night’s game, Edwin Díaz took some time to throw on the grass at Citi Field.

Mets’ Vice President of Media Relations Jay Horwitz posted on Twitter congratulating his grandson, Spencer Horwitz, for being promoted to the Blue Jays. Spencer played for Team Israel during the W0rld Baseball Classic.

Danny Torres of the Talkin’ 21 Podcast caught up with former Met Joe McEwing, the current Cardinals bench coach. McEwing talked about his time with the Mets, the fans, and more.

Latest MLB News

Former Met Stephen Nogosek signed a deal with the Diamondbacks just days after refusing an outright assignment from the Mets. Nogosek thanked Mets fans in a Tweet on Friday night.

Another former Met in Adeiny Hechavarria had his contract with the Long Island Ducks purchased by the Royals who assigned him to Triple-A Omaha.

Daniel Brown of The Athletic wrote a piece on Drew Robinson, the former major leaguer who has used his attempted suicide from 2020 to spread awareness for mental health.

Latest on MMO

In the latest Mets Minors Recap, Mike Mayer wrote about Ronny Mauricio hitting two home runs while also making his debut in left field.

Jack Markowski detailed how sloppy play continues to hinder the Mets.

In the latest MMO Weekly, Mike Mayer and Sal Manzo discuss Buck Showalter’s job security among other topics.

Michael Famulari analyzed the Mets’ decision to sign Rafael Ortega to a minor league deal.

MMO fans have a chance to win a $50 gift card to Chiddy’s Cheesesteaks. If Chiddy’s reaches 750 Twitter followers by June 19, you can enter to win by following both MMO and Chiddy’s on Twitter.

On This Date in Mets History

2008: Manager Willie Randolph was relieved of his duties along with pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto. This came just hours after a victory against the Angels, with the team’s record sitting at 34-35.

Birthdays: Brian Ostrosser (74)

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Win Consecutive Games for First Time This Month appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mets baseball has returned! The team played an intrasquad game of three innings on Friday afternoon with the rosters being split into two teams, New York Mets and New York Mets A.

For the Mets, Joey Lucchesi took the mound while Dominic Hamel was the pitcher for the Mets A squad. The Mets A squad, consisting mostly of Mets prospects, impressed with Brett Baty, Alex Ramirez, Ronny Mauricio all contributing, leading to a 3-0 victory at the end of the three innings.

The game started with Baty lining an opposite field single off of Lucchesi. Baty, who was sidelined for an extended period of his rookie campaign with a thumb injury, would add an RBI double in his second at-bat of the scrimmage off of Luis Moreno and he subsequently scored a run on a Lorenzo Cedrola single. Alex Ramirez, the Mets’ fourth-ranked prospect, singled in his lone at-bat and later scored on a DJ Stewart double that found the gap.

Brett Baty with his second opposite field hit of the day, this time for a double driving in Stewart to give the Blue squad a 2-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/lfX94q0kst

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) February 24, 2023

On the defensive side of the ball, Ronny Mauricio made a great running catch in shallow left field on a blooper that showed off his speed and defensive range from the shortstop position.

For the Mets squad, consisting of mostly major leaguers, offense was tough to find but Eduardo Escobar and Francisco Lindor were able to draw walks off of Hamel, who is listed as the Mets’ twelfth-ranked prospect. In typical Mark Canha fashion, Canha was drilled by an inside fastball in his only plate appearance. Daniel Vogelbach later drew a walk off of Trey McLoughlin and the team ultimately went hitless through the three innings.

Defensively, Escobar made an excellent diving snag going to his right on a bullet off the bat of Jonathan Araúz, a play that rivaled Mauricio’s in terms of defensive difficulty.

Great diving play by @escobardelapica! pic.twitter.com/uJKQrG2W16

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) February 24, 2023

Player of the Game: Brett Baty

It’s difficult to choose a player of the game during an intrasquad scrimmage, but Baty easily stood out among everyone else. He went 2-2 in his two at-bats, including an RBI double, and both of his hits went the opposite way. With Escobar slated to start the 2023 season as the starting third baseman, Baty might begin the year in Triple-A, but if his performance on Friday precedes a dominant spring training, fans should remain optimistic about his bright future.

On Deck

The Mets’ real spring training begins on Saturday, with a split-squad doubleheader against the Astros and Marlins. The first game will take place at the Astros’ spring training site for a 1:05 game with Denyi Reyes expected to take the mound. The night game takes place at home against the Marlins at 6:10. José Butto will be on the mound for that one.

The post Mets Baseball Returns With Intrasquad Game appeared first on Metsmerized.

Daniel Vogelbach

Player Data: Age: 29 (12/17/1992), B/T: L/R

Traditional Stats with Mets: 55 G, 183 PA, 149 AB, .255/.393/.436/.830, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 33 BB, 47 SO
Advanced Stats with Mets: 144 wRC+, 25.7 K%, 18.0 BB%, .333 BABIP, 1.0 fWAR, 0.9 bWAR

2022 Salary: $1 million

Grade: B

2022 Review

Daniel Vogelbach became a member of the New York Mets on July 22, when he was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for rookie pitcher Colin Holderman. This was a significant move at the time, as the Mets traded away a young reliever in the midst of a fantastic first season in the majors for a pure power-hitting lefty bat, the type of player the Mets desperately needed. Some were disappointed in the trade as they wished Holderman remained a member of the team, while others lauded it as a necessary move for a Mets team needing some pop in its lineup.

At the time of the trade, Vogelbach played in 75 games with the Pirates and hit .228/.338/.430/.769 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs. Despite a less-than-ideal batting average, Vogelbach’s on-base percentage and slugging percentage suggested that he was skilled at getting on base and providing power which is what made him an attractive trade option in the eyes of manager Buck Showalter and general manager Billy Eppler.

The biggest reason the Mets acquired Vogelbach is because they viewed him as part of the solution to two of the team’s biggest letdowns: the designated hitter role and the fifth spot in the order.

The Mets’ DH spot was a resounding disappointment in the first half of 2022. Dominic Smith and J.D. Davis combined for four home runs (all from Davis) and 24 RBIs in 221 plate appearances as a designated hitter. This lack of production forced Smith to be demoted to Triple-A and Davis to be traded at the trade deadline. As it pertains to the fifth spot in the order, this was the second-least productive spot in the order for the 2022 Mets only in front of the ninth spot. For all of 2022, Mets hitters in the fifth spot hit .215/.310/.343/.653 with 13 home runs and 70 RBIs in 691 plate appearances.

This type of repeated failure in both the designated hitter role and the fifth spot in the lineup was simply unacceptable, and Vogelbach was seen as the answer, at least against righties, to provide the quality results the Mets needed. Vogelbach has a career batting line of .238/.364/.458/.822 against righties, with 67 home runs and 190 RBI.

In short order after he was traded, Vogelbach became a fan favorite in New York. Fans and media alike were entranced by him in part because of his undeniable likability, but also because he got off to a hot start with his new team. From his debut on July 24 through August 22, Vogelbach batted a tremendous .284/.418/.541/.959 with four home runs and 15 RBI,s which must have exceeded even Showalter and Eppler’s wildest expectations.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Vogelbach came back down to Earth as the season winded down. From August 23 through the end of the season, he batted .227/.370/.333/.703 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. Then in the postseason series against San Diego, he was essentially a non-factor as he went 0-for-7 with a sacrifice fly in the three games.

In 2022, Vogelbach more often than not provided the Mets with exactly what they expected of him. He seemed at times to be the target of anger from fans who called the Mets’ trade deadline a failure, but it would be unfair to group him with the other players who were acquired, given his objectively positive performance with the team. He went through some cold stretches, but his ability to consistently get on base, hit for power and provide protection for Pete Alonso in the lineup was evident the entire time. His 139 OPS+ and 144 wRC+ with the team suggest that he was the massive upgrade they thought he would be, which is why he is deserving of a B grade.

2023 Outlook

On November 8, the Mets announced that they exercised Vogelbach’s club option for the 2023 season. The option was for $1.5 million, an easy decision for a player of Vogelbach’s caliber. A salary of only $1.5 million could make Vogelbach expendable if he fails to meet expectations, but the Mets fully expect him to outperform this number in 2023.

Barring any surprise free agent signings or trades, Vogelbach will once again be the Mets’ designated hitter against right-handed pitchers. He isn’t a multidimensional player, so he won’t provide defense or at-bats against lefties, but his ability to mash righties makes him a valuable asset for the team next season.

The post 2022 Mets Report Card: Daniel Vogelbach, DH appeared first on Metsmerized.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Despite starting last week off rough and getting swept by the Cubs at home in the first half of the week, the Mets rebounded back to sweep the Pirates in a four game series that put them in a position to possibly clinch a playoff spot on Monday or within the week.

The Mets offense was quiet against the Cubs, but looked strong against the Pirates, striking for 23 runs against the Pirates over the course of the four-game series.

Following their sweep of the Pirates, the Mets hold on to a one-game lead over their NL East foe Atlanta Braves in the race for the division title.

Hitter of the Week

Daniel Vogelbach had a stand-out series against the Pirates at the plate. After going 0-5 against the Cubs with two walks, Vogelbach was 5-for-8 against the Pirates with five walks and a home run. He drove in six RBI’s during the series and also had two runs scored.

The highlight of the week and series against the Pirates was on Thursday when he went 2-for-2 with three RBI’s, including two in the first inning on a 2-RBI double to right field that scored Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso to put the Mets on top of the Pirates early. His third RBI of the game came in the bottom of the third on an RBI single to right field that once again scored McNeil to give the Mets a 5-1 lead. They went on to defeat the Pirates 7-1 in that game.

So far this season, Vogelbach is batting .235/.359/.431, with a .791 OPS. Through the last seven games he batting .389/.560, with a .611 slugging percentage.

Pitcher of the Week

In a week with a few standout pitchers, including Jacob deGrom’s 13-strikeout performance on Sunday, the pitcher who really stood out to the Metsmerized staff this week was Joely Rodriguez out of the bullpen.

Rodriguez threw five innings over the course of last week and was perfect. He did not allow a single baserunner in five innings and struck out nine along the way.

Overall for the month of September, Rodriguez has thrown seven and one-third inning, giving up just two earned runs on four hits, two walks, and has struck out 12. He has a 0.82 WHIP in September.

Over the full course of the 2022 season, Rodriguez is 1-4 with a 4.73 ERA. He has struck out 55 over the course of 45 2/3 innings pitched.

Rodriguez is having a productive year coming out of the bullpen and has been part of the success the Mets have been able to have.

The post Players of the Week: Vogelbach And Rodriguez Lead Mets appeared first on Metsmerized.