Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

With the acquisition of right-hander Jordan Yamamoto from the Miami Marlins on Monday, as well as the preliminary interest in former Atlanta Brave Mike Foltynewicz, the Mets continue to focus on their pitching depth.

This has been a theme for New York through the offseason, as they have quietly made some shrewd acquisitions to help out both the starting rotations and bullpens at the major league level as well as the upper levels of the minors.

The Mets parted with minor league infielder Federico Polanco to get Yamamoto, and just a few days ago, flipped southpaw Steven Matz to the Toronto Blue Jays for a trio of hurlers led by right-handers Sean Reid-Foley and Yennsy Diaz.

Additionally this winter, the team has added right-handers Jacob Barnes, Sam McWilliams, and Stephen Tarpley as well as lefties Aaron Loup and Joey Lucchesi to the 40-man roster alone. That’s not even including the guys they took fliers on as non-roster invites such as former Phillie Jerad Eickhoff, former highly touted prospect Oscar De La Cruz and former Atlanta Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino.

This is certainly a 180 degree turn from where they were at a season ago, where right-handers Walker Lockett, Corey Oswalt and Ariel Jurado were the extent of depth options.

What’s even more important is that a lot of these acquisitions come with team control and minor league options.

Yamamoto is eligible to become a free agent for the first time in 2027. Reid-Foley in 2025. Lucchesi in 2025.

The previous regime often mortgaged the farm system for fringe big leaguers, and it came back to bite them. When ownership changed hands to Steve Cohen and crew, they were left without a lot of reinforcements at the upper levels of the minors.

Overall, the team’s farm system needs to be replenished as a whole, but team president Sandy Alderson has done a solid job of picking up young players with flexibility without sacrificing unknown or up-and-coming commodities.

The post Mets Are Quietly Building Strong Pitching Depth appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo by Ed Delany, MMO

The 2020 MLB season is still on pause and negotiations to resume have not yet been fruitful. While there is a possibility that baseball may not be played in 2020, that does not mean that each team is not preparing and planning on how their regular season rosters will look.

For the New York Mets, those plans should include Seth Lugo in the starting rotation for multiple reasons.

Noah Syndergaard‘s Replacement Has Big Shoes To Fill

The Mets of the mid-to-late 2010s boasted a strong starting rotation season after season. However, that strong rotation is slowly becoming a thing of the past for the Mets. While the Mets’ “dream rotation” of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Steven Matz rarely ever pitched together healthy in the same season, all five pitchers were key contributors for the Mets at some point in time.

However, Harvey was traded by the Mets in 2018 and Wheeler left via free agency this past offseason, leaving the Mets with three of their “Fab Five.”

That three dwindled to two on March 26, as Syndergaard underwent Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He will likely be out until the summer of 2021, leaving the Mets with big shoes to fill.

The Mets now have a projected rotation of deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Steven Matz, Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha – a far cry from years past.

DeGrom is arguably the best pitcher in baseball over the last couple of years. Both Stroman and Matz are solid, but neither are clear No. 2’s. Porcello and Wacha are both coming off rough seasons and have struggled to stay consistent throughout their career.

With a healthy Syndergaard, the Mets’ rotation was still not guaranteed to be a strong spot. Without a healthy Syndergaard, the rotation faces its toughest challenge in years.

The Mets cannot just replace Syndergaard with anyone. Having Wacha or others like Walker Lockett or Corey Oswalt start would not be the best option. While it is always possible that one of them could have a career year, the Mets’ cannot afford to take the risk with the rest of the rotation weaker than years past.

They may have been able to get away with starting these pitchers in the past, but need to go with their strongest internal option going forward. While Lugo may not emerge as an All-Star caliber starter, he presents himself as an upgrade and realistically could end up being the rotation’s third-best pitcher in 2020.

Lugo Comes With Past and Current Pitching Success

Lugo has clearly made a name for himself recently due to the dominance he has exhibited out of the bullpen, but in 2016 the right-hander helped carry the Mets to the playoffs as a starter.

Towards the end of August 2016, the Mets were fighting for a Wild Card spot, but injuries hurt their starting rotation. Rookies Lugo and Robert Gsellman slotted into the rotation for a combined 15 productive starts. They led the Mets to an 11-4 record in those starts. The Mets then finished the season 87-75 and snagged the first Wild Card spot.

As a starter in 2016, Lugo went 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA, 1.149 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts in 47 innings. The Mets won seven of the eight games he started. He never gave up more than three runs in any single start and he went at least five innings in all his starts.

One of the biggest knocks against Lugo as a starter is his past performance as one in 2017. In 18 starts that season, Lugo went 7-5 with a 4.76 ERA, 1.383 WHIP, and 82 strikeouts in 98 1/3 innings.

However, going into the 2017 season, Lugo had a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. He ended up avoiding Tommy John surgery and instead received platelet-rich plasma injections.

While Lugo said during the 2017 season that his elbow injury was not an issue, his pitching was still likely affected by the injury since the velocity on his fastball, slider, curveball and changeup were all down by at least one mile per hour each. With that said, the 2017 season is not a good reflection of how Lugo would look as a starter in 2020. Even if it was, it would be on par with what one may expect from Wacha in 2020 anyway.

Also, Lugo’s dominant pitching and increase in strikeout rate the last two seasons (albeit almost all out of the bullpen) goes to show he currently has the stuff to get batters out.

The Mets’ Bullpen Can Survive Without Lugo In 2020

The biggest qualm about moving Lugo from the bullpen to the starting rotation recently has been the fact that he is so good as a reliever, that the bullpen will suffer without him.

That was a strong argument the last two seasons, but is not as strong of an argument now. The key reason for this is that the starting rotation has weakened (as previously discussed) and bullpen has been strengthened.

Fangraphs projects the Mets’ 2020 bullpen to be the fifth best in baseball with a 5.2 fWAR. That projection comes with an expectation that Edwin Diaz will rebound in 2020 and lead the bullpen with a 1.8 fWAR. It is also due to the fact that the Mets signed Dellin Betances, although their projection that Betances will compile a 0.6 fWAR is very conservative and due to his recovery from 2019 injuries.

Fangraphs’ high ranking of the Mets’ 2020 bullpen also comes without a huge bounce back season from Jeurys Familia (projected 0.5 fWAR). However, he also has potential to rebound in a big fashion after a career-worst 2019. If he puts up numbers like he did in 2015 and 2016, or even like he did in 2014 or 2018, it would give the Mets’ bullpen a huge boost.

While anything can happen and few Mets fans would want to count on Diaz and Familia rebounding in such a big way, the Mets’ bullpen can also survive without Lugo due to the expected 2020 season rules.

Rosters will likely expand to 30 players with a 20-player taxi squad. This will give the Mets opportunities to mix and match various pitchers in the bullpen in the event that Lugo’s absence from the bullpen does more damage than expected.

Finally, if Lugo is placed in the starting rotation and succeeds, he would put less pressure on the bullpen anyway.

While the Mets’ 2019 bullpen (which was 12th in the National League with 0.7 fWAR) may not have survived without Lugo, the 2020 bullpen can. The addition of Betances, the potential of Diaz rebounding, the potential of Familia rebounding, the expanded rosters and a stronger rotation with Lugo present in it, can all contribute to the bullpen surviving and possibly thriving.

Lugo Wants To Start and The Mets May Need Him To Start Soon Anyway

Although Lugo has accepted his job as a reliever, he has made it known in the past that he wants to be a starter.

“I do want to start, but pitching in relief’s fun,” Lugo said after his final appearance of the 2019 season per Garrett Stepien of SNY. “Getting a save, finishing a game – that’s a lot of fun, too. So that’s kind of the way I’ve approached the last couple of years is, ‘Yeah, starting’s my No. 1 goal. But pitching in relief’s fun, too.’ So as long as I’m on the team, that makes me happy.”

Lugo has been putting his head down and doing what he has been asked despite having a longing to start. His tenacity and determination to start despite immense success as a reliever is a sign of a true competitor. It is a sign that if given the chance, he would not waste it.

More importantly in regards to his desire to start, is his future with the Mets. Lugo is a free agent in 2023 and if he is not a starter at any point with the Mets before then, it is possible he seeks another team where he can be a starter.

While that is not a good enough reason for the Mets to warrant him being a starter if they did not need one, it would certainly kill two birds with one stone based upon the questions they have with their rotation now and the questions they will have in the near future.

The Mets may have another hole in their rotation next year if Stroman is not re-signed. That is “very possible” as Stroman himself noted in a tweet where he responded to a fan asking if this year would be the end to his time as a Met. If he is not a Met in 2021, it would be another blow to the rotation and one especially noticeable until Syndergaard returns later in the season.

This makes now a good time to give Lugo a shot, and it would be beneficial for both sides. The Mets can see if they have a viable starter for the future in case they do not re-sign Stroman (or if he wants to leave). Also, it gives Lugo a shot to fulfill his dream to start and show what he is made of a few years before he gets to free agency.

With the state of the Mets’ starting rotation (as well as the potential of its near future), this is the best time to give Lugo the position he wants and has earned.

The post Seth Lugo Should Start In Noah Syndergaard’s Absence appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Tim Britton of the Athletic reports that the New York Mets have recalled Walker Lockett from Triple-A Syracuse and optioned Chris Mazza.

Lockett, 25, has started four games for the Mets this season in which he has registered a 7.79 ERA, 5.01 FIP, and 1.615 WHIP. He also has 13 strikeouts in comparison to five walks.

Mazza, 29, allowed four runs in an inning of work against the Philadelphia Phillies. The right-hander was mostly relegated to mop-up duty as the eighth man in the bullpen.

In six appearances with the Mets this season, Mazza has a 7.71 ERA, 3.39 FIP, and 2.057 WHIP with eight strikeouts in comparison to three walks.

This move maintains the Mets’ eight-man bullpen and four-man bench. Rosters can expand to as many as 40 players on Sunday.

The post Walker Lockett Recalled, Chris Mazza Optioned appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (55-56) won their fourth-straight series on Sunday as they took the rubber game in their three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates (48-63). They now look to keep the good times rolling as they open a four-game series with the Miami Marlins at Citi Field.

Latest Mets News

The Mets will play a doubleheader with the Marlins which can be followed on SNY, WCBS 880 and ESPN Deportes 1050. The first game is scheduled to start at 4:10 p.m. EDT and the second game will follow shortly after the conclusion of the first, with a tentative start time of 7:40 p.m. EDT.

Jacob deGrom (6-7, 2.78 ERA) will take the mound in Game 1 looking to keep up his outstanding second half. Walker Lockett (1-1, 7.82 ERA) will then toe the rubber in the nightcap of the doubleheader as he looks to build off his first career victory which came about in his previous start against the San Francisco Giants on July 20.

The Mets placed Jacob Rhame on the injured list and recalled newly-acquired Donnie Hart from Triple-A Syracuse.

Robinson Cano left the Mets’ game against the Pirates on Sunday due to a left hamstring strain. He will be re-evaluated on Monday.

Latest MLB News

Richard Morin reported that the Arizona Diamondbacks designated Zack Godley for assignment.

Aaron Hicks was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right flexor strain and J.A. Happ was returned from the paternity list.

Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reported that the Detroit Tigers turned down a couple of trade offers in 2016 for Michael Fulmer that would have worked out very well for them. They turned down an offer from the Chicago Cubs that would have included Javier Baez and an offer from the Houston Astros that would have included Alex Bregman.

The Diamondbacks cleared a spot on their 40-man roster after outrighting Yasmany Tomas to Triple-A Reno, per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. He was previously optioned to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Latest NL East News

The Atlanta Braves (66-47) remain atop the NL East standings, followed by the Philadelphia Phillies (58-53; 7.0 games back), Washington Nationals (58-53; 7.0 games back), Mets (55-56; 10.0 games back) and Marlins (42-67; 22.0 games back).

Every team in the NL East lost on Sunday except the Mets. The Braves lost 6-4 to the Cincinnati Reds, the Phillies lost 10-5 to the Chicago White Sox, the Nationals lost 7-5 to the Diamondbacks and the Marlins lost 7-2 to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Craig Mish of FNTSY Sports Radio reported that the Marlins are calling up Isan Diaz and Lewis Brinson from Triple-A New Orleans.

The Phillies optioned Maikel Franco to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and reinstated Brad Miller from the 10-day injured list.

The Nationals signed former Met T.J. Rivera to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Double-A Harrisburg according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Rob Friedland discussed five under-the-radar takeaways following the MLB trade deadline.

Tim Ryder broke down Marcus Stroman‘s first start as a Met.

John Strubel wrote a historical piece on the 37th anniversary of Joel Youngblood collecting hits for two different teams on the same day.

Joseph Hill recapped the Mets minor league games which took place on Saturday.

This Day in Mets History

1985: Darryl Strawberry hit three home runs en route to a 7-2 Mets victory against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The win put the Mets into first place in the National League East at the time.

2007: Tom Glavine recorded his 300th career victory with the Mets after limiting the Cubs to two runs over 6 1/3 innings at Wrigley Field.

Birthdays: Chasen Bradford turns 30, John Olerud turns 51 and Mardie Cornejo turns 68. 

The post Morning Briefing: Red-Hot Mets Begin Four-Game Series With Marlins appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

With a doubleheader scheduled for Monday in Miami, the New York Mets have tabbed 25-year-old right-hander Walker Lockett as the team’s starting pitcher in the second game of the twin bill.

Lockett was acquired from Cleveland in the trade that sent backstop Kevin Plawecki to the Tribe this past offseason but hasn’t shown much at the major-league level just yet.

Over three starts with the Mets (12.2 innings), the righty’s allowed 11 earned runs (7.82 ERA) with nine strikeouts and three walks. Though, through nine appearances (eight starts; 47 innings) in the offense-happy International League with Triple-A Syracuse, Lockett has a 3.83 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 11 walks.

His curve’s played well with the big club, inducing a .083 batting average and .250 slugging percentage against with a 44.4% swinging-strike rate (Baseball Savant) over 45 offerings.

Jacob deGrom will take the hill for the Mets versus Sandy Alcantara and the Marlins in the first game. Miami’s starter in the night-cap has not been announced as of yet.

We’ll keep you updated with any new information.

The post Walker Lockett Tabbed As Mets’ Second-Game Starter Monday appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

As per a team announcement, the New York Mets made a roster move ahead of Saturday’s afternoon matchup in San Francisco.

The Mets recalled right-hander Walker Lockett to make the spot start in place of Zack Wheeler (shoulder impingement) and optioned right-handed reliever, Jacob Rhame, to Triple-A Syracuse.

Lockett, 25, has allowed 10 earned runs over two starts with the Mets this season (7.2 innings) with six strikeouts and three walks. Over 46 innings (nine appearances; eight starts) spent between Syracuse and Advanced-A St. Lucie, the former Rule 5 pick owns a 4.11 ERA.

Rhame, 26, has a 5.40 ERA over four relief appearances with the big club this season, walking eight compared to five strikeouts.

We’ll keep you posted with any new information.

The post Mets Recall Walker Lockett To Start Saturday, Option Jacob Rhame appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Latest Mets News

Jacob deGrom (5-7, 3.21 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Mets against Tyler Beede (3-3, 5.44 ERA) and the Giants in Game Two of the series. The game can be followed on SNY, WCBS 880 and ESPN Deportes 1050, with first pitch scheduled for 10:15 p.m. EDT.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post argued that the Mets should forgo their typical trades of their pending free agents and instead see if their current group can play meaningful games in September.

Brandon Nimmo‘s shutdown from baseball activities has been lifted according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. However, Nimmo is not expected to begin a rehab assignment until August at the earliest.

Walker Lockett will start in place of Zack Wheeler on Saturday, as reported by DiComo.

Guillermo Granadillo and Jaison Vilera were promoted to the Columbia Fireflies from the Brooklyn Cyclones as reported by Jacob Resnick of Mets Minors. The latter returns to Columbia for the first time since April and will be seeking better results this time around.

David Peterson was placed on the 7-day injured list by the Binghamton Rumble Ponies as reported by Michael Mayer of Mets Minors. Mayer also reported that Christian James has been placed on the 7-day injured list by the Columbia Fireflies.

Latest MLB News

The Minnesota Twins are now on pace to hit over 300 home runs in 2019, which would shatter the single-season record (266) set by the New York Yankees in 2018.

Aaron Boone was ejected after arguing with rookie umpire Brennan Miller about Brett Gardner being called out on strikes in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. Microphones picked up on some of his rant which included Boone referring to his players as savages in the box.

Drew Smyly, who was most recently pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate, elected free agency according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced that they reinstated Wilmer Flores from the 10-day injured list and optioned Kevin Cron to Triple-A Reno.

Latest NL East News

The Miami Marlins squeaked out a win against the San Diego Padres 4-3, the Philadelphia Phillies edged out the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-6 and the Washington Nationals crushed the Atlanta Braves 13-4.

The Braves (58-40) remain atop the NL East standings, followed by the Nationals (51-44; 5.5 games back), Phillies (50-47; 7.5 game back), Mets (44-52; 13.0 games back) and Marlins (36-58; 20.0 games back).

Stephen Strasburg drove in more runs than he gave up against the Braves as he went 3-for-3 with two runs and five RBIs. His five RBIs were a franchise record for a pitcher.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Rob Friedman wrote a piece about the excitement brought about by the Mets’ young players.

John Sheridan took a look at the Mets’ schedule and wrote about how it sets them up for a magical run.

Sheridan also continued his “3 Up, 3 Down” series following the Mets’ two-game sweep of the Twins.

Jack Ramsey broke down Jason Vargas‘ start against the Twins on Wednesday.

Tim Ryder wrote a piece on Ruben Tejada who is going off in Triple-A Syracuse.

This Day in Mets History

1980: Roy Lee Jackson tosses a complete game and the Mets offense scored 13 runs on 20 hits and three walks in a 13-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. 

Birthdays: Jack Reinheimer turns 27, Luis Avilan turns 30, Rick Ankiel turns 40, Preston Wilson turns 45, David Segui turns 53 and Mark Carreon turns 56.

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Lose 16-Inning Battle Against The Giants appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets announced that they have optioned Walker Lockett to Triple-A Syracuse and DFA’d Ryan O’Rourke to make room on the 40-man roster for Chris Mazza, who they have selected his contract from Triple-A Syracuse.

Dicomo first broke the news of the Mazza addition earlier, but it is now known that Lockett will be the corresponding move on the 25-man roster.

Lockett, 25, made his second start with the Mets on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies and fared pretty well up until the sixth inning, which ended up being the inning that costed the Mets that game.

He pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed four runs and two walks to go along with four strikeouts. In his other start against the Chicago Cubs in place of Noah Syndergaard (hamstring injury), Lockett allowed six runs in a mere 2 1/3 innings.

O’Rourke, 31, signed a minor-league deal in the offseason and has pitched in two major league games this year, allowing no runs in 1 1/3 innings. At Triple-A Syracuse, O’Rourke has a 3.31 ERA, 1.469 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings (26 appearances).

Mazza, 29, will likely pitch out of the bullpen until Syndergaard is ready to return to take back his spot in the rotation on  Sunday, which the demotion of Lockett and his rehab appearance for the Brooklyn Cyclones Tuesday seem to indicate he is.

The post Walker Lockett Optioned, Ryan O’Rourke DFA’d To Make Room For Chris Mazza appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Mickey Callaway spoke to reporters prior to Saturday’s game at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs and said that Noah Syndergaard will be throwing a bullpen session beforehand.

Meanwhile, he also announced that Walker Lockett will start on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies, with the team preferring to leave Wilmer Font in the bullpen.

Syndergaard, 26, went on the 10-day IL on June 16 (retroactive to June 15) with a right hamstring strain, that has since proven to not be too serious as the right-hander said recently that he is in “tip-top shape.”

Lockett, 25, started in place of Syndergaard on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs and the results were not pretty as he allowed six runs, five hits, and one walk in 2 1/3 innings while striking out two batters. The Mets are likely hoping this will be the last spot start they will need from Lockett.

On the year, Syndergaard is 5-4 with a 4.55 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.211 WHIP, and 8.8 SO/9 in 95 innings of work (15 starts).

The post Noah Syndergaard Throwing Bullpen Saturday, Walker Lockett To Start Tuesday appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning Mets fans! The New York Mets (35-40) dropped their series opener against the Chicago Cubs (41-33) by a score of 7-4 on Thursday night at Wrigley Field. They will continue their four-game series with the Cubs with an afternoon game in the Windy City.

Latest Mets News

Jason Vargas (3-3, 3.74 ERA) is set to start against the Cubs after cramping up in his last start against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 16. If all goes as planned, he will go up against Yu Darvish (2-3, 4.65 ERA). The game will start at 2:20 p.m. EDT and can be followed on SNY, WCBS 880 and ESPN Deportes 1050.

The Mets fired pitching coach Dave Eiland and bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez. Phil Regan and Ricky Bones were named as their replacements, respectively. Bones returns to the bullpen coach position after holding it from 2012-2018.

Additionally, the Mets added a new position to their coaching staff called “pitching strategist.” They promoted minor league pitching coordinator Jeremy Accardo to the newly-created position.

After hitting his 25th home run in the third inning of Thursday’s game, Pete Alonso tied Cody Bellinger‘s NL record for most home runs hit before the All-Star break. The homer also makes the 24-year-old the first NL rookie to have hit at least 25 home runs in their team’s first 75 games of the season.

Alonso now only trails Darryl Strawberry‘s Mets rookie home run record by one.

Latest MLB News

MLB gave the Tampa Bay Rays permission to explore the possibility of splitting home games between Tampa Bay and Montreal sometime in the future, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. However, the Rays are still required to play all home games at Tropicana Field as in their current agreement with the city of St. Petersburg. Furthermore, John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times reported that St. Petersburg mayor, Rick Kriseman, told the team that he would not grant permission for talks with Montreal.

Matt Eddy of Baseball America provided a midseason update on minor league park factors.

The Cincinnati Reds are open to being buyers and adding a hitter before the trade deadline according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

John Sickels of The Athletic released an updated version of his Top 100 Prospects list.

Jayson Stark of The Athletic analyzed possible explanations to the dramatic increase in home runs throughout MLB.

The Toronto Blue Jays hired former MLB pitchers Zach Stewart and Scott Rolen to pitch a more competitive form of batting practice to the players.

Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic delved into the friendship of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols.

Latest NL East News

The Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 and the Miami Marlins beat the Cardinals 7-6. The Atlanta Braves had the day off.

The Braves (44-31) remain in first place followed by the Phillies (39-35; 4.5 games back), Nationals (36-38; 7.5 games back), Mets (35-40; 9.0 games back) and Marlins (27-46; 16.0 games back).

Garrett Cooper left the Marlins game against the Cardinals after aggravating a left triceps injury. He originally sustained the injury after crashing into the tarp while catching a foul ball on Tuesday.

Latest on MMO/MMN

Mathew Brownstein interviewed 1969 World Series champion Ron Swoboda.

Brian Greenzang broke down Steven Matz‘s start from Wednesday.

John Sheridan continued his “3 Up, 3 Down” series following the Mets’ three-game set with the Braves.

Michael Mayer analyzed Chris Flexen‘s improved velocity since being converted to a reliever.

Jack Ramsey wrote a scouting report for Mets’ 2019 second-round pick Josh Wolf.

This Day in Mets History

1964: Jim Bunning of the Phillies pitched a perfect game against the Mets. In doing so, Bunning became the first modern pitcher to throw a no-hitter in both leagues.

2006: Jose Reyes became the ninth Met to hit for the cycle.

Birthday(s): Jeff Musselman turns 56.

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