The Mets defeated the Cardinals on Friday night 7-1, giving the team three consecutive wins for the first time since July 16-19. The team is in the midst of a solid stretch, having won five of their last six, after looking completely flat following the trade deadline. With their better play of late, even with that abysmal stretch after their sell-off, the Mets enter today just seven games out of a wild card spot, the exact number of games back they were at the trade deadline.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Now, onto the morning briefing!

Latest Mets News

During the Mets’ 7-1 victory over the Cardinals, Joey Lucchesi pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings in his first start since May. Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil shined offensively, each recording three hits and a home run.

Nimmo recorded his 18th home run of the season on Friday night against the Cardinals, breaking his previous single-season home run record of 17 set in 2018. The Mets’ left fielder has been dynamic for New York this season, recording a 123 OPS+ and 3.2  bWAR this season before Friday night’s matchup.

Brandon Nimmo sets a career-high with his 18th home run of the year! pic.twitter.com/KZSzYIYfsc

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 19, 2023

Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote about Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the star Japanese pitcher set to be posted this offseason, and Kodai Senga‘s thoughts on him. Senga said, “I have known him since he was 20 years old. He’s been at the top level since he was very young, and I know he has a ton of talent. He is an amazing player.” On if Yamamoto were to potentially join the Mets, Senga noted, “Everybody on the team is such a great teammate… I think he would be a great fit and the whole team would welcome him.”

Darryl Strawberry was at the Syracuse Mets’ game on Friday night which was eventually canceled due to weather. Strawberry signed merchandise and souvenirs for fans while at the game.

Latest MLB News

Michael Clair of MLB.com wrote about Genevieve Beacom, an 18-year-old who is a two-way superstar from Australia. She has drawn comparisons to Shohei Ohtani, the best two-way player in the world.

The Angels called up 2023 first-round pick Nolan Schanuel, who was drafted by the team just last month. Schanuel, 21, was in Double-A and had posted a .955 OPS over 75 plate appearances there.

The Dodgers signed infielder Kolten Wong to a minor league contract. Although he struggled mightily this year in Seattle, he is just one season removed from having a 117 OPS+.

Per Sarah Langs, Julio Rodríguez is the second-youngest player with 12 hits in a three-game span since 1901. The only player younger than him to achieve that feat was Buddy Lewis in 1937.

Latest on MMO

In the latest Mets Minors Recap, Sean Kenny wrote about Luke Ritter and Carlos Cortes‘ strong performances with Triple-A Syracuse.

Michael Mayer argued that Ritter and Cortes should get a chance with the Mets.

Michael Mayer wrote about Kodai Senga‘s willingness to help recruit Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as well as the Mets’ reported interest in Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga.

Michael Famulari recapped José Quintana‘s quality start in the Mets’ victory over the Cardinals Thursday night.

Rich Sparago looked at fans’ and customers’ different perspectives on the Mets’ 2023 season.

On This Date in Mets History

1969: Tommie Agee hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 14th inning to give the Mets a 1-0 victory over the Giants. Juan Marichal had given up just five hits and no runs through 13 1/3 innings up to that point, and he recorded the loss despite a fantastic performance. For the Mets, Gary Gentry and Tug McGraw combined to shut out the Giants over 14 innings with McGraw recording the win.

Birthdays: Chris Capuano (45), Jeff Tam (53), Matt Franco (54), Ron Darling (63), Mike Phillips (73)

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Neither Justin Verlander nor Yu Darvish were at their best as both struggled with command against a particularly tight strike zone and both gave up runs early. Both bullpens thrived following their departures, paving the way for extra innings in a 3-3 game. It was then that the Mets offense broke out, scoring four runs in the 10th inning to secure their sixth straight win.

It was the Mets who scored first on a weakly-hit but perfectly-placed Daniel Vogelbach infield single in the first inning. The Padres immediately responded, though, as Manny Machado hit an RBI double and later scored on a Luis Guillorme fielding error to give the Padres the lead in the bottom of the inning.

Verlander continued to find himself in trouble, even after surrendering the early lead. He gave up a Trent Grisham RBI double in the second inning to make it a 3-1 game before loading the bases in the third. With one out and Gary Sánchez at the plate, Verlander was able to get him to ground into a double play to avoid a disaster inning.

That double play seemed to reverse his fortunes as he allowed just one baserunner over the next three innings on his way to a quality start, a result that seemed impossible after how he started the game. Through six innings, Verlander allowed just two earned runs on 98 pitches and slightly lowered his season ERA from 3.66 to 3.60.

Darvish, who is usually dominant against the Mets, was unable to hold the 3-1 lead given to him by his offense. Francisco Lindor continued his recent hot stretch by hitting an opposite field homer that just sailed over the left field wall in the third inning and Vogelbach drove in his second run of the night with an RBI single in the fifth to tie the game.

A Ha-Seong Kim double with one out in the seventh appeared to give the Padres a late scoring threat to break the tie, but Tommy Pham played the ball hit by Kim conservatively in left field, prompting Kim to decide to stretch a triple before Pham uncorked a laser to throw him out. Kim’s curious decision to go for three bases wound up costing the Padres as Juan Soto doubled in the next at-bat which would have surely scored Kim, but instead Brooks Raley and Adam Ottavino were able to combine for a scoreless inning.

The game headed to extra innings tied as the Mets failed to score with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth, but they made up for it and more as Jeff McNeil ambushed Tom Cosgrove by doubling down the right field line on the first pitch of the 10th inning to put the Mets ahead. Francisco Álvarez subsequently drove in McNeil before Lindor drove in two, his second and third RBIs of the night, to crack the game wide open and make it 7-3.

A two-run home run by Machado with one out in the bottom of the inning made it a two-run game, but David Robertson fought off the last two batters of the inning to give the Mets a hard-fought and well-deserved win.

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Player of the Game

Álvarez continues to swing a scorching bat, as he went 4-for-5 against San Diego pitchers in this game. Although he didn’t hit any homers like he often does, Álvarez recorded the first four-hit game of his career and drove in the Mets’ second run of the 10th inning to provide some massive insurance en route to the team’s sixth win in a row.

On Deck

The series with the Padres will continue on Saturday night with a 10:10 p.m. ET first pitch. The pitching matchup will see David Peterson (2-6, 6.61 ERA) face off against Blake Snell (5-7, 3.03 ERA), both of whom are pitching some of their best baseball of the season. The game will be broadcast on SNY.

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Good morning, Mets fans!

The World Baseball Classic came to a close on Tuesday, and crowned Team Japan as they went on to beat the U.S. 3-2.

The U.S. opened the second inning with a Trea Turner solos shot that went 405 feet. Japan then responded in the bottom half of the inning with two runs of their own. Munetaka Murakami answered with a solo shot of his own and Lars Nootbaar grounded into a fielder’s choice to give Japan a 2-1 lead.

Kazuma Okamoto added some insurance to Japan’s lead with another solo homerun in the bottom of the fourth inning. Kyle Schwarber brought the U.S. a bit closer with a solo home run of his own in the top of the eighth to bring the score to 3-2.

To end the game, Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout, his Los Angeles Angels teammate. It was a perfect way to end the WBC and ring in the start of the MLB regular season next week.

Latest Mets News

The Mets are off today, but outfielder Brandon Nimmo was at Clover Park testing his sprained right knee/ankle, according to Mike Puma of  The New York Post. Team officials liked what they saw and deem Nimmo as progressing. It’s still unclear what that will mean for Opening Day on March 30, but Nimmo is staying confident that he will be ready.

Third baseman Brett Baty said he had an “epiphany” last week that changed the way he views defense. Bench coach Eric Chavez said Baty “absolutely” is ready to play third in the majors right now. You can read more about this in Tim Healey’s Newsday article.

MMO‘s own Michael Mayer says Mets right-handed pitching prospect Calvin Ziegler had surgery to remove bone spurs in his right elbow. Ziegler, 20, had a 4.44 ERA but allowed only 26 hits and struck out 70 last year in 46 2/3 innings for Low-A St. Lucie. Ziegler was the Mets’ second-round pick in 2021.

Latest MLB News

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the World Baseball Classic is “100%” coming back for 2026, according to Alden Gonzales of ESPN. After record attendance and viewership, Manfred made the announcement prior to the start of the WBC final between the U.S. and Japan and wants more star pitchers to participate in the tournament.

The Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said they are not planning on putting outfielder Bryce Harper on the 60-day injured list, according to Destiny Lugardo of Phillies Nation. This pretty much means there is a possibility Harper comes back before May 29. Harper had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow during the offseason.

The Cleveland Guardians have announced the release of their Ballpark Pass. For $49 a month, any fan can get standing room tickets for all of Cleveland’s home games, including their home opener against the Seattle Mariners on April 7 that is sold out.

Latest on MMO

Michelle Ioannou looks to see who can replace injured Mets closer Edwin Díaz.

On This Date in Mets History

1962: Mets beat Yankees in their first spring training game against New York rivals.

1965: Mets throw a combined no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates in spring training.

Birthdays: Edwin Díaz (29), Ike Davis (36), Joe Smith (39), Juan Uribe (44), Jeremy Griffiths (45), Dan Boitano (70), Matt Galante (79)

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Nolan Arenado. Photo via USA Today

Both USA and Puerto Rico are set to play their third games of the World Baseball Classic.

In game one for the United States, they defeated Great Britain 6-2. Adam Wainwright was credited with the win, and the USA was led by Kyle Schwarber and his two-run home run offensively. In game two the USA was heated badly by Mexico, 11-5, and with that their chances of advancing out of pool play were greatly cut down.

Puerto Rico defeated Nicaragua 9-1 on Saturday. Marcus Stroman picked up the win, and Mets’ shortstop Francisco Lindor had a two-hit, one RBI game. Venezuela crushed Puerto Rican starter Jose Berrios on their way to a 9-6 win Monday.

Israel vs. Puerto Rico, 7:00 PM EST

Team Israel will have lefty Colton Gordon start for them. Gordon is a 24-year-old in the Houston Astros system. Israel has already turned heads this tournament after upsetting Nicaragua 3-1 on Monday to start 1-0. Garrett Stubbs was the hero with a huge two-out two-RBI single in the eighth.

Jose De Leon is on the mound for Puerto Rico. The former MLB pitcher had a 8.44 ERA in 48.0 innings pitched. Francisco Lindor leads the Puerto Rican team, batting leadoff.

Canada vs. USA, 10:00 PM EST

Canada is coming off a mercy-rule win over Great Britain. It was 18-8 after seven innings. Freddie Freeman leads Team Canada and is followed by Tyler O’Neill who went 4-for-4 with four runs and four RBIs last night.

Team USA is in a large hole after their blowout loss to Team Mexico on Monday. The United States pitching staff is just not good enough with their hitters failing. Mookie Betts has led off and is batting .100. Mike Trout is batting .167. Pete Alonso was 0-for-4 as the DH yesterday and Jeff McNeil is 1-for-8 in the tournament.

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Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

Edwin Díaz was a recipient of the New York Baseball Writers 2022 Good Guy Award. He was honored at the BBWAA dinner, as posted by MLB.

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His arrival to the majors in early May ’83 marked a sign of progress for a franchise searching for hope. After a slow start, Strawberry began to fulfill those enormous expectations and became the third Met to take the National League Rookie of the Year honors, joining Tom Seaver (1967) and Jon Matlack (1972).

Darryl garnered 18 of 24 first-place votes in a landslide victory over Atlanta Braves pitcher Craig McMurtry.

The top pick in the 1980 amateur draft out of Los Angeles’s Crenshaw High School, Strawberry was tall and lean, blessed with a sweet name and a sweeter swing. A Sports Illustrated feature once compared Strawberry to Ted Williams. With a thoroughbred build and a swift uppercut made for home runs, he had all the makings of the revered “five-tool player.”

On May 6, 1983, the Mets unveiled their shiny new toy in the MLB showroom. For a team already 10 games out of first and not getting any closer, this was the incentive to keep fans tuned in. Strawberry struggled as he tried to adjust to baseball’s top level. Over his first month, he hit .165 and struck out every 2.5 at-bats. After about five weeks, though, Strawberry began to figure it out.

Starting on June 7, Darryl fashioned an OPS of .936, topping the figure of NL MVP Dale Murphy. His power took a significant upturn in the second half as he hammered 19 homers and drove in 51 runs. By September, the glimpses of his potential were now on full display.

In the final month of his Rookie of the Year campaign, he exhibited terrific plate discipline by batting .376 and hitting successfully in 20 of 24 games. In 122 games, he had a 134 OPS+ and 19 stolen bases. His final totals of 26 homers and 76 RBIs stood as Mets rookie records until 2019.

It was until then that Strawberry was the lone Mets position player to be named top rookie. Pete Alonso joined Darryl in first-year honors and surpassed his home run and RBI marks. Yet the fascination fans had for Strawberry, especially in his early days as a Met, remains unmatched.

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Dwight Gooden was the No. 5 overall draft pick in 1982 and quickly climbed the minor league ranks in 1983. Still, it was impossible to conceive this kind of a first season—one which easily earned him the National League Rookie of the Year.

No Mets pitcher—not Tom Seaver, not Jacob deGrom, and not Matt Harvey—began his career with a better blend of fanfare and success than “Dr. K.”

He established a rookie record for strikeouts, posted an ERA of 2.60, went 17-9, and totally captivated New York City. And he almost didn’t begin the ’84 season in the majors. But Davey Johnson, the new Mets manager who saw Gooden up close when the teenager helped Johnson’s Triple-A Tidewater club to the Minor League World Series title, insisted upon it.

He started him on April 7, 1984. The 19-year-old would embark on a debut season as spectacular as any in baseball history. With his blazing fastball, Doc sat down opposing hitters, many upwards of ten years his senior, at an astonishing clip. His vast collection of strikeouts coupled with a high win total and the assortment of other impressive stats put him a close second in the NL Cy Young Award voting.

Although he was rather inconsistent over the first two months of the regular season, Gooden was consistently electric from June 1 on. Before long, his home starts at Shea Stadium became must-see events. He was named an All-Star—the youngest ever. In the fifth inning of the Midsummer Classic at Candlestick Park, he struck out the American League in order.

Gooden went on to win eight of his final nine starts and racked up 41 strikeouts with just one walk in his final three outings. His most memorable performance came in early September against eventual division champion Chicago. Doc limited the Cubs to one infield single while fanning 11 and further bolstering his Rookie of the Year credentials.

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No statistic has had a greater fall from grace in the past decade than pitching wins. Once considered a measurement for excellence on the mound, its descended into near irrelevance. Rotations have expanded, relievers have gained prominence, and starters have become less influential on their fate.

If there were still hangers-on desperately carrying a torch for the worth of victories prior to 2018, Jacob deGrom’s remarkable Cy Young Award performance in the face of a 10-9 record extinguished those beliefs. It also cemented him among the ranks of great Mets pitchers as he received all but one first-place vote.

DeGrom’s brilliance must be put into perspective both in the context of major-league and team history. He led all pitchers with a 1.70 ERA—the sixth-lowest since the mound was lowered to its current height in 1969 and the second-best by a starter in this decade. His 269 strikeouts (done over 217 innings) were second in the NL, but his combination of power and precision was a true rarity.

Only six pitchers since 1933 have thrown at least 215 innings with an ERA of 1.70 or lower, and deGrom’s strikeout total is the highest of that group. His stunning 218 ERA+ placed him among just 36 pitchers who have posted at least a 200 ERA+ since the turn of the 20th century.

His WHIP of 0.912 is the lowest single-season mark by any Met, including Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden, while both his ERA and ERA+ are second among starters to Gooden’s in 1985. DeGrom’s FIP (1.98), which was far and away the lowest in the majors, was the best since Gooden’s 1984 mark and his 9.6 pitching WAR, according to Baseball-Reference, is the fourth-highest single-season Mets total.

As incredible as deGrom was, the lack of support he got was nothing short of incredible and appalling. A ragged offense and porous bullpen let a bushel of deGrom’s tremendous starts go unrewarded. On 11 occasions, he went seven innings and allowed either zero or one run. DeGrom only won three of them. The Mets record in those starts was 12-18.

The ineptitude of those around him made deGrom even more admirable. Pitching almost every game without a safety net, he allowed three or fewer runs in 29 straight starts — a single-season record — and reeled off 24 successive quality starts (surpassing Seaver’s previous team record of 19).

DeGrom’s historic Cy Young triumph was a significant victory for the growing number of new age baseball thinkers. The exclamation point came in his final start against the Braves, in which he retired the final 20 batters he faced. He finished with his 10th strikeout of the night and the 1,000th of his career, making him the fastest Met to reach that milestone.

All deGrom has done since is win another Cy Young the very next year and firmly establish himself as one of the best Mets to ever pitch, in spite of shortened seasons and injuries.

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Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff McNeil has won the National League Silver Slugger award at second base.

McNeil deserving won the award after having one of the best bounce-back seasons of all time. After batting.251 with an 87 OPS+ in 2021, McNeil led the NL with a .326 batting average and finished with a 140 OPS+.

The other candidates nominated for the award were Ketel Marte, Jake Cronenworth, Brendan Rodgers, and Kolten Wong. Compared to the other nominees, McNeil had a far superior offensive season. The closest candidate to McNeil’s season was Cronenworth, but he had 1.7 less fWAR and a 110 wRC+ compared to McNeil’s 143 wRC+.

McNeil joined Edgardo Alfonzo as the only other Met to win a Silver Slugger at second base. Alfonzo won his award in 1999 when the Mets made an NLCS appearance against the Braves. McNeil also became the first Met to win a Silver Slugger award since Yoenis Céspedes won in 2016.

Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Starling Marte, and Brandon Nimmo were also nominated for the Silver Slugger awards. None of them won at their respective positions. McNeil was also nominated for the utility Silver Slugger award but a player can only win one Silver Slugger per year.

The Silver Slugger award is yet another milestone that McNeil obtained in the 2022 season. He also became the first Mets player in team history to lead the majors in average.

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The foundation was laid for the greatest Mets pitcher of this generation. He would join the likes of Seaver, Matlack, and Gooden as stellar rookie Mets pitchers and has kept his name among the hierarchy of all-time Mets greats.

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