John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

As bad as it got for the Mets on Monday, a night when they desperately needed to change the Mickey Callaway conversation, the outcome against the Phillies might have been different if they weren't so stubborn about hitting Robinson Cano third in the lineup.

In truth, based strictly on performance, Cano shouldn't be playing at all, considering the Mets have a guy hitting .339 whose natural position is second base.

If only management trusted what it had seen from Jeff McNeil over three months last year, then maybe the Mets wouldn't be in this bind, hoping against hope that Cano isn't as over-the-hill as he has looked so far in 2019.

The Mets considered having prized shortstop Amed Rosario get work in center field last summer. 

However, despite the need in center field last season, Rosario did zero work in the outfield. And he didn't see any work there this Spring Training either. 

But here we are again, with manager Mickey Callaway saying earlier this week that the team is again considering Rosario in the outfield.

The Mets (37-42, 9.0 GB in NL East, 4.5 GB of second Wild Card) continue their four-game series against the Phillies in Philadelphia on Tuesday night at 7:05 on SNY.

Here's what happened on Monday, in case you missed it...

During the Mets' 13-7 loss to the Phillies, Steven Matz was victimized by the home run ball and the bullpen (Brooks Pounders) got crushed >> Read More

Former Mets manager Terry Collins -- now a special assistant to GM Brodie Van Wagenen -- weighed in Monday on current manager Mickey Callaway's expletive-filled tirade toward reporter Tim Healey that happened Sunday at Wrigley Field. 

"I wasn't there so I don't know anything about it," Collins told the New York Daily News. "I just know - times are tough with the way things have been going (for the Mets). But you've got to respect everybody's jobs. That's the way I look at it."

Collins, whose time as manager ended after the 2017 season, would not say whether he believed Callaway deserved to get fired for his recent transgression.

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

PHILADELPHIA -- During a closed-door meeting on Monday afternoon in the visitors clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park, Jacob deGrom volunteered to address the media on the team's behalf, allowing teammates to focus on preparing for the game.

It was a moment of true leadership, reminiscent of David Wright -- and it was the last time that a person in a Mets uniform showed any maturity in dealing with a mess of their own creation.

On Sunday afternoon in Chicago, manager Mickey Callaway, 44, cursed out Newsday reporter Tim Healey for saying that he would see Callaway tomorrow. Then Jason Vargas, 36, threatened to assault Healey.

Following Monday's 13-7 loss to the Phillies, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen adamantly denied any truth to a New York Post story that stated he was making in-game decisions from afar. 

"No in-game decisions are ever called down from the dugout," he said. "We're not allowed to communicate with Mickey [Callaway] or the coaching staff during the games and we're not doing that."

An unnamed source told Mike Puma of The Post a specific instance in which Van Wagenen instructed Callaway to take deGrom out of a game in Arizona against the Diamondbacks because the ace had sustained a hip cramp. 

The Mets went back-and-forth with the Phillies for five innings but things dismantled in the fifth as Philadelphia scored seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings to hand the Mets a 13-7 loss. >> Box score

Five things to know from Monday's game

1) Steven Matz continues to struggle at Citizens Bank Park. The southpaw had his worst start since he last took the mound in Philadelphia on April 16 when he allowed six runs and failed to get out of the first inning. Matz went a little longer this time but the result was nearly the same. He gave up seven runs on 10 hits and three walks, including three home runs. It was the second straight start in which he has allowed at least five runs, something he had only done once in his previous nine. 

Mets manager Mickey Callaway held a second gathering with the media on Monday, an hour before their game against the Phillies, to apologize for his conduct regarding a verbal altercation with Newsday beat reporter Tim Healey that happened on Sunday. 

Callaway had stopped short of an apology during his regularly scheduled press conference earlier in the day despite being given several opportunities to do so. 

"I wanted you guys to know that in my meeting with Tim, I apologized for my actions," he said in the second media session. "I apologize. I regret it. The distraction it has caused to the team and like I said earlier, it's something we'll learn from. It's something I'm not proud of, I'm not proud of what I did to Tim, so for that I'm definitely sorry."

The Mets didn't waste much time getting on the scoreboard in Monday's series-opener against the Phillies.

Michael Conforto hit an RBI double and Todd Frazier followed with an RBI single in the top of the first inning to give the Mets an early 2-0 lead.

With two outs and Pete Alonso on first base, Conforto ripped a Zach Eflin fastball into the right-center field gap to put the Mets on the board. Frazier then lined a 2-2 slider into right field to drive in Conforto and make it 2-0.

Mets LHP Jason Vargas decided to assert himself into the altercation that occurred betwen manager Mickey Callaway and Newsday's Tim Healey in the visitor's clubhouse at Wrigley Field following a tough loss to the Cubs. 

According to multiple reports, Vargas threatening Healey, telling him he'll knock him "the f--k out." Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Gomez stepped between Vargas, who was walking toward Healey. 

While addressing the media on Tuesday, Vargas stepped up to apologize for his involvement in the incident. Or at least that's what everyone thought would transpire...

Speaking shortly after GM Brodie Van Wagenen, Mets manager Mickey Callaway -- who was fined along with Jason Vargas for Sunday's clubhouse incident with reporter Tim Healey -- addressed the incident. But he stopped short of apologizing, despite being given several chances to.

"I understand that I can't control the actions of others or the words of others, but I can always control my reaction to those things," Callaway said the day after allegedly calling Healey a motherfu--er and attempting to get him thrown out of the clubhouse. "So I think everybody deserves respect regarding job title or role. I think we can understand that this is a tough game played by passionate competitors and I hope moving forward that we can all do our jobs honestly, ethically. And understand that other people are involved."

He later publicly apologized in a second meeting with reporters an hour before the game. 

Asked if he wanted to tell his side of what happened, Callaway declined.

Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen wasn't supposed to travel to Philadelphia for the team's series with the Phillies, but after the incident that transpired between manager Mickey Callaway, LHP Jason Vargas, and Newsday's Tim Healey following Sunday's loss, he made it a point to make the trip. 

Van Wagenen said he "wanted to make sure I made myself available" to address the altercation and the Mets' statement regarding it. He also added that the Mets have decided to fine both Callaway and Vargas.

"As the statement said last night, the Mets organization does not condone the behavior that took place yesterday," Van Wagenen said. "We are committed to trying to create a healthy work environment for everybody that works in the game. That includes the players, the coaches, the media and everybody else...

Mets RHP Noah Syndergaard will make a rehab start with Class-A Brooklyn on Tuesday as he aims to return from the injured list.

Syndergaard, whom the Mets placed on the IL with a strained right hamstring last week, could be activated as early as this weekend, though manager Mickey Callaway said before Sunday's game that he didn't have a definitive timeframe for Syndergaard's return.

Syndergaard was removed from his June 15 start against the St. Louis Cardinals seven pitches into the seventh inning and was diagnosed with a low-grade hamstring strain. 

Pete Alonso has broken the Mets' rookie record for home runs in a season with more than three months left to spare, and one of his rewards was being named the National League Player of the Week.

Alonso, who mashed four homers in the last week to bring his total for the season to 27, hit 417/.548/1.042 during that span while laying waste to pitchers from the Braves and Cubs.

After his huge week, Alonso is hitting .276/.366/.642 and is on track to finish the season with the following numbers:

The Mets (37-41, 9 GB in NL East, 3.5 GB in NL wild card) open a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies (39-38, 6.5 GB in NL East, 1 GB in NL wild card) on Monday at 7:05 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park on SNY.

Mets notes

Mets rookie first baseman Pete Alonso, who was named National League Player of the Week, is slashing .346/.477/.846 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs over his last 15 games since June 8. ... Since May 25, Todd Frazier has a .319/.429/.553 batting line with six home runs and 20 RBIs. ... The Mets' bullpen has a 5.30 ERA this season, which ranks third-worst in the majors.

Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Every Monday, we'll be taking a look at how the Mets' top prospects (their MLB.com Mets Top 10 rankings are in parenthesis) are faring.

Andres Gimenez, SS, Double-A Binghamton (No. 1) -- ETA 2020

The 20-year-old Gimenez -- who is the Mets' No. 1 prospect now that Pete Alonso's prospect status has expired -- is back to full health after missing 10 days after getting hit on the hand with a pitch, but his bat hasn't yet caught up.

He is just 5-for-27 (.185) with a stolen base since returning. Gimenez is just 20 years old, but is only slashing .246/.313/.345 over parts of two seasons at Double-A. He got three of those hits in one game, which included two doubles.

Roughly 45 minutes before Mickey Callaway cursed out a Mets beat reporter in the clubhouse on Sunday -- with Jason Vargas threatening to knock the reporter out -- Callaway's non-move on the field arguably cost his team the game.

That non-move -- and questions about it -- helped lead to Callaway's blowup, but was then buried. Let's excavate it...

With the Mets leading the Cubs, 3-2, heading into the seventh inning, Callaway turned to Seth Lugo in the hope of getting two innings out of him. After Lugo worked around a one-out single while striking out two in a scoreless seventh, it was clear he didn't have it in the eighth inning as he allowed a hard-hit single to Kyle Schwarber before a one-out walk to Anthony Rizzo put runners on first and second with one out.

The Mets and City of New York will formally honor Tom Seaver by permanently changing the address of Citi Field to 41 Seaver Way on June 27 in a ceremony that will air on SNY.

The organization also plans to rename the street between Northern Blvd. and Roosevelt Ave. to Seaver Way.

After announcing street name changes in early March, the Mets are expected to unveil plans for a statue honoring the former ace as well.

After Mets beat writer Tim Healey of Newsday was called a "motherfu--er" by Mickey Callaway and threatened by Jason Vargas -- who said he would knock Healey "the f--k out" -- Healey explained what happened before the incident.

Once Callaway was done with his postgame scrum after the Mets' loss to the Cubs on Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field, Healey said  "See you tomorrow, Mickey," as the manager walked by. "Don't be a smarta--" was Callaway's response to Healey, as Healey recounted to fellow Newsday writer David Lennon.

"I couldn't confidently tell you exactly what he said, but he said, 'You know we're going to be in a bad mood after a loss,' or something like that," Healey explained. "And I tried to tell him, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just saying I'll see you tomorrow. And then he said, 'Get this guy out of here,' and that got the attention of Jason Vargas."

The Mets (37-41, 8.0 GB in NL East, 3.5 GB of second Wild Card) begin a new series with the Phillies (39-38, 1.0 GB of second Wild Card) on Monday at 7:05 p.m. Steven Matz will get going up against Zach Eflin on the mound.

Here's what happened on Sunday, in case you missed it...

Following a tough loss to the Cubs, manager Mickey Callaway snapped on Newsday's Tim Healey, calling him "motherf---er" multiple times and demanded he left the clubhouse. The altercation came after Healey said "See you tomorrow, Mickey" and even had Jason Vargas fired up to the point where he tried approaching Healey. Read More

Mets manager Mickey Callaway and LHP Jason Vargas were involved in a shouting incident with a reporter following Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Callaway called Newsday reporter Tim Healey "motherf---er" multiple times and told him to leave the clubhouse, while Vargas needed to be restrained by teammates as he defended Callaway, according to the New York Daily News' Deesha Thosar.

"The Mets sincerely regret the incident that took place with one of our beat writers following today's game in the clubhouse," the Mets said in a statement. "We do not condone this type of behavior from any employee."

Mets manager Mickey Callaway defended his decision to not bring in Edwin Diaz for a five-out save in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Cubs.

"We're not going to use him for five outs," Callaway said of Diaz. "That's the bottom line."

Instead of bringing in Robert Gsellman or Diaz, who had made one pitching appearance since last Saturday (12 pitches), to face Javy Baez in a two-on, one-out jam in the bottom of the eighth with the Mets up 3-2, Callaway opted to stick with Seth Lugo.

Seth Lugo spoiled Jacob deGrom's strong outing by giving up three runs in the eighth inning as the Mets lost the series finale to the Cubs 5-3 on Sunday at Wrigley Field. >> Box score

Five things to know from Sunday's game

1) Lugo surrendered a go-ahead three-run home run to Javy Baez in the bottom of the eighth inning that turned a 3-2 lead into a two-run deficit as the Mets failed to win their third straight game. Lugo gave up a leadoff single to Kyle Schwarber and then allowed a one-out walk to Anthony Rizzo to bring up Baez, who launched an 0-2 slider over the right-field fence for a 374-foot home run.

On Saturday, Pete Alonso tied Darryl Strawberry's rookie home run record for the Mets when he mashed his 26th dinger at Wrigley Field. 

Well, it only took him to his next game to break it. 

Continuing to stay hot at the plate this season, Alonso took Cole Hamels to deep right-center field for a no doubter to make his home run total 27 on the season. Now Alonso's name is written next to the record for the most rookie home runs in a single season in franchise history...

The Mets (37-40, 8.0 GB in NL East) finish their four-game set with the Cubs (41-36, 0.5 GA in NL Central) at 2:20 p.m on Sunday at Wrigley Field.

Mets notes

The Mets would make it a three-game win streak if they can pull out a victory today. ...Pete Alonso hit his 26th homer of the season on Saturday, which tied him with Darryl Strawberry for most home runs by a rookie in franchise history. ...The Mets have hit a long ball 18 of the 20 games they've played this month. In total, they have 34. ...Jeff McNeil has five consecutive mult-hit games at the moment. It's the second time in his career he has accomplished this. ...Michael Conforto has reached base safely in 12 of his last 13 games. 

When the Mets drafted high school RHP Matthew Allan in the third round, they full expected to be competitive enough in their offer that he wouldn't go to the University of Florida next season. 

And it looks like that will be the case, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

Heyman says the Mets are "on track" to signing Allan -- as well as fourth-rounder Jake Mangum -- and it could very well happen this week. 

The Mets (37-40, 8.0 GB in NL East, 3.5 GB of second Wild Card) complete their four-game series against the Cubs on Sunday at 2:20 p.m.

It will be a good pitcher's duel with Jacob deGrom and Cole Hamels going at it on the bump.

Here's what happened on Saturday, in case you missed it...

The Mets have taken back-to-back games from the Cubs, and the top of the lineup has been the biggest reason why.

Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso have combined to hit .333 in the last two games, hitting a pair of home runs and driving in seven runs. 

McNeil has recorded two hits in both games, while Alonso regrouped from a frustrating day on Friday to blast his 26th home run of the season on Saturday.

The Mets clubbed three home runs on Saturday to beat the Cubs 10-2 at Wrigley Field. >> Box score

Five things to know from Saturday's game...

1) Pete Alonso's historic rookie season continued as he tied the Mets' rookie home run record of 26 held by Darryl Strawberry in the first inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Alonso also now holds the most home runs by a National League rookie before the All-Star break and is on pace for 54 home runs, which would break Aaron Judge's rookie home run record of 52. 

Pete Alonso made history on Saturday. 

In the first inning, the Mets rookie slugger belted a curveball 419 feet into center field for his 26th home run of the season. 

The home run ties Darryl Strawberry for the Mets rookie franchise record but also gives him the most home runs in National League history by a rookie before the All-Star break, surpassing a record set by Dodgers' Cody Bellinger two seasons ago. The MLB record is 33 set by Mark McGwire. 

The Mets (36-40, 8.0 GB in NL East) are back at Wrigley Field on Saturday as they take on the Cubs (41-35, 1.5 GA in NL Central) at 2:20 p.m.

Mets notes

The Mets evened their four-game series with the Cubs on Friday after Jeff McNeil drove in three runs en route to a 5-4 victory. McNeil blasted a tw-run home run in the third inning, giving the Mets home runs in 17 of their last 19 games. ... J.D. Davis is batting third as he enters the game with a .368 average and 1.060 OPS over his last 14 games. ... Michael Conforto's home run on Friday made it 11 of his last 12 games in which he has hit safely in. 

Noah Syndergaard will throw a bullpen session on Saturday as the Mets are still waiting to see how that goes before deciding on if he will be able to return from the IL when he is eligible on Wednesday, according to manager Mickey Callaway. 

The right-hander was placed on the IL with a "low-grade" hamstring strain but on Monday said he was in "tip-top" shape and was doing agility drills. 

Meanwhile, Walker Lockett -- who started in Syndergaard's place on Thursday -- will make another start on Tuesday against Philadelphia. 

The Mets (36-40, 8.0 GB in NL East, 4.0 GB of second Wild Card) continue their four-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon at 2:20 on SNY.

Here's what happened on Friday, in case you missed it...

Jeff McNeil led the way for the Mets with three RBI in a 5-4 win over the Cubs. >> Read more

Phil Regan may be 82 years old, but there is a reason the Mets are sticking with him as their new pitching coach. 

Regan has already appears to be imparting some of his wisdom on closer Edwin Diaz. 

Diaz recorded the save in Friday's 5-4 win over the Cubs by pitching a perfect ninth inning while striking out the final two batters. Afterwards, Regan said he had been working with Diaz a little bit in the bullpen and helped him make an adjustment. 

"There's no doubt in my mind, he's been an All-Star this year"



Mickey Callaway expects to see Jeff McNeil in Cleveland pic.twitter.com/2I4SbqqT00

- SNY (@SNYtv) June 21, 2019

Friday afternoon was just another day at the office for Jeff McNeil.

Jeff McNeil's go-ahead RBI single in the seventh led the Mets to a 5-4 win over the Cubs on Friday at Wrigley Field. >> Box score

5 things to know from Friday's game...

1) Jeff McNeil provided the offense for the Mets as he continues to be one of the few to have an impressive road trip. He went 2-for-5 on Friday, making it four straight multi-hit games for McNeil, and it included a two-run home run to give the Mets the lead in the third and a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh that proved to be the difference in the game. 

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

It sounds new and innovative. In addition to a newly promoted pitching coach and a bullpen coach, the Mets have added a "pitching strategist," to quote Brodie Van Wagenen, to individualize game plans every day for every pitcher, based on the latest in analytical trends and information.

However, according to multiple sources, it's not really all that new either in baseball or the Mets' organization. 

Two sources, in fact, said that previous pitching coaches Dan Warthen and Rick Peterson, whose tenures spanned the period of 2003-2017, both did such work, using video and analytics, as part of their job. 

The Mets plan to keep Phil Regan as the team's pitching coach for at least the rest of the season, SNY's Andy Martino has learned. There will be no interviews or search for a replacement. 

Regan, 82, was named the interim pitching coach on Thursday after the team fired Dave Eiland, along with bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez. 

He had been working in the Mets farm system as a roving pitching coach, concentrating on the lower levels of the minor leauges. 

The Mets are facing the Cubs on Friday afternoon in Chicago.

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is having a historic rookie season, but trails significantly in All Star Game voting, nowhere near the top three of Josh Bell, Freddie Freeman, or Anthony Rizzo.

The top three will advance to the next round of voting as the starter is determined. Alonso, in fifth place with just over 319,000 votes per the latest update, is over 600,000 votes shy of Rizzo. 

The fact that Alonso trails by that much is simple -- Mets fans aren't voting enough, and fans of Bell, Freeman, and Rizzo are.

The Mets (35-40, 9.0 GB in NL East) are back at Wrigley Field for a Friday matinee as they take on the Cubs (41-33, 1.5 GA in NL Central) at 2:20 p.m.

Mets notes

The Mets dropped the opener of the four-game series and are now 5-14 in their last 19 road games and are 7-22 at Wrigley Field since 2010....While the Mets have struggled on the road, Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso have not. McNeil is hitting .361 with 18 runs scored, 12 doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI away from Citi Field while Alonso has a .297 average. Alonso also homered on Thursday night, his 25th of the season, which is second in the MLB. 

The Mets fired a few coaches on Thursday. Big deal. For the team's rookie general manager, decisions await that are far more consequential.

The reshuffling of pitching coaches -- Dave Eiland and Chuck Hernandez fired, Phil Regan, Ricky Bones and Jeremy Accardo promoted on an interim basis -- was a small and easy move. Eiland and Hernandez were old-school, not as sensitive to analytics or millennial sensitivities as the Mets needed them to be, and won't be particularly missed.

Over the next weeks and months, Brodie Van Wagenen will confront issues far more complex and meaningful. The direction of his team will flow from his response to the following questions:

The Mets (35-40, 9.0 GB in NL East, 5.0 GB of second Wild Card) continue their four-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon at 2:20 on SNY.

Here's what happened on Thursday, in case you missed it...

In the Mets' 7-4 loss to the Cubs, Pete Alonso mashed his 25th homer but Walker Lockett got destroyed in the third inning >> Read more

The Cubs jumped on Walker Lockett in the third inning, holding on to beat the Mets 7-4. >> Box score

4 things to know from Thursday's game...

1) Lockett didn't allow a hit through the first two innings of his Mets debut, but he ran into some trouble in the third. A Daniel Descalso RBI single got the Cubs on the board. A couple of batters later, Kris Bryant blooped an RBI hit, followed by an Anthony Rizzo two-run double. Just like that, the Mets trailed 4-3.A Javy Baez triple made it a 5-3 game, and that would finish Lockett's night, as he was pulled for Brooks Pounders. 

The Mets decided to shake things up with their coaching staff on Thursday, firing pitching coach Dave Eiland and bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez. Eiland joined the Mets last year and his departure was definitely felt by the pitching staff.

Jacob deGrom credited Eiland, 52, for playing a significant role in his success last season that helped the right-hander win the NL Cy Young award and that the pitching coach informed deGrom personally of the news. 

"Dave called me and I told him, thank you for everything you did," deGrom said before Thursday's game against the Cubs. "I'm going to miss him. He helped me out quite a bit last year. I'm thankful for the time that I had with him."

Pete Alonso's power surge continued on Thursday.

With the Mets leading 1-0 in the third, Alonso smashed his 25th home run of the season, a two-run shot to put the Mets up 3-0. He is now just one away from the Mets' rookie record.

The Mets (35-39, 8.5 GB in NL East) begin a four-game set in Chicago with the Cubs (40-33, 0.5 GA in NL Central) on Thursday night at 8:05 PM on SNY.

Mets notes

The Mets are just 5-13 in their last 18 road games. ... Against NL Central opponents this season, the Mets are just 5-12 overall and 1-5 on the road. ... Mets relievers have allowed a run in nine of the team's last 10 games, posting an 8.20 ERA during that span.

Noting the respect he and the organization has for outgoing pitching coach Dave Eiland, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen explained Thursday why Eiland was fired as part of a bigger series of moves that included the creation of the new position of "pitching strategist."

"As we evaluated the season so far, we have fallen short of a variety of things as a team, and we all have to look ourselves in the mirror for that shortcoming," Van Wagenen said Thursday at Wrigley Field. "And we have to make the best decisions we can in that moment to improve our stock."

Those decisions were the firing of Eiland and bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez, and the interim hires of Phil Regan (pitching coach), Ricky Bones (bullpen coach), and Jeremy Accardo (pitching strategist).

After firing pitching coach Dave Eiland, the Mets will be replacing him with Phil Regan, who had been working for the organization in the minors.

Regan, 82, was working as a roving pitching coach who was usually focused on the lower levels of the minors.

Regan had a 13-year big league career (with the Tigers, Dodgers, Cubs, and White Sox) before getting into coaching. He has coached and managed at various collegiate and professional levels since 1973, including a stint as the Orioles manager in 1995 and serving as pitching coach for the Mets' High-A affiliate from 2009 to 2015.