The Mets (10-8, second place in the NL East, 1.5 games back of first place Phillies) are off on Thursday. They begin a three-game series against the Cardinals on Friday in St. Louis. 

Here's what went down on Wednesday in case you missed it...

In the Mets' 3-2 loss to the Phillies, a late comeback fell short as New York lost its second straight and dropped the series to Philadelphia >> Read more

Zack Wheeler took the mound Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia looking another solid start like his last one against the Braves. Overall, it was a good start by the hard-throwing righty, but a couple costly mistakes linger on his mind.

Wheeler had been cruising, as he allowed just one run in the second inning. But that changed when Scott Kingery launched an opposite field solo homer to push the Phillies lead to two. Then, just one inning later, Cesar Hernandez did the exact same as his teammate, taking a Wheeler pitch over the right field fence. 

That last solo homer was ultimately the winning run for the Phillies, who took the three-game series with the victory. Wheeler may have been satisfied with his overall performance, but not with those two pitches he made.

Jeff McNeil entered Wednesday hitting .418 (23-for-55) with five doubles, one triple, 10 RBI and a .484 on-base percentage, which was second-best in the National League and fourth-best in all of baseball. He notched two more hits on Wednesday, raising his triiple slash to .424/.485/.542.

"He's still still mostly under people's radars," a former MLB scout, now advisor to an NL team, told me earlier Wednesday. "Based on what he did last year, if he keeps this up, he won't be a secret for long."

In McNeil, I see a 27-year-old, old-school hitter with a unique story and unique bat that is destined to win multiple batting titles, the first of which could realistically happen this season.

Mets RHP Jacob deGrom won't be making his scheduled start on Friday, as he is suffering from strep throat, according to manager Mickey Callaway.

In turn, the Mets will move Jason Vargas up one day and give him the ball to start the series with the Cardinals. And if deGrom isn't feeling healthy enough for the game on Saturday, the Mets could move up Steven Matz and have him pitch off short rest, per The Post's Mike Puma. Matz didn't even finish one inning in his start on Tuesday. 

DeGrom's last two starts haven't seen his normal dominance on the bump. After throwing a six-run dud to the Twins back on April 9, deGrom allowed three runs on five hits (two homers) over five innings of work.

But deGrom must worry about his health before focusing on reversing the outcome of his last two outings. 

It was a thriller in Philadelphia this afternoon, but the Mets came out on the losing end, 3-2, as the Phillies took the series. >> Box score

Six things to know about Wednesday's game...

1) Zack Wheeler started off the day cruising out in Philadelphia, but the long ball got to him later in the game. Holding on to a 1-0 deficit, Scott Kingery launched an opposite field homer in the fifth inning for his second of the series to make it 2-0. Then, one inning later, Cesar Hernandez took Wheeler deep as well to push the lead to three. Overall, Wheeler finished the day allowing three earned on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks as well. 

It appears the Mets may look to the trade market to try to bolster their starting rotation.

They're showing strong interest in Rangers lefty Mike Minor, according to USA Today. But they aren't alone as the Phillies are also interested in the veteran, according to the report.

Minor threw a shutout against the Angels on Tuesday, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out seven. He's allowed just two runs in 23 innings over his last three starts.

Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo is still dealing with soreness in his neck, he told reporters before Wednesday's game, and has taken a muscle relaxer to help.

Manager Mickey Callaway said he isn't too worried at this point about Nimmo -- who is sitting on Wednesday and will get an extra day of rest with the Mets off on Thursday. And Nimmo doesn't think the neck issue will lead to a stint on the injured list.

When the Mets took Steven Matz out of the game in the first inning on Tuesday night, Nimmo left with him -- walking to the dugout with Mets head trainer Brian Chicklo.

The Mets (10-7, second place in NL East) face the Phillies (10-6, first place in NL East) on Wednesday in Philadelphia at 1:05 p.m. on SNY.

Mets Notes

In the rubber game of this three-game set, the Mets will try to win their first series since April 1-3, when they swept the Marlins. Since then, they lost a series to the Nationals and split series with the Twins and Braves. ... Jeff McNeil takes the leadoff spot with Brandon Nimmo sitting because of a stiff neck. Keon Broxton draws the start in center. ... Travis d'Arnaud is behind the plate for the matinee after Wilson Ramos caught Tuesday night. ... The Mets' eight road wins are tied with Seattle for most in the majors.

Jed Lowrie, who has been out with a capsule sprain in his left knee since the start of Spring Training, is heading down to Port St. Lucie to go through the next step in his rehab process, Mickey Callaway said Wednesday.

Lowrie will take live batting practice on Friday and Saturday, according to Callaway. There's no schedule yet regarding when Lowrie will be able to go on a rehab assignment since he essentially didn't have a Spring Training.

Drew Gagnon, who was on short rest, came in to Tuesday night's game after Steven Matz failed to get an out. Gagnon allowed five runs, but saved the Mets' bullpen by eating up 5.1 innings. His reward? A demotion to Triple-A Syracuse.

The demotion isn't an indictment on Gagnon, though. It's a move being made out of necessity in order for the Mets to add a fresh arm to the bullpen. And that fresh arm is Jacob Rhame.

Rhame, 26, has struggled so far this season for Syracuse, posting a 9.53 ERA and 1.58 WHIP while walking five and striking out seven in 5.2 innings (six appearances).

The Mets (10-7, second place in the NL East, 0.5 game back of first place Phillies) face the Phillies in Philadelphia on Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. on SNY. 

Here's what went down on Tuesday in case you missed it...

In the Mets' ugly 14-3 loss to the Phillies, Steven Matz couldn't record an out and the team made four errors >> Read more

Steven Matz just did not have it Tuesday night. 

The Mets southpaw was roughed up for eight runs in the first inning and was taken out of the game before recording an out in a 14-3 loss to the Phillies. 

Amed Rosario committed two errors behind Matz, which included allowing leadoff batter Andrew McCutchen on base to jump-start the inning. 

Absolutely nothing went right for the Mets on Tuesday. Steven Matz was roughed up for eight runs before he could even record an out as the Mets fell to the Phillies in a 14-3 loss on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. >> Box score

Six things to know about Tuesday's game

1) Matz had nothing going for him, allowing eight runs, six earned, on four hits, a walk and hit batsman, including two home runs without getting a single out before he was pulled from the game. The Phillies tacked on two more against Drew Gagnon in relief before the inning finally ended with the Mets in a 10-0 hole. 

In a disastrous first inning for the Mets at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night, Brandon Nimmo left the game with a stiff neck, the team announced. Juan Lagares replaced Nimmo in center field.

As Steven Matz was finally relieved after an awful start, Nimmo also made his way to the dugout with Mets head trainer Brian Chicklo.

Nimmo said after the game that he had been battling soreness all day leading up to the game. 

The Mets were put in a giant hole early on against the Phillies on Wednesday, but that didn't stop the bats from trying to cut into the deficit. 

Michael Conforto was one of those players, as he launched an opposite field solo shot in the top of the third. It was his fourth homer of the season. 

An inning before Conforto went deep, Wilson Ramos got the Mets on the board with a solo homer himself. It was his first home run as a Met, and only his second extra-base hit of the year...

The Mets brought back Jeurys Familia to be a key cog in their bullpen, but the right-handed reliever has not quite lived up to his end of the deal early in the season. 

Familia struggled again on Monday night, allowing four baserunners to reach on three walks and a single in 2/3 of an inning, and allowing the Phillies to tie the game at 6. 

Yet Mets manager Mickey Callaway remains optimistic about his setup man, who has allowed six runs in 8.1 innings this season and nine walks.

The Mets (10-6, first place in NL East) face the Phillies (9-6, second place in NL East) open up a three-game set Monday at 7:05 p.m.

Mets Notes

The Mets picked up a big extra-inning win last night in Philadelphia. They have now won four of their last six games. ...The Mets have 10 or more hits in each of their last four games. ...Edwin Diaz collected his sixth save of the season, which ranks fourth in the MLB and second in the National League. ...Michael Conforto has gone deep in three of his last six games. ...Pete Alonso has reached base safely in eight straight starts. 

If the Mets are going to be this careful about protecting Edwin Diaz, refusing to use him in the highest of high-leverage eighth-inning spots Monday night against the Phillies, then there's only one way to justify such caution:

Go sign Craig Kimbrel. And do it quickly before someone else does.

It's the obvious take, I know, and it might make for a touchy situation as to who gets the ninth inning if the Mets actually were to sign him.

As the Mets' bullpen struggles, they have remained in touch with free agent reliever Craig Kimbrel. Here's the latest...

April 16, 1:57 PM:

Kimbrel is moving "closer" to making a decision on where he will sign, reports Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, who adds that there is currently no clear favorite. 

Morosi adds that the seriousness of the Brewers' pursuit could be tied to the health and performance of reliever Jeremy Jeffress, who is rehabbing in Triple-A. 

As Jason Vargas struggles, the Mets have remained in touch with free agent starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel. Here's the latest...

April 16, 1:27 PM:

The Padres are interested in Keuchel and other free agent starting pitchers, but GM A.J. Preller suggested San Diego will likely not make a big move until after the MLB Draft in June, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports. 

If the Padres truly aren't going to make a big move until June, it's hard to see them being a serious suitor for Keuchel, who has been throwing 95-pitch simulated games every five days to prepare for the season. 

The Mets (10-6, first place in the NL East, 0.5 game up on second place Phillies) face the Phillies in Philadelphia on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. 

Here's what went down on Monday in case you missed it...

In the Mets' wild 11-inning win over the Phillies, Edwin Diaz was held back until the save situation and proceeded to blow the heart of Philadelphia's order away >> Read more

Mets manager Mickey Callaway defended his decision not to use Edwin Diaz in a pivotal eighth-inning spot after Monday's 11-inning win over the Phillies, saying he wouldn't use his closer for a four-out save unless it was the playoffs.

Callaway said the Mets wouldn't have Diaz, who has a 1.35 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings this season, pitch more than one inning or enter in a tie game on the road.

After Jeurys Familia pitched into a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the bottom of the eighth in a 6-5 game, Callaway turned to Robert Gsellman instead of Diaz to try to escape the jam. Gsellman then walked in the game-tying run on four pitches to blow the save.

Michael Conforto drove in the game-winning run on an error in the 11th inning as the Mets overcame a blown eighth-inning lead to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6 on Monday at Citizens Bank Park. >> Box score

Seven things to know about Monday's game

1) Conforto's two-out liner off Rhys Hoskins' glove trickled into shallow right field, allowing Juan Lagares to score from second base ahead of Cesar Hernandez's off-line throw to break a 6-6 tie.

2) Edwin Diaz, who did not enter the game for a four-out save in the eighth inning, struck out the side in the bottom of the 11th as the Mets snapped a two-game losing streak.

John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

As someone who was forced to retire from his sport while still an elite athlete due to spine-related injuries, few people in the universe could relate to Tiger Woods' winning the Masters on Sunday quite like David Wright. 

As such Wright had planned his Sunday afternoon/evening to make sure he was in front of his TV at home in Virginia. 

Only he hadn't planned on the tournament organizers moving tee times up several hours to avoid late-day rain. So as Tiger was teeing off at 9:20 a.m., Wright and his wife, Molly, were getting ready to take their two young daughters to see Paw Patrol Live, a sold-out event the girls had been talking about for weeks. 

On Jackie Robinson Day, Robinson Cano, who was named after Robinson, ripped a two-run double Monday night in the fourth inning against the Phillies to give the Mets a 5-3 lead at the time. 

The Mets (9-6, second place in NL East) face the Phillies (9-5, first place in NL East) open up a three-game set Monday at 7:05 p.m.

Mets Notes

The Mets, along with the rest of MLB, will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day on Monday by having every player and coach wear No. 42. ... Michael Conforto, batting cleanup, has reached base safely at least twice in 12 games this season -- second-best in the majors -- and faces a Phillies team whom he has homered in three of his last five games against. ... Brandon Nimmo is again in the leadoff spot as he enters the game having reached base safely in the last seven straight games. 

Stream the Mets live

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The main Mets headlines continue to center around replacing Jason Vargas with Dallas Keuchel, and whether to sign Craig Kimbrel to beef up the bullpen.

Here are four under the radar stories worth noting...

1) Broxton is better than Lagares

Doug Williams and Andy Martino "Make your Monday" with an all-new Shea Anything podcast -- the first of a new regular weekly delivery every Monday from now on!

This week, they provide an alternate reason for Jacob deGrom's recent struggles, you'll know all about speed variance by the end of the show. They also drop updates on starting rotation options for the Mets, and the ongoing mystery of where Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel will eventually pitch this season.

Click below to listen...

The Mets added some depth to their bullpen on Monday and recalled right-handed releiver Drew Gagnon and optioned infielder Luis Guillorme to Triple-A Syracuse. 

Gagnon, a starter in Triple-A, is 1-0 and has allowed one earned run in 10.2 innings -- a 0.82 ERA -- and nine hits in two starts this season. 

He gives the Mets a long-man in the bullpen after Corey Oswalt was exhausted on Saturday entering in relief of Jason Vargas, who managed just 1/3 of an inning. Oswalt was optioned back to Triple-A the following day for Paul Sewald. 

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. 2) -- ETA 2020

The 20-year-old Gimenez -- who is the Mets' No. 2 prospect by default (MLB.com has not yet removed Pete Alonso's No. 1 prospect status)  -- is viewed by most minor league experts as one of the best 50 or so prospects in baseball. Gimenez has been one of the youngest players in each league he's played in during his climb to Double-A. He hit .282/.348/.432 with 28 stolen bases in 85 games last season for High-A St. Lucie before being promoted to Double-A, where he has opened this season with three hits in 18 at-bats spanning three games. Binghamton has had eight of their last nine games either postponed or suspended, so Gimenez and his teammates haven't had a chance to do much since April 7.

The names may look familiar but the stats certainly don't as these two frontline starters enter tonight's Mets-Phillies series opener with a combined ERA of over 10.

Granted, it is just April 15, with both stud right-handers only three starts deep into the campaign, but from a betting perspective, it makes you wonder if the struggles will continue.

Our first order of business on Monday morning was to find out if Jacob deGrom is tipping pitches. In each of his past two starts, opposing hitters have looked oddly comfortable -- and since deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball, this activates our natural curiosity.

On the national telecast during Sunday night's loss in Atlanta, analyst Alex Rodriguez appeared to be hinting that deGrom was tipping, when he said after Josh Donaldson's fifth inning home run that it was "Almost like he knew what was coming -- 109 (exit) velocity on 2-2 fastball in is way too good off a guy like deGrom."

Checking with several veteran evaluators Monday, none saw any signs of tipping -- although one noted that A-Rod, along with Carlos Beltran, Adrian Beltre, Alex Cora and Shawn Green, was among the best in his generation at spotting it. It's possible that he noticed something that escaped other scouts, and even the Braves.

But that aside, tipping doesn't appear to be the issue.

Mets ace Jacob deGrom began the 2019 season by firing 13 scoreless innings over his first two starts and looking like he had somehow gotten better than he was in 2018 during his Cy Young campaign. Since then, things have not gone well.

DeGrom gave up six runs on eight hits (including three homers) while walking one and striking out three in just 4.0 innings on April 9 against the Twins at Citi Field. On Sunday night against the Braves in Atlanta, deGrom allowed three runs on five hits (including two homers) in 5.0 innings. While he struck out nine, he also walked four -- an alarming number for someone who walked just 1.9 batters per 9 in 2018.

That deGrom has allowed five homers over his last two starts is also startling when you consider the fact that he allowed just 10 homers all of last season...

The Mets (9-6, second place in the NL East, 0.5 game back of first place Phillies) face the Phillies in Philadelphia on Monday at 7:05 p.m. 

Here's what went down on Sunday in case you missed it...

In the Mets' loss to the Braves, Jacob deGrom didn't look like himself for the second-straight start -- allowing three runs on five hits (including two homers) >> Read more

Mets manager Mickey Callaway doesn't think RHP Jacob deGrom is tipping his pitches after deGrom struggled in his second straight start.

"I haven't seen anything like that," Callaway said after Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves. "You start to wonder sometimes when they're taking better swings than they normally do, and fouling pitches off is something you look for when they may be tipping, but we're not seeing anything from the dugout."

Jacob deGrom labored through five innings and the Mets' offense left 10 runners on base as they lost to the Atlanta Braves 7-3 on Sunday at SunTrust Park. >> Box score

Six things to know about Sunday's game

1) DeGrom (2-2) allowed three runs, five hits, four walks and nine strikeouts in five innings, tying a season high with 114 pitches but only in five innings. After going 2-0 with 13 shutout innings in his first two outings of the season, deGrom has allowed nine runs and 13 hits in his last nine innings across two starts.

Mets LHP Jason Vargas has a 14.21 ERA after allowing four runs in 1/3 of an inning on Saturday. New York's bullpen ranks 27th with a 6.18 ERA.

And even though starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel and reliever Craig Kimbrel are still free agents, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen said he isn't tempted to make a run at either.

"I don't think we operate in the world of temptation," Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen said before Sunday's game against the Braves. "We like the guys we have here. We'll always monitor ways to get better, but we like the guys we have, including Jason Vargas."

The Mets (9-5, first place in NL East) face the Braves (8-6, third place in NL East) on Sunday night as the teams conclude a four-game set at 7:08 p.m.

Mets Notes

After batting eighth Friday and starting Saturday on the bench, Brandon Nimmo returns to the leadoff spot for the Mets. A slow start to the season prompted the move down the lineup, but he was 3-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBI on Friday. ... Jeff McNeil had batted first during the last two games. He'll hit sixth on Sunday and play in left field. ... Michael Conforto entered the series hot at the dish, has cooled off a tad with a 2-for-10 showing in Atlanta. He has drawn four walks over three games, though.

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Jason Vargas isn't going anywhere -- for now. 

Mets manager Mickey Callaway declared that the embattled lefty will stay in the rotation and make his next start Saturday in St. Louis.

"We've got to get Vargas on a roll," Callaway said Sunday before the team's game in Atlanta. 

Pete Alonso's cruise missile in Atlanta Thursday night was the talk of the baseball world for a couple of days, from Bobby Valentine comparing it to the "most incredible" home run he ever saw Mike Piazza hit, to a scout saying "I think it might have landed in Augusta" if the ball hadn't splashed into the scenic water-backdrop high above the center field wall.

For Mets scouting director Tommy Tanous, however, it was nothing new, even if it did result in a barrage of some 30 text messages on his phone while he was scouting a high school game in Florida.

"My phone blew up from my area scouts," Tanous said Friday. "We get excited when one of our guys does something like that. I saw it later on the highlights, and it was quite a shot, but I've seen it before. I saw him hit them like that in college. He's a scary dude."

The Mets have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. Every week, we'll take a look at how some of those former Mets are performing with their new teams...

Wilmer Flores, Diamondbacks

Flores is struggling in Arizona, hitting just .200/.256/.275 with zero homers and three doubles in 40 at-bats over 12 games. He's been slumping especially badly since April 6, with just three hits in 20 at-bats.

With the Mets playing a night game in Atlanta, and The Masters' start time moved up a couple of hours due to impending thunderstorms, Mets players had time to take in Tiger Woods' win on Sunday.

Woods captured his 15th major title -- his first such win since 2008 -- and his fifth green jacket at Augusta National. The course is approximately 160 miles from SunTrust Park, where the Mets will wrap up a four-game set against the Braves.

Todd Frazier and Robinson Cano were among members of the Mets to tweet out their congratulations.

Mets left-hander Jason Vargas was so bad on Saturday night against the Braves that manager Mickey Callaway seemed to be at a loss after the game while explaining what went wrong.

"He's just not getting outs at this point," Callaway said. "That's really all I can say."

Callaway said more, though, noting that the Mets might skip Vargas' next start and that the Mets "have to have other options" when it comes to the No. 5 spot in the rotation 

A day after he was clobbered by the Braves during a relief appearance, the Mets have sent Corey Oswalt to Triple-A Syracuse.

Oswalt was replaced on the roster by Triple-A reliever Paul Sewald, who has tossed 5.1 scoreless innings in four appearances for Syracuse this season.

In relief of Jason Vargas on Saturday night, Oswalt allowed five runs on six hits (including a mammoth homer to Nick Markakis) while walking four and striking out two in 2.2 innings. 

As of April 5, the Mets were still in touch with free agent reliever Craig Kimbrel, according to SNY's Andy Martino. Now, Kimbrel's price tag -- which was reportedly a ridiculous six-years and more than $100 million earlier this offseason-- has reportedly dropped considerably. 

The 31-year-old Kimbrel is now open to signing a deal similar to ones signed by Wade Davis ($52 million for three years) and Zack Britton ($39 million for three years), reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. 

With Jason Vargas unable to get ous -- Mickey Callaway's words -- and his future in the rotation up in the air, it can be argued that the Mets' bigger need right now is Dallas Keuchel.

On the season premiere of The Amazin' Life presented by Coca-Cola, Todd Frazier tries to give teammate Brandon Nimmo some New Jersey style!

The Mets (9-5, first place in the NL East, 0.5 game up on second place Phillies) face the Braves in Atlanta on Sunday at 7:08 p.m. 

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

In the Mets' loss to the Braves, Jason Vargas was so abysmal that he lasted just 1/3 of an inning before Mickey Callaway had to go to his bullpen >> Read more

Winter is here.

With Game of Thrones set to return Sunday for its eighth and final season, New York athletes gave their predictions and talked about theories for how the saga will end.

Click below...

If the Mets have serious designs on competing for a World Series, the stated goal by rookie general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, they can't possibly plan on having Jason Vargas be their fifth starter the rest of the season.

After Vargas' latest debacle, in which he recorded just one out, was pulled after six batters and allowed four runs on two hits and three walks while throwing just 17 of his 36 pitches for strikes, it will be difficult for the Mets to justify even sending the lefty out for one more start.

"He's just not getting outs at this point," Mickey Callaway said of Vargas. "That's really all I can say."