For a full box score of the game, click here.

Things you should know about tonight's game...

1) Down 5-0, the Mets scored four runs in the sixth, tied the game in the eighth, and walked off in the ninth. Jay Bruce put the Mets on the board with a two-run homer in the sixth, Lucas Duda hit a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth inning to tie the game at 5-5, and Wilmer Flores completed the rally with a walk-off home run in the ninth.

2) Jose Reyes went 2-for-4 with two triples, Travis d'Arnaud went 3-for-3 with an RBI, and Michael Conforto had two hits and an RBI. 

3) Zack Wheeler allowed a home run to the first batter he faced and never recovered. He allowed five runs on seven hits --- including two home runs -- and walked four batters in five innings.  Josh Smoker, Josh Edgin, and Hansel Robles combined to pitch four scoreless innings in relief to prevent the Athletics from doing any further damage. Robles earned his sixth win of the year.

Mets second baseman Neil Walker (hamstring tear) went 1-for-3 in a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday.

Walker could return when the Mets play the Padres in San Diego beginning on Monday, manager Terry Collins said earlier this week.

In Walker's absence, Asdrubal Cabrera has shifted to second base with Jose Reyes at shortstop. Cabrera is expected to get time at third base when Walker returns.

The Mets (44-50) play the second game of a three-game series against the Athletics (43-53) on Saturday at 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field on SNY.

Who is starting tonight for the Mets? 

RHP Zack Wheeler (4.98 ERA/4.82 FIP, 1.55 WHIP), who has lost back-to-back starts. His last came against the Cardinals where he allowed four runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings. 

Though he has lost his last two starts, Wheeler has improved drastically in July. He is 6-2 with a 3.60 ERA after posting a 9.53 ERA in June.

In a long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery, Zack Wheeler has had a season of ups and downs. 

Wheeler's last start was emblematic of his year as a whole. Despite having walked four, he had held the Cardinals scoreless until the sixth inning, when he gave up four runs -- and ultimately took the loss. 

At times, Wheeler has shown glimpses of the promising -- if sometimes frustrating -- hurler he was in 2013 and 2014, but at others he looks overmatched.

Mets prospect OF Tim Tebow feels "more comfortable" during his recent hot streak with high-A Port St. Lucie, per TCPalm.com's Jon Santucci. 

Tebow struggled with low-A Columbia to start the season, posting a .220/.311/.336 slash line. However, through each game and at-bat, he found himself feeling more comfortable by the day.

"I think I'm more comfortable seeing more pitches," Tebow said. "Playing baseball for longer, I think that helps. Also (hitting coach) Luis (Natera) and (manager) Chad (Kreuter), getting to work with them every day and just what we're doing out there -- taking pitches, seeing, tracking. I feel more comfortable with my swing, feel more comfortable with my game plan I'm having against pitchers and then just playing more baseball helps, too."

The Dodgers are exploring a possible trade for Mets RHP Addison Reed, per ESPN's Buster Olney. 

Of all the players the Mets have made available via trade, closer Addison Reed is drawing the most interest. 

There are at least six teams -- including the Brewers, Red Sox, and Nationals -- inquiring about a potential trade, according to multiple reports.

The Mets can't win, even when they win.

Michael Conforto launched a pair of two-run homers and Jerry Blevins stranded the bases loaded in the eighth inning en route to a five-out save as the Mets earned their third straight victory by beating Oakland, 7-5, in Friday's series opener at Citi Field. Yet the Twitter topic du jour instead focused on pregame comments from Yoenis Cespedes to the San Francisco Chronicle in which Cespedes expressed his admiration for his initial MLB stomping grounds.

Cespedes, who played for the Athletics from 2012 until getting traded to the Red Sox midway through the 2014 season, said he hoped to finish his career back with Oakland.

In this week's Meet the MetsCast, MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone, comedian Steve Hofstetter and SiriusXM's Rob Brender discuss the team's approach at the non-waiver, as well as...

• The pros and cons of trading Jacob deGrom...
• What's next for Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard...
• Shutting down Yoenis Cespedes and his legs...
• Tim Tebow, and if he'll ever see Double-A, let alone the big leagues...
• Addison Reed on the Nationals? Lucas Duda on the Yankees?

To listen to the show, click play below or use this link to download...

The Mets (44-50) have won three straight games on their current 10-game homestand, but are12.5 games behind the NL East-leading Nationals and 10 games behind the Rockies for the second Wild Card spot in the National League.

For a full box score of the game, click here.

Things you should know about today's game...

1) Michael Conforto hit a pair of two-run homers and tied his career high with four RBIs. His second home run in the seventh gave the Mets a four-run cushion at the time and proved to be the difference in the game.

2) T.J. Rivera hit a go-ahead two-run single in the sixth and then raced around the bases for a Little League home run when A's third baseman Matt Chapman threw wildly towards second base. Yoenis Cespedes paced the Mets with three hits while Conforto and Rivera each had two for New York.

Mets OF Yoenis Cespedes would like to finish his career in Oakland, per San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser.

Cespedes told former A's and current teammate Jerry Blevins that his goal is to ride off into the California sunset when his playing days are over. 

"I wish that happens," Cespedes said. "I told Blevins, 'I don't know how many years I'm going to play, but I'm going to play the last year of my career with Oakland.' I don't know if that's possible or not, but that's my goal."

Mets top prospect SS Amed Rosario is out for a fourth straight game as he has a bruised right finger, reports NY Post's Mike Puma. 

It was reported earlier in the week that Rosario was out of the Triple-A Las Vegas lineup due to an illness. 

In 87 games with Las Vegas this season, Rosario is hitting .330 with seven homers and 53 RBI. 

The Mets (43-50) open a three-game series against the Athletics (43-52) on Friday at 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field on SNY.

The Mets and Athletics played in the 1973 World Series, which Oakland won in seven games. ... The Mets have hit 28 home runs in their last 17 home games. ... The Mets are fifth in the majors with a .445 slugging percentage.

Who is starting tonight for the Mets? 

LHP Steven Matz (4.58 ERA/5.35 FIP, 1.35 WHIP), who allowed seven runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out two in just 1.0 inning this past Sunday against the Rockies.

He allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings on July 9 against the Cardinals, after having tossed 14.0 scoreless innings over his prior two starts.

Curtis Granderson isn't worried about rumors of the Mets potentially trading him, according to NY Daily News' James Miller. 

With Mets expected to be sellers before the trade deadline, Granderson is one of the players producing trade talks. However, he has been around long enough not to pay attention to rumors.

"The biggest thing with the rumors right now is that they're exactly that: just rumors," Granderson said at the New York Public Library Friday as he promoted his Grand Kids Foundation. "The one thing that I tell guys is -- because I've been rumored to be traded a lot of different times over the course of my career and I've only been traded one time and it happened in the offseason -- a lot of my teammates have been rumored to be traded a lot and that never ended up happening, so focus on what you can control."

Granderson is among many Mets players who are set to hit the free agency market following the season (Lucas Duda, Neil Walker, and Addison Reed to name a few). The Mets would prefer to move their valuable assets before they are entirely up for grabs. 

Despite acquiring 3B-1B Todd Frazier from the White Sox, the Yankees are still open to trading for a new first baseman, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

Earlier this week, Feinsand reported that the Yankees were scouting the Mets at Citi Field, after which they expressed interest 1B Lucas Duda and reliever Addison Reed.

Duda, 31, who is eligible for free agency at the end of this season, is hitting .246 with a .352 OBP, .552 SLG and 17 home runs in 69 games this season for the Mets.

Mets GM Sandy Alderson said July 14 that he's not opposed to trading with the Yankees, despite the two teams not connecting on a player-for-player big-league deal since swapping Mike Stanton for Felix Heredia in 2004.

The Jeep Pitchcast looks at Seth Lugo and how he uses his curveball effectively, being able to throw it for both balls and strikes.

Several teams, including three American League playoff contenders, are interested in acquiring Mets infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, sources told New York Post reporter Mike Puma.

Cabrera, who is due roughly $4 million the rest of this season, will move from second to third base when 2B Neil Walker returns from the disabled list next week. He mostly played shortstop the last 10 years.

This season, during every Mets home game on SNY, you can enter for a chance to win Mets tickets and be featured as the Mets Trivia Drive contestant live on SNY.

Just follow @SNYtv on Twitter and during the 5th inning look for the SNY 5th Inning Sweepstakes Presented by your Local Ford Dealers question.

Tweet your answer to @SNYtv using #SNYFord5thSweepstakes to be automatically entered to win.

Mets RHP Seth Lugo, who has been pitching with a partially torn UCL in his right elbow, says the injury hasn't been bothering him.

"No, it hasn't been an issue," Lugo said after Thursday's start, according to Newsday. "Not even really a thought process at this point. It's been feeling good, and I haven't had any issues with it."

Lugo, who allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings on Thursday, is pitching through the injury in an effort to avoid Tommy John surgery.

The Mets (43-50) have won four of the seven games on their current 10-game homestand, but remain nine losses behind the Rockies in the NL wild-card race with 10 days until the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

To win 90 games, the Mets must go 48-20 the rest of the season.

For all the hype over the years about the Mets' starting pitching, it's worth noting that Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, and Zack Wheeler have never pitched a rotation turn together. Not just this year. Ever.

Will it ever happen? And, as importantly, can the Mets really count on that quintet to live up to its promise before the rotation begins to break up?

The clock certainly is ticking. Syndergaard and Harvey have now resumed throwing, at least on flat ground, although their eventual returns will come too late to salvage this season.

But even if the Mets do not try to pull off a Jose Quintana-type deal for deGrom, there is an expiration date on how long this group will remain intact...

In the latest installment of JRSportBrief on SNY.tv, JR talks about whether Mets OF Yoenis Cespedes will live up to his contract.

Cespedes, 31, agreed to a four-year deal worth $110 million during the offseason after opting out of the three-year deal he signed with the Mets after the 2015 season.

He missed over a month earlier this year due to a hamstring injury and is hitting .271 with a .323 OBP and .480 SLG with nine HR and 22 RBI in 49 games this season.

Mets LHP Thomas Szapucki, the top pitching prospect in the organization, underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, the team announced.

Recovery time is expected to be 12-to-18 months.

Szapucki, who missed time earlier this year with a left shoulder impingement, had a 2.79 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 27 strikeouts in 29.0 innings (six starts) for Low-A Columbia this season.

The 21-year-old Szapucki appeared on multiple top prospects lists this past winter, as well as 60th on ESPN.com's Keith Law annual overall rankings.

For a full box score of the game, click here.

Things you should know about today's game...

1) Jose Reyes hit what would've been an inning-ending ground out to first base in the ninth inning, but Cardinals reliever Trevor Rosenthal was slow covering first base, allowing for Reyes to beat the throw as Yoenis Cespedes scored the winning run from third base.

2) Wilmer Flores hit a game-tying homer in the eighth inning with the Mets trailing, 2-1. Lucas Duda had given the Mets a 1-0 lead when he homered to right-center field in the second inning.

The Mets (42-50) go for the split of their four-game series against the Cardinals (46-48) on Wednesday at 12:10 p.m. at Citi Field on SNY.

Who is starting today for the Mets? 

RHP Seth Lugo (4.50 ERA/4.08 FIP, 1.45 WHIP), who allowed three runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out five in 6 2/3 innings this past Saturday against the Rockies.

The Mets have won 11 of Lugo's last 13 starts dating back to Aug. 25, 2016, during which Lugo has a 3.49 ERA. Lugo has a 3.09 ERA during his career at Citi Field...

In the latest edition of We Ask Mets Fans presented by StubHub, Mets fans choose which player they would take to another event.

The Mets have activated LH reliever Josh Smoker off the disabled list and have designated RH reliever Neil Ramirez for assignment, the team announced Thursday. 

Smoker, who had been on the DL with a left shoulder strain, had been rehabbing with Class A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton over the last two weeks.

The left-hander has a 7.45 ERA and 1.86 WHIP with 17 walks and 36 strikeouts in 29 innings (22 games) this season for the Mets. He last pitched for the Mets on June 13 against the Cubs, when he allowed three runs in four innings.

The Mets, who would reportedly rather deal Curtis Granderson, have not talked with Jay Bruce about being traded, Kristie Ackert reported July 20 in the Daily News.

Bruce still has a partial no-trade clause in his current contract, which expires at the end of this season, a source recently told James Wagner of the New York Times.

"I came here as a hired gun," Bruce said, according to Ackert. "I know what I am and what situation I am in. This is a business. Don't get me wrong, I love playing the game, I always will. But this is my job. I am a hired gun and I go where I am needed."

Gary and Ron look at how Jacob deGrom controlled Wednesday night's game with his first pitch fastballs against St. Louis. 

Mets infielders Asdrubal Cabrera and Neil Walker will begin taking ground balls at third base, Terry Collins told reporters Thursday. 

Walker (hamstring) will begin practicing at the position once he comes back from the disabled list. However, Cabrera won't play third until Walker returns to the lineup, according to Collins. Cabrera told reporters that he is willing to slide over to third, a position he's only played once in his major league career.

Mets RHP Jacob deGrom has heard the chatter surrounding him and a potential trade, but is tuning it out.

"I guess it's a good thing if other teams want you," deGrom told reporters Wednesday night. "But I've got a job to do here, and that's my main focus right now."

After tossing 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball on Wednesday night, deGrom has a 3.37 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 144 strikeouts -- a career-best 10.3 per nine innings -- in 125 2/3 innings (19 starts) this season. He is arbitration-eligible and under team control through 2020, after which he can file for free agency.

The Mets have informed their players - and teams interested in acquiring them - that they plan to rotate their outfielders to balance playing time through the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, multiple sources recently told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

According Rosenthal, the Mets prefer to trade Curtis Granderson over Jay Bruce, who they could hold on to and make a qualifying offer that could potentially net them a compensatory draft pick if he signs with a new team in the offseason. However, for now, Rosenthal adds, neither Granderson or Bruce have drawn significant interest in the trade market.

"If they have the chance to make their organization better by trading me, they would be crazy not to do it," Bruce said on Wednesday, according to the NY Daily News. "I know that they have to look out for their future here. I expect they will do that if they have the chance. I know what can happen."

The Mets (42-50) have won just four of their last 12 games, including last night's 7-3 win against the Cardinals at Citi Field. With 11 days until the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, they are 10 losses back of the D-backs, who lead the final Wild Card spot and are on pace to win 92 games.

To reach 92 wins, the Mets must go 50-20 (.714) the rest of the season.

For a full box score of the game, click here.

Things you should know about tonight's game...

1) Jacob deGrom allowed one run over 6 2/3 innings to win a career-high seventh consecutive start. The right-hander surrendered seven hits, walked one and struck out three. DeGrom (11-3) failed to complete seven innings for the first time in eight starts.

2) The Mets scored three runs in the first and four more in the second. Yoenis Cespedes singled, doubled and drove in two runs. Jose Reyes had two hits, including a two-run single that capped New York's four-run second inning. Jay Bruce, Lucas Duda and Wilmer Flores had RBI hits. 

The Mets (41-50) play the third game of a four-game series against the Cardinals (46-47) on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field on SNY.

Who is starting tonight for the Mets? 

RHP Jacob deGrom (3.48 ERA/3.74 FIP, 1.18 WHIP), who is looking for his seventh straight win. He allowed two runs, one earned on four hits while striking out 11 and walking one in eight innings against the Rockies in his last start. 

DeGrom has a 1.53 ERA over his last six starts and has a 2.03 ERA in 47 career starts at Citi Field. DeGrom's career home ERA is second-best in the majors since 2014, behind only Clayton Kershaw, who has a 1.72 ERA at Dodger Stadium.

First baseman Jeremy Vasquez is off to a solid start to his professional career.

Vasquez, who turned 21 years old on Monday, is hitting .342 (27-for-79) with four homers and 22 RBI and has a .443 on-base percentage through 21 games with Kingsport. He was drafted in the 28th round last month out of Nova Southeastern University, which had won the 2016 Division II national title.

"All my success so far in Kingsport is all because of the head coach at Nova -- just everything he's taught me this past year," Vasquez said, referring to Greg Brown, a former Astros scout who once signed J.D. Martinez. "Everything I've learned from those guys over there I've translated over here to Kingsport. I'm hitting the ball as well as I've ever hit it. He talks to J.D. Martinez and [Padres infielder] Carlos Asuaje all the time about hitting. I would just say the main thing he taught is using the big part of the field and trying to drive the ball -- not trying to pull everything."

Vasquez has another strong influence in his baseball career. His 24-year-old brother James Vasquez, also a lefty-hitting, lefty-fielding first baseman, was drafted by the Reds in the 25th round in 2015 out of the University of Central Florida. James was promoted to high-A Daytona a month ago and is hitting .275 with six doubles and three RBI in 22 games since arriving in the Florida State League...

It's feeling like the Mets may be missing the moment to make a trade. Admittedly, I started today worried they may botch the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, end up stuck with pending free agents and lose out on acquiring prospects and players who could help next season.

However, after talking to people around baseball, I'm slightly less pessimistic.

For starters, according to Ken Rosenthal, Mets GM Sandy Alderson and the Mets are willing to include cash in trades to get better prospects back in deals, sources with knowledge of the team's thinking said.

This is good news. It'll help push things through. And, I'm glad Alderson was able to convince ownership of this approach when the front office held a strategy session earlier this week.

Yoenis Cespedes has struck out twice and is hitless in nine at-bats since missing Sunday's game with the same sore hip that forced him to leave a game early the day before.

It has been 66 at-bats and nearly a month since Cespedes last hit a home run.

Cespedes, 31, missed 37 games earlier this season due to a sore quad and a strained hamstring. He also missed time last season with a sore quad, which he initially tried to play through before ending up on the disabled list.

"There's a little concern there," Terry Collins admitted Tuesday, when asked about how Cespedes has struggled this season. "Obviously, power is huge from the legs. Just looking at the swings, the lower half seems to be fine. He's just not getting the bat out in front."

The Red Sox are looking to acquire a third baseman and have interest in Mets infielders Wilmer Flores, Asdrubal Cabrera and T.J. Rivera, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

The Sox have also recently been linked in rumor to Martin Prado (Marlins), Jed Lowrie (A's), Yangervis Solarte (Padres), and Josh Harrison (Pirates).

The Mets were charged with three errors, which led to three unearned runs, during Tuesday's 5-0 loss to the Cardinals at Citi Field.

By the end of the game, T.J. Rivera had committed two errors, Jose Reyes misplayed a ground ball and bungled a double-play ball, Asdrubal Cabrera confused his feet on two throws to second, Yoenis Cespedes let a fly ball drift over his head and Lucas Duda dropped a pop up in foul ground. He also struggled to scoop several short hops at first base, but that is mostly due to the consistently poor throws coming to him from Rivera and Reyes.

"It was kind of ugly for us in the beginning," Reyes said.

The beginning? Try the middle and the end, too, Jose...

The Mets (41-50) have lost three consecutive games, eight of their last 11 and are 2-3 on their 10-game home stand. With 12 days until the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, they are nine losses back of the Rockies, who lead the final Wild Card spot and are on pace to win 92 games.

To reach 92 wins, the Mets must go 51-20 the rest of this season.

For a full box score of the game, click here.

Things you should know about tonight's game...

1) Two errors and several misplays helped the Cardinals score four times in the first two innings off Rafael Montero. The 26-year-old was charged with two earned runs on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts in six innings.

2) The Mets committed as many errors in the game -- three, including two by T.J. Rivera -- as hits. Yoenis Cespedes had a first-inning single and Michael Conforto went 2-for-4 with a double and a single.

3) Cardinals starter Michael Wacha allowed three hits, one walk and struck out eight in the first complete game and shutout of his career.

The Mets (41-49) play the second game of a four-game series against the Cardinals (45-47) on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. at Citi Field on SNY.

The Yankees have reached out to the Mets to express interest in 1B Lucas Duda and closer Addison Reed, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The Yankees, who are interested in acquiring a first baseman and late-inning reliever, were scouting the Mets on Monday night at Citi Field, according to the NY Post's Kevin Kernan.

The Mets are reportedly open to dealing any player who is not under team control beyond next season, including Reed and Duda.

Sandy Alderson said July 14 that he's not opposed to trading with the Yankees, despite the two teams not connecting on a player-for-player big-league deal since swapping Mike Stanton for Felix Heredia in 2004.

Sandy Alderson was ahead of the curve back in the 1980s with Oakland, embracing sabermetrics at a time when it wasn't widely accepted in baseball. Now, is Alderson a step behind?

As this team's homestand opened, Alderson stuck to his long-held belief that defense should not be a primary emphasis when constructing a team. His reasoning: Wins are based on runs produced minus runs allowed. And fielding capability is only a fraction of run prevention, dwarfed by pitching.

Yoenis Cespedes returned to the lineup Monday night and was hitless, going 0-for-5, after resting his sore hip the previous game.

Trailing 6-3 with two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth inning, Cespedes came to the plate with a chance to tie the game. However, he swung in a 3-0 count and grounded into a game-ending double play.

"He's the home-run hitter, he's the big guy on our team you turn to, and you got him in a great count," manager Terry Collins said after the game. "He's got to get something good to hit, and he just didn't hit it."

Zack Wheeler was unable to pitch out of trouble in the sixth inning when he allowed four of five batters to reach base during Monday's 6-3 loss to the Cardinals at Citi Field.

"It was my fault," Wheeler later explained. "I should have made my pitches and gotten out of that. Our bullpen, I trust them in every situation. Today, we just couldn't get the job done when we needed to."

After escaping a two-on, two-out jam in the third inning, as well as a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the fifth, Wheeler (3-7) gave up a two-run home run to Paul DeJong and an RBI double to Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright before getting pulled from the game.

This season, Verizon customers can enter to win unique baseball experiences to every Tuesday Night Baseball home game... all you need is a current Verizon Wireless or Verizon Fios account!

It's better baseball from the Better Network.

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