Despite a 9-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves, Mets rookie slugger Pete Alonso still had reason to smile as he tied the franchise's single-season home run record with his 41st of the year on Saturday at Citi Field.
Alonso crushed a three-run shot that put the Mets in front of the Braves for a brief time, 5-4, in the fifth inning.
He's is now tied with Carlos Beltran and Todd Hundley for the club's record. Those two had 41 dingers in 2006 and 1996, respectively.
The Mets were down and out against the Braves on Saturday and then down went Edwin Diaz.
After allowing a solo home run to Freddie Freeman in the ninth inning to bring the score to 8-5, Diaz struck out Josh Donaldson and walked Charlie Culberson. Then his night came to an end with what he described as "trap tightness" near his neck.
Despite leaving the game, Diaz said following the 9-5 loss that he doesn't anticipate missing any time and suggested he's OK.
Pete Alonso ties another team record, but the Braves still top the Mets 9-5. >> Box score
1) Zack Wheeler worked his way through six innings of modest work. Wheeler allowed four earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts. The Braves capitalized on Wheeler with the long ball, as Ozzie Albies and Josh Donaldson homered in the third inning, and free bases, as Wheeler walked four.
Despite Friday's 14-inning game, the Mets still used four relievers on Saturday. Luis Avilan escaped with a strikeout and clean seventh inning, but the Braves added two insurance runs against Brad Brach in the eighth and then Edwin Diaz allowed two more in the ninth. Diaz also left the game with an injury and Chris Flexen came in to record the final two outs.
The Mets completed a comeback against the Atlanta Braves with some history on Saturday.
Trailing 4-0, the Mets turned things around and took a 5-4 lead as Pete Alonso tied the team's single-season home run record with his 41st home run of the year.
Alonso's shot was drilled to center field and capped a four-run inning for the team.
After leaving Friday's meeting with the Atlanta Braves, Mets catcher Tomas Nido has been placed on the seven-day injured list with a concussion, the team announced on Saturday.
Nido was hit in the side of the head by the bat of Atlanta's Josh Donaldson as he followed through on a swing in the sixth inning. Nido left the game and Wilson Ramos replaced him.
The Mets called up veteran catcher Rene Rivera from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move.
John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |
The number seemed symbolic somehow. For the first time since early May, Hyun-Jin Ryu's ERA started with a two rather than a one, thanks to the thumping the Yankees gave him on Friday night.
Barely two, that is, at in 2.00, but the jump in one game from 1.64 was significant, especially on a night when Jacob deGrom lowered his ERA to 2.56 and racked up 13 more strikeouts, raising his league-leading total to 207.
Bottom line, as hot as deGrom has been for several weeks, posting a 1.04 ERA since the All-Star break, it felt as if he still had quite a gap to close if he were going to pull off the spectacular feat of winning back-to-back Cy Young Awards.
Mets INF Jed Lowrie has not played yet this season due to an assortment of injuries, but is making progress as he attempts to return. Here are the latest updates...
Aug. 24, 6:04 PM:
Lowrie's rehab stint with the St. Lucie Mets continues, but Lowrie will play the field for the first time on Saturday. Lowrie is in the team's starting lineup and batting second. He'll play the field at second as well. Lowrie hasn't lined up in a defensive role since May 11.
Lowrie served as St. Lucie's DH in his first four apperances with the team. He's currently batting at a .200 average with St. Lucie.
The Mets (67-61, 10.0 GB in NL East, 2.0 GB for second Wild Card) continue their three-game series against the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves (78-52, 6.0 GA in NL East) at Citi Field on Saturday night at 7:10 p.m.
The Mets lost a tough 14 inning game to the Braves 2-1 on Friday night, despite Jacob deGrom doing everything he could to help the team win. The righty allowed just one run on four hits, while striking out 13 batters over 7.0 innings of work. During a stretch through the middle innings, deGrom struck out eight batters consecutively. Leading off the bottom of the sixth, deGrom hit a first pitch home run to tie the game... it was his second home run of the season and third of his career. Jeff McNeil will be active for Saturday night's game against the Braves, as he was removed from the IL.
Mets INF/OF Jeff McNeil injured his hamstring on Aug. 13 against the Braves. Here are the latest updates...
Aug. 24, 3:50 PM:
Jeff McNeil will be active for the Mets game on Saturday night against the Braves, it is the first day that he was eligble to be removed from the IL. He will not be in the starting lineup.
The Mets have designated Aaron Altherr for assignment to make room for McNeil on the active roster.
RHP Jacob deGrom fanned 13 and hit a game-tying solo home run to leadoff the bottom of the sixth inning, stretching seven frames while scattering four hits and one run, but the Mets were unable to breakthrough offensively, tying a National League record by striking out 26 opposing batters but losing 2-1 against the Atlanta Braves on Friday night at Citi Field >> Read more
When former Met Benny Agbayani looks back at the magical season the Mets had in 2000, he can draw a lot of similarities from the team currently looking to go on a similar run 19 years later.
"You look back at it, it's been a long, long time," Agbayani said. "That whole month we just went out there and played. It almost seems like the way these guys are playing now."
"They're putting everything together. If one guy doesn't do it, the next one will. They're putting things together and winning games."
When Jacob deGrom struck out Freddie Freeman to end the top of the third, it began a string of eight straight Braves hitters who would be retired on strikes.
He got everyone in the Braves lineup to strike out except for Ozzie Albies, who broke up the eight consecutive punchouts with a single in the top of the seventh.
The Mets offense was unable to capitalize on a stupendous night from the reigning NL Cy Young Award Winner -- both on the mound and at the plate -- and they lost Friday's game to the Braves, 2-1, in 14 innings. >> Box score
1) RHP Jacob deGrom was positively brilliant, including a stretch through the middle innings where he retired eight straight Braves batters on strikes. His lone slip-up came in the sixth, when Ozzie Albies singled, stole second and scored on a Freddie Freeman base hit to give the Braves a 1-0 lead. DeGrom finished his night with seven innings pitched, allowing just the one run on four hits with 13 strikeouts. But he made even more noise with the bat.
Jacob deGrom had been superb on the mound, allowing just one run through six innings, but the Mets hadn't scored any runs for him.
No matter.
The pitcher took things into in his own hands, launching a solo home run to left to tie the game at one.
The Mets (67-60, 9.0 GB in NL East, 1.5 GB for second Wild Card) start up their three-game series against the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves (77-52, 6.0 GA in NL East) at Citi Field on Friday night at 7:10 p.m.
The Mets finished off their sweep of the Cleveland Indians, beating them 2-0 on Thursday night. Noah Syndergaard was spectacular on the mound, throwing just 73 pitches through 6.0 innings. He had a perfect game going on until Tyler Naquin singled to center field with one out in the top of the sixth inning. Then the rain came down, as the game was delayed in the bottom of the sixth inning. Wilson Ramos extended his hitting streak to 16-games, it's the longest active streak in the MLB. He delivered a two-run double in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Joe Panik and Michael Conforto scored the only runs of the game. The Mets have outscored their opponents 114-73 so far in the month of August, and rank third in the majors with a .292 batting average this month.
Mets assistant GM Adam Guttridge, who is in charge of systematic development, was one of many assistants hired by Brodie Van Wagenen during this offseason. But Guttridge stands out compared to the others, according to Van Wagenen, since he is the one who brought J.D. Davis to the front office's attention.
"Brodie Van Wagenen gives a lot of credit to his assistant general manager... he said that Guttridge really pushed hard trying to acquire J.D. Davis this offseason," SNY's Steve Gelbs said.
Davis, who is currently fifth in the NL with a .361 batting average and seventh with a .418 OBP since the All-Star break, was acquired by the Mets in a trade with the Houston Astros on Jan. 6.
Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who has not played since May, is getting close to being activated from the IL. Here are the latest updates...
Aug. 23, 3:13 PM:
Nimmo is in center field and leading off for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday night after getting the day off on Thursday.
While Nimmo is getting closer to a return, it doesn't seem like his activation is imminent.
Jacob deGrom and the Mets start a huge three-game series against the Braves at Citi Field on Friday night.
It's nice to have the best pitcher in baseball taking the mound the day after completing a sweep of the Indians, who are just a half game back of the second American League Wild Card, isn't it?
The Mets have been hot, but so has Atlanta. Exactly like the Mets, the Braves have won 11 of their past 15 games. Unfortunately, two of those 11 wins came at New York's expense when the two teams met in Atlanta last week.
The Mets have come back from the brink to put themselves firmly in Wild Card contention. Here's everything you need to know about the state of the race...
Next up: @ Cubs, Friday at 2:20 p.m. (Anibal Sanchez vs. Jon Lester)
Latest result: 7-1 win over Pirates on Thursday
Current odds to make playoffs: 90.4 percent
Latest news: Max Scherzer was rusty but effective in his return from the IL
Next up: vs. Rockies, Friday at 8:15 p.m. (Jack Flaherty vs. Peter Lambert)
Latest result: 6-5 win over Rockies on Thursday
Current odds to make playoffs: 50.6 percent
Latest news: Matt Carpenter's role is still up in the air
Tom Brady applied for the "Tom Terrific" copyright this spring and later said it was all a mixup. Still, the application reached a decision-maker recently. And it was denied.
There is only one Tom Terrific, and the ruling made that clear.
"Although Tom Seaver is not connected with the goods provided by applicant under the applied-for mark, Tom Seaver is so well-known that consumers would presume a connection," the ruling stated. :As such, the applied-for mark TOM TERRIFIC is refused because it identifies a name of a particular living individual whose written consent to register is not of record."
Before Thursday's series finale at Citi Field, the Indians tweeted a message to their fans that also contained what some -- including a few Mets players -- saw as a dig at the Mets.
"We didn't erase an 11.5-game deficit to roll over. We split a series with one of the best teams in MLB at their home ballpark," part of the tweet said. "We lost the last 2 to a fringe postseason team."
Click below to see the exchange...
The Mets (67-60, 9.0 GB in NL East, 1.5 GB of second Wild Card) open a three-game series with the Braves at Citi Field on Friday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.
Here's what happened on Thursday, in case you missed it....
Noah Syndergaard took a perfect game into the sixth inning and Wilson Ramos provided the offense as the Mets won a rain-shortened game against the Indians on Thursday night at Citi Field to complete a three-game sweep >> Read more
The Mets' pitching staff led by Noah Syndergaard worked its way through rain delays to help bring home sweep of Indians in a 2-0 win.. >> Box score
1) Noah Syndergaard had his start cut short thanks to an extensive rain delay, about an hour. Syndergaard's night ended at 73 pitches as he unsurprisingly did not come back out to the mound when play resumed at 11:10 p.m. Still, it was a productive outing for Syndergaard in the win. Over six innings, the righty allowed only two hits and shutdown the first 15 batters he faced. Syndergaard struck out five, including the first two batters he faced in the game to set the tone early.
Looking for a sweep of the Indians at Citi Field on Thursday night, Wilson Ramos certainly played his part in making that happen.
The "Buffalo" laced a two-run double down the right field line to put the Mets on the board first...
Mets prospect Freddy Valdez could bring his professional career stateside in 2020. The team will get an ever better feel of the young, power-hitting player then...
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 212 lbs
The Mets (66-60, 9.0 GB in NL East, 1.5 GB for second Wild Card) wrap up their three-game series against the Cleveland Indians (74-53, 3.0 GB in AL Central, 0.5 GA in AL Wild Card) at Citi Field on Thursday at 7:10 p.m.
The Mets are now a season-high six games over .500 after their 4-3 victory over the Indians on Wednesday night. J.D. Davis was the hero, hitting his first career walk-off in the 10th inning. He is second in the NL with a .371 batting average and tied for ninth with a .429 on-base-percentage since the All-Star break. ... The team has now won 12 of its last 13 home games and is 36-21 at Citi Field this year. ... With a win tonight the Mets will match the total amount of victories at home in both 2017 and 2018. ... Wilson Ramos is currently on a 15-game hitting streak, the longest active streak in the majors. The last Met to have a 15-game hitting streak was David Wright from June 9-25, 2012.
Mets 2B Robinson Cano has been out since Aug. 5 due to a partially torn left hamstring, and is working his way back from the injury with an eye on returning before the season is over. Here are the latest updates...
Aug. 22, 4:03 PM:
Cano ran in the outfield at Citi Field before Thursday night's game against the Indians.
He took early batting practice on Wednesday and the plan after was for him to run on Thursday, Mets manager Mickey Callaway said.
The day after Marcus Stroman left his start before the fifth inning due to hamstring tightness, the Mets have called up Chris Flexen, who could potentially slide into the rotation if Stroman is unable to make his next start.
To make room on the 25-man roster, Ruben Tejada was DFA'd as the Mets reverted to a four-man bench.
Flexen, who the Mets used out of the bullpen earlier this season after also using him as a starter, had been working as a reliever with Triple-A Syracuse since June 12. But he returned to the rotation on Aug. 10 -- making two starts since then.
If you grew up in the 90s, you probably played Backyard Baseball. Noah Syndergaard reveals his team and some of his picks may surprise you.
Mets assistant GM Adam Guttridge, who was hired by Brodie Van Wagenen as part of a series of front office moves this offseason, has been Van Wagenen's most important hire, writes Tim Britton in a wide-ranging piece for The Athletic that traces Guttridge's rise and details how he has impacted the Mets.
Among the things Guttridge has his fingerprints on? Bringing J.D. Davis to the attention of the Mets this offseason as a trade target and helping them decide in-season to start using their closer in tie games on the road.
"Sometimes data can be intimidating, sometimes it can be overwhelming," Van Wagenen told Britton. "But Adam is able to communicate that as effectively to our analysts as he does to myself, to our other leaders, to ownership and to players and coaches as well … He understands how to put people in situations to succeed."
John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |
Most everything about the Mets' second-half run has been remarkable, but the emergence of J.D. Davis and Amed Rosario, in particular, has bulked up a youthful position-player core that suddenly gives this franchise an entirely different feel, both in the present and the future.
Add that duo to Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto, and you can make the case the Mets have five cornerstone players, four of which are under contractual control at least through the 2023 season.
And that's not counting Dom Smith, who probably looms now as a valuable off-season trade chip, or Brandon Nimmo, who figures to be an important player when he comes back from his neck injury, even if it's more for depth at this point.
The Mets have come back from the brink to put themselves firmly in Wild Card contention. Here's everything you need to know about the state of the race...
Next up: @ Pirates, Thursday at 7:05 p.m. (Max Scherzer vs. Steven Brault)
Latest result: 11-1 win over Pirates on Wednesday
Current odds to make playoffs: 89.6 percent
Latest news: Scherzer is ready for his return from the IL
Next up: vs. Rockies, Thursday at 7:45 p.m. (Miles Mikolas vs. German Marquez)
Latest result: 5-3 loss to Brewers on Wednesday
Current odds to make playoffs: 49.6 percent
Latest news: The Cards' loss on Wednesday was rain-shortened
The Mets entered the bottom of the 10th inning against the Indians trailing, 3-2, but erased the deficit with some tremendous at-bats and some help from Cleveland closer Brad Hand (who failed to cover first base on a potential inning-ending double play as the Mets tied the game).
After Hand's miscue, J.D. Davis put together an incredible at-bat, eventually ripping a game-winning hit to left field as all hell broke loose on the field, with Pete Alonso ripping Davis' jersey off in what is now a walk-off ritual.
With the win, the Mets crept to within 1.5 games of the second Wild Card spot. Here's how the back pages in NYC reacted...
The Mets (66-60, 9.0 GB in NL East, 1.5 GB of second Wild Card) wrap up their three-game series against the Indians at Citi Field on Thursday at 7:10 p.m.
Here's what happened on Wednesday in case you missed it....
In a wild game at Citi Field, the Mets fell behind, 3-2, in the 10th inning after Luis Avilan served up a solo homer to Carlos Santana. But the Mets rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 10th, with J.D. Davis capping things off with a walk-off hit to left field after an incredible at-bat against Brad Hand >> Read more
The Mets have officially found their post-game celebration for walk-off hits, at least for now.
Pete Alonso confirmed the celebration while laughing with reporters in the locker room after the big win.
"If you hit a walk-off, your shirt's coming off," Alonso said.
To say that J.D. Davis was excited after hitting his first career walk-off would be an understatement.
"Hey Mets fans, we did it again," said Davis. "This team has no quit, we were grinding all game... we had that New York swagger, that New York attitude, we didn't quit, we didn't quit."
He mentioned how excited the team gets if they fall behind in games. This was the fifth time all season that the Mets had won on a walk-off hit.
Marcus Stroman had only allowed one run over four innings, but the Mets pulled him from the game with what they called left hamstring tightness.
It was observed by the SNY booth that head trainer Brian Chicklo was checking out Stroman's hand before his at-bat, but that wasn't the case per the official announcement.
Stroman tossed just 62 pitches, allowing five hits and that one earned run while striking out one and walking one over that span.
The Mets beat the Indians 4-3 in extra innings thanks to a J.D. Davis walk-off hit. >> Box score
1) Marcus Stroman was cruising in his start tonight, but he had a premature exit after the team announced he was experiencing left hamstring tightness. Stroman allowed just one earned on five hits while striking out one and walking one over 62 pitches.
It has been a pitcher's ballgame at Citi Field tonight, but the Mets did manage to plate two runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Luis Guillorme came up to pinch hit in place of Marcus Stroman, and he came up clutch with an RBI double to send hom Juan Lagares.
And Lagares was on second to begin with after an RBI double himself to plate Todd Frazier...
Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |
With the Mets in the heat of the playoff chase, they have kept their heads above water despite being without some key offensive pieces lately. That looks like it's about to change.
As key players start to return, the Mets will have to clear room on the 25-man roster for each and map out a plan of attack regarding who plays regularly and what the lineup should be (and whether the lineup should be static or malleable).
This is a good problem to have, but there are some tough decisions coming.
The Mets (65-60, 9.0 GB in NL East, 2.0 GB in NL Wild Card) continue their three-game series against the Cleveland Indians (74-52, 3.0 GB in AL Central, 1.5 GA in AL Wild Card) at Citi Field on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m.
The Mets, who have won nine of their last 11 series since the All-Star break, have won three games in a row and four of their last five with a 25-10 record -- best in the MLB -- to sneak back into the Wild Card hunt.
The Mets are entering the second game of a nine-game homestand against the Indians, Braves, and Cubs that could go a long way toward determining their fate when it comes to playing in October.
Here are five storylines to keep an eye on...
At the end of the homestand, the Mets hit the road for six games against the Phillies and Nationals, both of whom are competing with New York for the NL Wild Card. This is all the more reason why it's important for the Mets to take advantage while they're home.
Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |
When Steven Matz noticed Mickey Callaway striding towards him with two on and one out in the seventh inning on Tuesday night, the lefty shook his head and cursed. His reaction was a reasonable one: The last time Callaway removed Matz from a tight game, Seth Lugo blew a lead against the Braves.
This time, of course, proved to be different. Lefty Justin Wilson pounded his cutter in on switch hitter Francisco Lindor, who was batting right-handed, and Oscar Mercado -- another righty. He struck out both.
Wilson has lately proven to be a strong offseason signing by new GM Brodie Van Wagenen -- and a major part of the team's surprising bullpen resurgence. While still shaky in spots, the Mets' pen has progressed from terrifying to stable. Or at least stable-ish. However one chooses to describe it, the facts show tangible improvements since June.
Entering his start on July 16, Mets LHP Steven Matz had a 4.87 ERA and was coming off a brief demotion to the bullpen.
And while Matz was in the bullpen, Mickey Callaway wouldn't even commit to his eventual return to the rotation.
Since then, Matz has a 2.81 ERA (his overall ERA has dipped to 4.18) and has struck out 38 batters in 41.2 innings (seven starts) while walking eight and allowing just three home runs. So, what triggered the turnaround?
The Mets (65-60, 9.0 GB in NL East, 2.0 GB of second Wild Card) continue their three-game series against the Indians at Citi Field on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m.
Here's what happened on Tuesday, in case you missed it....
Behind a strong start from Steven Matz and a late offensive eruption, the Mets took down the Indians, 9-2, on Tuesday night >> Read more
The Mets have come back from the brink to put themselves firmly in Wild Card contention. Here's everything you need to know about the state of the race...
Next up: @ Pirates, Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. (Patrick Corbin vs. Joe Musgrove)
Latest result: 4-1 loss to Pirates on Tuesday
Current odds to make playoffs: 89.1 percent
Latest news: The Nats suffered another bullpen meltdown on Tuesday
Next up: vs. Giants, Wednesday at 8:05 p.m. (Yu Darvish vs. Dereck Rodriguez)
Latest result: 5-3 win over Giants on Tuesday
Current odds to make playoffs: 78.5 percent
Latest news: Ben Zobrist could be getting closer to a return
Mets manager Mickey Callaway was very pleased with his team's performance Tuesday night, as they beat the AL Wild Card-leading Indians 9-2.
"They're relentless in their approach, no matter who comes in, they're up there grinding it out," Callaway said. "And that's what good teams do, they add on. Tonight, we added on enough to where we could stay away from Lugo and Diaz. Now we're set up in a better situation tomorrow because our hitters are relentless."
The Mets kicked off their nine-game homestand with a big 9-2 win over the Indians at Citi Field on Tuesday night. >> Box score
1) Steven Matz was allowed to go deep into the game this time around, as he continues to show success on the bump. He did allow a solo homer to 2B Jason Kipnis in the top of the second, but the run that came across in the fourth was unearned. Overall, the lefty went 6.1 innings, allowing that one earned run on five hits while striking out seven and walking two...
Mets manager Mickey Callaway dropped some big news that Jed Lowrie, who hasn't played with the Mets at all this season due to various injuries, was starting a rehab assignment with High-A St. Lucie on Tuesday night.
And it looks like he's moving around pretty well, finishing the night 1-for-4 with an RBI.
This is some of the first footage we've seen of Lowrie in action this season, as he's seen running out a ground ball to first base...
