Empire Sports Media

New York Mets

Mets Escape Rain and Push Through deGrom’s Injury in 4-2 Win

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

The final game between the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks felt like it would never come to an end. After Jacob deGrom left early with an injury, manager Luis Rojas found a way to piece together the final 12 outs and get the Mets a 4-2 win. The victory was the fifth in a row and gave them their first sweep of the 2021 season.

deGrom made his first start in 11 days and looked stellar by retiring the first 12 batters he faced in order. In the fifth inning, he had an uncharacteristic three walks and allowed a run. When deGrom returned to the mound for the sixth inning, he felt discomfort and removed himself from the game with right side tightness. The move was the right one as lat injuries can become dangerous and is an injury no one should try to push through. deGrom finished the day with five innings pitched, one hit allowed, three walks, and six strikeouts.

Miguel Castro took over for deGrom in the sixth and was the beginning of the Mets bullpen, making things interesting. Castro struggled with his command to start but reined himself in to survive a scoreless inning. Jacob Barnes pitched a 1-2-3 seventh but allowed a home run and double in the eighth, leaving with a 4-2 lead. Rojas turned to Edwin Diaz with the tying run on base with one out and induced a double play to keep the lead. Diaz worked around a dropped pop-up to strike out three and complete a terrific sweep.

Get The Ball Rolling

The Mets offense is not rolling on all cylinders, but it is starting to do enough to support their tremendous pitching. Francisco Lindor (sac fly), Michael Conforto (single), and Dominic Smith (single) all were responsible for driving in a run. Patrick Mazeika found another unique way to drive in a run with an RBI walk. In his three career plate appearances, Mazeika has two RBIs but is still searching for his first hit.

The big concern for the Mets is obviously deGrom, but the hope is that he is just dealing with soreness again. If deGrom tried to push through it, he could have had the same fate as Noah Syndergaard in 2017. Syndergaard pitched through a lat injury in 2017, and he ended up missing five months of the season. Hopefully, deGrom only needs extra rest again to get back to 100%.

This whole series was an example of how dangerous the Mets can become. They showed their bullpen is fully capable of picking up the slack with the starting pitching has a rare short outing. The offense is slowly coming back to life, and the defense even showed it is much improved from last season. The bullpen will get a much-needed rest before the Baltimore Orioles fly into town for a quick two-game series.

Mets Bullpen Dominates, Lindor Shines Bright For 4-2 Win Over D’Backs

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The New York Mets went deep into their bullpen for the second straight night, but they held strong for a 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Of course, offensive production is needed to win games, and the loving couple of Jeff McNeil and Francisco Lindor provided it for their fourth straight win.

Tommy Hunter has been with the Mets for just a couple of days but has been busy during his short tenure. After throwing two scoreless innings on Friday, he did the same as the opener tonight. Joey Lucchesi followed with 3.1 innings, where he allowed just one earned run. The following duo of Jeurys Familia and Aaron Loup made their outings interesting.

Familia struck out his two batters in the sixth, but three weak singles loaded the bases in the seventh. After falling behind 3-0 to Christian Walker, Familia battled back to get him to ground out to shortstop, and Pete Alonso‘s swift footwork prevented a potential error. Loup allowed Stephen Vogt to get on base as the tying run after his RBI single but found his way out of the inning as well.

Trevor May got the closer job in the ninth, with Edwin Diaz unavailable after pitching the last two nights. May rose to the occasion and shut the door to finish off the victory. The pitching staff was not as dominant as it was on Friday, but they were terrific at tip-toeing out of danger. They allowed eight hits, two walks, and an extra three baserunners on errors but battled to hold the D’Backs to just two runs.

Kiss And Make Up

Only Lindor, McNeil, and the rest of the Mets clubhouse really know what happened in the tunnel on Friday, but both players have responded in great ways. McNeil opened the scoring and provided half the runs for the Mets with his two-run homer in the third inning. Lindor showed off his versatility when he turned instantly turned a walk into a run. When Lindor stole second base, the throw banged off his foot and into no-mans land in left field, which allowed him to chug around the bases and score. Lindor also remained hot with the bat as he had a double and an RBI single.

The Mets were 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and had four hits, but three were for extra bases. They also recorded six walks and stole two bases after having five all season heading into the night. Kevin Pillar recorded a double to go along with his stellar defense in center field and Jonathan Villar walked twice as they continue to fill their roles perfectly with key Mets on the IL.

After stressing the bullpen arms in the first two games, the Mets are in a perfect position for a sweep, with Jacob deGrom heading to the mound on Sunday. Riley Smith will take the mound for the Diamondbacks for the 1:10 p.m. ET start from Citi Field.

Mets’ Francisco Lindor breaks 0-for-26 cold streak with single, is ‘still working’ to get back on track

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As hard to believe as it may sound, New York Mets’ shortstop Francisco Lindor had his first base hit in his last 26 at-bats in the win against the St. Louis Cardinals. The All-Star has been struggling for most of the season in the batter’s box.

However, Mets’ fans had grown frustrated because of his slow start in 2021, disappointed by the lack of production of the $341 million man. For a day, though, he was able to breathe, as a hard ground ball went through the infield for his first hit in a while.

The single came in the ninth inning, just when everybody thought Lindor would have another game without a hit.

“As soon as I hit the ball, I was just hoping that nobody caught it. When it went through, yeah, I had a smile on my face, and a little bit of my shoulders coming down, I had them above my ears,” Lindor said, according to SNY.

“They came down a little bit, but like I said earlier, it’s still a long road. I’m still working, I’m working as hard as I can day in and day out to be the best player I can be, and if I can do something on a daily basis to help the team win, that, to me, that’s it. I don’t need results. I want results, but I don’t need them to feel good. As long as we’re winning, it makes me happy.”

The Mets’ shortstop should eventually be fine

His plate discipline and hard-hit rates are on par with his career numbers or close to them, so the hope is that the Mets’ high-dollar investment can turn things around relatively soon.

“When you have a great group of guys around you, coaching staff, players, and so many people have reached out to me to help me out – current players, former players, coaches, president, owners,” the Mets’ star said. “A lot of people have reached out to me to help me out, and that, to me, means the world. I can’t thank them individually here, but to all of them, thank you for reaching out.

“The road is not over, man. The road is not over. I’m just glad we had a good road trip.”

Mets move Carlos Carrasco to 60-day IL, significantly pushing back his return

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The New York Mets had been suffering some nagging, annoying injuries lately. Starters Marcus Stroman and Jacob deGrom were banged up in the last few days, but fortunately, neither issue evolved, but third baseman JD Davis and outfielder Brandon Nimmo were placed on the 10-day injured list with hand ailments.

The Mets had hoped to have starter Carlos Carrasco back by next week. The righty had suffered a high grade hamstring tear in mid-March and was given a 6-8 week timetable. There was hope the team could have him back for mid-May, but that is not happening now.

The Mets placed Carrasco on the 60-day injured list, preventing a return to action before May 31. It is a considerable blow for a franchise that needs that fifth starter, since Joey Lucchesi hasn’t been able to establish himself.

The Mets insist that Carrasco did not suffer a setback, and instead, they want to take things extremely slow with the starter. They want to avoid scenarios in which he can aggravate the injury.

The Mets’ pitcher hasn’t recovered as hoped

Carrasco, according to the team’s official page, hasn’t been able to push the muscle as much as he would like.

He has been pitching in simulated games and is reportedly stretched out to six innings. However, the Mets want to see him field his position without any type of hesitation, and that requires full confidence on the muscle.

The Mets pushed Carrasco in workouts this month, but his hamstring did not respond as well as they had hoped.

“He has done everything … it’s just right now, he hasn’t done it at game speed,” manager Luis Rojas said. “We still want to do that a little more before he joins us, and still take it with care.”

Now, Carrasco will make at least two rehab starts before rejoining the Mets. “We reassessed the timeline,” Rojas said. “There are some things we still want to test on the field.”

Patience Was Key as Cardinals Gift the Mets a 4-1 Win

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The New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals combined to put together an early candidate for the ugliest game of the 2021 season. The Mets showcased how not to hit with runners on base while the Cards pitchers had no idea where the strike zone was. In the end, the Mets won the battle of attrition 4-1 to escape St. Louis with a split of their four-game series.

Taijuan Walker was absolutely masterful when the Mets needed him to go deep into the game. Over seven innings, Walker allowed just one hit and struck out eight. Even after a rain delay, Walker came out to finish the last two innings of his start and retired 18 straight to finish his start. The unearned run came on a throwing error from third baseman Jonathan Villar after a shift beating single. Trevor May struck out two in the eighth and Edwin Diaz rebounded from his ugly outing on Sunday to finish the win.

Bad Baseball All-Around

The combination of Cardinals’ control issues and Mets’ lack of clutch hitting made the top of every inning gruesome. Cardinals pitchers combined for 11 walks, including three with the bases loaded, but the Mets barely took advantage of them. When they did swing the bat, they went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position and left 17 men on base. The only run that did not come via a walk was Dominic Smith‘s RBI single to give the Mets their fourth run.

In other news, the bats of Francisco Lindor and James McCann have taken themselves off life support. Lindor finally broke an 0-for-26 slump with a single, and McCann recorded two hits on the day. Despite the win, there were not many redeeming qualities from the win, but they can hope Lindor’s single finally gets him going.

On Friday, the Mets return to Citi Field and welcome in the Arizona Diamondbacks for a three-game weekend series. Zac Gallen takes the mound against David Peterson for a 7:10 p.m. Friday night start.

 

Mets’ injury issues deepen as starting outfielder heads to the IL

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The New York Mets are currently short-handed and heavily affected by injuries both on offense and pitching. Brandon Nimmo, the team starting center fielder and leadoff hitter, couldn’t recover from a finger issue and was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday.

Nimmo injured his left hand during an at-bat against Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, and while he made an appearance as a defensive substitution on Sunday, he hasn’t been able to play since.

He is joining fellow hitter JD Davis and pitcher Carlos Carrasco on the injured list. The Mets also had a couple of scares with Marcus Stroman (hamstring) and Jacob deGrom (right lat) but neither problem appears to be long-term.

As for Nimmo, the injured list placement is retroactive to May 3, so he won’t be eligible to return to the Mets before May 13.

The Mets’ outfielder felt his hand ‘exploding’

The dynamic outfielder said to the Mets’ official site that he felt that his hand “exploded” after fouling off a Wheeler fastball. Tests revealed only a left index finger bruise, but Nimmo hasn’t felt quite right since.

“I don’t think it’s going to be long-term,” Nimmo said that afternoon. “I think when we look back on this in the scheme of the season, it’s going to be a little blip. But obviously, I hate to miss any games, and it’s very, very frustrating for me because I try to prepare for these things.”

“He just still feels it,” manager Luis Rojas told MLB.com. “He’s not able to hit … so the usage is just limited.”

Nimmo was mired in a 1-for-17 slump before getting hurt, but he had been having a productive season overall. The Mets’ leadoff hitter is hitting .323 with seven runs scored, a home run, eight RBI, a couple of stolen bases and a .882 OPS.

Mets Reserves Lead The Way in 7-2 Victory Over Cardinals

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It only made sense that in this odd season for the New York Mets, their backup players lead them to a good win. Francisco Lindor and James McCann got the night off, and Jordan Yamamoto pitched, but despite that, the Mets won 7-2.

The Mets enlisted Miguel Castro as their opener for the first time, and he bent but did not break. Castro kept the Cards scoreless in the first and set the table for Yamamoto to make his Mets debut. Yamamoto performed perfectly as a spot starter as he held the Cardinals to just one run in 2.2 innings and allowed the bullpen to finish the job. The final four relievers allowed just one run in the final 3.1 innings of the game.

After a wild pitch and Tomas Nido‘s two-run home run got the Mets a 3-0 lead, the “-illar” duo took care of the rest. Jonathan Villar recorded two hits, two RBIs, and a homer, and Kevin Pillar recorded a double and two RBIs. Dominic Smith also joined the hit parade with two singles of his own. The trio of Villar, Pillar, and Nido is unlikely to produce like this every night, but all of them played well enough to earn a start in the final game of the series.

The final game of the series features Taijuan Walker against former Met prospect John Gant. The first pitch from Busch Stadium is an early 1:15 p.m. ET start.

DeJong Burns the Mets in 4-1 Loss in Game One of the Doubleheader

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New York Yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

Paul DeJong has turned into the modern-day New York Mets killer and flexed his muscle again in the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 win. DeJong’s two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning put the game away as the Mets were once again incapable of doing anything on offense.

Francisco Lindor has done nothing to help the Mets offense and figured he might as well help out someone else’s. His throwing error prevented the fifth inning from ending and allowed DeJong to torch the Mets again. Lindor went hitless again to push his slump to 24 straight at-bats without a hit. Despite, the slump manager Luis Rojas rolled out another one of his bright ideas and batted him leadoff.

Stroman’s Outing

Marcus Stroman pitched much better than his line suggests. He went five innings, allowed four runs (two earned) while striking out six. In a pivotal fourth inning, a leadoff error followed by a single put Stroman in a first and third situation. Stroman responded by striking out the next three batters he faced, but it did not come without drama.

Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner visited the mound after the first strikeout, but Stroman wanted nothing to do with him. Stroman walked off the mound in the middle of the visit and said, “just let me f–king pitch man.” Even though he survived the inning, Stroman and Rojas spoke in the tunnel when he came off the field. Rojas let Stroman hit in the fifth inning despite being down by one in a seven-inning game in an even more surprising move.

The Mets had the same amount of errors as hits in what might have been a tribute to fired hitting coach Chili Davis. They went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and went the final three innings without a hit. Lindor will get the second game off as Jonathan Villar will take his place at shortstop. It would fit the Mets logic to have their best offensive output in the game Lindor does not play in. Miguel Castro will face Johan Oviedo in game 2.

Mets’ Pete Alonso cried upon finding out about Chili Davis’ dismissal: ‘It doesn’t make sense’

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Late on Monday night, the New York Mets decided that hitting coach Chili Davis and his assistant Tom Slater would no longer be part of the team. Despite the team’s obvious offensive struggles to open the 2021 season, it was a surprise to see them let go. After all, the Mets’ offense was competent in 2019 and among the best in 2020 under Davis.

And the players like and respect him. He has often been credited for JD Davis’ breakout season in 2019 and has a good relationship with most of the Mets’ offensive stars, including Pete Alonso.

According to Savannah McCann of MLB.com, when Alonso found out about the Mets’ decision regarding Davis, he went to his locker and started crying. Befuddled, the Polar Bear went to talk with acting general manager Zack Scott.

“Our team has broken records, we’ve done a lot of great things,” said Alonso, who said he didn’t expect Davis’ dismissal and that the ‘appearance’ of fictional approach coach ‘Donnie’ Stevenson was by no means a shot at him. “It’s confusing for me, and listen, I respect everybody who made that decision. But to me, it just doesn’t make sense right now. I know that the people who are in charge in the office, they want to win, everybody wants to win. I guess from a results standpoint, from two, two and a half years, the results have been there. And to me, it still doesn’t make sense.”

The Mets’ first baseman is sad and upset to see Davis go

Alonso considered Davis and Slater family.

“There’s a personal connection there, but that aside, professionally they’re outstanding individuals,” said Alonso. “For me, how I’m looking at this is, I can’t be upset that it’s over. I just have to be happy that I was able to have them, and they had an impact on me. And I know that I’ve had an impact on them. And that those two guys have had a tremendous positive impact on everybody in that clubhouse.”

The Mets held a meeting that included players, coaching staff and manager Luis Rojas, partly to talk about the changes.

“[It was a] typical team meeting where everyone gets to talk, and guys share their thoughts or their emotions and get to vent,” said Rojas. “We can talk as a family in there, and what was said in there doesn’t need to be shared. But the guys [were] sharing their thoughts and us talking as a group. Also, to shift gears and go after this game tonight, that’s the purpose of the meeting.”

Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom shut down for a few days

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

Things aren’t going as well as expected in Flushing. The New York Mets are playing under .500 with an 11-12 record, with an offense that has been severely unproductive at times. Jacob deGrom, the team ace, has been the one constant amid all the uncertainty.

DeGrom, very likely the best pitcher in the league, has a 0.51 ERA and a 0.82 FIP, which is beyond ridiculous. He improves year after year, and continuously defies physics with an annual velocity increase.

However, the Mets’ frontline starter was scratched from his scheduled start against the Cardinals on Tuesday due to inflammation in his right lat, according to a team announcement. For now, deGrm will not be placed on the injured list, where several of his teammates are, but will not throw for the next few days.

How many days? It is unknown at this point, but it will largely depend on how he is feeling. Fortunately, though, imaging didn’t show anything overly serious, just some inflammation.

The Mets hope to have deGrom back soon

Bullpen arm Miguel Castro was going to take deGrom’s place on the mound last night against the St. Louis Cardinals, but poor weather conditions forced the league to postpone it.

According to Mets’ manager Luis Rojas, the decision to push deGrom’s last two starts a day didn’t have anything to do with this particular ailment, as this is the first time he hears about it.

Once the Mets saw deGrom having some issues stretching and getting ready to pitch, they decided to scratch him and send him for further evaluation.

“Everyone’s on their toes, a bunch of guys in there said ‘Give me the ball, I’ll start,’” Rojas said. “[Marcus] Stroman, who is our pitcher tomorrow, asked me if I wanted him to start. So even though it’s been some of those challenging moments, it’s been comforting to see how the guys are just ready and they don’t get stuck in the moment. That has shown that family concept in here when you face some tough times.”

The Mets are surely hoping to get deGrom back in no time.