The Mets...Won?

Happy Thursday! The Mets won last night! For real! Celebrate by getting yourself a paid subscription to this here newsletter.

Juan Soto hit two home runs, Ronny Mauricio got three hits, the bullpen didn’t implode, and Jeff McNeil robbed Marcell Ozuna of a home run in center field to give the Mets a much, much, much needed 7-3 victory. 

Clay Holmes only allowed one run in five innings of work - a Drake Baldwin solo home run with one out in the fourth - but it could have been worse. He started the night with an up and in pitch to Ronald Acuña Jr., which the SNY booth thought was a message - “Not tonight.” Whatever it was, Acuña Jr. struck out. Matt Olson walked on four pitches. Ozuna then hit a fly to deep left center. The squirrel handled it.

Apologies to Jeff McNeil. I wasn’t familiar with your center field game. 

Holmes didn’t really get himself in trouble until the fifth, when he started by walking Acuña Jr. and allowing a Matt Olson single. But he coaxed both Ozuna and Austin Riley to ground out to third and short respectively. 

The Mets gave him plenty of run support. Ronny Mauricio led off the third with a home run (yes, the 20-year-old starter for Atlanta foolishly threw him a fastball, but still). The fourth was the fun inning though. Juan Soto led that off with a solo shot. Pete Alonso was hit by a pitch yet again, and then McNeil doubled to left. Starling Marte hit a sacrifice fly to center scoring Alonso. Brett Baty picked up an RBI single for the second night in a row, scoring McNeil. Mauricio singled to right, and then Hayden Senger collected his first hit in the majors since April. That was the end of Didier Fuentes. In came the depressingly named lefty Aaron Bummer. Francisco Lindor would end up as the one Met starter without a hit, but he managed to hit a sacrifice ly to bring in Baty. Brandon Nimmo followed with an RBI single bringing in Mauricio to make it 6-1 New York (you lost count, didn’t you?) 

And the Mets didn’t blow it! Brandon Waddell, Jose Buttó, and Ryne Stanek each threw one shutout inning. The ninth was a little annoying - new guy Jonathan Pintaro was charged with two runs, and Edwin Díaz had to come in for four pitches to finish things off. Oh well. At least Díaz was needed at all. 

The Phillies lost, so the Mets are just a half a game back in the NL East at the moment. If they win tonight, suddenly they split a series with Atlanta, and things are copacetic again. 

 ***

Juan Soto also homered in the seventh. He uncharacteristically showed emotion after clobbering the ball, because he knew he had broken Jimmie Foxx’s record of the most multi-home run games before turning the age of 27. This Soto guy is good man. I told ya he was just super unlucky. 

Not only did Mauricio homer, but he got his first base hit from the right side of the plate this year. So naturally, he’ll probably be sent down today to make room for Mark Vientos (hamstring). Vientos will meet with the team trainers to determine if he will play tonight or if they’ll wait a day.

The Mets designated lefties José Castillo and Richard Lovelady for assignment. They selected the contract of Jonathan Pintaro and recalled lefty Brandon Waddell. Castillo had a 2.38 ERA in 13 games for New York, so him being DFA’d was kind of a surprise. It was just a matter of David Stearns trying to churn out fresh arms as often as possible. Like, daily. Did you know the Mets have used 31 pitchers this season? If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. 

Pintaro is a great story. He went undrafted and pitched in independent ball. And I mean independent - he pitched for Montana’s Glacier Range Riders last season. 

Last night was Game #81. That’s right folks, we’re halfway done with the regular season. The Mets have won 47 games so far, so they’re on pace for 94, which is more than last year, but not good enough to win the division, at least not right now.

The Triple-A Syracuse Mets (33-44) defeated the Rochester Red Wings (Nationals affiliate) 5-1. Luisangel Acuña went 2 for 5 with two doubles, a run scored, an RBI, and a strikeout. Mark Vientos went 2 for 2 and made a nice defensive play at third. Yonny Hernández went 3 for 4 with a triple, a run scored, an RBI, and a strikeout. Francisco Alvarez was back after leaving the previous day due to dizziness. He went 0 for 3.  Dom Hamel got the dub. He threw three innings, allowing one run on four hits. He walked nobody and struck out four. 

The Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies (46-23) took down the Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox), also by a score of 5-1. Nick Morabito went 3 for 4 with a double, two runs scored, a stolen base, and a strikeout. TJ Shook got the win by tossing three shutout frames. He permitted four hits and one walk. He struck out one batter.

The High-A Brooklyn Cyclones (50-21) became the first Minor League Baseball team to reach 50 wins as they edged the Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 2-1. Solo dingers off the bats of Jesus Baez and Boston Baro provided the only runs the Cyclones needed. Will Watson got the start. He allowed just one run over five innings, walking one and punching out four. 

The Low-A St. Lucie Mets (39-31) shutout the Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins) 1-0. The lone run of the game came in the top of the eighth due to a passed ball. Frank Elissalt, Ernesto Mercedes, Josh Blum, and Juan Arnaud combined to hold Jupiter scoreless.

Tonight the Mets look to go splitsies with Atlanta. Grant Holmes (4-6, 3.71 ERA) will give it a go for the baddies. Griffin Canning (7-3, 3.91 ERA) will toe the slab for New York (NL). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm eastern. The game will air on SNY and out of market on MLB Network.