Morning Briefing: Mets Regain Possession of Wild Card Spot
Good morning, Mets fans!
Sean Manaea held the Nationals to just one run over seven innings, and Starling Marte lined a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Mets down Washington, 2-1. Jose Iglesias contributed two hits and the game-tying RBI single, while José Buttó, Edwin Díaz, and Reed Garrett all tossed scoreless innings.
Meanwhile in Atlanta, the Dodgers were held hitless for four innings before scoring twice in the fifth inning and busted through for six runs in the seventh inning, cruising to a 9-0 win over the Braves. Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson, and Brent Honeywell combined for five hitless innings behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Mets are now back in playoff position, leading the Braves by a game for the final NL Wild Card spot.
NL Wild Card Update
The Rockies got homers from Ezequiel Tovar and Hunter Goodman, and Geraldo Perdomo threw away a potential double-play ball in the ninth inning, allowing Brenton Doyle to score the winning run to give the Rockies a 3-2 victory over the Diamondbacks. The Mets trail Arizona by just a game for the second NL Wild Card spot.
The Padres beat the Astros 3-1 behind six scoreless innings from Yu Darvish and home runs from Jackson Merrill and Jurickson Profar. San Diego has now won four games in a row and sits 3.5 games ahead of the Mets.
Latest Mets News
The Mets will go for their 10th win in 12 tries against the Nationals, sending Tylor Megill (3-5, 4.48 ERA) to the mound against left-hander Mitchell Parker (7-9, 4.24 ERA). Megill was brilliant in his last outing, tossing six shutout innings against the Blue Jays. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
Francisco Lindor received good news on his back, with an MRI revealing no structural damage. Lindor expects to resume baseball activities in a day or two and hopes to be back in the Mets’ lineup within the next three to five days. The MVP candidate added that he expects to have to manage his back for the rest of the season.
Prior to Monday’s game, the Mets honored Ed Kranepool with a video tribute and a moment of silence. Kranepool’s grandson Ethan threw out the ceremonial first pitch to his father Keith.
The Mets have dedicated a seat to Grimace – painting seat 12 in row 6 of section 302 purple. The McDonald’s mascot and good luck charm made an appearance at Monday’s game.
Rimas Sports has launched an initiative called Operation 21 as part of its mission to support Latin American communities and athletes – and continue the humanitarian efforts of Roberto Clemente. As part of the initiative, Francisco Alvarez hosted a free baseball clinic at Lou Anthony Sports Complex on Long Island.
Latest MLB News
Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reported that Buster Posey spearheaded the Giants’ efforts to extend third baseman Matt Chapman. Giants ownership was frustrated with the lack of progress between general manager Farhan Zaidi and Scott Boras, leading Posey to intervene and hammer out the details of a six-year, $151 million contract for Chapman.
The Phillies will start former Met Taijuan Walker in Thursday’s series opener at Citi Field. Lefty Kolby Allard, who started against the Mets on Saturday, will go to the bullpen.
In an interview with Jomboy Media‘s Chris Rose, Pete Crow-Armstrong said he thought it was a joke when he found out the Mets were trading him to the Cubs for Javier Báez. Crow-Armstrong said he first heard about the deal from Mark Vientos on a FaceTime call.
Latest on MMO
Tyler Antonelle recaps the Mets’ win in their series opener against the Nationals.
Andrew Steele-Davis looks at the highs and lows from the series against the Phillies in the latest 3 Up, 3 Down.
Matt Lazzaro breaks down the strong performances of Jose Quintana and Francisco Alvarez, who are the MMO Players of the Week.
On This Date in Mets History
1986: Dave Magadan collects three hits and two RBIs, and Dwight Gooden strikes out eight in a complete game as the Mets clinch their first NL East title since 1973 with a 4-2 victory over the Cubs.
2016: Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the 11th inning, Curtis Granderson cracks a game-tying homer off Twins closer Brandon Kintzler. The following inning, Granderson takes lefty Ryan O’Rourke deep to give the Mets a 3-2 victory. Granderson becomes just the eighth player to hit two extra-inning home runs in a game, and just the third to do so in consecutive innings.
Born On This Date: John Franco (64).
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