Vargas Did What?

Given their crumbling depth in the starting rotation, you would think that Mickey Callaway would squeeze every inning he could out of his starters. Wednesday, he did the exact opposite. The wildly inconsistent and ineffective Vargas took the mound and came out firing. The lefthander shut out the Braves across five frames, surrendering two hits and one walk, and striking out two. At only 65 pitches, the expectation would be that Vargas would go deep into this game. Instead, Mickey Callaway opted to pull him after the fifth, giving an early hook to his pitcher throwing on just three days rest. The result is not all bad, however. Allowing Vargas to leave on a high note may instill some confidence and lead to more productive outings going forward.

The Magnificent Amed Rosario

Amidst his early-season struggles, many doubts arose surrounding the viability of Rosario’s future. A consensus top prospect, the impatience was semi-warranted. You either have it or you don’t. The good news is that Rosario really seems to finally be putting everything together. In the last seven days, the 22-year-old is batting .357/.400/.571 with a home run, four RBIs and two stolen bases. That includes the two huge extra base hits he chipped in last night — a triple in the seventh and a double in the ninth. Both resulted in Rosario coming across to score two very important insurance runs. He also made a sparkling diving stop to begin a 6-4-3 double play and get Jeurys Familia out of a tumultuous eighth inning.

We’ve Found Nimmo

This almost hurts to write for two reasons. First, I’ve been a big supporter of Jay Bruce and have continually advocated for him to remain in the lineup and work out of his slump. Second, I was completely in favor of shipping Brandon Nimmo to Pittsburgh in exchange for Andrew McCutchen. Well, it’s safe to say I was dead wrong. From the moment spring training kicked off, Nimmo has looked like a quality big leaguer that deserves the opportunity to play every day at the major league level. There is no reason to leave Nimmo on the bench just on his plate discipline alone. To make matters sweeter, it looks like his bat is coming around now too. Over his last eight games, Nimmo has posted a .333/.444/.733 slash line with two home runs, five RBIs and two stolen bases. In four at-bats, Nimmo notched two hits Wednesday — a bloop single that drove home Rosario in the seventh and a line drive doubles over the head of Nick Markakis in the ninth. Those two RBI knocks proved critical and he is now up to a scorching hot .970 OPS on the season. Could we possibly see Brandon Nimmo make an appearance at the All-Star game this July?

Joey Bats Hits Balls Hard

Sandy Alderson already pulled a rabbit out of his hat by turning Matt Harvey into Devin Mesoraco. Now, after plucking Jose Bautista from the depths of obscurity, he may just have found a diamond in the rough. During his stint in Atlanta this season, it didn’t seem like there was much baseball left in Bautista. After all, he was 5-for-37. Bautista is already well past that number as a member of the Mets and scorched a double to left field last night. Even when the hits aren’t falling, he is still finding a way to hit the ball hard. The last seven days of Joey Bats have been magnificent, with the 37-year-old sporting a 1.105 OPS. If Wednesday was any indication, Jose Bautista may just prove to be a valuable piece down the stretch.

A-Gon is Still Hanging Around

If I were to be completely honest, I would have ventured to say that Adrian Gonzalez would be long gone by now. Instead, the other geriatric player in the Mets starting lineup is not only hanging around but producing his fair share. Gonzalez posted a 2-4 night at the plate, driving in two runs. He opened the scoring in the first with a rocket ground rule double and picked up an insurance run in the eighth when he drove Jose Bautista home. Over his last 25 games, Gonzalez looks like an All-Star, batting .305 with seven extra-base hits, 12 RBI, and an OPS of .850. Maybe first base isn’t such a big problem for the Mets after all.

New Arms in Atlanta

In order to bolster their depleted bullpen, the Mets called up three relievers prior to Wednesday’s game. Tim Peterson and Buddy Baumann joined the Mets from Las Vegas, while Scott Copeland departed Binghamton. Peterson made his first major league experience after relieving Vargas in the sixth. Despite surrendering a home run to Johan Camargo (in the exact same spot that he hit his walk-off to in the game prior), Peterson looked good. The righthander posted two frames with a walk being the only other blemish besides the home run. Jeurys Familia and Robert Gsellman combined for the final two innings of the game, with Gsellman recording his second save of the season after a perfect ninth.

The Mets return home to Citi Field tonight to face the Chicago Cubs. Seth Lugo makes his debut as a starter against Jose Quintana at 7:10 p.m. And before I go, shout out to Ed Kranepool. He did not deserve the Don LaGreca treatment on ESPN Radio yesterday.

Photo credit: Jason Getz – USA Today Sports

Belfast Blur Struggles

Strapped for starting pitching, the Mets turned to P.J. Conlon to take the ball in Game 2 of their Memorial Day doubleheader. Let’s just say that Conlon’s second major league start went a little worse than his last one. The Belfast Blur (trademark pending) was only able to last two innings on 46 pitches. The Mets desperately needed length out of their starter and did not get it. The good news: Conlon did not surrender a walk. The bad news: the left-hander got tagged for eight hits and four runs. Conlon is not a particularly hard thrower, with a fastball that tops out in the high 80s, so it’s a long shot to believe he’ll carve out a long-term position in this rotation even with how thin their depth is.

Fear the Plaw

A lot has happened since the last time we saw Kevin Plawecki on April 11. In the 39 games since, the Mets have gone from a dominant force to a barely .500 team. Acquiring Devin Mesoraco stopped the bleeding at catcher, but the return of Plawecki from a broken bone in his left hand should provide depth and make for a decent platoon behind the plate.

Plaw returned to action last night after going 3-13 with a home run in his Las Vegas rehab stint and boy did he not disappoint. The Mets’ backstop was on base five times Monday, recording a walk, three singles, an RBI and a run scored. He reached on an error in the first inning after he hit a comebacker to Brandon McCarthy that the hurler simply just threw away. I should also note that his infield single in the sixth should have been scored an error as Johan Camargo blatantly dropped the ball. The Mets need production at the catcher position and whether it’s Mesoraco or Plawecki doesn’t matter as long as it helps this team turn around.

Everybody Getting Involved

Despite how inept they were during the afternoon, the Mets were able to post eight runs on 15 hits in the nightcap. Adrian Gonzalez opened the scoring in the first with an RBI single and the Mets jumped to 2-0 after Plawecki reached on an error, scoring Jay Bruce. Brandon Nimmo blasted a homer in the third, but this lead wouldn’t stand up long.

The Mets gave it back to the Braves but regained the lead after Amed Rosario singled home Plawecki and Jose Reyes in the sixth. The Mets were able to dismantle Atlanta’s Brandon McCarthy, who finished with a line of 5.1 innings pitched, nine hits, five runs and two strikeouts.

Unfortunately, that lead didn’t last very long either, but the Mets rallied back quickly. Singles from Luis Guillorme and Rosario netted three runs in the seventh, giving the Mets the 8-5 lead that went final.

Overall, every Mets starting position player netted at hit tonight. Michael Conforto and Plawecki finished with three-hit games, Guillorme and Rosario each had a total of four hits and five RBIs between them, and Nimmo, Gonzalez and Plawecki each recorded an RBI.

The Pen Rebounds

Watching Seth Lugo surrender a walk-off home run to Charlie Culberson cannot be defined as anything other than a gut punch. Thankfully, things went much better for the Mets’ relief unit in the nightcap. Hansel Robles came out with one of his best performances of 2018, keeping the Braves off the board for three innings.

Robert Gsellman did not have one of his better games but limited the damage to one run that the Mets were able to regain it the following inning. Jacob Rhame pitched an impressive seventh, netting a perfect inning with two strikeouts.

Jeurys Familia came up big too. After a long day, Familia shut the door in the eighth, pitching a clean inning. He returned for the ninth, where he completed a six-out save (his first this year), grabbing his 14th save of the season. Combined, the bullpen ate seven innings, surrendered five hits, one run, two walks and struck out nine. Gsellman winds up the winning pitcher of record, his fifth victory of 2018.

Fun fact: Braves prospect Dustin Peterson made his major league debut as a pinch hitter on the last out of the game. Technically, he made his debut on May 29 because the game ran past midnight, but the official record will pencil him in for the day prior. He also walked to first base after three balls thinking he walked before eventually striking out. Embarrassing.

The Mets and Braves pick up where they left off at 7:35 p.m. Game 3 of the series pits Steven Matz against Anibal Sanchez.

Photo credit: Dale Zanine – USA Today Sports

The deGromination Continues

Tim Britton wasn’t kidding when he asserted that Jacob deGrom has pitched his way to the top of the National League. deGrom pitched his heart out in a game that included two rain delays, tossing 115 pitches over seven innings. The Mets ace surrendered five hits and three walks, with the only blemish on his performance being a home run he surrendered to Tyler Flowers in the seventh inning. However, he astounded us all after working out of two serious jams including first and third with one out in his final frame. With Monday’s outing, deGrom lowered his season ERA to a National League-leading 1.52. Amazingly enough, the Mets are only 5-6 in games that deGrom takes the mound. We are simply not worthy of a pitcher of deGrom’s caliber. Success in this cruel game starts at the top of a team’s rotation and if the Mets cannot find ways to win games that deGrom pitches effectively, there isn’t much hope for long-term success.

I Still Cannot Believe We Got a Live Body for Harvey

The offensive hero of Game 1 was none other than Devin Mesoraco, responsible for all three of the Mets’ runs in one form or another. Mesoraco opened the scoring with a bases-loaded walk in the first inning, scoring Brandon Nimmo. Then, after singling to open the fourth inning, Mesoraco scored all the way from first on a Luis Guillorme opposite field double. After the bullpen allowed the Braves to tie the game in the ninth, Mesoraco blasted his sixth home run of 2018, a solo shot to left-center, to give the Mets a 3-2 lead and a chance at a victory. Unfortunately, the lead didn’t hold up.

Jay Bruce, Nimmo and Michael Conforto, the key cogs in this lineup, all finished hitless in the first game, while Amed Rosario and Asdrubal Cabrera each knocked a single. An interesting thing to note: Jose Bautista laced a single to left field in the fifth and now has five hits in a Mets uniform. Bautista had a grand total of five hits in 37 at-bats as a member of the Braves in 2018. Joey Bats continued to have productive at-bats and drew two walks in his first two trips to the plate  Monday as well. It’s still pretty early to tell, but maybe the Mets are about to catch a patch of luck in terms of his production.

Bullpen Woes Personified

Seth Lugo relieved deGrom in the eighth and struggled immediately, surrendering a bunt single to Ozzie Albies. Freddie Freeman followed with a single and the Nick Markakis scored Albies with a sacrifice fly. Lugo rebounded, striking out the next two batters to escape the eighth without any more damage and after the Mets regained the lead, Mickey Callaway sent him out to bat with the intention of him returning to the mound in the ninth. With a second game hanging over them, I understand Callaway’s interest in squeezing what he can out of Lugo to preserve the bullpen for later today. But you cannot leave your closer in the pen in a one-run game. Lugo came out for the ninth and immediately walked Johan Camargo. He was able to induce a flyout from Dansby Swanson but blew the game on the next batter. Charlie Culberson was the hero for the Braves this afternoon, the same Charlie Culberson that hasn’t hit a regular season home run in two years and has seven career home runs in six MLB season. Yeah, so that happened. Lugo’s final line on the day: 1.1 innings pitched, three runs, three hits, one walk, two strikeouts and one big fat L. Not what you would normally expect from your best relief pitcher.

Photo credit: Dale Zanine – USA Today Sports

It’s no secret that the Mets, as a whole, have been struggling. But after sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks this past weekend at Citi Field, there may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon. After defeating Arizona on Friday and Saturday, the Mets won back-to-back games for the first time in five weeks. When the completed the sweep on Sunday, it was the first time this ball club has ever swept a series without Yoenis Cespedes in the lineup (since he joined the team, of course).

With the lowly Miami Marlins next on the calendar, it almost seemed like a cruel joke that Mickey Callaway and Co. were sending Jason Vargas to the mound to attempt to keep the momentum going and the turnaround flowing. But to all of our surprise, Vargas held it together tonight. In fact, he was actually pretty good.

The New York Mets defeated the Miami Marlins by a score of 2-0 Monday, marking the Amazins’ fourth consecutive win and fifth of their last six. Here’s how it went.

No, You Didn’t Drop Acid — Jason Vargas Pitched Well

I’m really happy to see Vargas do something positive, because he was approximately two more bad starts away from a permanent residency on my dartboard. The $14 million man was good for five shutout innings Monday, only surrendering two hits and one walk. He struck out a season-high seven batters and picked up his first victory of the season. Granted, last night’s matchup was against the Marlins, who are really a Triple-A team at best, but I will take any progress at this point. We still are left to wonder if Vargas can remain effective over the course of the rest of the season, but his performance at least inspires some confidence going forward.

Bullpen Backs It Up

With Vargas only lasting five innings tonight, protecting the Mets’ slim lead fell into the hands of the bullpen. Luckily, they performed admirably. Paul Sewald took over in the sixth and recorded two outs before working into some trouble. With two men on and two out, Jerry Blevins took the mound to face Justin Bour, but surrendered a walk and was lifted promptly afterward. A.J. Ramos stepped in after Blevins and got the Mets out of trouble in the sixth. With Ramos struggling of late, watching him work out of a tight jam and then returning to post another shutout inning was a welcomed sight. Seth Lugo toed the rubber for the eighth and continued to be…well…Seth Lugo, which is a great thing in 2018. The only blemish in the eighth was a Starlin Castro triple that got behind a diving Michael Conforto, but Brandon Nimmo saved the day with a diving catch off the bat of Brian Anderson to retire the side. Jeurys Familia performed his typical routine of raising out blood pressure, allowing Derek Dietrich to crack a one-out double bringing the tying run to the plate in the ninth. Thankfully, he escaped trouble after Miguel Rojas struck out and Amed Rosario made a beautiful throw on a ground ball in the hole (the play was reviewed and confirmed). With the win, Familia picked up his 13th save on the year.

Cabrera Stays Hot, Flores Chips In

Asdrubal Cabrera continued to produce for this club with two more hits and an RBI. He opened the scoring in the bottom of the third, doubling home Rosario. That 1-0 stood up for the duration of the game and Wilmer Flores netted an important insurance run when he singled home Devin Mesoraco in the seventh. Despite recording nine hits, the Mets were only able to scratch across two runs. You can definitely tell the offense is hurting right now with the absence of Yoenis Cespedes and Todd Frazier, among others, but the pitching held up Monday, which is all that matters.

Other Offensive Notes

Conforto continued his climb above the Mendoza Line with two more hits, the ice cold Jay Bruce picked up a single and Mesoraco continued to prove that catchers are capable of hitting after lacing a double. Rosario is starting to look like the phenom we all expected with another base hit tonight and Philip Evans picked up his first base hit of 2018 with a pinch-hit single in the fifth.

The Mets are back at it tonight for the second game of the series against the Marlins. Zack Wheeler takes on Caleb Smith at 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Adam Hunger – USA Today Sports

The Belfast Blur

After hyperextending his elbow last Wednesday, many feared that Jacob deGrom would have to miss an extended period of time (no pun intended). Instead, the Mets announced that the injury was not serious and he would, in fact, start today against the Reds. But wait, then they ended up backtracking on this sentiment and placed deGrom on the disabled list retroactive to May 3. With a potential bullpen game behind Seth Lugo on the table, the Mets opted to call up P.J. Conlon from Triple-A to make his major league debut.

Conlon toeing the rubber was, in fact, far more significant than just his first major league game: the former University of San Diego standout would became the first Irish-born player to appear in a major league game since 1945. Conlon was born in Belfast, Ireland and relocated to California with his family at the age of 2.

The 24-year-old left-hander did not have the picture-perfect MLB debut that every pitcher dreams but battled nevertheless. After tossing two scoreless innings, Conlon surrendered his first major league hit in third — a home run off the bat of Billy Hamilton. He would run into more trouble in the fourth, giving up three doubles and a walk that would eventually spell his exit from tonight’s contest.

Even when you consider that he was facing the lowly Reds, Conlon did demonstrate an ability to locate his pitches and induce non-threatening fly balls. The Belfast Blur (patent pending) did not light up the radar gun, sitting in the mid- to high-80s), but still fooled hitters enough to get through. With a little more experience, he could potentially fine-tune his crafty abilities and contribute to a Mets rotation that is desperately looking for starting pitching help right now.

Bats Bats Bats

It’s important to note that entering last night’s game Michael Conforto, Jay Bruce and Amed Rosario were all visibly slumping. Our editor-in-chief, Kate Feldman, put it best when she tweeted, “Honestly god bless Cincinnati.” It’s important to use games against lower tier to find a rhythm offensively and that’s just what this trio did. Conforto led off the game with an opposite-field home run and finished 2-for-5. Bruce launched a two-run homer in the third (second all-time in home runs at Great American Ball Park behind Joey Votto), as well as grabbing another base hit and two walks. Rosario launched two doubles, one of which was only a few feet away from being his first home run of the 2018 season. He also recorded a sacrifice fly in the second. Yoenis Cespedes remains on a tear, smacking two more doubles. Even automatic out Jose Lobaton got involved in the action, lacing a double in the second.

Gonzo Goes Yatzo (Twice)

But the salt and pepper shaker for Monday night’s game belongs to Adrian Gonzalez. Under tremendous scrutiny about his age and slipping play, A-Gon silenced all the haters, at least for a night, with a 3-for-4 performance. After knocking a single in the second, Gonzalez launched homers into the cheap seats in the third and fifth innings. Before he stepped in the box Monday, Gonzalez already had six home runs off of Reds’ starter and Christian Bale look-alike Homer Bailey; his third-inning blast would be his seventh. There has a been a lot of talk about whether Gonzalez should remain the everyday first baseman going forward. With Jay Bruce’s ability to play first, Brandon Nimmo’s hot bat and Peter Alonso tearing up Double-A, it almost felt like Gonzalez’s days were numbered. If he can continue to produce at this current rate, he should be safe to buy a good amount of time in the major leagues.

Bullpen Wraps It Up

After Conlon departed in the fourth, Paul Sewald replaced him and labored through 1.2 innings. After surrendering three hits and two runs, Robert Gsellman was called upon to follow him in the sixth. Gsellman would also allow a run, making it a one-run game, but Jeurys Familia shut the door on a surprisingly clean inning in the ninth. Gsellman would record the victory and now sits at 4-0 on the season.

The Mets are back at it again tonight in Cincinnati at 7:10. Jason Vargas (*gulp*) will attempt to rebound from two awful starts as he faces Reds right-hander Luis Castillo.

Photo credit: David Kohl – USA Today Sports

The game began with such promise. Jacob deGrom dazzled through the first seven innings. The offense bounced back immediately after falling down 1-0, rattling off six runs and taking a five-run lead on Washington. But everything unraveled in the eighth and before you knew it, the Mets’ lead had dissipated and they found themselves two runs in the hole. Washington snatched Monday’s contest from the jaws of defeat, triumphing over the Mets by a score of 8-6.

Who needs a bat anyway?

The Nats drew first blood in the first inning after Bryce Harper launched his major league-leading eighth home run of the season. No surprise to see Harper leave the yard here, but this was no ordinary dinger. Harper’s bat shattered above his hands as the top half of the bat ricocheted off of the protective netting behind home plate. Generally speaking, when you hear the words broken bat, you imagine a bloop hit or slow roller. Somehow, Harper still managed to muscle deGrom’s 95 mph fastball 406 feet. Personally, I have never seen anything like this in my life. You can only wonder how far this ball would have traveled if the bat stayed intact.

deGrom dominated…kind of

After surrendering that one blemish to Harper in the first, deGrom settled in and posted what should have been his signature start of 2018 to date. The right-hander tied the Nationals’ lineup in knots, striking out a career-high tying 13 batters. Last night marked the 22nd double-digit strikeout game of deGrom’s career and paired up with Noah Syndergaard as the third Mets duo to toss 11+ strikeouts in back-to-back games. deGrom and Thor join Ray Sadecki and Nolan Ryan who pulled off the feat in a doubleheader on September 9, 1970, as well as Jerry Koosman and Tom Seaver who did so on June 7-8, 1969. deGrom also recorded an impressive opposite-field single and laid down a perfect safety squeeze bunt that scored a run. We were all tasting a potential complete game for deGrom and when he became the first Mets starter to throw a pitch in the eighth inning, it seemed like a legitimate possibility. But deGrom was only able to retire one batter in the eighth and allowed two baserunners, forcing Mickey Callaway to turn things over to the bullpen.

The immaculate bullpen is no longer immaculate

You have an immaculate record. Some guys don’t trust an immaculate record. I do. I have an immaculate record.

Entering last night, the Mets’ bullpen has been nothing short of immaculate. With a 1.51 ERA, the unit possessed the lowest mark in the majors. Alec Baldwin may trust someone with an immaculate record, but clearly, he has never watched the Mets play baseball.

The pen has been a major point of contention as far back as I can remember, but this season truly felt different. Last night represented the first chink in the armor. The group was absolutely awful.

Seth Lugo entered first, attempting to escape the jam that deGrom created for himself. He walked Howie Kendrick and Callaway followed with Jerry Blevins to face Bryce Harper. Harper beat Blevins and scored two, both charged to deGrom. Callaway returned to the mound again to bring in AJ Ramos to face Ryan Zimmerman. Ramos was able to get Zimmerman looking on a questionable strike call, but surrendered a single to Pedro Severino to load the bases. Ramos was pulled after walking former Met Matt Reynolds on four pitches, bringing the score to 6-4.

So Jeurys Familia entered the game and you would think that the lights-out closer would successfully shut the door. Wrong. Familia surrendered a two-run single to Wilmer Difo, beaned Moises Sierra and walked Michael Taylor to bring home another run. By the time the eighth ended, the Nats lead 7-6. Hansel Robles toed the rubber for the ninth and only made matters worse by giving up a blast to Howie Kendrick to bring it to 8-6. It was absolutely stunning to watch an implosion on this scale.

Asdrubal the rally killer

Asdrubal Cabrera has been arguably the most outstanding hitter on this ball club in 2018. He added an astounding four more hits tonight, including a two-run home run that he absolutely crushed. Down by two with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, he laced a two run double and brought Michael Conforto to the plate as the tying run. After Ryan Madson pitch bounced roughly 10 feet away from Severino, Cabrera tried to take third, but was gunned out to make the second out of the inning. It was a bonehead move, considering that Cabrera’s run didn’t even count there. Conforto would fly out directly afterwards, shutting the door on any hope for a ninth inning rally.

Other offensive notes

Todd Frazier stayed hot, recording an RBI single in the first and an RBI double in the third. Even though he didn’t pick up anymore tonight, Frazier has walked more than he has struck out in 2018. His increased walk rate has drastically improved his value and made him an integral piece of this offense.

Juan Lagares cracked a single and ran like lightning on the base paths tonight, stealing second and third off of Matt Wieters. The steals set up the successful safety squeeze in the sixth.

With Yoenis Cespedes (day off) and Jay Bruce (plantar fasciitis) relegated to pinch-hitting duties, Brandon Nimmo received the start in left. He made the most of it by launching a warning track triple in the seventh and would score on Cabrera’s home run.

Both sides of the coin

Mickey Callaway has been fantastic this season, seemingly initiating a culture change almost immediately. Pulling off that safety squeeze was just another example of pushing all of the right buttons, but it is pretty evident that the bullpen mishaps tonight were a complication of over-managing the game. With the way the relief staff has been gelling, using Lugo and Blevins for only one batter each probably wasn’t the right option. But hey, anybody can be a Monday morning quarterback.

The Mets are back at it tonight against the Nationals in Flushing. Zack Wheeler faces Gio Gonzalez at 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Noah K. Murray – USA Today Sports

“This Mets season feels so good already, which likely means it will go bad in fantastic, operatic fashion. Like ‘Team plane flies into an alternate dimension, lands in an active volcano, and is eaten by a dinosaur’ bad.”

Is all of this too good to be true? Last night’s victory means that this current incarnation of the Amazins’ has matched the best start in club history; the Mets also started 8-1 in 1985 and 2006.

This team is firing on all cylinders right which means we should probably all enjoy it while it lasts. Here’s how it went down:

Veterans Opt-In

After the 12-inning contest in Washington Sunday, the Mets’ travel plans resulted in arriving at their Miami hotel somewhere around 5 a.m. Acknowledging the potential fatigue in play, Mickey Callaway offered his veteran starters the chance to take a day off. All of them declined and ground out an important victory in Miami.

An Important Outing For Thor

A noticeable trend so far in 2018 is that Mets starters haven’t been going very deep into games. It is very early in the season and Mickey Callaway seems to be taking a cautious approach to lengthening his starters’ outings, but sometimes bullpens do tend to get stretched thin pretty quickly. Noah Syndergaard worked through six innings tonight, tossing 90 pitches, 54 of which were strikes. He notched five strikeouts and two walks along with five hits. The Fish scratched across an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth off the bat of Derek Dietrich and then one more the following inning from a Brian Anderson double, but that was all the offense they were able to manufacture against Syndergaard.

Thor’s slider seemed to be working exceptionally well tonight until he ran into some trouble with it in the fifth. The Mets’ star right-handed grabbed his second win of 2018 and strung together yet another solid start in the young 2018 campaign.

Bullpen Beauty

To say the Mets bullpen has been anything short of exceptional in 2018 would be an understatement. Monday’s effort was no departure from the norm. The relief unit combined for three scoreless innings and four strikeouts with four hits and one walk. That line would have probably looked even better if we didn’t have to deal with yet another erratic ninth from Jeurys Familia. Despite raising everyone’s blood pressure just a bit more, Familia recorded his fifth save of the season. We’re obviously seeing the best that this bullpen can be, but it will be interesting to see how they respond when off days are less frequent.

No Dingers Necessary

The Mets are generally a team that has relied on the long ball as a means to fuel their offense. Last night, they got by without the benefit of a home run and still managed four runs. Adrian Gonzalez opened the scoring by singling home Todd Frazier and the second run of the game came on a Kevin Plawecki double play. Jay Bruce added to the deficit with a beautiful opposite field single in the third to raise it to 3-0. The Mets added one more in the seventh on an Amed Rosario single that scored Gonzalez. Gonzalez had gotten to third on an error by Justin Bour which should have been a routine 3-4-3 double play.

It’s encouraging to see contributions coming from all areas of the lineup. Gonzalez has been a revelation and Bruce has been hot since he launched that grand slam in Washington on Thursday. Rosario has operated nicely in the nine hole and Michael Conforto looks like his old self, notching another base knock today.

The only real cause for concern (other than behind the plate) is the slump Yoenis Cespedes seems to find himself in. It was reported that the Cuban slugger has been battling flu-like symptoms, but the good news is that it hasn’t impacted his defense at all. Cespedes came up with an outfield assist Monday on a Braxton Lee single where he tried to take second on a hustle play. The key cog in the Mets lineup is on a 1-17 skid, but it’s important to note that the one hit was a game-winning single. Hopefully, he comes out of it quickly.

Catchers Continue to Struggle

Watching Mets catchers try to throw out runners has just been painful. Starlin Castro pumped up his stats by taking advantage of Syndergaard’s slow move to the plate and Plawecki’s poor defense. What makes matters worse is that the Travis d’Arnaud/Plawecki platoon isn’t doing much hitting either. Through the first two games, they were 3-6 with three walks and a home run. Since then, they are 3-25 with two walks and a hit by pitch. The good news is that with the production this team is seeing from the rest of their lineup, the catchers can get by on a slump for now. But sooner or later they will have to start producing. And if they can’t, then it’s time to seek an upgrade elsewhere.

The Mets are back at it tonight in Miami where Jacob deGrom faces Marlins lefthander Caleb Smith at 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Steve Mitchell – USA Today Sports

From Shohei Ohtani to Lorenzo Cain, the Mets have been linked all over the place when it comes to free agency rumors. Outside of bringing in an established reliever like Bryan Shaw or Joe Smith, the Mets are also reportedly looking at Carlos Santana and Logan Morrison, both first basemen. With roughly $60 million coming off the books, you shouldn’t expect the bargain-basement Wilpons to make an Eric Hosmer/$150 million type splash, but it does seem realistic that the team will bring in someone. Short of a big move like Cain, who the Mets are unlikely to sign anyway, the best outcome would be to bring Jay Bruce back.

With the Houston Astros officially champions of the baseball world, the offseason is upon us and it is time for the Mets to improve their roster if they hope to compete in 2018. What better way to kick things off than to bring about the return of Jay Bruce? Versatile enough to play first base if necessary, Bruce is the power bat the Mets need to legitimize their lineup and has proven that he is comfortable and able to thrive in the face of the New York media.

How We Got Here

At the 2016 trade deadline, the New York Mets found themselves in a similar position to the year before. One year prior, minutes before the deadline elapsed, the Mets pulled off the unthinkable and acquired veteran slugger Yoenis Cespedes from the Detroit Tigers. The acquisition of Cespedes breathed life back into a season that seemed lost, eventually propelling the Amazins’ to a division title and National League pennant.

With a record of 54-50, Sandy Alderson hoped to recapture the magic of 2015 by making an eleventh hour trade as the Mets trailed the Washington Nationals by 6.5 games in the division and sat 2.5 games behind the Miami Marlins for the second Wild Card slot. Desperate for offense, Alderson shipped Dilson Herrera and Max Wotell to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Jay Bruce.

The acquisition of Bruce filled a major need for the Mets in the form of a major league caliber power bat, but raised eyebrows because of the already convoluted outfield situation the ball club possessed. The acquisition of Bruce proved to be a tricky proposition as it forced the team to create a patchwork platoon in center field consisting of Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Lagares, Alejandro De Aza, Curtis Granderson, Justin Ruggiano, and Michael Conforto.

To say Bruce’s performance when he landed in Queens was underwhelming would be an understatement. The Texas native posted a .219/.294/.391 slash line with only eight home runs and 19 RBIs over the course of 169 at-bats. As a result, fans and members of the media harshly criticized the move to ship off a middle-tier prospect like Herrera in exchange for the apparently impotent Bruce. Despite his poor showing, the team rallied together and found themselves in the top Wild Card spot when the season came to a close.

After his poor stint with the Mets in 2016, the expectation was that the club would either decline his $13 million option and allow him to become a free agent or accept it and seek to use him as trade bait to acquire bullpen help. Sandy Alderson ended up doing the latter and as spring training came and went, no market materialized for Bruce. This stay of execution gave Bruce a second chance to endear himself to Mets fans, a second chance that he would not waste.

In a season where the Mets experienced one of the most devastating injury plagues that some teams don’t even see over the course of a decade, Bruce was one of the few players that was able to remain healthy. Not only did he remain healthy, but Bruce turned out to be one of the most, if not the most, important offensive pieces for this team. The 30-year-old posted a slash line of .256/.321/.520 in 406 at-bats, all landing above his career numbers. He also slugged 29 home runs and drove in 75 RBIs, both team leads despite the fact that he finished the season elsewhere.

With his contract expiring at the conclusion of the 2017 season, the Mets found themselves in a predicament with Bruce: hold steady and offer him a qualifying offer after the season in hopes that if chooses to sign elsewhere, they would at least be compensated with a draft pick, or sell him off to the highest bidder. Even though the trade deadline elapsed with Bruce still on the roster, the Mets still found a trade partner for him after placing him on trade waivers. On Aug. 9, Bruce was sent to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for a minor league right-hander by the name of Ryder Ryan.

Bruce joined a Cleveland team that would catch fire almost immediately, going on a 22-game win streak and winning the American League Central. And despite losing to the Yankees in five games, Bruce played a huge role in the ALDS, launching two big home runs and recording four RBIs in the series.

Reason #1: The Uncertainty of When Michael Conforto Can Return

For Michael Conforto, 2017 was the year where the young hitter was finally able to put it all together. The ironic thing about the whole situation was that he was a few bad breaks — or a healthy Brandon Nimmo — from starting the season in Triple-A. Instead, Conforto ended up crashing the big league roster and was an integral part of the Mets’ offense in 2017 mainly utilized in the lead off spot.

To the soul-crushing dismay of many Mets fans, the injury bug finally caught up to Conforto on Aug. 24 when, after a swing and miss at a Robbie Ray pitch, he collapsed in stomach-churning pain. X-rays were negative, but an MRI revealed that Conforto had torn the posterior capsule in his right shoulder. After seeking alternative opinions, the 24-year-old opted for surgery to repair the injury.

Doctors were able to stabilize the shoulder joint, hopefully reducing the chance of a reoccurrence, but due to the nature of the injury, there is no specific timetable dictating when he would be able to begin rehabbing and eventually return. Joel Sherman reported last week that Conforto could be swinging a bat by late January, which potentially spells a quicker recovery than expected, but the bottom line is that the best case scenario is a late April return. When it comes to injured Mets players, setbacks are almost a foregone conclusion, so we have to figure that this team could very well see a few months without their newest breakout star.

The potentially long-term absence of Conforto is even more of a reason the Mets should pursue Bruce in free agency. As a proven corner outfielder, Bruce could offset the absence of Conforto and even surpass his production if he posts a season like he did in the entirety of 2017. Without Conforto, Yoenis Cespedes remains relatively unprotected in the lineup given that there are no other significant bats on this roster that can be slotted into the three or four hole. Bringing back a player of Bruce’s caliber provides this team with a cleanup hitter capable of preventing teams from pitching around Cespedes. When Conforto returns, pairing the three of them together makes even more sense. A lineup built on the foundation of Cespedes, Conforto, and Bruce is one that can contend with the best of the National League, especially if Cespedes and Conforto both return to full health and perform to their potential. He may not be an ideal fit for center field, but Conforto has shown that he can man the position, allowing Bruce to remain in right. The organization continues to push the narrative that Juan Lagares is finally healthy and ready to take major strides in terms of improving at the plate, but the fact of the matter is that the best possible outfield configuration for this team (short of a miraculous Lorenzo Cain signing) is Cespedes in left, Conforto in center, and Bruce in right.

Reason #2: A Lack of Confidence in Dominic Smith’s Future

Based on the unexpectedly disappointing start to Dom Smith’s big league career, the Mets are evaluating alternatives options as the offseason begins to heat up. This is drastic departure from the confidence this organization had in Smith as he tore up Triple-A last season. Last Monday, Sandy Alderson went on the record to state that he was not committed to Smith as this team’s starting first baseman, citing his poor September play.

It’s interesting that the Mets organization is so willing to give up on Smith in such a small sample size: a mere 167 at-bats and 44 starts at first base. Reports have even gone as far to speculate that Smith could become a trade chip if the Mets successfully pursue a first base option outside the organization. Growing pains are a natural part of prospect development, but there seems to to be real concern here. Nevertheless, amidst Smith’s struggles at the plate and questionable defensive play, this leaves yet another opportunity to justify the return of Jay Bruce.

Rookie manager Mickey Callaway has already expressed plans for the ball club to abandon the normal practice of carrying seven relievers in favor an additional eighth one. The move makes sense when you consider that the new skipper intends to pull his starters much earlier in games to avoid facing lineups for the third time. What this means is that the Mets bench is going to be perennially short-handed and positional versatility becomes exponentially more valuable.

Now, we know Jay Bruce is capable of playing all three outfield positions. Center field is a bit of a stretch in his old age, but, in case of emergency, the 30-year-old does have 36 career appearances there (most recently with the Reds in 2016). The major selling point for Bruce’s versatility is that he can man first base and, despite only 117 career innings at the position, has done so admirably. Once Michael Conforto returns, the Mets could presumably construct a productive and dangerous first base platoon of Jay Bruce and Wilmer Flores if Smith isn’t living up to expectations.

Sandy Alderson has been spelling out the potential return of Bruce as he has repeatedly stated that any outfielder he acquires must have experience and be willing to regularly play first base. The Mets are prioritizing versatility and an insurance policy for first base. Bruce is expected to land a contract of three to four years somewhere in the $13-$15 million range per season. While the Mets may hesitate to commit $60 million on a player on the wrong side of 30, the organization has done so in the past, as demonstrated by the Curtis Granderson signing.

The bottom line is the Mets need a power bat in their lineup if they’re going to compete in 2018. Without a player like Bruce, their lineup is simply not deep enough. That is, of course, before you consider that Michael Conforto may not be ready in time for the season and also may not be the same player right away. When the core of your lineup is Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto, and Jay Bruce supplemented by role players like Wilmer Flores, Asdrubal Cabrera, and emerging players like Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith (hopefully), you have the makings of a team that is just as formidable as any other in the National League. Get on the horn, Sandy. Bring him home.

Photo credit: Joe Nicholson – USA Today Sports

Game 1

The Good

Frankly, there wasn’t much good to talk about from Monday’s first game. Juan Lagares gave us a pleasant surprise with a perfect day at the plate, going three for three with a run scored. The former Gold Glove center fielder seems to be finishing 2017 strong, with seven hits in 15 at-bats over his last four games. Any signs of life from Lagares are a welcomed sight, as there is still a fair amount of uncertainty regarding how this outfield is going to look in 2018. Other than Yoenis Cespedes, the rest is up for grabs thanks to Michael Conforto’s injury and subsequent surgery. Many are still holding out hope that Lagares can be the player he was in 2014, although I wouldn’t put too much stock in a guy who tends to wind up on the disabled list as often as he does.

The entirety of the Mets offense was fueled by Tomas Nido in this contest. Nido, the 23-year-old catcher from Puerto Rico, cracked a double in the bottom of the seventh to drive in Phil Evans and Lagares. The extra-base hit was the first of Nido’s career and the RBIs were his second and third. Given the inconsistency the Mets have shouldered at the catcher position, it’s safe to assume that the job is open in 2018 and with a strong finish over the last week of regular season play, Nido may just do enough to toss his name in the ring and be a dark horse candidate to win the job next spring.

The Bad

Receiving the spot start for this afternoon’s game was Chris Flexen, who last started on Sept. 3. The 23-year-old started well, limiting the Braves to one run (an Ozzie Albies solo home run) over his first five innings, but eventually ran into trouble in the sixth. After loading the bases, Flexen was pulled in favor of Josh Smoker, who allowed all three runners to score. Flexen finished with an unimpressive line of three hits, three walks, four strikeouts, and four earned runs.

The Ugly

Yesterday was just one of those games where the performance of the bullpen left you with nauseous feeling. Josh Smoker’s box score line looks pretty clean, but he was fortunate in that the three runs he allowed were charged to the starter. Every reliever who followed surrendered at least one hit and earned run. In total, Erik Goeddel, Kevin McGowan, and Jacob Rhame surrendered six hits, five earned runs, and three walks. It’s hard to blame the bullpen for the loss today given the lack of offense and rough effort from Flexen, but they certainly ensured the Mets wouldn’t fight their way back into this one.

If reading this hasn’t caused you enough pain already, every player in the Braves starting lineup recorded a hit, including their starting pitcher, Lucas Sims. Sims, a rookie from Lawrenceville, Georgia, shut the Mets out through the first six innings of this afternoon’s game, so feel free to add him to the list of no-name pitchers to dominate the Mets.

Game 2

The Good

As demoralizing as Game 1 of this doubleheader was, the Amazins rallied back in the second game, avoiding becoming a season-worst 25 games under .500. Seth Lugo put forth one of his best efforts of 2017 and notched his seventh win on the season, a sentiment that is even more impressive when you recall the fact that he has been battling a partially torn UCL in his pitching elbow. Lugo shut the Braves out over his six innings, allowing only two hits and no walks while striking out seven.

Jerry Blevins and Chasen Bradford contributed accordingly, keeping the Braves off the board for a combined two innings. Under normal circumstances their effort may seem a bit pedestrian, but when you contrast them to how awful the bullpen was yesterday afternoon, it’s nice to see the relievers do their jobs correctly.

Travis d’Arnaud had a night to remember (only because there are not too many to be had these days), knocking two hits in three trips to the plate and walking once. Following Asdrubal Cabrera’s RBI groundout in the third, d’Arnaud was able to extend the lead to 2-0 when he singled to center field to score Lagares. Facing Jose Ramirez (not to be confused with Cleveland’s MVP candidate), d’Arnaud launched one over the left-center field fence to extend the Amazins’ lead to 3-0. This would prove to be the deciding run after the Braves etched across two runs in the ninth. Monday night’s effort is a momentary sigh of relief for d’Arnaud in the midst of another disappointing season. Sit back and smell the roses, Travis, because you very well may not be a starter anymore come spring training.

Brandon Nimmo and Matt Reynolds each had a solid night at the plate. Nimmo cracked two doubles and a single in four plate appearances and Reynolds singled twice. While Reynolds ultimately has cemented his fate as a utility-man, Brandon Nimmo is starting to open some eyes on whether he can be an everyday player. Last night’s effort raised his batting average to .274 and his OBP to a .393 clip. Numbers like that are at least worth the discussion of whether Nimmo could have a starting job in 2018.

The Bad

2017 is just not Jeurys Familia’s year. Between the blood clot issue and his struggles on the mound, you can count on the fact that he’s eager to start the 2018 season and wipe the slate clean. Monday night’s outing was a textbook example, as he came very close to blowing a three-run lead. Despite surrendering an RBI single to Jace Peterson and an RBI groundout to Matt Kemp, Familia avoided a complete meltdown en route to his fifth save of the season.

Despite a measured level of success with the Las Vegas 51s, Travis Taijeron has failed to get it going at the Major League level. An 0-3 effort tonight lowered his batting average to a crisp .159. Not that Taijeron factored into the Mets’ long term plans at all, but his September cup of coffee put him in a position where he had more to gain than to lose. Unfortunately, some players are just stuck in the purgatory that is being too good for Triple-A, not good enough for the MLB.

What’s Next

The Mets take on a familiar face in R.A. Dickey tonight with a resurgent Rafael Montero toeing the rubber at 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports

Tuesday was a night to forget for the Amazins’, especially coming off their Monday night offensive explosion. After losing last night, the Mets have lost eight of their last 11 and 12 of their last 16 games at Citi Field. Overall, the game was just a disappointing mess. Here’s how it all shook out:

Not So deGrominant

Following the win last night, I think we all felt a series victory was imminent with Jacob deGrom on the hill. Prior to tonight’s effort, deGrom was 6-0 with a 2.10 ERA in his 10 career starts against the Phillies. Not to mention, the Mets won all 10 of those games. Well, with expectations high, the team received one of the worst outings of deGrom’s career. The de facto ace of this depleted Mets pitching staff surrendered a career high nine runs, six of which were earned, and 10 hits. deGrom got the hook after only 3.2 innings, making this the second shortest outing of the year. Putting aside deGrom’s prior success against Philadelphia, this all came as a surprise after the right-hander cruised through the first inning, striking out the side. However, the real knife twisting moment was when deGrom surrendered a two-run blast to Philly’s starting pitcher Ben Lively. Simply put, deGrom did not have his best stuff last night.

Ben Lively: The Latest in a Long Line of Met Killers

Imagine that I didn’t watch an inning of this game. If you asked me who the catalyst was behind last night’s impressive offensive performance, I probably would have guessed Odubel Herrera, Cesar Hernandez, Freddy Galvis, or maybe even top prospect J.P. Crawford, who debuted Tuesday. Never in a million years would I have predicted what came off the bat of Ben Lively. Lively broke a 1-1 tie in the second after singling home Hyun Soo Kim and J.P. Crawford on a single to center and then cemented himself as the next great Met killer after slugging a two-run bomb off of deGrom in the fourth. If that’s not enough for you, Lively also went out and tossed seven innings of one-run ball. Talk about a complete player. Last night, Ben Lively joined a prestigious fraternity of players who perform at superhuman levels against the Mets. I wish him nothing but injury-free bad luck and struggles on the mound.

Another Day Another Dom Struggle

With a playoff run essentially lost all season, the promotions of Amed Rosario and Dom Smith gave fans something to look forward to. These two would hopefully come to anchor the franchise the way David Wright and Jose Reyes did back in 2006. Granted, there’s no need to hit the panic button since these games are meaningless anyways, but it is always disconcerting to see a top prospect like Smith struggle early on. The first baseman lowered his batting average to .182 Tuesday after going 0-4 with a strikeout. To make matters worse, he committed a throwing error in the second that allowed the tying run to score. The good news is that Smith is in no danger of being sent down to the minors. The bad news is that it’s only because the minor league season is over.

Man I’m Glad I Called That Guy

Due to the entire outfield spontaneously combusting via trade or injury, the Mets were in need of a major league caliber outfielder to come in and fill the void. In a serendipitous turn of events, the team was able to sign Nori Aoki and slot him right into the lineup in Houston. In only four games with the Amazins’, Aoki is 6-for-17 with three RBIs and four run scored. I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but Aoki could be an interesting piece among the 2018 Mets, providing major league proficient outfield depth. When you consider the uncertainty regarding the return of Michael Conforto, Aoki could become a low-risk/high-reward value chip to keep around the organization.

At Least the Bullpen Was Immaculate

deGrom may have been awful tonight, but his compatriots certainly weren’t. Josh Smoker, Jacob Rhame, Kevin McGowan, Erik Goeddel, and Jamie Callahan combined for an impressive bullpen effort, striking out seven in 6.1 scoreless frames. It’s especially encouraging to see success out of two of the arms acquired at the trade deadline in Rhame and Callahan.

Everything Else

Asdrubal Cabrera continued to swing the bat well out of the three hole, notching a single and a double in four at-bats. Travis d’Arnaud also recorded two hits last night, a single and an RBI double, scoring the Mets’ only run in the game. Brandon Nimmo drew two more walks, giving him eight in his last five games, a sign that is especially encouraging when considering that a major hole in Nimmo’s game was his plate discipline.

What’s Next

The Mets will cap off their series against the Phillies at Citi Field on Wednesday at 7 p.m. After Matt Harvey was pushed back, Nick Pivetta’s rubber game matchup will be…who knows.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports