Chicago holds a tenuous grip on first place after being swept by Milwaukee over the weekend.

Leading St. Louis by two games and the Brewers by 2.5 in the NL Central, the unsteady Cubs will try to regain their footing in a division that remains very much up for grabs.

When and Where

Game 1: Tuesday @ 8:05 p.m. EST (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 2: Wednesday @ 8:05 p.m. EST (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 3: Thursday @ 8:05 p.m. EST (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Baseball Weather

Tuesday: Partly cloudy with a slight chance of a rain shower and a low of 62F; Winds between 5-10 mph

Wednesday: Fair with a low of 59F; Winds between 5-10 mph

Thursday: Clear with a low near 60F; Winds between 5-10 mph

Probable Pitching Matchups

Tuesday: RHP Robert Gsellman (6-6, 5.44 ERA, 6.30 DRA, .317 TAv, -0.8 WARP) vs. LHP Jose Quintana (9-11, 4.32 ERA, 4.36 DRA, .256 TAv, 2.2 WARP)

Gsellman has pitched better since his spat with GM Sandy Alderson, earning his first win since June 10 with a rain-shortened six-inning complete game against the Phillies last Wednesday. The 24-year-old has a 2.76 ERA (5 ER in 16.1 IP) over his last three starts.

Meanwhile, the man known as Q has been somewhat inconsistent since switching Windy City alliances in mid-July, but has strung together two quality starts including six scoreless frames in Pittsburgh the last time out.

Wednesday: RHP Matt Harvey (5-4, 5.82 ERA, 5.14 DRA, .296 TAv, 0.4 WARP) vs. LHP Jon Lester (10-7, 4.35 ERA, 3.59 DRA, .263 TAv, 3.6 WARP)

Harvey showed signs of improvement in his second start since returning from the disabled list, limiting Cincinnati to two runs in five innings on Thursday and earning the win. “Overall just starting to feel a little more comfortable out there with mechanics and attacking hitters,” the former ace said following that start. “Obviously still not where I want to be but definitely moving in the right direction.”

Lester had his best performance since July last week in Pittsburgh, hurling six innings of one-run ball en route to his second straight win. The four-time All-Star is 4-1 with a 3.97 ERA in six career starts against the Mets.

Thursday: RHP Seth Lugo (6-4, 4.64 ERA, 5.38 DRA, .283 TAv, 0.2 WARP) vs. LHP Mike Montgomery (5-8, 3.64 ERA, 4.62 DRA, .235 TAv, 1.0 WARP)

Lugo blanked the Reds for six innings Friday in one of his most effective starts all season. He will be limited to 75-80 pitches, per manager Terry Collins.

Montgomery has held opponents to a .233 AVG in 20 innings since returning to the rotation on August 23. He faced the Mets at Citi Field in June, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits over five frames.

Who’s Hot?

Mets 1B Dominic Smith (.353 AVG (6-for-17) during five-game hitting streak)

Mets INF Jose Reyes (1.000 OPS in September with 3 HRs and 9 RBIs)

Mets OF Brandon Nimmo (6-for-15 with two home runs in Reds series)

Mets INF Asdrubal Cabrera (.600 AVG and 1.558 OPS over the past week)

Mets OF Nori Aoki (At least one hit in all eight games with New York)

Cubs INF/OF Ben Zobrist (.364 AVG (8-for-22) since September 3)

Cubs C Rene Rivera (10-for-32 (.313) with 7 RBIs since joining Chicago)

Who’s Not?

Cubs OF Jon Jay (5-for-26 (.192) this month)

Cubs 3B Kris Bryant (2 hits in his last 19 plate appearances with no RBIs)

Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo (.433 OPS with no extra-base hits in his last 7 games)

When We Last Met

The Mets took two of three at Citi Field in mid-June, winning the opener 6-1 behind Jacob deGrom’s complete game. Curtis Granderson and Lucas Duda both homered late in the finale to overcome a poor start by Harvey and secure a series victory which moved New York within four games of .500.

It’s Literally a 10-Day DL

Cubs: RHP Jake Arrieta (right hamstring strain) played catch on Sunday and is expected to return soon. C Willson Contreras (right hamstring strain) returned on Sunday after missing a month, appearing as a pinch-hitter late in the game.

Mets: RHP Noah Syndergaard (torn right lat) saw his simulated game on Sunday cancelled due to soreness. He is now scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday in Chicago.

There’s Always Next Year!

The Mets announced their 2018 schedule on Tuesday, which kicks off on March 29 at Citi Field against St. Louis. Highlights include a three-game home set against the crosstown rival Yankees from June 8-10 and several interleague series with the other AL East clubs. New York will close the regular season at home against Miami.

Notable Quotables

“I’m just trying to get to the point where I’ve been when I’m healthy, 100%.” – Jeurys Familia after taking the loss on Sunday afternoon (0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R/ER, 3 BB)

“Just didn’t have the same command, really, more than anything else. Velocity was OK until the last few hitters and then you could tell he was getting fatigued but again, we’re in a stage of trying to find out some things and we found out that he’s not ready to go back-to-back.” – Collins on Familia’s shaky outing

“He really competes. He did it the first day he was in the big leagues. He started the game and got off to a rough start and you looked up and he got you six good innings, so he’s as good a competitor as I’ve been around and any time he goes out there I know if he gets in trouble he knows how to battle through it.” – Collins on deGrom, who allowed two runs over six innings, striking out 10

“They got us zero runs and one run in two of three games. In one game we had no chance but definitely had chances in the others. We pitched really well and again, you have to pitch better than good pitching to win and they did it… I thought we pitched well. We’re just unable to string together any kind of hits and our power’s been negated a bit… You look around baseball and it happens to every team at some point. It’s contagious to hit as well as it’s contagious to not hit and you just got to keep working your way through it. It’s going to come back to us. We’re going to start hitting again.” – Cubs manager Joe Maddon after getting swept by the Brewers

Photo credit: Dennis Wierzbicki – USA Today Sports

Oh also, Amed Rosario is here.

WHEN AND WHERE

Game 1:  Tuesday @ 8:40 p.m. (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 2: Wednesday @ 8:40 p.m. (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 3:  Thursday @ 3:10 p.m. (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS

Tuesday: LHP Steven Matz (2-4, 5.51 ERA, 6.02 DRA, -0.2 WARP) vs. RHP Jeff Hoffman (6-3, 5.58 ERA, 5.93 DRA, -0.3 WARP)

Wednesday: RHP Rafael Montero (1-7, 5.56 ERA, 6.18 DRA, -0.5 WARP) v. RHP Antonio Senzatela (10-4, 4.84 ERA, 5.91 DRA, -0.4 WARP)

Thursday: RHP Jacob deGrom (12-4, 3.29 ERA, 2.99 DRA, 3.9 WARP) v. RHP German Marquez (9-4, 4.08 ERA, 5.18 DRA, 0.4 WARP)

WHO’S HOT?

Michael Conforto, obv. His .309/.373/.691 line over the last 30 days (stats through Saturday) looks a whole lot like the .305/.428/.638 full-season triple-slash produced by his more-heralded outfield rival in the Bronx, one Aaron Judge.

Jose Reyes, too. Perhaps his .302/.330/.558 performance over the last month, supported by a fantastic 9.9% strikeout percentage (league average is 19.9%), will convince another team that Reyes can help down the stretch run. Please and thank you.

For the Rockies, to call Gerardo Parra “hot” would be an understatement. Since being activated from the disabled list on July 7, Parra’s produced at the rate of .480/.464/.720. When a player hits close to .500 for two weeks, it’s easy to overlook a 3% walk rate and a batting average 16 points higher than his OBP.

WHO’S NOT?

Ooh, let’s play that time-honored baseball analyst game, Name the Unlabeled Players!

Player A is David Wright’s combined 2015 and 2016 seasons. Player B is 2017 Carlos Gonzalez.  The good news for Cargo is that he’s not suffering from spinal stenosis. The bad news is that he’s three years younger than Wright and might need to accept a non-roster invitation if he wants to appear in spring training next season.

Rafael Montero has appeared in five games over the last 30 days, four of them starts. He’s allowing 1.46 home runs per nine innings on his way to an 0-3 record and a 5.47 ERA over that span. Come to think of it, a 5.47 ERA is better than Montero’s 5.56 ERA on the year. Maybe he should have been in the “Who’s Hot” section?

Curtis Granderson’s last 56 plate appearances: .163/.357/.302. Great guy, probably not going to fetch much in trade at the deadline.

WHEN WE LAST MET

Three straight lopsided results at Citi Field.

On July 14, the first game after the All-Star break, Jacob deGrom pitched so well — 8 4 2 1 1 11 0 — that the Mets wished they saved some of their 14 runs scored for another day. That was merely the sixth consecutive Met win in deGrom appearances. His streak reached eight before the Mariners beat him on Saturday night.

The next day, Seth Lugo twirled a quality start. (That was a spin rate joke.)  The Mets won 9-3. The team got a scare when Yoenis Cespedes aggravated a lower-body injury on a sliding catch attempt and had to be removed in the sixth inning. But Yo missed merely one game and has mashed since then.

The Rockies turned the tables on July 16, chasing Steven Matz after one inning and seven earned runs on their way to a 13-4 blowout. The Sunday Mets‘ record after that game stood at 5-10. Then the Mets lost on July 23rd to the Athletics, and also against the Mariners yesterday.  At least the Mets won’t be playing the Rockies on a Sunday.

IT’S LITERALLY A 10-DAY DL

With fate apparently having allotted more pitching injuries to the Mets than pitchers to get hurt, Baseball God saw fit to curse T.J. Rivera with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. The one that typically leads to Tommy John surgery. Rivera was placed on the 10-day DL on July 28. We’ll be lucky to see him on the field next season, let alone the rest of 2017.

Robert Gsellman has been on the 10-day DL with a hamstring strain since June. While his recovery has progressed to “rehab stint” status, that’s not going so well. Gsellman appeared started Thursday’s game for the Double-A Binghamton … sigh … Rumble Ponies. He lasted just two-thirds of an inning, striking out one but allowing three hits and a walk before he was pulled. Gsellman has far more of a chance than Rivera to return to the Mets this season. There’s certainly no need to rush him back.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

“I think that we want to see some of our players perform over the next couple of months, which would include Rosario and eventually (first-base prospect) Dominic Smith for a meaningful period of time, to gauge their potential impact, both of them, on 2018,” Sandy Alderson told reporters after announcing that Amed Rosario will be called up for Tuesday night’s game. “That might also be true for some pitchers that might come up later. Certainly something we are looking at preferably with (Rafael) Montero and (Chris) Flexen, who is going to get another start or two … I think we want to see what we can. So going into next season and going into the offseason, we’ll have a better sense of what we need.”

Photo Credit: Noah K. Murray, USA Today Sports

Last Monday, Jacob deGrom continued a string of excellent pitching performances. The number of the game was “8,” as he pitched eight strong innings against the Padres, with eight strikeouts, for his eighth straight win. Try saying that three times fast. deGrom was also solid against the Mariners on Saturday, although he was visibly shaken after hitting Mitch Haniger in the face with a 95 mph heater. “It’s not easy to forget about that,” he told reporters. He pitched four more innings in the 10-strikeout effort, but the Mets’ RISP woes led to a 3-2 loss.

As for Michael Conforto, the Seattle native put on an absolute show at Safeco Park. He entered the series swinging a hot bat, with seven home runs in 15 games since the All Star break. He left Seattle having dominated on both sides of the ball. On Friday, Conforto blasted two home runs in a 7-5 Mets victory. The next day, he played center field with what seemed like personal vengeance against Kyle Seager, robbing the All-Star third baseman twice with outstanding defensive plays.

The Mets are almost assured of missing the playoffs this year. They needed to win every single game this week to have a fighting chance, and they might have done so if they were able to clone deGrom. This is not yet possible, so the likes of Chris Flexen and Steven Matz took the mound instead. The righty-lefty duo combined to pitch six innings, with nine earned runs, six strikeouts and four walks allowed, which sealed the deal for two Mets losses.

Quick Hits

Meet flamethrowing RHP Yoenis Cespedes, who may just take over the closer role if Addison Reed gets traded. He would be the third pitcher in MLB history to be 5’10 and 225 pounds, if the Mets ever let us have a little fun.

On Thursday, Cespedes the outfielder bounced a Little League Home Run (LLHR) down the right field line. Earlier in the night, he contributed a more traditional dinger to the Mets 6-5 victory, breaking his slump of 87 at-bats without a homer.

Below is the win probability chart from Tuesday night, which illustrates the back-and-forth nature of the game. The Padres had almost a 75% chance of victory after Allen Cordoba’s home run, but Travis d’Arnaud’s RBI single, Asdrubal Cabrera’s RBI double, and the aforementioned LLHR made the difference.

James Paxton shut down the Mets on Sunday with 8 strikeouts in 6 scoreless innings. Meanwhile, Seth Lugo struggled from the offset, giving up early homers to Nelson Cruz and Leonys Martín.

Trade Buzz

Mets first baseman Lucas Duda was traded to the Rays on Thursday for minor league pitcher Drew Smith. Smith was drafted by the Tigers in the third round of the 2015 MLB draft, and was later included in the trade that sent Mikie Mahtook to Detroit. In 79 relief appearances, he is 5-4 with 1.80 ERA, 13 saves and 40 strikeouts. The 23-year-old righthander has been assigned to Double-A Binghamton.

With the Duda deal, the Mets became deadline sellers, right? Wrong. Their next move was to acquire RHP A.J. Ramos from the Marlins in exchange for minor leaguers Merandy Gonzalez and Ricardo Cespedes. Ramos has had a down year so far, with a 3.63 ERA, 3.91 FIP and 1.31 WHIP in 40 innings. On the other hand, he arrives in Queens with another year of control. This deal indicates that the Mets are serious about contending in 2018.

Addison Reed remains the Mets’ prize trade chip. Trade rumors have been swirling, but Buster Olney reports that “bidding on Addison Reed [is] down to about five possible suitors, Red Sox among them.”

We Followed Lucas Duda

Chances are that you know and love the “We Follow Lucas Duda” Instagram account. Curated by Curtis Granderson, the page features Duda bat-flipping a golf club, Duda as a Lego action figure, and Duda the cowboy.

Although the erstwhile Mets first basemen now wears Tampa blue, that doesn’t mean the Instagram is doomed. Granderson traded the account to the Rays in exchange for donated tickets to a charity in the St. Petersburg area.

Injury Update

Matt Harvey is making progress on his rehab assignment. The initial diagnosis was a stress reaction in his right scapula, but according to the New York Daily News, “it was later revealed that Harvey was having trouble building up strength in the muscle under his scapula bone after surgery to address Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.” He is tossing at 150 feet and will gradually begin throwing from a mound.

Zack Wheeler returned to the DL on July 24 with a stress reaction in his right arm. The Mets announced that the injury was specific to his humerus, which is the bone that extends from the shoulder to the elbow Wheeler described it as “bone soreness,” adding that, “I’m not going to be dumb and try and pitch with something that will hurt me after missing two full seasons.”

José Reyes left Sunday’s game after being hit by a 98 mph fastball on his forearm. X-rays came back negative, but any long term injury could bring Amed Rosario to Queens even sooner than expected.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

It was pretty much over early for New York, who sent Steven Matz to the mound. Matz was looking to rebound from his struggles in his last few outings, and intuitively, you’d think facing a weak Padres lineup could help alleviate whatever issues he had. But this start was actually a clear step back from his last start against Oakland. Matz found trouble early and often, serving up a two-run dinger to the second batter of the game, Manuel Margot, followed by two more sharp hits in the inning. Matz was able to strand those two runners on base and kept the damage to just the the two runs, but he was not looking sharp.

The Mets answered back in the top of the second off San Diego’s best starting pitcher, Jhoulys Chacin, with one run on an RBI single by Jose Reyes. But that’s all they’d get in the inning, as the Mets left two runners of their own on base.

Matz again found trouble in the third. A leadoff triple by Margot followed up by an RBI double by Wil Myers made it 3-1, but this unforgiving Padres lineup was just getting started. Matz then hit the next batter with a pitch, and two batters later gave up another hit, which loaded with bases for the Padres with only one out. This modern-day Murderer’s Row continued with Allen Cordoba, whom Matz fanned for the second out. But all that did was set the stage for everyone’s favorite slugger, Luis Torrens, to come up with the bases still loaded and two outs. Torrens—who owned a 31 wRC+ and had not hit a home run in 41 games coming into last night’s game—came mere inches from hitting an opposite-field grand slam into the deepest park of the park, but it bounced off the wall. Three runs scored on what would be an RBI triple for Torrens. It was 6-1 San Diego.

Matz was pulled after that inning. He went just three innings, giving up six runs with four strikeouts to a lineup of mostly minor leaguers. Matz hasn’t been getting nearly as many swinging strikes as he used to, and is giving up markedly more contact that he ever has, particularly on pitches out of the zone. There are some serious issues with him right now, and in a season marred by dissapointing pitching performances and injuries, it is downright frightening that Matz could now join the list of pitchers who are total uncertainties going forward. The main knock on Matz in his career has been his health, but the one consistency was that he always performed whenever he was on the field. For the first time, Matz is not performing on the field.

The Mets tried to mount a comeback in the sixth inning against Chacin, loading the bases with only one out. Chacin was pulled there, and was relieved by Buddy Baumann, whom you also totally knew. He got Lucas Duda to line out, but walked Reyes with the bases loaded to let a run in. He was then relieved by Craig Stammen. Yes, that Craig Stammen; he’s still pitching. The former National faced Rene Rivera, who rocketed a one-hopper up the middle that looked destined for left-center field, but the shortstop Cordoba left his feet, snared the hot shot while completely parrallel to the ground, and nailed the slow-footed catcher at first to retire the side and end the threat.

That had been a theme in the game for the Padres, who spent the whole night robbing the Mets of potential hits. It was actually kind of fun to watch a team that can play defense.

That play by Cordova was pretty much the final nail for the Mets. They mustered only one more run in the game on a Wilmer Flores solo shot in the eighth, but otherwise went down without a whimper.

The Mets fell to 47-52, 13.0 games out of the division and 9.0 games out of the second wild card. The trade deadline is four days away.

OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY

Robert Gsellman will begin a rehab assignment tonight with Double-A Binghamton. Tommy Milone also began rehab last night with the GCL Mets. Remember him?

The Cubs have reportedly expressed interest in Seth Lugo, or, well, Seth Lugo’s spin rate, really.

TODAY

The Mets and Padres finish off their four-game series. Chris Flexen makes in major league debut against Luis Perdomo of the Padres. The game is scheduled for 9:10 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: Jake Roth – USA Today Sports

It’s a perfect metaphor for the Mets 2017 season. If we show up at the right place and the right time, the Mets might provide some wonderful memories. But there are a lot of nights where we sit through heat and lines and rain just to see an under-manned team struggle to keep its head on straight. Zack Wheeler couldn’t find the strike zone and gave up four runs before the Mets got to bat. The Mets lineup looked hapless before rain started coming down in the sixth. I can’t help but wonder how many fans stuck out all nine innings to see Wilmer Flores’ walkoff home run.

Earlier this week, I wrote about how Wheeler has thrown a surprising number of pitches in the strike zone, but has so little command of his offspeed pitches that hitters don’t chase. Wheeler threw a curveball right down the heart of the plate for his second pitch of the game. He didn’t fool Matt Joyce, who blasted it for a home run. Things only got worse as Wheeler gave up a walk, line drive out, single, and a walk. Great defense can bail out a struggling pitcher, but if you’ve watched the Mets all season (or even at all), you know this is the cue for a blunder. Bruce Maxwell lined to right and Jay Bruce reacted like he was running in a sand dune. The ball went over his head for a double, and a Matt Chapman sacrifice fly made it 4-0.

Wheeler walked Oakland pitcher Sean Manaea to start the second. I thought I’d have hours to come up with the best “wheels fall off” puns before he got pulled. Wheeler gave up another hit in the inning, and two more in the third, but he was able to locate the ball a bit better and keep the game from becoming a complete blowout. It was the reverse of Wheeler’s normal pattern of starting strong then running out of gas and losing command. He was most successful the third time through the A’s lineup.

Once a few fans opened their umbrellas in the sixth, the Mets opened their offense. Flores led off with a double, then Bruce homered to dead center off the left-hander Manaea. Jose Reyes “tripled” over Khris Davis’ head as he lept in the air to snatch the crown from Bruce for worst outfield defense of the night. Travis d’Arnaud went with a pitch away for an RBI single and Michael Conforto hit a two-out double down the line to make it 5-4 Oakland. Lucas Duda delivered a two-out pinch hit single in the eighth to tie the game, and Flores homered with two outs in the ninth to win it.

Mets Shuffle Infield

Asdrubal Cabrera started at third base for the first time in his professional career. The Mets discussed moving him to third back in May, but he only practiced the position one time before playing there. He didn’t immediately panic on any balls hit his way, which could be an improvement. Several contenders – most notably the Red Sox – are shopping for third basemen and the Mets seem to be auditioning Cabrera for a potential trade. Flores started at second base for the seventh time this year, although that’s expected to be Neil Walker’s job to take back after some rehab games.

Middle Relief Survives

Addison Reed and Jerry Blevins were both unavailable after Terry Collins asked them both to try a five-out save Friday. Since Wheeler threw 100 pitches over five innings, Josh Smoker came on for the sixth. Smoker, who hadn’t pitched in the majors since throwing 81 pitches in a mop up role and then going on the disabled list for a mysterious shoulder ailment, saw diminished velocity, but it’s too early to tell if that’s a fluke or a real problem. Josh Edgin threw two innings and Hansel Robles threw the ninth, combining for four shutout innings and allowing five baserunners with only one strikeout. It’s hardly dominant, but even spare part relievers are good enough to generate scoreless innings from time to time.

What’s Next?

Rafael Montero faces off against struggling rookie Daniel Gossett. The Mets marketing department may rethink whether the PR damage from only giving out 15,000 bobbleheads makes the promotion a net failure.

Photo credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports

The struggling Steven Matz, following up two starts in which he allowed 12 runs in 5.1 innings, took the mound against the rebuilding Oakland Athletics. Paul Blackburn, a rookie running a 3.66 K/9 and surviving on a .230 BABIP, opposed the Mets. It’s tough to dress up a matchup between two mediocre pitchers (probably a generous categorization for Matz at the moment) and two bad teams, especially with both fan bases more tuned in to trade rumors than the actual games. But hey, Michael Conforto was starting, so we’ve got that going for us.

Game Recap

Matz didn’t get off to a great start, allowing the first three Athletics to single and immediately putting the Mets in a 1-0 hole. He was bailed out by a ground ball double play off the bat of Khris Davis, putting a runner at third with two outs, and Matz completed the inning by striking out Matt Chapman to limit the damage. Despite that rough start, Matz settled down, working around a couple singles but holding the A’s to just the one run for the first four innings.

The Met offense was largely stymied the first time through the batting order, with the first hit coming from Matz himself with two outs in the third. Conforto immediately capitalized, launching a monstrous two run home run to the Shea Bridge to flip the score and give the Mets a 2-1 lead.

That lead would disappear in the fifth, as Matz ran into more trouble. With one out, Rajai Davis singled and stole second despite being caught by a pick off. Marcus Semien then singled in the tying run and stole second himself. Semien moved to third on a single from Ryon Healy, then scored on a sacrifice fly from Khris Davis, putting Oakland back in front 3-2.

After not getting through five innings in his previous two starts, giving up three runs in five innings was a step up for Matz, albeit an underwhelming one. Still, it was surprising when Terry Collins pinch hit for him in the bottom of the fifth, handing the game off to the bullpen even with Matz at only 83 pitches. He finished with five strikeouts (a step up from his pitiful strikeout rates since returning from the DL), allowing nine hits and three runs.

Curtis Granderson came up empty as a pinch hitter and the Mets didn’t score in the bottom of the fifth, but they’d jump back on top in the sixth inning. Asdrubal Cabrera walked, Yoenis Cespedes singled, and Lucas Duda reached on an infield single that took a bad hop and hit Oakland 1B Ryon Healy in the face (he left the game, but seemed to avoid any serious injury). That loaded the bases with one out for T.J. Rivera, who lined a single into center to score two runs. Rajai Davis’s throw went to third, where Duda was tagged out, but Matt Chapman’s subsequent throw to second base skipped into right field and rolled all the way to the warning track, allowing Rivera to round the bases and score. At the end of the play, the Mets had a 5-3 lead.

Paul Sewald tossed a scoreless seventh, and the Mets added more cushion in the bottom half. With a runner on, Michael Conforto hit a second two-run home run, this one a line drive down the right field line. Since the All Star Break, Conforto is batting .323 with four home runs and two doubles, and continues to remind both the front office and Terry Collins that he shouldn’t be part of any sort of ridiculous outfield rotation.

With a 7-3 lead heading to the eighth, the Mets seemed to be in a good spot, but the bullpen managed to keep things interesting. Erik Goeddel entered and retired only one of the four batters he faced, allowing a run and departing with runners on first and third with one out. Terry Collins called on Addison Reed for the five-out save, who walked Rajai Davis on a borderline pitch, then allowed an RBI single to Marcus Semien to cut the Met lead to 7-5.

Perhaps realizing that Reed didn’t have his best stuff, Collins called on Jerry Blevins to escape the mess. Blevins pitched brilliantly, inducing a pop out from Yonder Alonso and striking out Khris Davis to escape the inning. Blevins stayed in for the ninth and worked another clean inning, recording his fifth save of the year and his first five-out performance since 2013 (against the Mets, when he was still a member of the Washington Nationals).

Thoughts from the Game

It’s been a while since we’ve had a good Terry Collins rant, but here we go. Addison Reed pitched 1.1 innings on July 19, another inning on the 20th, and was called upon for a five-out save last night. He’s already one of the most overused pitchers in baseball, and as the Mets should be showcasing him for other teams, Collins is continuing to run him into the ground. Most reasonable teams won’t decide Reed isn’t worthwhile because of one bad outing of course, but risking an injury or even the slightest drop in value at this point is needlessly reckless on top of being tactically moronic.

There’s not much else to discuss from this game. Steven Matz still seems off, and even with the strikeouts back, he was still extremely hittable. Perhaps he’s still hurt, or perhaps the gradually mounting list of injuries are finally having a cumulative effect. Or it’s just a rough patch, because pitching is hard, man.

Other Met News

Yoenis Cespedes’ comments deserve some mention here, even if any rational fan realizes that any sort of controversy is nonsensical. Cespedes isn’t pulling a Kyrie Irving and asking for a trade; he’s merely stating some affection for the place where he got his start in the major leagues and expressed a desire to retire there. In the short term, there’s no reason to think he’s not totally committed to the Mets, and he has expressed his love for both this city and this team multiple times in the past.

As for his comments on Bob Melvin and that being perceived as throwing Terry Collins under the bus, I say good. Maybe players noting that Collins is a bad manager would wake ownership up.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

Only 6.5 games off the pace in a weak American League Wild Card field, Oakland has already parted ways with key relievers Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle over the past week and is reportedly in talks to move other impact players including ace right-hander Sonny Gray before the upcoming non-waiver trade deadline.

New York is also expected to be active on the seller’s market over the next ten days, with their hopes of a miraculous playoff run all but extinguished at this point.

Terry Collins’ club finished strong against St. Louis this week, splitting a four-game series by winning the last two – including a wild ninth-inning victory on Thursday afternoon.

The A’s lost two of three to Tampa Bay, but have won four of six after sweeping Cleveland last weekend.

When and Where

Game 1: Friday @ 7:10 p.m. EST (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 2: Saturday @ 7:10 p.m. EST (TV: WPIX; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 3: Sunday @ 1:10 p.m. EST (TV: WPIX; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Baseball Weather

Friday: Partly cloudy with a low of 76F; Winds from 10-15 mph

Saturday: Thunderstorms likely with a low of 73F; Winds from 10-15 mph; Chance of rain 80%

Sunday: Widespread thunderstorms with a high of 78F; Winds from 10-15 mph; Chance of rain 80%

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday: RHP Paul Blackburn (1-0, 1.83 ERA, 5.70 DRA, .228 TAv, 0.0 WARP) vs. LHP Steven Matz (2-3, 4.58 ERA, 5.63 DRA, .273 TAv, 0.0 WARP)

A former first-round pick of the Cubs, the 23-year-old Blackburn has impressed in three starts since making his big league debut on July 1, lasting at least six innings in each.

Matz has lost two straight, including a dismal outing on Sunday where he only retired three batters and was charged with seven runs. The Long Island native has allowed 12 runs on 16 hits in 5.1 innings, including 3 homers.

Saturday: LHP Sean Manaea (8-5, 3.68 ERA, 3.34 DRA, .233 TAv, 2.5 WARP) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (3-7, 4.98 ERA, 6.27 DRA, .285 TAv, -0.6 WARP)

Manaea has built upon the success of last year’s rookie campaign, especially of late. The burly southpaw has pitched a minimum of seven frames in all three July starts, striking out 17 in 21.1 innings with a 2.95 ERA.

Wheeler has not won since May 20, a span of eight starts where he is 0-5 with a 6.39 ERA. Opponents are hitting .338 over that stretch.

Sunday: RHP Daniel Gossett (1-5, 5.79 ERA, 7.47 DRA, .297 TAv, -0.8 WARP) vs. RHP Rafael Montero (1-6, 5.40 ERA, 5.50 DRA, .302 TAv, -0.1 WARP)

Gossett has lost three straight decisions, despite an impressive performance on Monday against the Rays where the rookie hurled seven innings of three-run ball.

Montero pitched fairly well in a loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday but was let down by the Mets’ shoddy defense, charged with four runs (two earned) in six innings.

Who’s Hot?

Mets SS Jose Reyes (1.022 OPS in 28 PA after the All-Star break)

Mets OF Michael Conforto (5-for-11 since Tuesday)

Mets 1B Lucas Duda (.308 AVG and 1.126 OPS since the break, including 3 HR)

A’s OF Rajai Davis (7-for-14 with 4 runs scored in the second half)

A’s LF Khris Davis (3 home runs in his last 5 games)

Who’s Not?

Mets LF Yoenis Cespedes (One extra-base hit in his last 20 at-bats)

Mets catchers (2-for-13 in the Cardinals series)

A’s SS Marcus Semien (.095 AVG (2-for-21) over the past week)

When We Last Met

The teams split a two-game set on June 24-25, 2014 at Citi Field, with the Mets taking the opener 10-1 behind eight strong innings by Bartolo Colon and four home runs — including two off the bat of center fielder Chris Young.

Yoenis Cespedes was 3-for-8 with 4 RBIs in the series for Oakland.

It’s Literally a 10-Day DL

Athletics: Several players began rehab assignments with Triple-A Nashville this week, but none are expected to return during this series. They are RHP Jharel Cotton (blister on right thumb), RHP Kendall Graveman (right shoulder strain), 2B Chad Pinder (left hamstring strain) and RHP Chris Bassitt (Tommy John surgery).

Mets: 2B Neil Walker (partial tear of left hamstring) is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday night, and could be activated for Monday’s series opener in San Diego. Top prospect Amed Rosario (bruised right index finger) has missed Las Vegas’ last three games.

Notable Quotables

“We need one. We’ve had a lot of them slip away lately and we needed a win like this today.” – Collins following Thursday afternoon’s walkoff win over St. Louis

“I know he said what he said in San Francisco but one thing we tried to get him to understand is that right now, there’s probably a larger market for third baseman as there is for second baseman at this particular point so it would behoove him to have that option. Even though he hasn’t played over there, this guy’s hands are good enough that he can play anywhere.” – Collins on the possibility of Asdrubal Cabrera playing third base when Walker returns

“It was nice. I’ve had a lot of times coming off the mound getting some nice ovations, some cheers here, and it took me back to 2013 a lot in those two playoff games. It was really nice, whether it is or whether it’s not is not up to me but it brought back a lot of memories so that was really nice.” – Gray on the crowd’s reaction as he left the game on Wednesday, possibly his last home start in an A’s uniform

“I try not to think too much about that because when you have a group of guys that you’re dealing with that’s basically what your focus is, and I’ve had him for a while so I just kind of go with the flow as far as that goes.” – Manager Bob Melvin on the Oakland fans recognizing the potential significance of the moment

Photo credit: Joe Nicholson – USA Today Sports

An inexplicable, if now-characteristic, defensive lapse cost the Cardinals the game in the bottom of the ninth as the Mets won their final game of the series with the Cardinals in walk-off fashion after Jose Reyes—who was arrested in 2015 after allegedly grabbing his wife, Katherine Ramirez, by the throat and shoving her into a sliding-glass door while on vacation (criminal charges were dropped, but Reyes served a 52-game suspension before returning to a hero’s welcome in Flushing)—dribbled a single up the first base line, scoring Yoenis Cespedes from third. Mobbed by his teammates at first base and feted by a thin crowd composed overwhelmingly of children, as it was a 12.10 p.m. first pitch “Camp Day,” Reyes’ status as hero of the day was confirmed.

Almost three thousand miles to the West, Orenthal James Simpson—who, according to police records, beat then-wife, Nicole, so badly on New Year’s Day, 1989, that she required treatment at a hospital (Simpson would subsequently be sentenced to 120 hours of community service)—was granted parole by the state of Nevada after serving nine years of a nine- to 33-year sentence for stealing inanimate objects. (Simpson was acquitted in 1994 after standing trial for killing two human beings, including his then-ex-wife, Nicole Brown. Statistical analysis has shown that 75 percent of abused women who are murdered are killed after they leave their abusers.)

Before dinnertime, it had already been a real banner day for professional athletes accused of beating women while escaping the full consequences of their actions; it is also known as “Thursday.”

Early on in the SNY broadcast, Ron Darling dismissed the rougher edges of the broadcast while commenting, “it’s Camp Day”; a sentiment, frankly, that could encompass this entire series with the Cardinals. While the two sides traded victories, the losing team has been out of the game early (the run differential for the first three games of the series was 6.5), and neither team seems to be playing for this season. For much of the week, it’s felt like the games don’t count.

And yet they do.

Noted by Gary Cohen, players like Astrubal Cabrera (and, sob, Lucas Duda) are playing up their trade value, so it was still heartening to see Michael Conforto (who is not, Mets fans pray, trade bait this month BUT YOU NEVER KNOW) reach base four times with two walks, a single, and a double. Of note was a particularly canny first-inning walk that brought Cespedes to the plate with two outs (it was less heartening to watch Cespedes continually flail in Conforto’s wake, but it’s all about the moral victories now). Lucas Duda led off the second with a solo home run, his 17th of the season.

Seth Lugo held the Cardinals hitless through the first four innings, but St. Louis third baseman Greg Garcia broke up the no-hit bid with two outs in top of the fifth. While solid through five innings, Lugo lost the ability to notch a win in the sixth, falling behind the first two batters, walking Matt Carpenter on four straight pitches. Tommy Pham tied the game with an RBI double on the next one, but the tie was preserved with two great picks of low throws from T.J. Rivera at third base by Duda . Lugo got through two-thirds of the seventh before the Cardinals put two on with two out, and Terry Collins had to turn to the Mets’ hall of horrors, aka its bullpen. Erik Goeddel induced Jedd Gyorko, pinch hitting for Cardinals starter Lance Lynn, to pop out to Rene Rivera, who made a nifty catch against the screen behind home plate to preserve Lugo’s gutsy No Decision.

Goeddel reverted to the painful mean in the very next inning, surrendering a one-out solo home run to Tommy Pham in the top of the eighth, but Wilmer Flores answered in the bottom of the frame with a game-tying pinch hit home run off left-handed reliever Brett Cecil, his third career pinch-hit home run and first since June 24th. Producing as many runs in one at-bat as Jose Reyes—whose wife suffered thigh, neck, and wrist injuries as a direct result of his alleged actions—did in four.

Addison Reed pitched a scoreless ninth. Former Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal took the mound in the bottom of the inning, and walked Conforto to lead things off. Cespedes erased the Mets’ center fielder with a fielder’s choice groundout to third. Duda popped out to right, but T.J. Rivera poked a two-out single that pushed Cespedes, the winning run, to third. Reyes, who, according to a 2015 police report, grabbed his wife off a bed, shoved her, then gripped her by the throat and pushed her into a glass door, pulled a sharp ground ball down the first base line where Matt Carpenter fielded it but turned to discover that Rosenthal had broken late to cover the bag. Carpenter barked angrily at his closer as he lost the foot race, hopping over a sliding Reyes, father of four (three of whom were borne by the woman he allegedly assaulted), reaching base safely while his teammates poured out of the dugout to congratulate their game-winning shortstop.

Today the Mets take on the Oakland Athletics, a.k.a. the Ghost of Christmas Future; this week A’s general manager Billy Beane publicly admitted the team is in a 20-year-long rebuilding phase. Someday soon the most diehard of their fans, and perhaps even the Mets themselves, will admit the same.

[New York State resources for victims of domestic violence can be found at this link: http://www.opdv.ny.gov/help/dvhotlines.html]

Photo credit: Adam Hunger – USA Today Sports

The Mets completely beat up on Mike Leake early and often. They banged out five hits and three runs in the first inning, with all three runs scoring on consecutive two-out hits by Yoenis Cespedes, Lucas Duda, and Wilmer Flores. And they weren’t done there, as the second inning saw them add four more runs on five hits, an error, and an intentional walk. An RBI single by Jay Bruce, an RBI double by Cespedes, and a two-RBI double by Jose Reyes highlighted the rally. And just like that, the Mets had erupted for a total of seven runs in just two innings off Leake, who looked very, um, leaky.

For the Mets, Jacob deGrom didn’t necessarily look great early on either, and didn’t have his best stuff, only striking out three on the night. But he somehow still gutted out 6.2 innings of one-run ball. He held the Cardinals scoreless until the seventh, when he allowed an RBI double to Luke Voit off the left field wall, and that was his final batter of the night. It was the only real stumble of the game for deGrom, who scattered seven total hits and one walk over the rest of his outing.

The win wasn’t without some heartache, though, because the Mets’ bullpen still had to pitch in this game. Paul Sewald was called on in the eighth inning, up 7-1 at the time. He faced four batters, walked two and got two outs, and then was relieved by Jerry Blevins with two outs and two on. Blevins gave up two hits to his first two batters, the latter of which scored the two inherited runners, and then walked a pinch-hitting Adam Wainwright. Yes, Blevins walked a pitcher who was pinch-hitting.

Since June 17, Blevins has faced 38 hitters, has walked seven of them (18.4%), allowed 12 hits, and has struck out only six of them (15.4%). His control has completely abandoned him. By the way, I’m sure this is completely unrelated, but this was Blevins’ 47th appearance of the season, which ties him for the MLB lead. He has 120 appearances since the start of 2016. Whatever though, I’m sure that means nothing.

Anyway, Blevins was pulled for Addison Reed, who was making his 123rd appearance since the start of 2016. Reed worked out of the jam in the eighth and pitched a scoreless ninth to record a four-out save to finish the victory, and build his trade value that much more. Rumors still continue to circulate about Reed, and his tenure on the Mets appears likely to be reaching an end very soon.

OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY

Trade rumors are aplenty. The Red Sox, still in desperate need of a third baseman after missing out on Todd Frazier, have reportedly scouted three Mets players who could potentially fill that void for them: Wilmer Flores, Asdrubal Cabrera, and T.J. Rivera, though none of those players are actually third basemen.

In addition to that, Ken Rosenthal wrote on Facebook that the Mets would prefer to trade Curtis Granderson to Jay Bruce, and may consider keeping Bruce and offering him a qualifying offer. It’s hard to tell if this is actually true or just a leak on the Mets part to enforce the façade that they’re not totally desperate to trade Bruce, but a qualifying offer for Bruce would be an absolute mistake. Bruce is undoubtably having a good season, but with the current market for corner outfielders, an $18-20 million qualifying offer for Bruce is a total overpay. He would not get that money on the free agent market, so he’d be very likely to accept the offer. And if he does that, then the Mets would have blown a significant portion of their offseason budget on a corner outfielder that wasn’t totally vital, despite absolutely needing upgrades at center field, third base, second base, and maybe catcher, along with at least one starting pitcher and three relievers. Not to mention the dangers of acquiring yet another player on a non-commital, one-year deal as opposed to a long-term deal, rendering it difficult to plan long-term. To put it gently, it would not be a prudent management of resources.

TODAY

The Mets close out the four-game set with the Cardinals at 12:10 p.m. Seth Lugo takes on Lance Lynn in the series finale.

Photo credit: Anthony Gruppuso – USA Today Sports

Have We Already Seen the Best of Wheeler?

When the Mets acquired Zack Wheeler from San Francisco, it was easy to foresee him and Matt Harvey forming a tenacious one-two punch at the front of the Mets’ starting rotation. Now, it’s hard to picture him being any more valuable than a No. 4 or 5 starter. Injuries are tough. They can leave even the most talented players in ruins and unfortunately for Wheeler, it seems that his two-year absence stemming from Tommy John surgery has robbed him of his potential. Wheeler cruised through the first four innings last night and ran into trouble when he began to lose his command in the fifth. A Jedd Gyorko lineout helped him escape a bases-loaded jam, but it’s important to note that he got himself into that jam by walking the bases full. By the time the sixth inning rolled around, the Mets’ 1-0 advantage quickly dissipated. Two singles, a Paul DeJong home run, and an Adam Wainwright double ended Wheeler’s night, and, to his dismay, his bullpen counterparts failed to stop the bleeding. Given the lack of depth the Mets have to deal with due to injuries, Wheeler is in no danger of losing his job, but if he fails to put together a decent stretch to finish out 2017, he may write his way out of this team’s future plans.

Paul DeJong: Newly Crowned Met Killer

When the Cardinals first called up Paul DeJong in May, I knew I would rue the day he faced the Mets. That’s actually a lie. Until two weeks ago, I barely know DeJong existed. Then, he decided to homer in three consecutive games against the Mets, something only the great Albert Pujols accomplished in a Cardinals uniform. Monday night, he did something no Cardinal has ever done: he homered in his fourth consecutive game against the Mets. The early impressions of the 23-year-old have been solid: a .302 batting average with 9 home runs and 20 RBIs, but he seems to take things to a whole new level when facing the Mets. You can go right ahead and put him on your dart board along with Chipper Jones, Daniel Murphy, and our other favorite Met killers. The sad part, of course, is that it’s only been four games.
I’d also like to note that just the sight of Adam Wainwright still makes me angry, so you can imagine how losing to him must make me feel.

A Weird and Wild Sixth Inning

When Wheeler fell apart in the sixth, it was hard not to feel like this game was over. After a T.J. Rivera groundout, Lucas Duda made it interesting by launching a moonshot home run over the bullpens. This is when things got weird. The next at-bat, Jose Reyes laced a ball into the right-center gap. With no hesitation out of the box, Reyes bolted towards second. Dexter Fowler and rookie Magneuris Sierra converged on the ball and by some weird twist of fate, the ball was kicked around, allowing Reyes to take a turn and head for third. Sierra then proceeded to make one of the worst throws I have seen, and Reyes rounded third and scored on a Little League home run. Travis d’Arnaud stepped to the plate following Reyes and laced the first pitch he saw into center field. From the roar of the crowd, it felt like he may have put one into the gap. Fowler glided over to make the routine catch, but his nonchalant attitude came back to bite when the ball kicked off his glove and d’Arnaud ended up on second. Unfortunately, the Mets couldn’t find a way to score d’Arnaud after a pinch hit ground out by Wilmer Flores and lineout to the pitcher off the bat of Michael Conforto.

Jose Reyes is No Longer Asleep At the Wheel

I’m not going to be one of those people who get too excited over a hot streak from Jose Reyes. This doesn’t change the fact that he is a shell of the player that he once was, but he’s finally started producing. In the month of July, Reyes is posting a .395/.400/.737 clip, a mindblowing improvement over his season-long line of .226/.291/.389. Reyes coming alive is a major key to the Mets being successful, but this was something that this ball club needed two months ago. At best, a hot July may attract a suitor for the 34-year-old shortstop. It may even have the potential to write Reyes back into the Mets’ future plans. Regardless of what happens, it’s nice to see Reyes actually being a productive member of this lineup.

Mixed Feelings on the Bullpen

With a chance to keep the game at 3-1, the Mets’ bullpen faltered. Josh Edgin came in to face Matt Carpenter and gave him a free pass. Hansel Robles followed and surrendered a three-run home run to Tommy Pham on his second pitch since being recalled from Las Vegas. With that being said, the bullpen did live up to expectations in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings as Paul Sewald, Jerry Blevins, and Erik Goeddel combined for three scoreless innings. When it comes down to it, I guess you could say Terry deployed the wrong guys for the situations. It’s good to see that not all is lost when it comes to this club’s late relief options.

An Almost Rally in the Ninth

Down 6-3, the Mets opened the ninth with Curtis Granderson pinch-hitting for Erik Goeddel. Granderson walked and put the Mets a step closer to bringing the tying run to the plate. Conforto hit a hard liner off of Brett Cecil, but baseball is a cruel game and sometimes when you hit the ball hard, you hit it straight at the right fielder. Asdrubal Cabrera followed and lined a single into left center, pushing Grandy to third. At this point, the Mets were exactly in the position they wanted to be. Yoenis Cespedes stepped to the plate, trying to shake an 0-for-4 night and with a very good chance to do so against the left-hander Cecil. Things got even better when Cecil tossed three pitches outside and Ces had a 3-0 count to work with. Chasing that game-tying dinger, Cespedes swung 3-0 and grounded the ball to short, resulting in a game-ending double play. Following the game, Cespedes bolted from the clubhouse before reporters were allowed in, expressing zero desire to discuss the heartbreaking ninth inning.

What’s Next?

The Mets continue their four-game series with the Cardinals at Citi Field on Tuesday at 7 p.m. with Rafael Montero facing Michael Wacha.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports