Tyler Oringer: Well, this one is obvious. If you’ve been following any of my coverage throughout the season, you know how much I love the future first baseman for the Mets. The fact that the 23-year old was not called up this season in order to manipulate service time for his age 31 season is beyond belief – but hey, let’s stick to the good part.  Alonso finished his 2019 minor league campaign (65 games at Double-A, 67 in Triple-A) with 36 home runs, 119 RBIs and a triple slash of .285/.395/.579. The changes to his swing from 2017 were real, and allowed him to drive the ball to more fields with major league power, while also advancing his plate discipline to another level. The former Gator saw his OBP jump from .355 to the aforementioned .395.  Alonso finished a full minor league season between Double-A and Triple-A at 23 years old with an OPS of .975. Yes, his defense is not good, but the bat makes him the clear MVP of the Mets’ system in 2018.

Breakout prospect of the year: Jeff McNeil

Alex Rosen: Jeffrey, Jarrett and I were all on McNeil as a future major league contributor before July (and as early as 2014 in Jeffrey’s case) but we’d all be lying if we said we saw this coming. Injuries limited him to just 21 games above A-ball in 2016 and 2017 but McNeil rode a vastly improved frame and a new stomp and pull approach all the way to Queens before the end of July. He’s been the Mets’ best position player since the day he arrived in Flushing – not to mention one of the best players across all of baseball – and gives the organization another cost-controlled above-average regular to build around.

“Cy Young”: Um… Justin Dunn and David Peterson… I guess

TO: DISCLAIMER: I don’t feel comfortable giving either of these guys a Cy Young vote here, but the Mets didn’t really have any impressive season showings from any of their developing starting arms. Dunn, a 2016 first round pick out of Boston College, was okay this season but did improve greatly from 2017. He did struggle a bit in Double-A but flashed some of the potential the Mets have seen, striking out 156 batters in 135.1 innings. Control has continued to be an issue for the 22-year-old, but next season should be a massive stepping stone in his development. I’ve always felt his relief potential was immense and he could be extremely valuable there, but it would be quite the stretch to move him to the bullpen any time soon. Like Dunn, Peterson was good, not great. The 2017 first rounder dominated full-season A-ball, but was knocked around by Advanced-A hitting, surrendering 74 hits in 68.2 innings pitched. The southpaw already has the control and movement to be a legitimate prospect, he just needs to serve up fewer hittable pitches as he goes on.

Platinum Glove: Luis Guillorme

TO: A favorite of mine who was handled as poorly as he could have been in 2018.  Regardless, Guillorme is already an elite defender. If given the chance to start at shortstop or second base in a full major league season, the 23-year-old would challenge for a Gold Glove.  Guillorme flashes some of the smoothest actions and fluidness that any middle infielder in the minors has shown over the past few years. There is a lot to love about Guillorme, if the Mets could just figure out a way to best utilize his talents.

Comeback prospect of the year: Justin Dunn

AR: Dunn’s full-season debut couldn’t have gone much worse, but he rebounded nicely and took care of business in 2018, tossing about 90 innings in Binghamton en route to winning the organizations minor league pitcher of the year award. It was more of “meh” season by top pitching prospect standards, but even that was markedly better than Dunn’s 2017 in the Florida State League. There’s still a ton of room for improvement, especially with the change-up, but 2018 was without a doubt a step in the right direction. The stuff came back, the command improved and Dunn’s now one step closer to the big leagues.

Most likely to have their service time manipulated: Peter Alonso Andres Gimenez

AR: Oh, this is for the future? (looks at personal pref list…) Andres Gimenez it is! Until the rules change in the next CBA, teams are going to hold down top prospects to gain that extra year of control. It’s going to happen to Gimenez too, unless the Mets find themselves in a pennant race in 2019 with a hole to fill. Nevertheless, Gimenez had a tremendous 2018 season across Port St. Lucie and Binghamton, solidifying himself as one of the best prospects in the game.

The Ty Kelly Memorial Roster Spot: Gavin Cecchini

AR: Cecchini was off to a solid start in Las Vegas before a foot injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. He’s seemingly been around for forever, though he somehow won’t turn 25 ‘till December, but his spot on the 40-man is hanging by a thread. The former first rounder has never really received an extended stay with the big league club, but seems like a prime candidate to hang around as organizational depth for a number of years.

Best early return from the 2018 draft: Ross Adolph

TO: Adolph was drafted in the 12th round of the 2018 First Year Player Draft, but has already shown his value in his first year in Brooklyn. In my live look at Adolph, he did not get any hits or even take good routes to the ball in the field, but the athletically built outfielder owned a noticeably advanced approach at the plate and looked the part. The Toledo alum put up some nice number with the Cyclones, OPSing .857 with 14 stolen bases and an affinity for chasing down balls in the outfield.

Most likely to receive the Dominic Smith treatment: Mark Vientos

AR: Vientos still has a long ways to go before he’s a viable major league contributor, but he’s an early round pick who might find playing time hard to come by at the big league level. Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez look to be franchise cornerstones in the infield and Jeff McNeil’s not going anywhere anytime soon, leaving Vientos without a future home on the dirt as of now. Of course, these things tend to sort themselves out, but it hasn’t with Smith at the big league level for one reason or another. A similar fate could be awaiting Vientos, though we’re at least a couple of years away from having to even entertain the possibility.

Most likely to pitch too many high leverage innings: Kevin Smith

AR: The Mets went reliever heavy on Day Two of the 2018 MLB Draft, using a seventh rounder to grab Smith, a crafty SEC lefty with starting experience. There’s likely some internal hope that Smith can start, but having seen him this summer, I can tell you with confidence that that ain’t happening. He’s a future LOOGY in the Jerry Blevins/Daniel Zamora mold who’ll probably be overused like Blevins was in 2017. To be clear, a major league LOOGY is a fine outcome here, but the Mets have an affinity for Smith that I just personally don’t see.

The Reliever of the Carousel of Relievers Who Is Legit:  Drew Smith

TO: Bad timing – I know.  Anyway, Smith possesses true back-end relief talent which has come through in his every stop in the minors and more recently, the majors. I wrote about Smith back in Week 7 of the Prospect Watch, and stand by those previous comments.  Smith’s fastball and slider combination poses the potential for some elite late-inning stuff which has already come to fruition in 2018. When Sandy Alderson traded a fading Lucas Duda for a relief arm, people were concerned, but it would not be crazy to me if Smith is closing with success for New York in the near future.

Biggest Disappointment: Desmond Lindsay

TO: When Lindsay was drafted in the second round of the 2015 draft, big things were expected. The centerfielder looked to have the tools, body, and pedigree to turn into a major league regular, but things have just not transpired that way. Lindsay is still stuck in Advanced-A ball, and has not shown any reason to get out of it. The right-handed hitting high school pick has OPSed .715 and .640 in consecutive seasons – and unless he makes the necessary adjustments to his approach, his athleticism may end up going to waste. Injuries have hampered the 21-year old throughout his short career, so there is still a bit of hope – but change must come fast.

Happiest Met to head to Syracuse: Nabil Crismatt

AR: If Crismatt pitched the entire season in Binghamton, he’d have been my choice for the Cy Young award. Unfortunately, we can’t erase those nine starts in Las Vegas and Crismatt will instead have to settle for the “Happiest Met to head to Syracuse” designation. His strong season in Double-A proved there’s a future major league contributor here, but the disaster in the desert muddied things. The Mets will need to protect Crismatt from the Rule-5 draft this offseason by adding him to the 40-man roster, which currently seems like a toss-up at best. He should absolutely be protected, but this is the Mets and they’ll let him go to Oakland, where he’ll suddenly become a No.3 starter.

Best trade deadline acquisition: Franklyn Kilome

TO: This is quite obvious, but not because the other acquisitions were bad – it’s because Kilome, the only player from the Asdrubal Cabrera deal with the Phillies, is that good. The 6’6,” 175-pound 23-year old, has shown to have an advanced upper-90s fastball along with an impressive curveball which has a swing-and-miss movement. In Double-A, Kilome struck out 125 batters in 140 innings, but did walk 61.  Kilome needs to work on his control, but the young right-hander does flash the stuff to succeed as a major league starter – and should see time on the big league club at some point next year.

Most excited to see in 2019: Thomas Szapucki

AR: Szapucki missed the entire season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but is set to return to the mound in 2019. He’s only thrown a total of 83.1 innings in his brief career and will turn 23 next June, but Szapucki has undeniable upside that enticed virtually everyone who saw him. He flashed three potential plus offerings from a tough slot prior to the injury, giving him top of the rotation upside if he could simply stay healthy. There’s no question he’s behind the developmental curve, but 2019 could be a make or break season for the left-hander.

Tim Tebow Award: Tim Tebow

TO: Sorry, I just had to.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

As we have all seen, New York has a plethora of 95-98 mph fastball, slick slider guys with average to below average control (see Drew Smith, Bobby Wahl, Eric Hanhold, etc.), but no one really to note who may or may not get the call in September. Assuming John Ricco’s “compete in 2019″ mantra is not just for show, they will likely sign free agent relievers who are better than Anthony Swarzak.

But in a few days, Dominic Smith and Luis Guillorme will be called up for about the 25th time this year. Who is not being called up, is the most major league-ready of them all: Peter Alonso. So, I wanted to investigate what the Mets SHOULD do with these pieces rather than what they likely ARE going to do. Let’s begin.

Dominic Smith

Earlier in the season, and most days since then, Alex Rosen and I complained about the 2017 mismanagement of the former Mets top prospect. Well, nothing has really changed. At just 23 years old, Smith has seen four separate stints in the majors and will presumably enter his fifth on Sept. 1. Despite never having handled his development properly before, the Mets have a chance to change the tides.

Whether or not it makes sense, Smith has 23 games in the outfield this year in the minors and already nine games in left for the major league club.  Obviously, this is to provide at-bats to the aforementioned stud, Alonso, who probably could hit 30+ home runs in a full major league season next year.

So, if they are doing it the minors, why not do it in the majors during a rebuilding year for the last month of the season? Sure, Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo need everyday at-bats, but give 31-year old Austin Jackson a few days off.  Jackson has been a bright spot for the Mets, but he’s putting up unsustainable numbers and hopefully is not a part of the future. As far as Jay Bruce goes, he is not healthy and has been awful all season, accumulating a -0.8 WAR in just 66 games. Yes, the Mets’ defense struggles mightily with him in the lineup, but auditioning him for 2019 in a regular role is the best course of action.

If it were me, I would have explored trading Smith for catching options in the 2017-18 offseason. Regardless, give Smith one more actual chance to prove his worth at the dish.

Luis Guillorme

The Gold Glove-caliber, opposite-field hitter is an intriguing player.

Guillorme was arguably just as misplayed as Smith, slotted in strictly at third base and playing behind Jose “Mendoza” Reyes. While he should have had starter opportunities given the Mets poor season, he should be relegated to a true utility infielder role — the one Reyes occupies for Mickey Callaway now. Frankly, the former Met great should be cut as soon as Guillorme gets a spot.

Any time a combination of Todd Frazier, stud Jeff McNeil and Amed Rosario need a rest (Frazier mostly), Guillorme should be manning the position.

While the infielder did slash a paltry .208/.284/.239 in his 67 at-bats in limited action, he has shown an ability to reach base at an impressive rate in the minors. His numbers have duplicated pretty much to a tee from Binghamton to Vegas and he holds a career .286/.361/.335 line in minor league play. No power, but that’s not what Guillorme is on a roster to do.

Defense, defense, defense… and some OBP.

Peter Alonso

John Ricco stated that Alonso will not play in the majors this season, despite the fact that the first baseman is perhaps a top-five prospect in terms hitting readiness in all of baseball.

Alonso is a bad fielder, plain and simple. Alonso, however, can rake.

In 125 games and 448 at-bats between Double-A and Triple-A, the former University of Florida Gator is raking a .277/.393/.560 with 33 home runs and 111 RBI. He has made the necessary mechanical adjustments at the plate to improve his ability for more gap power and home runs and has improved his discipline, raising his OBP more than 30 percentage points from last year’s .359.

Alonso needs to be on the roster come a few days from now, even though he won’t. Wilmer Flores has done a commendable job this season at the dish and I would have no problem with Alonso not starting every day. But the UF product must to be on the New York Mets and pinch-hitting whenever Callaway needs a pinch hitter and starting at first base at least two or three times a week.

There is a very minute amount of development Alonso needs at the plate at this point and to keep him down because of defense or playing time is ridiculous; simply put, you make time for your brightest prospects.

The real reason here is service time, but this next month should have been an immensely important indicator to the development of what should be the Mets’ starting first baseman in 2019.

Photo credits: Bill Streicher/Brad Penner/Geoff Burke – USA Today Sports

On a humid and miserable night that ended with rain dampening whatever was left of the spirits of whatever was left of the Flushing faithful, the Mets limply lurched to another loss, while Atlanta played for a share of first place.

It wasn’t until the third when the Mets remembered they were the Mets, and Atlanta scored three runs to obliterate a a 1-1 tie.

Brandon Nimmo hit his 14th home run in the first inning (his third lead off home run of the year), and a pinch-hitting Luis Guillorme driving in Jose Reyes in the fifth accounted for all the Mets runs.

The closest the Mets came to changing the momentum came in the sixth, after Michael Conforto walked with one out; Wilmer Flores knocked a single into center that Ronald Acuña Jr. overran. Atlanta won their appeal of the tag play at second, and instead of the tying runs on base with one out, Todd Frazier popped out on the very next pitch.

Ozzie Albies and Johan Camargo drove in one and two runs, respectively, cementing their status as Mets killers. Usual suspect Freddie Freeman drove a run in as well.

Jason Vargas went five innings, surrendered four runs (all earned) and struck out seven. The Wilpons are paying $8 million a year for this.

Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz went six innings, holding the Mets to two runs and striking out five. Atlanta is paying him $2.2 million a year, for what it’s worth. A.J. Minter collected his seventh save on the year.

These two teams face each other again tonight, with Anibal Sanchez (5-3, 3.00) taking on human embodiment of pathos Jacob deGrom (5-6, 1.82). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Adam Hunger – USA Today Sports

Yup, we’re still here, for whatever reason. Zack Wheeler took the mound against Joe Musgrove mere hours after Jacob deGrom got screwed out of yet another win. Austin Jackson was getting the start in FF because the recently resurgent Michael Conforto has a sore thumb, leaving us less than optimistic for a better offensive performance this time around.

Game Recap

In what, once again, could be his last start as a Met, Wheeler was brilliant. He allowed plenty of baserunners, as he is wont to do, but also racked up the strikeouts while keeping the Pirates off the board. Wheeler danced around baserunners in every inning except the fourth, but struck out seven en route to six shutout innings, lowering his ERA on the season to 4.11.

The Mets have never seen a great pitching performance they didn’t want to squander, and they did their damnedest to deGrom Wheeler. Joe Musgrove made the Mets look bad, keeping them hitless for the first four innings and inducing a plethora of weak ground balls. Notably, Jackson was not the problem, despite our pregame consternation. He was the Mets’ first base runner in the second (a walk) and managed the Mets’ first hit leading off the fifth.

Wheeler has been watching deGrom get screwed over all season, and he seems to have learned his lesson. Doing his best Thanos-in-Avengers-1-post-credit-scene impression, Wheeler did it himself, driving in Guillorme with a double into the right field corner to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. That gave Wheeler doubles in back-to-back starts. As a fun aside, Jose Reyes has two doubles since June 26 in 55 at-bats.

Totally unnecessary digs on Reyes aside (editor’s note: they are necessary), the Mets squandered several opportunities to add to their lead. Singles from Jackson and Kevin Plawecki put two men on with one out in the top of the seventh, but Luis Guillorme managed only a ground out. Conforto was intentionally walked as a pinch-hitter and Amed Rosario grounded out to strand the bases loaded. They loaded the bases again in the eighth on a walk and two hit batters, but two foul pop-ups wasted that opportunity as well.

Thankfully, the Mets bullpen made those missed opportunities irrelevant. Seth Lugo tossed two scoreless innings and Anthony Swarzak closed things out with a perfect ninth, giving Wheeler’s three straight wins for the first time in his career. It’s also the first time the Mets have won 1-0 in Pittsburgh with the pitcher driving in the only run since they did so twice in one day in 1969 – Jerry Koosman and Don Cardwell were the starters for that doubleheader.

The win puts the Mets at 44-59, and they’ll have an off day today before heading to Washington on Tuesday. We’ll see if there’s anybody missing or any new faces on Tuesday as the trade deadline approaches.

Thoughts from the Game

I really don’t think the Mets should trade Zack Wheeler. Yes, he’s an injury waiting to happen, but he’s looked like a different, blossoming pitcher over the last month. More importantly, the Mets’ starting pitching depth isn’t great, and mid-rotation starters can be expensive, prohibitively-so for the Mets and their laughable budget. Unless a team shows up offering multiple top 10 prospects that can help the Mets soon, it seems like holding Wheeler to give things another go next season is the better move.

In bullpen observations, Anthony Swarzak finally looks healthy. Oblique injuries linger, so it’s not entirely surprising that he’s struggled for much of the year after getting hurt in spring training. The Mets are going to need to rebuild their bullpen almost entirely for next season with Jeurys Familia and Jerry Blevins gone and Robert Gsellman struggling so mightily, but Swarzak returning to 2017 form would be a big help.

Other Mets News

It’s not directly Mets news, but the Yankees traded a reliever with a sub-0.5 ERA at Double-A this season for $1.5 million in international slot money. This is relevant since the Mets got $1 million in slot money in the Familia trade and attempted to sell it as a big get. In reality, it’s a relatively inconsequential, low value piece and the market demonstrating as such makes an already weak return for Familia appear even worse.

Photo credit: Charles LeClaire – USA Today Sports

Las Vegas 51s (Triple-A)

Hitter: Luis Guillorme

It seems like forever ago, but Guillorme was on the major league roster until June 25 before the Mets sent him back to Las Vegas. He struggled in his first taste of the big leagues (.457 OPS, 29 OPS+) but the inconsistent playing time surely didn’t help. Guillorme’s glove has been major league ready for a while now but the Mets’ newfound fascination — or maybe it never went away — with Jose Reyes relegated him to a marginal role.

Guillorme’s never going to be mistaken for an offensive powerhouse, but he rarely strikes out and draws a fair number of walks. He’s hitting over .300 for the season in Vegas and is a far better hitter than his .172 average in the majors shows. There’s a valuable utility player here, and Guillorme should be on the 2019 Opening Day roster.

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A)

Hitter: Andres Gimenez

The Mets’ top prospect earned a well-deserved promotion to Double-A Binghamton after a very respectable showing in the Florida State League. Gimenez won’t turn 20 until September and it now seems likely that he’ll begin 2019 with Binghamton. That timeline lines him up for a potential call-up in September 2019, just three years after coming stateside. While the presence of Amed Rosario likely forces Gimenez over to second, he still figures to be a valuable major league contributor sooner rather than later.

Gimenez can hold his own with the bat but the bulk of his value and prospect pedigree derives from the fact that he can stick at short. That’s a problem considering that Rosario was an even higher regarded prospect who’s already in the big leagues. Now, it’s a good problem of course, and one the Mets don’t need to worry about for at least another season. A good showing from Gimenez in Binghamton to end the season could accelerate his timeline slightly, but 2020 seems like the year he gets the call.

Port St. Lucie Mets (Advanced-A)

Pitcher: Stephen Villines

Villines took an interesting path to Kansas, but the Mets drafted him as a senior sign in the 10th round of the 2017 draft. The right-hander is a reliever only, but he put up good numbers in school and dominated on the Cape for two seasons.

Villines has plus control, especially for a reliever, but it’s his lack of stuff that dropped him to the 10th round. His fastball sits in the mid-to-upper 80s, far below average and especially so for a reliever. He also throws a slider in the low-to-mid 70s and a change that’s likely his best pitch.

While a college performer should dominate the lower levels of the minors, Villines put up video game numbers in Brooklyn and Columbia. He struck out 30 while walking just one in 19 innings for the Cyclones last season and continued that dominance for the Fireflies to begin this season. Villines was promoted to Port St. Lucie where he has continued to succeed, striking out 15 while walking four to go along with his 0.63 ERA in 14.1 innings.

While the stuff says Villines isn’t a major league caliber reliever, the early returns say otherwise. He could carve out a Brad Ziegler-type career, or he could never reach the majors. Only time will tell, but Villines needs to be challenged in Double-A before the end of the year.

Brooklyn Cyclones (Short-Season-A)

Hitter: Ross Adolph

While neither myself nor Jeffrey Paternostro were fans of the Mets’ draft strategy, especially on days two and three, they may actually have something in Adolph. Jeff saw Brooklyn recently and liked Adolph a lot more than he expected to.

Adolph doesn’t have a plus tool, but he’s a sum of the parts player who has a chance to be a fourth outfielder when it’s all said and done. That’s exactly what you’re looking for in the 12th round, and the Mets seem to have done really well here. Adolph’s off to a really nice start in Brooklyn (.288/.367/.490), where he’ll likely spend the remainder of the season. There’s an opportunity for Adolph to move quickly here, as the Mets lack outfield depth in the upper minors.

Kingsport Mets (Rookie League)

Hitter: Luis Santana

The 19-year-old Santana is stateside and off to a blazing start after playing two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. In 31 games for Kingsport, Santana is hitting .364/.469/.471 with two home runs and a 13:20 K to BB ratio. That’s…really good for a teenager playing and living in a new country for the first time.

Santana is small (5’ 8” 175) but has surprising strength for his size. He’s likely always going to be a hit over power player, but he’s got the ability to do damage every now and then. Santana fits best at second, where he’s a solid defender with sure hands. The Mets have done really well internationally and Santana is no exception. He’s far away, but he’s a guy to keep an eye on for the future.

Gulf Coast Mets (Rookie League)

Hitter: Ronny Mauricio

Speaking of doing well internationally, Mauricio signed for over $2 million in 2017 and skipped the DSL entirely, beginning his career in the GCL. He just turned 17 this season and is hitting .333/.346/.540 in his first taste of professional baseball. You couldn’t ask for a better start to a career.

Mauricio is listed at 6’ 3,” 166 punds but has reportedly grown at least an inch since he signed. He’s currently a shortstop but likely moves over to third as he ascends the minor league ladder. The bat is what you’re buying here though, and Mauricio looks like a Top 10 prospect in the system already.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

Unfortunately for Seth Lugo, who had been superb previous to his last two starts, he could not will his team to victory despite allowing one earned run.

Sure-handed middle infielder – yes, that’s right, I said middle infielder – Luis Guillorme got the start at third base tonight, a position he has played for most of the 2018 MLB season. However, Guillorme, who grades as a 70 shortstop and 75 second baseman, has played just three career games in the minor leagues at the hot corner. So of course, his two errors in the game were what seemed like the difference in this loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In fact, the whole defensive alignment for the Mets is plain bad: Guillorme and Michael Conforto were the only above average defenders in the lineup tonight.

Now, as I said before, the two-run difference does not tell the story of this contest.

Tyler Bashlor made his Major League debut and surrendered two runs in two innings, one being a home run to Josh Bell. Bashlor didn’t look all that impressive throwing 15 balls out of his 36 pitches, but there is certainly potential with the hard-throwing righty.

By the sixth inning, the Pirates were ahead 5-0.

Jameson Taillon mostly stifled the Mets, and after getting pulled in a shaky seventh inning, 6’8″ flamethrower Tyler Glasnow promptly served up a 3-run home run to Wilmer Flores to bring the score to 5-4. Unfortunately for New York, the lefty-righty-lefty Pirate relief tandem of Steven Brault, Kyle Crick and Felipe Vazquez curtailed any effort to even the score late in the game.

Eventually, Robert “Ambiguous Role in Mets’ Bullpen” Gsellman’s struggles continued in the ninth, as he allowed a run to score on a sac fly bringing the score to 6-4.

The aforementioned and newly name-changed Vazquez was able to the close the Mets down with ease and strike out the side bringing Mickey Callaway’s squad to an abysmal 31-45 record.

Since their 11-1 start, the New York Mets are 20-44 and have lost seven in a row.

Yikes.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

The Mets dropped the first three games of their series with the Cubs, most recently with an excruciating 14 inning loss Saturday night. Steven Matz took the mound against Jon Lester as the tail-spinning Mets looked to avoid the sweep. You can basically ignore all of that though, because Kevin Plawecki was batting cleanup – that should tell you all you need to know about how this game was going to go.

Game Recap

Steven Matz was brilliant. Facing a Cubs lineup without Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, Matz went seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out seven. He ran his scoreless inning streak to 15 before coughing up two runs in the seventh (we’ll get back to that in a moment). He also made a great play to thwart a suicide squeeze in the third. It was the best Matz has looked all season, lowering his ERA to 3.42.

But about that seventh inning. Matz gave up a hard ground ball single to Javier Baez to start the inning, then a soft line drive to Willson Contreras that put runners on the corners. The Cubs then executed one of the most brilliant base-running moves you’ll see. On one pitch, Contreras bluffed a steal to second, quickly stopping and returning to first. That drew a courtesy throw from Matz before the next pitch. He didn’t make a hard throw, and Baez sprinted home as soon as the ball left Matz’s hand to steal the first run of the game.

That was annoying, but things got worse. Contreras moved to second on the previous play, then advanced to third on a infield single that Luis Guillorme made a fantastic play on to keep in the infield.With one out, Ben Zobrist hit a pop up that Guillorme went back on and struggled to find. It was clearly a ball that Jay Bruce should have called him off on, but Bruce, for whatever reason, did not. As Guillorme lunged backwards to make the catch, Contreras tagged up and scored on a sacrifice fly that was at most 120 feet away from the plate.

Matz got out of the inning without any more damage, but it was frustrating to watch a young, athletic team take advantage of a squad that is, once again, sleepwalking through a game on Sunday. Paul Sewald relieved Matz with two scoreless relief.

The strong pitching performance was entirely wasted by another pathetic offensive display. Jon Lester walked the first two batters of the game, then struck out the next three. The Mets didn’t manage their first hit until the sixth (a single from Plawecki), a bases-loaded opportunity that was also squandered when Adrian Gonzalez grounded out. A leadoff single from Michael Conforto in the ninth was quickly erased on a double play ground ball from Gonzalez as well, and a pop-up from Guillorme ended the shutout loss.

Mets starters have a 1.41 ERA over the past six games. They have one win. They managed 20 hits and and six runs in four games against the Cubs. It’s been 17 innings since the Mets have scored a run (MIchael Conforto’s solo home run in the sixth inning on Saturday). Their record is now 27-30.

Thoughts from the Game

Last offseason’s free agent market was brutal for one-dimensional corner bats. Lucas Duda, Logan Morrison and Yonder Alonso all received relatively small deals. J.D. Martinez, who is one of the best pure hitters in baseball, didn’t sign until February and only got 5 years/$110 million despite three straight seasons with a tAV of at least .304.

In the same offseason, the Mets raced out to give Jay Bruce a 3-year, $39 million contract. Jay Bruce, who hasn’t been able to play defense for half a decade (since having knee surgery) and is an, at-best, slightly above league-average bat. Jay Bruce, for a team whose two offensive stars are corner outfielders. The signing was a predictably disaster, and it’s been exactly that so far this season. Worse still, Mickey Callaway seems to have doubled down on Bruce, throwing Conforto and Yoenis Cespedes under a bus on Friday and leaving Bruce, who is a much bigger problem on both sides of the ball, unscathed.

This isn’t some complex analysis that requires new age stats or SQL skills. All one needs to do is look at Bruce’s stats page for the past five years and watch him play defense for three innings. That the Mets front office got to watch him for basically a whole season and couldn’t come to this very obvious conclusions is mind-bogglingly inept.

Side note, I really should rename this section of my recaps to “Lukas rants about some stupid s*** the Mets did.”

Other Mets News

Todd Frazier is expected to rejoin the team before Tuesday’s game against the Orioles, perhaps the only team in baseball as ineptly run as the Mets. Hopefully some games against Baltimore can get the team somewhat righted before next weekend’s Subway Series.

Photo credit: Anthony Gruppuso – 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

The Mets had 12 hits and scored six runs, which felt like an explosion considering the team’s recent offensive performance. The six runs were the most they’ve scored in a game since last Tuesday, when the Amazins’ put up a 12 spot against the Blue Jays. Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto both hit solo home runs and Wilmer Flores chipped in with three hits. Conforto finally looks “right” at the plate and I’ll have an in depth look at what he’s doing differently later this week. Devin Mesoraco had two hits to continue his unexpected but welcomed strong start to his Mets career. Jay Bruce looked competitive at the dish and reached three times on the afternoon. Amed Rosario drew a walk in his only plate appearance! Jerry Blevins was called upon for some mop up duty and didn’t allow a run. Also, Jose Reyes reached base twice?

THE BAD

Adrian Gonzalez was 1-5 with a team-high seven men left on base. The Mets have better internal options (see Alonso, Peter) and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for the organization to justify Gonzalez’s roster spot. Reyes reached twice and still has a .200 on-base percentage, which should tell you all you need to know. He also grounded into the Mets’ only double play and even made an error out at short while Luis Guillorme sat and wondered what exactly he needs to do to play. Asdrubal Cabrera, the team’s best player so far this season, was slow to get up after a play at second and was pinch hit for but should be good to go on Sunday. The Mets would be in big trouble should Cabrera require a DL stint of any kind.

THE (REALLY) UGLY

After allowing five earned runs in just three innings of work Saturday, Jason Vargas’ ERA is up to an unfathomable 10.62 in his 20.1 innings this season. The Mets have given Vargas five starts now and plan to give him another, but he’s been absolutely dreadful thus far. Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman both represent much more competitive options, but they’re also two of the Mets best relievers and a move would decimate an already thin relief corps. That’s because AJ Ramos, supposedly one of the Mets’ best high-leverage options, has been awful this season as well. After walking in the winning run Friday, Ramos was lit up for three runs on three hits and one walk in only two-thirds of an inning. It was a low-leverage situation and Ramos still wasn’t effective and at this point, your guess is as good as mine as to where Ramos and the Mets go from here. Chris Flexen was also shelled for eight hits and three walks in only two innings of work. Although he was only charged for three earned runs, Flexen was terrible Saturday and now isn’t available for Monday’s doubleheader; he’s likely to be sent down for P.J Conlon or possibly Tim Peterson, as the Mets will need another pitcher for the aforementioned doubleheader with Atlanta. Look for Conlon rather than Peterson, as he’s already on the 40-man and wouldn’t require a corresponding roster move.

Photo credit: Benny Sieu – USA Today Sports