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

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

It only took two innings to show that this existential dilemma would pose far greater opposition than Colorado could muster on the field. Rockies’ starter Tyler Chatwood walked 15 batters in 15.2 innings before the All-Star break. All that time off made his command worse! Chatwood started with seven balls, got a small cheer for his first strike, then issued his second walk. Yoenis Cespedes flew out, then Jay Bruce hammered a three-run homer to dead center. Chatwood couldn’t throw another strike. The trainer checked him out, but even the practice pitches were well out of the zone. Watching him struggle was one of the most painful things I’ve seen in a Mets game this season, and that’s saying something.

Left hander Chris Rusin came in to try and challenge the Mets’ hot bats, but it didn’t go so well for him. Travis d’Arnaud hit a two-out single to give the Mets a fourth run in the first before Seth Lugo ended the inning. Rusin got two outs in the second, then Cespedes singled. Bruce hit a fairly routine ground ball to second, but DJ LeMahieu threw the ball in the dirt to extend the inning. T.J. Rivera singled and Lucas Duda pulled a double down the line to give the Mets a 7-0 lead. Lugo put a cherry on top in the third with his first Major League home run.

Lugo rolled his first two times through the lineup, allowing only three hits while striking out five. It’s hard to know just how much to make of this. Colorado’s lineup has a number of disappointments with Coors Field inflated stats – and players like Carlos Gonzalez who are just having awful seasons. The most encouraging thing for me was Lugo didn’t walk anyone and mixed up his pitches effectively. Lugo is well known for the huge spin rate on his curveball, but his most effective pitch tonight was a high fastball tailing out of the strike zone.

Cespedes slid awkwardly trying to make a catch in the sixth, driving his right knee in to the field and digging up a large divot. He tried to show Terry Collins a full range of movement and flexibility, but Collins wasn’t willing to risk further injury in an 8-0 game and pulled Cespedes immediately; Terry said postgame that it was a hip issue.

As encouraging as two big wins over the Rockies may feel, it’s a mistake to assume this is enough to push the Mets towards the playoffs. Closing the gap on the Rockies is one thing. However, there are five other teams ahead of the Mets in the Wild Card standings! It’s not enough to pull Colorado back to the pack. The Mets would also have to leapfrog the Braves, Marlins, Cubs, Cardinals, and Pirates. Some of those teams have already indicated they will be sellers, which may be a hint about how hard it will be for any of these teams to claw their way out of the pack and in to the second wild card.

What’s Next?

Steven Matz takes the mound as the Mets look for the sweep. Some Mets fans have sleepless nights about whether the team is suddenly winning too much.

After being snubbed for the All-Star Game, Jacob deGrom got the first start for the Mets out of the break, squaring off against the second Wild Card team Rockies. Jon Gray, the Rockies’ opening day starter who missed significant time with a stress fracture in his foot, made his sixth start. Perhaps most importantly, Michael Conforto got the start in center field, hopefully indicating that the Mets plan to play him every day down the stretch.

Game Recap

deGrom got off to a somewhat rough start, allowing a leadoff single to Charlie Blackmon. Two batters later, Nolan Arenado hit a weak ground ball that deGrom threw past first base for an error, putting runners on first and third with one out. Gerardo Parra then drove in the first run of the game with a ground ball single, giving the Rockies a one-run lead. That’s all they’d get for the inning and almost all they’d get for the entire evening against deGrom.

The Mets went quietly in the first, but got to work in the bottom of the second against Jon Gray. Lucas Duda started the inning with a bloop single to left, moving to third on a double from Jose Reyes. Travis d’Arnaud then hit a weak ground ball that Nolan Arenado made a fantastic play on to record the out, but Duda scored to tie the game. One batter later, deGrom had a bloop hit of his own to score Reyes and give the Mets a 2-1 lead. Conforto singled to keep the inning going before Asdrubal Cabrera grounded into a double play to end the inning, but the Mets were far from finished with Gray.

Yoenis Cespedes started the bottom of the third with a hustle double that he dinked down the right field line. Jay Bruce followed with his own bloop single to left, putting runners on first and third with nobody out. T.J. Rivera then smashed a double into the gap to score two runs, extending the Mets lead to 4-1. Duda kept the chain moving by walking, and Reyes drove in the Met’s fifth run with a single. d’Arnaud walked as well to load the bases, still with no outs.

That’d be all for Gray, who couldn’t even record an out in the second. He was certainly victimized by some bad luck – four of the Mets’ hits against him were poorly hit – but his stuff was clearly rusty after going nine days between outings, and the Mets were hitting rockets off of him by the time he departed.

Gray was relieved by Zac Rosscup, who struck out deGrom for the first out of the third. Conforto hit a chopper for an RBI fielder’s choice, and Cabrera bounced a ground ball of the second base bag for an RBI single, scoring the fifth and sixth Met runs of the inning, pushing them to an 8-1 lead. Cespedes added his second hit of the inning with a hard hit single before Bruce struck out to finally end the third.

T.J. Rivera added a solo home run to start the bottom of the fourth, but the Mets already had more than enough cushion for deGrom, who straight-up dominated for the rest of the night. Outside of a double from Charlie Blackmon in the sixth (he’d later score on a sacrifice fly from Gerardo Parra), deGrom held the Rockies hitless from the second until the eighth. He struck out 11 on the night, his seventh game with double digit strikeouts this season, earning a win in his sixth straight start and his tenth win on the season. He finished after eight innings, allowing four hits, one walk, and two runs.

The Mets tacked on a couple more runs after deGrom departed on a bases loaded walk to Cabrera and an infield single by Cespedes. Josh Edgin entered to close out the 12-run game and made things drag, allowing two singles and a walk, but ultimately held off the Rockies to secure the 14-2 win. The victory pulls the Mets within 9.5 of the second wild card spot, perhaps the first step of playing, as Sandy Alderson put it, “exceedingly well” as they try to save their season (don’t count on it).

Thoughts from the Game

Please don’t trade Jacob deGrom unless the return is absolutely, stupendously good. I’m talking Alex Bregman, Francis Martes, and Kyle Tucker from the Astros, which A) will never happen and B) I’m not sure even excites me without getting a long term center field solution or an equivalently useful piece. Even if deGrom’s an unlikely extension candidate as he’s under control until age 32, he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball and can be a valuable contributor for what should be contending Met teams in 2018 and 2019. On a more emotional level, he’s just a joy to watch when he’s on, both due to his electric stuff and due to his fun, underdog story.

Other Met News

For once, the news on the injury front can almost be considered good. Jeurys Familia has started a throwing program, while both Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard are close to being cleared. Given that all three have missed extended time with a serious injuries, they’ll certainly need some time to work their way back. More relevantly for potential trades, Neil Walker is 7-10 days away, hopefully putting him on track to return before the non-waiver trade deadline. Walker’s salary is hefty enough that he can probably be traded through waivers in August, so the longer he has to display that he is healthy the better.

At the same press conference where Alderson delivered this injury news, he also reinforced that Amed Rosario (and Dom Smith) will not be up any time soon. Specifically, Alderson said that he would not promote any top prospects until the players they would be replacing were moved. Given Terry Collins’ predilection for playing veterans over rookies, that’s probably a smart developmental decision.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

The Good: Wheeler and d’Arnaud

Zack Wheeler hit a cold stretch, went on the disabled list, and came back with another awful start. All season long, it’s been hard to tell if Wheeler was fading due to lingering injury effects or whether he just hasn’t learned how to effectively use his breaking pitchers to fool hitters and put them away. Terry Collins said Wheeler needs to throw more offspeed pitches in the strike zone, and the righty responded, going to his slider more and managing to locate some to keep the hitters off balance. The Cardinals helped him out several times by running their way out of good two out scoring threats; Travis d’Arnaud threw out three baserunners – two attempting to steal and the lead runner on a bad bunt. Wheeler’s improved command and d’Arnaud’s defense were enough to keep the Mets in a low scoring game.

The Bad: Most of the Lineup

At this point in his career, Adam Wainwright has to fool hitters to have a chance. He doesn’t have the same command any more. His fielders can’t reliably turn ground balls in to outs. The crafty veteran was able to pitch to the scouting report and take advantage of an undisciplined Mets’ lineup. Curtis Granderson guessed wrong several times and Asdrubal Cabrera followed him with several strikeouts, throwing his bat in frustration in the fourth, then slamming his helmet in the sixth. The Mets only had two hits through six innings before Jay Bruce hit his 23rd homer of the season. T.J. Rivera and Jose Reyes also got hits, prompting the Cardinals to go to the bullpen. Bruce, Rivera and Reyes combined for all seven Mets hits.

The Ugly: Bullpen Merry-Go-Round

Since the Mets were down 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Collins turned to Fernando Salas. I’m not sure whether this counts as going to the low leverage guy or not. Salas gave up a leadoff double to red hot rookie Paul DeJong and it got worse from there. Four of the five Cardinals’ hitters reached, although Stephen Piscotty ran his way into an out and a major Keith Hernandez rant. Erik Goeddel blew away Yadier Molina to end the seventh. Collins dumped out Rafael Montero, Josh Edgin, and Neil Ramirez for the eighth. Watching this bullpen feels like watching someone go to the craps table and think they can beat the house. When one reliever fails, Collins will happily bet on the next one. In fact, just after I wrote this, Collins said he’s going to use Ramirez more.

The Weirdly Tragic: Nimmo to DL

Brandon Nimmo was placed on the 10-day disabled list after being diagnosed with a partially collapsed lung Friday. Collins told reporters that there does not seem to be any specific acute cause, like a collision. Nimmo said “I really don’t expect [to be out] too long — we’re not talking months. I don’t think we’re talking anything like that. It’s obviously already healed or else air would still be leaking into my chest cavity.”

Conforto Back (But Only Technically)

Michael Conforto was reinstated to the active roster to take Nimmo’s spot. However, the All Star did not play on Saturday. If you follow anyone who writes about the Mets on Twitter, you’ve probably seen the screaming about the lineup already. Conforto stood in the on deck circle in the seventh inning to see if the Mets could have extended the inning against a right-handed pitcher, but the Cardinals got out of the inning and used lefty Brett Cecil for the eighth.

What’s Next?

One more game in St. Louis, then the All Star break. Seems like a great time to start talking to other teams about deals.

Photo credit: Jeff Curry – USA Today Sports

After losing two games to the Nationals and having the third mercifully rained out, the Mets come into St. Louis for their last series before the All Star Break. Jacob deGrom, on a fantastic run after some early season troubles, took the mound opposite Cardinal ace Carlos Martinez. It should have been a matchup of two All Stars if not for deGrom being snubbed, so this game offered deGrom the opportunity to show the NL what sort of mistake they made.

Game Recap

Instead of getting dominated by Carlos Martinez like they usually do, the Mets jumped out to an early lead in the first. Curtis Granderson and Asdrubal Cabrera drew walks and Yoenis Cespedes bounced a single through the left side to load the bases with no outs. Two batters later, T.J. Rivera was hit by a pitch to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, the Mets squandered a chance at a bigger inning when Cabrera made an ill-advised attempt to score on a fly out from Lucas Duda.

Jose Reyes led off the second with a home run to give the Mets a 2-0 lead, and for a while it looked like that would be more than enough for Jacob deGrom. After his no-hit bid was spoiled by a ball lost in the lights last time out, deGrom set down the first six Cardinals in order, including two strikeouts. Such electric stuff prompted some premature reactions, like this one from yours truly:

Have an odd feeling about deGrom tonight. Totally meaningless and most likely wrong, but you never know…

— Lukas Vlahos (@lvlahos343) July 8, 2017

Jinxing a no-hitter is of course nonsense, but if it was a real thing I certainly committed a cardinal sin there (no pun intended). On queue, Randal Grichuk and Paul DeJong lead off the bottom of the third with back-to-back home runs to tie the game at two. deGrom got the next three Cardinals in order, but the Met lead was gone, as were Twitter fantasies of a no-hitter.

The Mets were right there to pick up their ace in the top of the fourth. Reyes lined a one-out double, scoring one batter later on a single from Travis d’Arnaud. deGrom then hit a grounder that should have been a double play, but Matt Carpenter was too far from second base in bunt defense to turn it. Granderson promptly made the Cardinals pay, lining a double down the right field line to give the Mets another two-run lead.

deGrom couldn’t make that lead stand up either, as he continued to struggle with the long ball. Just as in the third inning, the first two Cardinals hit home runs, as Dexter Fowler and Jedd Gyorko hit solo home runs to tie the game at four. It was the first time deGrom had ever given up four home runs in a game, and he managed to do it in a span of seven batters to boot.

Once again, however, the Met offense picked their ace up. With one out in the fifth, Jay Bruce launched his 22nd home run of the year to give the Mets a 5-4 lead. deGrom induced an inning-ending double play in both the fifth and sixth, and the Mets got him another insurance run in the seventh when T.J. Rivera drove in Cespedes with a double.

For the third time, deGrom had a two-run lead in the seventh to go with a surprisingly low pitch count despite giving up the four home runs. This time, he made the lead stand up, working around a two-out double from Paul DeJong to keep St. Louis off the board. Though he fought his command, frequently missing over the plate, this was one of those trademark gutty starts from deGrom (to quote Keith). He went seven innings, struck out five, and allowed eight hits, with a fluky four of them leaving the yard.

Jerry Blevins entered for the eighth inning, but his struggles continued as he allowed a leadoff single to Matt Carpenter. Paul Sewald came in and poured some gasoline on that fire, allowing a single to Stephen Piscotty to put the tying runs on with none out. Dexter Fowler then hit a ball that should have been a double play, but Cabrera had trouble on the transfer. A sacrifice fly made the game 6-5, but Sewald got the next out to preserve the Met lead.

After a relatively quiet top of the ninth interrupted by a broken umpire’s mask, Addison Reed was called upon for the save. Luke Voit hit a rocket on the first pitch he saw, but Granderson was playing deep and got back on the ball to make the catch. Grichuk also attacked the first pitch, and he too hit the ball hard to center field, but Granderson was once again positioned perfectly. To wrap things up, Reed struck out Paul DeJong after a nine-pitch battle, securing his 15th save of the year as well as a win for deGrom in his fifth consecutive start.

Thoughts from the Game

Don’t let Cabrera’s 0-for-4 night fool you, because he hit every ball hard. After walking in the first, he hit a line drive right at second baseman Matt Carpenter, then a hard ground ball that shortstop Paul DeJong made a sprawling play on. Next, he hit a deep laser to right that Stephen Piscotty made a fantastic play on as he crashed into the wall. And finally, Luke Voit robbed Cabrera on a hard ground ball in the eighth. He may be unhappy about playing second, but he’s been mashing since coming back from the DL, batting .326/.420/.535 over that span.

On a more team-wide note, the Mets are somehow back on the very fringes of contention again, as a recent swoon by the Rockies has put the 39-45 Mets within 9.5 games of the second wild card (Editor’s note: Lukas, stop it). Selling still seems to be the right move however – there are three teams between the Mets and Colorado (Atlanta, St. Louis, Chicago) and the Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Rockies are all probably due for some regression, but I see no real reason to believe the Mets are due for any positive regression either, and they simply cannot compete with the elite teams of the NL. Selling off assets and reloading for a better shot at next season is a better course of action that flailing desperately for a remote chance to get swept in the NLDS.

Other Met News

On the injury front, Michael Conforto is set to make his return to the major league club this afternoon after a rehab game with St. Lucie. That’d be great news if not for the fact that Conforto reportedly “felt something” during his start, but the Mets plan to play him anyway. Later reports had Conforto saying he felt great and that his hand just stiffened up (to be fair, he did go 3-for-4), but that’s hardly the most reassuring message. Hopefully the Mets don’t wind up pushing Conforto through an injury like we saw them do for much of last season.

After the Mets “made a strong effort” to bring back Bartolo Colon, the former Met elected to sign a minor league deal with the Twins instead. The Mets aren’t a contender, but the Twins are barely hanging in there, so that might not a factor in his choice. Perhaps he just didn’t want to hit, or the Twins offered him more money, or any other of a number of reasons. As someone who never quite understood the infatuation with Colon, I’m not particularly broken up about not getting to watch a 44-year-old, washed-up starter the rest of the season, but I get that plenty of Met fans are at least somewhat disappointed.

On the prospect side, Amed Rosario ranked second on BP’s midseason top 50 list released earlier this week, while Dom Smith missed the cut. Smith also hit his fourth home run in July on Friday, and leads the minor leagues with 115 hits (PCL caveats apply).

Photo credit: Jeff Curry – USA Today Sports

The Mets lost both games of a rain-shortened set against division-leading Washington earlier this week. St. Louis, four back in the loss column behind first-place Milwaukee in a surprisingly underperforming NL Central, has managed to stay in the mix despite playing sub-.500 ball since June 2.

With just over three weeks until the non-waiver trade deadline and facing daunting deficits in their own playoff races, all eyes will be on New York GM Sandy Alderson and the front office as they attempt to salvage what’s left of a lost season by selling off some of their assets.

One potential transaction that fans seem to be clamoring for would be a reunion with cult hero and clubhouse favorite Bartolo Colon, released by Atlanta on Thursday after enduring the worst stretch of his career (8.14 ERA, .330 TAv, -1.4 WARP over 13 starts). According to multiple reports, the Mets have already reached out to the 44-year-old’s representatives to discuss the possibility of bringing Colon back to Queens where he was a steadying presence in the rotation over the past three seasons.

As part of All-Star week, the SiriusXM Futures Game will be played in Miami on Sunday afternoon and will feature some of baseball’s top up-and-coming prospects. Representing the Mets will be catcher Tomas Nido and highly touted shortstop Amed Rosario, who will both play for the World Team. Nido was named as a roster replacement for recently promoted Cubs rookie Victor Caratini, while Rosario (.320 AVG, 7 HR, 52 RBI, 14 SB in in 82 games for Triple-A Las Vegas) joins a group of well-known infielders including Yoan Moncada and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.

Outfielder Michael Conforto (.953 OPS in 69 games) is expected to be the Mets’ lone representative in the main event on Tuesday. Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez and catcher Yadier Molina will also suit up for the National League at Marlins Park. It will be the 25-year-old ace’s second All-Star appearance, and the eighth time the veteran backstop has been named to the team.

When and Where

Game 1: Friday @ 8:15 p.m. EST (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 2: Saturday @ 4:10 p.m. EST (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Game 3: Sunday @ 2:15 p.m. EST (TV: SNY; RADIO: 710 WOR, ESPN Deportes)

Baseball Weather

Friday: Clear with a low of 69F and winds between 10-15 mph.
Saturday: Partly cloudy with a high of 91F and winds between 5-10 mph. 20% chance of a stray shower or thunderstorm.
Sunday: Partly cloudy with a high of 94F and winds between 5-10 mph.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday: RHP Jacob deGrom (8-3, 3.55 ERA, 2.66 DRA, .237 TAv, 3.4 WARP) vs. RHP Carlos Martinez (6-7, 3.15 ERA, 2.60 DRA, .227 TAv, 3.7 WARP)

In what figures to be the best matchup of the series, at least on paper, two of the best arms in the game go head-to-head in the opener.

On the visiting side, deGrom will try to win his fifth straight. The bushy-haired ace has been absolutely dominating over the four-game stretch, allowing just three earned runs in 32 innings pitched (0.84 ERA) while striking out 31.

Martinez has lost his last two decisions, most recently on Sunday at home against the Nationals where he was charged with five runs in five innings.

Saturday: TBD vs. RHP Adam Wainwright (9-5, 5.48 ERA, 5.97 DRA, .281 TAv, -0.4 WARP)

A three-time All-Star with two 20-win seasons on his resume, Wainwright will wrap up what is arguably the most inconsistent first half of his career. He earned the win over Miami on Monday in spite of a poor performance, allowing six runs on eight hits in five innings, and will be aiming to win three in a row.

Sunday: TBD vs. RHP Lance Lynn (6-6, 3.87 ERA, 5.15 DRA, .258 TAv, 0.5 WARP)

The 30-year-old Lynn is 1-3 with a 7.89 ERA over his last four outings, surrendering eight homers during that stretch.

Who’s Hot?

Mets IF/OF T.J. Rivera (.429 AVG, 1.264 OPS with 2 home runs in his last 6 games)

Mets SS Jose Reyes (5-for-15, 1 HR in July)

Cardinals OF Tommy Pham (.353 AVG (6-for-17) with 5 RBIs since Monday)

Who’s Not?

Mets RF Jay Bruce (1 for his last 19 with 6 strikeouts)

Cardinals C Yadier Molina (1-for-11 since July 4)

When We Last Met

The Mets took two of three in St. Louis in late August, with rookies Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo earning the victories. Martinez held New York to one run over eight strong frames in the middle game, while deGrom was charged with five runs on twelve hits in one of his worst starts of the season.

It’s Literally a 10-Day DL

Mets: LF Yoenis Cespedes (right hamstring cramp) is expected to be in the lineup on Friday night. Curtis Granderson (sore hip) should also be available for this series. Conforto (bruised left hand) began a rehab assignment with high-A St. Lucie on Thursday, and could be activated from the disabled list as soon as Saturday. The first-time All-Star played all nine innings in centerfield, going 3-for-4 with a double at the plate. LHP Josh Smoker (left shoulder strain) pitched a scoreless frame in that game, his first action since being placed on the 10-day DL on June 14.

Cardinals: LHP Zach Duke (ligament surgery in left elbow) joined Triple-A Memphis in Nashville on Thursday, the veteran’s third club since beginning a rehab assignment last Friday. Duke may be activated by the end of the month if all goes well. CF Dexter Fowler (right heel spur) ran the bases with cleats on Thursday for the first time since being injured and could return this weekend, although at this point the team may take a cautious approach and wait until after the break to activate their speedy leadoff hitter. 2B Kolten Wong (right triceps strain) is on assignment with Double-A Springfield, and has started their past two games.

Notable Quotables

“If you’re gonna pitch it, you’ve got to catch it. Some of the best pitching in baseball has some of the best defense in baseball. Certainly, we have a system that we’ve put together where we try to put guys in the right spots depending on who’s pitching and who’s up and it seems like we’re 6-10 inches away from being in the right place.” – Mets manager Terry Collins on the team’s recent defensive woes

“It happens quickly. You win five out of six and the team you’re chasing goes through a little bit of a tailspin and all of a sudden that math changes quickly, which is why this is something we keep re-evaluating every day… We could certainly be in a better position than we are right now, but we’re not in a position where we’re dead. We’re lucky to be in a division where being four games under .500 isn’t a death knell. We still have a shot. We have to start playing to our potential if we’re going to make this happen.” – Cardinals general manager Michael Girsch, promoted to the position a week ago, on his club’s stance leading up to the trade deadline

Photo credit: Jeff Curry – USA Today Sports

Well, folks, the Sunday Mets showed up.

WHAT HAPPENED, THERE WAS THIS ONE INNING:

Look, this is getting weird for me. Last week I had the, well, I guess you could say opportunity to cover Rafael Montero’s start against the San Francisco Giants. It was his first since his demotion, and he looked pretty good. He looked to settle in after a visit to the mound in the third inning, and it looked like Montero might have some life going forward. There was one caveat to proclaiming that Rafael Montero had turned a corner, though — he faced the San Francisco Giants lineup. That is, of course, one of the worst lineups in all of MLB this season. In the National League, you’d really have to say that only the Padres and Phillies could compare. Naturally, Montero’s next start would come against that latter team.

For a second, set aside all of Rafael Montero’s history as a New York Met pitcher. If you were to paint the scene for ‘Montero Is Now Good’ mania to take place, it would be following two starts against the Giants and Phillies. The only way to make it better is if he had a third start against the Padres (side note: this might be a thing, as the Mets face the Padres the final week of July).

That’s all theory, though. What happened in the actual game, you ask? Well, here is Rafael Montero without the 2nd inning:

5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K

And Montero’s line with the 2nd inning:

6.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K

As you can see, that second inning was brutal. The Phillies were 5-5 at the plate before a Freddy Galvis strikeout ended the inning. Without it, Montero had a nice line. Much like the start against the Giants, one inning was the cause of most of the damage. I’m not going to sit here and say that Montero is now good, I’m not going to say that he is still the awful nibbler that we have to come to know and…know. His offspeed stuff looks a little better, and it’s possible that he is turning a corner before our very eyes. It is also possible that he has faced very bad lineups. I don’t know. With all that has happened this season, a Rafael Montero turnaround would seem a fitting way to torment a fanbase that has already dealt with so much this season. In short, who the hell knows.

If history is a good indicator, he is very bad. If opposing lineups are a good indicator, he is doing what he should. All we can say is that we’ll likely see Montero and that weird fingernail get one more start. Knowing my luck, I’ll be recapping it.

WHAT HAPPENED, AT LEAST THEY WEREN’T SHUT OUT:

There isn’t much to say about how the Mets hit yesterday, but I do have a story. I was watching this game with my girlfriend, who isn’t the biggest baseball fan. With Nick Pivetta through 4.1 no-hit innings and T.J. Rivera coming to the plate for the second time, I turned to her and said that she might get to see her first no-hitter. As I turned back to the TV, Rivera blasted his first home run in about a month. I take full responsibility, and promise to only wield my power for good.

In terms of real analysis, the Mets only scratched across one run despite the Phillies walking four batters and committing two errors. Analysis: this is Not Very Good.

WHAT HAPPENED, YESTERDAY:

It, uhh, was a Sunday. The Mets don’t do Sundays.

WHAT HAPPENS, TODAY:

The Mets are starting a three-game series against the Washington Nationals in D.C.

Cons of playing in D.C. to start the week: The Washington Nationals are Very Good and have Stephen Strasburg going in game one.

Pros of playing in D.C. to start the week: cool fireworks for the 4th of July, probably.

Side note: the Mets are not in contention. They are out of the race. There is no race. They are 9.5 games back in the NL East through 81 games, otherwise known as half a season. They are 8.5 games back in the Wild Card race. They will not be making the postseason, regardless of how this series goes.

But Shawn, the Nationals are the first-place team and a sweep would put the Mets 6.5 games out. They could get right back in it with a sweep! No. Shut up. You’re wrong. Even in the event of a Mets sweep, they are *checks clipboard* 6.5 games out on July 6. The Mets are not going to make the postseason this year.

The thing is, though, that knowing this truth this early is far from a problem. The Mets could do very well to get in front of the deadline. The pieces that the Mets could be looking to sell aren’t overpowering or “best on the market” types, but they are nice additions to contending teams. By getting a jump on the trade market before more teams decide whether they are in/out, the Mets would actually be doing themselves a favor. Building for 2018 and beyond at the start of July is not bad.

So please, if I’m writing this recap next week and the front office is still giving off the “we might still make it!” vibe, please relieve me of my duties and burn Citi Field to the ground. Or fire Sandy Alderson. Either one would seem like an appropriate choice, in the event my hypothetical is realized.

Photo credit: Wendell Cruz – USA Today Sports

The Good: Power

When the Mets hit balls squarely, they drove them all over the ballpark; nine of the team’s ten hits went for extra bases. Jose Reyes doubled twice and drove in the Mets’ first run. Lucas Duda homered into the apple to give the Mets the lead in the fourth. After falling behind, T.J. Rivera homered in the seventh and Asdrubal Cabrera launched a two-run shot on his bobblehead day to give the Mets a 7-6 lead they would not relinquish. This lineup was built to rely on power to get around the team’s other shortcomings, and they needed all of that power today.

The Highlight: Cabrera

While we wait for the game to resume…Enjoy this! pic.twitter.com/DRE5wdyeOr

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 1, 2017

The Bad: Wheeler’s Concentration

Zack Wheeler came off his 10-day DL stint for “biceps tendinitis” throwing 97-98 miles per hour in the first inning. He looked like he wanted to strike everyone out, getting three strikeouts in the first but racking up the pitch count. Things fell apart for Wheeler pretty quickly in the fourth after a one out error by T.J. Rivera. Callup Nick Williams worked an eight-pitch walk, then Wheeler was so far out of the zone he couldn’t tempt the free swinging Makiel Franco to swing. With the bases loaded, Duda made a great stop to start the double play. Reyes threw back to Wheeler…who was looking down to try to find first base. Two runs scored as the ball flew by, giving the Phillies their first lead of the game. Wheeler threw two more balls, then hung a 2-0 slider for a single to Cameron Rupp. Terry Collins went to the bullpen after 82 pitches.

The Ugly: Salas’ Second Inning

Fernando Salas came in to the sixth inning and gave up a hit to former Met Ty Kelly. Salas was good after that, getting two strikeouts and, with 19 pitches under his belt, he probably thought his day was done. How much can we expect from the below replacement reliever? Terry Collins expected more, sending Salas out for the seventh in a tied ballgame. Salas immediately gave up two singles and a massive homer to Tommy Joseph. Philly led 6-3. Now that there was no lead or tie to protect, Collins figured we might as well go to the lame end of the bullpen. “Fernando! Don’t go anywhere!” Salas retired the next three hitters.

The Weird Stat: Salas “won” the game

Since the Mets scored four in the bottom of the seventh, Salas is credited with the win. Feel free to use this later in arguments about pitcher wins (since I assume those arguments will never truly go away).

The Latest Mismanaged Injury: Conforto to DL

Michael Conforto was finally placed on the disabled list and will be eligible to come back the Saturday before the All Star break. With the new 10-day DL, teams are limited in how far they can retroactively assign someone to the DL. If the Mets would have placed Conforto on the DL immediately after his injury, he would have been eligible to return this Thursday.

What’s Next?

The Mets look to sweep the Phillies. Rafael Montero starts.

Photo credit: Adam Hunger – USA Today Sports

Who are these impostors?

The Mets continue to thrive in the wake of cratered expectations and have salvaged this 10-game road trip at 5-5 — a miraculous turn of events considering it started with a four-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers.

After sweeping the Giants in San Francisco for a turnaround, the team shook off the dropped opener of the Miami series and rolled over the Marlins with a 8-0 victory Wednesday night. Last night, they jumped to an early 5-0 lead against starter José Ureña and never looked back. Nothing masks mediocrity than facing groups even more mediocre than you.

Maybe the team was buoyed by the continued resurgence of Seth Lugo — who provided another quality start, yielding three runs (two earned) in six innings, striking out four; maybe it was the rumored return of Big Sexy; whatever the reason, the Mets continued a streak of playing winning baseball — the kind of play we can only hope for when victories actually make a difference.

Ahead by five after three, behind a stingy and cagey Lugo, the Mets were in uncharacteristic cruise control. Lugo’s only real danger — other than allowing a solo Giancarlo Stanton home run in the fourth — came in the sixth, when the Mets starter allowed a bases-empty, two-out situation turned to escalate into an almost-meltdown as a close play at the plate (where Rene Rivera and Stanton got tangled) and wild pitch narrowed the margin to two runs. The game never got tighter than that.

Jay Bruce (two runs scored) and T.J. Rivera (two runs batted in) — filling at first base for an ill-but-not-ill-enough-to-pinch-hit Lucas Duda — had solid nights at the plate, Jerry Blevins didn’t light himself on the fire on the mound, and the team got to depart the state of Florida. An all-around win.

The Mets return to Flushing tonight to face the Phillies, who trot out Ben Lively (1-2) against hirsute wonder Jacob deGrom (7-3).

Photo credit: Jason Vinlove – USA Today Sports