Your Sunday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links.
Meet the Mets
In front of a raucous crowd at Citi Field, the Mets shut out the Cardinals 3-0 to win their third straight and secure the series victory from St. Louis. Kodai Senga was fantastic, twirling 5 2⁄3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts to earn his third win of the season. The Mets scored a pair of runs in the third inning thanks to back-to-back two-out RBI hits from Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. Alonso provided some insurance in the eighth with a solo homer. Reed Garrett helped Senga escape a jam in the sixth and also pitched a 1-2-3 seventh. A.J. Minter loaded the bases in the eighth but held the fort and Edwin Díaz pitched a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts to log his fifth save of the season.
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Mark Vientos left last night’s game early with groin discomfort and was replaced at third base by Brett Baty. But the Mets and Vientos are not terribly concerned and Vientos cited dehydration as the reason, feeling pretty sure it was just cramping.
“Having a jam-packed stadium like this is almost like having a 10th guy out there. It’s honestly awesome,” Pete Alonso said of the fans packing Citi Field last night.
“Last year, for the first time, I felt like I was always in the moment, and I enjoyed it a lot,” Francisco Lindor said to Deesha Thosar in a profile for FOX Sports. “And this year it’s carried over, for sure. So then that’s when you experience true happiness, when you live in the moment. And it slows life down.”
Francisco Alvarez is slated to DH today after catching last night. “After that, knock on wood, from a medical standpoint, he’s going to be cleared,” said Carlos Mendoza.
Paul Blackburn pitched a rehab outing with Brooklyn last night. He allowed a run on a solo homer, two hits, and walked two over the course of 38 pitches and two innings of work.
Dedniel Núñez is just about ready to be called up, but the Mets will have to make a difficult decision if and when they do. Do they option a pitcher who has pitched incredibly well, as pretty much all of the arms in the bullpen have, or do they expose Danny Young to waivers and risk losing him altogether?
Around the National League East
Yesterday’s game between the Phillies and the Marlins was a wild one, with the Marlins scoring six runs in the ninth inning off Jordan Romano to almost claw their way back from a seven-run deficit. The Phillies held on by the skin of their teeth to win 11-10 with Jose Alvarado having to come in to record the final out.
Similarly, the Nationals held on to beat the Rockies 12-11 after almost coughing up a large lead of their own. But this game was in Denver, so the double-digit run totals by both teams make a little more sense. The Rockies put up an eight-run seventh inning against the Nationals bullpen, but it wasn’t enough. MacKenzie Gore tied his career high with 13 strikeouts in his second victory of the season and Dylan Crews went deep twice for Washington.
Alex Verdugo’s four-hit night helped lift the Braves to a 4-3 victory over the Twins.
Around Major League Baseball
After seeing long lines of fans outside PNC Park waiting for a coveted Paul Skenes bobblehead, Bob Nutting did what all team owners should do: he made sure all of the fans in attendance would get one.
Oregon state senators from both parties voted overwhelmingly in favor of an $800 million “jock tax” to help finance a prospective stadium for Major League Baseball on Portland’s South Waterfront. Oregon will only authorize the bond if MLB awards Portland a baseball team, but it signals to the league that the city and state are behind an expansion team in Portland.
Blue Jays pitcher José Berríos accused Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh of relaying pitch types to Raleigh’s Seattle teammates from second base during Saturday’s game at Rogers Centre, resulting in a benches-clearing incident in Toronto. Raleigh denies the allegation.
Devin Williams blew a four-run lead in the Yankees’ 10-8 loss to the Rays. He now has a 9.00 ERA and risks losing the closer role to Luke Weaver.
Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue
Lukas Vlahos brought us the Daily Prospect Report.
This Date in Mets History
Tom Seaver earned the first of his career 311 wins on this date in 1967 against the Cubs at Shea Stadium.