The Mets finally looked like a team capable of turning a rough afternoon into something better, and they did it after looking pretty hopeless and bad through their first seven times up. Against all odds and tradition, they suddenly found it and became winners.
Before Sunday’s victory, the Mets made a roster move by sending leaping Jefry Yan to Syracuse and recalling Tobias Myers in his place.
There’s also the bigger-picture angle that comes with a lost season and a roster full of young players: stretches of failure can end up teaching them enough to matter when it’s all said and done.
That same idea seems to apply to Jonah Tong, who arrived with the Mets yesterday morning. He’s not only a year older than the Jonah Tong who debuted last year, but also a year more mature and wiser.
One thing the Mets were hoping for from Mark Vientos has not shown up yet. If they brought him up looking for some kind of defensive upgrade at first base, they’ve been severely disappointed so far.
Elsewhere in the National League East, the Braves stormed back late with four runs across their final six outs and left Philadelphia with a 5-4 win over the Phillies, giving them a fairly secure five-game lead in the division.
The Marlins also delivered a rough afternoon for Clay Holmes, beating the hell out of him in his first bad start as a Cub in a 10-3 win.
And in Sunday’s latest game, the Nationals gave away another late lead and let the Dodgers escape with a 7-5 victory in a contest where C.J. Abrams reached the 30-homer mark.
Around the majors, the game lost Joe Morgan, a veteran of four big league seasons as a player and another four as manager of the Boston Red Sox, who died Sunday at 95.
Not long after the Orioles claimed him off waivers from the Mets, Luis Robert Jr. landed on the 10-day injured list with a bit of hamstring discomfort.
Umpire Doug Eddings apologized to Hancel Rincon for stopping the game to make him straighten his hat, but that apology only came after Major League Baseball officially reprimanded him the night before.
Pete Crow-Armstrong became the second player in baseball this season to reach 40 home runs, and if everything breaks right, he’ll have the 40-steal mark on his line over the next three weeks.
Aroldis Chapman also hit a milestone, saving his 400th big league game in the Red Sox’s sweep-clinching win over the Orioles.
Gerrit Cole ended up in the history books again, though not for a good reason, becoming the first pitcher ever to allow three consecutive home runs to open a game twice in his career.
Dave Roberts said he’s hopeful Shohei Ohtani can get back into the Dodgers’ lineup today after four straight games with the four-time MVP on the bench.
And Peyton Tolle struck out 12 Orioles in Boston’s final game in Baltimore, while also finding time to do a push-up on the mound facing Pete Alonso.
In Other News...
Bo Bichette Is Creating A Mets Problem Fans Can Already See
Bo Bichettes arrival gave the Mets a much-needed boost, but it also came with a layer of roster planning that is already hard to ignore. His deal runs three years with player options after the first two, which means the club does not have anything close to a locked-in answer about whether he will still be around in 2027, even as the immediate fit looks clear.
The bigger wrinkle is what the signing cost and what a better Mets team could cost next. New York already gave up draft picks because of the qualifying offer rules, and if the club keeps climbing and pushes deeper into luxury tax territory, more penalties could follow. Bichettes recent uptick only adds to the uncertainty, since a strong finish would make it more realistic that he tests the market again before the Mets get the long-term stability they were buying. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Prospect Is Already Making His Draft Snub Look Ridiculous
Across the Mets Single-A and High-A ranks, the season brought its share of uneven results, but Aiden Robbins gave the organization something far more encouraging to track. The outfielder, taken in the third round at No. 92 overall, jumped into pro ball quickly and handled 26 games across A-Ball and High-A with a steady bat and enough defensive versatility to give the Mets another look at his long-term value.
What makes Robbins stand out is how much he already looks like a miss by the clubs that let him slide. MLB Pipeline had him ranked as the 29th best amateur prospect, and his early work has only reinforced the idea that New York may have gotten a little extra value on draft day. The larger question now is whether that strong first impression keeps growing as he settles in against tougher pitching and a bigger stage. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Semien Just Put A Real Mets Job Battle In Play
Marcus Semiens first stretch in Queens has already created a much different conversation than the Mets expected when they brought him in, and it goes beyond a few quiet weeks at the plate. With two years left on his contract, he still carries plenty of weight in the organization, and president of baseball operations David Stearns has made clear that Semiens effort and defense remain part of the clubs belief in him. Even so, the Mets also need more offense from a player they envisioned as a stabilizing presence, which is why next season is shaping up to be about more than just a rebound.
Spring training could turn second base into a real competition, with Jefferson Rojas, Mitch Voit and milien Pitre all in the mix to push for time. Semiens experience and defensive reliability still give him a strong case to hold the job, but the Mets have left themselves enough room to challenge the spot if the bat does not come around. For a team trying to sort out its future infield, that makes this one of the more interesting position battles to watch. [Read more 🡒]