Brandon Nimmo, Mark Canha lead offense as the Mets get back on the horse
Brandon Nimmo, Mark Canha lead offense as the Mets get back on the horse
Nimmo and Canha drove in six of the seven runs scored for the Mets on Friday
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets pounded out 13 hits in a 7-3 win over the Angels in Anaheim (box)
Brandon Nimmo doubled, homered, scored two runs and drove in three out of the leadoff spot
Mark Canha also had a strong performance with two hits including a double and three RBI
Tylor Megill made his return to the starting rotation - while his command was shaky, he only allowed a two-run home run to Brandon Marsh over 3.1 IP
The Mets bullpen - led by David Peterson - allowed just a run over 5.2 IP
Four of the seven runs scored by the Mets came with two outs
Pete Alonso (hand contusion) made his return to the lineup, played first base and went 1-for-5 on the night
Starling Marte (quad tightness) ran before the game on Friday night, but did not play
Max Scherzer (oblique strain) is scheduled to throw live batting practice in Port St. Lucie soon
Jacob deGrom (stress reaction in scapula) will throw a third bullpen session today in Port St. Lucie
Roster Moves 📰
Tylor Megill activated from the 10-day injured list
Stephen Nogosek optioned to Triple-A Syracuse
RHP Wilson López signed to a minor league contract
Who’s Hot 🔥
Mark Canha is hitting .323/.362/.415 with three doubles, a home run and nine RBI over his last 17 games with seven multi-hit games during that span
Jeff McNeil is hitting .353/.411/.510 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBI over his last 15 games with five multi-hit games during that span
Since starting the year hitting .202/.307/.319 over his first 32 games, Eduardo Escobar has hit .305/.324/.537 over his last 24 games
NL East Standings 📈
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (39-21) at Angels (27-32)
Where: Angel Stadium — Anaheim, CA
Starters: RHP Carlos Carrasco (7-1, 3.52 ERA) vs RHP Michael Lorenzen (5-3, 3.69 ERA)
When: 10:07 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Positive signs in a much-needed and relaxing win… 📝
On Friday night in Anaheim, the Mets got what they really needed after two crummy losses in San Diego.
They got their star first baseman back, their struggling center fielder had an encouraging night at the plate, they got their emerging power right-handed starting pitcher back, and the Mets more or less sailed their way to a relaxing 7-3 win over the Angels at Angels Stadium.
Big Drip is back
Tylor Megill by no means was his sharpest, but that was ok as he gave the Mets exactly what they expected out of him in his first start since missing a month with biceps tendinitis in his right shoulder. He started off showing his usual might with a high 90’s fastball in the first inning and retired the Angels with ease. He then dialed it back a bit in his second inning of work - intentionally or otherwise - and lacked the same crispness he had in that first inning. He allowed a leadoff single to Jared Walsh and then a one-out moonshot to Brandon Marsh before a bloop single to Jo Adell. But he fought his way through and limited the damage, retiring the next two batters with ease. He was removed in the fourth inning when he reached his pitch limit having allowed just the two-run homer to Marsh and four other hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
For Megill specifically, its a good first step back towards being a necessary cog in this starting rotation. He only had one rehab start in the minor leagues, so its understandable he could only give the Mets 64 pitches. But, 39 of them were for strikes and while he didn’t have his best command of the strike zone on Friday and will have to find that consistent velocity again, he checked a big box for himself and the Mets as he looks ahead to his next start against Milwaukee.
“It feels good that my arm is back to normal and keep it that way,” Megill said after the game.
The Polar Bear returned
Pete Alonso returned from his injury scare on Friday night, and surprisingly played on both sides of the ball for the Mets. He went 1-for-5 at the plate and played the entire game at first base, a very positive sign after he was hit by a Yu Darvish fastball on Tuesday night in San Diego, causing him to miss the rest of that game and the entirety of Wednesday night’s game.
But the 2 1/2 days of rest for Alonso was clearly what he needed to get the swelling down in his hand and get back into the lineup, even if his absence might’ve cost them a series win.
“It’s a different looking lineup with Pete back in there,” Mets manager Buck Showalter explained after the win. “It’s just a testament, I think sometimes we lose sight of the courage it takes to get back out there. I think everybody is getting a little healthier.”
Indeed, it’s hard for the Mets to be without their big slugger. Yes, the Mets have a fluid and long lineup, but Alonso is the league’s RBI leader and unquestionably changes the dynamic of the offense merely with his presence alone. Ahead of him, the Mets 1-3 in the order combined to go 5-for-12 with two runs scored and six RBI - that’s a testament to the explosive threat Alonso consistently brings to the table for the club.
Brandon Nimmo’s positive traction
Nimmo has been struggling with a balky wrist in recent weeks, which in-turn has impacted his performance at the plate. Heading into play last night, Nimmo had been just 3-for-his-last-29 with just three walks and nine strikeouts during that span.
But Nimmo broke out of his funk with a double, homer, three RBI and a walk on Friday night.
“Each day the hand has been feeling a little bit better, so it’s nice to be getting farther away from the injury,” Nimmo said after his big night.
It’s easy to lose sight of the nature of Nimmo’s injury with respect to his ability to perform at the plate. All anyone usually sees are the results, therefore most only see a player who was slumping and not getting on-base in the manner they’re accustomed to seeing. But it’s hard for a player to generate bat speed when the hand or wrist is impacted by an injury, which is the place Nimmo has been in over the last couple of weeks. He has managed to stay in the lineup through it all - his eye and ability to work counts by themselves have had merit for the Mets at the top of the lineup even though he was struggling to get on-base. Hopefully Nimmo is now in a place where he can get back on the horse and be that force at the top of the lineup which has made him an elite leadoff hitter.
In-the-clutch
The Mets produced four more two-out RBI on Friday night and went 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Three of those two-out RBI came in the second inning when Tomás Nido plated a run on an infield single and Mark Canha lined a two-run single to right.
39 percent of the runs the Mets have scored this season have come with two outs, compared to 33 percent in 2021. The Mets hit .214/.297/.347 with two outs in 2021, and have hit .249/.328/.397 with two outs in 2022.
End of the road in-sight as the race tightens
The Mets will finish off this ten-game road trip in Southern California with two more night games against the Angels today and tomorrow.
At the start of this trip, 5-5 seemed like a best-case, reasonable goal for the Mets to achieve considering they were facing the Dodgers, Padres and Angels, the latter of which seemed like a stiffer opponent originally. Assuming the Mets split the next two games, 5-5 is right where they’ll be with the off-day coming on Monday and the struggling Brewers meeting them at Citi Field on Tuesday.
Of course, the race in the National League East has become tighter with the Braves and Phillies waking up and playing better while the Mets have been out west. Once upon a time, the Mets were 10.5 games ahead in the division, but a nine-game winning streak from Atlanta and an eight-game winning streak from Philadelphia has breathed new life into a race heading into the summer.
Down on the Farm 🌾
JT Schwartz (1B, No. 19 Prospect- Single-A): 4-for-4, 2B, RBI
Travis Blankenhorn (OF, Triple-A) 4-for-7, 2 RBI, 1 R
Omar De Los Santos (OF, Low-A): 2-for-4, 2B, RBI
Box Scores: Triple-A Game 1 Game 2 | Double-A | Single-A | Low-A
Around the League 🚩
The Braves won their ninth straight game on Friday, defeating the Pirates 4-2 behind a big night at the plate from Dansby Swanson
The Phillies won their eighth straight game by a score of 7-5 over the Diamondbacks to pull to .500 for the season thanks in part to a two-home run night from Rhys Hoskins
The Brewers lost 11-5 to the Nationals, extending their losing streak to seven games as they relinquished first place in the NL Central to the Cardinals
The Giants beat the Dodgers in San Francisco, and Walker Buehler left his start for LA with right elbow discomfort
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jesus Aguilar each homered twice in the Marlins 7-4 win over the Astros in Houston
Tigers RHP Casey Mize will soon undergo Tommy John Surgery
After being designated for assignment by the Padres last week, Robinson Canó agreed to sign a minor league contract with San Diego on Friday