Carson Benge is one of the few recent decisions to have gone right for David Stearns
Plus, the Mets open up their series with Washington with an-all round good team win
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets snapped a two-game skid after beating the Nationals 4-1 in their series opener at Citi Field on Friday night (box)
RHP Robert Stock rebounded with a solid outing on the mound, allowing just one unearned run on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts across 4.1 innings
Four relievers combined to provide scoreless relief the rest of the way, with RHP Jonathan Pintaro throwing two scoreless innings, while Kodai Senga locked down his second career save in the ninth
SS Francisco Lindor atoned for a run-costing error earlier in the game by hitting a game-tying home run in the sixth, while RF Carson Benge’s RBI single made it a 2-1 game in the same inning. 1B Jared Young’s solo homer and 3B Bo Bichette’s RBI single would add some important insurance runs late
Former Met Butch Huskey, who had 55 homers and 214 RBIs over five seasons with the team, sadly passed away at the age of 54, the team announced (MLB.com)
Injury Updates 🏥
OF Juan Soto (left calf strain) stressed his desire to return to the team before the end of the season, and was seen doing some pregame work and runs at Citi Field on Friday night
INF Mark Vientos (fractured right hand) was back at Citi Field on Friday and is hitting and progressing, but there remains no timeline for a return
RHP Devin Williams (right shoulder strain) remains in a no-throw period
Play of the Game ⭐️
Having been shut down for the first half or so of the game, the Mets finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth to turn the game on its head.
Francisco Lindor got the Mets on the board with a solo blast and, after Bo Bichette reached on a strikeout-wild pitch and Luis Robert Jr. hit a single, Carson Benge came to the plate with runners on the corners, two outs, and a chance to do some damage.
As he’s prone to do, Benge came through in a big way with an RBI-single that plated Bichette and put the Mets ahead for good. Benge now has a 17-game on-base streak and is continuing to establish himself as an impact player.
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
On the latest edition of the Just Mets Podcast, Rich is joined by SNY’s Joe DeMayo to discuss the new influx of talent into the Mets farm system from the Trade Deadline.
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Down on the Farm 🌾
OF Nick Morabito (No. 14 prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBIs, 1 HR
3B Billy Amick (Double-A): 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 2B
RHP Luke Gabrysh (No. 29 prospect, High-A): 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
SS Dylan Carey (Single-A): 1-for-3, 2 RBIs, 1 BB, 1 HR
BOX SCORES
Single-A SLU | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR (GM 1 | GM 2)
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (54-69) vs. Nationals (60-64)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: LHP Sean Manaea (4-5, 4.13 ERA) vs. RHP Brad Lord (5-2, 3.79 ERA)
When: 4:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY | FS1
About the impressive Carson Benge and his rise to a top rookie ✍️
Given that we’re in a constant state of future watch with the Mets for the rest of this season, Friday night’s win over the Nationals ticked a lot of boxes.
Francisco Lindor continued to show improvements at the plate, even if he did commit his ninth error of the year.
The bullpen impressed yet again with Jonathan Pintaro and Kodai Senga as the standouts, with the latter continuing to flash plenty of promise as a high-leverage reliever.
Bo Bichette showed how dangerous he can be with runners on, while Jared Young increasingly looks like a really solid option at first base for this team.
However, the biggest positive for me was the continued ascension of Carson Benge.
Maybe I’m reading this wrong, but I feel as though Benge hasn’t gotten all the credit he’s deserved given the equally impressive breakout of A.J. Ewing. But we saw last night just how important Benge has become to the Mets already, and why he has all the tools needed to become a high-impact player for years to come.
Benge only had one hit on the night, but it was a big one as he drove in what proved to be the go-ahead run in the sixth inning. What was really impressive about that whole sequence was the rookie’s ability to come through in the clutch, something he’s already making a habit of. With two outs, his whole approach was impressive, and he was able to locate the ball exactly where he wanted to and make hard contact.
Nothing seems to faze Benge, especially in high-pressure situations. For instance, on the season, he’s hitting .285/.335/.418/.753 with 52 runs scored and 38 RBIs with men on, while he’s slashing .252/.302/.336/.638 with 43 runs scored and 32 RBIs with RISP. Benge’s ability to lock in and deliver in big moments in just his first taste of the big leagues is certainly a good omen when it comes to the type of player he might eventually become.
Of course, it isn’t just about the offense with Benge. He’s also capable of making game-changing plays in the field, and he made a neat sliding catch to record the second out in the seventh inning of last night’s game. With a plus arm and great defensive instincts, Benge has the potential to be one of the highly effective anchors of that outfield for a long time to come.
What has really stood out about Benge, though, has been the continued improvement as the season has progressed. Some rookies hit a wall or go through multiple prolonged slumps, but Benge, for the most part, has been pretty consistent and has only gotten better. For context, over his last 79 games, Benge is hitting .296/.355/.442 with 95 hits, 46 runs scored, 11 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs, 36 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, 24 walks, and 75 strikeouts over 352 plate appearances.
He’s helped this team on both sides of the ball, shown that he’s able to play anywhere in the outfield, has stepped up in big moments, and he’s just been a steady presence both in the lineup and out in the field.
Again, maybe Ewing’s emergence has taken some of the hype away, but Benge currently ranks second among all rookies in fWAR (2.4), further underlining just how good he’s now been over a prolonged period of time this year.
If you ask me, Benge should be getting more buzz for Rookie of the Year, but regardless, he has more than proven himself as being a player that should be considered a huge part of the Mets’ future. It will be tough for him with the way JJ Wetherholt has performed in St. Louis, not to mention Nolan McLean, whose 2.6 fWAR is the best among National League rookie pitchers and a couple of ticks higher than Benge.
But that does not at all diminish what Benge has accomplished this season and what he is capable of growing into in the future as a five-tool star for this club. It seemed far-fetched last November when David Stearns began touting him and suggesting he could make the club out of Spring Training considering his lack of professional experience and the needs they had to fill a year ago.
There haven’t been a lot of moves Stearns has gotten right over the last couple of years, but Benge is one of them. And his continued rapid ascension should be exciting for all Mets fans to continue to watch.
Around the League 🚩
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed six innings of one-run ball, while RHP Edwin Díaz secured the save to help the Dodgers beat the Brewers, 3-1
1B Jeff McNeil went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, and three RBIs to help lift the A’s to an 8-3 win over the Rangers
1B Christian Walker hit a walk-off three-run home run to propel Houston to a 10-7 win over the Mariners
RHP Clay Holmes’ 6.2 scoreless innings and DH Seiya Suzuki’s three-run bomb powered the Cubs to a 3-0 win over the Cardinals
Orioles SS Gunnar Henderson enjoyed a monster night, going 4-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs in a 6-5 win over the Rays