Christian Scott continues his ascent for the Mets
Plus, New York evens the series against Kansas City, and some injury updates
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets evened their series against Kansas after beating the Royals 6-2 on Wednesday night at Citi Field (box)
RHP Christian Scott was excellent on the mound, tossing five scoreless innings while giving up just three hits with one walk and five strikeouts
LHP Brooks Raley provided one inning of scoreless relief out of the bullpen. Either side of that effort, RHP Tobias Myers allowed an RBI single that tied the game at 1-1, while RHP Xzavion Curry, making his Mets debut, gave up one run on a double in the ninth
CF A.J. Ewing continued his hot streak by hitting his first career leadoff home run to give the Mets an early lead in the first inning. Ewing finished 2-for-5 with one run, one RBI, and a double
With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth, the Mets rallied for a big five-run inning to take the lead for good, highlighted by 2B Brett Baty’s two-run single and C Francisco Alvarez’s RBI single
The Mets, who have now won three out of their last four, went 3-for-5 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine runners stranded on base
New York is reportedly calling up RHP Dan Hammer for the bullpen (MLB.com)
Phil Regan, who served as a Minor League pitching coach, Minor League pitching coordinator, and interim pitching coach for the Mets, sadly passed away at age 89 (MLB.com)
Roster Moves 📰
RHP Xzavion Curry selected to the Major League Roster
RHP Tobias Myers recalled from Triple-A Syracuse
RHP Matt Seelinger designated for assignment
RHP Austin Warren placed on the 15-Day IL with a right forearm strain
Injury Updates 🏥
CF Luis Robert Jr. (Lumbar spine inflammation) went 2-for-4 with one run scored in his latest rehab assignment for Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday night
RHP Austin Warren (right forearm strain) underwent an MRI and there was good news with the results showing no ligament damage
RHP Dedniel Núñez (Tommy John Surgery) had his rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A Syracuse and allowed two earned runs on one hit with two walks and no strikeouts over 0.2 innings in the first game of Syracuse’s doubleheader
Play of the Game ⭐️
Sometimes, you just need a little bit of luck.
The Mets had more than a little luck on their side in the eighth inning of last night’s game. With two outs, Kansas City just couldn’t go for the kill, making a number of mistakes which the Mets took full advantage of.
After Jorge Polanco hustled to first to load the bases after the Royals fumbled a routine play, a runner scored after Jared Young was hit by a pitch.
Then, with the bases loaded, Brett Baty came to the plate and delivered a clutch hit, scoring two runners with an RBI single to give his team some breathing room and extend his hitting streak to eight straight games.
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Who’s Hot? 🥵
The Mets have scored at least six runs in four consecutive games and are averaging 8.75 runs per game over that stretch
2B Brett Baty now owns an eight game hitting streak - he’s hitting .300 with four doubles and four RBIs over that stretch
Over his last six games, OF A.J. Ewing is hitting .364/.417/.818/.1.235 with three home runs, one double, two walks, seven runs scored, and five RBIs
Over his last six games, LF Juan Soto is hitting .318/.483/.727/.1.210 with three home runs, seven walks, four runs scored, and 10 RBIs
Over his last six games, 3B Bo Bichette is hitting .357/.379/.393/.772 with 10 hits, one double, four runs scored, and four RBIs
Over his last six games, RF Carson Benge is hitting .348/.444/.522/.966 with one home run, one double, four walks, five runs scored, and two RBIs
Who’s Cold? 🥶
Over his last six games, SS Francisco Lindor is hitting just .192/.276/.192/.468 with no extra-base hits, one RBI, and five strikeouts
Down on the Farm 🌾
CF Nick Morabito (No. 10 prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-2, 3 BB, SB
DH Christopher Morel (Triple-A): 2-for-3, 1 R, 5 RBIs, 1 BB, 1 HR, 1 2B
DH Ryan Clifford (No. 2 prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBIs, 1 HR
3B Nick Lorusso (Double-A): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR
CF Trey Snyder (Single-A): 3-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 SB
BOX SCORES
Single-A SLU | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR (GM 1 | GM 2)
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (39-54) vs. Royals (38-55)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: LHP Sean Manaea (1-4, 4.76 ERA) vs. RHP Michael Wacha (5-6, 3.45 ERA)
When: 1:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Christian Scott’s showing he is a part of their solution ✍️
There were a number of encouraging nuggets to emerge from Wednesday’s win over the Royals, including A.J. Ewing’s continued breakout and Brett Baty extending his hitting streak, a trend he badly needs to continue.
However, the biggest plus point was Christian Scott’s stellar outing on the mound. The righty threw five shutout innings, giving up just three hits while striking out five. He now owns a 3.17 ERA over 12 starts this year.
Once again, Scott reminded all of us just how high his ceiling could be. That really shouldn’t come as a surprise given that he was once talked about as one of the franchise’s premier pitching prospects. But, after undergoing Tommy John surgery and fading into the background, Scott and his potential were largely forgotten about, especially when Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong started making waves.
Therefore, Scott’s current breakout may have caught some off guard, but it shouldn’t have. Again, the righty has always owned the talent needed to become the real deal, and he’s quickly making up for lost time when it comes to proving why he should be considered a big part of this team’s future.
There is a lot to like about Scott’s game. He excels at generating swing-and-misses, while he has always been good at maintaining a really good strikeout rate. For instance, he currently owns a 27.9% strikeout rate this season. That should bode well when it comes to Scott establishing himself as a really effective starter in the big leagues.
When it comes to his stuff, Scott can dazzle with an electric fastball that can now touch around 96 mph. He backs that up with a solid slider and cutter. Scott’s sweeper can also do some damage. The 27-year-old used his time out of action wisely, revamping his pitch mix by adding the aforementioned cutter and a new two-seamer. The cutter allows Scott to attack left-handed hitters differently, while the two-seamer carries some deception. This new-look and dramatically improved arsenal should allow Scott to really dominate against opposing hitters.
Of course, as is the case with every player on the planet, Scott has his warts and things he needs to improve on.
For instance, pitch efficiency has been a problem at times. That in turn can lead to a high walk rate, with Scott owning a 11.2 BB% this season. We saw the efficiency problem in full force last night. Scott needed 90 pitches to record 15 outs, with his inability to go for the kill really hurting him. He was cruising in the second inning and got two quick outs, before then allowing a walk and a hit.
As interim manager Andy Green said after the game, Scott must learn to “step on the neck of the other team.” Being able to develop a killer instinct and strike in quick succession will no doubt help Scott to take that next giant leap. It will also help solve Scott’s other big issue, which is not going deep into games. He has yet to pitch into the sixth inning this season, and has only pitched five innings in two of his last five starts.
Granted, a lot of that has to do with the fact that Scott has been on a pitch count after coming back from Tommy John surgery. But we have reached the point where he should be able to give the Mets at least another inning. Being able to pitch into the sixth inning on the other side of the All-Star break would be another big box ticked for Scott as he looks to continue to establish himself as a big league starter.
Another flaw he needs to eradicate is his tendency to suffer from lapses. That happened in the second inning of last night’s game when he switched off and allowed the Royals to build some momentum offensively. Those lapses happen too far often, and they drive up the pitch count and put Scott in tough situations. If he can work on staying switched on throughout, then that will only unlock his potential further.
All in all, there is an awful lot to like about Scott’s game and his future is exciting if he can work on his areas of weakness.
Plus, if he’s able to make those necessary adjustments, then there is a pathway to Scott potentially becoming the anchor of the rotation alongside McLean. There is no doubt that McLean has the talent and the intangibles needed to become the future ace of this staff, while Scott has the potential and the stuff to settle in as a really dependable No. 3 starter with high upside. And, who knows, maybe Scott could even slide in as the No. 2 starter depending on how Tong develops. Either way, based on everything we’re seeing now, it is becoming easier to envision a future in which McLean and Scott are the cornerstones of the rotation.
And, when you factor in A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge, then the Mets do have the makings of a very strong, talent-laden core heading into next season. There are key pieces there that could ensure the Mets are competitive for the foreseeable future, as long as the rest of the roster around them is constructed properly.
And, in Scott, the Mets now have another potentially high-end starter that could really change their outlook both now and in the future.
Around the League 🚩
Tigers RHP Justin Verlander announced that he will retire at the end of the 2026 season. Verlander will also take part in the All-Star Game as a Legend Pick (MLB.com)
OF Mike Trout homered in his first game back from the IL as the Angels destroyed the Rangers by a score of 13-1
Cubs OF Pete Crow-Armstrong continued his hot streak, hitting a pair of home runs in a 9-7 win over the Orioles, becoming just the third player in Cubs franchise history to record at least 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in back-to-back years
RHP Dylan Cease was just three outs away from becoming the first Blue Jays pitcher in 36 years to record a no-hitter as Toronto beat the Giants, 10-0
SS Mookie Betts hit a go-ahead RBI single to help propel the Dodgers to a 4-3 win over the Rockies
The surging Marlins are now an MLB-best 25-8 since June 1 after beating Seattle 2-0 for a fifth consecutive win
LHP Shane McClanahan held the Yankees scoreless over 6.1 dominant innings, allowing just four hits while striking out five in a 3-0 shutout win for the Rays