Christian Scott looks like the real deal
Scott pitched the Mets to a win in San Diego. Plus, a slew of injury updates
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets opened up the final leg of their final West Coast road trip with a 5-0 win over the Padres at Petco Park on Friday night (box)
RHP Christian Scott was excellent on the mound yet again, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings with three hits allowed, two walks and three strikeouts
RHP Huascar Brazobán, RHP Luke Weaver, and A.J. Minter combined to throw 3.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, helping to secure just the team’s third shutout all year
C Luis Torrens was the driving force offensively, going 2-for-3 with a double and his first home run of the year, while finishing with two runs scored and two RBIs
1B Jared Young hit his third homer of the year to get the Mets on the board in the first inning, finishing the night 2-for-4
SS Bo Bichette continued to show what he’s capable of with an RBI triple in the third, while 3B Brett Baty went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI as four Mets recorded multi-hit games
The Mets are now 28-35 on the year after winning two straight and improving to 2-2 on the road trip
Injury Updates 🏥
INF Jorge Polanco (left Achilles bursitis) didn’t return against the Padres after all, instead remaining with Triple-A Syracuse in order to get “more volume.” The plan is for the infielder to get four at-bats and at least seven innings of defense before rejoining the team. Polanco went 0-for-2 with two walks on Friday night
C Francisco Álvarez (torn right knee meniscus) went 0-for-3 with a strikeout for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday night, and could return from the IL in time for the Mets next homestand on Tuesday
INF Ronny Mauricio (fractured thumb) has started running but has yet to resume hitting activities
OF Tyrone Taylor (right hip flexor strain) resumed running on Thursday
Play of the Game ✨
There were plenty of highlights for the Mets on Friday night, with the pitching and hitting combining for a dominant outing in a rare joint effort.
However, I’ll go with Luis Torrens’ home run in the fifth inning.
Not only was it the veteran catcher’s first homer of the year, but it came at a pretty key point in the game.
With the Mets protecting a two-run lead, Torrens came to the plate with one runner on and one out, and proceeded to blast what proved to be the dagger to the heart of the Padres.
It was all part of a big night offensively for Torrens, who continues to prove his value to this team.
Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
On the latest midweek edition of the show, Rich recaps the Mets losing 2/3 to the Mariners and goes on an epic rant about how Mark Vientos turned into the worst player in baseball.
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Who’s Hot? 🔥
RHP Christian Scott has now allowed just one earned run over his last three starts, striking out 16 over 16.1 innings
LHP A.J. Minter has now not allowed an earned run over his last five outings, striking out six hitters in the process
Over his last 11 games, C Luis Torrens is hitting .310/.375/.517/.892 with three doubles, five runs scored, and four RBIs
Over his last six games, INF Jared Young is hitting .304/.360/.739/.1.099 with four runs and four RBIs
Down on the Farm 🌾
RHP Jack Wenninger (No. 5 prospect, Triple-A): 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
3B Jacob Reimer (No. 4 prospect, Double-A): 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBIs, 1 BB, 1 HR, 1 SB
C Chris Suero (No. 14 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBIs, 1 3B, 1 HR
3B Colin Houck (High-A): 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBIs, 1 BB, 1 HR
OF Yohairo Cuevas (Single-A): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 2B
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (28-35) at Padres (32-30)
Where: Petco Park - San Diego, CA
Starters: RHP Nolan McLean (3-4, 4.21 ERA) vs. RHP Griffin Canning (0-4, 7.16 ERA)
When: 10:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Notes on Christian Scott’s rising star and Luis Torrens’ value ✍️
Everything came together for the Mets on Friday night in San Diego.
The pitching was stellar all the way down, and the offense came up with timely hits, thanks mainly to the bottom of the order. It was just a really nice win, even if Juan Soto did show a real lack of hustle on an inning-ending groundout to first base in the third. Say what you want, but it wasn’t a good look, especially as it cost the Mets a run.
Anyway, Soto’s baserunning gaffe aside, it is a shame we haven’t seen it all come together like that more often this season.
In any case, rather than recap last night’s win, I want to instead focus on a couple of standout talking points, starting with the Mets’ hottest starter right now…
The Future Looks Bright
Christian Scott continues to be a real bright spot in what has been a lost season for the Mets so far. Since being promoted back to the big leagues on April 23, he’s been really, really good and hasn’t really made too many mistakes. He’s looked assured, and the confidence continues to grow.
It is easy to forget that there was a lot of hype around Scott once upon a time, and he was considered one of the franchise’s best young pitching prospects before he underwent Tommy John surgery. Of course, time stands still for no man, especially in baseball, and the likes of Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Jack Wenninger all emerged in Scott’s absence.
However, while all the focus swiftly switched to other prospects, Scott remained focused and determined in the background, working his way back and waiting for an opportunity to remind Mets fans of just how good he could be.
We’re seeing the fruits of Scott’s labor right now.
He was excellent again on Friday, shutting out the Padres for 5.2 innings and throwing a season-high 98 pitches. He was efficient in his work, relying on weak contact and solid defense behind him to completely frustrate San Diego’s lineup. His command was there throughout, and the way he attacks the zone with ease is really impressive.
Having now lowered his ERA to 2.50 on the year, Scott has emerged as the Mets’ best and most reliable starter over the last month or so. With the rest of the rotation in flux, Scott has been a steady presence for this ballclub. With every other starter having to navigate ups and downs, Scott has gone about his work and delivered consistent results without any real drama.
And the good news is that there’s probably only more to come with Scott.
Firstly, he’s yet to be fully unleashed by the Mets as he continues to build himself back up. It is possible, and maybe smart, that the Mets spend the rest of the 2026 season building Scott back. Even so, we’re seeing signs that Scott has the ability, the potential, and the intangibles needed to become a big piece of this rotation for the foreseeable future. Maybe he could even develop as a legit No. 2 starter behind McLean one day. Now that would be a dangerous 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.
We’ve obviously got a long way to go before we reach that point, but the fact remains that Scott is proving with every start that the Mets could have something really special on their hands.
And that’s worth getting excited about in what has been a car crash of a season so far.
Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Of the four professional major sports leagues in America, baseball is arguably the one most set up for no-name veterans to suddenly emerge as crucial pieces on a big league roster.
We see feel-good stories emerge all the time in this sport, and it is part of what makes baseball so great.
And we’re seeing that play out with Luis Torrens and the Mets right now. Although not a complete unknown, he did bounce around the majors before arriving in Queens. Since then, though, Torrens has established himself as a real valuable figure both in the clubhouse and out on the diamond.
He’s delivered consistent results behind the plate, and has contributed offense when it has been needed. Although it took him until June to hit his first homer of the year, Torrens has shown an ability to come through with a big hit. He also has nine doubles on the year already, making it entirely likely that he could set a new career-high in that category before the season is done.
More importantly, Torrens has proven time and time again that he can be relied upon. Emerging as the team’s everyday catcher with Francisco Alvarez on the IL, Torrens has combined defensive wizardry behind the plate with the odd game-changing performance at the plate, like the one we witnessed on Friday night. His ability to just do his job has ensured that Alvarez’s loss hasn’t been too detrimental.
Furthermore, it has long been crystal clear that having a workhorse like Torrens on the roster is beyond valuable. With Alvarez yet to stay healthy or fully put it together, Torrens has been able to step in and carry the load whenever he’s been asked to. And you can’t really put a price on that, if you ask me.
Yes, the likes of Juan Soto will attract all the headlines, obviously, but it is important every now and then to acknowledge and recognize the role Torrens plays for this team. Role players like that carry their own value, and Torrens has been nothing short of a revelation since arriving in Queens.
In baseball, you need more than just the big stars to be a team and be successful. You need guys like Torrens to act as the glue and be available to help win games in any way possible.
Torrens certainly does exactly that for the Mets. Not all heroes wear capes.
Around the League 🚩
The Yankees officially placed star OF Aaron Judge on the IL with a stress fracture of the right rib (MLB.com)
Called back up by the Yankees in light of Judge’s injury, OF Spencer Jones recorded three hits and one RBI in a 5-3 loss to the Red Sox
C Adley Rutschman had himself a night, going 4-for-4 with five RBIs and just missing out on the cycle as the Orioles destroyed the Blue Jays, 13-3
RHP Roki Sasaki set a career-high with 10 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings, and 1B Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off homer as the Dodgers beat the Angels, 1-0
INF Luis García Jr. hit two of the Nationals’ five home runs in a mammoth 14-1 win over the Diamondbacks
Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen struckout nine and tossed seven scoreless innings in a 6-0 shutout win over the Marlins