It was just one bad night for the Mets, who could benefit from being less conservative
Discover more from Just Mets
It was just one bad night for the Mets, who could benefit from being less conservative
Carlos Carrasco leaves with a side injury in the team's blowout loss. Plus, how it was just one of those nights for New York and how they can add a spark.
Just Mets on Playback 📺
Our next live watch-along will take place tonight as the Mets look to even up their series vs the Braves at 7:20 PM EST! Watch the game and interact with hosts Rich MacLeod and Andrew Claudio live on Playback!
Be sure to sign up for Playback (it’s free!) and join us here tonight:
getplayback.com/room/justmets 🍎
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾
The Mets got blown out in the first game of their four-game set in Atlanta, losing 13-1 (box)
RHP Carlos Carrasco allowed three earned runs in two innings before leaving the game with a left side injury
RHPs Adonis Medina and Mychal Givens combined to allow nine runs (eight earned) in relief, eight of them in coming in the sixth inning
Braves RHP Spencer Strider finally made it through five innings against the Mets this season, allowing one run and striking out four
2B Jeff McNeil went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored in the defeat
1B/DH Darin Ruf pitched two scoreless innings on just 14 total pitches to close the game out and save the Mets bullpen for the remainder of the series
New York’s lead in the NL East is down to 4.5 games after the loss
Injury Updates 🏥
RHP Carlos Carrasco will undergo an MRI on his left side injury later today
INF Luis Guillorme was placed on the injured list and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a moderate left groin strain
C Tomás Nido was placed on the injured list with a “non-injury related illness”
Roster Moves 📰
Placed INF Luis Guillorme on the 10-day injured list
Called up INF Devin Marrero from Triple-A Syracuse
Placed C Tomás Nido on the 10-day injured list
Recalled C Michael Perez from Triple-A Syracuse
Who’s Hot 🔥
Darin Ruf is the first position player in Mets franchise history to pitch multiple scoreless innings in a single game, and is just the third position player in the last 34 years to pitch two scoreless innings on 15 pitches or less
Playoff Odds Tracker 🎲
The Mets are 75-41 and lead the Braves by 4.5 games in the National League East with 46 games to go. They are on-pace for 104 wins, which would be the second-highest mark in franchise history (108 in 1986)
The Mets have the fourth-easiest schedule down the stretch of the season (.474 opposing winning percentage, per Tankathon)
Playoff odds (FanGraphs):
Make the playoffs: 100 percent ↔️
Win the National League East: 86.1 percent ⬇️
Clinch a first round bye: 86 percent ⬇️
Win the World Series: 17.1 percent ⬆️
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (75-41) at Braves (71-46)
Where: Citi Field — Atlanta, Georgia
Starters: RHP Taijuan Walker (10-3, 3.43 ERA) vs RHP Charlie Morton (5-5, 4.26 ERA)
When: 7:20 PM EST
Where to Watch: SNY, Playback
The Mets had one really bad night, and why they need to stop playing it so safe 📝
It was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day for the Mets in Atlanta on Monday night. Not much went right for this team – Luis Guillorme and Tomás Nido were placed on the injured list before the game, Carlos Carrasco left with an injury of his own, there was a rain delay, the offense couldn’t muster much of anything and the Mets bullpen got rocked to the tune of 10 runs allowed (nine earned). The only Mets “pitcher” that didn’t allow a run, in fact, was Darin Ruf, the club’s right-handed designated hitter.
And while it was a miserable evening for this team, it’s important to remember that it was only one night. A 13-1 loss doesn’t count any more than a 1-0 one, and the Braves made up one game in the standings, not five. And while I’m sure Spencer Strider is living in the glory of completing five innings against the Mets for the first time this season, there is no result that could happen in this series that would see New York falling out of first place – even a sweep.
There are still three games for these two teams to duke it out this week, and judging by everything we’ve seen from the Mets all season long, a counter-punch should be expected at this point.
There is one thing I actually think the Mets could learn from the Braves, however.
When Luis Guillorme went down with an injury on Sunday, an opportunity was presented for the Mets to call up one of their more appealing prospects in either Mark Vientos or Brett Baty. It had even been reported by the NY Post that the club was putting serious consideration into promoting Baty, who the organization sees as more of a third baseman at this point than Vientos, who is better served at first base or DH (both of which are currently occupied).
Atlanta has not been afraid to call up their big, young prospects this season when they’ve had a need for a spark or a position they needed to bolster. The promotion of Michael Harris II was one of the catalysts for their big summer run to get back into the thick of things in the NL East and in this past week they called up their top prospect Vaughn Grissom, 21, straight from Double-A. Both moves have worked out well for the Braves thus far, as Harris has a 127 OPS+ this season and Grissom is hitting .429 with four extra-base hits in a limited time since he was promoted.
Atlanta knows what they’re fighting for here and has responded with an aggressiveness because of it. They have not been conservative with their prospects and have shown their willingness to call them up if they feel that they can help their team right now. The Mets could benefit similarly if they did something similar.
It doesn’t mean the team has to be reckless and call up guys they don’t deem to be worthy — I still think it’s the right call to wait until September, at minimum, to promote Francisco Álvarez — but someone like Brett Baty was already projected to be MLB ready this season, crushed it in Double-A all year, has been raking since his recent promotion to Triple-A and could legitimately provide a spark for this team in an area of need right now.
Guillorme is going to be out for over a month, and Eduardo Escobar is both nursing a side injury of his own and has not exactly performed up to expectations this season. If the Mets are truly trying to win a World Series this year, now is the time to take some chances and Brett Baty is a chance worth taking.
It worked once before when the team called up Michael Conforto straight from Double-A in 2015, who’s to say it can’t happen now?
All I know is that, with all-due respect, that spark is not coming from the likes of Devin Marrero or any other veteran utility infielder they call up.
Down on the Farm 🌾
All Mets minor league affiliates were off on Monday.
Around the League 🚩
The Mariners rallied for four runs in the top of the 9th to pull out a 6-2 victory over the Angels
The Phillies edged out the Reds thanks, in part, to a solid seven inning performance from RHP Noah Syndergaard
The Yankees were shutout for the second straight game, falling to the Rays 4-0
Atlanta has now won seven straight games since leaving New York last week