Mets homer their way to a sweep of the Nationals
The Mets belted two more home runs to pace the offense on Thursday. Plus, who can the Mets turn to now that Senga is headed to the IL?
What’s up with the Mets? ⚾
The Mets defeated the Nationals 4-3 to finish off the sweep and win their sixth straight (box)
LF Brandon Nimmo went 2-for-4 with a home run which was his third home run in the last two games
2B Jeff McNeil got the scoring started with a three-run home run in the first. He has now reached base safely in his last 15 games
RHP Kodai Senga pitched 5.2 innings, allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out five before he departed with injury
The Mets barely got away with the win thanks to ineffectiveness from both Ryne Stanek and Edwin Díaz in the ninth, Díaz found his form and was able to shut the valve off for the save
Injury Updates 🏥
RHP Kodai Senga (hamstring strain) is headed to the IL and will undergo a MRI to determine the severity of the strain
Who’s Hot? 🔥
RF Juan Soto went 1-for-3 with a double, walk, and run scored and is now hitting .440/.576/.760 with two home runs, four RBIs, eight walks, and 10 runs over his last seven games
LF Brandon Nimmo is hitting .310/.385/.603 with 14 runs scored, 18 hits, five home runs, ten RBIs, and six walks over his last 15 games
2B Jeff McNeil is hitting .321/.373/.679 with five home runs and 12 RBIs over his last 15 games
Stats of the Day 📊
The Mets are the only team in the majors to have three separate win streaks of three games or more
The team improved to 45-24 on the season which is their second-best start through 69 games in franchise history which ties them with the 1988 and 2022 teams and puts them behind the 1986 team
The Mets improved to 27-7 at home which marks their best home start in franchise history
The Mets are the only team in the majors with four players with 13 or more home runs (Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, and Juan Soto)
Kodai Senga! 👻
Senga has allowed three runs or fewer in 30 straight starts to join Jacob deGrom as the only pitchers in franchise history to accomplish that feat. The streak is tied with Bob Gibson (7/3/67-7/30/68) and Hyun Jin Ryu (4/2/18-6/22/19) for the sixth-longest such streak by a starting pitcher (excluding openers) in Major League history in the Live Ball Era (since 1920)
His 1.47 ERA is the second lowest mark through 13 starts in franchise history trailing only deGrom (40 GS, 9/19/19-9/18/22, 31 GS 4/16/18-4/3/19)
Play of the Game ⭐️
Jeff McNeil stayed red-hot by helping the Mets jump out to a 3-0 lead with his home run in the first inning. With Kodai Senga on the mound, it seemed like the three runs would be enough until Senga’s unfortunate injury.
Although the bullpen nearly blew it, Brandon Nimmo’s home run ended up being the winning run. Seeing Happy Jeff back with a vengeance is certainly a positive sign for the ballclub.
Down on the Farm 🌾
RHP Brandon Sproat (No. 2 prospect, Triple-A): 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
SS Jett Williams (No. 1 prospect, Double-A): 3-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB, K
DH Ryan Clifford (No. 5 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-5, R, RBI, HR, K
BOX SCORES
Low-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (45-24) vs. Rays (36-32)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Clay Holmes (7-3, 2.95 ERA) vs. RHP Taj Bradley (4-5, 4.58 ERA)
When: 7:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
What are the Mets options with Kodai Senga on the IL? ✍️
Despite winning their sixth game in a row, it was soured a bit when Kodai Senga had to leave the game in the sixth inning with a hamstring injury.
This is a very unfortunate injury for Senga, who was having a phenomenal season leading the National League in ERA to date. He worked so hard to come back from two different injuries last year - one with his shoulder from spring training and then one with his calf in his only regular season start - and now he will be out for an undetermined length of time.
Fortunately for the Mets, they do have options until Senga returns.
First up is Paul Blackburn, who recently made his own return back from injury. He was phenomenal in his first start of the year against the Dodgers, going five innings while not allowing a run against the reigning World Champions. His next appearance was less successful out of the bullpen against the Rockies, giving up three runs in four innings, but in a quirk of scoring, picked up the save. He has a career ERA of 4.82 and is an acceptable major league starter to fill in until Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea return.
Next is the aforementioned Montas, who is close to returning from his rehab assignment. He has made four appearances in the minors as he makes his way back from a lat strain he sustained all the way back in February. He is scheduled to pitch in another rehab game with Syracuse this weekend, but Carlos Mendoza said after Thursday’s game that they are not going to rush him despite what happened with Senga.
Brandon Sproat was a dark horse in spring training to watch, but unfortunately, his performance just hasn’t been there in Triple-A this season. He is 3-5 with a 5.31 ERA in 57.2 IP, which probably will not warrant a call-up at this time.
The team could also try Blade Tidwell again, who did get a start back in May in the majors, but he did not look like he was quite ready for the big leagues just yet. Overall, he is 4-3 with a 4.14 ERA with Syracuse, so the team might look elsewhere for the time being to fill their rotation.
The Mets could give Nolan McLean a look, who has excelled since making the jump to Triple-A. In six appearances with Syracuse, he has posted a 2.48 ERA in 32.2 innings. Even so, while he has been excellent in every level, it might not be the right move to rush him to the majors.
Manaea is a little further away, but his return should bolster the rotation, especially since Senga will likely miss significant time due to this leg injury. Even if Senga has the lowest possible grade strain in his hamstring, even a short-term shutdown will require a restart of baseball activities followed by a ramp-up before he can even begin to make rehab starts.
The good news for the Mets is that they have a strength both in numbers and in quality as far as their pitching depth goes - they have the arms to survive the loss of their ace.
Around the League 🚩
The Angels are reportedly calling up top prospect INF Christian Moore from Triple-A
The Rockies scored two runs in the ninth and walked-off the Giants to avoid the worst start to a season in the modern era
After the Brewers demoted RHP Aaron Civale to the bullpen he requested to be traded from the team
Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski had an electric major league debut and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning but was lifted after he rolled his ankle on the mound
Jeff haters..lol..
I have confidence that the brain trust will figure out what is best to address Senga's setback. Too bad he was really looking terrific