Mets make it interesting again, but hold on to win series against Nationals

Plus, the Mets have a hard-throwing reliever emerging in their bullpen

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets defeated the Nationals by a score of 6-3 on Tuesday night in DC (box)

• Harrison Bader and Pete Alonso led the way offensively - Bader hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Alonso hit a solo shot in the ninth to help provide insurance

• Starling Marte contributed a two-run triple in the fifth as part of a three-run frame

• David Peterson put forth a strong showing on the mound, allowing just two runs on five hits over 6.2 IP

• Dedniel Núñez was impressive again in relief with 1.1 scoreless innings, although Reed Garrett was shaky in the ninth with two walks and a run allowed

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Injury Updates 🏥

• C Francisco Álvarez (thumb ligament surgery) caught all nine innings of the Brooklyn Cyclones combined no-hitter on Tuesday - he went 1-for-3 with a walk at the plate

• RHP Edwin Díaz (shoulder impingement) threw a 21-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday, and could appear in a rehab game on Thursday. He will not travel with the team to London

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Who’s Hot 🔥

• Mark Vientos is hitting .327/.397/.618 with four doubles, four home runs and nine RBI in 16 games since being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse

• Over his last 26 games, Pete Alonso is hitting .279/.330/.548 with ten doubles, six home runs and 15 RBI

• Harrison Bader is hitting .283/.333/.491 with five doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI over his last 19 games

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Down on the Farm 🌾

Courtesy of the Brooklyn Cyclones

Dakota Hawkins, Joey Lancellotti and Joshua Cornielly all combined to throw the second no-hitter in Brooklyn Cyclones history as they shutout the Aberdeen Ironbirds 3-0 in Brooklyn.

Hawkins started for the Mets and went the first five innings, allowing a walk with two strikeouts. Lancellotti pitched a hitless sixth and Cornielly fired three hitless innings to complete the no-hitter for Brooklyn (Story).

• SS Colin Houck (No. 9 prospect, Low-A): 2-for-3, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, R

• 1B JT Schwartz (Double-A): 1-for-4, HR, RBI

BOX SCORES

Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR (PPD)

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Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (26-35) Nationals (27-33)

Where: Nationals Park - Washington, DC

Starters:RHP Luis Severino (3-2, 3.52 ERA) vs. LHP Patrick Corbin (1-6, 5.83 ERA)

When: 4:05 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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The Mets offense has been better, and how about Dedniel Núñez? ✍️

Well, the Mets certainly can’t go a day without making it exciting in innings 7-9, can they?

It’s simple for opposing teams - they don’t even need to keep the game particularly close. Just get into the Mets bullpen and they have a chance.

Such was the case again on Tuesday night when Reed Garrett brought the tying run to the plate for the Nationals thanks to yet another shaky outing on the mound. This time though, he and the Mets prevailed and they held on to secure a series win and their fourth win in their last six games.

Now, I’d hate to start off on such a negative note, especially since the Mets ultimately won anyway. Despite the records though, these are games the Mets should be winning. They’re still better than Washington on paper, ie they have a better roster and that’s really all I mean by that.

In general, all of the games they’ve blown after the eighth inning - regardless of who they were playing - were winnable. How many multi-run leads have the Mets blown over the last month? I’ve lost count but in those instances, it doesn’t matter who they’re playing.

Games and seasons are won and lost in innings 7-9 in this era of baseball. The Mets are living (or dying) proof of that.

There were some very encouraging things to come out of Tuesday night’s game, however. Everyone in the starting lineup had at least one hit, the 1-3 hitters went 6-for-14 with a double and a homer, and both Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor specifically continued their upswing back towards their expected marks.

For Alonso, it’s obviously important he continues this hot streak. For starters, it’s fun to watch Alonso mash the ball and do the things which have made him an iconic Met over the first five years of his career. Also, if the Mets do decide to move him at the trade deadline, they weren’t going to get the expected value in return for him with the way he was hitting over the first third of the year.

This will unquestionably boost his value if that’s the route they decide to take.

Third, he’s a free agent at the end of the season. Down years for pending free agents don’t usually go so well in the marketplace, as we all know.

So again, good for him. On multiple fronts. I hope it works out for him. And of course, I hope the Mets keep him (whether that’s right, wrong or otherwise. I don’t really care to be perfectly honest with you).

There were also a couple of encouraging takeaways on the pitching front for the Mets on Tuesday.

First off, David Peterson gave the Mets some very necessary and quality length last night. He threw 81 pitches before being lifted in the seventh inning. He also threw 52 strikes, induced ten ground balls and struck out two batters. That’s Peterson in a nutshell when he’s at his best - he’s going to be in the zone, pitching to contact and on the ground. That he was able to limit this outrageous bullpen in the manner he did deserves a beer all by itself, but his performance and building stamina are also commendable.

Then there’s Dedniel Núñez who is quietly emerging as a quality option for Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. Right now, he and the Mets are simply searching for people to get outs in innings 7-9, and Núñez is acquitting himself well in that department. He hasn’t allowed a run in four appearances since being recalled from the minors, striking out nine and allowing just two hits over 5.1 IP. He throws hard, nobody is touching him right now, so as long as he’s throwing strikes in the manner he is, why not give him some higher leverage spots?

Who’s better right now? It certainly isn’t Adam Ottavino or Reed Garrett right now. Some fresh blood might not hurt in a key reliever’s role right now.

Then when Edwin Díaz gets back from his hiatus, the Mets can make some decisions on how all of this is going to fit.

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Around the League 🚩

• Shohei Ohtani has been cleared of any wrongdoing by MLB in his fraud case with his former interpreter, and MLB now considers the matter closed (ESPN)

• Former MLB player Tucupita Marcano received a lifetime ban from baseball for gambling on the sport (ESPN)

• Luis Gil allowed one hit over six innings as the Yankees rolled over the Twins 5-1

• Jared Jones allowed three hits over six scoreless innings as the Pirates shutout the Dodgers 1-0

• Cristopher Sánchez allowed a run over six innings and the Phillies bullpen fired four scoreless as they edged the Brewers 2-1 in 10 innings

• Max Fried struck out 13 batters over seven innings as the Braves defeated the Red Sox 8-3