Mets sneak by the snakes with power and defense

Plus, what's Griffin Canning's secret sauce that has led to his renaissance?

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What’s up with the Mets? ⚾

• The Mets edged the Diamondbacks 5-4 in Phoenix on Monday night (Box | Highlights)

• Griffin Canning started for the Mets and while he got off to a rough start, navigated five innings of one-run ball

• Pete Alonso gave the Mets the lead with a two-run home run in the fourth inning, and Francisco Lindor hit a massive three-run shot to buy the Mets necessary insurance in the seventh inning

• Dedniel Núñez was ineffective in his 2025 debut, allowing three runs while failing to record an out in the eighth

• The Mets staved off one final rally attempt by the D-Backs in the ninth as Edwin Díaz recorded his eighth save of the season

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Roster Moves 📰

• OF Jesse Winker placed on the 10-Day Injured List with a right oblique strain

• INF Brett Baty recalled from Triple-A Syracuse

• RHP Austin Warren returned to Triple-A Syracuse after serving as the 27th player for the doubleheader on Sunday

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Injury Updates 🏥

• OF Jesse Winker will miss 6-8 weeks with a grade 2 lat strain

• LHP AJ Minter will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn lat muscle

• LHP Danny Young will undergo season-ending Tommy John Surgery to repair a torn UCL in his left elbow

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Play of the Game 🌟

After Alek Thomas reached base on an error as the tying run in the ninth, Francisco Álvarez threw him out attempting to steal, thanks in part to an incredible tag by Francisco Lindor, stymying Arizona’s attempt to complete their comeback and help secure a much-needed win for the Mets:

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Stats of the Day 📊

• Pete Alonso leads the National League in the following categories:

  • AVG: .349

  • OBP: .469

  • SLG: .674

  • OPS: 1.143

  • fWAR: 2.5

  • wRC+: 215

  • Hits: 45

  • Doubles: 13

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Down on the Farm 🌾

All Mets minor league affiliates were off on Monday.

• RHP Felipe De La Cruz (Triple-A Syracuse) has been named International League Pitcher of the week for the week of April 28-May 4

• LHP Zach Thornton (High-A Brooklyn) has been named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month for April

• No. 20 Jacob Reimer (High-A Brooklyn) on being named the South Atlantic League Player of the Month for April

• No. 28 prospect A.J. Ewing (High-A Brooklyn, was promoted from Low-A St. Lucie) has been named the Florida State League’s Player of the Month for April

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Today’s Game 🗓️

Match-up: Mets (23-13) @ Diamondbacks (18-17)

Where: Chase Field - Phoenix, AZ

Starters: LHP David Peterson (2-1, 3.06 ERA) vs. RHP Zac Gallen (2-4, 4.93 ERA)

When: 9:40 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

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Griffin Canning’s adjustment, and another bullpen adventure for the Mets… ✍️

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It’s not easy these days as the merry-go-round in the bullpen continues for the Mets. But wins are wins, and while there are some dents in the Mets’ armor right now, you have to take those wins no matter how they’re sliced up.

The Mets were cruising to an extent on Monday. Griffin Canning did a nice job settling in after he appeared to have no command of his fastball early. He was able to lock it in and help navigate five important innings for the Mets, especially after they had dealt with a long and taxing day on their bullpen just 24 hours before and halfway across the country. Canning has been outstanding so far this year, but most importantly, the Mets have unlocked a strength from Canning and are able to both course-correct and protect overexposure with him in-game.

That strength? His slider. And in the case of Monday’s start, it probably bought him time to get his fastball together. That pitch has helped him increase his groundball rate by about ten percent this season. It was an elite pitch for him last year, but for whatever reason, he didn’t use it as much, and now that he’s leveraging that pitch, we are seeing the kind of pitcher he can be.

Is it sustainable? We shall see. The most important thing right now is that he and the Mets have identified how to make Canning an effective pitcher, even if it’s only in five-inning bursts.

As for the rest of the night, if we delete Dedniel Núñez’s shaky 2025 debut, it was a pretty smooth night for the Mets.

Of course, we can’t do that, and his outing essentially made this game come down to Francisco Lindor’s seventh-inning three-run homer and a huge catch-and-throw play from Francisco Álvarez to Lindor in the ninth to shut the valve off on the Diamondbacks and secure a much-needed win after a miserable day for the club on Sunday.

It’s not to say bullpen leaks don’t sometimes make these games fun and entertaining. But obviously we would all prefer a smooth ride and a convincing victory after a rough six-game stretch where the Mets have lost two series to the Diamondbacks and Cardinals, respectively.

Núñez’s outing was unquestionably concerning. He was generally uncompetitive out there, and he didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in the process. Carlos Mendoza chose what he believed was a generally low-leverage spot for Núñez to kick off his season, but he quickly made it a high-wire act before Mendoza had to go to his higher-leverage relievers to try and win the game.

The Mets are counting on Núñez to not pitch that way and be a stabilizing force in a very murky situation with their relief corps. Last year, he was especially effective against left-handed hitters, and with the Mets literally not having a lefty in their bullpen right now, they need to get something out of Núñez and he has to show he is beyond his elbow issues and a capable major league reliever.

Hopefully last night was just a blip and he can re-emerge as a dominant relief presence for the Mets.

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Around the League 🚩

• Devin Williams’ rough season continued on Monday night - he allowed three runs in the eighth as the Padres came away with a 4-3 win over the Yankees

• The Cubs high octane offense was on full display again as they pummeled the Giants 9-2 at Wrigley

• AJ Smith-Shawver took a no-hitter into the seventh as the Braves blanked the Reds 4-0

• Jonathan India and Bobby Witt Jr. each recorded two hits as the Royals shutout the White Sox 3-0