What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets lost 6-4 to the Yankees in the opening game of the Subway Series on an emotional night at Yankee Stadium as both teams came together on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 (box)
RHP Nolan McLean allowed five earned runs on a career-high 10 hits over five innings, including a back-breaking three-run home run in the second
RHP Jack Weisenburger provided three innings of relief out of the bullpen, giving up one earned run on three hits with no walks and two strikeouts
The Mets struggled offensively all night and recorded just seven hits, while going 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven runners stranded on base
CF A.J. Ewing was the lone bright spot, going 2-for-4 with an RBI single and a home run, while 2B Marcus Semien and 1B Christopher Morel drove in the Mets’ other two runs
RF Carson Benge made another elite throw from the outfield, and now ranks tied-fourth with the most outfield assists all-time among Mets rookies with 10
Roster Moves 📰
RHP Jack Weisenburger recalled from Triple-A Syracuse
RHP Chris Devenski designated for assignment
Injury Updates 🏥
INF Brett Baty (left knee pain) underwent an MRI and is expected to be fine. He was available off the bench on Friday night
Play of the Game ⭐️
The turning point of this game arrived early.
Nolan McLean’s first Subway Series was a rough one right from the very get-go.
He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning but wasn’t so lucky in the second, giving up a three-run blast to Cody Bellinger.
It was the first home run allowed on a curveball in McLean’s career, and the Yankees would never give up the lead they took in the second inning.
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
ICYMI: In the latest midweek edition of The Just Mets Podcast, Rich MacLeod reacts to the Mets sweep vs. the Marlins, likely ending Miami’s playoff hopes and delivering some much needed payback for 2007, 2008 and 2025...
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Down on the Farm 🌾
RF MJ Melendez (Triple-A): 4-for-5, 3 R, 5 RBIs, 1 2B, 2 HR
LF Jose Ramos (Triple-A): 2-for-4, 3 RBIs
DH Marco Vargas (Double-A): 3-for-5, 1 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 SB
RF Eli Serrano III (No. 25 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 SB
BOX SCORES
Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (68-79) at Yankees (85-62)
Where: Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY
Starters: LHP Zac Thornton (3-5, 3.53 ERA) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (8-8, 3.41 ERA)
When: 1:35 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY | MLB Network
Thoughts on Nolan McLean’s clunker and AJ Ewing’s recent ascent ✍️
Before we do anything else today, I just want to reflect on how special last night was in the Bronx.
Major League Baseball got it right by ensuring the Subway Series would take place on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and the Mets and the Yankees combined to unite New York once again.
It was an emotional night that both transcended sports, and also showcased the full power sports has to bring us together, even in the darkest moments of our lives.
Both teams got everything right in how they approached last night, and I am not ashamed in saying that I got emotional during the pre-game ceremony. Brielle Saracini and Sean McGuire, who both lost their dads on 9/11 and who later married after meeting at a camp for kids who lost parents that day, threw out the first pitches in what was one of the most emotional moments of the entire night.
Full credit to the Yankees for putting on just a beautiful ceremony.
Although there is now an entire generation not old enough to remember 9/11, we can never forget, nor allow others to forget, the horrific atrocities that took place on that day, the thousands of lives lost, and all the families and heroic first responders who still suffer to this day.
We can never, ever forget that awful, awful day, and both the Mets and the Yankees came together to honor and remember all those who were killed that day on a night that should make all New Yorkers proud.
Okay, there is no easy transition, but let’s talk some baseball.
It wasn’t a great night for Nolan McLean, who was generally ineffective in his Subway Series debut. The righty was hit around from the get-go, and his poor start was what ultimately doomed the Mets. The defining moment came in the second inning when McLean gave up a soul-crushing three-run homer to Cody Bellinger - the first home run McLean has surrendered on a curveball in his career.
Now, it wasn’t a great pitch, but sometimes you are going to lose the battle anyway, and that’s exactly what happened. I mean, Bellinger is hardly a scrub; he’s a great hitter, and he took full advantage of McLean’s pitch being slightly off with the short porch in right field.
It sucked that Bellinger’s home run proved to be the turning point, but I think there’s been a lot of overreaction in the wake of the game.
Yes, McLean was bad, and he didn’t attack the zone enough, but it is important to remember that the rookie did enter the game having allowed two earned runs or fewer in his previous five starts. Every pitcher is going to have an off day here and there.
Plus, while the atmosphere was cranked up for the 9/11 ceremony, the game itself mattered way more to the Yankees than it did to the Mets in terms of standings implications. While it would have been nice for McLean to rise to the occasion, I don’t think it is fair to now say that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a big-game pitcher or use last night’s clunker as an indictment on McLean’s status as a potential ace for this team.
I think it was just one bad night where McLean didn’t have his best stuff or the execution, and it doesn’t need to get made into any more than that.
Now, time for a quick word on A.J. Ewing.
The rookie outfielder provided the bulk of the Mets’ offense last night with a home run and an RBI single. He’s come out of his slump nicely and is now hitting .545/.560/.909 with two doubles, two homers, and nine RBIs over his last six games and .400/.444/.625/.1.069 over his last 11 games.
That’s some turnaround, and I think Ewing deserves a lot of praise for how he’s handled the first real test of his Major League career.
Now, I’m sure there will be some people who think praising a professional ballplayer for figuring out how to hit again is a bit much, but I disagree in this particular instance.
Ewing’s slump was so bad— he was 43-for-202 at one point— he could have easily made things worse by trying to do too much. He would then have no doubt entered the offseason having to deal with a lot of noise over his hitting ability.
Instead, Ewing stayed calm, stayed true to his game, made the right adjustments, and eventually came through it. Of course, it probably helped that there was nothing to play for, so the Mets had the luxury of being patient with Ewing.
Still, I think Ewing showed a lot of maturity and a lot of mental fortitude to hang in there before breaking out, which is an incredibly encouraging sign for the future, as is the production Ewing is currently enjoying at the plate.
Of course, the question going forward is whether or not Ewing is an everyday player for this team going forward. That remains to be seen in the coming months as far as how they decide to improve this lineup and where they can improve it specifically, but on this date at least, he appears to be growing, maturing, and getting better, and the Mets need to be able to lean more on their homegrown talent than the external markets for solutions going forward.
He probably deserves the benefit of more time to develop into the player they think he can be.
Around the League 🚩
The Twins will be without OF Byron Buxton for the rest of the year, with Buxton undergoing right hip surgery (MLB.com)
The Brewers clinched their eighth trip to the postseason in the last nine years thanks to a 20-0 win over the Reds
The Rays also punched their playoff ticket, returning to the postseason after a two-year absence following a 3-1 win over the Astros
C Drake Baldwin hit a walkoff double to lead the Braves to a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over the Phillies in extra-innings
The Padres beat the Giants 7-5 for a fifth straight win and to tighten their grip on a Wild Card spot
OF Kyle Tucker hit a grand slam and finished with five RBIs in the Dodgers’ 6-2 win over the Marlins
I repeat: Let. The. Kids. PLAY! And learn how to get through the bad times.
There is no question AJ Ewing is a key part of this team going forward. I think his resurgence is definitive proof of that.