Postponement extends Mets' euphoria, as they continue to reverse their fortunes
A rainout on Friday gives New York an extra day to soak in their comeback victory. Plus, how the Mets are reversing the script this season.
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets’ match-up against the Phillies on Friday night was rained out and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on August 20th
New York could plan to pursue Brewers executive David Stearns once again this offseason to fill their President of Baseball Operations role (Heyman)
The Mets are likely to seek relief help at the trade deadline and could target free agent RHP Trevor Rosenthal in the short-term (Heyman)
With a 119 wRC+, the Mets currently rank as the 2nd best offense in baseball (trailing only the Yankees) in that metric
Mets starting pitchers have a 3.0 fWAR (2nd best in MLB), 3.05 ERA (t-4th best) and 3.10 FIP (4th best) this season
The Mets’ six-game lead in the NL East is the largest gap for any division leader, and is twice as big as the second-biggest (Twins, AL Central)
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (19-9) at Phillies (11-15)
Where: Citizens Bank Park — Philadelphia, PA
Starters: RHP Max Scherzer (4-0, 2.61 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Gibson (2-1, 2.93 ERA)
When: 4:05 PM EST
Where to Watch: SNY
The Mets are reversing the script 📝
It’s amazing how quickly fortunes can change. For so many years, it seemed as if it was the Mets that were always on the losing side of history or a stunning 9th inning rally. For years they were the team that constantly came up just short and were the authors of a countless amount of #fakecomebacks.
But by looking at just three of their victories this season, you can already see that a reversal is occurring. The script, so to speak, is in the process of being flipped.
In the last two weeks the Mets have had a two-out rally for five runs in the 9th inning in St. Louis, pitched their second no-hitter in franchise history and scored seven runs in the 9th to stun the Phillies after once trailing by a score of 7-0. These three games alone would’ve been enough to combine for several years worth of great wins for this team, and yet for this year’s club it appears as if it is starting to become the norm.
“They didn’t happen much in the past that I’ve been here,” center fielder Brandon Nimmo said about these types of wins following Thursday night’s comeback in Philadelphia. “This is three times we’ve had extraordinary, special moments and I think they start to mark special seasons.”
Prior to Thursday night, the Mets had been 0-for-their-last-330 when trailing by six runs or more in the 9th inning, dating back to 1997. MLB teams as a whole had been a combined 0-684 in those situations over the last three seasons. If you want to see how the fortunes of this team have changed, look no further at how the last team to blow a six-run lead in the 9th prior to those 684 contests was the Mets when they infamously let a 10-4 lead get away in Washington, putting a cherry on top of a season defined by gut-wrenching losses.
For years it was the Mets that were walking away shaking their heads, wondering what just happened. So far this year, they’re the ones making other teams feel that way for once. And the more it happens, the more belief is growing in that clubhouse that anything is possible.
“You put these little things together,” Nimmo said. “And they amount to big things in the end.”
Down on the Farm 🌾
Daniel Palka (1B/OF, Triple-A): 1-for-4, HR (8)
Hayden Senger (C, No. 20 Prospect, Double-A): 1-for-3
Alex Ramirez (OF, No. 6 Prospect, Single-A): 3-for-4, triple
Box Scores: Triple-A | Double-A | High-A (PPD) | Single-A
Around the League 🚩
Rays CF Manuel Margo hit a pinch-hit, three-run home run in the 9th inning to lift the club to an 8-7 win over the Mariners
Angels CF Mike Trout hit a two-run double in the team’s 3-0 victory vs the Nationals
The Brewers defeated the Braves by a score of 6-3
D-backs RHP Merrill Kelly came one out shy of a complete game in the club’s 4-1 win against the Rockies
The Yankees-Rangers games on Friday and Saturday were both postponed due to rain