Starting pitching, stellar bullpen gets the job done for Mets against Padres

Edwin Díaz was electric for a second consecutive night. Plus, why the false hope of a potential Wild Card chase shouldn't get in the way of the bigger picture for New York...

NY Post

What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets beat the Padres 2-1 in the opening game of the series at Citi Field on Friday night (box)

• LHP Sean Manaea was solid on the mound, giving up one earned run on four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts over five innings of work

• J.D. Martinez again proved to be the main producer of offense for New York, ripping a two-run double in the bottom of the third

• The offense struggled for the third time in four games, recording just four hits. The lineup has now scored a total of two runs in three of the last four games, two of those resulting in wins

• New York went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, leaving a total of five runners on base

• 2B Jeff McNeil executed a game-saving defensive play in the ninth, making a diving stop and then throwing out the runner at first to get the big second out

• Edwin Díaz then finished the job, striking out two in another clean inning as the bullpen didn’t allow a run over the final four innings of the game. Díaz earned his first save since May 6

• The Mets have now won seven of their last nine games, and they have won three straight games at Citi Field for only the second time in 2024

• New York has allowed just 11 runs across four games on this homestand so far

• OF Starling Marte recorded the 350th stolen base of his career. He is the only active player with 350 or more stolen bases and 150 or more home runs

• OF Brandon Nimmo revealed he has undergone concussion testing in recent days in the wake of hitting just .210 since being drilled with a pitch against the Giants three weeks ago (NY Post)

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Injury Updates 🏥

• Brandon Nimmo recently underwent concussion testing resulting from being hit by a pitch on May 24, and will continue to be evaluated for the injury

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Who’s Hot 🔥

• DH J.D. Martinez has driven in eight runs over his past six appearances, including five RBIs on this homestand. He has reached base in his last 18 games and has an .822 OPS during that stretch

• RHP Edwin Díaz touched 100 mph in back-to-back shutdown outings, and he recorded his 102nd career save for the Mets on Friday. He moved past Billy Wagner into fifth place all time in franchise history

• The bullpen has combined to allow just two runs on this homestand, walking one and striking out 22 in that span

Down on the Farm 🌾

• RHP José Buttó (Triple-A SYR): 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

• 3B Brett Baty (Triple-A SYR): 3-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B

• OF Luke Ritter (Triple-A SYR): 2-for-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR

• RHP Brandon Sproat (No. 13 prospect, Double-A BNG): 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

• 1B Ryan Clifford (No. 4 prospect, Double-A BNG): 2-for-2, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 1 2B, 1 HR

• SS Jeremiah Jackson (Double-A BNG): 2-for-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 1 HR

• C Ronald Hernandez (No. 21 prospect, Single-A STL): 2-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR

BOX SCORES

Single-A STL Game 1 | Single-A STL Game 2 | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR

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Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (31-37) vs. Padres (37-36)

Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY

Starters: LHP José Quintana (1-5, 5.29 ERA) vs. RHP Adam Mazur (0-1, 9.00 ERA)

When: 4:10 PM EDT

Where to Watch: WPIX

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All sentimentality needs to be removed from trade deadline approach ✍️

NY Post

We’ve reached the time of year when trade deadline talk will dominate and fill the baseball discourse on a daily basis.

As it pertains specifically to the New York Mets, expect to hear a million different takes on whether they should be buyers or sellers at the deadline.

Given how badly inconsistent this team has been so far in 2024 (the most recent hot stretch not withstanding), the narrative around what exactly they should do could well change by the minute.

For instance, following a good recent stretch of baseball, coupled with the returns of Edwin Díaz and Francisco Álvarez, there seems to be a sense of renewed hope from some Mets fans that maybe this team could go on a run and entrench themselves in the Wild Card conversation.

However, for president of baseball operations David Stearns and the rest of the front office, the trade deadline strategy needs to be built on facts and a solid gold plan.

In other words, their approach can’t be swayed by false hope or a sense of loyalty to the current core.

After all, as Steve Cohen himself has said hope is not a strategy.

I really think some perspective is needed in Mets land right now. As it pertains to the Wild Card race, there are currently NINE teams ahead of New York in the standings. The likes of the Braves, the Cubs, the Giants, the Cardinals, the Reds and the Padres are all better ballclubs than the Mets.

Secondly, a number of this team’s warts were on full ugly display in the series win against the Marlins. It took a J.D. Martinez walk-off home run to clinch the series, with the offense going completely cold in two of the three games against one of the worst teams in baseball. Furthermore, the defense continues to stink - committing two costly errors in the loss on Tuesday - and the pitching as a whole remains questionable at best.

Yes, the Mets did take care of business against Miami, but it wasn’t exactly easy or pretty. They could have easily lost two of three to the awful Marlins were it not for Martinez’s heroics.

And, granted, the bullpen was stellar in the opening game of the series against the Padres on Friday, not allowing a run over the final four innings of the game. Plus, Díaz delivered another electric ninth inning and looks like the Edwin Díaz of old. If he is truly back, then that could be a game-changer.

However, the offense struggled again with just four hits and two runs and that lack of production will catch up with you in more games than not.

As such, I think there is a lot of false hope floating around Citi Field right now.

Of course, that could change if this team can actually get on a sustained run and play fundamentally sound baseball over a large stretch. If they can get back to .500, then they can legitimately say they’re in the playoff race. I will happily shut up and be proved wrong if the Mets can go on an absolute tear and win at an elite clip over the next month or so.

But, until then, I’ll trust the larger sample size and argue that this team is simply not good enough to compete for a Wild Card spot. Especially with nine teams ahead of them.

I’m sorry, but I don’t care how many games back they are. Until certain flaws are fixed, this team as currently constituted shouldn’t be considered a serious Wild Card contender. Also, you can’t overlook the competition. Nine teams is a lot and that means a hell of a lot will have to break right for the Mets along the way too.

NY Post

Consequently, Stearns and his team need to focus on doing what’s best for the long-term health of the organization at the deadline. Even if this team is still technically alive in July, there should be no hesitation when it comes to trading away certain pieces if that means taking a big step towards the ultimate goal of sustained excellence.

Stearns was brought in by owner Steve Cohen to build a perennial winner, not standpat with a core that hasn’t really achieved anything and can only hope to flirt with a Wild Card spot as a best-case scenario.

Therefore, Stearns needs to do whatever is necessary in order to obtain the pieces required to transform the Mets into a franchise that can compete year in and year out. If that means blowing the current core up and trading away the likes of Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte, then so be it.

Furthermore, there is no doubt that the likes of Martinez and Luis Severino could be attractive options for a number of legit contenders. It is certainly feasible to predict that both players could bring back a pretty nice package in return. There will be other players on the roster who will be viable trade chips too.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that the faint promise of a run at Wild Card spot can’t come at the expense of Stearns’ long-term vision for this organization. Yes, we all want to root for a winning team and we all want the intoxicating lure of postseason baseball to look forward to in October.

However, even if the Mets did somehow climb above all nine teams and punch their playoff ticket, they will likely be destroyed in the Wild Card round given the current makeup of the roster.

Is that really worth not committing to selling at the trade deadline and not putting in significant building blocks for both the short and long-term future?

I don’t think it is.

All in all, the front office will need to rule with their heads and not their hearts as we edge closer to the trade deadline. They can’t allow themselves to be hoodwinked by some fool’s gold. They can leave that to us.

Whether this team is out of it or still alive come the deadline, Stearns needs to stay true to his convictions and build the organization the way he sees fit. Even if that means sacrificing a potential Wild Card chase in order to prioritize tomorrow.

This team has proven itself to be maddeningly inconsistent, and one or two stretches of good baseball shouldn’t distract from the bigger picture and what is best for the New York Mets in the long run.

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Around the League 🚩

• MLB Umpire Pat Hoberg was disciplined for violating gambling rules. Hoberg is appealing the ruling

• The Astros released veteran first baseman José Abreu, who had a negative-1.6 wins above replacement with Houston and is still owed around $30 million

• Cardinals rookie catcher Pedro Pagés hit his first career MLB homer with his dad in the stands in a 3-0 win against the Cubs on Father’s Day Weekend

• Alex Verdugo homered in his return to Fenway Park and drove in four RBIs as the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 8-1

• Alec Bohm hit a clutch two-run double as the Phillies beat the Orioles in extra-innings of an exhilarating game

• Freddie Freeman came through with a big RBI single in the eighth to help the Dodgers come from behind to beat the Royals 4-3