The Mets win yet another series against a division rival, and why Daniel Vogelbach was a perfect addition
The Mets win yet another series against a division rival, and why Daniel Vogelbach was a perfect addition
Mets win the rubber game with the Phillies—but lose an infielder in the process. And a deadline addition that’s connected instantly with the Mets faithful
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾
The Mets earned their league leading 16th shutout as they beat the Phillies 6-0 in the rubber game of their weekend series (Box)
With his first inning RBI single, Francisco Lindor passed Jose Reyes for the most RBI by a shortstop in a single-season in Mets’ history
Chris Bassitt threw five scoreless innings for his 10th win, joining Carlos Carrasco (13-4) and Taijuan Walker (10-3) as the third member of the club’s starting rotation with at least 10 wins
Mark Canha, Luis Guillorme, and James McCann all contributed two out RBI hits in the Mets four run 4th to bust the game open
Daniel Vogelbach mashed his third long ball as a Met in the 6th
Trevor Williams, Mychal Givens, Joely Rodriguez, and Adam Ottavino combined for four scoreless innings in relief
New York is now 14-0-2 in series against NL East opponents—-the longest unbeaten series streak against division rivals since Atlanta won 16 straight series with NL East rivals in 1999
The Mets are now 35 games over .500 for the first time since September 14, 2006, had a 9-2 homestand, are 40-19 at home, 11-3 in August, 14-3 in rubber games, 59-11 when scoring first, 66-0 when leading after eight innings, 39-15 against the National League East, 55-5 when scoring five or more runs, 17-5 since the All-Star Game, 13-3-2 in home series, and 27-6-3 in series overall
Injury Updates 🏥
Luis Guillorme left Sunday’s game against the Phillies with a groin strain - he will undergo imaging today
Tylor Megill (right shoulder strain) threw his first bullpen session as he works towards a rehab assignment
Drew Smith (right lat strain) threw off flat grand with bullpen sessions his next step in the progression
Eduardo Escobar (strained side muscle) entered the game to replace Guillorme on Sunday, played third base but was unable to hit from the right side of the plate
Who’s Hot 🔥
In three August starts, Chris Bassitt has thrown 20 innings without surrendering an earned run - he has a 2.03 ERA in his last ten starts
Trevor Williams has not allowed a run in seven consecutive appearances—spanning 19 innings—and has lowered his ERA from 4.34 to 3.02 in that timeframe. He has a 1.16 ERA in 31 innings of relief this season
In his first 18 games with the Mets, Daniel Vogelbach has slashed .308/.429/.558 with three home runs, 11 RBI, and four doubles
Since Max Scherzer returned from the injured list on July 5, Mets starters have pitched to a 2.10 ERA, by far the best in baseball during that span - they are 8-0 with a 1.11 ERA over their last eight games
Playoff Odds Tracker 🎲
The Mets are 75-40 and lead the Braves by 5.5 games in the National League East with 47 games to go. They are on-pace for 105 wins, which would be the second-highest mark in franchise history (108 in 1986)
The Mets have the fourth-easiest schedule down the stretch of the season (.475 opposing winning percentage, per Tankathon)
Playoff odds (FanGraphs):
Make the playoffs: 100 percent ↔️
Win the National League East: 90.7 percent ⬆️
Clinch a first round bye: 90.6 percent ⬆️
Win the World Series: 16 percent ⬆️
Magic Number to clinch the National League East: 4️⃣2️⃣
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (75-40) @ Braves (70-46)
Where: Citi Field — Atlanta, Georgia
Starters: RHP Carlos Carrasco (13-4, 3.76 ERA) vs RHP Spencer Strider (6-4, 3.11 ERA)
When: 7:20 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Daniel Vogelbach has been the missing piece the Mets needed—in more ways than one📝
The Mets need to upgrade their DH position at the trade deadline was far from a secret. They were desperate for an offensive infusion to a lineup that had struggled with consistency from that position all year long.
Still, when New York pulled the trigger on a deal that brought left handed slugger Daniel Vogelbach to Queens before the second half even began, it was not exactly the move a lot of fans had been clamoring for.
At the time, much bigger names like Juan Soto, Willson Contreras, and even Shohei Ohtani were the fantasies dancing around in the Mets’ faithful’s minds. And parting with promising young reliever Colin Holderman was not met with rave reviews.
While any and all of them would have been difference making additions, it’s doubtful they would have been able to connect with the fans they way Vogelbach has in such a short time.
Vogelbach is a bigger guy, not that that has any bearing on his baseball ability. But his stature does present him as more of an everyman than most professional athletes. And on a team whose fanbase adored Bartolo Cólon beyond measure, that’s always going to work in his favor.
But his personality just seals the deal.
Vogelbach presents as a gentle giant and silent assassin type. But he clearly has a competitive fire and an obsession with winning. He recently described in a podcast interview how he punched a hole in his television last fall over a college football game.
His ability to instantly gel with his new clubhouse and not rock the boat on a team that’s been in first place for four months is important as well. The veteran has always been considered a great teammate who wants to make everyone laugh and keep the team loose.
Exhibit-A—his decision to use Milkshake as his walk-up song on National Women’s Day.
As a teenager he played on a team with Francisco Lindor and Tomas Nido—both of whom were ecstatic to be adding their old pal to their World Series chase.
Speaking of which, I haven’t even gotten into his production which has gone a long way towards increasing the club’s odds to be the last ones standing.
In his first 18 games in Queens Vogelbach has gone 16-for-52 while hitting .308/.429/.508. He’s homered three times, drove in 11 runs, doubled four times, and scored seven runs. Hitting predominately fifth in the lineup against right-handed pitching, he’s provided Pete Alonso with the type of production the Mets’ clean-up hitter has lacked all year long.
And Alonso has been even more productive thanks to Vogelbach’s presence - he has hit .329/.430/.616 with five home runs and 19 RBI in 20 games since Vogelbach’s arrival.
In short, he’s been everything New York had hoped Dominic Smith could have been when the year began.
Taking it a step further, Vogelbach and fellow deadline addition Darin Ruf have been exactly what Smith and J.D. Davis were asked to be back in spring training when the Mets were drawing up their DH plans.
It’s too early to know how the rest of this season and the playoffs will unfold, but adding someone who’s been productive on the field and an invaluable glue guy off of it has lengthened the lineup and made the Mets much more formidable than they were before.
And with Vogelbach under contract for two more years after this one, he’ll likely be here as a fan favorite for a long time.
Down on the Farm 🌾
David Peterson (SP, Triple-A): 4 IP 2 ER 8 H 2 BB 7 K 0 HR
Ronny Mauricio (SS, No. 3 Prospect, Double-A): 2-for-4 RBI 2B
Carlos Dominguez (OF, Single-A): 2-for-3 HR 4 RBI 2B 3 R BB
Alex Ramirez (OF, No. 4 Prospect, High-A): 1-for-4, 2 RBI
Box Scores: Triple-A | Double-A | Single-A | Low-A
Around the League 🚩
Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen went eight perfect innings against the Orioles before his bid at history was broken up by a Jorge Mateo double leading off the 9th
Atlanta scored three in the top of the 9th to squeak out a 3-1 win over Miami and stay 5.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East
Kansas City blanked the Dodgers 4-0 behind Brady Singer—ending LA’s 12 game winning streak
Alex Bregman homered and drove in three to help the American League best Astros complete a sweep of Oakland
Thairo Estrada crushed a walk-off two run homer to give the Giants an 8-7 win over Pittsburgh
The Red Sox shut out the Yankees 3-0 on Sunday Night Baseball in two hours and 15 minutes—the Bombers 9th loss in their last 11 games