Jacob deGrom

Mets have a huge hurdle in the Padres series

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No one has it easy when it comes to scheduling in the playoffs. Every team there has the makings to whoop ass and that’s what they’re going to try to do. Regardless if it’s the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Cleveland Guardians, that team is trying to send their opponents home packing in search of that illustrious World Series ring.

With all that said, the San Diego Padres have made huge strides in the past few years till as recent as this past August, when they acquired the MVP caliber outfielder Juan Soto. While Soto’s services did not come cheap, it’s all in effort to walk home as champions.

Soto has struggled a bit initially since joining the Padres, as the outfielder possesses a .236/.388/.390/.778 slash line in 52 games. However, he has turned it around in the past two weeks as he’s been hitting .309/.424/.545 in last 55 at-bats.

Another big name that found his way on the Padres is closer Josh Hader. Hader, much like Soto, struggled quite a bit when first joining the friars however has been better as of recently.

The left-hander hasn’t given up a run in his last 6.1 innings pitched. While this isn’t a long stretch, you’re definitely going to want your closer finding rhythm before your playoff run… perfect timing for Hader and the Padres.

This is a star-studded squad. Even with the self-inflicted loss of Fernando Tatis Jr., the Padres are just as dangerous as the Yankees in the late 90’s.

And while Max Scherzer is one of the best pitchers in the league, Friday night’s contest won’t be an easy task for the veteran ace.

Mets Junkies Game Recap: A Good Look by Cookie; Mets fall to Nats.

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New York Mets starter Carlos Cookie Carrasco took the hill for the first time of the 2022 campaign and pitched really well. Unfortunately, the outing did not result in a team victory as the Mets picked up their first loss of the season.

However, back to Carrasco. The right-hander tossed 5.2 innings while allowing a run on two base hits. One of the hits came off of the bat of Nelson Cruz and resulted in a solo home run in the bottom half of the first.

Catcher Tomas Nido picked up a hit but also came up with a big defensive play in the bottom of the seventh. Nido would throw out Josh Bell as he attempted to steal second base with two outs, at which point the Mets still had a 2-1 lead over the Nationals.

Mark Canha is here to hit and that’s being shown as the newly acquired outfielder went 3-4, upping his BA to .700 after 10 AB’s.

Jeff McNeil picked up another hit today, as the super utility man went 1-3 on the afternoon as he also started in left field. McNeil now has a .438 BA as Buck Showalter continues to utilize McNeil’s versatility across the diamond.

McNeil, nicknamed The Flying Squirrel, even took a hit away from Josh Bell in left field as he made a sliding catch to rob the slugger of a cheap hit.

However, it would end up being the Mets defense that would cost them the game. An errant throw by Pete Alonso would eventually give Nelson Cruz and the Nationals the opportunity to take the game, and they did.

The Nationals would take the last game as the Mets take the four-game series.

The Mets will be in Philadelphia for a three game set with the Phillies as Taijuan Walker kicks it off against Ranger Suarez.

Mets Junkies Game Recap: deGrom & Scherzer lay Cardinals to waste

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New York Mets starters and aces Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer took the hill on Sunday and were the only two pitchers to do so for the Mets. Did you think they’d need any more? Of course, not, but it’s Spring Training.

While deGrom opened the game up and pitched three innings, Scherzer closed out the contest by pitching the final six frames.

deGrom ended up taking home his first win of the Spring as the perennial Cy Young Award nominee struck out five while giving up an earned run. deGrom owns a 1.80 ERA this Spring, which was higher than his ERA during the 2021 season.

Newer Met, Max Scherzer surrendered two runs on three hits in his six innings, but also fanned seven. In total, deGrom and Scherzer struck out 12 batters on Sunday afternoon.

It’s important to note that Starling Marte made his first appearance for the Mets and demonstrated the importance of not just the ability to get on base, but also his speed.

The now right fielder (Ranked 6th on MLB Top 10 Right Now amongst CF) went 1-2 out of the 9th spot in the line up while also crossing the plate with a run scored on the contest.

Francisco Lindor had a terrific game, as the shortstop went 3 for 4, with a pair of home runs and three RBI’s. It’s a bit of a reminder of Lindor’s last spring, as the potential MVP candidate would like for his hot stretch to carry into the season this time around.

Slugging first baseman Pete Alonso also picked up a multi-hit game, going 2 for 3 with a walk, double, and run scored.

The Mets have Monday off, however will be back in action on Tuesday as the Miami Marlins will play host.

Mets Recap: deGrom was O. (5)K

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The Mets beat the Astros 2-0 yesterday with Jacob deGrom getting his first Grapefruit League Action. deGrom went 2 innings, allowing one hit with 5 strikeouts. deGrom looked free and easy, hitting 99mph on his fastball. Jake threw mostly fastball and sliders, but ended his outing with his only change up for the K. He threw 30 pitches and is expected to throw around 45 next outing.

It was the start of a very solid pitching day for the Mets, as they shutout the Astros with 7 pitchers getting into the action. Adam Ottavino made his Mets debut with a perfect innings and one K. Trevor Williams followed with 2 scoreless frame (needed 50 pitches). Both are part of the major league roster in all likelihood.

Lefties Alex Claudio and Rob Zastryzny came into action and pitched very well. Zastryzny struck out the side for the save and Claudio struck out the lefty he faced and followed with getting two righties out. Nogosek and Jose Rodriguez also pitched a scoreless frame in the win.

The Mets got their runs in the 5th after back to back hits by Dom Smith and Nick Meyer opened the innings. Lindor drove in Dom with a ground out and McNeil lined a sac fly to score Meyer. Overall the Mets collected just 6 hits. Alonso had the only extra base hit with a ringing double.

The Mets don’t have a game today and will be back against the Marlins on Thursday 6.10pm. Reportedly Carlos Carrasco and Chris Bassitt will make their spring debut.

Photo Credit: Anthony DiComo

Mets to acquire Rich Hill

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The New York Mets are finalizing a deal to acquire Rich Hill from the Tampa Bay Rays. The deal is said to be done and is pending a physical.

In 19 starts, the left-hander is 6-4 with an ERA of 3.87 while having struck out 91 batters in 95.1 innings pitched. Hill will likely be slotted behind Marcus Stroman as the teams number two pitcher until Jacob deGrom returns, and then likely pushed to the number three starter.

In his career, Hill is 73-48 with an ERA of 3.80 in 1071.1 innings pitched.

In return, the Mets will send the Rays pitcher Tommy Hunter and catcher Matt Dyer.

deGrom to go on IL

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It’s being reported that the Mets once again plan on putting Jacob deGrom on the injured list. Many fans began to speculate when deGrom didn’t start the opener against the Pirates, coming fresh off of the All-Star break.

The Mets ace has appeared in 15 games this season and has pitched to a 1.08 ERA in 92.0 innings. The two-time Cy Young award winner has also struck out an astronomical 146 batters, as well as being on his way to grab that third Cy.

His two prior IL stints were short and us fans can only hope that this one will be, too. If not, should the Mets plan to acquire a front end pitcher? Or does Steve Cohen and company go for a rental at short?

MetsJunkies Recap: Bucs upset Mets late

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Tylor Megill keeps on impressing as he took the mound on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Listen, the Pirates aren’t going to compete for their division this season however, they’ve definitely proven to be quite the scrappy little club.

Megill on the other hand, tossed six shut-out innings while allowing six hits and no walks in the contest. The rookie right-hander has now lowered his ERA 2.63 after making 5th appearance of the season.

The Pirates did make Megill work quite hard right out of the gate as it took 22 pitches to finally end the first inning, stranding Adam Frazier on second. While Megill definitely pitched well enough to earn the win, that wasn’t the case as the rookie didn’t get a decision.

Luis Guillorme is proving that not only is he the best option with the glove when it comes to temporarily replacing Lindor at shortstop, but he’s doing it with the stick, too.

The slick fielding infielder would go 1-3 with a run scored as well as a double in the fourth inning.

The Mets used J.D. Davis as their clean-up batter and it was a great move. Davis ended up hitting two two-run bombs in his 3-4 effort, alongside four RBI’s which at one point (Fourth Inning) were the Mets’ only runs on the board.

Travis Blankenhorn came into the game in the top of the seventh to pinch-hit for Megill and absolutely laced a double off of the right-center field wall. The extra-base hit would plate across Luis Guillorme, giving the Mets the 5-0 lead.

Coming into the game, Blankenhorn was just 1-11 with a .348 OPS while with the Mets.

Brandon Nimmo continues to get on base at an elite level. The Mets centerfielder drew three walks against Pirates pitching and crossed the plate once on his 1-2 game.

It all started to go down hill for the Mets in the 8th inning when Seth Lugo surrendered five runs on three hits and two walks in just 0.2 innings. Lugo now has an inflated ERA of 5.09 after Saturday’s disaster of an outing.

Edwin Diaz failed just as bad as the closer gave up four runs in the ninth, blowing the save as well as picking up the loss. Diaz would give up a grand slam to Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings for the walk off as the Mets suffer from a 9-7 loss.

Taijuan Walker will take the hill for the Mets on Sunday afternoon as the Mets look to at least take one game from these Pirates.

MetsJunkies Recap: Mets sunk by Pirates

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While I was thinking (or hoping) that the Mets offense would be fresh after the All-Star break, evidently, I was wrong as the Mets would only put a single run on the board.

The team was clearly patient at the plate as they worked out eight walks against Pittsburgh Pirates pitching, five alone off of starter Chad Kuhl. However, they weren’t able to drive in the runners needed as the Mets left a total on nine players on the bags.

Francisco Lindor would end up leaving the game in the fourth inning after clutching for his side during an at-bat.

Once again, Stroman pitched well while only surrendering two runs on eight hits. The righty only pitched five innings, struck out three, and walked none in Friday’s contest.

After making his 19th appearance of the season, Stroman now has a sub-three ERA sitting at 2.79 in 103.1 innings pitched.

The Mets sole run came off of a Jonathan Villar ground out, plating across first baseman Pete Alonso in the 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh.

The Mets SHOULD be able to snap out of it on Saturday as they face Wil Crowe, a 26-year old righty with an ERA of 6.05 in 55.0 innings pitched so far. Tylor Megill will be on the hill for the 7:05 PM start.

MetsJunkies Recap: Mets split twin bill with Brewers

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The Mets once again played another doubleheader, this one coming against the Milwaukee Brewers back at Citi Field.

Jacob deGrom took the hill in the first bout against the Brewers and immediately fell in the hole as he would give up a lead off home run to Luis Urias. The infielder would finish the game going 2-3 and now has a .238 batting average to go alongside a .746 OPS.

The Mets struck back almost immediately as Brandon Nimmo would cross the plate on a Francisco Lindor single. Lindor, although has been cold throughout most of the season, has been batting .300 with a .500 OBP in his last seven contests.

Jose Peraza appeared in the seventh inning as pinch hitter for Jacob deGrom and would take on of the elite relievers in the game yard. The game tying home run would come off of Milwaukee’s closer Josh Hader.

After Dom Smith and James McCann would set the table in the bottom half of the eighth, Jeff McNeil would single up the middle to bring in Dom Smith for the game winning walk-off run. This would count as McNeil’s very first career walk-off, which is almost surprising considering how well he’s hit throughout his career.

Edwin Diaz would collect the win in the Mets 4-3 victory, while deGrom now has an ERA of 1.08 after his 7 inning, 10 K outing against the Brewers.

The second game featured the newly acquired Robert Stock and right-hander didn’t fare all that bad. In four innings on the hill, Stock would strikeout five as he gave up just two earned runs on the evening.

Although the Mets would lose the contest, Stock could have and likely did earn himself another look down the line. The hard throwing right-hander now has an unimpressive ERA of 7.88 after making his first appearance for the Mets.

Nothing to write about on the offensive front as the boys in Orange and Blue were shut out by Brian Anderson and the Brewers bullpen in the 5-0 loss.

The Mets will host the Pirates tomorrow to kick off the series with Taijuan Walker on the hill against JT Brubaker.

MetsJunkies Recap: Mets drop second straight

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After being blown out the night prior, the Mets came back and played good baseball, however it would go down in a loss. Jacob deGrom gave up three runs out of the gate in the bottom of the first, two of them coming off of an Austin Riley home run.

The Mets did get on the board first in the top half via a hard hit single by Michael Conforto. Lindor would score on the play after stealing a bag off of the Ian Anderson/Kevan Smith combination.

Dom Smith would hit a pair of home runs, his 7th and 8th of the year. While the surge in power was great to see in the latter innings, it still wasn’t enough as they fell short 4-3 to the Braves.

Trevor May pitched a scoreless inning and has lowered his ERA to 3.34 after making his 34th appearance of the campaign.

The Mets look to turn things around in the Subway Series against the Yankees starting on Friday, weather permitting.