Category: New York Mets

That the Mets played Sunday in an unfamiliar locale mattered less than the simple fact that they were anywhere but home. A Mets team that sports Major League Baseball’s lowest run total in home games capped a five-city road trip with an 8-2 win over the Phillies at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field, pushing its road output to a... more

Steven Matz has struggled on the mound for a month now, due to the left elbow strain that landed him on the 10-day disabled list at the beginning of August. The southpaw had a rusty return against the Phillies in his last start but battled back at Citi Field on Tuesday to throw 87 pitches in the Mets’ 6-3 win... more

From their vantage point in the third-base dugout, the Mets watched Jason Vargas deliver two- and four-seam fastballs down in the strike zone, dumping in a liberal number of changeups and curves. He worked quickly, buzzing through the Orioles’ lineup without much issue. This was the Vargas the Mets thought they acquired when they committed two years and $16 million... more

Most afternoons, Kevin Plawecki heads out of the Mets’ clubhouse and into the heat for a catching session with third-base coach Glenn Sherlock, who has been schooling the backstop on his throwing footwork. The Mets are pleased with Plawecki, whom they feel has improved, slowly bringing his pop times closer to the league average. Following one recent such session, Plawecki... more

Mickey Callaway would have liked to have seen Zack Wheeler rise up to the challenge of getting out of a sixth-inning mess in the Mets’ 8-2 loss to the Braves at SunTrust Park on Tuesday night. After allowing a leadoff homer to Freddie Freeman to tie the game at 2, Callaway thought Wheeler hadn’t lost his effectiveness. When Ender Inciarte... more

There was only one thing Todd Frazier had to say to Jacob deGrom after the Mets’ 2-0 loss to the Braves at SunTrust Park on Wednesday afternoon. Two simple words: “I’m sorry.” Frazier apologized to deGrom after the starting pitcher gave the Mets a fighting chance to defeat the Braves, but New York’s offense again let down its ace. deGrom... more

Over the past few weeks, Mets officials have debated internally whether Seth Lugo is best deployed in the rotation or the bullpen — an argument that, at least for now, is moot. The Mets have no choice but to use Lugo as a starting pitcher, considering the state of the rest of their roster. As they attempt to arrest their... more

It rained this weekend in Arizona, the type of biblical downpour that happens infrequently enough for some of the desert’s more cynical dwellers to conclude, not entirely tongue-in-cheek, that a black cloud might be following the Mets. Losing 19 of 24 games coming into Sunday’s play, the Mets could pin the blame on their bullpen, their offense, their defense —... more

Growing up about two hours north of Denver, Wyoming native Brandon Nimmo frequented Coors Field whenever he could, idolizing Todd Helton and his left-handed swing. He left about 75 tickets for friends and family members this week at Coors, where many of them showed up long before first pitch. They were settled into their seats, then, when Nimmo led off... more

Over a 10-game road trip through Atlanta, Arizona and Colorado, the Mets watched Brandon Nimmo emerge as a potential All-Star, Michael Conforto flip from ice-cold to red-hot, and Jacob deGrom cement himself as perhaps the best pitcher in the National League. They finished the trip with three wins and seven losses. The last of those defeats occurred Thursday at Coors... more

Before Friday night’s series opener against the Dodgers at Citi Field, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said that New York could be a seller at the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline unless there was “improvement in our win-loss record almost immediately.” That improvement would have to wait, as the Mets lost to Los Angeles, 5-2, to fall to a season-worst... more

Only after Jerry Blevins arrived at Citi Field on Sunday did Mickey Callaway ask him how he felt about starting on the mound. At first, Blevins, a 12-year veteran with 532 relief appearances and no starts, thought his manager was joking. Once he started to piece together the circumstances, Blevins accepted the assignment with enthusiasm. Far from an ideal situation... more

Speaking before the Mets’ 6-4 loss to the Pirates on Monday, their seventh straight and their 19th in 23 games, manager Mickey Callaway stressed the importance of his demeanor as his team’s once-promising season smolders. Callaway, who rarely raises his voice and almost never offers negative critiques of his players, remarked, “I hate losing more than anybody,” but, “I understand... more

The careers of some Mets, more than others, will always be intertwined with that of Sandy Alderson. Zack Wheeler’s life flipped upside down when Alderson made him the first significant acquisition of his tenure as general manager back in 2011. Yoenis Cespedes represented one of the largest risks that Alderson took. Brandon Nimmo became one of the boldest Draft choices... more

A day into his new position as the Mets’ interim point man and two hours prior to the start of New York’s series finale against the Pirates, assistant general manager John Ricco relayed to reporters what his team’s record states bluntly. The Mets plan to “be active at the Trade Deadline,” Ricco said, strongly hinting that they plan to be... more