Here we go again with another series thread. The Mets continue their 8-game road trip, shifting to Pittsburgh today. The Mets split their previous series in Washington, D.C. (2-2) & are a game below .500 now at 42-43. The Bucs are also below .500 at 41-45. Both clubs are within striking distance of the final wildcard spot in the N.L. and are looking to bounce back from recent setbacks in this four-game set. Enjoy 😊!
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Mets @ Pirates: Game 1 –⚾Severino (R) vs. Skenes (R)⚾– 6:40 pm EDT
Starting Lineups for both clubs tonight.
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Probable Starting Pitcher Matchups for tonight & tomorrow in the ‘Burgh against the Bucs.
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#LFGM!
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Notes:
-Tonight’s game will be on SNY and so will tomorrow’s game.
-The weather for tonight's game at PNC Park is expected to be good; however, thunderstorms & showers are expected before briefly the game and possibly shortly after the game. The timing of the game is perfect as of now window-wise, but things could easily change. Click
HERE to keep updated and see the Hourly AccuWeather Reports from there.
-Tonight’s game is the last one in Edwin Diaz’s ten-game long suspension. The Mets have a record of 5-4 in the first nine games they’ve played during that time. They’re currently in 3rd place in the N.L. East, two games ahead of the 4th place Nationals (click
HERE to see). The Mets are also 2.5 games behind the Cardinals for the 3rd & final Wildcard spot in the National League, with a game in hand on them (click
HERE to see). The Pirates, at 41-45, are only 4 games out of that same final Wildcard spot, so this is a series between competitors for that final playoff spot.
-Click
HERE to see the list of Mets transactions so far for the month of July.
-Click
HERE to see the Mets' 26-man active roster (25-man roster now due to the Edwin Díaz suspension).
-The Mets' 4-man bench for tonight’s game will consist of
Torrens (R), Vientos (R), Taylor (R), & Gamel (L). 
The whole staff has a better era w Alvarez
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Did Gary just say that Manaea's ERA with Alvarez is 1.56 and his ERA with other catchers being 3.56? Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
The whole staff has a better era w Alvarez
between alvarez' and vientos' defense i dont think im ever trusting another defensive scouting report.
conforto and alonso going from "dh-only" to generally fine was one thing, hard to imagine getting more premium positions so wrong.
Someone from MMO gave me these numbers:
Alvarez: 1.56
Narvaez: 5.60
Nido: 3.62
Torrens: 14.73
what has occurred since then is directly responsible for why the Bullpen is all of sudden "a mess"
Raley/Smith out for the season, Lopez/Tonkin DFA, SRF on rehab, Diaz struggles.
That leaves Diekman and Garret, who have been totally overexposed and overworked. I see people slamming the shit out of them daily, its not like they have suddenly forgot how to pitch.
Honestly, I really get sick of people always trying to find someone to blame, where there is not one person who should take the blame. There should be no blame, its just the cause and effect in baseball.
That said, Diaz looked good last night, bats are still hot. An for the record I'm not 100% sold still on if we should not sell at the deadline. Phillies are a powerhouse and the return for sellers will be franchise altering.
Rant over.
Everyone is welcome to feel however they want to feel - but we dont have to agree with each other. I’m not going to get crazy and praiseworthy because our Bullpen was good for the first quarter of the season. I remember there being a lot of concern about the bullpen going into the season - so a lucky start to the season doesn’t change any of that.
Looking at it as “cause and effect baseball” is oversimplifying it because you don’t like what the other side says. Yes, we’ve had some injuries. But - we’ve also created our own mess by bringing in the RPs that we did. Dieckman, Ottavino, Tonkin (twice), Festa, Jay, Hartwig, Smith, Walker, Rodriguez, Sulser, Adcock. All bad. Even Garrett - as good as he was early on - is crashing down to earth (even if some want to point to workload - though he’s never been a quality pitcher in his career). That’s not a small number of options to choose from - and we’ve given a number of games away because of that.
Dieckman? Sure he had a good year last year but have you seen the years prior that? What did expect signing a mediocre 37 year old RP come off a career year. No, I don’t think his struggles are the result of being overworked. Garrett? Same thing, just not as old. They haven’t been “exposed”. They just aren’t good pitchers.
So, yes - if a struggling RP comes in and walks the park to lose the game or give up a lead, I’m not going to say “aw shucks, get him next time champ”. Part of being a fan. Nor am I’m going to go easy on Stearns for the BP he built. Or why he would call Festa up when there may have been other options to use. Or why some of these guys are in the system anyway. M
Sorry it bothers you.
is diaz the elite diaz he's paid to be who just had some struggles off a major injury? or not? if not it's nobody's fault and only so much that can be done. there arent any edwin diaz' out there to add easily.
is garrett regressing just bc he was overworked or is there something deeper?
is nunez for real?
are otto/diekman totally cooked?
remember there was a lot of impatient clamoring for tonkin to get DFA'd (myself included) and some stronger labeling him as a bad signing. that argument hits a little different with him carrying a 2.25 era in the bronx over 31 innings?
they obviously need to get these assessments right and add from the outside to replace both what they've lose to injury and whatever they judge to not be part of the solution going forward. but getting those assessments right probably requires some level patience.
oh come on ottovino has been cooked all year. we have talked about DFA'ing him for weeks.
Nunez has been stepping up and he stepped up today.
They went with a very rested Diaz in a winnable situation and he didnt get it done. sometimes it is that simple.
I think Mendy gives Diaz a batter here and goes batter by batter hoping to get a confidence injection.
He's come alive ever since they put him at leadoff. Glad to see him come back from his rough start. HUGE hit by him.
I agree. I'm not confident in Ottovino, but Diaz doesn't seem to have it tonight.
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He doesn't have it today. Not a fan of Otto either, but I think he gives us a better chance to win this game. Make no mistake about it, this IS a BIG game.
I think Mendy gives Diaz a batter here and goes batter by batter hoping to get a confidence injection.
I think you were right. Smart way to approach it by our manager. Props to him. Covered all bases, no pun intended!
Same here Ira. Happy to see Edwin make me eat my words. BIG win!
agreed and would add mendoza in the mix. stearns stayed the course, and has so far proven pretty smart in hiring mendoza who has been aligned with stearns even through some real low lows.
diaz is the most important player on this roster. he was probably the single most important player in 2022 also. if they get that version of him they can compete, especially if senga comes back strong.
they need to dump gamel or DJ and give acuna a shot. eventually iglesias will fade, he is 34 and likely better as a bench player. he has made some big plays defensively but it hasnt graded well. the plays hes made are showing the kind of impact athleticism/defense at 2b can have. this roster could also use a fast guy for late game situations.
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MLB.com - Gameday Wrap
Incorrect. They play a makeup game in St. Louis in August.
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Incorrect. They play a makeup game in St. Louis in August.
Ah, thanks for the correction! Just saw that. August 5th at 5:15 pm ET in the Loooo(u), lol.
Here's a Mock Draft from MLB.com:
Latest mock: Just over a week out, who will go No. 1 in '24 Draft? | July 4th, 2024 | Jonathan Mayo @JonathanMayo
Here's who the author of the article linked above has the Mets taking at #19 overall:
This has long been another college hitter landing spot, and they still could consider hitters like Mississippi State’s Dakota Jordan or Kansas State’s Kaelen Culpepper, but there’s more buzz that things might be leaning toward high school hitting, with Caldwell joining prep shortstops like Theo Gillen or Kellon Lindsey atop their board. Caldwell might only be 5-foot-9, but the Mets haven’t shied away from undersized prep bats in the past (see Williams, Jett).
The 2024 MLB Draft will take place on July 14-16 in conjunction with the MLB All-Star Game at Globe Life Field. The opening rounds will begin at 7 p.m. ET on July 14, with the remainder of the draft beginning at 12 p.m. ET on July 15 and July 16.
2024 MLB Draft order, date: Every pick for Round 1, Competitive Balance Round A | Updated Jun. 27, 2024 2:55 p.m. ET - ( New Window )
NFT: Mets Minor League Thread (June) - DanMetroMan - 6/1/2024 10:45 am
*For reference purposes, here are the links for previous months as well:
NFT: Mets Minor Leagues (May) - DanMetroMan - 5/1/2024 12:15 pm
NFT: Mets Minor League Update (April) - DanMetroMan - 4/2/2024 10:17 am
NFT: Mets Minor Leagues (July) - DanMetroMan - 7/1/2024 10:17 am
*For reference purposes, here are the links for previous months as well:
NFT: Mets Minor League Thread (June) - DanMetroMan - 6/1/2024 10:45 am
NFT: Mets Minor Leagues (May) - DanMetroMan - 5/1/2024 12:15 pm
NFT: Mets Minor League Update (April) - DanMetroMan - 4/2/2024 10:17 am
ELDC and Abrams make it at SS.
for now, I guess. not sure if there are more additions.
ELDC and Abrams make it at SS.
for now, I guess. not sure if there are more additions.
Nimmo robbed as well.
kind of dont care too much, i dont mind the players getting extra rest and hopefully it gets them even more fired up for the 2nd half.
kind of dont care too much, i dont mind the players getting extra rest and hopefully it gets them even more fired up for the 2nd half.
I think each team has at least one, so perhaps Abrams was deemed the best option for the Nats?
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defensive players this year regardless of position. that should basically invalidate anyone who plays a premium position unless they are far and away better offensively.
kind of dont care too much, i dont mind the players getting extra rest and hopefully it gets them even more fired up for the 2nd half.
I think each team has at least one, so perhaps Abrams was deemed the best option for the Nats?
They could have gone with Gore or Irvin as well but all close.
Alonso over Christian Walker is a joke though.
I wonder if Mets let Alonso go and sign Walker as his replacement even though he's older. Insane defensive 1B and his bat has really come along the last 2 years. He should be cheaper as well.
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defensive players this year regardless of position. that should basically invalidate anyone who plays a premium position unless they are far and away better offensively.
kind of dont care too much, i dont mind the players getting extra rest and hopefully it gets them even more fired up for the 2nd half.
I think each team has at least one, so perhaps Abrams was deemed the best option for the Nats?
that's probably it, though lindor should have been it for mets > alonso. christian walker has a better case for 1b than alonso.
Starting Lineups for both clubs today.
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Probable Starting Pitcher Matchups for today in the ‘Burgh against the Bucs & tomorrow in Flushing against the Nats.
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#LFGM!
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Notes:
-Today’s game will be on SNY as will tomorrow’s game.
-The weather for today's game at PNC Park is expected to be fine, with mid-day real feel heat being a factor again, even more so than yesterday afternoon’s game. Click HERE to keep updated and see the Hourly AccuWeather Reports from there.
-The Mets are back at .500 again (44-44) & came back to win yesterday for the 24th time this season, which is the second-most in MLB to date. They’re still 2.5 games behind the Cardinals for the 3rd & final Wildcard spot in the National League, with a game in hand on them (click HERE to see). The Mets are 2.5 games ahead of the Pirates in the N.L. standings in the race for that final playoff spot & are going for a series victory today. They’re 5-1 against them this season. They’ve already won the overall season series in what will be the final game of the season against them today. They’re 4-3 on this road trip so far & won’t be on the road again after today’s game until July 19th in Miami, in what’ll be the very first game back after the All-Star break.
-Click HERE to see the list of Mets transactions for July.
-Click HERE to see the Mets' 26-man active roster.
-The Mets' 4-man bench for today’s game will consist of Martinez (R), Taylor (R), Stewart (L), & Gamel (L).
Mets @ Pirates | 12:35 pm EDT start - July 8, 2024 – TV Broadcast: Mets' feed – SNY: Gary & Blevins (strfish.xyz)
Mets @ Pirates | 12:35 pm EDT start - July 8, 2024 – TV Broadcast: Pirates' feed – SportsNet-PIT (strfish.xyz)
MLB.com - Gameday: Pitch by Pitch – Mets @ Pirates – July 8, 2024 - 12:35 pm EDT start
Note: Keith & Ron aren’t calling the game today.
Enjoy today's game 😊
These early afternoon games often seem to be low scoring affairs/pitchers' games.