Mets win in neat-o fashion
Nido’s heroics + stellar bullpen = another key victory
Good Morning,
A night after Kevin Pillar took a fastball to the face, he became an inspiration to his teammates. The Mets received a clutch homer from Tomás Nido to beat the Braves 4-3 last night, extending their lead over Atlanta to four games, and their first place lead over Philadelphia to one game in the NL East. They’ll go for the series sweep of the Braves tonight.
With the Mets ravaged by injuries, we’ll catch you up on some of the new faces emerging on the team. But first, let’s recap last night’s action.
⚾️ IN SHORT: In a planned bullpen game, the Mets used seven pitchers to hold the Braves to five hits and three runs; Tomás Nido hit a clutch, go-ahead home run in the ninth; and Edwin Díaz slammed the door, pitching on his third consecutive day, as the Mets beat the Braves 4-3, clearly inspired by the presence of the injured Kevin Pillar on the bench. [Box Score]
🔑 KEY MOMENT: Playing in place of the struggling James McCann, Nido came to the plate with two outs and nothin’ cookin’ in a tie game in the ninth inning. The Mets had slowly relinquished a 3-0 lead, with the Braves tying the contest in the previous frame on a bloop single. It looked like the game might be destined for extra innings, before Nido drove a 1-0 fastball over the center field fence to put the Amazins ahead 4-3. The back-up catcher is hitting .333/.391/.667 over his last seven games played.
3 TAKEAWAYS
❶ MOTIVATION: It is starting to become a theme with this Mets team. Whether it’s an imaginary hitting coach, a “ratcoon,” or a real-life morale champion, they seem to find something to rally behind when adversity strikes. Last night, how could anyone not feel inspired by Kevin Pillar? Less than 24 hours after taking a pitch to the face and fracturing several bones, the Mets outfielder was handing out the lineup card and cheering on his teammates from the dugout. The fact that Pillar seemed more worried about supporting his teammates than whether the bruises on his face will heal properly set a positive tone that carried through the night.
❷ BULLPEN GAME: So this is what a bullpen game looks like when you throw everybody except Joey Lucchesi (sorry, Joey). Following Miguel Castro’s perfect opening frame, Tommy Hunter and Robert Gsellman gave the Mets four innings of one-run work to bridge the starter gap to the bullpen. While both Trevor May and Aaron Loup each gave up a run, they also struck out four batters, and Loup was effective against three right-handed hitters (the run charged to Loup came after the Mets turned an impressive double play off the bat of Met-killer Freddie Freeman). Right-hander Jeurys Familia continues to look effective, falling victim to bad luck when Marcell Ozuna (the King of hard contact) drove in the tying run with a broken bat single in the 8th. And pitching on three consecutive days did nothing to slow Edwin Díaz from recording his seventh save. Overall, Mets relievers struck out 15 Braves hitters.
❸ TOP OF THE ORDER: Starting a depleted lineup that might have tricked you into thinking it was for the Syracuse Mets, the top of the Mets’ order came up big last night. Jonathan Villar (1-for-4, two-run HR), Francisco Lindor (2-for-4), and Dom Smith (1-for-4) combined for four of the team’s eight hits. Villar’s blast in the third gave New York an early 2-0 lead that they nursed until the later innings; it also gave a momentary sigh of relief to a team that had spent the past day worrying about their teammate, Kevin Pillar.
🧑🏫 SOUND SMART: Veteran Tommy Hunter connected on his first major league hit in the top of the third inning. The 34-year-old was a lifetime 0-for-4 hitter before last night.
ROUNDING THE BASES: Hunter scored on Villar’s two-run home run. After the game, he told reporters, “That was the most I’ve run in probably four years. I don’t like running, so it’s a challenge. I’ll tell you what: That’s a long way around the bases.”
⏭ NEXT UP: The first-place Mets (20-16) will look to sweep Atlanta on the road for the first time since September 2015. Left-hander David Peterson will take the mound for New York, looking to build off his impressive last start in Tampa (which was spoiled after manager Luis Rojas left him in a few batters too long). Veteran Charlie Morton (2-2, 5.08 ERA) will start for the Braves. He’s off to a tough start, completing the sixth inning only once in his previous five outings.
😴 NEED REST: After Wednesday’s game, the Mets will have a much-needed off day on Thursday, before taking on the Marlins for a three-game set over the weekend in Miami. As for tonight, Díaz won’t be available after pitching on three consecutive days. Trevor May and Jeurys Familia have pitched on back-to-back days, so could be limited. Jacob Barnes, Drew Smith, and Joey Lucchesi are the most fresh out of the bullpen.
💪 PILLAR STRONG: Just wait until Kevin Pillar returns to the lineup at Citi Field. He is due for a massive ovation after surviving a gruesome pitch to the face on Monday, and offering an inspiring outlook in talking about the injury on Tuesday.
FRUSTRATING: “I pride myself on being available," Pillar told reporters via Zoom yesterday. "So I think my immediate reaction was sadness. That I don’t know what the extent of what just happened was and I know that I’m leaving a game and I know we’ve already been shorthanded with injuries, so it was frustrating.”
THINKING OF WEBB: “I’m almost more worried about [Braves pitcher Jacob Webb] because I saw his reaction," Pillar said. “I told him I know it was unintentional. That he needs to continue to be confident and believe in himself and that I’ll be fine.”
🍎 ROSTER MOVES: Pillar was placed on the 10-Day IL with his multiple facial fractures. Meanwhile, the Mets called up infielder Wilfredo Tovar (yes, he is still around) and designated catcher Deivy Grullón for assignment. Reliever Trevor Hildenberger, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, was claimed by the Giants.
⏎ TRADE: Looking to replenish their organizational outfield depth, the Mets acquired veteran Cameron Maybin from the Cubs for cash considerations on Tuesday. After losing Pillar, Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, and Albert Amora Jr. to injury, the club needs extra bodies. Maybin was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.
FINAL HURRAH? Maybin, 34, plays all three outfield positions. He’s spent 2021 in the minor leagues, batting an anemic .103 in 10 games played. This could be a final opportunity to find playing time on a major league roster to end his career as the Mets wait to get healthy again.
🤕 ANOTHER INJURY: This one doesn’t impact the major league roster, but it is devastating, nonetheless. Mets 2020 first round pick Pete Crow-Armstrong will undergo surgery on his right shoulder for a GLAD lesion (glenoid labral articular disruption), and will miss the entire 2021 season. The injury is on the youngster’s non-throwing arm.
TOP PROSPECT: The 19-year-old Crow-Armstrong is the sixth ranked prospect in the Mets’ system, according to Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs. He was off to a smoking hot start with Low-A St. Lucie before the injury, batting 10-24 (.417) with a 201 wRC+. PCA is the second top prospect to suffer a season-ending injury for the Mets; pitching prospect Matt Allan (third ranked prospect) was lost earlier this month due to Tommy John surgery.
🧼 CLEAN: Taijuan Walker’s MRI on his left side came back “clean” according to manager Luis Rojas. However, the Mets will take it “day-to-day” before deciding if the right-hander can make his next start.
👍 THUMBS UP: Jacob deGrom received a “thumbs up” for his bullpen session yesterday. Depending on how he feels today, he could be ready to return to the rotation this weekend.
⚾️ BACK AT IT: Third baseman J.D. Davis (sprained finger) played a rehab game for Triple-A Syracuse yesterday, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout in four innings of playing time. And right-hander Seth Lugo pitched the opening frame for the St. Lucie Mets, retiring the side in order on four pitches.
Meet the (new) Mets
🧓 by Jeffrey Bellone
Let’s hope we can make it through this email without a notification popping up on the device you’re reading this on, to rudely tell you someone else is headed to the Injured List.
Injuries are no fun: they aren’t to the fans who want to see their favorite players in the lineup everyday; and they especially aren’t to the actual players who are pulling their hamstrings or bruising their fingers, or something much worse, as we witnessed with Pillar on Monday.
The Mets have 13 players on the IL right now, and that doesn’t even include the season-ending injuries to top prospects Matt Allan and Pete Crow-Armstrong. You could start a basketball team with the amount of athletes sidelined from the active roster. Half of the team is on the shelf.
This means the Amazins have been forced to get creative with their 26-man active roster. If you’re not a diehard fan (or even if you are!), after turning on SNY to watch the game, you probably find yourself wondering who the heck these players are with football numbers.
To help you navigate it all, we thought it would be helpful to provide a little background on the recent call-ups, and explain the roster mechanics to make them part of the active squad.
As a reminder: a player can only be moved to the 26-man active roster if they are already on the 40-man roster. Once the 40-man roster is full, a player on it must be removed before adding anyone new. This is why you often see a team designate a player for assignment at the same time that they promote a new player, as we saw yesterday when Grullón was DFA’d while Tovar’s contract was purchased from the minors.
Relevant to the Mets, players on the 7-, 10-, and 15-Day injured lists still count on the 40-man roster. However, players on the 60-Day IL do not. This gives teams the option to transfer an injured player to the 60-Day to create a temporary spot to fill out the roster. The Mets did this with Seth Lugo. He was technically on the 10-Day IL, even though he hasn’t pitched all season. They moved him to the 60-Day earlier this week as a procedural move to create another roster spot without having to release anyone (as we saw this week: by designating Trevor Hildenberger for assignment, they lost him to the Giants). Lugo’s IL retro date remains the same (3/29/21), so it doesn’t impact when he can return.
Hopefully this is helpful for those wondering why the Mets are moving players around different injured lists and juggling who is on the 40-man roster. With that knowledge in our back pockets, let’s get to know some of the recent call-ups.
Johneshwy Fargas: Speed kills. We wrote on Friday how baserunning is an important component to this Mets team. Fargas can fly. He stole 50 bases in his last full minor league season in 2019. He had eight swipes in eight games for Triple-A Syracuse before being called up this year. When the Mets signed several depth pieces for the outfield this offseason, it seemed the former Giants draft pick (who won the MVP Award in the Puerto Rican Winter League this offseason) was destined for a full season in the minors. But here he is! After picking up another hit last night, he is off to a 2-for-6 start in the majors.
Jake Hager: Las Vegas native Jake Hager is a former first round pick (2011) of the Rays, who spent the entire 2020 season at the Mets’ Alternate Site in Brooklyn. He gives the club flexibility as a player who can put on several different glove types around the infield or (as he’s been forced to try this week) in the outfield. He struggled with strikeouts during his last minor league campaign with Milwaukee (Triple-A San Antonio) in 2019, but also flashed some pop. Playing nine games for Syracuse this season, he compiled a gaudy 15-for-37 (.405) with three home runs and two doubles, before being called-up. He is 0-for-5 at the plate so far with the Mets.
Khalil Lee: Acquired in the three-team trade that sent Andrew Benintendi from Boston to Kansas City, and right-hander Josh Winckowski (whom the Mets acquired in the Steven Matz deal) from New York to Beantown, 22-year-old Khalil Lee adds even more speed (notice a theme?) to the Mets’ lineup. Once considered the “most dynamic player” in the Royals’ organization since Eric Hosmer, he has a 70-grade arm and jumped to 8th among the Mets’ top prospects, according to FanGraphs. The problem, as you must have noticed by now, is he strikes out a lot. He reportedly worked on his swing at KC’s training site last year, but went 5-for-46 with 16 K’s in 12 games during this year’s Puerto Rican Winter League, and has struck out in all five of his plate appearances with the Mets. But he has the tools to eventually become a good ballplayer, as he demonstrated with a diving catch last night.
Wilfredo Tovar: Mets fans may recognize this name. He originally signed with the franchise as a 16-year-old from Venezuela in 2008. However, after bouncing around the minors, he only played in nine regular season games with the Mets, the last coming in 2014. He later signed with the Twins (twice), Cardinals, and most recently, the Angels, for whom he last played in the majors for in 2019. Tovar gives the Mets an extra middle infielder, who, you guessed it, possesses good speed.
⚾️ The Phillies scored 7 runs in the 8th inning to beat the Marlins 8-3. They still trail the Mets by a game in the NL East.
⚾️ Spencer Turnbull of the Tigers threw the 5th no-hitter of the season, blanking the Mariners 5-0. The season with the most no-hitters was 1884, when there were eight.
⚾️ Miguel Sano homered three times as the Twins beat the White Sox 5-4.
🔗 We heard Kevin Pillar was tough when he signed with Mets, now we know, by David Lennon, Newsday: “When Kevin Pillar signed with the Mets, the word I heard most to describe him was tough. It’s an adjective that gets thrown around a lot, but can be difficult to quantify, especially with a new team, only six weeks into a season. Then Pillar showed up Tuesday for an on-camera Zoom interview, less than 24 hours after getting drilled square in the face by a 95-mph fastball. He spent the night in the hospital, and the last time we saw him, Pillar was on sprawled out on all-fours, blood gushing from his nose, trainers patting him with towels.”
🔗 Heartbroken Kevin Pillar opens up after ‘scary’ Mets incident, by Greg Joyce, NY Post: “The timeline figures to cost Pillar at least a month, but given how much worse the situation could have been — a few inches in any other direction, he noted, could have been a different story — he reiterated how “lucky” he got. Not that it didn’t pain him to be missing games for the already injury-plagued Mets, as he became their 13th player currently on the IL.”
🔗 Reliever's 1st hit 'coolest thing I've ever done', by Nick Aguilera, MLB.com: “Mets right-hander Tommy Hunter might be a 14-year veteran, but the 34-year-old reliever couldn’t help but feel like a kid again after notching his first career Major League hit on Tuesday night in the Mets’ 4-3 win over the Braves at Truist Park.”
And… you can’t really get enough of Tommy Hunter talking about his first career hit:
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There is a good story transpiring in a postive way with all the injuires ! LGM