Good morning, Mets fans! New York made its first big trade on Friday afternoon as the deadline approaches, acquiring LHP Rich Hill (6-4, 3.87) from the Tampa Bay Rays. Though it tends to be wise not to trade with the ever-so-smart Rays front office, this trade is a good one for the Mets. Hill, now […]
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Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning, Mets fans!
New York made its first big trade on Friday afternoon as the deadline approaches, acquiring LHP Rich Hill (6-4, 3.87) from the Tampa Bay Rays. Though it tends to be wise not to trade with the ever-so-smart Rays front office, this trade is a good one for the Mets. Hill, now 41 years old, will join his 11th team over an illustrious 16-year career, with a career 3.80 ERA and a 3.99 FIP.
After a rough month of May (18 ER in 22.1 IP), Hill got hot in June, striking out 36 batters over 34.2 innings to the tune of a 0.78 ERA. The area for concern comes over his last seven starts — “Dick Mountain” has gone more than five innings just once over that stretch, sporting a 5.40 ERA. There may be some regression coming his way, as his 3.87 ERA is shadowed by a 4.44 xERA and a 4.55 FIP.
However, New York gave up next to nothing for the left-hander: reliever Tommy Hunter, who is on a one-year contract and is currently on the injured list, as well as 2020 fourth-round pick Matt Dyer, a C/IF/OF out of the University of Arizona who has played only 36 professional games, all at Low-A St. Lucie, where he has a .781 OPS over 152 plate appearances. Hill will provide some much needed back-of-the rotation depth, where the Mets have been throwing out Robert Stock and Jerad Eickhoff, neither of whom has been reliable. Sources say that New York is not done adding pitching, and the team will continue to monitor this market.
Friday night, Pete Alonso and Mets pitching and defense carried the team to a 3-0 victory over Toronto. Tylor Megill (1-0, 2.10) made his sixth start for the Mets and was excellent, keeping a strong Blue Jays lineup off the scoreboard. Megill recorded five strikeouts over six superb frames, allowing just two singles and a walk.
Alonso provided all of the offense, a two-run shot in the first inning off of former Met Steven Matz, who otherwise pitched well in his return to Queens, and a solo home run in the eighth to pad the lead. Manager Luis Rojas took out Megill after six innings despite a low pitch count (78), but it proved effective. Seth Lugo worked a scoreless seventh, and Trevor May continued his recent dominance, striking out two in a perfect eighth. Edwin Diaz, fresh off of three straight blown saves, was able to right the ship Friday night, picking up his 20th save via a one-two-three ninth.
Tonight, the Mets will send All-Star RHP Taijuan Walker (7-3, 2.99) to the hill against Toronto left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu (9-5, 3.32). During his last time out, Walker had by far his worst outing of the year. The right-hander was tagged for six runs (five earned), walking four and allowing four hits, while recording just one out.
Despite a first-inning blowup which included three runs scoring on this bizarre play, the Mets were able to pick up their starter and come back from a 6-0 deficit to win, 7-6. Walker will look to bounce back against a strong Blue Jays lineup featuring a bout of young stars, including MVP-hopeful Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (5 WAR, 194 wRC+), shortstop Bo Bichette (2.6 WAR, 121 wRC+), as well as seasoned veterans like Marcus Semien (4.0 WAR, .867 OPS). Ryu, meanwhile, has been steady for Toronto this year, with an ERA that has never risen above four, and a good ability to limit walks (2.04 BB/9).
Now, let’s get into the briefing.
Cleveland has finally announced its new name– the Indians will become the Guardians. The new team name pays homage to the statues near Progressive Field in Cleveland, named “Guardians of Traffic”, which are located on the Hope Memorial Bridge. The Guardians will begin to use their name in the 2022 season.
Johneshwy Fargas was claimed off waivers by the Cubs on Friday, after the Mets had to designate the outfielder for assignment last week. Fargas played well when he served as the ReplaceMets center fielder, posting an .810 OPS over seven games.
The Mets have reportedly begun to roll out improvements to their treatment of Minor Leaguers, which were previously promised by owner Steve Cohen in a tweet.
ESPN writer Joon Lee detailed the issues faced by Angels minor leaguers. In this piece, Lee goes into detail about these troubles, including hotel costs that outweigh weekly salary, poor food options available, and the toll that all of this has on players’ mental health.
Trevor Bauer’s hearing regarding a temporary restraining order against him was scheduled for today. However, the hearing was moved to August 2nd. Though Bauer appeared in court today, the lawyers for the Dodgers’ alienated pitcher needed more time to review several records that they didn’t have until recently.
Matt Musico wrote about Brandon Nimmo’s excellence this season, and how his style of play has helped the Mets’ offense as a whole.
Thomas Hall went into depth about how and why Megill has been so successful this year, including information about his pitch selection, location, and command.
1965: Mets Skipper Casey Stengel manages his final game for New York. The 75-year-old fractures his hip in an accident later in the evening and finishes his career with a record of 1,905-1,842 with the Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, and Mets.
2015: Outfielder Michael Conforto makes his major league debut, receiving a standing ovation from the Citi Field crowd as he becomes the 1,000th player in Mets history. The 2014 first-round pick goes 0-3 in a loss, but follows it up with a 4-4 game the following day.
Let’s go Mets!
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