7/31/21

Box Score and Recap: Mets 5 Reds 4 - 7/31/2021

 

 

The Mets are home to play the Cincinnati Reds.  It's game two of the three game series.   

Tonight’s Lineup: Jonathan Villar 3B; Pete Alonso 1B; Jeff McNeil 2B; Javier Baez SS; James McCann C; Dominic Smith LF; Kevin Pillar LF; Brandon Drury RF; Rich Hill LHP;


Box Score: Jersey Shore Blue Claws 4 Brooklyn Cyclones 3 - 7/31/2021

 




The Brooklyn Cyclones head to the Jersey Shore to take on the Blue Claws.  It's game 5 of the 6 game series.  

From the Brooklyn Cyclones Game Notes: 

BROOKLYN CYCLONES (30-44) at JERSEY SHORE BLUECLAWS (34-42)

RHP Alec Kisena (1-6, 5.15 ERA) vs. RHP Victor Vargas (first start)

TEAM EFFORT: Over the past 17 games, dating back to July 11, four players are hitting better than .308, including INF Luis Gonzalez (.377), OF Antoine Duplantis (.358), SS Ronny Mauricio (.353), and INF/OF Jeremy Vasquez (.308). Mauricio has hit five home runs to lead the team during the extended stretch, while Vasquez has 16 hits and 12 walks in his past 16 games.

For the complete Mets Minor League statistics click here.


Box Score: Daytona Tortugas 2 St. Lucie Mets 1 - 7/31/2021

 




The St. Lucie Mets are on the road in Daytona to play the Tortugas. Tonight, it is game five of the six-game series. Follow all the action here on Mack's Mets.

Tonight’s Lineup: Jaylen Palmer CF; Omar De Los Santos LF; Jose Peroza 2B; Quinn Brodey 1B; Alex Ramirez RF; Tanner Murphy DH; Warren Saunders 3B; Matt O'Neill C; Branden Fryman SS; David Griffin P;

For the complete Mets Minor League statistics click here.


Box Score: Syracuse Mets 5 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 3 - 7/31/2021

 



The Syracuse Mets are on home to take on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders for a six-game series.  Tonight, it's game five of the series. 

Tonight’s Lineup: Mark Payton CF; Albert Almora jr. LF; Travis Blankenhorn 2B; Patrick Mazeika C; Chance Sisco DH; Khalil Lee RF; Wilfredo Tovar SS; Cheslor Cuthbert 1B; Drew Jackson 3B; Trevor Williams P; 

For the complete Mets Minor League statistics click here.


Box Score: Binghamton Rumble Ponies 6 Hartford Yard Goats 0 - 7/31/2021

 




The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are on the road to play the Hartford Yard Goats. Today is the fifth game of the six game series. 

From the Binghamton Rumble Ponies Game Notes

MOVING ON UP: With last night's win, the Rumble Ponies moved into fourth place in the Northeast division, the first time they've been in fourth since June 13th. After starting May 4-19, the Ponies have been playing .500 baseball (25-25) in June and July.

EXCELLENCE FROM EDWARDS: RHP Andrew Edwards pitched two and a third innings of scoreless relief last night allowing just one hit. Edwards has not allowed a run in five appearances with Binghamton since being called up from Brooklyn (A+) on July 16. With the Cyclones the lefty had a 1.65 ERA over 23 appearances. He was a 31st round pick by the Mets out of New Mexico State in 2019.

Tonight’s Starting Lineup: Carlos Cortes RF: Brett Baty LF; Mark Vientos 3B; Carlos Rincon DH; Wagner Lagrange CF; Hayden Senger C; Luis Carpio SS; Matt Winaker 1B; Yoel Romero 2B; Cole Gordon P;

For the complete Mets Minor League statistics click here.


Lunch Time Links 7/31/2021


Here are some of the News and Headlines around Major League Baseball courtesy from our friends at SportSpyder .

Press Release: Duels of the Dishes Series Returns to Syracuse & Rochester in 2021


The teams will compete for the coveted golden fork 8/5 (ROC), 8/28 (SYR) 

 

SYRACUSE, NY - The Syracuse Salt Potatoes and Rochester Plates have set the dates for this year's "DUEL OF THE DISHES". The winner of the 3-game series beginning in Rochester on August 5th and ending in Syracuse on August 28th and 29th (if necessary), will take home the coveted Golden Fork. The Golden Fork, believed to be the largest trophy in professional sports, currently resides in Syracuse after making its home in Rochester for the first year of the series that began in 2018. This season, the stakes will be even higher as the losing team will have to provide a cap giveaway featuring the logo of the winning team to their fans at a game in 2022. In addition, one lucky fan from the winning team's market will get to throw out a first pitch prior to the game at the losing team's ballpark. 


When the series comes to Syracuse on August 28th, fans will not only get to watch the Salt Potatoes dominate the Plates, but we will have a wedding for our favorite Salt Potatoes! To celebrate the occasion, the 1st 1000 fans through the gates on August 28th will receive a Salt Potatoes Wedding Bobblehead, courtesy of Coca-Cola. After the game, fans can stay to enjoy a post-game fireworks extravaganza, presented by Coca-Cola. 


 "It's pretty fitting that the world's most horrible person, Dan Mason, would be represented by the world's most horrible dish, the Plate. The butter will never taste sweeter or saltier than when we beat the Plates and keep the Fork in Syracuse," said Salt Potatoes/Mets GM Jason Smorol. 


"We need to bring the Fork back to its rightful home. We look forward to proving our superiority on the diamond and in the kitchen. Seriously, if you never ate another salt potato in your life would you even care?" said Plates/Red Wings GM Dan Mason. 


The "Duel of the Dishes" is a friendly extension of this Thruway Cup Rivalry and was born out of necessity when both teams created fun alternative identities. The "Salt Potatoes" and "Plates" were each born during the 2017 season. 


Tickets are on sale for the "Duel of the Dishes" games at RedWingsBaseball.com and at SyracuseMets.com 

Mike's Mets - Some Quick Thoughts on the Baez Trade


 

By Mike Steffanos

Ken Rosenthal is reporting on Twitter that the New York Mets have made a deal with the Chicago Cubs for SS Javier Báez and RH starter Trevor Williams. We're still waiting to hear about who the Mets are giving up. Also on Twitter, Bob Nightengale is reporting that the Mets are sending the Cubs our #5 ranked prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong. Crow-Armstrong made a big impression in camp this year but injured his shoulder only 6 games into the season with Low-A St. Lucie. The injury required shoulder surgery and put the 19-year-old out for the season.

We're still waiting for full confirmation on this trade, including if the Mets gave up more than Pete Crow-Armstrong in the deal. It stings a little to lose PCA, even if he is quite some distance away from the majors. But when you look at the prices paid for some of these deadline deals this year, it's not unreasonable.

There's no doubt that Báez's power and affinity for driving in runs will help the club. As with any deadline deal, so much hinges on whether he gets hot over the last couple of months. But the disappointing series just concluded against the Braves brought up continuing questions about the Mets' season-long inability to sustain their offense. Frankly, the Mets were lucky to win the 2 games they did in that series, with a grand total of 3 runs scored in those 2 wins.

The Mets were 35-25 in mid-June, 10 games over .500. Since then, they've gone 19-22. It was beginning to be fairly obvious that their hold on the NL East was precarious, particularly since the Phillies were actively trying to improve their club.

I fervently believe that the club has to be really disciplined over the next several years as they look to build the sort of deep farm system that has allowed teams like the Dodgers and Padres to stock their own team and swing some big deals. I don't like trading a prospect like Pete Crow-Armstrong for a rental. But, realistically, I don't think the Mets wanted to send their fans and their players the sort of negative signal that not making a move or only making low-impact moves would have sent.

So, while I don't love the move, I understand it. After more than 50 years of being a baseball fan and a Mets fan, I've learned that it's silly to believe that you're going to be 100% in favor of every move your team makes. What I hope for, now that the Wilpon era is over, is that even the moves that I don't love make logical sense. The Mets aren't just getting a very productive offensive player and a good defender in Báez. They're also getting some starting pitching depth in Williams. He's not great, but he'll give them a better chance to win than running out Jerad Eickhoff again. Nothing against Eickhoff, who was trying his best to rekindle his MLB career, but it wasn't happening with him.

This trade is reportedly pending physicals. I guess it's at least possible that the Cubs look at Crow-Armstrong's shoulder and decide to pass. Still, that seems unlikely, given that the Cubs surely did some homework before agreeing to a deal. Luis Guillorme and Jonathan Villar have done an excellent job holding the fort while Francisco Lindor's oblique heals, but Báez is a big upgrade at SS both offensively and defensively. The Mets will have a crowded infield when Lindor returns, but having too many good options is vastly preferable to not enough. That will sort itself out.

As to whether the Mets should try to sign Javy Báez long-term, that's trickier. Báez has a lifetime .303 OBP. That's a big negative, even with the power, speed, and defense. Even worse, in 2020 and 2021, his OBP dropped to .271 over 596 PA. He's struck out 206 times and walked only 22 times over that stretch. When Báez is hitting well, that can be overlooked, but when he goes through a rough stretch, that's going to be hard to watch.

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Tom Brennan - NOW THAT BAEZ AND WILLIAMS WILL BE HERE, WHO DO YOU DROP?

Conforto Strikes Again

Bringing in two players are the Mets, fellas named Baez and Williams, and presumably they will be activated today. 

So what do you do?  Send down Banda for Williams?  

I guess so. Banda had one fine inning, one poor inning last night. 33 pitches.  He needs to improve.  AAA is the place.

For Baez? Do what?

Send Drury down? He is the most scorching bat for a non-scorching team. Keep him. Unless you’re stupid.

Nimmo needs IL? Unlikely, but if so, that would be a temporary answer.

Guillorme?  Well, they are bringing in an infielder in Baez, so that’s a real maybe.

Or…DFA Conforto? WHAT?  OK, swap him for somebody.  I’m sure he’ll immediately hit like it is 2020 again, then, when he hit .322.

But even that .322 was a fluke. He hit .412 BABIP in 2020, you see.  

That was about 25 points higher in terms of BABIP than ANYONE ELSE in baseball. Unsustainable. Smart people said it wouldn’t last.  Prescient they were. 

This year’s BABIP? .167 points lower, at .245.

So why not move him out? 

Unless it is a cheap one year re-signing for 2022, I do not want to see him in a Mets uniform next season. Change is good. Do you want him to stay?  Be honest.  Please, if so, let me know why.

The Mets’ offense perennially under-performs…and Conforto is much of the sand clogging those gears.  Last night’ 6-2 loss was not aided by Conforto’s 0 for 4 with 3 Ks, dropping him to .199.

ONE NINETY NINE.

Last year’s .322 was also a fluke, in the sense that you thought “Wow, .322!”  But he had just 31 RBIs in 233 plate appearances, way below what one might expect given that average. This year, in 258 PAs, a crushingly low 24 RBIs.  So that is 55 RBIs in 491 PAs in 2020 and 2021. Simply irreplaceable…who else could give you 55 RBIs?

This year’s slug %?  A gaggingly low .329.  Meanwhile, Itsy bitsy slap-hitting Wilfredo Tovar in AAA has a .413 slug %.  Conforto ought to be ashamed.

Why not make a change?  Move on.  Do it now.

Do a post-deadline player move of some sort to replace him.  Oh, I know you’ll say, “we need him for the playoffs.”  Without Jake deGrom for another 5 weeks or more, the playoffs are in great jeopardy.  Baez or no Baez.  If you possibly can, move him out and somehow get another quality pitcher in.

Conforto? He is a bum. 

I heard he is one for his last 34 against lefties. Kind of begs the question, doesn’t it? Why is he ever hitting against lefties?  Just 8 for 66 in 2021, with 3 RBIs, vs. lefties.  Strictly platoon him, at a minimum. Career vs lefties? .220, with a .380 slug %. Again, how can one possibly replace such prodigious production?  Where are the Analytics folks?  This is a glaring flaw. Let me make the introduction: “Ass, this is bench. Why don’t you two get to know one another better?” 

No, they won’t DFA Conforto. There would be howls and screams. But, for Pete’s sake, at least sit him for a few games AND strictly platoon him. We do, after all, have Kevin Pillar.  At least he’s not a wimp.

I’m almost 68 now. I have increasingly little patience for Mets failures.  Injuries.  No hitting with RISP, like it’s a Mets badge of honor. 

Mack no doubt has seen my demeanor change in my writing over the past 10 years.  

My brother Steve is 53.  He really worries he’ll never see another Met World Series win in his lifetime.  Me, too. The Dodgers made huge playoff-focused moves. They are driven. The Mets?  Much more timid. Conforto should have been dealt.  Addition by subtraction.

The Mets, so far, are miraculously in first place despite scoring 1.75 runs less per game than the Astros all season.  The Mets are 29th in scoring.  Baez could be a catalyst. 

But first place is in real jeopardy.

Conforto IS an albatross. DO SOMETHING.


Box Score - FCL Mets 12 FCL Nationals 5 - 7/31/2021

 



The Florida Complex League Mets are in West Palm Beach to play the Florida Complex League Nationals. You can follow all the action right here at Mack's Mets.  


Metstradamus - Back In Black ... As In Our Black Hearts

 

By  | 

I’m not sure if anybody is going to produce a five day special out of this trading deadline, but the only crying done tonight was by us.

As you heard by now I’m sure, the Mets made a trade for Javy Baez before Friday’s 4PM trading deadline. With the Dodgers blowing everybody out of the water by trading for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner yesterday, I wonder if the Mets would have done anything if they were reasonably sure that the Phillies and Braves weren’t going to go all-in. But they both did, as the Phillies got a starter and a reliever while the Braves reconstructed their outfield from scratch. So the Mets got Baez, and true to what they said, they considered clubhouse chemistry when making the move.

But the interesting part of the daytime hours was the trade that didn’t happen:

The Mets wanted more money covered? What happened to Steve Cohen having more money than God? Did that 149.06 drop in the Dow Jones today force him to morph into Jeff Wilpon?

But then came the truly disturbing news of the day:

Well isn’t that a fine lead-up to the debut of the black jerseys.

The deGrom news coincided with not only the black jerseys, but the return and Mets debut of Carlos Carrasco from a torn hamstring. The intersection of events means that Carlos Carrasco immediately rises to the very, very top of most important Met list in the month of August. So of course, what do you think happens to the very first pitch of Cookie’s Mets career:

The good news is that after we were scared half to death, Coolie’s outing overall was quite nice for a debut coming off an injury: four innings, three hits, one walk, four strikeouts, and the lone run coming on the home run by Jonathan India, who wears number 6 as a reminder to all of us to thank God that we only see him six times a year.

But the painful part of the game, and it’s the part of the game that has seemed inevitable since 1990: the Mets not scoring after loading the bases with nobody out, came in the first inning. And it had started out so well, too. Brandon Nimmo singled, and the red hot Jeff McNeil doubled down the line to tie the game 1-1. Pete Alonso walked and Dom Smith hit a single to load the bases with nobody out. As has become rote with me in these situations, I uttered the words “how are we going to screw this one up?”

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Reese Kaplan -- Well, You All Wanted a Trade to Happen...

As Mets fans we’re never satisfied with the transactions made by the front office.  They went too far or they didn’t go far enough.  They mortgaged the future and they are taking their chances on short term rentals who will leave or bankrupt the team’s payroll to try to keep them around.   

Well, in the midst of the back and forth on the acquisition of Javy Baez from the apparently AAAA team on the north side of Chicago who have committed the ultimate purge and destroy campaign to set them back for several years, the Mets fans can’t really complain that Zack Scott did nothing.  With the oblique injury to Francisco Lindor needing probably another month or so to heal, they went out and got a major RBI bat in Baez who also can deliver Gold Glove caliber defense.  That’s a nice way to help the ballclub address one of its fundamental needs.



Now to make this deal the Mets had to give up a crown jewel of their minor league system, youngster Pete Crow-Armstrong who is most definitely a highly regarded future major leaguer who was taken in the first round in 2020.  How good he will or won’t be has to do with both his natural progression up the ladder as well as his ability to recover from the shoulder surgery that terminated his rookie minor league season quite early.  He was a stiff price to pay, but in a way it was a better one than giving up one of the few minor league arms who might someday help win some games like J.T. Ginn.  


Lost somewhat in this deal was the other player the Mets obtained, pitcher Trevor Williams.  Unlike Baez, he’s essentially a longer term solution who is under contract for the end of this year and for 2022, not hitting free agency until 2023.  On the surface that sounds pretty good until you start to dig a bit into the numbers.  



For nearly his entire career Williams has been a starting pitcher for both the Pittsburgh Pirates and later the Chicago Cubs.  The crown jewel of his pitching was the 2018 season for the Bucs during which he managed to finish with a 14-10 record, a very nice 3.11 ERA and kept runners off base.  For a big guy (6’3” and 235 pounds) he’s not a strikeout artist.  In that very fine season he only averaged 6.6 strikeouts per 9 IP.  


If you look at the rest of his major league numbers, it would seem when the K’s go up, the rest of his game tends to falter.  This season, for example, he’s fanning better than 1 per inning, yet his record is just 4-2 with an unsightly 5.06 ERA over a dozen starts.  That level of pitching is more typical of what to expect from him, with a 162 game average of 11-12 with a 4.48 ERA and more hits than innings pitched.  



Although the Mets are fully staffed on the mound with Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman, Tylor Megill, Rich Hill and Taijuan Walker, it’s the latter who is a heavy concern for the team having gone three straight awful post-All Star appearances.  Some say it’s a matter of fatigue given how little he’s pitched over the past few years.  Others think it’s the league adjusting to him despite the pre-All Star 2.50 ERA.   Having a Trevor Williams as a spare starting pitcher may help give the club the option to sit Walker for some rest and recovery time. 


On the same day the Mets executed this deal they also learned that Jacob deGrom will be shut down for several weeks after experiencing more pain.  While none of these pitchers will replace a two-time Cy Young Award winner, the fact is that they are skating on much thinner ice pitching-wise than they were a few days ago when everyone thought deGrom would be back in early August.  Like Rich Hill before him, Trevor Williams is an inexpensive and healthy $2.5 million pitcher who might not get folks excited, but he’s certainly better than the scrap heap picks the club has in Syracuse to start ballgames.  



So overall if you ask me whether or not the Mets paid too little or too much to get both Baez and Williams to Citifield, I’d have to swallow hard and say that the price was probably just right.  The Mets had needs that had to be addressed and while you could argue all day long about other packages bandied about such as Trevor Story and Jon Gray, they got pieces who should help reinforce the team while giving up a very young and unproven player.  Pete Crow-Armstrong could turn out to be the second coming of Curtis Granderson or he could become the next Matt den Dekker.  Regardless of how his future turns out, you have to give to get.  I’d give Zack Scott a B+ for this move.  That’s well above average. 


Mets News and Breakfast Links - 7/31/2021

 



Good Morning.  Happy Birthday Rene Rivera, Jake Ortega, and Jaylen Palmer. Mets get Javier Baez and Trevor Williams for Pete Crow-Armstrong, get bad news on Jacob deGrom, and lose to the Reds 6-2; Syracuse, and Binghamton win, Brooklyn gets a split and St. Lucie Falls.

Section Links: Mets Links, MLB Links, Minor League Links This Day in Mets History and Comments. 

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Box Score and Recap: Reds 6 Mets 2 Jeff McNeil 2B 2 for 4, double, 1 RBI; Pete Alonso 1B 0 for 3, 1 walk; Michael Conforto RF 0 for 4, 3 Ks; Brandon Drury PH 1 for 1, 1 RBI; Carlos Carrasco 4 innings, 1 run – earned, 3 hits, 1 HR, 1 walk, 4 Ks; Miguel Castro (L, 2-3) 1 inning, 1 run – earned, 2 hits, 1 K; Drew Smith 2 innings, 1 run – earned, 1 hit, 1 HR, 1 walk, 1 K; Anthony Banda 2 innings, 3 runs – all earned, 4 hits, 1 HR, 1 walk, 3 Ks;


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Today's Game: 

Reds (55-49) @ Mets (54-48), 7:10 pm

NYM: Rich Hill (#21, 41, LHP, 6-4, 3.95)
CIN: Wade Miley (#22, 34, LHP, 8-4, 2.86)

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Reyes, Syracuse shut out Scranton/Wilkes-BarreBox Score: Syracuse Mets 6 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 0 Travis Blankenhorn 2B 2 for 4, HR, 2 RBIs, 1 run scored, 1 walk, 2 KsKhalil Lee RF 1 for 2, 1 run scored, 2 walks, 1 K; Jesus Reyes (W, 1-8) 6 innings, no runs, 3 hits, 4 walks, 3 Ks;


Box Score: Binghamton Rumble Ponies 3 Hartford Yard Goats 1 Carlos Cortes LF, 1 for 5, double, 2 Ks; Jake Mangum CF 1 for 4, 1 run scored, 1 K; Carlos Rincon 2 for 4,double, 1 run scored; Adam Oller 6.1 innings, 1 run – earned, 4 hits, 1 HR, 10 Ks; Andrew Edwards (W, 1-0) 2.1 inning, no runs, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 Ks; Allan Winans 1/3 inning, no runs, 1 K;


Box Score: Game One - Brooklyn Cyclones 4 Jersey Shore Blue Claws 0 Ronny Mauricio SS 2 for 4, HR, 1 RBI, 1 run scored, 1 K; Francisco Alvarez C 2 for 4, double, 1 run scored; Justin Lasko (W, 4-4) 5.2 innings, no runs, 5 hits, 3 walks, 7 Ks;


Box Score: Game Two - Jersey Shore Blue Claws 3 Brooklyn Cyclones 0 Ronny Mauricio SS 1 for 3, 1 K; Francisco Alvarez DH 1 for 3; J.T. Ginn (L, 1-1) 5 innings, 3 runs – 2 earned, 4 hits, 5 Ks;

Box Score: Daytona Tortugas 8 St. Lucie Mets 2 Jose Peroza 2 for 4, HR, double, 1 run scored, 1 RBI; Franklin Parra (L, 3-4) 4 innings, 6 runs - 3 earned, 4 hits, 5 walks, 3 Ks; 

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Toronto Blue Jays claimed Lee Mazzilli of the New York Mets on waivers on July 31, 1989.

New York Mets traded Rick AguileraDave WestKevin TapaniTim Drummond and Jack Savage to the Minnesota Twins for Frank Viola on July 31, 1989.

New York Mets traded Bret Saberhagen and David Swanson to the Colorado Rockies for Juan Acevedo and Arnold Gooch on July 31, 1995.

New York Mets traded Bernard Gilkey and Nelson Figueroa to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Jorge Fabregas and Willie Blair on July 31, 1998.

New York Mets traded Bill Pulsipher to the Milwaukee Brewers for Mike Kinkade on July 31, 1998.

New York Mets traded Leo Estrella to the Toronto Blue Jays for Tony Phillips on July 31, 1998.

New York Mets traded Craig Paquette to the St. Louis Cardinals for Shawon Dunston on July 31, 1999.

New York Mets traded Brian McRaeRigo Beltran and Tom Johnson to the Colorado Rockies for Darryl Hamilton and Chuck McElroy on July 31, 1999.

New York Mets traded Jason Isringhausen and Greg McMichael to the Oakland Athletics for Billy Taylor on July 31, 1999.

New York Mets traded Bobby JonesJason Bay and Josh Reynolds to the San Diego Padres for Jason Middlebrook and Steve Reed on July 31, 2002.

New York Mets traded Jay PaytonMark Corey and Robert Stratton to the Colorado Rockies for John Thomson and Mark Little on July 31, 2002.

New York Mets traded Scott Erickson to the Texas Rangers for Josh Hoffpauir on July 31, 2004.

New York Mets traded Xavier Nady to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Oliver Perez and Roberto Hernandez on July 31, 2006.

New York Mets traded Luis Cessa and Michael Fulmer to the Detroit Tigers for Yoenis Cespedes on July 31, 2015.
New York Mets traded Addison Reed to the Boston Red Sox for Jamie CallahanGerson Bautista and Stephen Nogosek on July 31, 2017.


1989
On the same day the Blue Jays pick Lee Mazzilli off waivers from the Mets, they trade reliever Jeff Musselman and minor-league pitching prospect Mike Brady in exchange for Mookie Wilson, made expendable when New York obtained Juan Samuel from Philadelphia. After a slow start, Toronto's new outfielder will play a vital role in the team's return to the postseason for the first time since 1985, batting .298 in 54 games.
1989
The Mets obtain Frank Viola, last season's American League Cy Young Award winner, from the Twins for Rick Aguilera, Tim Drummond, Kevin Tapani, Jack Savage, and David West. 'Sweet Music' hits a sour note in New York, posting a 38-32 record in 82 starts with a team which fails to make the playoffs during his 2 1/2 year tenure in the Big Apple.

1995
The Mets trade former two-time Cy Young Award winner right-handed pitcher Bret Saberhagen and left-handed pitcher farmhand Dave Swanson (the player to be named later) to the Rockies for righties Juan Acevedo and Arnold Gooch.
2006
Carlos Beltran hits his third grand slam within a calendar month, becoming the ninth player to accomplish the feat. The New York center fielder's bases-filled homer is the Mets' sixth, tying the 1996 Expos and 1999 Indians for most by a team in a calendar month.

2016
Wilmer Flores is honored by the Brooklyn Cyclones with a bobblehead, commemorating his emotional roller coaster at the end of July last season. The 23-year-old Venezuelan infielder, falsely believing the Brewers had traded for him, cried on the field, but three days later, hit a walk-off homer to lift the team in a jubilant victory over the division-leading Nationals, beginning a sweep that will put the Mets in first place for the rest of the season.


1983: In the nitecap of a doubleheaderPirates rookie Jose DeLeon holds the Mets hitless for 8 1/3 innings before Hubie Brooks singles, but Mets starter Mike Torrez pitches 11 shutout innings himself and New York goes on to win, 1 - 0, in 12 innings. In his previous start, DeLeon had held the Padres hitless for 6 1/3 innings. Mets reliever Jesse Orosco wins both games with four innings of relief in the 11-inning opener, and an inning in the nitecap.

2018: The Nationals set a franchise record for runs by crushing the Mets, 25 - 4. It is also the largest margin of defeat in Mets history. The Nats score 7 runs in the 1st, chasing Steven Matz, then add 3 runs in each of the next four innings and have a 26 - 1 lead in the 9th, when New York scores 3 to make the final tally slightly less humiliating. Daniel Murphy homers twice and drives in 6, Anthony Rendon drives in 4, and Trea Turner has 4 hits, while Tanner Roark, who hits a three-run double himself, is the beneficiary of the offensive largesse.

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