Mets Morning News: Kirk slays Snakes, Conforto conquers World

Meet the Mets

The orange and blue crew finished the first half strong with a quality start by Jon Niese and an incredible three home runs from Kirk Nieuwenhuis that led to a 5-3 win over Arizona. All 13 runs that the Mets scored against the Diamondbacks this weekend came via home run.

Choose your recap: Amazin' Avenue short, long, MLB.com, ESPN New York, Post, Daily News, Star-Ledger, Newsday

It was the first time in Mets history that a player had hit three home runs in a home game.

Jenrry Mejia got a key out during his first appearance of the season.

Juan Lagares left the game in the ninth inning with calf tightness, but he should be okay.

During the All-Star Futures Game, top prospect Michael Conforto went 2-for-2 at the plate and also threw a runner out at home. He seems just as eager to help the Mets as Mets fans are to see him. Meanwhile, Brandon Nimmo went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Jacob deGrom is eager to face the best that the American League has to offer in this Tuesday's All-Star Game.

Terry Collins says that David Wright has begun baseball-related activities.

Buddy Carlyle underwent hip surgery and probably won't play again for the Mets this season.

Great quote by Lucas Duda regarding his new Instagram account: "I'm like a hippopotamus. They try to catch me in the wild when I'm doing stuff."

Around the National League East

While Dee Gordon will sit out of the All-Star Game due to the dislocated thumb he suffered over the weekend, the second baseman will likely avoid the disabled list.

Another stellar Max Scherzer performance lifted the Nationals to a 3-2 win over Baltimore.

Colorado finished off its first ever four-game sweep of the Braves with an 11-3 drubbing.

The Phillies may be able to get something in return for Jeff Francoeur.

Around Major League Baseball

Conforto and Nimmo helped the United States team defeat the World team 10-1 in the All-Star Futures Game.

Kyle Schwarber of the Cubs, who played in the majors earlier this season, was named MVP of the Futures Game. The left-handed slugger went 1-for-3 with a triple and two RBI.

The Pirates came from behind to shock St. Louis 6-5 in a Sunday night thriller.

Clayton Kershaw was finally added to the All-Star roster because Scherzer started for Washington on Sunday.

Hector Santiago was added on the American League side due to a Sunday start by Sonny Gray.

The Yankees, Giants, and Nationals are considered the top competition for the Mets in the race to trade for Oakland's Ben Zobrist.

Matthew Trueblood of Baseball Prospectus writes that patience may no longer be the virtue it once was due to players getting better at hitting the first pitch and worse at hitting in three-ball counts.

This date in Mets history

David Wright hit a pair of singles in the 2010 All-Star Game. In 2001, Mike Piazza hit his 300th career home run.