Mets Morning News: Taillon tallies eight shutout innings, Mets drop third straight

Meet the Mets

The Mets' offensive woes continued in a 4-0 loss to the Pirates, as rookie Jameson Taillon allowed just two hits and a walk over eight immaculate innings. Jacob deGrom struck out nine batters over six innings for a second consecutive outing only to absorb his third loss of the season.

Choose your recap: Amazin' Avenue, MLB.com, ESPN, Post, NJ.com, Newsday, Daily News, USA Today,Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Faith and Fear in Flushing.

After missing the final day of the Mets' four-game series against Milwaukee due to a health scare, manager Terry Collins returned to his position Tuesday night. Collins, who spent Sunday night in a Milwaukee hospital, playfully chalked the incident up to a "senior moment."

David Wright's 2016 season may have come to an end with his recent disabled list stint. The Mets' captain has discussed season-ending neck surgery with Dr. Robert Watkins, after initially being tabbed to miss 6-to-8 weeks of action.

Mets GM Sandy Alderson addressed the possibility of losing Wright for the season, giving a characteristically subdued assessment of potential third base options. Cuban free agent Yulieski Gourriel is on the Mets' radar, but may not be considered if Wright opts against surgery.

Slumping outfielder Michael Conforto received a cortisone shot to help deal with cartilage in his left wrist. Despite the recent injection, Conforto made a pinch-hitting appearance in Tuesday's loss.

Curtis Granderson has lived up to his four-year, $60 million contract, writes Andrew Mearns of BP Mets.

Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs took a crack at accounting for Michael Conforto's recent struggles at the plate. Only three other position players in baseball, Sullivan explained, have seen a more stark decrease in fastballs from last season.

Around the NL East

The Nationals took a 4-3 loss to the Cubs, maintaining their five game lead over the Mets in the NL East.

Backup catcher Jeff Mathis hit a grand slam en route to Miami's 5-2 victory over the Padres. A.J. Ramos closed out his 29th consecutive save (dating back to last season), helping the Marlins draw within one game of the Mets in the NL East.

Zach Eflin got rocked in his major league debut, allowing eight earned runs in Philadelphia's 11-3 loss to the Blue Jays.

A first inning home run from Jay Bruce was all the Reds needed in their 3-0 shutout of the Braves. Atlanta starter Julio Teheran fell to 7-2 after the defeat.

Around the Majors

Former Met Ike Davis enjoyed a successful Yankees debut, hitting an RBI single and scoring a run in a 13-10 loss at Coors Field.

Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes' rehab assignment is set to conclude Wednesday, leaving GM Jeff Bridich with a big decision. The 32-year-old Reyes has roughly $44 million left on his contract, and no discernible role on the 31-33 Rockies. Bridich will have to choose between activating Reyes, trading him, or designating him for assignment.

The Staten Island Yankees will honor switch-pitcher Pat Venditte with a unique bobblehead promotion. Venditte, who's currently in the Blue Jays organization, pitched to an 0.83 ERA in his sole season with Staten Island in 2008.

Corey Dickerson's 448 foot home run off Taijuan Walker was a sight to behold.

Chris Carter of the Brewers has hit 12 of his 17 home runs to the opposite field, in stark contrast to his previous career splits. Carter and catcher Jonathan Lucroy are likely trade chips for the Brewers as the trade deadline draws closer.

Puerto Rico is struggling to maintain relevance at baseball's professional level, writes Nick Brown for Reuters.

Yesterday at AA

Timothy Finnegan took a look at Mets pitchers' best put-away pitches.

Steve Schreiber listed highlights from This Week in SNY!

Aaron Yorke previewed the Mets' homestand against Pittsburgh.

Chris McShane tracked the signing progress of the Mets' 2016 draft picks.

Lucas Vlahos delivered Tuesday's Daily Prospect Report.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 1977, Tom Seaver was involved in a trade dubbed "The Midnight Massacre." In exchange for Seaver, the Reds sent Doug Flynn, Pat Zachry, Steve Henderson, and Dan Norman to the Mets. After trading a pair of fan favorites (Seaver and Dave Kingman) the 1977 Mets would finish to a woeful 64-98 record.

Happy birthday to Brett Butler, Tony Clark, Ken Henderson, Dave Liddell, and Jeremy Reed!