Mets Morning News: Cespedes, Bruce homer as Mets beat Marlins 12-1

Meet the Mets

Following Monday’s difficult loss in Miami, the Mets righted the ship with a 12-1 drubbing of the Marlins. Noah Syndergaard allowed just one run over six innings and was supported by home runs from Yoenis Cespedes and Jay Bruce. The Mets and Marlins will play the rubber game of an emotional three-game set at 7:10 p.m., sending Seth Lugo and Jose Urena to the mound, respectively.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue long and short, NY Post, NJ.com, Daily News, MLB.com, USA Today, Newsday, NY Times, Miami Herald, Sun Sentinel.

Sandy Alderson announced the end of Steven Matz’s 2016 season. The left-hander will undergo a surgical procedure to have a bone spur removed from his elbow.

Wilmer Flores has been shut down for a few days after feeling pain in his wrist. The Mets have missed Flores’ presence against southpaws; the 25-year-old has slashed .340/.383/.710 against lefties this season.

Lucas Duda is playing his way back into an everyday role, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com writes. The slugging first baseman hit a bases-clearing double against left-handed reliever Mike Dunn on Tuesday.

Jeff Sullivan of FanGraphs reflected on Monday’s “beautiful” game between the Mets and Marlins.

Andrew Mearns of BP Mets drew parallels between Dee Gordon’s leadoff home run on Monday and Mike Piazza’s post-9/11 home run.

After a Jay Bruce foul ball hit a young fan on the arm, the Mets offered a signed ball and bat as an apology.

Tim Tebow notched a pair of hits in his final intrasquad game.

Around the Wild Card

After being routed by the Reds on Monday, the Cardinals secured a crucial 10-5 victory over the Reds. Aledmys Diaz, a childhood friend of Jose Fernandez, hit an emotional grand slam in his return to St. Louis’ lineup.

The Mets gained no ground on the Giants in the Wild Card chase, as the Rockies absorbed a 12-3 loss at AT&T Park.

Around the NL East

The Nationals earned a 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks, but announced catcher Wilson Ramos would miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. The injury couldn’t come at a worse time for Washington.

Despite a Ryan Howard grand slam, the Braves earned a 7-6 win over the Phillies.

The Phillies need to acquire a “proven hitter, or two” throughout the offseason. Assuming Ryan Howard’s 2017 option is declined, Freddy Galvis will have the most plate appearances on the team roster.

Around Major League Baseball

Dan Israeli of FanSided wrote about the legacy Jose Fernandez left behind. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports detailed the final night of Fernandez’s life.

Dave Brown of VICE Sports discussed baseball’s unwritten rules after a Jung Ho Kang fake tag resulted in an injury for Bryce Harper.

Michael Baumann of The Ringer outlined a fun hypothetical: drafting players from non-competitive teams to playoff-bound teams.

Ben Lindbergh of The Ringer tried to make sense of Caleb Joseph’s dismal 2016 campaign.

Ted Berg of USA Today listed 13 awesome things about the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

The Marlins thanked the Mets for their support during Monday’s Jose Fernandez memorial.

Steve Sypa explained the improvements minor league pitcher Thomas Szapucki made in 2016.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 2008, the Mets sent off Shea Stadium with a 4-2 loss to the Marlins.

Happy birthday to Mike DeJean and Ronn Reynolds!