Mets Morning News: Between a Rockie and a hard place

Meet the Mets

The All-Star break appears to have been manna from heaven for the Mets offense. They pummeled Rockies pitching for the second consecutive night, while Seth Lugo was solid on the mound and even contributed a home run of his own. The Mets go for the sweep this afternoon.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue short and long, ESPN, MLB.com, New York Times, Daily News, New York Post, Newsday, NJ.com,

It wasn’t all smiles though. Yoenis Cespedes had to leave early with what looks like another leg injury.

If Cespedes is out for a while, the Mets will have to hope T.J. Rivera stays hot. He extended his hitting streak to ten games.

Another Mets infielder who had been a weak link in the lineup all season is finally starting the come alive.

Despite the good stretch from Jose Reyes, it doesn’t appear it will cause a shakeup at the top of the lineup, at least for now.

One might think Rivera and Reyes are the reason super prospect Amed Rosario is still in the minors, but he might also be staying down to keep clear of another Mets infielder.

Meanwhile, for the Mets’ newest stud prospect, it’s been quite a journey.

Around the NL East

It was a busy day for the Nationals. They got a win over the Reds, announced Joe Ross is having Tommy John surgery, and are rumored to be targeting a pair of Athletics relievers.

The Marlins got blown out by the Dodgers, while some of their players are drawing interest from other teams.

Stellar Aaron Nola and snazzy throwbacks weren’t enough for the Phillies, who lost a close one to the Brewers.

The Braves bench came through big time in a win over the Diamondbacks.

Around the Majors

The Yankees and Red Sox went 16 innings Saturday, and the Red Sox even played under protest after this strange sequence involving Matt Holliday.

The Giants have swapped one injured ace for another: Madison Bumgarner is back on the active roster, while Johnny Cueto is headed to the DL.

Meanwhile, they’re reportedly considering a reunion with Pablo Sandoval.

Yasiel Puig wasn’t pleased with some inside pitching courtesy of the Marlins.

Turns out this Zack Cozart and donkey thing is really happening.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Ryan Almodovar caught us up with all the action in the Mets minor leagues.

This Date in Mets History

The Mets’ best on-field performance on this date came eleven years ago, when Carlos Beltran and Cliff Floyd hit grand slams in the same inning for a win over the Cubs in Chicago. July 16, 1997 also marked the start of the Steve Phillips era (and what a glorious era it was).