Mets Morning News: Another bullpen implosion behind deGrom, Vargas to DL

Meet the Mets

Jacob deGrom gave the Mets a quality start, but it was one of his worst starts of the season, which says something about how brilliant he has been this year. Clayton Kershaw matched deGrom in his return from the disabled list. Jose Bautista hit his second home run in as many days, but once again the Mets fell to the Dodgers, this time by a score of 8-3. The death knell came in the form of a Matt Kemp grand slam in the eighth off Robert Gsellman.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue short and long, NY Times, Post, Daily News, Newsday, MLB.com, Bergen County Record.

John Harper tells Mets fans what they already know: that the Mets don’t deserve Jacob deGrom. And despite the Mets dropping further and further out of contention, pitching coach Dave Eiland says that the Mets won’t “tweak the schedule just to make sure he can pitch” in the All-Star Game.

Even still, Harper says the Mets should not trade deGrom and could perhaps do a rebuild on the fly by trading Noah Syndergaard instead.

Of course, though, the asking price is going to be quite high for either pitcher and the likelihood that they are traded remains low.

The Mets have placed Jason Vargas on the disabled list with a strained calf. Chris Flexen will take his place on the roster, but not necessarily to start today’s game.

Around the National League East

The Phillies beat the Nationals 5-3, thanks to a 4-for-4 day at the plate from Maikel Franco and a strong outing from Aaron Nola.

The Phillies are having a strong month of June and now find themselves in second place in the NL East.

Meanwhile, Thomas Boswell preaches the need for resilience on the part of the Nationals as they ride out this tough stretch—a lesson they should learn from the champion Washington Capitals.

The Braves lost to the Orioles for the second straight day, as Julio Teheran gave up a grand slam to Mark Trumbo in the first inning and was tagged for seven earned runs.

Grand slams seemed to be a theme in the NL East on Saturday, as J.T. Realmuto’s grand slam powered the Marlins to a 6-2 victory against the Rockies at Coors Field.

Around Major League Baseball

Reds’ top prospect Nick Stenzel is having surgery to repair a torn tendon in his finger and will miss the remainder of the season.

The Cardinals took a chance on outfielder turned flamethrower Jordan Hicks, who had never played above Class A before pitching in the major leagues. And it’s paying off.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Jorge Eckardt covered the news that Hansel Robles was claimed off waivers by the Angels, ending his career with the Mets.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 1975, Jerry Koosman won his 100th game.