Mets Morning News: Bullpen breakdown in Beantown

Meet the Mets

Brandon Nimmo gave the Mets the lead in the fourth inning in Boston with a three-run shot, but the Mets’ bullpen was unable to hold the lead in relief of a short outing from Corey Oswalt, as they fell to the Red Sox 5-3.

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

Devan Fink takes a look at where David Wright falls among all-time Mets.

Even given how shy the Mets seem to be about retiring numbers, there is almost no question that David Wright’s number should be—and will be—retired. The question simply becomes: When will it happen and will other numbers follow?

The result may not have been what the Mets wanted at Fenway on Saturday, but David Wright was honored in Boston, when Dustin Pedroia presented him with a number 5 panel from the famous Fenway Park scoreboard.

Jacob deGrom and Chris Sale are facing off in a marquee matchup for the series finale in Boston. The two have never matched up as professionals, but they have faced each other once before—when deGrom hit his only college home run.

Jay Bruce was frank about the fact that the 2018 season was not kind to him, calling it “the least favorite season I have ever played.” Bruce is hoping to use the final weeks of the season to prove to the Mets that he is healthy and ready to contribute next season.

Jeff McNeil has impressed in his short stint in the major leagues so far. A big part of that is his propensity for not striking out.

Around the National League East

The Nationals drew a club-record 14 walks against the Braves in a 7-1 victory.

The bad news for the Nationals was that Jeremy Hellickson had to exit the game after re-injuring his wrist and may be done for the season.

The Phillies and Marlins played a very September baseball game, which featured a combined fifteen pitchers. The Phillies won 5-4, extending the Marlins’ losing streak to five.

Part of the reason why the Phillies used so many pitchers was because they were beginning to experiment with the “opener” strategy popularized by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Around Major League Baseball

Joel Sherman argues that increased emphasis on advanced metrics is diminishing fan investment in individual performances and milestones, something he posits is bad for the game.

The Indians have clinched the AL Central for the third straight season.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Linda Surovich broke down Jacob deGrom’s most recent start, as his Cy Young campaign comes down to the wire.

This Date in Mets History

On this date, two Mets reached milestones involving the number 20 exactly 20 years apart. On September 16, Jerry Koosman notched his 20th win of the 1976 season. Also on September 16, Lance Johnson hit his 20th triple of the 1996 season. He was the first Met to hit 20 triples in a season.