Mets Morning News: Heating Up

Meet the Mets

The Mets’ managerial search is expected to start heating up very soon. There are several names in the mix for the position at this time.

Despite earlier reports, it seems that there is mutual interest between Carlos Beltran and the Mets for the team’s open managerial position.

The Mets are also expected to explore a number of internal options, including Luis Rojas, who spent the 2019 season as the team’s quality control coach.

Suffolk county native Marcus Stroman will serve as the honorary starter for the upcoming Suffolk Marathon, which takes place on Sunday, October 27. The 26.2 mile race will begin and end in downtown Patchogue.

Around the National League East

The Washington Nationals forced a Game 5 by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1 at home on Monday. A three-run homer by Ryan Zimmerman capped off a four-run fifth that helped seal the Dodgers’ fate. Max Scherzer pitched seven innings of one-run ball to pick up the victory. Washington will travel back to Los Angeles for a do-or-die match on Wednesday night. The Nationals will turn to Stephen Strasburg, while the Dodgers will counter with Walker Buehler.

The Atlanta Braves were four outs away from eliminating the St. Louis Cardinals and advancing to the NLCS, but a Yadier Molina two-out single in the eighth drove home Paul Goldschmidt to tie the game at four. Molina struck again in the tenth off Julio Teheran and hit a sacrifice fly to give the Cardinals the win and send the series back to Atlanta for a Game 5. It was nice seeing Molina break another team’s heart, for a change.

The Philadelphia Phillies have not yet informed Gabe Kapler of his fate, but a resolution is expected this week. According to Jon Heyman, team owner John Middleton is surveying the players ahead of making a final decision.

Around Major League Baseball

The New York Yankees made quick work of the Minnesota Twins. They won 5-1 on Monday night to become the first team to advance to the Championship Series.

The Twins have now lost 16 consecutive playoff games, including 13 straight to the Yankees. Their last win came on October 5, 2004 in Game 1 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium.

The Tampa Bay Rays outslugged the Houston Astros 10-3 to pull to within two games to one in the American League Division Series. The Rays jumped out in front in the second on a Kevin Kiermaier three-run home run and then got solo shots from Ji-Man Choi, Brandon Lowe, and Willy Adames to put the game away.

Houston will look to eliminate Tampa Bay later today and move on to face the Yankees, while the Rays will try to force Game 5. The Astros will call on Justin Verlander on short rest, and the Rays will respond with Diego Castillo.

The Joe Madden/Los Angeles Angels reunion is moving closer towards becoming a reality. Maddon will interview this week and is the favorite to land the job. Many sources have already said they expect Maddon to be announced “as soon as a day or two after his interview”.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

David Capobianco put together a rundown of the Mets’ potential managerial candidates to replace Mickey Callaway.

Linda Surovich shared her season review for J.D. Davis, who had a breakout year for the Mets in 2019 and turned out to be one of Brodie Van Wagenen’s best offseason moves.

Steve Sypa caught you up on the latest from the Arizona Fall League, which finished its third week.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 2000, Bobby J. Jones pitched the Mets into the National League Championship Series with a masterful complete game, one-hit shutout. Aside from a Jeff Kent double and two walks in the fifth inning, Jones was perfect over the other eight frames. With the 4-0 victory, the Mets eliminated the San Francisco Giants en route to a date with the St. Louis Cardinals in the next round. The Mets went on to win the fourth pennant in franchise history later that month.