Mets Morning News: Hand, hammys, and walk-off hits oh my

When Marcus Stroman left the game early it got a bit tense for the Mets who had to rely heavily on their bullpen, and to their credit, for the most part they stood tall. Brad Brach gave up a run when Jose Ramirez tagged him for a triple, but the rest of the relievers were stellar. Unfortunately the offense couldn’t get much going and the game headed to extras. Luis Avilan gave up a home run to Carlos Santana in the top of the tenth so the Mets needed some magic. The tying run scored on a misplay by Brad Hand and then J.D. Davis walked it off with a laser into the left field corner to bring home the winning run.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue short and long, Daily News, LoHud, MLB.com, Newsday, Post

J.D. Davis was the latest Met to lose a jersey which has become their walk-off ritual.

Overall Davis is invaluable to this team and has been the hottest hitter in the league since the All-Star break.

Fun has returned to Queens, and everyone is starting to believe in this team.

Despite the thrilling win, there was a scary moment when it was revealed that Stroman left with hamstring tightness. According to his manager however, they aren’t concerned about the injury.

Juan Lagares delivered a big hit to tie the game early, and he has been playing much better since Jeff McNeil went down with an injury.

As for McNeil, he is getting closer to a return and a decision will be made soon on whether or not he will appear in any rehab games.

Luis Avilan did give up the big hit in the tenth, but him and fellow southpaw Justin Wilson have been a big reason why the bullpen has seen a big turnaround recently.

Robinson Cano isn’t ready to concede this season to injury and was out taking batting practice before the game.

Around the National League East

The Braves blanked the Marlins in a 5-0 win. Before the game Atlanta placed catcher Brian McCann on the injured list with a knee sprain.

Marlins starter Caleb Smith had a good day at the plate but a not-so-good day on the mound in Miami’s loss to the Braves.

The Phillies completed a sweep of the Red Sox with a 5-2 win in Boston.

The Nationals blew out the hapless Pirates in an 11-1 victory. Hunter Strickland was hit in the face with a barbell that briefly knocked him out at the gym.

Around Major League Baseball

After suffering a setback in his rehab, the Cubs shut down reliever Brandon Morrow for the rest of the season.

Rockies starter Jon Gray was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot and will miss the remainder of the season.

The Brewers avoided a sweep at the hands of the division rival Cardinals.

A wild game in Chicago ended with the Cubs on top over the Giants.

After two players were suspended for performance-enhancing drugs found in sexual-enhancement drugs, Major League Baseball sent out a memo warning about unregulated drugs typically found in gas stations.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

On Episode 20 of A Pod of Their Own, Wilmer Flores, the Backstreet Boys, baby kangaroos, YouTube games, and some Mets baseball was discussed.

Kenneth Lavin took a look at the top prospects for the week of August 11.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 2006, Carlos Delgado reached a milestone when he slugged his 400th home run of his career.