:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65291557/usa_today_13386589.0.jpg)
Meet the Mets
The Mets began a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds in Great American Ball Park as the Amazins sought to remain in the playoff hunt. They turned to Jacob deGrom to get the series off on a high note, and their ace did not disappoint, as he tossed seven spotless innings while racking up nine strikeouts and no walks. In a striking contrast to the average deGrom start, however, the offense came through for him, as they socked three home runs—most excitedly, with Pete Alonso hitting his 50th bomb of the season—as they prevailed 8-1. Because the Brewers won, the team remains 3.5 games back in the wild card standings.
Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue recap short and long, Daily News, Bergen County Record, MLB.com, Newsday, Post, NY Times
Alonso has joined the rather small list of MLB players who have hit 50+ homers in one season.
deGrom might be on the verge of yet another Cy Young award, but reaching the playoffs remains his primary goal.
The Mets have tinkered with their rotation a bit, as Marcus Stroman will now pitch in the series finale against the Reds tomorrow instead of Steven Matz, who will be pushed back to Monday’s game against the Marlins at Citi Field.
This final stretch of the season would probably look very different if the Mets had just been better at holding onto leads, as Tim Britton from The Athletic explores.
Wilson Ramos is taking the controversy surrounding Noah Syndergaard’s request to pitch to a different catcher in stride.
Amed Rosario’s numbers this season aren’t necessarily eye-popping, but they still demonstrate a big and important improvement from him.
Rising Apple took a look at five pitchers who could potentially serve as the Mets’ closer in 2020.
Minor leaguer Jan Carlos Osorio was one of four players suspended after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances. Osorio’s suspension will run for 72 games, which will likely sideline him for the entire 2020 season.
Around the National League East
The Braves are officially 2019 NL East champions, as a 6-0 victory against the Giants provided Atlanta with their second straight division title.
The Nationals defeated the Marlins 6-4 to maintain their one-game lead over the Brewers for the top wild card spot. More importantly, manager Davey Martinez returned to the team after missing their three-game series against the Cardinals due to a health scare.
Speaking of the Nationals, Howie Kendrick has been surprisingly great for them.
The Phillies fell to the Indians 5-2 to drop to five games back in the wild card standings. Their magic number is also at five.
The Marlins announced extensions for both manager Don Mattingly and shortstop Miguel Rojas. Both of their deals are for two years with an option for a third.
Around Major League Baseball
The Brewers destroyed the Pirates 10-1 to further cement their place in the wild card standings. They are now two games ahead of the Cubs.
The Cubs were defeated by the Cardinals 2-1, which marked the fourth straight loss for Chicago.
Fangraphs provided a guide for deciphering the Cy Young race in the National League.
MLB.com looked at each team’s best rookie for the 2019 season. You can probably guess which rookie they went with for the Mets.
The Red Sox were eliminated for playoff contention, which is notable for one reason: it means that 2019 will mark the 19th straight year without a repeat champion in baseball.
Danny Duffy courageously opened up about his battles with depression, anxiety, and bullying in a must-read piece for the Kansas City Star.
Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue
Chris McShane and Brian Salvatore discussed the outlook for the final stretch of the regular season on the latest episode of Amazin’ Avenue Audio (The Show).
Steve Sypa provided a breakdown of the 2019 season for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets.
Vas Drimalitis previewed the weekend series against Cincinnati, but his hopes for this team have clearly been decimated, as he predicted the Mets would drop two of three to the lowly Reds.
Joe Sokolowski blessed us with some Mets quotes regarding the playoff hunt and the big match-ups from the past week.
The ladies of A Pod of Their Own reminded us about the Dollars for Dingers meet-up at Mikkeller Brewery, which is taking place... today! If you’re going to be in the area, feel free to pop in and say hi to Allison, Maggie, Linda, and the other Amazin’ Avenue writers who will be popping in, and take the opportunity to participate in the raffles for some awesome prizes! Reminder: all the proceeds for this event will go to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
This Date in Mets History
Ten days ago, the Mets and Major League Baseball reminisced about the anniversary of both the September 11 attacks and the magical home run by Mike Piazza to lead the Mets victory in the first game back following the attacks. That game actually occurred on this date in 2001, ten days after the tragedy occurred.