Meet the Mets
It was another wild game in Atlanta with the Bench Mob attempting to pull off another miracle. They got down early after David Peterson struggled but Tomas Nido gave them a temporary lead late with another clutch hit. Unfortunately the thin and exhausted bullpen couldn’t make it stand and Ronald Acuña ended it with a walk-off home run in the ninth.
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It seemed odd Pete Alonso never got into a close game after being given the day off but afterwards Luis Rojas revealed the first baseman has been dealing with a hand injury. The x-rays came back negative but an MRI isn’t out of the question just yet.
Despite the loss the Mets still battled which has been a key characteristic of this team ever since the injuries started piling up.
Before the game the injured list grew yet again when the Mets placed Taijuan Walker on the 10-day IL with left side tightness, but they called up Cameron Maybin who immediately entered the lineup.
Some more reinforcements could be on the horizon. Noah Syndergaard took to the mound in St. Lucie for his first rehab start since undergoing Tommy John and was sharp in his four innings of work. The St. Lucie team will get yet another big boost to its rotation when Jacob deGrom also makes a rehab start for them.
Kevin Pillar’s scary injury showed just how dangerous chasing velocity could be especially when young pitchers haven’t learned to control it yet.
Citi Field has updated its policy and fans will no longer be required to provide a negative COVID test but masks will still be required.
Around the National League East
Ronald Acuña helped the Braves avoid the sweep at the hands of the Bench Mob.
Trevor Rogers and the Marlins shut down the Phillies in their 3-1 win.
The Phillies squandered another good pitching performance in their loss to Miami.
The Nationals defeated the Cubs 4-3 but not before manager Davey Martinez had an epic meltdown.
Around Major League Baseball
No-hitters have been way, way up so of course yet another no-hitter was thrown. This time it was Corey Kluber against his former team in Texas.
The plethora of no-hitters are just a symptom of baseball’s bigger issue which is the concerning lack of offense in the game.
The Mets appear snakebit when it comes to injuries, but it is becoming a worrying trend across the sport and baseball needs to figure out how to keep its stars on the field.
Manager Tony La Russa couldn’t stop talking after he threw his own player under the bus for hitting a home run and he still hasn’t managed to dig himself out of the massive hole he has dug for himself.
Fernando Tatis returned to the lineup after being on the COVID list and enjoyed a big day at the plate.
Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue
On the latest episode of A Pod of Their Own both the rash of injuries and lovable heroes were discussed.
On this Date in Mets History
Robin Ventura was known for his grand slams and on this date in 1999 he hit two of them, one in each game of a double header against the Brewers.