Mets Morning News: Jake the Great

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The Mets won their fifth straight, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-2. Jacob deGrom got his second start since returning from the IL and was superb, as always. He struck out eight and held the Diamondbacks to two hits over six scoreless innings. His fastball clocked in at 102 mph and regularly sat between 100 and 101. He got plenty of run support this time around, aided by Pete Alonso’s return to the lineup. The first baseman hit a home run and drove in four runs in the victory. Dominic Smith also contributed two doubles, while Billy McKinney homered for the second straight game.

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In the win, deGrom picked up his 75th career hit, which ties him with Ron Darling for fifth most by a pitcher in Mets history.

deGrom’s 0.71 ERA is the lowest a starter has posted through May since the 1964 season.

Prior to the game, the club activated Pete Alonso and Kevin Pillar from the 10-Day IL, and Seth Lugo from the 60-Day IL. The club also picked up the contract of outfielder Mason Williams.

To make room on the roster, the team DFA’ed Cameron Maybin and Sam McWilliams, and optioned Khalil Lee, Patrick Mazeika, and Sean Reid-Foley to Triple-A.

The Mets have also released outfielder Mallex Smith.

Pillar expects to be back in the starting lineup on Wednesday, which was a compromise that he made with the team. He did enter last night’s game as a defensive replacement in the seventh. His nose remains broken and will need 4-6 weeks to fully heal, but he will wear a mask in the outfield and on the bases.

Pillar said he “prides himself on being available” after returning from his injury.

Pillar has emerged as a ‘cult hero’ following his injury and his return.

Lugo is happy to ‘jump on board’ the first place Mets.

J.D. Davis was originally rumored to be resuming his rehab assignment on Tuesday in Syracuse, but that report proved to be false. He will not be restarting his rehab after all.

The Mets have updated their upcoming rotation, flipping Marcus Stroman and David Peterson. The former will start on Tuesday, with the latter going on Wednesday. Taijuan Walker will pitch on Thursday.

Andy Martino explored some areas the team should address before the deadline.

The Mets Minor League Mailbag examined the timeline for top prospects Matt Allan and Francisco Alvarez, among other things.

Around the National League East

The Philadelphia Phillies dropped their third straight game as they were clobbered 11-1 by the Cincinnati Reds.

Following the loss, Philadelphia announced that Roman Quinn has a ruptured Achilles tendon and will need surgery. His recovery time is 9-12 months.

The Atlanta Braves topped the free-falling Washington Nationals 5-3.

Following the news of Marcell Ozuna’s arrest for domestic violence, Atlanta cannot void his contract but will eventually face a decision, writes Ken Rosenthal. (Paywall Alert)

The Braves have selected the contract of Abraham Almonte.

Around Major League Baseball

As we have reached Memorial Day on the MLB schedule, here are the disappointments, the surprises, and who will rule from here on out.

MLB.com looked at the all-May All Star team.

Here are the current MLB Power Rankings as of Memorial Day!

The Baltimore Orioles selected the contract of catcher Austin Wynns from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned catcher Chance Sisco to the minors.

The third place New York Yankees, who sit at 29-25 at the onset of June, are one of the teams who should start worrying about their season.

MLB is entering the NFT world with an iconic Yankees moment.

The Tampa Bay Rays topped the scuffling Yankees 3-1.

The Minnesota Twins held on to defeat the Orioles 3-2 in ten innings.

The Milwaukee Brewers outlasted the Detroit Tigers 3-2 in ten innings.

The Chicago Cubs bested the San Diego Padres 7-2.

The San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-1.

The Houston Astros destroyed the Boston Red Sox 11-2.

The Kansas City Royals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3.

The Seattle Mariners walked it off against the Oakland Athletics 6-5 in ten innings.

The Chicago White Sox and Cleveland split a doubleheader.

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 9-4.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

I previewed the team’s series against Arizona.

Episode 116 of From Complex to Queens is here!

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 2012, Johan Santana became No-han.