Mets Morning News: Beltway Bupkis

Meet the Mets

Joey Lucchesi turned in his best start as a Met, and it was all for nothing as Yan Gomes and the Nationals walked off the Mets 1-0 Friday night in D.C.

Choose your recap: AA short, Daily News, ESPN, MLB, Newsday, North Jersey, Post

Luis Rojas originally planned for Seth Lugo to pitch both the eighth and ninth innings, but instead pulled him for Edwin Díaz, who gave up the walk-off single.

Lucchesi credits mechanical changes for fixing his earlier issue tipping pitches.

The Mets begin their first of three doubleheaders in the next seven days tomorrow in D.C., with David Peterson getting the nod for the first game.

It is not clear who will pitch the second game, though Sean Reid-Foley and Robert Gsellman are likely candidates, with Jerad Eickhoff and Yennsy Díaz on the taxi squad ready to go if necessary.

The Mets will get some help from Albert Almora Jr., who is currently with the team and is expecting to be activated tomorrow.

The Mets also shared progress for both J.D. Davis and Brandon Nimmo, the latter of whom may be playing in a rehab assignment next week.

The best injury news of the night comes on behalf of Jacob deGrom, who resumed his usual off-day routine two days after leaving his last start against the Cubs after just three innings pitched with shoulder soreness.

deGrom believes his injury was caused by his Silver Slugger-like swing instead of his MVP-caliber pitching.

With Citi Field being used for a graduation ceremony tomorrow, Mets announcers Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling will be calling tomorrow’s doubleheader from the stadium’s dining hall.

Pete Alonso and the Mets are teaming up with NYC ACS in continuing their virtual book drive throughout June.

Around the National League East

The Braves offense blossomed for a 9-1 win against the Cardinals Friday night in Cobb County. Ozzie Albies hit a ball real good and far.

The Marlins offense did even better as they beat the Cubs 10-2 in Chicago. Adam Duvall notched two home runs, one of them a grand slam.

The Marlins also broke ground on a new Dominican academy in Boca Chica, a coastal city in between Santo Domingo and San Pedro de Macorís.

The Phillies fell to the Giants 5-3 in San Francisco, allowing the Mets to retain their 4.5 game division lead.

Around Major League Baseball

Shohei Ohtani confirmed his inclusion in the Home Run Derby and affirmed his selection with a laser home run against the Tigers Friday night in Anaheim.

The A’s beat the Yankees 5-3 in The Bronx behind Matt Olson’s 19th home run of the season.

The Yankees broadcasting team remains in New York for road games, a situation that frustrates Suzyn Waldman.

CJ Cron’s walk-off single in the tenth inning gave the Rockies a 6-5 win over the Brewers in Denver.

Yordán Álvarez did the same for the Astros as they walked off the White Sox 2-1 in Houston.

The Pirates broke a ten-game losing streak with an 11-10 win over Cleveland in Pittsburgh. To make matters worse for Cleveland, star infielder José Ramirez left the game after taking a pitch to the foot, and is considered day-to-day.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

I looked at Pete Alonso’s excellent Statcast numbers and examined why they aren’t translating into elite production this season.

Joe shared the most delicious Mets quotations from the past week.

Vas previewed the series against the Nationals.

Chris and Brian discussed the Mets' impressive homestand and their upcoming roster troubles in the latest episode of Amazin’ Avenue Audio (The Show).

We talked about the upcoming series on Spotify Greenroom, FKA Locker Room. It was a busy day over here!

This Date in Mets History

A bevy of great pitching performances have taken place over the years on this date, including Doc Gooden’s 100th win, David Cone’s near-no hitter, and a complete game shutout from Zack Wheeler.