Mets Morning News: Good Vibes Only

Meets the Mets

Joel Sherman doesn’t see anything that makes sense about the first-place Mets, who have held on to the top spot in the division for a month now.

FiveThirtyEight broke down the reasons why the Mets might actually be good.

Mets fans very often expect the worse—with good reason, I might add—but Justin Toscano explained why fans have a reason to think things might be different with this year’s squad.

The Mets have a ‘grand plan’ this year focused around shifting, and it has turned around their defense.

Several Mets players took to Twitter to defend Jacob deGrom against an unfounded and ludicrous accusation of cheating.

Dominic Smith’s last week at the plate is an encouraging sign following his early-season offensive struggles, writes Deesha Thosar.

Pete Alonso was picked by MLB.com as one of seven players who will bounce back this season.

Tim Healey shared a conversation with Jeremy Barnes, the organization’s new farm system boss.

Oscar Rojas of the St. Lucie Mets has been named the Low-A Southeast Player of the Week.

Brian DeLunas is leaving the organization to become pitching coach at Missouri. He had served as the team’s special project coordinator in St. Lucie since January.

Around the National League East

The Miami Marlins lost to the Boston Red Sox 5-3.

In taking two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Atlanta Braves reminded everyone of how good they could be.

Marcell Ozuna will be a real test for MLB’s Domestic Violence Policy, writes Sheryl Ring for Beyond The Box Score.

The Philadelphia Phillies have removed Scott Kingery from their 40-man roster after he cleared waivers. This comes just over three years after he signed his six year, $24 million extension.

Capacity limits have been disappearing at Citizens Bank Park, but Phillies fans have also disappeared from the park.

The Washington Nationals only have one injured superstar, which qualifies them as one of the more fortunate MLB teams.

Around Major League Baseball

MLB released this week’s Power Rankings, with the Top 10 still inexplicably missing the Mets.

Baseball America released their updated Top 100 Prospects.

Umpire Joe West discussed enforcing MLB’s new policy on foreign substances, player reaction, and potential pushback. (Paywall Alert)

The San Diego Padres remain interested in Joey Gallo.

The Seattle Mariners have optioned Jarred Kelenic back to Triple-A Tacoma. Since getting the call up to the majors, the 21-year-old was hitting .096/.185/.193 with 26 strikeouts in 23 games.

The Athletic examined why sending down Kelenic was the right move. (Paywall Alert)

Cedric Mullins had an incredible run over the weekend that left the Baltimore Orioles speechless.

The Dodgers invested a lot of money in Trevor Bauer, but with the league cracking down on doctored baseballs, they don’t know what to expect from him. You hate to see it.

Aaron Boone and the New York Yankees have a lot to worry about, and now they might have to worry about Gerrit Cole’s declining spin rate amid MLB’s crackdown on pitchers using foreign substances.

Stephen Nesbitt of The Athletic spoke with Mike Caruso, a former strongman and the individual who invented Spider Tack, the stickiest stuff at the center of the foreign substance, grip-enhancing controversy. (Paywall Alert)

The San Francisco Giants wore pride colors on their jersey during the game on Sunday, which was the first time the celebration was brought to the field.

MLB radio announcers are starting to resume traveling, but TV broadcasters are still stuck calling games remotely, and they’re not happy about it. (Paywall Alert)

The Padres topped the Chicago Cubs 9-4.

The Los Angeles Angels defeated the Kansas City Royals 8-3.

Pitcher Tyler Zombro, who is pitching for Triple-A Durham Bulls (an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays) underwent “major” brain surgery after being hit with a line drive. Doctors are optimistic following the procedure, and expect him to be released from the hospital in about one week.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Thomas Henderson pointed out that extending Marcus Stroman should be a top priority for the team (and I couldn’t agree more).

Allison McCague brought us the position player and pitcher meters for the week.

If you missed Episode 117 of From Complex to Queens, here’s your chance to listen!

This Date in Mets History

On this date, the Mets mounted a rally at PNC Park to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5. Michael Conforto hit a two-run homer in the eighth to tie the game, and Wilmer Flores drove in the go-ahead run in the tenth.