Mets Morning News: Basically the eighth, Steve

Meet the Mets

The Mets opened their four-game series at Wrigley Field with a fun, easy win, beating the Cubs 8-0. On top of the actual baseball, the SNY broadcast featured perhaps the best Steve Gelbs segment of his television career, one that starred a guy named Jake who was very much from Chicago and very much integral to the cup snake process in the bleachers.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, Faith and Fear in Flushing, MLB.com, New York Daily News, New York Post

Speaking of people named Jake, Jacob deGrom is nearing his return to the major league mound, as he threw four highly-efficient innings for Triple-A Syracuse in a rehab start last night.

Pete Alonso will face Ronald Acuña Jr. in the first round of the Home Run Derby as he attempts to win the event for the third year in a row.

All-Stars Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte were back in the Mets’ lineup last night, with the former returning from paternity leave and the latter getting back on the field after dealing with groin tightness.

With the Mets flying high, there’s no shortage of baseball writers trying to make Mets fans feel anxious, with this entry from Jon Heyman being the latest example.

Ed Bauta, who pitched for the 1963 and 1964 Mets, passed away earlier this month.

Around the National League East

The Braves beat the Nationals by a one-run margin, while the Phillies had the night off and the Marlins beat the Pirates.

Around Major League Baseball

When the Yankees get beaten by the lowly Reds, what’s a New York sportswriter to do? Write about the Yankees trading for one of the players who beat them, of course.

ESPN previewed the amateur draft, which happens this weekend.

The Cubs are being sued for alleged ADA violations at Wrigley Field.

Emma Baccelieri took a look at the legacy of A League of Their Own.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

We dropped episode 103 of Amazin’ Avenue Audio (The Show), previewed the series in Chicago, and did a hypothetical redo of the Mets’ amateur draft last year.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 1991, Ron Darling’s time as a Mets player came to an end, as he was traded to the Expos, who then traded him to the A’s just a couple of weeks later.