Mets Morning News: Good times continue in Miami

Meet the Mets

The Mets faced the daunting odds of going up against Cy Young favorite Sandy Alcántara in the series opener against the Marlins, but they did not let that stop them from continuing their winning ways. The offense got the Miami ace out of the game after just five innings, and a two-run home run by Brandon Nimmo in the eighth delivered the Mets their fourth straight victory.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue, Daily News, NY Post, Newsday, MLB.com

Before the game, the Mets made a series of roster moves to add Tyler Naquin, Stephen Nogosek, and Sam Clay to the active squad.

Naquin’s presence provides the team with some additional lineup possibilities.

This is not a drill: Jacob deGrom is back with the Mets and lined up to make his return on Tuesday against the Nationals.

The Mets may not just be getting their ace pitcher back, as the current plan is also for Trevor May and James McCann to come off the injured list next week as well.

Buck Showalter indicated that the tentative plan is to use Tylor Megill out of the bullpen when he eventually returns from the injured list.

A Sports Illustrated piece on deGrom discusses the challenges he will face in making his return while also describing what an absolute psycho he can be.

The Mets had a scout at the Red Sox game last night and could potentially be in the mix for J.D. Martinez and/or Christian Vazquez. Dominic Smith could be a name to look out for in such a move.

Chris Bassitt can be a fun pitcher to watch, but he’s a nightmare to catch.

It’s possible the Mets could turn to prospect Mark Vientos if they don’t acquire a right-handed hitting bat at the deadline.

Around the National League East

The Braves staved off a late comeback attempt by the Diamondbacks and secured a 5-2 victory to keep pace with the Mets in the NL East race.

A big game for Rhys Hoskins made the difference for the Phillies, as one of his four hits was a two-run homer in extra innings that gave Philadelphia a 4-2 win over the Pirates.

The Marlins made a series of roster moves prior to yesterday’s game, including placing starter Trevor Rogers on the injured list with lower back spasms.

Aníbal Sánchez had a tough start, and the Nationals fell to Miles Mikolas and the Cardinals 6-2.

Around Major League Baseball

The Mariners have made the biggest acquisition of the trade deadline thus far, acquiring Luis Castillo from the Reds in exchange for prospects.

Rob Manfred sent a lengthy letter to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee defending the league’s antitrust exemption. To the surprise of no one, Manfred’s arguments did not sway too many listeners.

The Padres are reportedly close to locking up Joe Musgrove on a deal that will pay him about $100 million over five years.

Aaron Judge hit two more homers last night, joining rarified company.

Alek Manoah exited yesterday’s game after getting hit on the elbow by a comebacker, though X-rays thankfully came back negative.

Joey Gallo opened up about the difficulties he’s experienced with the Yankees.

MLB.com looked at the pros and cons of some of the top trade targets at this year’s deadline.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Vasilis Drimalitis previewed the weekend Marlins series and predicted the Mets would take two of three.

Joe Sokolowski provided the most interesting quotes from and about the Mets from this past week.

This Date in Mets History

The infamous Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambarano trade occurred on this date in 2004.