Morning Briefing: Dedniel Núñez Dealing With Forearm Tightness
Good morning, Mets fans!
The Mets had a golden opportunity to clinch a series win and an above .500 record on their West Coast swing last night. However, their bullpen let them down again. With two outs in the eighth inning and a runner on first, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza decided to go to Edwin Díaz to get a four-out save. Unfortunately, Díaz’s command was erratic again, leaving him in a bases-loaded situation with Corbin Carroll at the plate. Having to throw a strike, Edwin hung a slider over the middle of the plate, and Carroll gave the D-Backs a three-run lead with his second homer of the night.
While 2022 Edwin Díaz might still be in there, the Mets $100 million closer has blown six saves on the season and has been especially unreliable lately. Díaz and Butto, perceived as the Mets most potent duo, also blew another game on their road trip against the Padres on Sunday. If the Mets’ back-end, particularly their former “reliever of the year” closer, cannot be relied upon, they will continue throwing away crucial games amid a heated wild card race.
To put the icing on the bullpen-mess cake, right-hander Dedniel Núñez was unavailable on Wednesday because of forearm tightness. Mendoza said the high-leverage reliever is currently day-to-day. Núñez has only pitched in one game, 1 2/3 scoreless innings on August 24, since returning from the injured list because of a right forearm strain.
The final game in Arizona will be a showdown between David Peterson (8-1, 2.85 ERA) and Ryne Nelson (9-6, 4.29 ERA) at 3:40 P.M. EDT.
Wild Card Update
The Mets created more distance between themselves and the three wild card teams with their loss last night. With Arizona’s win over the Mets last night, they increased their lead over the Mets to seven games. The Padres losing to the Cardinals also helped Arizona, putting them a full game in front of San Diego for the first wild card spot. The most consequential result for the Mets on Wednesday night was the Braves winning again, as they swept the Twins and are now 8-2 in their last 10 games. New York is four games behind Atlanta for the final wild card spot.
Latest Mets News
Luis Severino told reporters that he felt a lot of pain after getting hit in his foot by a come-backer in last night’s loss. However, Luis said that the x-rays returned negative and he is “100% sure” he will make his next start.
Mets 2024 first-round pick Carson Benge continues to rake. Benge hit his second home run in two days on Wednesday, bringing his OPS up to 1.106 in his seven games for the St. Lucie Mets.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza mentioned “speed and versatility” as two attributes that will be valued when the Mets expand their roster on Sunday, August 1st, per Mike Puma of The New York Post. That sounds like prospect Luisangel Acuña, who is on the Mets’ 40-man roster.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported on a Bleacher Report “Walk-Off” stream, that Orioles starter and soon-to-be free-agent Corbin Burnes will be on the Mets radar this off-season. Click here for more information on the report.
Latest MLB News
Fans were lined up outside of Dodger Stadium 7 hours before first pitch for Shohei Ohtani bobblehead night on Wednesday.
Excitement level for Shohei and Decoy. ???? pic.twitter.com/54viWyFYBY
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 29, 2024
The Kansas City Royals placed RHP Michael Lorenzen on the 15-day IL with a left hamstring strain. Lorenzen, who is on his fourth team in the past two seasons, pitched to a 1.85 ERA in his 24 1/3 innings with Kansas City since being traded from Texas.
The 7th pick in the 2023 draft and one of the Cincinnati Reds top prospects, Rhett Lowder, is expected to make his major league debut on Friday, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati.
The Houston Astros sent former starting center fielder Chas McCormick down to Triple-A, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. This move comes a day after the Astros signed veteran OF Jason Heyward off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay told the media that Miguel Andujar will be undergoing a season-ending core muscle surgery, per Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. Andujar is under control through 2025, Oakland hopes to have him back next season.
Veteran INF Thairo Estrada and left-handed relievers Tyler Matzek and Taylor Rogers were all placed on waivers by the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, per Grant Bisbee and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Unlike being DFA’d, the players will continue to play for the Giants until the resolution of their waiver process.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told the media that utility man Jorge Mateo will undergo season-ending surgery to repair the UCL in his left elbow. Mateo, known as one of the fastest players in the league, originally injured his elbow in late July and was hoping to make a return later in the season before the surgery.
Latest on MMO
Pete Alonso continues to climb the Mets all-time leaderboards.
See how the Mets and Braves schedules compare down the stretch run.
Could the Mets pursue Corbin Burnes to be their ace in free agency?
On This Date in Mets History
2016: Yoenis Cespedes hits a walk-off solo home run to beat the Marlins 2-1.
2008: Carlos Beltrán launches a ball deep into right field for a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the ninth inning, giving the Mets a 5-2 lead over the Marlins.
Birthdays: Noah Syndergaard (32), Anthony Recker (41), Henry Blanco (53), Bill Latham (64), Rusty Tillman (64)
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