Morning Briefing: Paul Blackburn Week-to-Week

Good morning, Mets fans!

Manager Carlos Mendoza gave an update on Friday about Paul Blackburn‘s status, mentioning that Blackburn is not expected to pitch in the next 7-10 days and is being considered week-to-week. Blackburn was expected to return off the injured list and make a start on Monday but missed it due to a sore back. His status has worsened, and he is now expected to miss more time than originally anticipated.

Francisco Lindor left the Mets’ 11-3 win in the seventh inning with lower back soreness. He’s day-to-day and would’ve likely played through if the score was closer than 7-0 at his time of removal.

Wild Card Update

The Mets remain in the third Wild Card spot after Friday’s game results. The Mets and Braves both won, so New York remains a game ahead. The Padres also won, but the Mets gain a game on the Diamondbacks, who lost 2-1 to the Brewers. The Mets are now a game behind both the Padres and Diamondbacks for the top Wild Card spot.

Latest Mets News

The Mets defeated the Phillies 11-3 in Friday’s game. Francisco Alvarez, Brandon Nimmo, and Harrison Bader each hit three-run homers while Jose Quintana tossed six scoreless innings in the victory.

The Mets and Phillies play the middle game of the series Saturday afternoon with a 4:05 p.m. ET start time. Luis Severino (10-6, 3.74 ERA) will take the mound against possibly Kolby Allard (2-0, 3.50 ERA), though that has not yet been confirmed.

Per Dariel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase, the Mets are calling up prospect Luisangel Acuña from Triple-A Syracuse. Acuña has struggled in Triple-A this year with a .654 OPS, but he possesses elite speed and defense. Acuña is ranked as MMO’s No. 12 Mets prospect.

According to Carlos Mendoza, reliever Dedniel Núñez will miss the rest of the season with a flexor injury. It’s a huge blow for the Mets, who saw Núñez thrive out of nowhere to the tune of a 2.31 ERA in 25 appearances this year.

The Mets hired NBA executive Samantha Engelhardt to be the team’s new Chief Operating Officer, according to Sports Business Journal. Engelhardt will start on Monday and is expected to oversee financial strategy, information technology and public relations. A source told SBJ, “She is a force. Total superstar with limitless potential. Mets got a star.”

Latest MLB News

The Rangers signed general manager Chris Young to a multi-year contract extension. The team also promoted him from Executive Vice President and General Manager to President of Baseball Operations.

ESPN’s Alden González reported that there is a slight chance Shohei Ohtani could pitch in the postseason for the Dodgers. Ohtani, who hasn’t pitched all year, was not expected to return at any point this year but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reportedly left that possibility open.

Dave Roberts also said that Tyler Glasnow felt discomfort on the same area of the arm that put him on the injured list during a warm-up session. Roberts said this was a setback.

The Yankees are moving starting pitcher Marcus Stroman to the bullpen and will allow Nestor Cortes to make his next turn through the rotation. Stroman has pitched to a 10-8 record with a 4.07 ERA in his debut season with the Yankees, but his move to the bullpen is attributed to his more recent struggles; he owns a 5.50 ERA in his last 14 starts.

SportsLogos.net announced that all MLB teams will sport the logo of Strauss, a German workwear company, on their batting helmets during all postseason and World Series games, as well as all games played in Europe, through the 2027 season. The logo will also be on all minor league team helmets for all games through the same timeframe.

FanGraphs announced that they are moving all FanGraphs and RotoGraphs articles to a metered paywall. Readers will get 10 free articles per rolling month but will have to become a member to read more.

Rimas Sports, the agency created by Bad Bunny, had its penalty for defying a court order reduced from over $215,000 to just over $10,000, a reduction of 95%.

Latest on MMO

In the latest Mets Minors Recap, Jack Markowski highlights Nolan McLean‘s latest great performance on the mound for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

On This Date in Mets History

1963: Cleon Jones made his MLB debut as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning of what would end up as a 4-0 loss to the Houston Colt .45s. Jones would go on to have a lengthy career with the Mets and was an integral member of the 1969 World Series championship team.

Born On This Date: Chad Bradford (1974), Mike Draper (1966), Harry Parker (1947), Dave Hillman (1927).

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