Morning Briefing: Lindor Ready to Pinch Hit

Good morning, Mets fans!

It’s the hope that kills you. Your New York Metropolitans were defeated by the Atlanta Braves 5-1 Tuesday. Mets starter Luis Severino and some bad defense gave up four runs in just four innings of work. Relievers after Sevy pitched well, conceding just one over the final four innings.

On the other hand, Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach was pitch-perfect outside of a seventh-inning consolation home run allowed to Mark Vientos. Overall, the Braves righty tossed seven innings, allowing just the one run and a couple of scattered hits. Schwellenbach continues his dominance over New York, with his second straight gem against the Mets.

In the latest MMO roundtable, our writers gave their predictions for the Braves-Mets series. Just two out of nine who offered their opinion predicted Atlanta to win the series. With the Mets loss Tuesday, a series win is becoming increasingly unlikely. New York is now just one game up on the Braves in the Wild Card standings.

However, not all is lost. Francisco Lindor was ready in the on-deck circle if Vientos hadn’t hit into the final out of the ninth inning. Carlos Mendoza offered a potential clue on Lindor’s availability for Wednesday’s game. “He could be in play [Sunday] night,” said Mendoza.

Wild Card Update

Jake Cronenworth homered and drove in three runs as the Padres downed the Dodgers, 4-2, clinching a playoff berth. The game ended with Manny Machado starting an around-the-horn triple play. San Diego now leads the Mets by four games for the top NL Wild Card spot and trails the Dodgers by just two games in the NL West.

Patrick Bailey, Michael Conforto, Brett Wisely, Heliot Ramos, and Tyler Fitzgerald all went deep as the Giants clobbered the Diamondbacks, 11-0. The Mets remain a half-game in front of Arizona for the second Wild Card spot.

Latest Mets News

David Peterson (9-3, 3.08 ERA), will face off against Cy Young front-runner Chris Sale (18-3, 2.38 ERA). Both are having very successful seasons, but Sale’s been the clear NL Comeback Player of the Year and possible Cy Young Award winner. Just Lindor, J.D. Martinez, and Jose Iglesias have exceeded five at-bats against the lefty in their careers, however, all have performed well, especially Lindor, who holds a .412 average in 34 at-bats against Sale.

Team owner Steve Cohen expressed a desire to build a Citi Field park and casino, in addition to restaurants and shopping areas. Cohen’s plans include using 50 acres of land of the current Citi Field parking lot to transform into the project. AMNY’s Ben Brachfeld added that the main part would be “…a casino run by Hard Rock Entertainment, requiring a license Cohen is vying for in a furious bidding war.”

Francisco Lindor’s season is still in jeopardy. According to Anthony DiComo, Lindor received a bone scan that ensured no structural damage. However, there’s no real guarantee – he’s still wearing a heavy heat wrap and feeling some discomfort. His availability is mostly unknown, but he was available Tuesday to pinch-hit.

Carlos Mendoza says that there’s still no word regarding Wednesday’s Mets-Braves game. The weather forecast says otherwise, indicating stormy rains entering Atlanta for the full day tomorrow.

Latest MLB News

The Pirates designated center fielder Michael A. Taylor and first baseman Rowdy Tellez for assignment. Both enter free agency after 2024, but it’s unclear what interest they’ll garner. Taylor, a glove-first outfielder, has remained elite defensively (11 OAA, 12 DRS), but his offensive production has lagged, with a brutal 51 OPS+. Tellez, a power hitter who slugged 35 homers as recently as two years ago, has just 13 homers this year with a .691 OPS. Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, this DFA occurs four plate appearances before Tellez was set to collect a $200,000 bonus for hitting 425 plate appearances.

As reported by Roch Kubatko of FanSided, the Orioles reinstated Ryan Mountcastle, optioned Eloy Jiménez, and officially released Craig Kimbrel. Mountcastle, sidelined since Aug. 22, posted a .265/.305/.425 slash line when healthy. Meanwhile, Kimbrel’s 5.33 ERA and six blown saves mark his worst season since his outlandish 2019, and Jiménez is hitting .042 in 24 September at-bats.

2023 fourth-round draft pick Kristian Campbell, 22, has blown everybody away. He started the season as an afterthought, even for Red Sox fans. He ends it as Baseball America’s minor league player of the year. Signed for just $493k out of Georgia Tech, the 22-year-old infielder’s taken the league by storm. Baseball America ranks him inside the top 25 in the game. He’s hit his way through three minor league levels. He could debut in 2025.

The Dodgers are promoting Venezuelan flamethrower Edgardo Henriquez, per Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic. This season, Henriquez has pitched at every level, dominating in all of them. Even though he started the season in Single-A, the Dodgers have been monitoring him all year, likely because of his blazing fastball that has hit 104 mph on the radar gun.

Austin Riley (.256/.322/.461 in 469 PA) won’t return in 2024. A recent CT scan of his hand will officially end Riley’s season. For the Braves, it’s just the latest blow for their injury-ridden squad, who have lost Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider, and more for extended periods of time.

Latest on MMO

Gianna Arantes reviewed Tuesday’s 5-1 loss.

Allison Waxman looked at potential playoff outcomes.

Michelle Ioannou posted a new MMO Roundtable, with various MetsMerized writers guessing the outcome of the Mets-Braves series.

Matt Lazzaro handed out Player of the Week awards, and Tyler Antonelle composed the weekly Mets Minors report.

On This Date in Mets History

2003: Legendary Mets radio broadcaster Bob Murphy called his final ballgame, after more than 40 years in the broadcasting business. “The sun is shining, the sky is blue, it’s a beautiful day for baseball.” 

2009: David Wright set a team record when he started his 836th game at third for the ballclub.

2022: Pete Alonso became the Mets single-season RBI leader as he drove in his 125th run of the year. The Polar Bear finished that season with 131 RBIs on the year.

Born On This Date: Argenis Reyes (1982), David Weathers (1969), Bill Hepler (1945).

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