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New York Times
11-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Mets miss a late-game lefty, lose another DH in doubleheader: 3 takeaways
BALTIMORE — It was a forgettable Thursday for the Mets. The Orioles swept New York in a doubleheader, 3-1 and 7-3, at Camden Yards. The Mets' bullpen blew a late lead in the opener and couldn't keep one in the nightcap. The offense went 2-for-19 with runners in scoring position. 'We just couldn't put anything together,' manager Carlos Mendoza said. Advertisement Let's run through some takeaways. Shortly after losing pitcher A.J. Minter for the season, president of baseball operations David Stearns acknowledged the magnitude of the loss. 'We're not going to be able to explicitly replace what he meant for our team,' Stearns said in the middle of June. 'So we're going to have to figure out a way to cobble that together. Whether it's in August, September or October, we're going to be facing very good left-handed hitters in leverage spots, and we're going to have to have pitchers who can get those guys out. Some of those pitchers are probably on our roster right now. To the extent we can continue to balance our pen with additional players who can get lefties out, we're going to look to do that.' The Mets have felt Minter's absence at various junctures this season, but never more acutely than in Thursday's first game. Ryne Stanek gave up the go-ahead homer to lefty-swinging Gunnar Henderson in the eighth inning of the 3-1 loss. Ryne Stanek is asked to assess his first half of the season: "Besides a couple ugly ones, I think I've thrown the ball pretty well…overall, trying to stay away from the big, ugly ones is more conducive to putting up overall good numbers" — SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) July 10, 2025 New York led 1-0 into the eighth. Mendoza had already started going batter-to-batter with starter David Peterson in the seventh inning. (This essentially means that Peterson was going to be removed if anyone reached base.) After Peterson's 1-2-3 seventh inning, Mendoza sent Peterson back out with 87 pitches and 6-7-8 due up in the Baltimore order. But when Peterson allowed lefty Colton Cowser's leadoff single the other way, Mendoza decided Peterson had done more than enough for the day. He turned to righty Ryne Stanek out of the pen, even though going with a righty meant the O's could pinch-hit their two best hitters, Gunnar Henderson and Ryan O'Hearn, who had started the day on the bench because of their struggles against southpaws. Advertisement This was a spot that Minter would have filled if healthy. With him out, Stanek stood out as the best of Mendoza's bullpen options. Of the right-handed set-up men in Mendoza's pen, Stanek has been the best against lefties throughout his career and this season. (He's actually been better against lefties than righties for his career, and this season he's held lefties to a .660 OPS, compared to .746 for Reed Garrett and .816 for Huascar Brazobán.) Perhaps bringing in lefty Richard Lovelady would have kept Henderson and O'Hearn on the bench; however, Lovelady has allowed six hits (four of them for extra bases) in 16 at-bats against righties this season. Mendoza could have gone outside the box by bringing in reverse-split righty Chris Devenski, who's always been good at getting lefties out but has traditionally struggled against righties (albeit not as much in limited big-league action this year). The only other real option was keeping Peterson in, and Mendoza had already signaled (by warming Brazobán as early as the sixth inning and by telling Peterson he was batter-to-batter by the seventh) that he didn't want to extend his starter too much. 'Once you get to the eighth inning, I had Stanek ready,' Mendoza said. 'We're in the eighth, 90 pitches, (Peterson) did his part.' 'I felt like I was in a good spot, pitch-wise. I felt great, physically,' Peterson said. 'He made it clear that he was going to be aggressive, so I wasn't really surprised when he came out and signaled to the bullpen.' Once in the game, Stanek just didn't have it. Henderson golfed his 2-1 slider onto Eutaw Street in right field to turn a one-run deficit into a one-run Baltimore lead. Stanek then walked four of the next six hitters, throwing a total of 11 strikes in 31 pitches. When Jesse Winker and Starling Marte have been healthy, the Mets have gotten excellent results out of their planned DH platoon: The two have combined to be about 20 percent better than a league-average hitter. That would place them eighth in baseball in production from the DH spot. Advertisement However, Winker missed two months with an oblique injury and was headed for an MRI on Thursday for back tightness, just two games into his return. Marte is already on the IL with a bone bruise in his right knee, the same one that required an injection in spring training. If these were one-off injuries where you could bank on better health in the second half, the Mets could feel comfortable moving forward with Winker and Marte. But both players have struggled to stay on the field in recent years, and it's hard to count on that platoon being fully healthy for the stretch run and into October. Yes, the Mets have other options (see the next header). However, the inconsistency at the bottom of their order and this uncertainty at DH should make adding another established bat a consideration at the trade deadline. When Winker's back tightened up in Thursday's first game, Mark Vientos came off the bench and delivered a pair of hits — the same number of knocks he'd had in his prior 27 at-bats since coming off the injured list himself. Mark Vientos lines a double to start the 6th — SNY (@SNYtv) July 10, 2025 'That was good to see. He hit the ball hard,' Mendoza said. 'He's going through it. Hopefully that game gets him going.' (In the nightcap, Vientos went 0-for-4. After a 10-pitch at-bat ended in a groundout in the second inning, his last three at-bats lasted just seven pitches, including two strikeouts.) Vientos has seen his playing time dwindle, first with the injury (a low-grade hamstring strain) and then with the slump since his return. Mendoza has been juggling Vientos with Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Jeff McNeil on the infield, and Vientos has been the cold bat. But with Winker's back tightness requiring a trip home to New York for an MRI, it wouldn't be a surprise if he landed on the 10-day IL. Given that Marte is also on the shelf, that would open up the DH spot for Vientos for the whole series in Kansas City and potentially for a few games after the break. Vientos hasn't started games on four consecutive days since May 18 to May 21. (Photo of Tyrone Taylor and Juan Soto: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)
New York Post
10-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Ryne Stanek blows it as Gunnar Henderson homer sinks Mets in Game 1 of Orioles doubleheader
Access the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. Try it free BALTIMORE — Trying to survive Thursday afternoon on one run was never a good idea for the Mets, only underscored by the hanging slider Ryne Stanek threw to Gunnar Henderson in the eighth inning. Henderson crushed it. The Orioles fans who had mostly been drowned out by a large contingent of Mets supporters for the previous two hours finally got to roar. As Juan Soto looked up, Henderson's shot disappeared into the right-field seats for a two-run homer that helped send the Mets to a 3-1 loss in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Camden Yards. This one included a potential casualty: Jesse Winker was removed after his first at-bat with back tightness, only two days removed from his return from the injured list following an oblique strain. Negated was a strong performance by David Peterson in his final start before the All-Star break. The left-hander pitched seven-plus innings and allowed one earned run on five hits with six strikeouts. 3 Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles hits a go-ahead home run off Mets reliever Ryne Stanek in the eighth inning during Game 1 of a doubleheader on July 10, 2025. X/MLB After Peterson returned for the eighth and allowed a Colton Cowser leadoff single, Stanek entered and fell behind 2-1 to the pinch-hitter Henderson, who unloaded for his 11th homer of the season. Stanek proceeded to walk the bases loaded before Ramon Laureano's sacrifice fly gave the Orioles an insurance run. The right-hander's work has been choppy this season, but over his previous seven appearances he had allowed only one earned run. The Mets, who lost for the second time in three games, went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. 3 Mets reliever Ryne Stanek reacts after giving up a home run to the Orioles' Gunnar Henderson on July 10, 2025. X/MLB Tyrone Taylor stroked an RBI double in the fifth for the Mets' lone run. Brett Baty drew a leadoff walk against Charlie Morton in the inning before Taylor delivered to snap an 0-for-17 drought. Taylor hadn't driven in a run over his previous nine games. CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS The veteran Morton limited the Mets to one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts and three walks over six innings. The right-hander threw a season-high 104 pitches. 3 Mets starter David Peterson pitches against the Orioles in Game 1 of a doubleheader on July 10, 2025. Getty Images The Mets wasted chances early. Brandon Nimmo singled leading off the game and Francisco Lindor walked — both advanced bases on a passed ball with no outs — but Morton recorded three outs without a run scoring. In the third, Lindor singled with two outs and Soto reached on Jackson Holliday's fielding error before Pete Alonso grounded out to end the threat. Peterson's pickoff of Holliday at first base in the sixth helped maintain his 1-0 lead. In the fourth, Taylor threw out Jordan Westburg attempting to advance first to third on Laureano's single.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Casey Mize hurls seven scoreless innings
David Peterson, Luis Torrens and Edwin Diaz on team coming through in Mets win over Brewers After a pair of rough outings, Mets starter David Peterson addressed his mechanics being amiss and responded with an outstanding effort in a 3-2 win. Peterson added that it's always comforting to have a Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz to close the door on the opposition. Catcher Luis Torrens throwing out the tying run at second base in the ninth inning may have bee the biggest play of the game. Torrens credited Diaz with a quicker delivery to the plate and the Mets closer returned the compliment, calling Torrens a "great catcher." 5:25 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Times
04-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Mets can't wait for the trade deadline. They need to make a move now
NEW YORK — Ryne Stanek pumped both arms and let out a yell alongside the 42,000-plus at Citi Field. He had just struck out the heart of one of the hottest offenses in baseball, completing a four-up, four-down outing that was a critical part of the Mets' 3-2 win over the Brewers. Edwin Díaz had done the same in a four-out save Wednesday night. That the Mets are asking this much out of their leverage relievers, each in back-to-back appearances no less, in early July spells out what has become clearer and clearer this past week. Advertisement The Mets cannot afford to wait until the trade deadline to make a move. More than doing something big on July 31, they need to do something now. Wins on Wednesday and Thursday night were refreshing reminders of what this team is capable of — an offensive outburst against an excellent starter one night, a comprehensive pitching performance against a streaking offense the next. But before those two wins, the Mets had lost 14 of their previous 17 games. Diehards can probably do the math offhand: That's two games worse than the 5-12 finish to 2007 that constituted one of the sport's most memorable collapses. (Such stretches are not disqualifying, it's worth noting. The 2023 Rangers and 2000 Yankees each won the World Series after similar funks, and on those occasions, it happened later in the season.) David Stearns' track record proves he's unafraid to move aggressively early in the season. While leading the Brewers, he famously traded for Willy Adames in May. Last season, he added Phil Maton to a flagging Mets bullpen in the second week of July. Earlier this year, Stearns told The Athletic, 'I am probably even more inclined to action now as I have gone throughout my career. I have gotten to the point where I would rather make mistakes of commission rather than mistakes of omission.' 'Anytime you can bring in a player to your organization that makes you better, it's great to do,' Stearns said Thursday. 'We're going to explore every avenue we can and see what's out there.' Major-league sources have indicated that the Mets have been active in attempting to jump the market and make a move early. There are reasons, though, that trades are rarely made in the first half of July. Allow Stearns to explain. 'The first is you need a dance partner, and those don't always emerge the first couple weeks of July,' Stearns said Thursday. 'For the better of the sport, we have more playoff teams that keep more teams in it longer and fewer teams inclined to trade valuable major-league players early in the month before they get a clearer picture of their competitive state. Advertisement 'The second hurdle is, because of everything I just said, the prices for players who are available can be prohibitively high. And you can walk yourself into a pretty foolish deal, and we're not going to do that. We're certainly active in discussions, but it's early.' While the roster has sprouted leaks like a failing dam over these last three weeks, it's the bullpen that requires rebar right now. Yes, the need in the rotation is acute; the Mets are planning to pitch Justin Hagenman, Frankie Montas and Brandon Waddell this weekend against the Yankees. (Diehards can be forgiven here for not knowing two of those names offhand.) But Stearns was right when he called it a short-term issue Thursday. New York could have Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga and Paul Blackburn all back in the rotation by the start of the second half, nine games from now. Outside of rehabbing left-hander Brooks Raley, there are no impending reinforcements in the bullpen. In fact, it suffered a critical blow Thursday, when the Mets placed right-hander Dedniel Núñez on the injured list with a right elbow sprain and acknowledged that Núñez may need a second Tommy John surgery. The timing is terrible: Since his last recall from the minors, Núñez had looked more like the key contributor he'd been for months last summer — an arm capable of picking up the late-inning slack. Now, he may join A.J. Minter and Danny Young as relievers lost for the season. Díaz shut it down 🎺 #LGM — New York Mets (@Mets) July 4, 2025 Before turning back to Stanek the last two nights, the Mets had relied heavily on Reed Garrett and Huascar Brazobán as Edwin Díaz's primary set-up men this season, and both have been hit hard of late, which is putting it politely. That pair had combined for a 1.04 ERA through June 2; they've combined for a 15.95 mark since. While it's difficult to add this early, as Stearns showed last year in acquiring Maton from Tampa Bay and Stanek from a contending Seattle team, there are ways to be creative. To get a quality reliever in Maton from a team that was one game under .500 at the time of the trade, the Mets only had to take on his contract. They could try to pull that same lever with, say, the Orioles' Andrew Kittredge, who's owed $4.25 million the rest of this season plus a $1 million buyout of a club option. Kittredge owns a 2.67 ERA since 2021. He is not always healthy, but he is right now, and that's a significant data point for the Mets' needs. Advertisement And while the teams that are totally out of it are not exactly teeming with desirable players, there are several solid relief options in Colorado, Pittsburgh, Miami and Washington. Those include more recognizable names like David Bednar and Kyle Finnegan, as well as more under-the-radar possibilities like Tyler Kinley and Anthony Bender. The series win over Milwaukee permits the Mets' players and coaches a chance to exhale, however briefly, before the Subway Series. The front office has no such luxury. The time to make a move is now.
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Juan Soto's bullpen visits: Sunflower seeds and scouting reports
NEW YORK — Juan Soto, honorary member of the New York Mets bullpen? 'Hey, at this point,' Mets reliever Ryne Stanek said, smiling, 'he comes by so often that we might as well give him that title.' Soto, the superstar right fielder, visits the Mets' bullpen before games, between pitching changes — really, anytime there's a break in the action that allows him an opportunity to pop in. Advertisement It's not completely unusual for a right fielder to linger by the wall near where the relievers reside or stop in the bullpen for a quick hello or sip of a drink. But Soto is different. He visits all the time. 'He does it way more than others,' said Stanek, who is in his ninth major-league season. 'We love it.' Added Mets reliever Max Kranick, 'We look forward to his visits.' Earlier this season, Soto referred to the relievers as 'his guys.' Why wouldn't he visit with them, he wonders. Sometimes, it's just laughs and light conversation. A lot of the time, though, Soto heads to his bullpen buddies seeking information. The visits took off at the start of the season when the Mets began playing games at Citi Field. 'The conversation that we got with him, it's been amazing,' bullpen coach Jose Rosado said. When Soto drops by the bullpen, he might be looking for advice on a few topics. Sometimes, he wants to know what Rosado thinks an opposing reliever might throw to left-handed batters. Other times, he wants to know a Mets reliever's approach against a certain batter so he can position himself defensively. And every once in a while, Soto will ask Rosado for tips on throwing mechanics, wanting more carry on his throws from right field. 'He wants to have that step ahead,' Rosado said, 'on everything.' The relievers and Rosado expect Soto's visits. juan soto born to be a relief pitcher who hangs out in the bullpen most of the game, forced to be a generational hitter — dianna (@runwildkian) May 6, 2025 'I try to get the information before he even asks now,' Rosado said. 'It's been great.' Rosado is prepared for Soto before the first pitch. In the first inning of games, Rosado stands by the fence separating the bullpen area from right field, awaiting Soto with a fistful of sunflower seeds. When Soto walks over, Rosado gives him a handful. Advertisement From there, Soto jogs out to his position and places the seeds where the defensive card tells him to stand as a marker. 'I'm ready as soon as the game starts,' Rosado said. 'I know to already have the sunflower seeds. He asked me the first game for sunflower seeds. I was like, 'You know you have plenty in the dugout — what's going on?' But then I saw him go back to his position, lay them down. I noticed it right away. It's pretty cool. Little things that I know he likes to do.' After getting seeds, Soto wants scouting reports. During a pitching change in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Soto asked Mets lefty reliever A.J. Minter how lefties should pitch against him. The next day, Minter looked at some video and numbers on how Phillies lefty reliever Matt Strahm might pitch to Soto. Minter then offered his input. 'This is what I think he is going to do,' Minter told Soto. Soto responded, 'I think the same thing.' Minter laughed when he said what happened next. 'In the at-bat against Soto, Strahm did the exact opposite of what I said,' Minter said. 'I felt so bad.' Soto never held it against him. It didn't stop him from continuing to ask questions. 'He's such a competitor,' Minter said. 'You can see he is trying so hard. It's great to be teammates with him. I've told him, 'If I'm going to pitch against you, you know the strike zone so well — I know I'm attacking you.' So I tell him, 'Be ready for that first pitch, be ready off the jump.' But we just all love talking with him.' The talks don't always involve swapping information and seeking an edge. Stanek suggested that Soto may just want to lay low sometimes and the bullpen is a good for that. Sometimes, the relievers said, a fun conversation just evolves during a Soto visit. They call him 'chill,' 'calm' and 'confident.' Advertisement 'It's been cool to see his personality come out more now,' Kranick said. Added Stanek: 'You see it from people on social media or whatever saying whether he likes it here or not. I think he loves it here. He's been a great teammate.' It's common for Soto, in the first year of a $765 million deal, to quietly approach the Mets' relievers with questions. Are you ready today? How are you going to match up against this hitter? Relievers can sometimes feel isolated from the rest of the team. They're not in the dugout. They're by themselves, in the bullpen. They say Soto helps bring another element of connectedness. And they appreciate that effort. For Soto, his visits to the bullpen are helpful. That's also true for the relievers. 'In the beginning, I was like, 'Man, I gotta get him out of here so he can focus on the game,'' Rosado said. 'But it's the questions that he asks. It's perfect. He wants to know everything. So we're thinking. We have to bring the A-game every time.'
