The Mets are on a roll, winning five of six games, but the real story here is the hot bats and the impressive performances of some of their players. A.J. Ewing is feeling 22, and Bo Bichette went 5-for-5 with two doubles, while Luis Robert Jr. and Francisco Alvarez homered. Sean Manaea struck out a season-high 11 in an 11-1 victory over the Pirates. The Mets are now 52-67, 11 games back of the final playoff spot with 43 games to go. Bichette said, 'We have a lot of baseball in front of us, and I think it’s in everybody’s interest and desire to play hard, win games, find the best version of themselves, and finish strong.'
The Mets are heading to Atlanta, where they will face Christian Scott and RHP Bryce Elder. Scott has a 3-3, 3.15 ERA, while Elder has an 8-6, 3.69 ERA. The Mets' first baseman, Billy Amick, homered for the third straight game for Double-A Binghamton, and outfielder Aidan Smith homered for High-A Brooklyn. RHP Jack Weisenburger made his MLB debut in relief of Manaea, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out two.
In other news, Jeff McNeil recorded his 1,000th career hit with an infield single off of Boston’s Garrett Whitlock, and Jacob Wilson set an MLB record for shortstops with his 111th straight errorless game. Atlanta’s Chris Sale was ejected before Sunday’s game with the Yankees for arguing with an umpire about a balk from the day before. Miami’s Kyle Stowers left the game Sunday with left hamstring pain after appearing to get hurt while getting out of the batter’s box on a two-run single. The Rays placed RHP Griffin Jax on the 15-day injured list with right elbow pain.
Ex-Met Craig Kimbrel will sign a major-league deal with the Royals, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Robert Stock was pounded in Pittsburgh, and Ronny Mauricio, Jefferson Rojas, and Sammy Stafura were all hot. The Mets have a rich history, including a day when Tom Glavine lost two front teeth and needed more than 40 stitches after an accident with an SUV on the way to Shea Stadium. In 1993, Bret Saberhagen admitted to spraying bleach at three reporters and donated a day’s pay to the Eye Research Foundation. In 1992, Vince Coleman drew five walks to tie the record for the 20th century, but the Mets lost 4-2 to the Pirates in 16 innings.
On This Date in 1986 Mets, Wally Backman went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs, and Darryl Strawberry stole two bases in a 7-2 win at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Sid Fernandez improved to 13-4 and lowered his ERA to 3.37 with six innings of two-run ball. The Mets were 74-35. Finally, A.J. Ewing was born on this date in 2004, along with Anthony Banda (1993), Matt den Dekker (1987), Wilson Ramos (1987), Brandon Lyon (1979), Chuck Carr (1967), Gerald Williams (1966), and Johnny Lewis (1939).
