Dominic Smith

New York Mets and Miami Marlins Postpone Game in Demonstration

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New York Mets

The 15 minutes of the SNY telecast between the New York Mets and Miami Marlins was what seemed like an eternity of eerieness and suspense. It looked like a standard game, with all the players in uniform and even stretching before the 7:10 start, but things changed instantly.

For the time between 7:00 and 7:10, players from both teams were outside their dugouts, and some on the field performing pre-game routines. Michael Wacha had not thrown a warmup pitch at any point, which made it evident at that point that there would be no baseball.

The Long Five Minutes

During the time between 7:10 and 7:15, the Mets were led out of the dugout by Dominic Smith and Billy Hamilton, the two black players on the active Mets roster. Their infielders warmed up, while Wacha and catcher Wilson Ramos just stood there watching for leadoff hitter Lewis Brinson to be announced.

After Brinson stepped into the box, Wacha stepped off the mound, and players from both teams lined up in front of their respective dugouts. They removed their caps and took a 42 second moment of silence on the eve of Jackie Robinson Day, which is celebrated by all teams on Friday.

After the 42 seconds ended, both teams tipped their caps to themselves and walked off the field. A lone “Black Lives Matter” t-shirt was left on home plate by Brinson and displayed on the scoreboard.

Brodie’s Face Turn

A leak from about 6 p.m. showed Brodie Van Wagenen discussing an idea Rob Manfred had for the players to leave the field at 7:10 p.m. then return to play an hour later. He criticized Manfred’s leadership ability saying, “he just doesn’t get it.”  After it broke, Van Wagenen released a press release saying it was Jeff Wilpon’s idea but with the corruption between Wilpon and Manfred, who knows who is being truthful.

Throughout the chaoticness of today, what both teams did are getting attention. Whatever emotion it made you feel, it did exactly what their goal was…create emotion and continue the conversation. Friday’s doubleheader is still up in the air, but if they play, game one against the New York Yankees starts at 4:10 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. Michael Wacha likely takes the mound against Jordan Montgomery.

New York Mets: An emotional Dom Smith opens up and tells us what we can do against racism (video)

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After George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minnesota, Dominic Smith was one of the New York Mets‘ most outspoken players about racial issues in America. Now, only a few days after Jacob Blake, a black man, was shot in the back seven times by a white policeman in Wisconsin, the slugger was very emotional and discussed important issues in tears.

Last night, prior to the Mets’ game against the Miami Marlins, Smith kneeled during the national anthem. Then after the game, he spoke at length about the matter.

Smith grew up in an impoverished, dangerous neighborhood. He met injustice, face to face, many times. He clearly knows how difficult it is to be a Black American.

On Wednesday, the events that unfolded in Kenosha, Wisconsin over the weekend inspired the Milwaukee Bucks to boycott an NBA game. Then, the Milwaukee Brewers followed suit.

“I’ve been very emotional just to kind of see this continually happen,” Smith said, crying during a postgame Zoom call with the media, quoted by MLB.com. “It was a long day for me. I kind of wasn’t there mentally.

The Mets’ star needs us to care and act, not just stare

“I think the most difficult part is to see people still don’t care. For this to just continually happen, it just shows just the hate in people’s hearts. That just sucks. Being a Black man in America is not easy.”

Smith, currently a big part of the New York Mets’ offense, hasn’t forgotten where he came from. He founded Baseball Generations, an organization that helps players develop in California, specifically in the inner-city Los Angeles, once he got to the major leagues.

“There are a lot of things we can do in the inner city just to bring happiness to children,” Smith said. “I didn’t grow up with money. That [expletive] doesn’t mean nothing to me. If you can give your time, that’s the thing that matters.

That’s why I feel so emotional about it, because people get their money and they leave. You can’t do that. You’ve got to be there for the children that’s coming up after us. I think that’s the biggest thing is if you give your time, that’s the only way we can change.”

Losing Cespedes has been a blessing in disguise for the Mets; and here is why

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When Yoenis Cespedes, in controversial fashion, decided to opt out of the 2020 season because of concerns with COVID-19, the New York Mets had to re-configure their plans for the designated hitter spot. That position in the lineup was designed for the Cuban slugger, and losing him so suddenly had the team scrambling for solutions.

Last season, the Mets tried Dominic Smith, a former first round pick, in the outfield in an effort to give him more at-bats. The first base, his natural position, was blocked by some guy named Pete Alonso. Also, they used Smith as a pinch hitter with considerable success.

Seeing that the DH spot was now vacant thanks to Cespedes, the New York Mets gave it to Smith and haven’t looked back. And boy, what a decision it has been. You could say with confidence that they have been better off with Smith, a young, projectable slugger, than with Cespedes.

The Mets’ offensive star so far

It’s not like Smith is the de facto DH for the Mets. In fact, it’s been a while since he last occupied that spot. But without Cespedes in the picture, and with his ability to play left field and first base, he has found his way in the lineup in an everyday basis.

The Mets have been using the DH spot lately to ease in players that return from injury, such as Robinson Cano and Jeff McNeil. But nevertheless, Smith has been a force to be reckoned with now that he has full exposure.

He had been giving hints of a breakout last season, when he finished with a .282/.355/.525 line, 11 home runs and 25 RBI and 35 runs in 89 games and 197 plate appearances.

This time around, the Mets have gotten even better production from the slugger. In just 20 games and 77 plate appearances, he already has six blasts and 21 RBI, with a .323/.403/.754 line and a 201 wRC+. Impressive numbers.

The Mets, despite having a depleted rotation, are currently streaking and looking for a sweep of the Marlins as they creep closer to .500 ball. And it is all thanks, in large part, to Smith.

New York Mets: Conforto’s Two Run Homer Saves the Mets in 5-3 Win

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New York Mets, Jacob deGrom

Per usual for the New York Mets, the found a way to squander another Jacob deGrom start. The wild combination of Dellin Betances and Edwin Diaz loaded the bases then walked in the game-tying run. Luckily Michael Conforto came through to give the Mets the lead in the ninth with a two-run homer.

Manager Luis Rojas elected to leave Diaz in there to finish the ninth inning and shut the door. Diaz struck out the side and made it look relatively easy. It got the Mets their first three-game winning streak of the season and moved them to 12-14 on the season.

It was mysterious as to why Seth Lugo was not in the game at any point. The speculation is that he will start Thursday’s game instead of Steven Matz. The Conforto homer saves Rojas from some serious questioning as to why he stuck with Betances so long and then followed it with Diaz.

deGrom Dominant

Jacob deGrom was dialed in from the beginning. He shutout the Marlins for six innings and held their offense to only four hits with seven strikeouts. After receiving extended bullpen outings over the past two nights, they needed deGrom to give them some length on the mound.

Dominic Smith and Luis Guillorme remained extremely hot. Smith recorded two doubles, one resulting in an RBI and the other resulting in Guillorme driving him in. Guillorme also recorded two hits to move his average to .464 and is continuing to become a player the Mets cannot afford to keep out of the lineup.

The Mets shoot for the sweep as either Lugo or Matz take the mound against Daniel Castano at 6:10 p.m. in the final game from Marlins Park.

 

New York Mets: Cano and Alonso Power Mets to an 11-4 Victory

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New York Mets, Pete Alonso

The New York Mets desperately needed a good victory after a three-game sweep in Philadelphia. Even more than that, Pete Alonso needed a tremendous offensive day as well. Alonso and Robinson Cano combined for two home runs each and drove in six of the Mets runs in an 11-4 victory over the first-place Miami Marlins.

The Mets offense needed a good breakout game. They went 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position, and despite leaving 12 runners on base, the extra hits in those situations make a significant difference. Their offense put together nine extra-base hits and seven walks to consistently keep the Marlins in tough situations.

Alonso reached base in all five plate appearances, tallying a single and two walks with his two home runs. Cano tallied three hits and drove in four RBIs on the night, moving his average to a blistering .412. Dominic Smith and Amed Rosario joined the multiple hits club with a single and double each.

Shreve Saves the Day

Robert Gsellman struggled for his second straight start. He only lasted 1.2 innings, allowing one run and labored through 47 pitches. Chasen Shreve came in after Gsellman and stabilized the game when it seemed like the Marlins were coming back from a 3-1 deficit. Shreve pitched 2.1 perfect innings and struck out five of the seven batters he faced. His outing saved the Mets from using an excess amount of relievers and allowed the Mets to build up their lead from that point.

The victory got the Mets their 10th win of the season and moved them within three games of a playoff spot. With their two best starters lineup to pitch, they are in a good position to climb themselves out of their early-season hole.

David Peterson takes the mound for the Mets on Tuesday night against a Marlins starter to be announced. The first pitch from Marlins Park takes place at 7:10 p.m. ET.

 

New York Mets Series Preview: Miami Marlins (8/17-8/20)

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New York Mets, David Peterson

A matchup between the last-place New York Mets and first place Miami Marlins takes place in Miami for the first time during the 2020 season. The Marlins are the only team the Mets are over .500 against during 2020, taking two out of three so far.

Probable Pitching Matchups:

Monday, (8/17) @ 7:10 p.m. ET: Robert Gsellman (0-0, 9.00 ERA) vs. Jordan Yamamoto (0-1, 9.82 ERA)

Tuesday, (8/18) @ 7:10 p.m. ET: David Peterson (3-1, 2.91 ERA) vs. TBD

Wednesday, (8/19) @ 7:10 p.m. ET: TBD vs. TBD

Thursday, (8/20) @ 6:10 p.m. ET: TBD vs. TBD

Both teams come into the series with their starting rotations in shambles. The Mets have multiple pitchers dealing with injuries, while COVID-19 has kept the Marlins starters from taking the field. Despite their problems, the Marlins have the sixth-best ERA in baseball, while the Mets sit in the bottom third of baseball.

Will the Bats Wake Up?

The struggles of Pete Alonso and Wilson Ramos are hampering the Mets’ ability to drive in runs through the first half of the season. Both are barely hitting over .200 and are not supplying any power when they do put the ball in play. They also have to deal with other players who are outplaying them.

Tomas Nido is already better defender than Ramos and, at the moment, a better hitter as well. Manager Luis Rojas should look to ride the hot hand until he cools off or Ramos heats up. Dominic Smith has emerged as the Mets’ best power threat, and with the multiple options, the Mets have, Alonso is the odd man out for now. Luis Guillorme is white-hot at the plate, Jeff McNeil likely returns to left field during the series and a hot Robinson Cano at DH makes it tough to continue to play Alonso while the offense is cold.

Who Pitches the Last Two Games?

With the future of Steven Matz in the starting rotation as a significant question, Franklyn Kilome may make a start at the end of the series. In his only big-league outing, he allowed two runs over four innings while striking out five. Kilome is still an unproven option, but it is hard to think he will pitch worse than the 9.00 ERA Matz currently owns.

Jacob deGrom is also recovering a neck injury, but the Mets have been silent on his status. The injury was severe enough to scratch him from his start but no severe enough for an IL stint or rule him out for the last two games of the series. Each series has become a must-win for the Mets, and they will need their ace on their mound as often as possible.

Interesting Stats

Dominic Smith Batting Fourth in 2020: 6-for-15 (.400), 2 Doubles, 2 Home Runs, 6 RBIs, Walk, 3 Strikeouts

Luis Guillorme vs. RHP in 2020: 11-for-21 (.524), 2 Doubles, 5 RBI, 3 Walks, 3 Strikeouts

New York Mets OBP: .346 (2nd in MLB)

New York Mets OBP w/RISP: .296 (27th in MLB)

New York Mets: Completely Outmatched in 6-2 Loss to the Phillies

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New York Mets, Rick Porcello

The New York Mets faced an old friend in Zack Wheeler when he made his first start against his former team. Like Aaron Nola the night before, the Mets could not solve him for seven innings. Wheeler held the Mets to two runs, and that was all they needed in a 14 hit, 6-2 victory.

Rick Porcello had a similar fate to Saturday night’s starting pitcher, Steven Matz. It took an unlucky bounce to undo a strong outing. Porcello allowed seven hits through the first five innings but kept the Phillies to one run. J.T. Realmuto doubled off the third-base bag to lead off the sixth, and it got the Phillies going.

Alec Bohm drove him in with a double to tie the game at two. Andrew McCutchen, who replaced Jay Bruce in the fifth, deposited a hanging slider into the left-field bleachers. It was McCutchen’s first home run in over a year and put a damper what built up to be another strong outing for Porcello.

It was another disappointing game for a team that consistently plays with low energy night in and night out. Two errors from J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith contributed to the two Phillies insurance runs in the sixth. Despite how bad the Phillies bullpen is, four runs seemed like 40 to the Mets. There’s no sense of urgency from anyone on the team outside of Jeff McNeil, who only had the chance to show it in the final at-bat of the game.

Guillorme Leads the Offense Again

In a disappointing year, Luis Guillorme has been a bright spot for the Mets. His two-RBI single drove in the only two Mets runs and moved his average to .458 on the season. The Mets did not have many chances to score past the fourth and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, leaving five on base. Table setters Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto combined to go 0-for-8 with five strikeouts.

Despite falling to 9-14, they head to Miami still four games behind the first-place Marlins. Robert Gsellman takes the mound to open up the series against a starter to be announced, most likely Jordan Yamamoto. Game one of the four-game series opens up from Marlins Park at 7:10 p.m. ET.

 

New York Mets: Fifth Inning Struggles Haunt Matz in 6-2 Loss

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New York Mets, New York Yankees, Steven Matz

New York Mets starter, Steven Matz, came into his start with a renewed game plan after a rough start to his season. It worked for Matz through four innings, but everything came crashing down when a five-run fifth inning knocked him out of the game.

Matz took some velocity off his fastball in exchange for an increase in his accuracy. He sat around 91-93 with it and threw more changeups during his start. The only hit and run Matz allowed through the first four innings of the game came on a Jean Segura second-inning home run.

Matz ran into quick trouble during the fifth inning when two soft singles set the Phillies up with first and second with no one out. He walked Alec Bohm to load the bases and start to run away from his game plan from early in his outing. After getting Scott Kingery to lineout, he walked Andrew McCutchen to walk in a run. Rhys Hoskins blew the game open with a bases-clearing double followed by a Bryce Harper double, ended Matz’s night.

The outing inflated his ERA to 9.00 on the season, and his nine home runs are the most allowed by any pitcher this season. He tried to overthrow the ball once he got into trouble, and it ended up hurting him and brought his stats back to the norm in 2020 for Matz.

Nola Dominates

The Mets struggled all night with Aaron Nola as he shut them out for seven innings. When the Mets had early chances against him, he squashed them quickly. Nola retired the last 13 batters he faced and recorded eight strikeouts during his outing.

The only scoring from the Mets came from Dominic Smith. His two-run home run was his sixth of the season, and it leads the Mets. Smith’s hot start put into question how long Pete Alonso can continue to play every day. Through just over a third of the season, Alonso is only hitting .214, and his power is non-existent in the rare circumstance that he makes contact.

On Sunday, Rick Porcello tries to help the Mets prevent a sweep. He faces off against former Met Zack Wheeler at 1:05 p.m. ET from Citizens Bank Park.

New York Mets: Ninth Inning Comeback Wasted in 6-5 Walk-Off Loss

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New York Mets, Amed Rosario

The New York Mets spent all night searching for a big hit with runners in scoring position. When down to their last out in the top of the ninth against the Philadelphia Phillies, Robinson Cano came through to tie the game. Unfortunately, all it did was extend the contest another half-inning as Bryce Harper walked it off with an RBI single against Seth Lugo in the bottom of the inning.

The laziness of Wilson Ramos gave the Phillies a win as Michael Conforto had Roman Quinn out by 10 feet at home plate. Ramos attempted to reach across home plate to place the tag, but Quinn snuck his hand in there to give the Phillies a much-needed win.

The Mets were in a 5-4 hole due to the start of Walker Lockett. He was tasked with the tough role of replacing an injury Jacob deGrom, who was scratched with a neck issue. Lockett survived through four innings, but manager Luis Rojas attempted to push his luck for another inning due to the low pitch count. J.T. Realmuto made him pay with a three-run home run to continue his hot 2020 season.

Get a Job Done

Between the horrid Phillies bullpen and even worse Mets hitting with runners in scoring position, there was no reason for them to lose this game. The Mets went 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position, leaving ten runners on base. Pete Alonso led the way with 8, as he continued to prove why he should be nowhere near the three spot in the order.

Dominic Smith and Robinson Cano finally got the chance to team up and lead the Mets offense. They both homered, and it was Cano’s first game off the Injured List. Luis Guillorme also recorded three hits and is 9-for-19 on the season.

The Mets and Steven Matz attempt to rebound on Saturday when they face Aaron Nola at a 6:05 p.m. ET start from Citizens Bank Park.

 

New York Mets: Nido’s Two Home Runs Lead to a 8-2 Victory

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The day game after a night game is always an opportunity for the backup catcher to get himself some at-bats. For the New York Mets, Tomas Nido took full advantage of the opportunity with two home runs, including a grand slam, along with six of the eight RBIs in the Mets 8-2 win over the Washington Nationals.

Nido was 4-for-13 heading into Thursday’s matchup but hit under .200 in the previous two seasons. The breakout game gave him more home runs, and RBIs than Wilson Ramos has all season. Nido became the fifth Mets catcher ever to record six RBIs in a game. He joined the selective group of Gary Carter, Todd Hundley, Mike Piazza, and Paul Lo Duca.

Dominic Smith remained hot, adding another home run to his team lead and solidifying his spot as the everyday designated hitter. Pete Alonso also recorded an RBI single for the eighth Mets run. Luis Guillorme also recorded two more hits to push his average to .375. His defense up the middle with Andres Gimenez has proved Guillorme to be a valuable backup.

Injury Woes

The game started with an injury scare as Jeff McNeil fearlessly rammed into the left-field wall, making a tremendous catch to end the first inning. Though he attempted to walk off the field on his own, he had to get carted off. X-Rays for McNeil came back negative, and he will undergo an MRI to get a clearer idea of the severity of his injury. It forced the Mets to insert Billy Hamilton into the third spot in their order in the bottom of the first.

David Peterson once again put together another impressive start. He only allowed one hit through five innings and striking out three Nationals. After allowing two walks and an unearned run in the first inning, Peterson retired seven in a row and only allowed two base runners for the rest of his start. Peterson has proved his worth as the second-best starter behind Jacob deGrom.

At 9-11, the Mets are somehow three games out of first place and begin a three-game weekend series with the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. Jacob deGrom takes the mound against a starter to be announced, most likely Vince Velazquez. The first pitch from Citizens Bank Park is at 7:05 p.m. ET.