Your Saturday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links.

Meet the Mets

Choose Your Recap: Amazin' Avenue Short, Long, MLB.com, ESPN NY, Daily News, New York Times, Star-Ledger, NY Post, Newsday

Zack Wheeler was great yesterday and the Mets righty is rolling into the All-Star break in a hot streak.

David Wright's shoulder is improving and not shockingly, he's getting hot at the dish.

Sandy Alderson spoke about the Mets' run differential recently. Does it matter? Yeah, Sandy's probably right.

Scott Boras, at Citi Field for the signing of first round pick Michael Conforto, talked about Matt Harvey's rehab schedule and said he's comfortable with how the Mets are handling him. On the subject of Tommy John recovery, Jeremy Hefner will be returning to game action today with the GCL Mets.

Let's not forget about Mr. Conforto, who took batting practice at Citi Field and then took in last night's victory over the Marlins. He'll head to Brooklyn and could finish the year at a higher level.

Keith Law addressed a bunch of Mets questions in his most recent chat.

Have a LeBron James jersey and live near the St. Lucie, Florida area? The Mets Florida State League affiliate is allowing you to trade in your LeBron James Heat jerseys for a season ticket.

Prospect Wuilmer Becerra recently was arrested for drag racing but the toolsy outfielder has plenty of potential, even if he's not close to reaching it yet.

Yesterday At AA

Matthew Callan continued his series on the 1999 Mets.

Aaron Yorke previewed the Mets series with the Marlins.

It was Star Wars Night at Citi Field last night!

Around the NL East

The Philliesbeat the Nationals 6-2, while the Bravesfell to the Cubs 5-4. Jordan Zimmermann left his start with a right bicep cramp and is scheduled for an MRI today.

Around the Majors

Some guy named Babe Ruth made his MLB debut 100 years ago yesterday.

Rockies owner Dick Monfort should probably step away from his email as he responded to a fan's complaints by saying that maybe Denver doesn't deserve a baseball team.

Rangers catcher Geovany Soto was arrested for marijuana possession.

In a step to replace Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees have acquired lefty Jeff Francis from the A's. Well, he is a living body, I guess.

The Cubs got the okay to start renovations on Wrigley Field, which include putting seven signs above the famed bleachers and moving the bullpens off the field.

If you read an article or find a link that you think would be a great addition to a future edition of Mets Morning News, please forward it to our tips email address tips@grission.com and we'll try to add it in.

Catch up on all of yesterday’s minor league action from around the Mets farm system!

*All results from games played on Friday, July 11th, 2014

Triple-A - Las Vegas 51s (56-41)_______________________________________

The 51s split a doubleheader with the Isotopes last night, as Wilmer Flores and Kevin Plawecki homered to pace the offense in the first game. However, aside from a perfect performance at the plate by Josh Satin, the bats were more or less silent in the nightcap.

LAS VEGAS 8, ALBUQUERQUE 1 (Game 1) (Box)

• CF Matt den Dekker: 3-4, 2 R, 2B
• SS Matt Reynolds: 1-3, R, BB, K
• 2B Wilmer Flores: 1-2, 3 R, HR, RBI, BB, K
• 1B Allan Dykstra: 2-3, 3B, 3 RBI
• RF Andrew Brown: 0-3, RBI
• LF Brandon Allen: 0-3
• 3B Josh Satin: 0-3, 2 K
• C Kevin Plawecki: 1-3, R, HR, RBI, K
• RHP Matthew Bowman: 6 IP, 7 H, ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• RHP Zack Thornton: 1 IP, BB, 2 K

ALBUQUERQUE 5, LAS VEGAS 2 (Game 2) (Box)

• CF-LF Anthony Seratelli: 0-2, 2 BB
• 2B Daniel Muno: 1-3, R, 2B, RBI
• 1B Allan Dykstra: 0-4, K
• 3B Josh Satin: 3-3, RBI, BB
• RF Cory Vaughn 0-2, 2 K
• SS Omar Quintanilla: 0-4
• LF-RF Cesar Puello: 1-3, R, K
• C Juan Centeno: 2-3, 2B
• CF Matt den Dekker: 1-1
• RHP Greg Peavey: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, HR
• RHP Chase Bradford: 1 IP, H, ER, BB, K, HR
• RHP Erik Goeddel: 1 IP, 3 K

Double-A - Binghamton Mets (55-38)_______________________________________

ERIE 7, BINGHAMTON 3 (Box)

Four was the number of the game for the B-Mets. The team committed four errors and saw its four-game winning streak end. Rainy Lara walked four and struck out four, while Brandon Nimmo went oh-for-four with four Ks to earn the golden sombrero.

• LF Kyle Johnson: 1-5, 2 RBI, 2 K
• 1B Brian Burgamy: 3-5
• SS T.J. Rivera: 2-5, K
• 3B Dustin Lawley: 1-4, K
• DH Darrell Ceciliani: 2-4, R, 2B RBI, K
• RF Travis Taijeron: 1-4, K
• CF Brandon Nimmo: 0-4, 4 K
• C Xorge Carrillo: 1-4, R
• 2B Rylan Sandoval; 1-2, 2 BB, K
• RHP Rainy Lara: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

High-A - St. Lucie Mets (12-7 / 52-36)_______________________________________

LAKELAND 9, ST. LUCIE 3 (Box)

That's now four losses in a row for St. Lucie. On the bright side. L.J. Mazzilli smacked a triple to extend his hitting streak to eight games and Jared King made a solid debut before the hometown fans.

• CF Gilbert Gomez: 1-2, 2 R, 3 BB
• 3B Jeff McNeil: 1-5, K
• 2B L.J. Mazzilli: 1-4, R, 3B, 2 RBI
• C Cam Maron: 1-4
• RF Jared King: 3-4
• 1B Aderlin Rodriguez: 0-4
• SS Gavin Cecchini: 1-4, 2 K
• LF Maikis De La Cruz: 0-3, BB
• DH Eudy Pina: 1-4, 2B, 2 K
• RHP Matthew Koch: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HR

Low-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (16-6 / 60-22)_______________________________________

POSTPONED DUE TO RAIN

Short Season-A - Brooklyn Cyclones (15-13)_______________________________________

STATE COLLEGE 4, BROOKLYN 3 (Box)

The State College Spikes gifted visiting Brooklyn three runs in the second inning thanks to a wild pitch, a passed ball, and an error. Unfortunately, the Clones couldn't muster any non-charitable offense of their own and fell in defeat.

• CF Tucker Tharp 0-4
• SS Amed Rosario: 2-5
• 3B Jhoan Urena 2-5, 2B, CS
• LF Michael Katz: 2-5, R, K
• RF Michael Bernal: 0-3, BB, 3 K
• DH Tomas Nido: 2-3, R, BB
• 1B Jeff Diehl: 0-4, 2 K
• C Adrian Abreu: 1-4, R, K
• 2B Anthony Chavez: 1-2, K
• PH Tyler Moore: 0-0, BB
• LHP Carlos Valdez: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, BB, 5 K
• RHP Gaither Bumgardner: 3 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Rookie - Kingsport Mets (10-12)_______________________________________

KINGSPORT 12, ELIZABETHTOWN 0 (Box)

• SS Luis Guillorme: 3-6, R, BB
• 3B Jean Rodriguez: 3-6, 2 R, 3B, 2 RBI, K
• LF Oswald Caraballo: 2-6, 2 R, RBI
• DH Eudor Garcia: 3-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI
• 1B Pedro Perez: 4-5, 2 R, 2B 3 RBI
• C Miguel Leal: 2-5, R, 2B
• RF Wuilmer Becerra: 1-5, R, K
• CF Ivan Wilson: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
• 2B Leon Canelon: 0-5, RBI, 2 K
• RHP Yoryi Nuez: 5 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 5 K
• RHP Martires Arias: 4 IP, 2 H, 4 K

Rookie - Gulf Coast Mets (9-7)_______________________________________

GCL NATIONALS 7, GCL METS 5 (12 innings) (Box)

• CF John Mora: 1-4, RBI, BB, 2 K, SB
• RF Enmanuel Zabala: 1-4, R, 2 BB, K
• 1B Dash Winningham: 2-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
• SS Milton Ramos: 2-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, K

Star of the Night

Let's give it to Pedro Perez for his four-hit game.

Goat of the Night

These go to Brandon Nimmo for his forgettable four K performance.

Henderson Alvarez was named to the 2014 National League All-Star team on Saturday afternoon as a replacement for Nationals starter Jordan Zimmerman. Miami has two All-Star representatives for the first time since 2010.

Giancarlo Stanton is no longer alone.

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez was named to the National League All-Star roster on Saturday afternoon. Alvarez will replace Nationals starter Jordan Zimmerman, who left his start on Friday night with pain in his biceps.

Joe Frisaro of MLB.com was among the first to report the news.

Marlins right-hander Henderson Alvarezwill replace Jordan Zimmermann of the Nationals on the NL's active roster for the 85th All-Star Game.

Alvarez has posted a 6-4 record and 2.63 ERA to complement a 3.34 FIP in 120 innings pitched. Alvarez, who is a first time All-Star, struggled in his start against the Mets on Friday night but has been the Marlins' most consistent starting pitcher since Jose Fernandez went down with season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Miami now has two All-Star representatives for the first time since 2010, when the then Florida Marlins were represented by Josh Johnson and Hanley Ramirez.

Alvarez, acquired from Toronto in the November fire sale trade, has been a solid addition to the Marlins' rotation. In his last start of 2013, he pitched a no-hitter against Detroit, and has given Manager Mike Redmond extended outings when the bullpen has been taxed in the nights prior.

With Alvarez starting against the Mets Friday, he should be available to throw on Tuesday night in Minnesota.

The addition of Alvarez comes days after third baseman Casey McGehee did not make the squad after he was placed on the Final Ballot.

Alvarez has been consistent and durable for much of the first half, and it is notable that he was not overlooked despite the Marlins heading into the break below five hundred.

The Mets fell behind Miami on multiple occasions this afternoon, but Terry Collins had some instant offense waiting on the bench.

Daisuke Matsuzaka had his good stuff going today. Even 10 strikeouts in six innings, however, was not enough to keep the Marlins' offense at bay. David Wright let a sharp Donovan Solano ground ball under his glove to give Miami its first run, and Christian Yelich rocked a solo home run to left-center field to put the Fish up 2-0 in the fifth. The Mets struck back in the bottom of the frame to tie the game on a Ruben Tejada suicide squeeze, but the score did not stay equal for long.

A pair of RBI doubles by Garrett Jones and Marcell Ozuna in the top of the sixth put Marlins starter Tom Koehler in position to win the game, but after the Stony Brook product was removed from the game in the seventh, Chris Young hammered a pinch-hit homer to left. With the score now tied at 4-4, it looked like we could be headed for another Marlins vs. Mets marathon.

Never mind that notion, though. After Miami reliever Bryan Morris and Mike Dunn combined to get the first two outs in the eighth, Travis d'Arnaud doubled, and another pinch hitter, Eric Campbell, singled in the go-ahead run. Jenrry Mejia came on to wrap up yet another Mets win with a perfect ninth.

GameThread Roll Call

Nice job by MetsFan4Decades; her effort in the GameThread embiggens us all.

A Christian Yelich home run and a strong performance by Tom Koehler could not coax a win for the Fish, as Miami fell 5-4 to the New York Mets.

The Miami Marlins got a solo home run from Christian Yelich as part of a four-run effort in the team's afternoon contest versus the New York Mets. Four runs is plenty for a club that has struggled to score runs this past month, so you might fancy the team having a chance to win today's game. But the Marlins were unable to hold onto early leads thanks in part to the struggles of the team's bullpen.

As impressive as the four runs were for a struggling Fish team, Miami only mustered five hits and five walks all game. Meanwhile, Daisuke Matsuzaka and company whipped up 12 strikeouts from the Fish as well, with ten coming at Dice-K's hands. The hits, however, were well bunched up. Donovan Solano drove in a run after an Adeiny Hechavarria double and a Yelich walk. After the Mets tied it up at two apiece, Miami picked up two runs from consecutive doubles by Marcell Ozuna and Garrett Jones to pick up a 4-2 lead.

It seemed like that might be enough for Tom Koehler, but Koehler actually struggled a little in the game. He struck out four and walked four in hist 6 1/3 innings, but it was the last of the four walks that ended up hurting the most. Before leaving the game in the seventh, he walked Ruben Tejada and made way for Bryan Morris. Morris had yet to allow a home run all season in a Marlins uniform, but he gave up a two-run shot to pinch-hitter Chris Young right when he entered the game.

The bullpen failed the Fish once more in the eighth. Mike Dunn gave up a double to Travis D'Arnaud and the pinch-hitter Eric Campbell, who replaced the lefty Kirk Nieuwenhuis in the lineup, hit the bloop single that drove home the winning run.

Miami will look to avoid the sweep in the final game tomorrow before the All-Star break.

Source: FanGraphs

Attendance: 35,283
Hero of the Game: Garrett Jones (0.117 WPA)
Goat of the Game: Mike Dunn (-0.305 WPA)
Play of the Game:Chris Young homered in the seventh inning. Ruben Tejada scored. (-0.356 WPA)

Matsuzaka strikeouts were aplenty, but the Mets still fell behind the Marlins twice this afternoon. Fortunately, Terry Collins knew just who to call when ordering in some emergency offense.

You know what they say about good teams, right? "They find ways to win." While that cliche may be tired and lame, it applied to the Mets today, as our boys fell behind by two runs on two different occasions, but came out on top anyway. The best part is that today's 5-4 victory was just one of many recent ones for the Mets. With three series wins in a row on a 7-2 homestand, the club is within six games of the .500 mark.

Daisuke Matsuzaka can be a hard guy to figure out, and often that saying doesn't just apply to opposing batters. Fans were left wondering to themselves whether or not Matsuzaka was doing a good job this afternoon. On one hand, his slider helped him strike out a season-high 10 batters in just six innings. On the other, he walked four Marlins and while he allowed just four hits, all of them went for extra bases.

Matsuzaka was able to pitch around a walk to Garrett Jones in the second after a perfect first. However, trouble hit in the third when Adeiny Hechavarria led off by ripping a double to left-center field. Starting pitcher Tom Koehler bunted the shortstop over to third, and two batters later, Donovan Solano hit a sharp one-hopper to third that skipped under the glove of David Wright.

The rare captain's error allowed Miami to score the first run of the game, but Matsuzaka recovered impressively by striking out both Giancarlo Stanton and Casey McGehee to end the frame. The veteran right-hander even ran his strikeout streak to four straight when he punched out Jones and Marcell Ozuna during a perfect fourth, but in the fifth, Christian Yelich extended the Marlins' lead to 2-0 with a solo home run.

Up until that point, the Mets had nothing going on against Koehler. The right-hander from New Rochelle used a pair of breaking balls to strike out Daniel Murphy and Wright in the first before following up with a perfect second. Koehler got some help from his defense in the third when Hechavarria used a great spinning throw to retire Juan Lagares on a ground ball. Ruben Tejada walked to give the Mets their first baserunner, but after a Matsuzaka bunt, Curtis Granderson's RBI bid died on the warning track.

New York's frustrations continued in the fourth when Wright saw his hard line drive snared on the warning track by Yelich and Lucas Duda struck out looking on a curveball. After falling behind 2-0, though, the Mets got off to a great start in the fifth when Travis d'Arnaud singled to break up any thought of a Koehler no-hitter. Kirk Nieuwenhuis followed with a long fly ball to left that Yelich had trouble reeling in. The ball fell for a double, and the Mets were in business.

Lagares easily drove in the first run with a ground ball to second base, and Terry Collins was ready to make his first great move of the day with Nieuwenhuis on third and one out. The maligned manager called for a suicide squeeze, and Tejada dropped a perfect bunt right by the first base line. Nieuwenhuis sprinted home to tie the game, and Tejada reached base when Miami catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia threw the ball away.

It would have been nice to see the Mets continue that rally, because the Marlins struck right back in the top of the sixth. With one out, McGehee walked and advanced to second on a passed ball. Jones then hit a line drive to left-center field that was nearly snagged in a diving attempt by Lagares. Instead, the ball bounced off of the center fielder's face for a double that scored McGehee for a 3-2 Miami lead.

The Marlins' advantage was extended quickly when Ozuna hit a line drive to right field that Granderson got a poor jump on. The ball floated over his head to get Jones home easily and make it a 4-2 game. Fortunately, Matsuzaka escaped further damage with his ninth and 10th strikeouts of the game, but it appeared that the Marlins had already done enough damage.

Koehler pitched around a pair of free passes in the bottom of the sixth, and Carlos Torres came in to set the Fish down in order in the top of the seventh. New York's half of the seventh didn't get off to a great start when Lagares grounded out to first, but Tejada walked to give Collins the chance to insert Chris Young as the tying run at the plate. Miami manager Mike Redmond countered by subbing the right-handed Bryan Morris in for Koehler, but Collins declined to replace Young with a lefty.

That turned out to be quite wise, as Young sent Morris's first pitch into the left field seats to tie the game at 4-4. Granderson followed with a line-drive single to right, but the rally ended when Solano turned a Murphy ground ball into a spectacular double play with a sliding stop between first and second.

Murphy had some defensive tricks up his own sleeve, though. Vic Black took over the pitching in the eighth, and he put himself in danger by walking Saltalamacchia to put runners on first and second with two outs. Hechavarria then hit a line drive that appeared ticketed for right field, but Murphy cut it off with a wonderful leaping grab that should find itself on highlight reels throughout the nation tonight.

Marlins lefty Mike Dunn entered the game with one out in the eighth and got Duda on a ground out to bring d'Arnaud to the plate with two outs and the bases empty. The catcher double to left field to extend the frame, and Collins inserted Eric Campbell in place of Nieuwenhuis to give the Mets a chance to score off of Dunn.

And score they did! Campbell laced a Dunn slider into center field to get d'Arnaud around and give the Mets their first lead of the game. After Lagares struck out to end the inning, Jenrry Mejia pitched a perfect ninth to finish off a thrilling 5-4 victory.

The Mets will go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon at 1:10 p.m. Jacob deGrom will try to replicate his last outing in which he struck out 11 Braves, while lefty Brad Hand will try to beat back the brooms for Miami. It will be the last game before the All-Star break for both clubs.

SB Nation GameThreads

* Amazin' Avenue GameThread
* Fish Stripes GameThread

Win Probability Added

(What's this?)

Big winners: Young +35.6%, Campbell +29.6%, Tejada +17.1%
Big losers: Matsuzaka -33.2%, Murphy -15.7%, Duda -10.5%
Teh aw3s0mest play: Young homers to tie the game in the seventh, +35.6%
Teh sux0rest play: Jones doubles in the sixth to put Miami up 3-2, -17.6%
Total pitcher WPA: -7.5%
Total batter WPA: +57.5%
GWRBI!: Soup

The Miami Marlins fell to the New York Mets 9-1 on Sunday afternoon. Brad Hand exited early with an injury, and the Marlins' offense couldn't rally against Jacob deGrom.

Instead of heading into the All-Star break with a bit of optimism, the Miami Marlins will head into the days off deflated. Miami was swept by the Mets following a 9-1 loss to New York on Sunday afternoon, and the Marlins won just three of nine games on the road trip.

Brad Hand pitched well early, despite allowing a sacrifice fly off the bat of Chris Young with runners on first and third and nobody out to give the Mets a 1-0 edge,

A Jacob deGrom RBI single and Curtis Granderson RBI double against Hand in the fourth gave the Mets a three run advantage, and Hand subsequently left the game with a contusion after being hit by a line drive.

In his four innings of work, Hand walked two and struck out just one Met.

deGrom pitched well against the Marlins in his last outing against Miami, and did the same on Sunday. Aside from a Marcell Ozuna infield RBI single in the top of the fourth that tied the game at one, drGrom held the Marlins off the board. In seven innings, he struck out eight.

Juan Lagares and David Wright RBI doubles against Jacob Turner in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, made it a 5-1 contest, and the struggles of Kevin Gregg and Chris Hatcher in the bottom of the eighth led to the Mets adding four runs and putting the game out of reach for the Marlins, who have had difficulty scoring runs on the road trip.

Miami returns home to host the Giants for a weekend series following the All-Star break.

Source: FanGraphs

Attendance: 29,187

Hero of The Game: Marcell Ozuna (+.103 WPA)

Goat of The Game: Brad Hand (-.232 WPA)

Play of The Game: Jacob deGrom singled to center in the fourth inning, allowing Chris Young to score. (+.149 WPA)

New York pounded Miami to finish up an 8-2 homestand.

Jacob deGrom showed that his dominant performance versus the Braves was no fluke by allowing just one run over seven innings this afternoon in a 9-1 rout over Miami. The young right-hander struck out eight batters and walked two, only running into trouble in the fourth when some shoddy defense allowed a pair of would-be outs to turn into hits.

It was no big deal for the Mets, though, as they scored a run in the second and added four more between the fourth and the sixth innings. With deGrom pitching as well as he was, a four-run eighth was just icing on the cake. Pretty much everyone contributed for New York on offense, with Eric Campbell and Ruben Tejada being the only starters to fail to drive in a run. Meanwhile, David Wright and Chris Young had two RBI each, and Curtis Granderson had three hits to lead the team in that category.

GameThread Roll Call

Nice job by amazins8669; his effort in the GameThread embiggens us all.

The Mets played one of their best games of the year on Sunday. We can only hope that the good times continue to roll after the All-Star break.

The Mets knew that if Jacob deGrom pitched today like he did in his last outing against Atlanta, they wouldn't need to score many runs to defeat the Marlins. Well, deGrom was awesome again, but the Amazins scored a bunch anyway. The result was a 9-1 win to cap off an 8-2 homestand. Perhaps it's too early to bury these 2014 Mets after all.

The Mets didn't waste much time asserting themselves in this one. Lucas Duda led off the top of the second with a line drive double to left-center field. Juan Lagares then laid down a bunt that Miami starting pitcher Brad Hand had trouble getting to. The throw to first wasn't in time, and the Mets had runners on the corners with nobody out. Chris Young was in the starting lineup today, so he didn't have to wait until the eighth inning to drive in a run. He came through with a sac fly to put the Mets up 1-0.

The Amazins failed to add on any more runs in the second, but there would be plenty of scoring to come later. In the meantime, deGrom was cruising through the first three innings. He notched a pair of strikeouts with high fastballs to get out of the second, and he got the first two outs in the third before Christian Yelich singled for Miami's first hit. Yelich was erased immediately when Anthony Recker threw him out trying to steal second, but more trouble would come in the fourth.

After deGrom impressively punched out Giancarlo Stanton with a curveball to record the second out of the inning, Casey McGehee poked a breaking ball up the middle for a base hit. Garrett Jones appeared to end the inning for the Marlins with a fly ball to shallow right field, but Eric Campbell lost the ball in the sun, and it fell in for a double. With runners on second and third, Marcell Ozuna hit a ground ball to short that Ruben Tejada attempted to run around. Tejada fielded and threw the ball cleanly, but Ozuna was too quick, reaching first base on time for an RBI single. Perhaps sick of depending on his defense for help, deGrom struck out Ed Lucas with high cheese to end the frame.

The score was now tied at 1-1, but the Mets would strike back in the bottom of the fourth with some unexpected offense. With two outs and Chris Young on second after a walk and a ground out, Hand chose to walk Tejada to pitch to deGrom. This was an interesting decision, because any Mets fan would tell you that deGrom has been swinging the bat just as well as Tejada this season. Sure enough, the pitcher hit a single up the middle for his first major league RBI, and Curtis Granderson followed with a bloop double down the left field line to plate another run.

The Amazins were just up 3-1, but it felt like a comfortable lead considering how well deGrom was pitching and how quickly the Mets had put their starter back on top after what seemed like a fluky Miami run. The fifth inning did nothing to dispel this notion, as deGrom used a pair of breaking balls to get two more strikeouts in a perfect frame.

In the bottom half, Jacob Turner entered the game in place of Hand, who apparently suffered a leg injury when he was struck by a Recker comebacker in the fourth. Turner was greeted by a David Wright double on a soft liner down the right field line. Two batters later, Lagares lifted a double of his own over Ozuna's head in center field to give New York a 4-1 advantage.

Miami looked to start a comeback bid in the sixth when Adeiny Hechavarria led off with a single and stole second base before a walk by Stanton brought the tying run to the plate. Fortunately, all Casey McGehee could do was roll a ground ball towards second base, and that was converted into a double play by Campbell, Tejada, and Duda. deGrom followed with a strike out of Jones to get out of trouble for good.

The bottom of the sixth saw the Mets tack on a fifth run, but the effort did not come without controversy. With Granderson on first and two outs, Wright ripped a double down the third base line. Granderson was waved home by Tim Teufel, and he appeared to beat the throw from Christian Yelich, but Miami catcher Jeff Mathis used his foot to block Granderson's slide and tag him out before he could touch the plate.

Granderson was initially called out by home plate umpire Paul Schrieber, but rookie second base ump Will Little ran in, appearing to overrule Schrieber and call Granderson safe. Was Little saying that Mathis had blocked the plate and not allowed Granderson a proper lane to slide in? That's what it looked like, but Little was instead calling obstruction on second baseman Ed Lucas. A replay showed that Lucas was standing in the basepath just beyond second base, but he appeared to move out of the way just as Granderson raced by. Nevertheless, the call stood without a challenge, rendering any plate blocking debate moot.

The Wright double put the Mets ahead 5-1, and they wouldn't need any more runs to win this one. deGrom retired the Marlins in order in the seventh, and Jeurys Familia got through the eighth with the help of a great diving stop by David Wright as well as another double play started by Campbell.

In the bottom of the eighth, Kevin Gregg came in to relieve Turner and promptly allowed the Mets to load the bases. Gregg was in turn replaced by Chris Hatcher, who walked Wright to force in a sixth New York run. Duda, Young, and Recker all followed with RBI singles to make the score 9-1 before Sam Dyson came on and got two outs to finally put the Mets' bats to rest.

To officially wrap things up, Buddy Carlyle retired the Marlins in order in the ninth.

The Mets don't play again until Friday night at 10:10 p.m. in San Diego. Bartolo Colon and Ian Kennedy are your probably starters for that game. Happy All-Star break, everyone!

SB Nation GameThreads

* Amazin' Avenue GameThread
* Fish Stripes GameThread

Win Probability Added

(What's this?)

Big winners: deGrom (pitching) +16.4%, Granderson +12.7%, deGrom (hitting) +12.5%
Big losers: Anthony Recker -5.6%, Ruben Tejada -2.4%
Teh aw3s0mest play: deGrom hits an RBI single to give the Mets a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning, +14.9%
Teh sux0rest play: Ozuna hits an infield single to tie the game in the top of the fourth, -12.9%
Total pitcher WPA: +18.1%
Total batter WPA: +31.9%
GWRBI!: deGrom

Your Monday morning dose of New York Mets and Major League Baseball news, notes, and links.

Meet the Mets

Jacob deGrom pitched seven strong innings, and the Mets offense banged out 14 hits to defeat the Marlins 9-1. The victory capped off a sweep of Miami as well as an 8-2 homestand.

Recap Parade: Amazin' Avenue short, long, MLB.com, ESPN NY, New York Times, Post, Daily News, Newsday, Star-Ledger

After the game, Terry Collins said deGrom would stay in the rotation after the All-Star break, at least until the right-hander starts to "run out of gas a little bit."

David Wright took a cortisone shot in his injured shoulder. The captain is already starting to look better at the plate since he sat out for a week, so hopefully the shot combined with the All-Star break will help Wright's shoulder feel even better.

Jon Niese threw a bullpen session on Sunday morning and remains on track to start against Seattle on July 21.

Travis d'Arnaud says he was not swearing in this GIF from Saturday's Mets win. He was merely calling out to home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez.

The Daily News talked to Matt Harvey about how he's become more mature during the rehab process.

Noah Syndergaard has big plans for next season.

Around the NL East

Braves second baseman Dan Uggla has been suspended for one game. The punishment is reportedly being handed down because he arrived at the park just one hour prior to Atlanta's game on Saturday.

Tommy La Stella reminded everyone why the Uggla suspension isn't big news when he drove in three runs with a double during Atlanta's 10-7 win over the Cubs.

Meanwhile, the Nationals smashed the Phillies 10-3 on Sunday to head into the break one game ahead of the Braves in the loss column.

The Phils are in last place, but they should get a big boost after the break, when Cliff Lee is expected to return to the rotation.

Around the Majors

Rangers prospect Joey Gallo socked a two-run home run in the sixth inning of the Futures Game on Sunday afternoon to pace the U.S. Futures to a 3-2 win over the World Futures. Mets pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the save, while catching prospect Kevin Plawecki went 0-for-2 while driving in a run with a ground ball. MVP honors went to Gallo.

The blast by Gallo in the Futures Game was nearly as impressive as the one he hit in batting practice.

Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner became the first battery mates to hit grand slams in the same game during the Giants' 8-4 win over Arizona.

Tim Hudson, Tyler Clippard, Alfredo Simon, and Huston Street were all named to the NL All-Star team to replace pitchers who started games on Sunday.

Despite a recent slump, the Brewers are still a solid bet to win the NL Central this season.

Yesterday at AA

On this date in 1970, Tom Seaver started the All-Star Game and pitched three shutout innings in a 5-4 National League win.

The Mets have scored more runs per game since the change, but what, if anything, has changed about their approach?

Things have gone very well for the Mets lately, and as has been the case for most of the season, there’s been plenty of talk about the team’s approach at the plate. Ever since the Mets dismissed hitting coach Dave Hudgens on May 26 and replaced him with Lamar Johnson, there has understandably been an inclination to compare the team’s performance under the two hitting coaches.

Since May 27, the Mets have played to a 22-22 record. They started play on May 27 with a 23-28 record, dipped eleven games below .500, and got back to five games under with their excellent 8-2 home stand entering the All-Star break. They have been a more productive team at the plate over that stretch.

In 50 games with Hudgens, the team scored 3.90 runs per game, and in 45 games with Johnson, they have averaged 4.18. That, combined with the team’s run prevention over that span, has turned the Mets’ run differential from -13 on May 27 to +19 today. But has their approach to hitting changed?

Anecdotally, Mets players seem to suggest that it has not. Johnson is said to have advised "putting the ball in play and living with the consequences," per a report from Tim Rohan in the Times, but there haven’t been reports of a drastic change in philosophy from Hudgens to Johnson.

On the surface, the Mets have swung the bat slightly more often since Johnson took over than they had beforehand. In June and July, per Fangraphs, they Mets have swung at a higher rate of pitches outside the strike zone (O-Swing%) and in the strike zone (Z-Swing%) and have, therefore, swung at a pitches at a higher rate in total (Swing%).

Given those numbers, it might be instructive to take a look at the Mets’ swing rates by count to see in what situations things have changed. Thanks to the excellent PitchF/X search tool available at baseballsavant.com, it’s possible to drill down and compare the team’s swing rates by date range. For our purposes, the Hudgens numbers below range from Opening Day through May 26, and the Johnson numbers range from May 27 through July 12.

First, there’s been very little change on the team’s swing rate at first pitches. At a change of less than one percentage point, the Mets have swung at one extra first pitch per two or three games they have played. The most significant differences have come in the more extreme counts: behind 0-2, ahead 3-0—a count that often involves a manager giving a red or green light to the hitter—and ahead 3-1. They're swinging very slightly less often in 1-1, 2-0, and 2-2 counts.

So overall, the Mets have swung the bat a bit more since the end of May. They have certainly hit the ball harder and scored more runs in the process. Based on the swing rates, what the players have been saying seems to hold up: The approach has perhaps been tweaked, but is has not drastically changed.

It was a great week at the plate for the Mets.

Who are these guys?

That was a common refrain over the past seven days of Mets games, as the team hit very, very well. Only one everyday player was bad this week, and the rest ranged from decent to very good to outstanding. It made for a fun week of baseball, especially since it came against a pair of division rivals in the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins.

Player	Last Week	This Week	Comment
Bobby Abreu, OF			Abreu made just four plate appearances, but he got on base just once with a walk. The player meter can occasionally be harsh.
Eric Campbell, 1B			Campbell continued his excellent rookie campaign as a part-time player, hitting .333/.455/.333 this week. Of course, he’s not likely to maintain the .453 batting average on play that he has for the season, but he’s hit well so far.
Travis d’Arnaud, C			It was another strong week for d’Arnaud, as he hit .292/.320/.500 with a home run. He now has an .863 OPS in 65 plate appearances since returning from his June stint in Triple-A Las Vegas.
Lucas Duda, 1B			The Mets’ best regular hitter this year, Duda absolutely raked going into the break. His .304/.407/.565 slash line was good for a 170 wRC+ on the week.
Curtis Granderson, OF			The right fielder’s April struggles seem like a distant memory now that he’s turning out good weeks far more often than not. He wasn’t the best hitter on the team over this stretch, but he was one of the very good ones.
Juan Lagares, CF			For the first time since he came back from the disabled list Lagares had a good week at the plate—even if he didn’t draw any walks.
Daniel Murphy, 2B			At .280/.308/.400, Murphy’s was a cromulent week at the plate.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF			He didn’t play regularly, but when he did, Kirk hit.
Anthony Recker, C			Playing rarely now that Travis d’Arnaud is performing, Recker went just 1-for-5 in his lone start this week.
Ruben Tejada, SS			Tejada managed a .385 on-base percentage for the week, but considering that was partially because of some intentional walks and he hit .200 with no extra-base hits, he wasn’t good at the plate.
David Wright, 3B			HELLO, HELLO, MR WRONGZ! The Mets’ captain tore the cover off the ball with a .440/.533/.800 slash line, which included a couple of home runs, to boot.
Chris Young, OF			If not for Wright’s outstanding week, Young’s 190 wRC+ would have been the best mark on the team among position players. (Zack Wheeler had a 328, for the record.)
Eric Young Jr., OF			For the second straight week, Young drew no walks and had no extra-base hits. He hit .250/.250/.250 in this one.

In his Sunday baseball notes column, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe notes that the Marlins have been receiving calls on Giancarlo Stanton after dropping their final two series before the All-Star break. Miami will reportedly seek a starter and second baseman before the deadline.

Giancarlo Stanton will likely be a Marlin beyond July 31.

In his recent baseball notes column, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe notes that Marlins General Manager Dan Jennings has received several calls with regard to Stanton over the last few days as a result of Miami's recent struggles. But Jennings each time has told baseball executives that the Marlins' right fielder is unavailable.

The Marlins have yet to begin negotiating a contract extention with Stanton, but those talks may begin this offseason. Stanton first wanted to see that the organization was serious about winning before discussing his long term future.

Jennings won’t go so far as to say this offseason is crucial in getting Stanton signed long term. But it will tell whether Stanton buys into the notion that the Marlins are a team to be taken seriously.

"I think some things have changed for Giancarlo," Jennings said. "He’s taken a leadership role here. He knows we’re serious about winning and how much we want him to be part of that. He’s seen the team come together and the young talent developing around him."

In addition to recognizing the need to keep Stanton, who posted a.295/.393/.540 line heading into Sunday's contest, in Miami, Jennings reportedly met with owner Jeffrey Loria over the weekend to discuss the team's course of action as the July 31 trade deadline nears.

Jennings told Cafardo that has long as the Marlins were five or six games within the division lead by the All-Star break, the team would be a "buyer."

Friday when I spoke with Jennings, the Marlins were in New York to play the Mets, and were 5½ games behind the Nationals and Braves in the National League East. By Sunday, Jennings, who planned to meet with Loria this weekend, may have decided their course of action. Jennings said that if the Marlins were within five to six games of the division lead, they would seek to be buyers at the trade deadline.

Before Sunday afternoon's finale with the Mets, President of Baseball Operations Mike Hill told the Marlins are looking to add a starting pitcher and a second baseman who can serve as a leadoff man.

Miami has sought a consistent starter since Jose Fernandez went down, and a second base option with the injuries which have troubled Rafael Furcal.

But Miami isn’t just seeking any type of starter. The club is targeting controllable young arms, meaning those who are not on the verge of becoming free agents. The club has no interest in a rental.

"A rental, it may help you in the short term," president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. "We want something we can move forward with. I think that will definitely influence the direction we go."

Along with a starting pitcher, the Marlins also are exploring second base options.

Miami could pursue Ian Kennedy or Jorge de la Rosa-type arms, and may turn to a Ben Zobrist-type to fill the second base hole. The Marlins likely won't want to deal any top prospects, and want to allow Andrew Heaney and Anthony DeSclafanimore time to develop.

The Marlins seem to be taking the right approach to upgrade their roster heading into the break. It just remains a matter of finding the necessary upgrades.

The Mets got some excellent pitching this week.

As weeks of baseball seasons go, the Mets' most recent was one of the best. On top of a very good week at the plate, the Mets got some very good pitching. And even the poor pitching performances this week came in small doses.

Player	Last Week	This Week	Comment
Vic Black, RHP			Black wasn’t particularly dominant in terms of strikeouts, but he was mostly effective in four outings.
Buddy Carlyle, RHP	--		With a hit and a walk and one run allowed in 1.2 innings, Carlyle wasn’t quite as good as his peers this week.
Bartolo Colon, P			In his lone start this week, Colon gave up three runs early but went on to complete eight innings. He struck out seven and walked none in the process.
Jacob deGrom, RHP			The 26-year-old was simply superb in a pair of starts, totaling 19 strikeouts, 2 walks, and a 0.64 ERA in 14 innings of work. We’ll break with tradition a bit here and go with a fireball after a sideways arrow since he dominated over the course of two games and not just one.
Josh Edgin, LHP			Edgin had a wild pitch that led directly to an inherited runner scoring and gave up a run of his own in two-thirds of an inning over two outings this week.
Dana Eveland, LHP			With two runs and four hits allowed in two-thirds of an inning, Eveland’s week was not a great one.
Jeurys Familia, RHP			Like Black, Familia wasn’t quite dominant, but he got the job done in three appearances.
Dillon Gee, RHP			Gee’s long-awaited return from the disabled list went very well, as he gave up only a run in seven innings of work.
Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP			Love him or hate him, Matsuzaka had a very nice week. With 13 strikeouts, 6 walks, and a 2.77 ERA in two starts, he was more than effective. That walk rate remains scary, of course.
Jenrry Mejia, RHP			Mejia continues to be very good out of the Mets’ bullpen. Since moving there, he has a 2.33 ERA and 2.95 FIP with 9.00 strikeouts and 3.67 walks per nine.
Jon Niese, LHP			On the disabled list with shoulder soreness, Niese is expected to return to the rotation shortly after the break.
Carlos Torres, RHP			With four more scoreless innings, Torres stayed hot.
Zack Wheeler, RHP			With another very good start, Wheeler continues to look more and more like the pitcher the Mets hoped he could be when they acquired him.

With the current surplus of shortstops in the Cubs' system, could prospect Javier Baez make sense for the Mets?

According to ESPN New York, the Chicago Cubs could be the newest trade partner for the New York Mets. With the Cubs' acquisition of shortstop prospect Addison Russell from the Oakland Athletics, there has been speculation that the team will try to move either current shortstop Starlin Castro or Triple-A prospect Javier Baez. Though Castro would be an immediate upgrade over Ruben Tejada, his price tag may be too high for the Mets to make a deal. Baez, who is hitting .240 with 14 home runs and 55 RBI for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, sounds like a better fit for the Mets, according to the report.

Baez is the sixth-best prospect in baseball according to Beyond The Box Score's 2014 Consensus Rankings, and is said to have the fastest bat speed in the minors. He is athletic enough to stick at shortstop, but both his offense and defense are not completely polished yet. He is viewed as one of the highest-upside infield prospects in the league.

The Mets' recent hot streak has made the team's trade intentions unclear heading towards the deadline. A move for Baez would indicate that the Mets are trying to build for the future as opposed to acquiring someone to help them win this year.

New York's southern rivals get a lot of attention this week.

The first half of the MLB season winded down last week, but that didn't mean that the league's teams stopped showing off some interesting uniform combinations. Things got especially interesting in the midwest, where the Brewers once again made us long for the days of royal blue and glove-shaped logos, while the Cubs held another fun throwback day at Wrigley Field.

Braves vs. Mets

Photo credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The Braves wore these "alternate" road jerseys in all four of their games in Queens last week. I can't really blame them, since I've enjoyed the navy duds every since Atlanta debuted them a few years ago. They go really well with the Braves' all-blue road caps, and the bright coloring on the tomahawk contrasts strongly with the rest of the jersey to make it stand out.

This look is so strong for the Braves, that I now think the team looks awkward when it wears its gray road uniforms. The red "Atlanta" text on that jersey doesn't go all that well with the blue hat. The powers that be should really consider using the red-brimmed home hat with the road grays as well. Just save the blue hat for the blue jerseys.

Cardinals vs. Brewers

Photo credit: Mike McGinnis

Perhaps the only bad thing about these jerseys is that they are spring training jerseys. You can tell by the piping on the sides and and stripes on the collar. Without all of that, we might have something here. The Brewers have got to get more of the "mb" glove logo in our lives, so why not feature a jersey with it on the chest? Well, for one thing, the rest of this shirt is too blank for a colored jersey. I could see the chest logo working with a pinstriped shirt, but that might look like the Brewers are ripping off the Yankees. It's worth looking into, though.

Either way, the bordered font on the back is a keeper.

Braves vs. Cubs

Photo credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, there is a lot of Braves coverage in this week's column, but say what you will about the team, it usually dresses well. This weekend in Chicago was no exception, where Atlanta showed off its 1969 uniforms to honor the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field. Like a lot of the throwbacks we've seen at Wrigley this year, these Braves jerseys are rather bland, but it's cool to see the "home" script on the road jersey.

It didn't hurt that these uniforms perfectly match what the team is currently doing with its headgear. In fact, the blue jersey font matches Atlanta's blue hat a lot better than the red font on their current gray jerseys does.

Photo credit: Jonathan Daniel

It was surprising to see the "screaming Indian" logo on Atlanta's throwbacks because the symbol has been controversial for a while now. In fact, the team was supposed to wear it on batting practice hats last year, but it ended up switching to a more politically correct lowercase "a" that Atlanta wore in the 1970s. Is the logo okay now because it's featured on a throwback jersey and is used to create authenticity? If you're going to scrap something, you should probably scrap it for good.

Photo credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, the Cubs wore their own 1969 uniforms on Sunday, and as usual, they looked pretty good. These jerseys are a lot like what the Cubbies wear today. The blue pinstripes are there, as well as the logo on the chest. The only real differences are the lack of names on the back and a thinner blue circle around "Cubs" symbol. What I really like, though, are the MLB logo on one sleeve (almost as cool as the National League logo on Chicago's blue alternate road jerseys) and the old cub face logo on the other sleeve.

All-Star Game

Here is a picture of all the hats that will be worn during the All-Star Game tomorrow in Minnesota. Yes, front panels are in vogue, but what we haven't seen a lot of so far is front panels in a color other than white. Some of these hats are bland (Angels, Yankees, Tigers), but others are really adventurous with the colors. Just look at the Mets' hat! Never have we seen that much orange above the brim on a Mets hat. I also dig what the Royals and Rays did with the light blue and royal blue/red combo of Philly and Texas.

Tonight, players will be wearing special Home Run Derby caps that are basically just your team's regular hat in Twins colors. I'm not sure what the mainstream appeal of these is supposed to be. The "N" and "A" hats in years past were much more interesting.

Your Tuesday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links.

Meet the Mets

The Mets didn't play last night, and no Met took part in the Home Run Derby, but it was still an entertaining show. Using a new format, Todd Frazier beat Giancarlo Stanton on the National League side, but would fall to Yoenis Cespedes, who defeated Jose Bautista on his way to the title. If you want to relive the action, here's a recap of the event.

John Harper writes that the Murphy trade talk has waned after his All-Star surge.

Adam Rubin reports that the Mets are aggressively shopping Bartolo Colon for shortstop and left field help.

Joel Sherman suggests that the Mets may be on the doorstep of retaking New York from the Yankees.

Kevin Kernan writes about Noah Syndergaard's ambitious plan to become an All-Star next year.

Mets farmhand Allan Dykstra took home the Triple-A Home Run Derby crown last night. Congrats Allan!

Toby Hyde writes about Champ Stuart's amazing accomplishment in Savannah.

Around the NL East

Ruben Amaro took to the press to say that the Phillies will take a "realistic" approach to the trade deadline.

Cliff Lee was touched up in a minor league rehab start yesterday.

The Georgia Court of Appeals is set to dismiss an odd case against the Atlanta Braves.

Around the Majors

Richard Sandomir writes how the public is becoming less interested in the All-Star festivities, and its TV ratings show it.

Tyler Kepner says that the A's All-Stars are a bunch of hidden gems.

The Blue Jays have picked up former top prospect Brett Wallace.

Jayson stark writes that the Home Run Derby puts an exclamation point on the legend of Yoenis Cespedes.

Yesterday at AA

Aaron Yorke looks at the Mets uniforms from the past week.

Chris McShane gives us player performance meters for hitters and pitchers.

Chris McShane also asked if the Mets approach has changed under Lamar Johnson.

If you see a story that would be a great addition to Mets Morning News, send us an email at our tips address tips@grission.com, and we'll try to add it in.

More from Amazin' Avenue

Follow @AmazinAvenueFollow @SBNationMLB

• Open Thread: 2014 Home Run Derby
• Mets Uniform Review is looking closely at the Braves
• Report: Javier Baez could be better fit for Mets than Starlin Castro
• Mets Player Performance Meter: Pitchers, Week 15
• Mets Player Performance Meter: Hitters, Week 15

A look back at moments from the Mets' first half that may have slipped your mind.

The first half of the Mets' season wasn't always fun but our heroes finished strong, winning seven of their last eight games. Among the big storylines of the first half were Daniel Murphy's All-Star-worthy campaign, Jon Niese's career year (so far), the emergence of young pitchers Jacob deGrom and Zack Wheeler, and Lucas Duda's post-Ike Davis mashing. Mixed in with these major storylines were some minor happenings. This post recalls moments from the first half that may have slipped your mind. These first one is technically from the offseason but it's worth remembering.

A meeting with Jay Z

"Mets, Jay Z hold secret meeting about Cano" was the eye-catching New York Post headline that wasn't as exciting as it initially seemed. Jay Z's sports agency group represents Robinson Cano, so Mets reprentatives, including Jeff Wilpon and Sandy Alderson, had dinner with the rapper to touch base. The chances of the Mets signing Cano were nearly zero, but it afforded Mets brass a chance to get to know Jay Z and co. a little better. Maybe they'll cross paths again during future free agency periods. Cano signed with the Mariners and I came up with some Jeff Wilpon rap lyrics, linked here.

Daniel Murphy goes on paternity leave

When Daniel Murphy's wife gave birth to the couple's first child in late March, Murph did what most fathers would do -- he took some time off from work to be with his family. It just so happened that the birth of Noah Murphy coincided with Mets Opening Day. Murphy taking paternity leave and missing a game didn't sit well with some nonsensical talk radio hosts, who criticized Murph. Luckily, just about every reasonable person took Murphy's side in the kerfuffle and defended his decision. He returned for game three of the season and made the All-Star team. Not a bad first half for Murphy, both personally and professionally.

Matt Harvey flips the bird

To celebrate the six-month anniversary of his Tommy John Surgery, Matt Harvey tweeted a picture of himself in the hospital giving the middle finger. He later deleted it but you can't delete anything on the Internet forever. Here it is, in all its glory:

Semi-related: here is a great Harvey quote from February 2012 (via former Mets beat writer Andy McCullough at the Star-Ledger):

"People have asked me that before," Harvey said. " ‘Why aren’t you on Twitter?’ " He shrugged. "I don’t really like people knowing what I’m doing all the time."

The Mets' "True New Yorker" loyalty oath

Just because many fans and members of the media often blow things out of proportion when it comes to LOLMets doesn't mean the Mets don't do stupid things. Such was the case with the ill-advised "True New Yorker" loyalty oath letter the Mets sent out to fans. Past greats like Jerry Koosman, Dwight Gooden, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling lent their names to the letter, part of which read:

So today we're issuing a call to all Mets fans: Show your New York Mets pride -- stand up and say you're a true New Yorker.

Your support matters; we wouldn't have won without you. So we're calling on you to give today's club the same chance we had.

If you agree that the fans have a role to play in making amazing things happen, add your name to this letter.

I understand trying to increase interest in the team -- it was sent out after a strong homestand -- but this was just weird. Not the worst thing in the world, but not good. Darling later disavowed his participation in the project. He'll probably give more consideration before signing on to future Mets promotions.

Lucas Duda (allegedly) gets food poisoning from Shake Shack

Lucas Duda was hospitalized for a night in mid-May after getting food poisoning from a Shake Shack burger. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg also blamed Shake Shack for a case of food poisoning he caught while the Phils were in town for a series with the Mets. Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer took umbrage with Duda and Sandberg's claims:

"It's highly unlikely... we haven't heard of one other case of food poisoning. We don't know for sure a Shake Shake burger made them sick."

For his part, Duda was able to make peace with Shake Shack a few days later:

The Shack is Back! Lucas Duda is ready for a delicious @ShakeShack burger! pic.twitter.com/TCB0UWu4Qo

— New York Mets (@Mets) May 20, 2014

Duda has hit .251/.350/.508 since the incident. Maybe a little rancid meat was all it took to get him going.

Farnsy vows revenge

Kyle Farnsworth has enjoyed a long and generally serviceable career. However, he was terrible in his 17-inning stint with the Mets early this season, back when Jose Valverde was still around and the Mets bullpen was a dumpster fire. Farnsy was cut on May 14 and was not happy about it. When asked what he would do next, he said:

"Hopefully find a team to play against this team," Farnsworth said. "I'm very bitter right now."

He was picked up by the dreadful Houston Astros, who the Mets will play in the last series of the season. Unfortunately, the revenge fantasy was squashed when the Astros cut Farnsy in late June. He's still a free agent, so stay tuned to find out the next stop on the vengeance tour.

Mets pitchers start season 0-for-infinity at the plate

Jacob deGrom hasn't just been terrific on the mound. He's also batting an awesome (for a pitcher) .280/.308/.320 in 30 plate appearances. On May 15, in the first at-bat of his MLB career, he singled to center field to snap an 0-for-64 hitless streak by Mets pitchers to start the season. Zack Wheeler, Bartolo Colon, Jon Niese, and Daisuke Matsuzaka have all notched base hits since then, but Dillon Gee is still riding an 0-fer.

Sandy Alderson's credit card info accidentally shared with media

In mid-May, a Mets employee accidentally sent an e-mail to the New York media that included Sandy Alderson's credit card info. Apparently, the staffer was trying to secure tickets to The Lion King on Broadway for the Mets GM but sent the message to the wrong recipients. Alderson has good taste; The Lion King is delightful. And it's a wonder that this "story" was made public.

In one of the most boring Home Run Derbys in recent memory, Giancarlo Stanton blasted some mammoth home runs off of Manager Mike Redmond, but fell to Todd Frazier in the semifinals.

Giancarlo Stanton’s mammoth home run livens otherwise listless Home Run Derby - The Washington Post
In an otherwise listless Home Run Derby, Giancarlo Stanton hit a ball that would have traveled an estimated 510 feet to steal the show.

MINNEAPOLIS: Fellow All-Stars heap praise on Miami Marlins’ Henderson Alvarez - Miami Marlins - MiamiHerald.com
It took an injury and a spot opening up for the Marlins’ Henderson Alvarez to land a place on the All-Star team.

Mets sweep Miami Marlins with 9-1 win to reach All-Star break on a high | NJ.com
Jacob deGrom allows one run in seven innings as Mets end homestand with 8-2 record.

NEW YORK: Marlins’ Mike Hill says team is seeking another starting pitcher - Miami Marlins - MiamiHerald.com
Even though the Marlins sputtered toward the finish line before the All-Star break and sit a season-worst six games under .500 after Sunday’s 9-1 loss to the Mets, president of baseball operations Mike Hill said he hasn’t lost faith in his clubhouse making a run at a playoff spot this season.

Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton stars in face of questions about future | MLB.com: News
For Giancarlo Stanton, the trade rumors are just part of his existence -- kind of like the tape-measure home runs he hits. But unlike the power, which Stanton has worked hard to maintain, the trade talk -- which has started to pop up again in recent days -- is completely out of his control. So as he was asked about it again and again and again during his All-Star media availability, Stanton was completely unfazed.

Giancarlo Stanton on Miami Marlins: 'No more backpedaling' - LA Times
The Dodgers appear fully stocked in the outfield, but could they pass on a chance to bring Giancarlo Stanton home?

AROUND THE LEAGUE:

La Potencia time: Yoenis Cespedes defends HR Derby title
Yoenis Cespedes beat out Todd frazier in the final round of the HR Derby and becomes the first repeat winner since Ken Griffey Jr.

Todd Frazier finishes second in Home Run Derby
Todd Frazier of Toms River shined in the Home Run Derby.

Derek Jeter remains stoic in final All-Star appearance
Derek Jeter is the only one not showing the slightest bit of emotion at the All-Star Game, insisting he will be treating it like any other game, nothing rehearsed or planned, is the man of the hour himself.

Jose Abreu heads trio of White Sox All-Stars - chicagotribune.com
Cuban slugger Jose Abreu's parents will see the Chicago White Sox first baseman play as a major leaguer for the first time in Tuesday's All-Star Game.

FROM FISH STRIPES:

Nick Cafardo: Miami Marlins getting calls on Giancarlo Stanton, should remain 'buyers' - Fish Stripes
In his Sunday baseball notes column, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe notes that the Marlins have been receiving calls on Giancarlo Stanton after dropping their final two series before the All-Star break.

Fish Bites: Marlins' Jeff Baker solid off the bench, in spot starts - Fish Stripes
Miami Marlins utility infielder Jeff Baker has been a consistent option off the bench and when he is in the lineup against lefties. Plus links on Henderson Alvarez, Andrew Heaney, and Giancarlo Stanton.

2014 MLB All-Star Game: Giancarlo Stanton favorite to win Home Run Derby - Fish Stripes
Giancarlo Stanton has the best odds to win the 2014 Home Run Derby, according to some of the latest sportsbooks. Will he win tonight?

2014 MLB All-Star Game: Giancarlo Stanton eliminated in NL finals of Home Run Derby - Fish Stripes
Giancarlo Stanton led the National League in home runs in the first round of the Home Run Derby, but he was shut out and eliminated in the NL finals.

2014 MLB All-Star Game: Reactions to Giancarlo Stanton's derby performance - Fish Stripes
Giancarlo Stanton fell to Todd Frazier in the National League finals round of the Home Run Derby. Here are some reactions from around the league (GIFs included!).

2014 MLB All-Star Game: Reactions to Giancarlo Stanton's derby performance - Fish Stripes
Giancarlo Stanton fell to Todd Frazier in the National League finals round of the Home Run Derby. Here are some reactions from around the league (GIFs included!).

In Minnesota, a lot of Top Prospects Gathered to Play a Baseball Game

I was convinced at the last minute on Friday to make the trek across Wisconsin to Minneapolis for the Futures Game.  I will start by saying it is well worth the experience, and if you can physically get to the game, getting in can be relatively cheap as people who have bought tickets for the entire set of All-Star festivities are selling their tickets for the Futures Game fairly cheap on the secondary ticket market.  This year Minnesota put on a great event and Target Field is a beautiful ballpark.

Dan already talked about the rather uneventful day of the Phillies prospects at the game so I will touch on them briefly.

Maikel Franco: World batting practice was before the gates opened to the public so I didn't get a chance to see Franco hit.  In infield drills he looked sluggish at third base compared to the other world third basemen (Renato Nunez and Rosell Herrera), but he displayed an arm behind only Gallo's in strength.  It was not the best defense I have seen from Franco, but given his body type and the lack of range he showed charging grounders, it is hard not to see a future first baseman at some point.

In the game Franco hit two fly ball outs.  The first was off Diamondbacks prospect Braden Shipley, he appeared fooled on a changeup, but got enough bat on it to get it to the outfield.  In his second at bat he timed up a 96 mph fastball from Mets prospect Noah Syndergaard, but he didn't get all of it and it died in centerfield.  Overall Franco didn't embarrass himself, but he was clearly well behind Kris Bryant and Joey Gallo as a prospect.  There are still plenty of questions about his swing still remaining.

J.P. Crawford: I did arrive in time for Crawford's batting practice: for the most part he was spraying line drives around the field.  However, during his last few turns through the cage Crawford hit some gorgeous home runs to RF.  They were more line drives than bombs, but they hinted at larger power potential.  Overall, his batting practice was particularly impressive as he was the least experienced hitter in the game (only HS draftee from 2013 draft).  Here is video by Baseball America of one of his trips through the cage.

In infield drills, Crawford looked really smooth; he wasn't Lindor -- who is just special -- but everything seemed to work well.  The throws in practice lacked the zip his throw in the game had, but they were accurate.

Crawford's hit in the game was a lot of luck, and he should have been out on his stolen base (mostly because of a good throw).  His second at bat is what impressed me: he worked an 8 pitch at bat against Brewers prospect Jorge Lopez.  He ultimately grounded out to second and almost beat the throw with a 4.17 time down the line (somewhere in the 50/55 range on speed).

Other Highlights:

Joey Gallo (TEX) put on a show both in batting practice and in the game, his power is to 80 power what Billy Hamilton's speed is to 80 speed.  They are the outlier beyond the scale.  I was however more impressed with Kris Bryant (Cubs) who didn't put up the moon shots of Gallo, instead he sprayed the ball around the park taking a bunch out to center field and the opposite way.  To me the amount of control over the contact was really impressive.  A step behind Gallo and Bryant was D.J. Peterson (SEA), who hit for mostly pull contact in BP, but hit balls loud and really far.  A step back on the power was Jesse Winker (CIN), but he showed a really good feel for hard contact around the field.  In the game, Javier Baez (CHC) launched one of the most impressive home runs I have ever seen.

In fielding drills, Francisco Lindor (CLE) is just a joy to watch: he has a quiet confidence while making hard plays look boring.  Catcher Justin O'Conner (TBR) popped a 1.78 throw to second base from behind the plate.  I was hoping to see more from Alfaro, but he was gearing up on his throws, leaving slow pop times but absolute lasers to second base.  In the game Kenny Vargas (MIN) hit a ball to the wall in RF and Hunter Renfroe (SD) unleashed a bullet that beat him to the second base bag, but Corey Seager (LAD) couldn't hang on.

On the pitching side Robert Stephenson (CIN), Alex Meyer (MIN), and Noah Syndergaard (NYM) showed off power arms with ready-now stuff, with Stephenson up to 98, Meyer at 98, and Syndergaard at 97.  Both Hunter Harvey (BAL) and Lucas Giolito (WAS) showed elite stuff, but they also showed their inexperience as they couldn't execute their pitches to get more advanced hitters out.  The least impressive guy stuff wise was Henry Owens (BOS), who I had 89-91 with the fastball, with a nasty changeup. At best he looks like a lesser version of Cole Hamels, but I didn't see a top of the rotation arm.  In contrast, the World starting pitcher Jose Berrios (MIN) was very impressive, with a FB up to 95.

The two most impressive pitchers for me were on the world team.  The first is 17 year old Julio Urias (LAD), whose fastball was up 95 and who showed a good three pitch mix to compliment the fastball.  When people say he could pitch in the majors at 18 or 19, they aren't exaggerating.  The other guy was Domingo German (MIA), who struck out Gallo and Bryant back to back in the 2nd inning.  His fastball was 94-95 and was sinking and all over the zone.  I don't know enough about the arsenal to say whether he is a starter or reliever, but for a guy in low-A it was incredibly impressive.

Overall, having watched the game, Crawford is definitely in the second tier of top prospects, but you can see the potential for him to be in that top group a year or so from now.  Franco is still a good prospect and there is a lot to like, but aggressive rankings like Baseball America having him as their #17 prospect this offseason might have portrayed him a bit higher than he is when he is stacked up against his peers.

You can read more of my notes on the Futures Game as well as my thoughts on the Phillies minor league system at Phillies Minor Thoughts.