The New York Mets understand they are the hottest club in baseball this month. However, because to a tumultuous ninth inning on Sunday night, the Mets do not know who will be their closer for the remainder of June and the beginning of July.
The Mets will be without Edwin Diaz and potentially Drew Smith on Tuesday night, when they play the New York Yankees in the season’s opening Subway Series game. The Mets’ left-hander David Peterson (3-0, 3.97 ERA) will start against right-hander Gerrit Cole (0-0, 4.50). The Mets’ most recent series victory, 5-2 over the host Chicago Cubs in the series finale on Sunday night, may have come at a high cost. The Yankees suffered their third consecutive series loss earlier Sunday afternoon, falling 3-1 to the visiting Atlanta Braves.
Diaz, who was 1-0 with two saves in his first three outings following a 15-day absence due to a right shoulder impingement, entered for the save Sunday night but was booted by crew chief Vic Carapazza when he discovered Diaz’s hand had an unlawful sticky material. Diaz claimed his palm contained the permitted combination of rosin, sweat, and dirt, but Carapazza told a pool reporter, “…the substance was extremely sticky.” Discolored. “That was it.” Pitchers ejected for using illicit substances face an automatic 10-game penalty, which would keep Diaz out until July 5. The Mets cannot replace him on the active roster.
Smith, who served a 10-game ban for sticky stuff last summer, arrived and began his warmups on the mound. The right-hander, who has two saves this season but has missed more than a month due to a painful right shoulder, was approached by trainers after recording the first two outs and left after Dansby Swanson’s single. Jake Diekman recorded his third save, striking out Patrick Wisdom. The closer drama masked another outstanding win for the Mets, who lead the majors with a 13-6 record this month after finishing 9-19 in May, tying them with the Oakland Athletics for baseball’s worst record.
“We have been through a lot this year, and we will find a way to get through it,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. Throughout their three-game series against the Braves, the Yankees faced their first real test of the season. New York went 16-2-2 in its first 20 series, but has only a 7-9 record after June 7, losing series to four contenders in Atlanta, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles.
“Nobody’s hanging their heads, nobody’s panicking in here,” pitcher Nestor Cortes explained. “Just a rough patch that (over) 162 games you’re going to go through.” The Yankees suffered their worst loss against the Braves in an 8-3 victory on Saturday night, when designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton injured his left hamstring while scoring from second base in the fourth inning. Stanton was placed on the injured list on Sunday, his sixth stint on the shelf in six seasons in New York, and is anticipated to be out for a month.
Stanton’s absence highlights the Yankees’ lineup’s reliance on its top players. Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Juan Soto have combined for 64 home runs and 171 RBIs, while the rest of the team has only 51 homers and 210 RBI. The Yankees acquired J.D. Davis from the Athletics on Sunday, hoping to replace some of Stanton’s productivity. Davis, who has 28 home runs in 660 career at-bats against left-handed pitchers, played for the Mets from 2019 to 2022.
Peterson, 28, won his most recent start on June 17, allowing two runs and four hits over six innings as the Mets defeated the Texas Rangers 14-2. He has a 0-0 record and a 10.38 ERA in two career games (one start) versus the Yankees. Cole, 33, was not considered for the decision in his season debut last Wednesday, when he gave two runs in four innings in the Yankees’ 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Orioles. The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, who sustained an elbow ailment during spring training, is 2-2 with a 5.89 ERA in seven games against the Mets. –Field Level Media.
