Mets Move On From Mendoza

 

Carlos Mendoza ahead of Opening Day this past March. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Mets made a major move on Friday morning, just as the season hit its halfway point, as they dismissed Manager Carlos Mendoza.

Mets Drop Doubleheader To Cubs

 

Nolan McLean fires a pitch in to Dansby Swanson in the third inning of Game 1. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Mets hosted the Chicago Cubs in a doubleheader on Wednesday after dropping what turned into the series opener, 9-6, the night before.

Chicago took the first game, 10-3, and the nightcap, 10-5. The Mets are now 34-46, while Chicago is 43-37, and each teams hit the halfway mark in the series finale on Thursday night.

GAME 1: CUBS 10, METS 3:

In the makeup game for Monday’s rainout, Nolan McLean took the mound for the Mets in this one, and he started the day by striking out the Cubs in order in the top of the first.

Carson Benge then greeted Cubs starter Javier Assad with a double to start off the Mets half of the first.

Then, A.J. Ewing crushed one to right field that old friend Michael Conforto made a marvelous catch on at the fence. 

Benge tagged up to third on it, but he was left there, as Bo Bichette and Jared Young each struck out. 

The Mets then had a golden opportunity in the second, as Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty walked to open the frame. Marcus Semien then hit into a tailor-made double play before MJ Melendez struck out to end the threat.

The Mets broke through in the fourth when Young crushed a two-run home run to left, and Alvarez went back-to-back with a solo shot to make it 3-0.

It didn’t take long for Chicago to respond, as Pete Crow-Armstrong got a two-out single and came in on a Conforto double.

Michael Busch then crushed one off the facade in right field for a two-run homer to tie the game at 3.

Chicago then rallied in the sixth when Nico Hoerner doubled, Miguel Amaya beat out a single with two outs to bring Dansby Swanson to the plate, and he crushed a three-run shot to left field to make it 6-3 Chicago.

McLean then struck out PCA to end the sixth, and that was all for his afternoon. This was the final line for the young right-hander: 6 innings, 7 hits, 6 runs (all earned), 2 walks, 9 strikeouts.

Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza said of what changed for McLean after a strong start to the day, “Execution. You know, he gets to that fifth inning with two out, nobody on base, 0-2 to PCA there, and, you know, try to make him chase a changeup, then there’s a double, and then obviously, the two-run homer from Busch, trying to go up-and-in with a cutter, and then the last one there, with Swanson, two on, two out…he just left a pretty good fastball right in the middle there, and he clipped it. Yeah, frustrating one.”

Swanson put the game away in the eighth when he crushed a grand slam to left field off Jonathan Pintaro to give Chicago a 10-3 lead.

Dansby Swanson greeted at the plate after his grand slam. Photo by Jason Schott.

This gave Swanson two homers and seven RBI on the afternoon, remarkable considering he entered the day hitting .189 with nine home runs and 35 RBI and was batting ninth.

Swanson now has four grand slams in his career, and this was the first one since August 26, 2024. It was his first multi-homer game of the season.

Combined with the four RBI he had on Tuesday night, he has 11 ribbies in two games, the most in his career. He became the fourth Cub to have at least 11 RBI in two games, as Sammy Sosa had 14 RBI on August 10 and 11, 2002, Andre Dawson (12 RBI on 6/1-2, 1987), and Keith Moreland (11 RBI on 6/2-3, 1987).

GAME 2: CUBS 10, METS 5:

Just like in the first game, the Mets jumped out to an early lead, 3-1, as Francisco Alvarez had a solo home run and A.J. Ewing a two-run shot in the second inning.

Chicago took the lead back in the fourth when Pedro Ramirez and Dansby Swanson had RBI singles, followed by Pete Crow-Armstrong getting an RBI on a bunt he airmailed over Bo Bichette to make it 4-3.

Mark Vientos hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth to tie it at 4. It was the first baseman’s 10th homer of the season.

Chicago took the lead back in the sixth when Swanson got an RBI double, and he came into score when Matt Shaw hit into a force out to make it 6-4.

Bichette hit a solo shot in the bottom half of the sixth to pull the Mets back within one, but Chicago put it away with a run in the eighth and three in the ninth.

Scott Off To Great Start To Mets Career

 

Christian Scott striking out Ivan Herrera in the first inning. Photo by Jason Schott.

If the Mets make a run this season, one of the key components will be starter Christian Scott, who could be an anchor in the rotation with fellow phenom Nolan McLean.

Books: "The Last of the Old Breed" By Scott Davis

 

The Last of the Old Breed: An Oral History of the Final Marines from World War II

By Scott Davis

St. Martin's Press; 304 pages; hardcover, $30.00; $14.99 EBook; available today, Tuesday, June 9th

Scott Davis is a historian and journalist who is based in Spokane, Washington, with a history degree from Gonzaga University. His writing has appeared in Naval History, Army Magazine, among many publications. He had interviewed over 500 veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam over the past decade. Davis also runs a popular YouTube channel on the Vietnam War called the Vietnam Experience, and it has amassed over 200,000 subscribers and over 100 million lifetime views.

Books: "The Magical Game" By Addy Baird

 

The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball's Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses

By Addy Baird

St. Martin's Press; hardcover, 304 pages; $29.00

Addy Baird is a writer, reporter, and baseball fan, whose favorite team is the Mets. She has a background in investigative journalism, and has written and worked for The New Republic, Politico, and The Daily Beast.

Ewing Gives Mets Spark To Sweep Detroit

 

The crowd gives an ovation to A.J. Ewing  after he hit his first Major League home run. Photo by Jason Schott.

A.J. Ewing, one of the Mets top prospects joined the Mets on Tuesday, and got his first hit and a pair of RBIs to help them defeat the Detroit Tigers, 10-2.

Wolf Blitzes Crew To Give NYCFC Win At Stadium

NYCFC celebrate taking a 2-0 lead early in the match. Photo by Jason Schott.

 

New York City Football Club, backed by a Hannes Wolf hat trick, got a much-needed 3-0 win over the Columbus Crew on Sunday evening at Yankee Stadium.