Morning Briefing: Pete Alonso Looks to Take Back Derby Crown

Good morning, Mets fans!

Pete Alonso will look to avenge his Home Run Derby loss from last year in tonight’s event at T-Mobile Park. Alonso will face off against Julio Rodríguez, who eliminated him in the semifinals last year, in the first round tonight. The 28-year-old will look to join Ken Griffey Jr. as the only three-time derby champions. Festivities are set to begin at 8 p.m.

Latest Mets News

Max Scherzer surrendered a three-run homer and a two-run homer to Manny Machado, and the Mets’ offense couldn’t get much going against Joe Musgrove as they dropped their final game of the first half, 6-2. Scherzer was charged with five runs on six hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in five innings. His ERA is now up to an underwhelming 4.31 on the season. The Mets head into the All-Star break with a 42-48 record, seven games back of the final Wild Card spot.

Tommy Pham exited Sunday’s game in the first inning due to groin soreness. He will head back to New York to undergo imaging.

With the 32nd pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the Mets selected shortstop Colin Houck out of Parkview High School in Lilburn, GA. A Mississippi State commit, Houck was ranked as the 12th-best prospect in the draft by MLB.com. In his senior year at Parkview, Houch hit .487 with eight homers, 16 steals, and 50 RBIs, earning Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year honors. A two-sport athlete, Houck was recruited to play football at multiple Power 5 schools before committing to Mississippi State.

With the 56th pick, the Mets selected right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat out of the University of Florida. The Mets previously drafted Sproat with the 90th pick in the 2022 draft, but he opted to return to Florida for his senior year. The hard-throwing righty has a fastball that can touch triple digits, but he can get wild at times. In 2023, Sproat had a pedestrian 4.66 ERA but racked up an impressive 134 strikeouts in 106 1/3 innings (11.3 K/9).

Right-hander Denyi Reyes has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets designated Reyes for assignment to make room for Trevor Gott on the 40-man roster.

Latest MLB News

The Rays are showing interest in right-handed pitcher Chris Flexen. The 29-year-old began the season with the Mariners, but struggled badly and was eventually designated for assignment and traded to the Mets. Flexen was immediately DFA’d again by the Mets and was released last week.

The Yankees dismissed hitting coach Dillon Lawson following their loss to the Cubs on Sunday. This marks the first time that Brian Cashman has fired a coach in the middle of a season.

The Yankees have released right-hander Colten Brewer, and he will sign with a team in NPB. Brewer appeared in three games for the Yankees this year and has a career 4.98 ERA in 99 1/3 innings.

Latest on MMO

James Villani recaps the Mets’ loss in their series finale against the Padres.

Christian De Block looks at David Peterson‘s outing on Saturday.

James Villani writes about what to expect from José Quintana in the second half of the season.

On This Date in Mets History

1998: The Mets traded left-hander Brian Bohanon to the Dodgers to re-acquire righty Greg McMichael. Bohanon finishes his Mets career with a 3.57 ERA in 148 2/3 innings across a season and a half. McMichael began the season in Flushing before getting traded to Los Angeles to bring Hideo Nomo to the Mets.

1999: Trailing 8-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Matt Franco delivers a two-out, pinch-hit two-run single against Mariano Rivera to give the Mets a 9-8 victory. The win snaps the Yankees’ 124-game winning streak when leading after eight innings. Mike Piazza drives in four runs, including a towering three-run homer into the Shea Stadium parking lot off Ramiro Mendoza.

2009: The Mets trade embattled right fielder Ryan Church to the Braves for another outfielder, Jeff Francoeur. Church had a solid .785 OPS in 2008 but dealt with concussions and has hit just two homers in 255 plate appearances in the 2009 season. He infamously made the final out at Shea Stadium. Francoeur meanwhile is in the midst of a down season, hitting just .250/.282/.352 with five homers.

2015: In the bottom of the first inning, Lucas Duda hits a three-run homer and Michael Cuddyer immediately follows with a solo homer, setting the tone for a 4-1 Mets win over the Diamondbacks. Noah Syndergaard strikes out 13 batters in eight innings, allowing just one run and four hits.

Birthdays: Larry Burright (86), Bob Bailor (72)

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