I can remember there being some real heat coming out of the trade deadline but despite what they did–and maybe because it it a little–I don’t detect a vibe for tonight’s game.
I suppose that’s mostly because the Padres kicked our asses all over the place in that series and it’s getting to be too often that the Mets just look bad out there. It’s hard to build off a fragile foundation like that.
Will 3 new relief pitchers and Cedric Mullins help? I hope so. I’m bigger on Cedric Mullins than his numbers would indicate. I think we need a better everyday guy than Tyrone Taylor in center. We did the same thing a year ago when we bailed on Harrison Bader. It was a small upgrade that helped the team get a lot better. Plus Taylor is a fine backup and gets that job again.
As our friend Jim reported in the comment section, Mullins will wear No. 28, belonging most recently to Jose Azocar (I think). Mullins was a 31 in Baltimore which is retired here.
New relievers Tyler Rogers will suit up in his customary 71 and Ryan Helsey will wear the same 56 he wore in St. Louis. Rogers I’m familiar with from his unique delivery (and his role on my fantasy team). But I’m not even going to pretend I know anything about Helsley who apparently is good but I wouldn’t know because I try not to pay any attention to the Cardinals.
Fun fact: Justin Garza and Zach Pop were the respective previous wearers of 71 and 56. Garza may as well be a St Louis Cardinal for all I remember about him.
No instead it’s Luisangel Acuna getting the call (and the start!) today, playing shortstop instead of Francisco Lindor whose consecutive-game streak is ending. I don’t believe Acuna is here for injury but to pinch run. Given he OPSed all of .654 in triple A its not the bat you want out there.
As I’d 
And who’s to say they can’t? Mark Vientos, whom I’d once dismissed as a discount-store Giancarlo Stanton, is hitting for average and power; Francisco Lindor is having an MVP year and the role-players and reserves are all doing their jobs. The scrap-heap starting rotation has also been good and the bullpen after a few turns of the soil has also come through most nights. And don’t look now but Carlos Mendoza is a manager of the year candidate even after that awful start.
Pablo Reyes was the only new callup when rosters expanded (they don’t expand like they used to). He was issued No. 26.
I like it too. Winker is a good hitter, especially vs. right handed pitching, can steal bases, and play the outfield better than DJ Stewart, whom I’m afraid is about to lose his job. Who knows, maybe Stewart is in the package. Winker is also a colorful performer so some new energy on the team sounds like second-half fun. Ryne Stanek also matches that description; the Mets made it official by the way and gave him 55.
The biggest series in years starts tonight and with a surprise: Francisco Alvarez is batting 7th and wearing No. 50.
Tyler Naquin appears to vomit into his helmet then look wobblingly unsteady up there at the plate, which may as well be symptoms, as were two walks, a hit, a run, and just one whiff last night. Mark Cahna, Eduardo Escobar and even Mychal Givens appear to have been exposed. And the slumping Daniel Vogelbach seems to have caught something last night too and looked again he that could be our good year blimp.
Here’s another thing I realized only today. Both of this year’s most exciting call-ups, Brett Baty and now Vientos weren’t even born when this site first went up. That was in 1999, another year where a Mets-Braves September pennant race was pretty sick.