<
        >

          New York Mets

          Morning Briefing: After sweep, Mets get day away

          • Adam Rubin, ESPN Staff WriterMay 28, 2015, 06:30 AM ET
            Close
              Adam Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. He's a graduate of Mepham High School on Long Island and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He joined ESPNNewYork after spending 10 years at the New York Daily News.
              Follow Adam on Twitter »  Chat archive »
            Follow on X

          NEW YORK --

          FIRST PITCH: After completing a sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Mets take a day off Thursday.

          They then return to Citi Field for a weekend series against the Miami Marlins.

          Matt Harvey (5-2, 2.91 ERA) will handle Friday's series opener. He opposes right-hander Dan Haren (4-2, 3.09).

          THURSDAY'S NEWS REPORTS:

          • Noah Syndergaard tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings and went 3-for-3 with a homer at the plate as the Mets swept the Phillies with a 7-0 win Wednesday. Lucas Duda homered twice. Michael Cuddyer also went deep. Duda took over the team lead in homers with eight. The Mets have won 20 of their past 25 games against the Phillies. Read game recaps in the Post, Daily News, Times, Newsday, Journal, Record and at NJ.com and MLB.com.

          • Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who was designated for assignment last week, was traded to the Angels for cash.

          • Pitching coach Dan Warthen said the Mets are likely to stick with a six-man rotation into early to mid-August. The goal is to have Matt Harvey and other starters make roughly 30 starts this season instead of 33. Read more in the Times, Post, Newsday and at NJ.com.

          • Columnist Joel Sherman in the Post thinks restricting Harvey's innings is “well-intentioned guess work” since injuries happen even with conservative pitch counts. Sherman also doesn't understand the point of babying a pitcher who is likely to bolt as a free agent after the 2018 season anyway.

          • Dwight Gooden raves about Syndergaard to columnist John Harper in the Daily News.

          • Dillon Gee was charged with three runs (two earned) in 6 1/3 innings in a rehab start for Binghamton. He logged 96 pitches. Gee is expected to enter the Mets' rotation Tuesday or Wednesday in San Diego. The B-Mets had the tying run on third base in the ninth, but Jared King struck out to end the game. Travis d'Arnaud went 0-for-3 and caught seven innings while rehabbing with St. Lucie. Michael Conforto drove in the lone run as Lakeland won, 4-1. Jean Rodriguez went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and two RBIs as Savannah beat Asheville, 7-2. Read the full minor league recap here.

          • Read more from Gee in the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin.

          • Vic Black is ready to be activated from a season-opening DL stint, according to Warthen. It's now up to the front office to determine the proper timing to make the roster move.

          • David Wright is the lone Mets position player to appear among the leaders at his position in the initial NL All-Star balloting. Wright, sidelined since April 14, is fourth among third basemen.

          • From the bloggers … Blogging Mets suggests Tuesday's comeback against the Phillies could be a turning point in the season.

          BIRTHDAYS: Ryota Igarashi turns 36. ... Mike DeFelice is 46.

          TWEET OF THE DAY:

          YOU'RE UP: Should the Mets be less conservative with Harvey and let him exceed 200 innings during the regular season?