<
        >

          New York Mets

          Morning Briefing: Time for another Piazza party!

          • Adam Rubin, ESPN Staff WriterJul 30, 2016, 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 -- Six days after he officially was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Mike Piazza will be honored at Citi Field.

          The Mets will retire Piazza’s No. 31 in a pregame ceremony on Saturday. It will join retired numbers for Casey Stengel (No. 37), Gil Hodges (No. 14), Tom Seaver (No. 41) and Jackie Robinson (No. 42).

          The Mets then will try to snap a three-game losing streak when they face the Colorado Rockies at 7:10 p.m. ET.

          Bartolo Colon (9-5, 3.35 ERA) opposes left-hander Jorge De La Rosa (6-7, 5.70).

          The 43-year-old Colon will be pitching with less than four days between starts for the first time since 2005.

          Terry Collins said the other consideration was to give rookie Seth Lugo his first major league start. But because Colon had an efficient outing while tossing seven innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Tuesday, Collins opted for the veteran on short rest.

          “He only threw the 87 pitches, and it was a pretty easy 87,” Collins said. “He was cruising along. And we asked him if he could do it. And he said, ‘Absolutely.’ So we just thought that was the best option. Obviously we’ll be very careful pitch-count-wise and back him up with Seth as probably our first option. If it’s five or six innings, we’ve got plenty of help behind him.”

          SATURDAY’S NEWS REPORTS:

          • Juan Lagares landed on the disabled list on Friday and will undergo surgery to repair a partially torn ligament in his left thumb. Collins estimated a six-week absence and projected Lagares would return this season. The Mets promoted Brandon Nimmo from Triple-A Las Vegas. Michael Conforto should start the bulk of the games in center field against right-handed pitching, with Alejandro De Aza likely getting a chance against southpaws. Collins said the Mets will look to add a righty-hitting platoon center fielder before Monday’s 4 p.m. ET non-waiver trade deadline. Collins added postgame Friday that Jose Reyes may land on the DL soon too. Reyes has been sidelined since Tuesday with a strained intercostal muscle on his left side. Read more in the Daily News, Newsday and at NJ.com and MLB.com.

          • Collins called a team meeting after Friday’s 6-1 loss to the Rockies to tell his players to lighten up. The manager even ordered the music to be turned on in the clubhouse. The Mets went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, dropping their season average to an MLB-worst .202 in those situations. Collins figures the players are putting too much pressure on themselves. Read game recaps in the Post, Daily News, Times, Newsday, Record and at NJ.com and MLB.com.

          • The Mets are serious about including Travis d'Arnaud as the primary piece in a trade for catcher Jonathan Lucoy if the Milwaukee Brewers are amenable, columnist Joel Sherman writes in the Post. ESPN’s Buster Olney also links the Mets to Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce. Marc Carig in Newsday suggests the Mets also are interested in Los Angeles Angels reliever Joe Smith. Read more trade chatter on Bruce in the Daily News.

          • Peter Botte in the Daily News makes the case for the Mets retiring the numbers of Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter.

          • Wilmer Flores reflected Friday on the one-year anniversary of his tearful non-trade to the Brewers. “I can remember deciding if we should leave Flores in the game versus taking him out, and I never like to acknowledge something being consummated until it actually is. So that probably contributed to it,” Sandy Alderson tells Matt Ehalt in the Record. “But then it got to be real messy. I probably should have anticipated that with social media and everything else and the amount of information people have on a real-time basis.” Read more in the Daily News.

          • Read more on the Mets honoring Piazza this weekend in the Times.

          • Tyler Herron allowed nine runs in four-plus innings and Portland beat Binghamton, 11-3. Kevin Taylor had five RBIs in St. Lucie’s 16-3 rout of Lakeland. Johnny Magliozzi surrendered a decisive three-run homer and Asheville beat Columbia, 5-2, in 10 innings. Michael Paez and Colby Woodmansee had three hits apiece as Brooklyn beat Vermont, 8-5. Read the full minor-league recap here.

          • From the bloggers … Mets Report asked readers to rank Piazza on their all-time Mets list.

          BIRTHDAYS: Clint Hurdle turns 59. ... Ellis Valentine is 62. ... Todd Haney is 51.

          TWEET OF THE DAY:

          YOU’RE UP: Is the ship sinking?