The New York Mets took Game 1 of the Subway Series, as Mark Vientos led another offensive outburst, hitting two home runs off of Gerrit Cole.
Host Ryan Finkelstein breaks down the great game, and how the Mets held off a late comeback led by Aaron Judge.
With the Mets down an arm in the bullpen due to Edwin Diaz's suspension, could BOTH Tylor Megill and David Peterson get optioned to Triple-A this week?
Also, why was Ben Gamel the Mets choice to replace Starling Marte on the active roster?
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[MUSIC PLAYING] It's the Lock-Dawn Podcast Network, your team every day. Right now, it doesn't matter who you put in front of the New York Mets, this lineup is built to rake. You are a Lock-Dawn Mets, your daily New York Mets podcast. Part of the Lock-Dawn Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all you amazing Mets fans. You're listening to Lock-Dawn Mets. Part of the Lock-Dawn Podcast Network, your team every day. Thank you for making Lock-Dawn Mets your first listen every day, Lock-Dawn Mets, for an available on all platforms, including YouTube. Well, this lineup cannot be stopped right now between Mark Fientos going deep twice in the Mets. Piling on runs against Garakol, I'll talk about everything from the big victory against the Yankees in segment one of today's show. Segment two, we're going to talk about David Peterson's performance, and how the Mets might option both Peterson and McGill over the next upcoming week here, as they try to navigate a short pen with that at when Diaz. Then in the final segment, I'll go through the Mets decision to call up Ben Gamble in place of Sterling Marte, who went on the IL. Before we get to any of that, though, I'm your host, Ryan Fickelstein. If you want to find any of my work, follow me on next. Fickelstein, Ryan, if you want to find some of my writing at justbasebo.com, where I work as the managing editor. Today's episode of Lock-Dawn Mets is brought to you by Tax Network USA. Did you know that it's never too late to resolve your tax issues with the IRS? Don't wait, reduce your tax debt, and get help from a team of licensed tax professionals by calling 1-800-549-1000, or visit tnusa.com/lockdawn. Now, when we were previewing this series on yesterday's show, I talked about the pitching match-ups. I said, "Look, Garrett Cole, Luis Hill, going up against David Peterson and Sean Menaya, the Yankees had the edge in both of these match-ups, even though Cole was coming off the IL." This is his second start since being hurt for the entire season. But it's still Garrett Cole. And he looked pretty good his first time out. So you look at a match-up where it's him versus David Peterson, and it felt like the Mets read a real disadvantage. But what we've learned about this Mets team lately is you throw Dylan Ceason in front of them. What do they do? Pylon, double-digit runs. You throw John Graham in front of them, and he's having a great year. Double-digit runs on the game. Show to Eminaga. Double-digit runs. I mean, the New York Mets, if you put a great start in front of them, it doesn't matter. They are just going about their process, grinding out great at that, and making it tough on guys. And Garrett Cole opened up this game, and I thought he looked pretty good. He was touching 96, 97. I think I might even see it in 98. He was throwing hard, he looked like Garrett Cole, but the Mets were battling, they were hanging in there, Francisco Lindor had a lead-off double to start things out. And Lindor has been ridiculous starting off games. They said the stat during the game today that his on-base percentage leading off games is 558, which is ridiculous. And I feel like a lot of those have been lead-off doubles. Brandon Imadro walk. But then J.D. Martinez hits into a double play, and it looked like Cole could have an easy inning. Lindor standing on third, two outs. Pinalanzo comes up. Maybe he didn't want to deal with Pete. He ends up walking him. And then here comes Francisco Alvarez. And I think what has taken this lineup to another level lately is you have Alvarez just giving you great at bats. And you have Mark Vientos who's been this studying presence near the bottom third of the lineup, but just gives you another guy in that seven hole that gives you that little extra punch in that bottom third of your lineup. So here's Alvarez, falls behind the count, works another walk. Really good at bat. Tyrone Taylor gets hit. And so the Met score run, I thought it was a really bad send to try to have Alonso score from second on a ball that got to left field in a hurry. And Alex Verdugo has a good arm. It was as easy of a place you can imagine. He hit the catcher on the fly, and Alonso was out by a mile. And that honestly could have stopped the Met's from scoring even more runs, because Mark Vientos would open up the next inning with the home run. Because Gary Cole maybe thought, "Bob in the lineup, this is my chance to preserve my pitch down." Count, he was at 28 pitches through the first inning, probably really tired after that. Okay, it's the guy that used more than a third of his pitches for the day in that first. And Mark Vientos gets a pitch that's up in her half, crushed it. So that's a home run for Vientos. Harrison Bader, a couple of batters later. Fast ball up right down the middle. He yanks it out for a home run. Met's up three nothing. Cole has a decent third inning, although Alvarez worked another walk. Fourth inning, I think he was just tired at that point. And you can make all the excuses in the world if you're a Yankees fan for Garrett Cole. And they are fair. He was at 91 miles per hour when Mark Vientos took him deep again in the fourth. So I think he was at 93 when he took him deep in the second. So it was a steady decline of the velocity. And that's gonna happen for a guy that is coming off an injury, second start, and a grueling first inning. But you have to credit the Mets for putting him in a lot of bad spots. So Vientos, like I said, hits that home run. A laser to the opposite field. It hits off the top of the fence, goes over the wall. And you've seen him now show power to each foul line. It's pretty impressive what Vientos can do. Jeff McNeil had a decent day. He got a knock there. Harrison Bader hit one hard, but right at Glaberturez. Francisco Endure popped out. So you got two outs, McNeil's still on, and Brandon Nemo hits a home run, two runs shot. That puts the Mets up six-nothing. Garrett Cole, four innings pitch, seven hits, four walks. That's a big number, six runs. And here's another big number, zero strikeouts. Just a master class by the Mets offense. And again, you can give Cole his excuses, but you also have to give the Mets credit. And they're out again in the sixth inning off of old friend Phil Bickford, who looks so much better, by the way. Now, you see some guys who go to the Yankees and they get cleaned up with the hair and clean shaven. You're like, man, that guy looks so much worse. Phil Bickford looks like a new person and a much more respectable person. I thought he looked great. In that inning, Jeff McNeil and Harrison Bader, each got singles from the bottom part of the lineup. They also each stole a base. McNeil stole a second before Bader got his hit. Didn't read the ball well when Bader did get that knock, but it wouldn't have mattered 'cause Aaron Judge is a cannon. So I don't think McNeil was scoring from second on that base hit anyway. Then Bader still second. So you got runners that second and third for the top of the lineup. Francisco Lindor, good at bat. Honestly, he fell behind 0-2 and worked a long at bat against Phil Bickford, which probably tired him out a little bit, but he struck out. Brandon Nemo hits a ground ball to Torres that could have gotten out at the plate. But Torres made a lazy play. Ball gets under his glove. That's a fortune to score there. And then JD Martinez rips a double over Aaron Judge's head. Pete Alonzo catches in another with his sack fly. And the Mets at that point are up 9-1 at the end of 6, 1 soda at Homert earlier in the game. But I wanna talk about Aaron Judge 'cause Aaron Judge put on his cape and nearly led the gate keys back into this game. He ends the bottom of the sixth inning, making a diving catch on a low line drive from Francisco Alvarez that would have scored another run. Then in the seventh inning, off of Denial Nunez, it's an RBI double that drives in one. Nunez was really good in this game. He came on to relieve Peterson in the fifth inning. Peterson had left the couple on due to walks. That was after he gave up a home run to one soda for that first run. And Nunez gets a huge double play ball. Then he pitched a one, two, three, sixth, went back out for the seventh. And that's where he got hurt a little bit on that double by Judge. But that was really it. So Nunez was definitely the best reliever of the day. Anything is where this game got scary. Adam Antavino comes on to pitch and mop up duty, which is his new role. And honestly, this is a guy that might get DFA. I mean, you can see it. The writing could be on the wall, honestly, 'cause he has not pitched well. Gives up a base hit, gets a hard out, then walks a batter and calls Mendoza and seen enough, didn't wanna see the game get away from him. He goes to Denial. Denial Nune gives up a base hit that scores one. He then gets a strike out, but walks one soda to loan the bases. They don't want Aaron Judge to face a lefty. So here comes Reid Garrett for the four out save. And Garrett gets ahead, oh, and two. And for some reason, the pitch call was, I think of fastball low and away. Now you better get it low and away. And I think the thought was, maybe Aaron Judge would be taking that pitch, expecting a slider out of his own. So if you throw a fastball low and away, you might get one by him. And Reid Garrett did throw a 99 miles per hour, but you better get it loan away, not right down the pipe, which is where he threw the ball. And Aaron Judge took 99 miles per hour in and put it about 110 miles per hour out, hits a grand slam and made that game way too close for comfort, nine seven after the grand slam. So we were all nervous, I'm sure, as Garrett went back out there for the ninth inning, but a one, two, three, ninth big save from Garrett, a weird occurrence where you can give up a grand slam and you did your job because you held on, you got the victory, you got four outs. And it's gonna be a battle here with that windy as, on the injured, or not the Angelus, on a windy as suspended. You saw on this game, it took what? Eight outs from Nunez and four from Garrett to get through. You need length out of your starting pitchers. Peterson did not give them that stat. And yet I still thought it was a pretty decent start. I wanna tell you why in the next segment, first though, a word from our sponsors. Today's episode is brought to you by eBay Motors. Passion drive and patience, or it brings on the winning trophy. So also it keeps your ride or die alive. eBay Motors is everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance from superchargers, to roof racks, exhaust kits, LED headlights, and more. Whether you're into speed, power, or style, eBay Motors has got you covered. With over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die, you always find exactly what you're looking for. If eBay's guaranteed fit, your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time, or your money back. Because with eBay Motors, you're burning rubber, not cash. It's all the parts you need at the prices you want. It's easy to turn your car into the MVP, and bring home that win. Keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com. Eligible items, only exclusions apply. eBay's guaranteed fit is only available to you as customers. Today's episode is also brought to you by LinkedIn. Are you struggling to close deals? B2B selling is tougher than ever, and that's why I want to tell you about LinkedIn Sales Navigator. LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a sales intelligence platform that helps professionals effectively prospect and engage high value customers, drive higher revenue, and increase sales performance. Sales Navigator helps you target the right buyers and surface key signals, such as job changes, or which accounts you should prioritize, and shows you hidden allies so you can find those buyers that are most likely to convert. Fueled by LinkedIn's one billion member platform, Sales Navigator gives you the most up-to-date first-party data enabling you to unlock conversations with the people that matter. Right now, you can try LinkedIn Sales Navigator and get a 60-day free trial at linkedin.com/lockedon. That's linkedin.com/lockedon for a free 60-day trial. That LinkedIn Sales Navigator help you sell like a superstar today. Just go to linkedin.com/lockedon and get started. (upbeat music) There is big NBA news on Tuesday night as Mike Hell bridges got traded from the Nets to the Knicks. If you wanna be up-to-date on all the ladies from both sides of that trade, make sure you check out "Locked on Sports Today" streaming 24/7 on YouTube, which covers everything. In the world of sports. All right, let's talk about David Peterson. It was a wild night for Peterson. We'll go through all the stats. Four and a third innings pitch on 103 pitches, not good. Three hits, one earned run against the New York Yankees. Very good. Five walks, that's bad. Eight strikeouts, that's very good. And some strikeouts in some big spots. David Peterson showed a lot in that first inning. Gives up a lead-off single to Anthony Volpe. Then he walks Juan Soto and he walks Aaron Judge. Now, this Yankees lineup is currently a two-man team. And the two guys are so damn good that it doesn't even matter. But there's really no one else to fear outside of Soto and Judge. They're the two. The other guys, you can pitch two. So you understand him being careful with Soto and Judge to start off the game. But then you gotta make pitches 'cause this base is loaded nobody out. You can't walk anybody. And if you come into zone and you leave a pitch out over the heart of the plate, there are guys that can still do damage against you. He strikes that Glabertaurus. Then he strikes it out for Dugo. And then old friend, JD Davis comes up and I know Mets fans were thinking, uh-oh. I mean, JD Davis has not been good this year, but it's a former Met. Well, David Peterson escaped the jam, striking out JD Davis. So three strike gaps with the base is loaded, nobody out. Unbelievable. I think that gave the line up some momentum, quite honestly, 'cause you go from feeling you're definitely gonna be trailing to, wow, the Yankees didn't score there. And then the Mets gave Peterson some runs. Second inning, he hit a batter, but other than that, was really solid, struck out two more at the not allowed run. Third inning, Juan Soto leads off, pitches to him, gets a ground out. And then he hit Aaron Judge in the elbow guard. And it was almost like the friendliest, intentional hit by pitch you'd ever see. I don't know if it wasn't intentional or not, but he hit him in the one place that wouldn't hurt him, which is like, I don't want to pitch you. Go take your base. Instead of putting up the four fingers and just letting him walk, it was, all right, I'll just hit you in the elbow. I don't want to deal with you. Then he struck out, Glabra Torres, gets a ground out to get out of that inning. Fourth inning, he works around a walk and a single, two more strikeouts, has to face Volpe, who's the only other hitter that scares you even a little bit in the Yankees lineup right now. And with a runner in scoring position, got another big strikeout to get out of the fourth without giving up a run. Fifth inning, Juan Soto hits a home run, lead off Homer against him. Now he at that point was pitching with the sixth, nothing lead. So it made sense to go after those guys, get Aaron Judge to fly out. But then I think he was gassed at that point because he just didn't look good to the last two batters he faced, walks on both, pitch count goes over 100, and then they go to the bullpen and worried it broke down what happened from there. But looking at what David Peterson has done up to this point this season, it's five starts, three, six, seven ERA, one, four, eight whip. To me, he has been better than Tyler and McGill. Obviously the ERA and the whip are, the whip is slightly better. The ERA is significantly better, but McGill just had a really rough outing. We've seen Peterson pitch deeper in the games and hold his stuff a little bit longer. We've also seen him get out of some really tight jams, make big pitches in big spots. I've always been a David Peterson guy over Tyler and McGill. Okay, I've been wrong more than I've been right about Peterson in a lot of ways because I have always believed that this guy had the ability to be a really good starting pitcher in the big leagues. We haven't seen him put it all together. 2022 was the closest version of it. I think he's scratching the surface, but because of where the Mets roster sits right now with the Edwin Diaz suspension, there's every chance that David Peterson is about to be optioned on Wednesday because I was expecting Tyler McGill to get option and they did not do that. Now my case for why you'd still option McGill over Peterson to get an extra arm in your bullpen is because you're gonna face Houston at the end of this week. I think David Peterson is just flatly better, but there is a world the Mets actually option both of these guys. So it's a matter of who's going to get optioned first potentially and that's where it gets a little bit funny. Maybe the Mets would rather have Tyler McGill make a start on Sunday against the Astros over Peterson on regular rest, which is justifiable, but Peterson or McGill could make that start. The Mets just have to make their pick on who actually does, but there is a world where both these guys get options. That's what I wanna go through here. Now you have Jose Budo, you have Christian Scott, both ready to go. Scott pitched tonight in Syracuse. He'll be good to go next week if you need him. Jose Budo, same thing. Because you're dealing with a short bullpen with ideas, you can option one of these two guys on Wednesday, option the other one on Sunday. Now, what that would do for you is on, or option other one on Monday after they start on Sunday. On Monday, you could bring up Christian Scott or Jose Budo. I think it would probably be Budo first because he can start on five days rest. What that would do for you, right, is whoever you option on Wednesday would then be eligible to return on July 11th. Here's where the Mets get creative. You got Sean Manaya going against the Yankees. I think they might start Severino on regular rest to open up the Astros series. You got Quintana. And then I would throw Peterson because the Astros have been better against Ray's and left his this year regardless, doesn't matter which one you pitch. You option that guy, you bring up Budo. It then goes to start next week. Manaya Budo Quintana, or excuse me, Manaya Budo Severino Quintana. And then you could call up Christian Scott Friday, July 5th. If that's the way you do it, Ewing Diaz returns on the 6th. So the only other day throughout this suspension where you would have to pitch with a short bullpen would be when Christian Scott came up. That's why you'd make the move to option both Peterson and McGill because it gave you that ultimate flexibility. And then whoever you optioned first, they can come back around and be your sixth starter when you need to give Christian Scott a day. And that's why I would pitch Budo first when you're promoting these two guys to open up July potentially. Because then you can go, you can basically turn the rotation right back around once Diaz returns. Have it, Manaya Budo Quintana, Severino, insert a sixth starter or a spot starter. You could even third Joey Luccese if you wanted to. Or maybe it's McGill for a spot starter that you set them right back down. And that carries you throughout the all-star break. And the reason why I would start Severino on Friday is because that would allow Severino to get one additional start before the all-star break. So we'll see. We'll see how the mess decides to navigate it. I know that's convoluted, but I just wanted to sort of break down the process here because I was talking a lot about McGill getting option. I still think that happens, but I almost think that you're going to see both McGill and Peterson get optioned as the Mets try to navigate this period with that D as the best that they possibly can. They're also going to be without Sterling Marte though. He's officially hit the IL, Ben Gamble came up. I want to talk through that decision by the Mets. So we'll get into that in just a minute. First though, another word from our sponsors. Today's episode of Black Doll Mets is brought to you by Tax Network USA. We've brought ourselves here on giving you the latest news for your team, whether it's the off-season, the draft, spring training playoffs, and we're here for you all year round. You know what else is all year round? Collection season. Just because Tax season's over doesn't mean the IRS will stop coming after you for unfiled taxes. The IRS can garnish your wages, love your bank accounts, can even seize your property. Don't let the IRS target you, let the licensed professionals and tax experts at Tax Network USA go to bat for you. With over 14 years of experience and an A-plus rating by the Better Business Bureau, Tax Network USA has saved their clients over $1 billion in tax debt. Whether you owe taxes, have complicated matters that require tax planning, we're finally hit that parlay this season and need help correctly filing. Call 1-800-549-1000 or visit tnusa.com/lockedon. You can also just see the link in the episode description below. 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Down with the prize picks app today and start playing, use the code locked on MLB for a first deposit match up to $100 that's code locked on MLB on prize picks for a first deposit match up to $100, pick more, pick less, it's that easy with prize picks. (upbeat music) If you're an everyday listener of the show, make sure you become a locked on Mets insider. This is our texting service, where you're not there for me any time so news breaks on the Mets. So today, let you all know all the insiders that is that Ben Gamble was coming up and I gave you some stats on why that was the decision that was made. You want to be locked on Mets insider final link in the episode description, go to subtext.com/lockedonmets. So we knew Strolling Marte was about to hit the IEL. We did learn more about the timetable today though. So he has to rest for two weeks but that does not mean he can return in two weeks. The quickest he could return is four weeks from now so after the all-star break. And that's best case scenario. They can look at him in two weeks and that inflammation is me and might still be there. In which case, who knows? Does he get an injection? What's going to happen? These things can linger. So the Mets right now have a hole in right field. And I think that's why they went to get Ben Gamble because he has been the best outfielder that the Mets have had in Triple I this year. You look at him or Trey's Thompson are really the two clear outfielders that you feel comfortable playing in right field in the big leagues that have big league experience. And you compare the two and I don't think there's much of a contest. Yes, Trey's Thompson has 16 home runs but Ben Gamble was hitting 314, Thompson 228. Gamble at 423 on base, Thompson to 300 on base. Gamble 538 slug, Thompson even with all those home runs, a 500 slug, OPS difference of 161 points, Gamble a 961 OPS, Thompson and 800 OPS. Now if you look at who has been best this year in Triple I versus right handed pitching. There's Brad Beatty, but that's a small sample size. And then it's Ben Gamble who leads the team with an OPS of 996. Now here's the interesting part. I almost feel like Ben Gamble was also given the call here because he can hang in there versus left handed pitching. Has he been great against lefties in his career? Not necessarily, big league lefties are certainly a lot better than lefties in Triple A. With that said, look at the splits that you have from the potential options the Mets have in right field right now. You have DJ Stewart against lefties. He's over nine this year. They've been shielding him. Tyrone Taylor, a 506 OPS against left handed pitching. Got a big hit in the game today. It was against Garrett Cola Wright. Trace Thompson has brutal reverse splits, 571 OPS in Triple A. He was not gonna hit lefties in the big leagues 'cause that holds true for what he's done throughout his career as well. Ben Gamble and 846 OPS against left handed pitching. Ultimately, I think the thought process here is Ben Gamble is the best option if you need a starting right fielder. Now, DJ Stewart's gonna get some run. We saw Tyrone Taylor get some run and he gives you a premier defensive outfield out there and maybe that's the move. Maybe just play Tyrone Taylor and you let him hit against righties and maybe who knows? If he's playing close to every day, maybe he starts to come around against lefties too. That might be the way the Mets should go to just lean into defense at that spot. He's clearly the best option on that front 'cause Ben Gamble is not a great defensive outfielder. He's just a guy that has plenty of experience playing in the big leagues in right field. But, is he even a huge upgrade over DJ Stewart? I wouldn't necessarily say that he is. I think these guys are both below average. But, Gamble might be the best hitting option that the Mets are gonna have at that spot. The other option is Jeff McNeil sliding him into right field. But clearly with this move, the Mets are extending some more time with McNeil on second base. He has been a second base, been far more this year than he's played the outfield. And he's starting to play a really good defensive second base. I think the Mets value that. They value the defense they've been getting from McNeil and Iglesias up the middle along with Lindor who's always stellar. Now, I actually went back and forth a lot today with somebody on Twitter about Luis and Hella Kounya. He wanted a Kounya. I don't think a Kounya was even on the short list of guys that could get promoted here. And the reason why I say that is because a Kounya, he's started to hit in May. He started to come around a little bit but still wasn't elite production. And even now, it has been a lead production. He's been very good in June. Over his last 30 days, his OPS have been over 800. That's great. But even with that, his OPS over the last 30 days has been right around the middle of the pack, has been close to league average. I couldn't find the actual league average OPS in the international league, but the pitching is not good there. Brett Beatty, Homeward tonight off of Aaron Sanchez. You remember Aaron Sanchez? He was once a really good pitcher for the Blue Jays. He's got an ERA over 12 for whatever I feel he is with. I didn't even check. But not very good. So the pitching is not great there. If you think that a Kounya is gonna take what has been a successful month and translate that to big league pitching, you are asking a lot. And I don't think the Mets have gotten to a point as much as everyone might hate Jeff McNeil, where they're not gonna play him. And you're gonna play a glacius against Latina pitching. He has raped. Granted, is he due to come down to earth? Absolutely, he's not gonna hit 400 all year against lefties. But he's worth playing right now and you're not going to just bench McNeil. Yes, you could have slid McNeil to right, played a Kounya in a platoon. But you want Luis in on a Kounya playing every single day right now. You don't want him in a part-time role. That's not good for his development, especially if he's gonna come up and get absolutely blown up by big league pitching, which is what I think is gonna happen because there's a massive gap between big league pitching and triple-eyed pitching. I think the best way to really understand that is look at what Brett Beatty's doing in triple-A. Mentioning Homer again, he's not getting challenged by triple-eyed pitching. That's the problem right now for Beatty. He needs to be in the big leagues to develop. He's at that stage of his career. He's not gaining anything with this swing in triple-A. He's just varsity playing with JV. But Mark Trientos deserves to be in line up every single day. And so that's why I think the Mets made move to not call up Brett Beatty in this spot. Beatty was my prediction, I was wrong. I thought that they would just go with best possible player. What this tells me is they don't love their options for right field and they're not ready to just slide McNeil into right. That's what this tells me. And they're also probably not comfortable with Brett Beatty playing consistently in second base yet. Which is fair, Beatty did make an error today, but it was that third base, funny enough. But I think that was the decision behind this move. It was, we need to get a option for our right field mix. We are very comfortable with the platoon at second with the Glasius and McNeil. I think that's where the Mets are at. I think they are at this stage happy to roll with that platoon until the trade deadline. And then if at that point, Jeff McNeil still hasn't hit, I imagine they're going to shop him by eating down his contract and see if they can find a suitor. And we'll talk about that at some point before the deadline. Or I think they will relegate him to a bench roll where he will be a utility guy that's not gonna play as much and maybe they make a move for a second baseman. Maybe Bret Beatty has played enough at second base that they're comfortable with that. That's a decision for another day. But right now, I think they're fine at second base. They love their situation. A third short first left center. We went here with some betters playing. Right field is the one area where they gotta figure something out until Marte comes back. And I think ultimately the decision was Ben Gamble has hit the best in Triple-A. He's the best option to potentially do that at the big league level because he also has the big league experience. Compared to a guy like Luke Ritter who hasn't played right field and doesn't have big league experience. And this is gonna be a role where Ben Gamble is going to be mixing up time with Taylor with Stewart. I also think there's a role where Ben Gamble is going to win a fourth outfielder job for the Mets if he can keep hitting. The way he has in Triple-A, at least some semblance of that in the big leagues. It could be similar the way Galatius has come up and made himself invaluable as a bench piece on this roster. You might find that Gamble is the guy that should be the fourth out for when Marte comes back. And DJ Stewart who has an option might get sent down because Gamble, he had to be DFA when he's taken off this roster. And if he hits, that might be the decision the Mets make. I like the move and makes a lot of sense. When you're armed with the hindsight, you can kind of see why they put the puzzle together the way they did. I understand why Bay didn't get called up and I absolutely understand why they didn't even consider Akuna, Ritter, I understand not calling him up either. I think it probably was a decision between Thompson and Gamble and with that, not really much of a decision to make their Gamble the clear fit for this club. Another quick note about Syracuse in tonight's game. Brett Beatty, Homer, Mandaneer, told you about that. Akuna, two for five, two strikeouts. Christian Scott made a start, that's worth mentioning. Four innings pitch, four hits allowed, one earned run off a solo Homer. Three walks, three strikeouts, 81 pitches. So he's still stretched out, ready to join a big league rotation whenever he's asked to. Wilkin Ramos, one guy I wanted to talk about, two scoreless innings of relief. He is 23 years old. He had a great start to the season in double A. Last year, he split the year between high A and double A and pitched to a 2-5-0 ERA. This year in double A, 16 games, 21 and a third innings pitched, 20 strikeouts, a 1-2-7 ERA. Got the call to triple A, two scoreless appearances up to this point. So Wilkin Ramos, a name to watch, who could join the Mets bullpen at some point this year. Also, Cole Solcer, pitched a scoreless 9th inning in Syracuse. That tells me that Solcer is not going to be the arm add to the bullpen that the Mets choose to on Wednesday. I would think it's Josh Walker. So just leaving that one last little tidbit in there for you. And we'll see how the Mets fare in the second game of the Subway series. Can they pull off a Subway series sweep and get back to 500? I'll be discussing that game and more on tomorrow's edition of Lockdown Mets. If you were listening on the audio side, make sure you follow rate and review. Wherever you get your podcasts, we're watching on YouTube, hit that subscribe button, trying to make a push to 9,000 subs. So I appreciate all of you who continue to subscribe. 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