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The Mets absolutely teed off on Matt Harvey and the Orioles on Wednesday in Baltimore. The day after Pete Alonso had his first multi-homer game of the season, Billy McKinney and Kevin Pillar joined in with two homers themselves. Facing an old familiar face in Harvey, Alonso got things started with a two-run homer in the first inning following a walk by Francisco Lindor. Pillar took Harvey deep in the third inning with two runners on to put the Mets up 7-1. That would end the day for Harvey, but the Mets weren't going to stop there.
McKinney launched his sixth homer with a solo shot to right field off of Adam Plutko. Pillar and Mason Williams hit back-to-back jacks in the eighth before McKinney blasted one more over the right-field wall in the ninth to make it a 14-1 game. The Mets totaled 16 hits on the day including ten that went for extra bases. Six of the Mets' hitters reached base more than once on Wednesday, with the exception of Dominic Smith and Jose Peraza, who combined to go 0-for-9.
It wasn't all good news for the Mets on Wednesday. Carlos Carrasco is taking a step back from his rehab, no longer throwing off the slope of a mound as he needs to continue to build up strength in his hamstring before ramping things back up. Unfortunately, it's still going to be a while before we see Carrasco on the field. Depending on your team situation, it might be time to cut ties with the 34-year-old right-hander.
Starting Pitchers with an EDGE
Taijuan Walker - 7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 37% CSW vs Orioles
Walker had one of his best outings of the season, striking out nine batters over seven innings to earn his fifth win of the season. The only run against Walker came in the first inning on a base hit by Ryan Mountcastle. The 28-year-old right-hander settled in for six more scoreless innings while striking out nine batters to drop his ERA to 2.07 on the season with a 1.03 WHIP and 60 strikeouts over 61 innings. He'll take on the Cubs in New York his next time out.
Lance Lynn - 7 IP, 4 H, 1ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 26% CSW
Lynn was fired up after getting Teoscar Hernandez to strike out swinging to end the sixth inning. Rightfully so, the 34-year-old right-hander was excellent on Wednesday against the Blue Jays. The only run against Lynn came in the second inning on a solo home run by Randal Grichuk. Lynn tossed 64-of-95 pitches for strikes, not issuing a free pass while striking out nine. He's been outstanding for the White Sox this season with a 1.23 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 72 strikeouts over 65 2/3 innings. Lynn is set to take on the Rays in Chicago next week.
Hitters with an EDGE
Tyler O'Neill -- 3-for-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI vs Cleveland
O'Neill has been on fire at the plate, hitting .319 with ten homers since May 1. He added two of those home runs on Wednesday against Cleveland. O'Neill launched a two-run shot off of Phil Maton in the third inning and later added a solo bomb off of Trevor Stephan in the seventh. For the year, the 25-year-old is slashing .291/.325/.649 with 15 homers and five stolen bases. A high strikeout rate (34 percent) and low walk rate (3.1 percent) suggest he won't sustain this level of success all season, but ride this hot steak while it lasts.
Giancarlo Stanton -- 3-for-5, 2 HR, 2B, 2 R, 5 RBI vs Minnesota
Stanton had a big day at the plate against the Twins on Wednesday, hitting two homers and a double for ten total bases. He smoked a 118.3 mile per hour double off of Randy Dobnak in the first inning, then a 113.6 mile per hour blast in the third with two runners on. Stanton got to Dobnak once again in the fifth with his second homer of the game. This one only left the bat at 108.5 miles per hour. Stanton is up to 11 homers on the season, surpassing his total of seven over the last two seasons combined as he's been limited by injuries.
Priority Pickup
Amed Rosario - SS, Cleveland (available in 76 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Rosario is coming around at the dish after hitting just .179 in April. Since May 1, the 25-year-old shortstop has a .303 batting average with two home runs and five stolen bases. Rosario was once a highly-touted prospect who showed improvements year-over-year heading into the 2020 season after posting a .287/.323/.432 triple-slash with 15 home runs and 19 stolen bases for the Mets in 2019. This year, he's displayed a career-low chase rate at 31.3 percent, leading to more walks. Rosario also has a career-high 41 percent hard-hit rate. The recent success has him playing every day and hitting second in the lineup for Cleveland. Double-digit home runs and stolen base threats that could hit for a good average have a place in most mixed-league formats.
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Closing Time
Craig Kimbrel locked down his 15th save of the season Wednesday afternoon in a 3-1 win over the Padres. He tossed a scoreless inning with no hits or walks allowed on just 12 pitches, lowering his ERA to 0.72 on the year.
Daniel Bard walked one batter with one strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning against the Marlins to record his eighth save of the season. He's pitched much better of late, lowering his ERA to 3.60 on the year.
Tanner Rainey recorded his first save of the season for the Nationals on Wednesday in the 11th inning against the Rays. He walked one and struck out two hitters in a scoreless inning. Rainey holds a 9.35 ERA on the year.
Cristian Javier pitched the final four innings for the Astros on Wednesday against the Red Sox. He struck out three batters and allowed one hit and no runs to record his first save.
Kenley Jansen locked down the four-out save on Wednesday against the Pirates, striking out one batter and walking another. Jansen has 14 saves on the season with a 1.75 ERA.
Matchup of the Day
Ian Anderson (4-3, 3.64) vs. Zack Wheeler (4-3, 2.51)
Anderson and Wheeler go into this one looking to earn their fifth win of the season as the Braves and Phillies play the final match of a three-game series in Philadelphia. Anderson hasn't quite been able to match the same level of success he had in his rookie 2020 campaign, as he's continued to struggle with walks while allowing plenty of hard contact. Regardless, he's been solid, with a 3.64 ERA and 65 strikeouts over 59 1/3 innings. Meanwhile, Wheeler has taken his game to another level, striking out 100 batters over 82 1/3 innings and walking just 5.6 percent of batters for an elite 25.7 percent K-BB rate, one of the better indicators of a pitcher's skill.
American League Quick Hits: Alex Verdugo was out of the Red Sox lineup on Wednesday with a minor back issue ... Joey Gallo missed Wednesday's game against the Giants with groin tightness ... Nelson Cruz returned to the Twins' lineup on Wednesday ... Brandon Lowe went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts against the Nationals ... The Rangers placed Ian Kennedy on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain ... Alejandro Kirk took at-bats in an extended spring training game ... Luis Arraez took batting practice on the field prior to Wednesday's game against the Yankees ... Matt Harvey surrendered seven runs over three innings against the Mets on Wednesday ... The Astros placed Joe Smith on the 10-day injured list with right elbow soreness ... Brandon Bielak was recalled from Triple-A ... Ji-Man Choi could be activated from the injured list on Sunday ... Harold Castro was scratched from the Tigers lineup with a hand injury ... Derek Hill was diagnosed with a right shoulder sprain after crashing into the outfield wall making a catch ... The Twins signed Erik Manoah, brother of Alek Manoah, to a minor league contract on Wednesday ... Kyle Garlick was placed on the injured list with a sports hernia.
National League Quick Hits: Trevor Story could return to the active roster for the Rockies on Thursday ... Sonny Gray was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain ... Max Muncy was out of the lineup on Wednesday as he manages an ankle injury ... Didi Gregorius began a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday ... Mike Yastrzemski is on track to return from the injured list this weekend ... Stephen Strasburg has yet to resume throwing ... Travis Shaw will be placed on the injured list with a dislocated shoulder ... Yadier Molina was back in the Cardinals' starting lineup on Wednesday ... Colin Moran left Wednesday's game against the Dodgers after he was hit by a pitch ... The Marlins placed Garrett Cooper on the 10-day injured list with a lumbar strain ... Lewin Diaz was recalled from Triple-A ... Tony Gonsolin was activated from the injured list and started Wednesday's game against the Pirates ... Yoshi Tsutsugo was placed on the injured list with a right calf strain ... The Giants placed Alex Dickerson on the 10-day injured list with a back strain ... Jeff Hoffman is expected to start a rehab assignment later this month ... Jimmie Sherfy was activated from the injured list by the Giants ... Scott Alexander was transferred to the 60-day injured list ... Steven Brault has progressed to throwing off a mound ... Matt Adams was placed on the 10-day injured list with an elbow injury ... Connor Joe was recalled from Triple-A ... Matthew Peacock was removed from Wednesday's start against the A's with a hand injury.