New York limps in at 20-26 but is playing better than that record looks, going 5-1 on the homestand that just wrapped before flying south. The catch: they did all of that while watching Clay Holmes fracture his fibula, a 6-to-8 week shutdown that gutted what was already a shorthanded rotation.
Enter Christian Scott. The debut against the Twins was a disaster — 4 outs, 5 walks, immediate ticket back to Syracuse. Senga's back issue forced a recall, and Scott has answered with a 2.79 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 9.2 innings across his last 2 starts. The new toy is a cutter he picked up from Drew Smith during rehab, and he's throwing it 34% of the time. Lefties are 2-for-23 against him with no extra-base damage.
Jake Irvin is the opposite vibe. 1-4 with a 5.91 ERA, walks piling up, can't get past 5 innings without bleeding runs. His last trip out against the Dodgers was a 6-run, 4-inning crater. The Nats are 23-24 and frisky for a rebuild, but Irvin has not been the guy carrying that water.
- Day-To-DayGrae Kessinger 3B — no
- Day-To-DayJoe Jacques RP — The Mets signed Jacques to a minor-league contract Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayKevin Herget RP — Herget signed a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training with the Mets on Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayNick Burdi RP — The Red Sox reinstated Burdi (hip) from the injured list Saturday and optioned him to Triple-A Worcester.
- Day-To-DayJose Rojas 3B — Triple-A Salt Lake placed Rojas on its COVID-19 injured list Sunday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
- 10-Day-ILJorge Polanco 1B — Polanco (Achilles/wrist) was given a platelet-rich plasma injection in mid-April to combat his left Achilles bursitis, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILFrancisco Alvarez C — Alvarez is expected to be sidelined eight weeks after undergoing right meniscus surgery Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILFrancisco Lindor SS — Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Thursday that an MRI on Lindor's left calf showed healing, but there remains no timetable for the shortstop's return, Steve Gelbs of SNY reports.
- Day-To-DayTyler Baum DH — Baum has not pitched this year due an undisclosed injury.
- Day-To-DayTravis Sykora SP — Sykora will undergo a UCL reconstruction on his right elbow in two weeks, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
- Day-To-DayJarlin Susana RP — Susana underwent surgery last week to repair a right lat tear, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
- 15-Day-ILCole Henry RP — Henry (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester this weekend, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILClayton Beeter RP — Beeter (forearm) is ready to begin a rehab assignment, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMax Kranick RP — The Nationals signed Kranick (elbow) to a one-year, $800,000 contract Tuesday and placed him on the 15-day injured list.
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz SP — Herz (elbow) will throw to live hitters Friday at the Nationals' spring training facility in Florida, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Williams SP — Williams (elbow) began pitching off a mound at the Nationals' spring training complex this weekend, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
The injury list on the Mets side is staggering — Lindor, Alvarez, Polanco, Luis Robert Jr., Senga, Holmes, Minter — and they're still the favorite here. That tells you what the market thinks of Irvin and what it thinks of Scott's reinvention.
Pinnacle has the Mets at -137 with the total parked at 10. Reasonable number given Irvin's walk problems and the lefty matchup advantage Scott has been mashing. If the cutter shows up again, Washington is in trouble early.