New York Mets

          Morning Briefing: First place by midnight?

          NEW YORK --

          FIRST PITCH: The New York Mets could be back in first place by the end of the evening, albeit not in terms of winning percentage.

          The Amazin’s picked up a game on the Washington Nationals on Tuesday and now only trail the NL East leaders by one game.

          Bartolo Colon (9-9, 4.60 ERA) opposes San Diego Padres right-hander Tyson Ross (6-8, 3.45) on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field.

          WEDNESDAY’S NEWS REPORTS:

          • Noah Syndergaard retired the first 18 batters he faced and Lucas Duda launched a two-run homer in the first inning against James Shields as the Mets beat the Padres, 4-0, on Tuesday. Syndergaard (5-5, 2.70 ERA) limited San Diego to three hits in eight scoreless innings. He faced runners on the corners with none out in the seventh, but ultimately coaxed an inning-ending double play off the bat of Justin Upton to keep the Padres off the scoreboard. Manager Terry Collins said he would have pulled Syndergaard at 110 pitches, even if he was still working on a perfect game. Curtis Granderson added a two-run homer in the eighth against reliever Shawn Kelly. Tyler Clippard made his Mets debut with a scoreless ninth. Duda’s homer measured 462 feet. It marks the longest by a Met in Citi Field history, surpassing a 459-foot shot by Carlos Beltran on June 18, 2011, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Read game recaps in the Post, Daily News, Times, Journal, Newsday, Record and at NJ.com and MLB.com.

          • Only 21 days after he returned from a PED suspension, Jenrry Mejia has tested positive again and been suspended. This time, MLB handed Mejia a 162-game ban. General manager Sandy Alderson said the Clippard acquisition was all but complete when the Mets received word Monday of Mejia’s impending suspension. Read more in the Post, Daily News, Journal, Times, Newsday, Record and at NJ.com and MLB.com.

          • After joining the Mets on Tuesday, Clippard described the Nationals, his longtime team, as “beatable.” Clippard also reminisced about his first tour of duty in New York with the Yankees, which included making his major league debut at Shea Stadium and surrendering a homer to David Wright. Read more in Newsday and at NJ.com and MLB.com

          • Wright began full baseball activity at Citi Field on Tuesday after completing his rehab for spinal stenosis in Los Angeles. Collins said Wright could be in minor league games in a week. Read more in the Post, Newsday and at NJ.com and MLB.com.

          • The Nats acquired closer Jonathan Papelbon from the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday and guaranteed his contract through 2016. Read more in the Post.

          • Alderson said his conversations with the Colorado Rockies about Troy Tulowitzki qualified as more than a cursory inquiry. The GM nonetheless said he was surprised when Tulowitzki was traded late Monday to the Toronto Blue Jays in a deal that sent Jose Reyes to Denver. Read more in the Journal and Newsday.

          • The Mets did not inquire about Reyes as a Blue Jay and do not intend to pursue him now that he is with Colorado, columnist Joel Sherman writes in the Post.

          • Steven Matz will refrain from tossing a baseball for at least another week after being examined by team doctors on Monday.

          • In order to clear roster spots for the addition of Clippard and the return of Jonathon Niese from paternity leave, Logan Verrett was demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas and Mejia was placed on the restricted list.

          • Travis d'Arnaud caught a full game for Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday for the first time since beginning a rehab assignment. He went 1-for-4. D’Arnaud now has 15 at-bats under his belt during his rehab assignment. He is expected back for Friday’s series opener against the Nats.

          • Futures Game participant Brandon Nimmo earned a promotion from Binghamton to Triple-A Las Vegas. Nimmo missed a month earlier this season with an ACL sprain in his left knee. "When you’ve got knee problems, that's going to affect you because you can't use your lower half the way that you're supposed to, and he's still afraid a little bit," B-Mets hitting coach Luis Natera told Lynn Worthy in the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. "You can see it when he's running, too. He's not the same runner, even in the outfield. You don't see the same jump because the knee is not 100 percent. No doubt, that will affect his power a little bit. At least now, maybe because of that, he uses his hands much better."

          • Dillon Gee tossed a 99-pitch complete game and Brandon Nimmo went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base in his Triple-A debut as Las Vegas routed Sacramento, 14-2. Michael Fulmer tossed six scoreless innings and Binghamton blanked New Britain, 3-0. Knuckleballer Mickey Jannis earned his first Florida State League win as St. Lucie beat Daytona, 8-4. Michael Katz, a ninth-round pick in 2014 out of William & Mary, homered for a fourth straight game as Savannah beat Greensboro, 8-6. Dash Winningham produced a grand slam, but Kingsport lost at Pulaski, 14-9. Brooklyn suffered a walk-off 4-3 loss to Hudson Valley in 10 innings when the umpire ruled catcher Brandon Brosher had illegally blocked the plate on the would-be final out of the frame.

          • Columnist Anthony Rieber in Newsday believes the Mets should dump Mejia.

          • Ex-Met Justin Turner was dispatched to the emergency room Tuesday after an infection that first surfaced at Citi Field worsened. Read more in the Los Angeles Times.

          • From the bloggers … Faith and Fear confronts the period when the most nonsensical of trades are one phone call from making all the sense in the world. … Mets Report advocates cutting ties with Mejia.

          BIRTHDAYS: Felix Mantilla was born on this date in 1934.

          TWEET OF THE DAY:

          YOU’RE UP: Should the Mets dump Mejia?