213 Miles From Shea

The Mets try to avoid the series and season sweep this afternoon with their last game against the Astros this year. Last night was a night to forget for the Mets – the Astros took an early lead and just kept building it from there.

Taijuan Walker looks to put the Mets back on the right path today. Over 12 games and 65 1/3 innings this season he has a 3.03 ERA, 3.11 FIP, 1.209 WHIP and a 133 ERA+. In his last start he allowed three runs from eight hits and two walks over six innings. Before his last start he allowed only two runs over 12 2/3 innings from eight hits and two walks while striking out 19 batters.

• Jose Altuve 11-29, 3 2B, HR, BB
• Michael Brantley 2-8, 2B, K
• Alex Bregman 3-5, K
• Yuli Gurriel 3-5, 2B, HR
• Kyle Tucker 1-2, 2B
• Martin Maldonado 1-1

The Mets bats will get a look at Justin Verlander today. Over 14 starts and 89 1/3 innings, Verlander has a 2.22 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 0.873 WHIP and a 171 ERA+. I don’t put a lot of stock in wins as a stat except for league leaders. Verlander is currently leading the league with 9 wins. Verlander had a rough start on June 18th where he allowed seven runs, four earned over 3 2/3 innings. In his last start against the Yankees he allowed only one run over seven innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Verlander:

• Francisco Lindor 10-32, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 BB, 4 K
• Eduardo Escobar 2-18, BB, 6 K
• Mark Canha 5-14, 2B, HR, BB, 4 K
• Starling Marte 3-9, 2B, 3B, BB, 2 K
• Ender Inciarte 2-4, 2 K
• James McCann 1-3, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-2, K

Let’s Go Mets!

Last week the Astros became the only team this season to sweep the Mets. Tonight the Mets can take their revenge as they open up home two-game set against Houston.

Carlos Carrasco will make his 15th start of the season today. So far he has pitched 77 1/3 innings with a 4.42 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 1.293 WHIP and a 91 ERA+. He is coming off of a rough start against Houston where he allowed five runs from four hits and two walks over 2 1/3 innings and left early with an injury scare. This was one of the lower points of the Mets season – it seemed like the injury news for the Mets was starting to get insurmountable.

Carrasco avoided a major injury and he’s back to pitch in New York tonight. He has been significantly better at home. In his seven home starts he has a 3.00 ERA and a 1.238 WHIP. In his seven away starts he has a 6.11 ERA and a 1.359 WHIP. The difference – the home run ball. He has allowed only two homers at home but has allowed seven on the road, three of them in Houston during his last start. The Astros have the following numbers against him:

• Jose Altuve 10-27, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Alex Bregman 4-15, HR, 5 K
• Yuli Gurriel 5-13, 2 2B, 3 K
• Michael Brantley 2-5, 2B
• Martin Maldonado 0-3, 2 K
• Yordan Álvarez 2-2, 2 HR

The Mets bats will get a look at Framber Valdez today. Over his first 14 games and 87 innings of work, he has a 2.90 ERA, 3.39 FIP, 1.126 WHIP and a 131 ERA+. He has been a bit more human in his last three starts, tossing a total of 18 innings allowing 10 runs, 8 earned, which translates into a 4.00 ERA. In that stretch he has allowed 14 hits and six walks while striking out 20. Very few Mets have seen him in an official game before:

• Mark Canha 3-9, 2 BB
• Starling Marte 1-8, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 0-1
• James McCann 0-1, K

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for the sweep today!

The Mets took a 3-0 lead early against the Marlins. The Marlins were able to tie it with a two-run homer and than later a solo homer. In the 8th inning Pete Alonso hit his second homer of the game to give the Mets lead and eventually the win.

David Peterson gets the start for the Mets today on the Peacock game of the week. Peacock games can only be seen with a subscription service, no matter if you in market or not. Peacock is also the reason why games on the east coast on Sundays have to start 1:35 or later, and can no longer start at 1:05/1:10. Anyway, for me personally, I think having games on Peacock is a terrible way to grow the sport.

Back to the game! Peterson has pitched 10 games, starting eight this season while tossing 45 1/3 innings. He has a 3.18 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.346 WHIP and a 127 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start against the Marlins where he allowed no runs over 5 1/3 innings, scattering six hits and two walks. He also hit a season high for strikeouts (7). The Marlins have the following numbers against Peterson:

• Jon Berti 1-6, K
• Luke Williams 1-4, K
• Jesus Aguilar 1-3
• Garrett Cooper 0-3, K
• Miguel Rojas 2-3
• Jorge Soler 1-3, K
• Jacob Stallings 1-2, BB, K
• Bryan De La Cruz 0-2, 2 K

The Mets bats will get a look at Daniel Castano this afternoon. Over five games, two starts, this season, Castano has pitched 14.0 innings with a 2.57 ERA, 4.19 FIP, 1.571 WHIP and a 164 ERA+. In his career since 2020, he’s pitched in a total of 17 games (12 starts) with 64 innings pitched posting a 3.52 ERA, 4.78 FIP, 1.453 WHIP and a 125 ERA+.

Castano’s last two outings were his only starts of the season. Against the Phillies he did great – no runs over 6 2/3 innings from five hits and 2 walks. Last time out he allowed four runs from seven hits and three walks over 3 1/3 innings against the Rockies. The Mets have the following career numbers against Castano:

• Pete Alonso 1-4, HR, 2 BB
• J.D. Davis 3-5, 2B
• Jeff McNeil 1-4, BB, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-5, K
• Dominic Smith 2-4, 2B, K
• Francisco Lindor 0-2, K

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets exorcised their demons last night and were able to beat Alcantara a week after he rolled through the Mets. For a while yesterday the Mets and Marlins were locked into a back and forth affair with the Mets taking the lead and the Marlins coming back to tie it. Francisco Lindor broke the game open with the a bases clearing double and the Mets were able to hold onto to the lead from there.

Now the Mets go for the series victory today with Chis Bassitt on the mound. Over 14 games and 82 2/3 innings, Bassitt has a 4.03 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.173 WHIP and a 99 ERA+. Bassitt’s line from his last start (6 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 3 earned runs- against the Marlins) doesn’t actually tell the whole story. Bassitt was pulled from the game in the 7th inning with the bases loaded. The pitcher who came in to relieve him promptly gave up a grand slam to a player (Jerar Encarnacion) making his major league debut. All three runs from Bassitt came from that swing. Before that moment, where Bassitt didn’t have direct control of the outcome, he had completed 14 innings of scoreless baseball from his last two starts. Here’s hoping he continues to build on that in Miami today!

The Marlins have the following career numbers against Bassitt:

• Avisail Garcia 0-6
• Jorge Soler 1-5, HR
• Willians Astudillo 0-3
• Jon Berti 0-2, BB, 2 K
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. 1-3, 2 K
• Bryan De La Cruz 1-2, BB, K
• Miguel Rojas 2-3
• Jacob Stallings 1-3, 2 K

The Mets bats get another look at Trevor Rogers! Rogers has made 13 starts and pitched 58 2/3 innings with a 5.83 ERA, 4.89 FIP, 1.619 WHIP and a 71 ERA+. Since May 20th Rogers has made six starts totaling 26 1/3 innings where he has allowed 23 runs from 33 hits and 17 walks. This translates into a 7.52 ERA and 6.20 FIP with hitters slashing .303/.391/.560. His last start was against the Mets where he allowed four runs, three earned, over five innings from five hits and two walks.

The Mets have the following career numbers against Rogers:

• Pete Alonso 0-12, 6 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-10, 2 2B, 2 BB, K
• Jeff McNeil 3-9, 3 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-7, K
• Dominic Smith 2-4, 2 BB, 2 K
• Eduardo Escobar 0-4, 2 K
• J.D. Davis 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K
• Mark Canha 0-2, BB, K
• Starling Marte 1-3, K

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to bounce back tonight after dropping two games to Houston as they start a new series in Miami. Thursday was a rough day for the Mets as they took a loss and Carlos Carrasco had to leave the game early with an injury. But it’s a new day and the Mets finally play in Miami for the first time in 2022. Many eyes are on Sunday – the possible return of Max Scherzer – but in the meantime we’ll focus on tonight and Taijuan Walker’s turn to pitch.

Walker has made 11 starts tossing 59 1/3 innings this year with a 2.88 ERA, 3.17 FIP, 1.163 WHIP and a 3.17 FIP. In his last two starts he has allowed two runs from eight hits over 12 2/3 innings while striking out an astounding 19 batters. No other two game stretch this season even comes close to that mark. For context, 19 of his 44 K’s on the season have happened in his last two starts.

Walker’s last start was against the Marlins where he allowed one run on two hits over 6 2/3 innings while striking out 19 batters. The Marlins have the following career numbers against Walker:

• Miguel Rojas 2-16, 2B, 4 K
• Avisail Garcia 2-12, 2B, 6 K
• Brian Anderson 3-10, 3 K
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. 2-7, 2 2B, 4 BB, 2 K
• Bryan De La Cruz 4-10, 2 K
• Jon Berti 2-4, K
• Garrett Cooper 0-3, 2 K
• Jorge Soler 0-3, K

The Mets bats will get the Sandy Alcantara game out of the way early this series. Over 14 starts and 99 1/3 innings (league leading), Sandy has a 1.72 ERA (league leading), 2.84 FIP, 0.956 WHIP and a 241 ERA+ (league leading). He is also leading the league with 6.1 hits per nine innings.

The Mets know all of this well because they just faced him last week. Last week he allowed two runs from six hits over eight innings. In four starts in June, seven innings has been his shortest outing. You have to go all the way back to May 6th to find an outing where he didn’t pitch at least seven innings. Since May 11th he has pitched 63 2/3 innings over eight starts with a 0.99 ERA. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Jeff McNeil 8-25, 2B, HR, 3 BB, K
• Pete Alonso 4-21, 3 2B, HR, BB, 6 K
• Brandon Nimmo 2-20, 2B, 3 BB, 5 K
• Francisco Lindor 5-16, 2B, BB, K
• Eduardo Escobar 1-12, K
• Dominic Smith 1-11, K
• J.D. Davis 4-10, 2 2B
• Starling Marte 1-7, 3B, 3 K

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to avoid being swept in a two game set today as they take on the Astros for a Wednesday afternoon game.

The Astros hit some bombs last night to take an early 3-0 lead against the Mets. The Mets immediately loaded the bases in response but couldn’t get any runs across. The Astros returned the favor loading the bases and hitting a bases clearing double – at that point the Mets were behind by 6-0 and eventually lost 8-2.

Carlos Carrasco looks to put the Mets back on the right path this afternoon. Over 13 games and 75 innings he has a 3.96 ERA, 3.01 FIP, 1.253 WHIP and a 101 ERA+. His last time out he allowed three runs from eight hits and two walks over 6 1/3 innings against the Marlins. His last two starts combined haven’t been the greatest – eight runs from 17 hits over 11 innings but before that he allowed only two runs over 12 innings. The Astros have the following career numbers against Carrasco:

• Jose Altuve 10-26, HR, BB, 2 K
• Alex Bregman 3-13, 5 K
• Yuli Gurriel 5-12, 2 2B, 2 K
• Michael Brantley 1-3

Luis Garcia gets the start for the Astros today. He’s tossed 66 innings over 12 starts this year with a 3.41 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 1.030 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. Luis is coming off of a strong start against the Rangers where he allowed two runs, only one earned, from four hits and no walks over six innings while striking out nine batters. This was a good bounce back from his previous start where he allowed five runs from five hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings against the Marlins. There is only member of the current New York Mets who has seen Garcia in a major league game – Mark Canha. Canha is 2-4 with ahomer and a walk against Garcia.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets took the series from the Marlins yesterday and now head to Houston the play the Astros in a two game set (and then the Marlins again, then the Astros again, what a schedule!)

The Astros sit on top of the AL West at 41-25, going 5-5 over their last ten games with a +53 run differential. They are one of two teams in the AL West with a positive run differential. The Astros are also only 8-7 this season against teams above .500 (and have only played 15 games against teams above .500. For comparison the Mets are 25-15, which is 40 games).

Trevor Williams steps back into the rotation for the Mets. He’s pitched in 12 games and made five starts for the Mets totaling 35 2/3 innings with a 3.53 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 1.262 WHIP and a 113 ERA+. As a starter only he has tossed 20 innings with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.300 WHIP. Since May 25th he has pitched 16 2/3 innings allowing only three runs from 14 hits and six walks (1.62 ERA, 3.07 FIP) while striking out 16 batters. The Astros have the following numbers against Williams:

• Michael Brantley 1-6
• Niko Goodrum 1-6, 2B, K
• Jose Altuve 1-3, 2B, K
• Yordan Álvarez 0-3, K
• Alex Bregman 2-3, 2B, HR
• Yuli Gurriel 2-3, HR

The Mets bats will get a look at José Urquidy tonight. Over 12 games and 61 1/3 innings this season, Urquidy has a 4.99 ERA, 4.82 FIP, 1.516 WHIP and a 76 ERA+. In his last four starts he has tossed 21 innings, allowing 17 runs, 15 earned, from 29 hits and 7 walks. That’s a 6.43 ERA and 5.75 FIP with opponents slashing .319/.366/.571. Very few Mets have faced Urquidy in a major league game before:

• Mark Canha 4-11, 2B, 3B, BB, 2 K
• Eduardo Escobar 1-3
• Francisco Lindor 2-3, 2B

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for the series victory this afternoon while the Marlins go for a series split! The Mets and Marlins were locked in a pitcher’s duel for most of the afternoon yesterday. The Mets squeaked out a run in the bottom of the sixth and then disaster struck. Bassitt went back out to the mound in the 7th and loaded the bases. Lugo came in and promptly gave up a go-ahead homer. The Mets would score a few more times in the later innings but it wasn’t enough to beat the Marlins.

Now the Mets turn to David Peterson to lock down the series finale. Peterson has pitched in nine games, making seven starts this season tossing 40 innings. He has a 3.60 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 1.325 WHIP and a 112 ERA+. He’s coming off of a rough start against the Brewers where he allowed four runs over four innings from six hits and two walks. Prior to that in June he allowed only two earned runs over 6 1/3 innings from five hits and five walks. Very few Marlins have seen Peterson in a major league game:

• Jon Berti 0-3
• Brian Anderson 1-2, K
• Luke Williams 0-2
• Jesus Aguilar 1-3 (On the IL)

The Mets bats draw Trevor Rogers who is in the midst of a tough season after last year’s All-Star year. Last season over 25 starts and 133 innings, Rogers had a 2.64 ERA, 2.55 FIP, 1.150 WHIP and a 158 ERA+. This season (12 starts, 53 2/3 innings) he has a 5.87 ERA, 5.22 FIP, 1.640 WHIP and a 70 ERA+. His homers per nine inning has ballooned from 0.4 last year to 1.5 this year. On a smaller scale, in the month of June he has allowed 11 runs from 16 hits and 12 walks over 12 1/3 innings (8.03 ERA, 6.70 FIP).

Last season Rogers was very effective against the Mets. In April he shut the Mets out over six innings, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out 10. He didn’t face the Mets again until the end of September where he held the Mets to one run from three hits and no walks over five innings while striking out 6. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-10, 4 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-7, 2 2B, 2 BB,2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-7, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Francisco Lindor 0-4, K
• Luis Guillorme 1-3, BB, 2 K
• Eduardo Escobar 0-3, K
• J.D. Davis 0-1, BB, K

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to secure the series win against the Marlins today as they play the third game in the four game set in Queens! Yesterday Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil gave the Mets an early 3-0 lead and the Mets held on to win 3-2. Meanwhile the Braves, who got within 4.5 games of the Mets, lost again pushing them back to 6.5 games behind the Mets.

Chris Bassitt gets the start for the Mets today. He’s pitched 76 1/3 innings over 13 starts this year with a 4.01 ERA, 4.03 FIP, 1.179 WHIP and a 100 ERA+. Between May 19th and June 8th, Bassitt had a terrible set of games where he allowed 24 runs, 23 earned, over 26 innings from 32 hits and 11 walks. He had a stellar rebound his last time out against the Brewers, shutting them out over eight innings while scattering three hits and a walk. Very few Marlins have seen Bassitt in a major league game:

• Jorge Soler 1-5, HR
• Joey Wendle 1-4, 2B, BB
• Wilians Astudillo 0-3
• Avisail Garcia 0-3

The Mets bats have their toughest assignment of the series this afternoon against Sandy Alcantara. Sandy has pitched 91 1/3 innings (league leading) over 13 starts with a 1.68 ERA, 2.96FIP, 0.964 WHIP and a 246 ERA+ (league leading). He is also leading the leading the league in hits per nine innings at 6. Since May 11th, he has made seven starts, pitching 55 2/3 innings, with a 0.81 ERA. He allowed two runs over 7 2/3 innings in his last start. That was the first time since May 6th he allowed two or more earned runs in a start. Last year he made two starts against the Mets, allowing five runs from 12 hits and a walk over 15 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Jeff McNeil 7-23, HR, 2 BB
• Pete Alonso 3-18, 2 2B, HR, BB, 6 K
• Brandon Nimmo 2-16, 2B, 3 BB, 5 K
• Francisco Lindor 4-12, 2B, BB< K
• J.D. Davis 4-10, 2 2B
• Eduardo Escobar 1-9, K
• Starling Marte 0-3, K

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets made a strong statement last night, beating the Marlins 10-4 in their first game against each other this season. Francisco Lindor got the runs started early for the Mets with a three-run bomb in the first inning. The sixth inning was one of the strangest the Mets have played all season. Guillorme hit a ball 401-ft deep to center that the Marlins trapped against the wall. The initial ruling was a catch causing a triple play. When reviewed it turned into a single, denying the Mets a run. The Mets would go on to score seven runs in the inning anyway, capped off by a grand slam by Pete Alonso.

Now the Mets look to keep the good vibes in Queens going with Taijuan Walker on the mound. Over his first ten starts and 52 2/3 innings of work this year, Walker has a 3.08 ERA, 3.46 FIP, 1.253 WHIP and a 131 ERA+. Walker is coming off of his first double digit strikeout game of the season. Last time out he allowed one run from six hits and a walk over six innings against the Angels while striking out 10.

Walker pitched in four games, three starts, against the Marlins last season totaling 23 2/3 innings with a 4.18 ERA. He allowed 11 runs from 21 hits and seven walks while striking out 19 batters. The Marlins have the following career numbers against Walker:

• Miguel Rojas 2-14, 2B, 2 K
• Brian Anderson 3-10, 3 K
• Jesus Aguilar 2-8, 2B, BB, K
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. 2-5, 2 2B, 3 BB, K
• Bryan De La Cruz 4-8, 2 K
• Jesus Sanchez 1-6, 2 K
• Jon Berti 1-1

The Marlins sound out their first pick of the 2016 draft, Braxton Garrett! In two starts this season Garrett has allowed five runs, four earned, from 11 hits and a two walks over nine innings while striking out 10 batters. In the minors this season he has made six starts, totaling 28 2/3 innings with a 3.45 ERA and 1.081 WHIP.

Last season he pitched in eight games (seven starts) pitching 34 innings with a 5.03 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 1.824 WHIP and an 84 ERA+. This includes a start against the Mets where he allowed no runs from five hits and four walks over five innings, in a game the Marlins eventually won 4-2. The only current Mets on the roster who have seen Garrett are Pete Alonso (0-1, 2 BB) and J.D. Davis (0-2, BB, 2 K). For what it’s worth, Dominic Smith has two hits against Garrett in three trips to the plate.

Let’s Go Mets!