213 Miles From Shea

The Mets played well against the Dodgers the last two days, but the bullpen couldn’t hold it together yesterday, and the offense gave the team 0 breathing room as they fell 3-2. Now the Mets find themselves 4.0 games back in the wild card race, where they were a week ago. Over the course of two day last week, the Mets went from 4.0 games out to 2.0 games out so it can happen again, they need to pretty much win the rest of the way out. Which is easier said than done. Luckily, for the first time in forever, the Mets schedule gets a tick easier as they head into Colorado.

Steven Matz is 10-8 over 29 games and 27 starts over 145.1 innings with a 3.84 ERA, 4.41 FIP, 1.314 WHIP and 106 ERA+. He’s coming off a great start against the Diamondbacks where he held them scoreless over 6.0 innings from 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7. In his last 7 starts he has allowed 11 runs, 9 earned over 41.2 innings, a 1.94 ERA with opponents batting .213/.282/.361 against him. Matz faced the Rockies back on June 8th and he allowed 3 runs, 2 earned over 6.0 innings while striking out 10. The Rockies have the following numbers against him:

• Charlie Blackmon 9-16, 2 2B, BB, 2 K
• Nolan Arenado 6-16, 2B, 4 HR, BB, 3 K
• Daniel Murphy 5-15, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Trevor Story 5-13, 2 2B, BB, 5 K
• Ian Desmond 2-8, 2 BB, K

The Mets bats draw Antonio Senzatela for the series opener. On the season eh is 9-10 over 22 games and 108.2 innings with a 6.87 ERA, 5.36 FIP, 1.748 WHIP and 77 ERA+. After 6 consecutive starts (dating back to July 5th) of struggles (20.2 innings, 38 runs, 16.55 ERA, opponents slashing .423/.473/.660), Antonio had a strong start last time out allowing only 1 run over 6.0 innings from 4 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts. He had almost the same line against the Mets in June, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks in 6.0 innings work, just with no strikeouts. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Joe Panik 9-21, 2 2B, 2 HR
• Michael Conforto 2-4, HR, K
• Pete Alonso 0-3
• Robinson Cano 0-3
• Jed Lowrie 0-2, BB, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 0-3
• Wilson Ramos 0-3
• Amed Rosario 1-3, 2B

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets have the Sunday night game again, this time as they try to take the series from the Dodgers. Yesterday played out exactly as advertised as Ryu and deGrom had a classic pitcher’s duel. The game was scoreless in the 8th inning as Rajai Davis, (RAJAI DAVIS!) hit a bases clearing double putting the Mets in the lead. The move was controversial because putting Davis in the game meant taking Seth Lugo out but Justin Wilson pitched a stress free 9th inning! The Mets just need to do it one more time.

Zack Wheeler looks to keep the ball rolling. He is 11-7 over 28 games and 173.1 innings with a 4.21 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 1.310 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. In Wheeler’s last three starts he has allowed 3 runs off 21 hits and 7 walks in 18.0 innings, a 1.50 ERA. Opponents are hitting .300/.359/.343 against him so if the only three runs allowed doesn’t vibe with a feeling of a lot of runners on base – you know why now. The Dodgers have the following numbers against Wheeler:

• Jedd Gyorko 1-9, 5 K
• Cody Bellinger 4-8, 4 HR, 3 K
• Joc Pederson 0-6, 2 BB, 4 K
• Justin Turner 4-8, HR, K
• Enrique Hernandez 1-6, BB
• Max Muncy 1-4, HR, 2 BB, K
• Corey Seager 1-2
• Chris Taylor 1-2, K

The Mets bats will try to score early against Walker Buehler who is 13-3 over 27 starts / 166.1 innings with a 3.14 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 1.016 WHIP and 131 ERA+. If you look at all of Buehler’s starts, he’s good for about one terrible start a month. He already has terrible start on September 2nd where he allowed 6 runs over 5.0 innings against the Rockies and bounced back against the Orioles last week, shutting them out over 7.0 innings. His bad start in May was against the Mets where he allowed 5 runs over 5.0 innings from 7 hits and a walk. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Joe Panik 2-7, 2B, K
• Pete Alonso 2-3, 2 HR
• Michael Conforto 0-2, BB, K
• Robinson Cano 0-2, BB, K
• Wilson Ramos 0-3, K
• Amed Rosario 0-3
• J.D. Davis 0-2, 2 K
• Todd Frazier 1-2

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets try to bounce back tonight in a match-up that baseball writers for CyYoung Awards dream about: Hyun-Jin Ryu vs Jacob deGrom. There was a period of time starting in mid-April to about mid May when Jacob struggled, outside of that he has been Jacob deGrom this year. It looked like for a while Ryu was going to run away with the Cy Young but injuries cost him a few starts, how will the writers handle that?

Jacob deGrom is 9-8 over 29 starts and 183.0 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 2.84 FIP, 1.027 WHIP and 151 ERA+. He currently leads the league in strikeouts at 231. After a below average start against the Nationals where he was tagged with 4 runs over 7.0+ innings of work, he bounced back in his next start shutting the Diamondbacks down over 7.0 innings allowing 1 run off 3 hits and a walk while striking out 11. Since May 22nd he has a 2.20 ERA over 131.0 innings. This includes a start against the Dodgers where he allowed 2 runs over 5.0 innings from 7 hits and 1 walk. The Dodgers have the following numbers against him:

• Justin Turner 7-28, 3 2B, 3 K
• Joc Pederson 5-20, 2B, 6 BB, 5 K
• Corey Seager 6-17, 3 2B, BB, 5 K
• Cody Bellinger 2-11, 3B, HR, 5 K
• Jedd Gyorko 3-9, HR, K
• Max Muncy 2-7, 2 BB

The Mets bats have to face Ryu who is 12-5 over 26 starts and 161.2 innings with a 2.45 ERA (league leading), 3.18 FIP, 1.058 WHIP and a 168 ERA+. He is in the midst of a bad stretch allowing 17 runs over 13.1 innings (three starts) which translates into an 11.48 ERA. Opponents have knocked 25 hits against him during this time and are hitting .391/.451/.641 against him. He was tremendous against the Mets back in May holding them to no runs over 7.2 innings, scattering 4 hits and a walk, lowering his ERA to 1.48. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Todd Frazier 1-13, 2B, 2 BB, 6 K
• Joe Panik 4-12, 2B
• Michael Conforto 1-9, 4 K
• Amed Rosario 1-9, 2 K
• Juan Lagares 2-7, HR, K
• Rene Rivera 0-7, 2 K
• Pete Alonso 1-3, 2B, K
• J.D. Davis 0-3, K
• Jeff McNeil 1-3, 2B
• Brandon Nimmo 2-3, K
• Rajai Davis 2-2

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets did it! The Mets needed to go at least 3-1 against the Diamondbacks to stay relevant in the Wild Card race and instead the Mets swept the four game set! Yesterday the Nationals, Cubs, Brewers and Phillies all won so the race didn’t change. The Mets and Phillies are still tied at 2.0 games out, the Cubs and Brewers are still tied for the second wild card spot. Now the Mets just need to survive a tough 3-game set with the Dodgers and make a serious push at the end of the month.

Before we talk about today, let’s talk about yesterday. The Mets were on fire. They hit 6 homers including a two homer game for Juan Lagares (with a grand slam) and Michael Conforto‘s 30th homer of the year. Stroman had a good, solid start allowing 1 run over 6.1 innings. Zamora struggled behind him, getting an out and a walk but Mazza finished off the 7th without letting the game get away. Mazza, with 6.43 ERA then pitched a clean rest of the game. It was the second game in a row with all bullpen pitchers having above a 5 ERA not allowing any runs.

Noah Syndergaard looks to make a strong statement against the Dodgers in the opener. He is 10-7 over 28 starts and 175.0 innings with a 4.06 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 1.189 WHIP and 100 ERA+. He started off September with a great start against the Nationals, allowing no runs over 7.0 innings and followed it with a poor start against the Phillies, allowing 4 runs over 5.0 innings. Against the Dodgers in LA at the end of May he allowed 3 runs over 6.0 innings from 7 hits and 2 walks. The Dodgers have the following numbers against him:

• Corey Seager 5-12, 2 2B, HR, 4 K
• Justin Turner 3-10, 2 2B, BB, 4 K
• Joc Pederson 0-9, BB, 5 K
• Jedd Gyorko 1-7, HR, 3 K
• A.J. Pollock 1-3, 2B, BB, K
• Cody Bellinger 0-3
• Max Muncy 1-3, 2B

The Mets bats will try to keep the same energy from the last two games against Clayton Kershaw tonight. Kershaw is 13-5 over 25 starts and 159.0 innings with a 3.06 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 1.050 WHIP, 135 ERA+. He’s coming off a series of not so Kershaw like starts. In his last four games he has allowed 14 runs over 22.0 innings from 22 hits and 8 walks (while striking out 30), a 5.73 ERA. In that same stretch he has allowed 9 homers. He allowed 3 runs from 10 hits and a walk in 6.0 innings last May. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Joe Panik 11-41, HR, 3 K
• Todd Frazier 5-18, 2 2B, 5 K
• Juan Lagares 1-18, 4 K
• Jed Lowrie 2-12, 4 K
• Robinson Cano 0-9, K
• Michael Conforto 2-8, 2 2B, BB, 2 K
• Amed Rosario 2-4, 2 2B
• Pete Alonso 1-3
• J.D. Davis 1-3, HR, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-2, 2 K

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for a pivotal four game sweep tonight against the Diamondbacks. By taking the first three games they have currently leapfrogged the Diamondbacks by half a game, losing tonight would cause the Mets to slip back. Furthermore, the Cubs have lost a few and now the Mets find themselves only 2.0 games back behind the Cubs (and the Brewers) heading into the final weeks of the season. Looking ahead, the Mets have one more tough series, this weekend against LA, before the schedule quiets down for a bit. There are a lot of reasons they should do everything they can to win tonight.

Last night the Mets got a phenomenal start by Matz and then shutout innings from Familia, Sewald and Bashlor to close out the game. Those three pitchers have ERA’s of 6.06, 5.06 and 7.65 respectively. Todd Frazier and Jeff McNeil each came through with two homers with Brandon Nimmo adding one of his own. The Mets bats will try do this all again tonight against Alex Young.

Alex Young is 7-3 over 13 games and 12 starts this year, his first season in baseball. He has pitched 66.2 innings with a 3.38 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 1.050 WHIP and 135 ERA+. He’s coming off of the best start of his career where he held the Reds scoreless over 8.0 innings and to only 2 hits and a walk while striking out 12. In his last three starts overall he has pitched 17.2 innings allowing only 4 runs, 3 earned from 11 hits and 3 walks with opponents slashing .172/.209/.297 against him. This will be his first start against the Mets.

The Mets send out Marcus Stroman who needs a good start tonight for confidence. As a Met he is 1-2 over 7 sarts and 35.2 innings with a 5.05 ERA, 4.87 FIP, 1.738 WHIP and 82 ERA+. He’s coming off of a rough start against Philly where he allowed 5 runs, 4 earned over 4.0 innings from 10 hits and no walks. He has faced the Diamondbacks this year as a member of the Blue Jays and it didn’t go so well, allowing 6 runs from 7 hits and 2 walks over 5.2 innings. The Diamondbacks have the following batting lines against Marcus:

• Adam Jones 10-28, 2 2B, BB, 4 K
• Jarrod Dyson 4-13, BB, 2 K
• Eduardo Escobar 2-9, 2 2B, BB
• Caleb Joseph 1-7, BB, 2 K
• Nick Ahmed 2-6, 2 K
• Alex Avila 0-2, BB, K
• Ketel Marte 1-2, BB
• Wilmer Flores 1-2, K

Let’s Go Mets!

Three games backs feels a whole lot different than four games back and the Mets are now only 3 games out of the first second wild card spot as the Cubs and Nationals both lost last night and the Mets were able to beat the Diamondbacks for a second night in a row. With a win tonight, the Mets will take the series from the Diamondbacks and will leapfrog them in the standings, the ultimate goal of this week.

Last night started out rocky for the Mets as Zack Wheeler allowed a run early and it felt like it might be one of those nights, but he righted the ship and went on to pitch 7.0 great innings. Todd Frazier provided the offensive spark for the night and after Brach made things interesting in the 8th, Justin Wilson recorded a multiple out save. Now the Mets look to do it all again.

Steven Matz is 9-8 over 28 games and 26 starts pitching 139.1 innings with a 4.00 ERA, 4.48 FIP, 1.321 WHIP and 102 ERA+. In his last 6 starts he has pitched 35.2 innings with a 2.27 ERA while opponents are hitting .216/.276/.373 against him. He did face the Diamondbacks earlier this year and it was a night to forget as he allowed 5 runs from 8 hits and 2 walks in 6.0 innings. The Diamondbacks have the following batting lines against him:

• Ketel Marte 2-9, HR
• Nick Ahmed 3-8, 2B, K
• David Peralta 0-5
• Eduardo Escobar 2-3, HR, K
• Adam Jones 1-3
• Jake Lamb 0-3, K

The Mets bats will try to wake up and give the pitching staff more breathing room against Robbie Ray tonight who left his last start early due to a blister on his finger. He is 12-7 over 29 starts and 156.1 innings with a 4.03 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 1.318 WHIP and 111 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed 7 runs off 11 hits and 6 walks in 9.1 innings of work. He missed the Mets earlier this year and as such doesn’t have a lot of logged encounters with the younger core of the Mets team:

• Joe Panik 8-24, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
• Robinson Cano 5-9, HR, 2 K
• Juan Lagares 1-4, BB, K
• Jed Lowrie 1-5, 2B
• Todd Frazier 0-3, K
• Wilson Ramos 1-3, HR, K
• Michael Conforto 0-2, 2 K
• Amed Rosario 0-2
• Brandon Nimmo 0-1, K

Let’s Go Mets!

The first step in taking the series from the Diamondbacks is winning game 1, and the Mets did that last night. Pete Alonso was the offensive stud of the game, hitting two homers bringing his season total to 47 and dangerously close to the rookie record of 52. Jacob deGrom was deGrom, shutting down the Diamondbacks offense for 7.0 innings and Callaway didn’t mess with his start, allowing Lugo to pitch two innings to protect the win.

Now the Mets just need to do that three more times. And then for the rest of the season too. Easy, right?

Zack Wheeler will look to keep the team moving in the right direction tonight. He is 10-7 over 27 starts and 166.1 innings with a 4.33 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 1.311 WHIP and 94 ERA+. In his last twos tarts he has allowed a total of 2 runs off 14 hits and 11.0 innings against the Phillies and the Nationals. Against the Diamondbacks at the end of May he allowed 4 runs off 7 hits and no walks in 7.0 innings of work while striking out 9. The Diamondbacks have the following numbers against Wheeler:

• Adam Jones 3-8, BB
• Nick Ahmed 0-6, 2 K
• Jarrod Dyson 0-6, 2 K
• Jake Lamb 3-6, HR, K
• Ketel Marte 1-5, HR, K
• Alex Avila 0-5, 2 K

The Mets will get a look at Zac Gallen with a new team. He’s 3-4 over 13 starts and 68.1 innings in his rookie year with a 2.50 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 1.229 WHIP and 176 ERA+. After 7 starts with the Marlins he was traded at the deadline to the Diamondbacks for Jazz Chisholm (he was traded in 2017 from the Cardinals in the Marcell Ozuna trade – so his name is already associated with trades with big players and big prospects). Since becoming a Diamondback he is 2-1 over 6 games and 32.0 innings with a 2.25 ERA, 1.281 WHIP, 3.09 FIP and 201 ERA+. Zac is coming off of a 7.0 inning start against the White Sox where he allowed 1 hit and 1 walk and that’s it. He’s only had one other start like that. Against the Mets back in July, Zac pitched 5.0 innings allowing 2 runs from 4 hits and 5 walks. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-2, BB, K
• Robinson Cano 0-3, K
• Michael Conforto 1-2, HR, BB
• Jeff McNeil 1-3, 2B
• Todd Frazier 0-1, BB, K
• Tomas Nido 0-1, BB
• Amed Rosario 1-2

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets haven’t been mathematically eliminated yet, but dropping the series to the Phillies this weekend made things much tougher on a team that consistently finds ways to lose despite their starting pitching and their hitting. They now welcome the Diamondbacks into Citi Field for a critical 4-game set. The Diamondbacks have been surging and are knocking on the door for the 2nd Wild Card spot, also like latter-half of September Mets, they have a fairly easy schedule. This week is probably the only the sure way to stop them.

Jacob deGrom will look to do just that on the mound tonight. He is 8-8 over 28 starts and 176.0 innings with a 2.76 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 1.045 WHIP and 148 ERA+. He’s coming off back to back average starts against the Cubs and the Nationals where he allowed a combined 8 runs over 15.0 innings while striking out 13. In Arizona earlier this season eh allowed 1 run over 6.2 innings from 5 hits and a walk while striking out 7. The Diamondbacks have the following batting lines against Jacob:

• Adam Jones 1-8, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Alex Avila 3-8, 5 K
• Jarrod Dyson 3-7, BB, K
• Nick Ahmed 1-6, 2B, 2 K
• Jake Lamb 1-6, 2B, 3 K
• Ketel Marte 0-6, K

Merrill Kelly is wrapping up his rookie season. So far he is 10-13 over 28 starts and 157.1 innings with a 4.69 ERA, 4.62 FIP, 1.347 WHIP and 96 ERA+. He’s coming off of one of his best starts of the season where he held the Padres scoreless over 7.0 innings, scattering 3 hits and two walks. It was much needed for Kelly who had a 6.84 ERA over 5 starts and 25.0 innings in August. One of the few starts he’s had this year that was better than his last one was against the Mets back in June where he held the Mets to 1 run over 7.2 innings while scattering 6 hits and no walks while striking out 10 (his only double digit strikeout game this season). The Mets have the following batting lines against him:

• Joe Panik 3-7, 2 2B, BB, K
• Amed Rosario 3-4
• Pete Alonso 0-3
• Michael Conforto 0-3, K
• J.D. Davis 0-3, K
• Wilson Ramos 2-3, HR
• Todd Frazier 0-1, K

Let’s Go Mets!

Luckily for the Mets yesterday the Cubs and the Nationals lost so the Mets are still only 4 games out of the Wild Card. But the Diamondbacks, Brewers and (obviously) the Phillies all won. This makes today essentially a must win game for the Mets so at the very least they leave this series with a series win and put the Phillies back in a loss column tie.

Noah Syndergaard looks to put things on the right the path for the Mets. He is 10-7 over 27 games and 170.0 innings with a 3.97 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 1.182 WHIP and 103 ERA+. After a terrible start on August 28th where he allowed 10 runs, 9 earned over 3.0 innings, Syndergaard had a great start his last time out against the Nationals tossing 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and no walks while striking out 10. In two starts against the Phillies this year he has allowed 9 runs off 16 hits and 6 walks in 10.0 innings so he’ll be looking for some regression to season average stats against the Phils today. The Phillies have the following batting lines against him:

• Bryce Harper 8-29, 2B, 5 BB, 8 K
• Cesar Hernandez 11-27, 4 BB, 6 K
• Rhys Hoskins 5-12, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 BB, 4 K
• J.T. Realmuto 2-13, 2 BB, 2 K
• Jean Segura 6-13, 2B, 3 K
• Scott Kingery 0-3, 2 K

The Mets offense couldn’t do anything last night. They’ll look to reverse that today against Vince Velasquez who is 6-7 over 29 games and 19 starts with 99.1 innings posting a 4.80 ERA, 5.22 FIP, 1.349 WHIP and 96 ERA+. He’s coming off of a short start against the Reds where he allowed 4 hits over 3.0 innings leading to 1 run because he felt something and was pulled out of the game. In two starts so far against the Mets he has held them to 2 runs over 10.0 innings, his best performance against any team this year (longer than 5.1 innings). The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Michael Conforto 6016, 3 HR, 4 BB, 4 K
• Robinson Cano 4-7, 3 BB, K
• Jeff McNeil 4-9
• Amed Rosario 2-8, 3B
• Joe Panik 3-7, 2 2B
• Wilson Ramos 0-7, 3 K
• Todd Frazier 1-3
• Pete Alonso 2-3, 2B, HR
• Brandon Nimmo 1-1, 2B, BB

Let’s Go Mets!

Last night could have easily been the game that ended the Mets season. After going ahead 4-2 in the 8th inning, Diaz allowed a tying homer in the top of the ninth. He struck out the side but things looked bleak. Then the Mets got two outs in the ninth inning. Even bleaker. A couple of hits later though Jeff McNeil was at the plate with runners on the corners on two outs and the Mets team started to believe – smiling in the dugout, hanging over the railing. He got hit and Pete Alonso was brought to the plate. At that point it felt inevitable that the Mets were going to win the game. More so when the count was 2-0, slightly less so when it was 2-2, and definite when the count was 3-2. Alonso walked, his jersey was ripped off, the mistakes of the top of the 9th forgotten and now the Mets have a chance to take the series from the Phillies today.

Marcus Stroman looks to do just that. He is 1-1 over 6 games and 31.2 innings since becoming a Met with a 4.55 ERA, 5.05 FIP, 1.642 WHIP and 91 ERA+. He is coming off of one his strongest starts since becoming a Met – and that was against the Phillies in their sandbox of a stadium. He pitched 6.0 innings allowing 2 runs from 7 hits and 2 walks and only 1 homer. He came out for the 7th, allowed a hit, and was taken out of the game. The Phillies have the following numbers against him:

• Brad Miller 7-30, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 BB, 7 K
• Corey Dickerson 12-30, 4 2B, 2 HR, BB, 4 K
• Logan Morrison 5-25, HR, 3 BB, 4 K
• Jean Segura 3-10, 3 K
• Cesar Hernandez 1-6, HR, K
• Bryce Harper 0-3, 2 K
• Adam Haseley 1-2, 2B, BB
• J.T. Realmuto 0-2
• Rhys Hoskins 1-3, K

The Mets bats draw Drew Smyly today who is 3-6 over 21 games and 17 starts across both the Rangers and the Phillies this year. In 94.2 innings he has a 6.65 ERA, 6.74 FIP, 1.658 WHIP and 73 ERA+. He’s been better since becoming a Phillie. In 8 starts and 43.1 innings he has a 4.57 ERA, 5.20 FIP, 1.362 WHIP and 100 ERA+. He’s coming off of his best start since July 21st – last time out he allowed 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks in 5.1 innings against the Reds. The Mets batters have the following numbers against him:

• Robinson Cano 3-13, 3 K
• Todd Frazier 2-4, 2B, 2 K
• Joe Panik 0-1

Let’s Go Mets!