213 Miles From Shea

The Mets got the spark they were looking for! A.J. Ewing had a tremendous major league debut last night recording a triple and three walks in a 10-2 romp of the Tigers. For the first time in a while the vibes feel good! It went beyond Ewing as the Mets recorded 13 hits with Benge, Soto, Vientos and Baty all recording two hits each.

Now the Mets will try to keep those vibes going tonight as they take on Framber Valdez.

Christian Scott will make his fourth start of the year tonight. Over his first three starts he has tossed 11 innings with a 3.27 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.182 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. He’s coming off of a solid start in Colorado where he held the Rockies to only three hits and one run over 4 2/3 innings while striking out six. No one on the Tigers have faced Scott in a Major League game.

Framber Valdez signed a 70 million two year deal with Tigers this off season. The long time Astros ace will be returning from a five game suspension tonight. Over eight starts, 43 1/3 innings, Valdez has a 4.57 ERA, 4.32 FIP, 1.408 WHIP and a 94 ERA+. He has allowed 26 runs, 22 earned, this season, but the vast majority of that happened in tow starts. He allowed eight runs over five innings against the Twins on April 8th.

His last time out he allowed 10 runs, seven earned, over three innings against the Red Sox. During this start he intentionally threw at Trevor Story after giving up back-to-back home runs to open the fourth inning. Valdez says that it wasn’t intentionally and that he lost his grip on his fastball, and he’s been working on that during his suspension. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-6, 2B, 2 K
• Bo Bichette 4-13, HR, K
• MJ Melendez 2-5, BB, 3 K
• Marcus Semien 12-41, 2B, 2 HR, 7 BB, 10 K
• Austin Slater 6-15, 4 K
• Juan Soto 3-7, 3 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-5, BB
• Luis Torrens 3-14, 2B, 3 K
• Mark Vientos 1-6, HR, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Christian Scott. Scott has had a weird season so far. In his first start he struggled to get an out, in his second start he pitched a lot better than his line said (5 innings, 3 runs, 8 strikeouts). His xERA is 3.30 and xBA is .172. If he was a qualifying pitcher in Statcast, his xBA would somewhere in the 90th-ish percentile. This is true for his K% (31.3) and Hard-Hit% (29.2) as well. Despite the high K% he’s not generating a ton of chase (30.5%) and whiff’s (23%). As he makes more starts it will be interesting to see how some of these numbers start to settle.
2. A.J. Ewing. What does Ewing do tonight as an encore? The Mets have been struggling this season to get hits, score runs, steal bases and work walks. Ewing had a triple, scored two runs, worked three walks and stole a base all in his first start. He’s already 12th on the Mets for walks in 2026. What a start!
3. Carson Benge. Every player to watch tonight is part of the next generation of Mets players! Benge was moved to the leadoff spot last night and went 2-for-5 with a run scored. In his last eight games he has gone 9-for-26 with three doubles, a home runs, four walks and seven runs scored. That’s a .346/.433/.577 slash line. Since April 22nd he has raised his season slash line from .136/.219/.197 to .215/.280/.331.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets desperately need to shake things up after the offense has evaporated. The Mets have scored one run in each of their last two games and are now tied for the fewest runs scored in the Majors. They need a spark to get going!

Desperate times call for bold moves and the Mets are doing that calling up A.J. Ewing, the number two prospect behind Jonah Tong in the Mets system. It’s time for the next generation to take over!

Freddy Peralta has pitched 43 1/3 innings over eight starts with a 3.12 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.200 WHIP and a 128 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start against the Rockies where he held them scoreless over five innings. In his last three starts he has a 1.62 ERA over 16 2/3 innings (against the Rockies twice and the Nationals). The Tigers have the following career numbers against him:

• Riley Greene 1-4, BB
• Colt Keith 0-1
• Zach McKinstry 0-7, BB, K
• Jake Rogers 1-2
• Spencer Torkelson 0-2, K
• Matt Vierling 1-4, 2B, BB, 2 K

Jack Flaherty has tossed 34 innings over eight starts this season with a 5.56 ERA, 5.29 FIP, 1.647 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed 14 runs, 12 earned over 10 2/3 innings with a 10.13 ERA. He has struck out 18 batters in that stretch, but he has also allowed four home runs. The Mets have the following numbers against Flaherty:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-4, 2B, K
• Bo Bichette 7-13, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Marcus Semien 3-10, HR, BB, 3 K
• Austin Slater 1-3, 2B, K
• Juan Soto 2-11, 2B, 8 BB, 3 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-7, BB, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 0-6, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. A.J. Ewing. Ewing was tearing up Binghamton earlier this season, slashing .349/.481/.571 over 18 games with nine extra base hits and 12 stolen bases. He got the quick promotion to Syracuse where he hit .326/.392/.435 with four extra base hits and five stolen bases over 12 games. Over his minor league career he hit .290/.395/.425 with 101 stolen bases over 251 games. The Mets have not been getting on base and have not been stealing bases – two things Ewing does well! Welcome to the big leagues!
2. Kevin McGonigle. McGonigle has turned a lot of heads in his rookie season hitting .293/.395/.435 with a 132 OPS+ and 2.2 bWAR through 39 games this season. He is a double hitting machine with 11 of them so far this year and has worked 23 walks. Shuting McGonigle down is critical for getting through this Tigers squad.
3. Bo Bichette. The Mets need Bichette to get through his current slump tonight. In his last four games Bichette has gone 0-for-13 with three walks. The Mets have gone 1-3 in those games. In the five games before that Bichette went 7-for-23 and the Mets went 4-1 in those games.

Let’s Go Mets!

Missing: The Mets Offense.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead early last night but then couldn’t do anything else as the fell 2-1 to the Diamondbacks. Today the Mets have a chance to win their third consecutive series and end this long, west coast road trip on a happy note. But to do that they’ll need to do something that has evaded them most of the year. They’ll need to score some runs.

The Mets will be using Huascar Brazobán as an opener with David Peterson set to take on the bulk of the work this afternoon. Over eight games and 34 1/3 innings, Peterson has a 6.29 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 1.602 WHIP and a 64 ERA+. In 11 innings as a reliever he has a 2.45 ERA and a 1.000 WHIP. His K/BB rate goes from 2.00 as a starter to 9.00 as a reliever. Peterson had a tough start against the Diamondbacks earlier this season allowing five runs over five innings from six hits and two walks. The Diamondbacks have the following career numbers against him:

• Nolan Arenado 2-6, 2 K
• Jorge Barrosa 1-3, 2B, BB, K
• Corbin Carroll 4-12, 2 2B, 3 K
• Jose Fernandez 1-2, K
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 4-10, 2B, 2 HR
• Ketel Maarte 3-13, 2B, HR, 5 K
• James McCann 0-0, BB
• Gabriel Moreno 1-4, 2 K
• Geraldo Perdomo 3-9, 2B, 4 BB, K
• Tim Tawa 0-2
• Ildermaro Vargas 5-14, 2 2B, K

Eduardo Rodríguez has made seven starts totaling 39 2/3 innings with a 2.50 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.286 WHIP and a 168 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed two runs from 7 hits over 11 2/3 innings while striking out 11 batters. He was solid against the Mets earlier this season holding the Mets to one run over six innings, scattering five hits and two walks. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-9, 2 K
• Brett Baty 1-3
• Bo Bichette 6-15, 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 K
• Vidal Bruján 0-0, BB
• Andy Ibáñez 3-5, 2 2B, HR, K
• MJ Melendez 1-9, BB, 6 K
• Marcus Semien 7-28, 2B, 3 BB, 10 K
• Austin Slater 1-6, 2 K
• Juan Soto 0-4, 2 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 3-4, 2 2B
• Luis Torrens 1-5, K
• Mark Vientos 0-8, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Huascar Brazobán. Brazobán pitched a scoreless first inning against the Rockies a few days ago opening up a game where David Peterson got the bulk of the work. Hitters are just not making solid contact right now against Brazobán who is in the 97th percentile for average exit velocity (84.8 mph). Hitters are barreling the ball 2.0% of the time (95th percentile), getting a hard-hit 26.5% (96th percentile) and grounding out 55.1% (90th percentile).
2. Score Runs. The 2026 Mets have scored 138 runs this season, good for 29th in the Majors. Their pitching is tied for 9th fewest runs allowed, at 165. The Mets don’t need a crazy bump in offense to turn things around, but they need something, anything to give them a spark.
3. Luis Torrens. Torrens may be the secret to David Peterson. In 26 2/3 innings throwing to Alvarez this season, Peterson has a 7.42 ERA. In 7 2/3 innings throwing to Torrens, Peterson has a 2.35 ERA. The numbers weren’t as stark last year, but the trend was there as well. Peterson had a 4.95 ERA with Alvarez catching compared to a 3.52 ERA with Torrens. Torrens has continued to excel at catching base runners, throwing out three already, putting him in the 98th percentile. He’s doing this as the backup catcher!

Let’s Go Mets!

Believe it or not, the Mets are on the verge of winning their third consecutive series, despite being eight games under .500. The Mets beat the Diamondbacks in an extra-inning game overnight thanks to Mark Vientos who has been the engine of the Mets offense for the last week. Now the Mets turn to one of their most consistent pitchers this season to lock down the series win.

Clay Holmes has pitched 42 2/3 innings this season over seven starts with a league leading 1.69 ERA and 235 ERA+. He has a 3.65 FIP, 0.984 WHIP and is allowing 5.9 H/9, way below his career rate of 7.7. In his last two starts he allowed only one run from seven hits over 12 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Holmes:

• Nolan Arendado 2-7, BB, K
• Corbin Carroll 1-1
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 2-8, K
• Ketel Marte 0-3, K
• James McCann 0-2, BB, K
• Gerarldo Perdomo 0-1

Merrill Kelly has gotten off to a rough start this season. Last year he made 32 starts between the Rangers and Diamondbacks with a 3.52 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.114 WHIP and a 116 ERA+. This season he has made four starts totaling 19 innings with a 9.95 ERA, 8.13 FIP, 2.316 WHIP and a 42 ERA+. His first start of the season against the Orioles was solid, holding them to two runs over 5 1/3. Since then he has allowed 19 earned runs over 13 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Kelly:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-3, 3 K
• Brett Baty 0-3, K
• Andy Ibáñez 0-1
• Marcus Semien 2-8, HR, 3 K
• Austin Slater 2-11, BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 5-19, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-8, K
• Luis Torrens 1-4, 2B, BB
• Mark Vientos 0-1, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Mark Vientos. Mark Vientos was the Mets offense again last night. He now has eight RBI’s in his last five games, is leading the Mets in home runs and is tied for the lead in RBI’s. Vientos’ eight RBI’s come in games when the Mets scored a total 11 runs, meaning Vientos is putting the whole team on his back some nights.
2. Strikeouts. Merrill Kelly has rarely lit the world on fire with strikeouts. His career rate is 8.1 K/9, with only one season above 9.5. This season he is struggling, striking out hitters 6.6 per nine. The Mets struggled a lot with swinging last night, racking up 10 K’s as a team. Three players (Soto, Torrens, Melendez) each struck out two times.
3. Bullpen. The Mets had to use Weaver, Raley, Williams and Myers last night. Most likely they’ll be opening tomorrow’s game with an opener or two since it worked out well last time. Brazobán and Warren both haven’t pitched since Thursday but they are most likely candidates to open a game. Kimbrel hasn’t pitched since allowing a go-ahead grand slam to the Rockies. Sean Manaea hasn’t pitched since Wednesday when he allowed three hits before recording his first out. The Mets have avoided using anyone back-to-back days for the last week, and it feels like that stretch will probably end today. Devin Williams has only tossed a total of 25 pitches in his last three games (five days).

Let’s Go Mets!

The good news is the Mets have won two consecutive series on the road. That being said, yesterday’s game was a winnable game that the Mets just couldn’t close the deal on. The Mets look to shake it off as they head to Arizona to end this long west coast road trip.

Nolan McLean gets the start for the Mets today! Over seven games and 39 1/3 innings, he has a 2.97 ERA, 2.12 FIP (league leading), 0.914 WHIP and a 134 ERA+. McLean is coming off of his shortest start of the season where he allowed three runs from six hits and one walk over four innings against the Angels. He still managed to strike out six batters. The Diamondbacks have the following career numbers against McLean:

• Jorge Barrosa 0-2, K
• Adrian Del Castillo 0-3, 2 K
• Jose Fernandez 2-3, 2B
• Ketel Marte 0-3, K
• James McCann 0-2, 2 K
• Geraldo Perdomo 0-2, BB
• Tim Tawa 1-2
• Alek Thomas 0-2, K
• Ildemaro Vargas 0-2, BB, K

Ryne Nelson has pitched 31 1/3 innings over seven starts this season with a 6.61 ERA, 5.50 FIP, 1.436 WHIP and a 64 ERA+. Nelson has been either great or terrible this season, very little in-between. Against the Mets earlier this season he allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings. His last time out against the Cubs he allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings. He also has three starts where he allowed six run or more. The Mets have the following career stats against Nelson:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-10, HR, 4 K
• Brett Baty 1-4, BB, K
• Carson Benge 0-2
• Bo Bichette 3-8, BB, K
• Vidal Bruján  0-1,K
• Marcus Semien 1-7, 2 K
• Juan Soto 3-12, 3B, 2 HR, 7 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-4, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 2-9, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Be Patient Mets. Ryne Nelson has a 3.7 BB/9 this season, which is quite a bit above his 2.5 rate. Juan Soto has a great record of working walks against Nelson. The last time the Mets faced Nelson they worked zero starts, the only start for Nelson this year where that happened. Let’s take the patient approach tonight and make Nelson work.
2. Mark Vientos. Earlier in the week Vientos was the engine pushing the entire Mets offense, recording six RBI’s over two games. Since then he has gone 0-for-8 at the plate with a walk and two strikeouts. Vientos doesn’t have great numbers in Arizona, going 4-for-17 with one RBI in his career. Can he flip the script tonight?
3. Too many double plays. The Mets are tied with the Astros and the Rangers for 5th in the majors with 30 GIDP’s this season. Francisco Alvarez has 10 of them, following by Bo Bichette with 6. Alvarez is leading the league and Bichette is tied for 6th. So it’s not just you if you’re watching games at home thinking the Mets are ending rallies early, often.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to get out of Colorado with a sweep!

Overnight the Mets secured their second consecutive series win with a 10-5 victory over the Rockies. It was a typical game in Denver meaning that nothing about this game was typical. The temperature was right around freezing all night and the Mets opened the game up with an 8-0 lead over the first six innings. That’s when this game became a Coors Field game. Myers struggled in 2/3rds of an inning allowing four runs, Manaea later allowed three hits and recorded one out. So despite massive lead, the Mets needed to use Raley, Weaver and Williams to lock down the win.

It will still feel like winter when the Mets wake up, but by game time it should be near 60 and rising. It’s a great day to sweep the Rockies!

The Mets used six pitchers last night so it’s imperative that Christian Scott has a solid outing this afternoon. Scott’s debut this season was rough, allowing one run on no hits and five walks over 1 1/3 innings. He was much more effective his last time out allowing three runs, two earned, from three hits and no walks over five innings while striking out eight batters. The only two hitters on the Rockies who have seen Scott in a Major League game are Brenton Doyle (1-for-2) and Ezequiel Tovar (1-for-3, 2B, K).

Jose Quintana stands between the Mets and a series sweep. Over five starts (24 1/3 innings), Quintana has a 4.07 ERA, 6.30 FIP, 1.356 WHIP and a 118 ERA+. Over his last two starts Quintana has allowed only two runs from seven hits over 11 1/3 innings (5 1/3 against the Mets). Both his runs came on solo homers, and that has been Quintana’s weakness this season. He’s allowed five so far for a 1.8 HR/9, double his career rate. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Brett Baty 0-4, 2 K
• Bo Bichette 0-3, 2 BB
• Andy Ibáñez 0-2, BB
• MJ Melendez 0-2, BB
• Marcus Semien 6-17, 3 2B, BB, 4 K
• Austin Slater 3-10, HR, BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 2-16, 2 BB, 4 K
• Tyrone Taylor 3-8, 2B, HR, 3 K
• Luis Torrens 0-7, K
• Mark Vientos 2-4

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The race for five homers. It is May 7th, the Mets still do not have a player with five home runs. Francisco Alvarez has been sitting at four homers for a while. Juan Soto hit his fourth home run last night (and would already be at five if it wasn’t for James Wood robbing him last weekend). Mark Vientos has four after his two home run game earlier this week. He should be at five or six if it wasn’t for the wind blowing straight in on Tuesday afternoon at Coors Field. As a team the Mets have hit 30 home runs, good for 25th in the majors. With Quintana’s home run struggles, today feels like a good day for someone to finally get to five.
2. Marcus Semien. For the better part of the last two weeks we’ve been highlighting how Marcus Semien has good stats against the opposing starting pitcher. This goes back to the last homestand against the Rockies when the Mets faced Quintana. Semien is coming off of his best night as a Met, going 4-for-5 at the plate with a double and a home run. In his last nine games he has gone 9-for-34 and is slashing .265/.286/.382. Last night is doing a lot of lifting, but there are signs that Semien has been slowly breaking out of his slump.
3. Who comes in after Christian Scott? With the Mets using Myers, Manaea, Raley, Weaver and Williams yesterday, the Mets enter play today stretched a little thin. Huascar Brazobán and Austin Warren haven’t pitched since they opened Tuesday night’s game. Today would make sense for them to get some work in as they will probably open Sunday’s game before David Peterson. Brazobán’s Baseball Savant page looks amazing. He has an xERA of 2.70 and is in the 92nd percentile or higher for BB%, Barrel%, Hard-hit%, GB% and Average Velocity. Austin Warren has a 1.42 ERA over 6 1/3 innings while striking out eight batters.

Let’s Go Mets!

Yesterday’s Rockies and Mets game was postponed due to snow in the Denver area. The Rockies moved today’s getaway game from the early afternoon to night, giving the team time to dig the stadium out of the snow. The game that was missed yesterday is slated for tomorrow afternoon. As of writing, there is still a chance that tonight’s game will have to be postponed, setting up a doubleheader on Thursday.

If tonight’s game happens, the Mets will try to build on Monday’s win where one big winning essentially propelled them over the Rockies. The Mets have now won three of their last four and are hoping to keep the momentum going.

Freddy Peralta has made seven over 38 1/3 innings with a 3.52 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.200 WHIP and a 114 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed only three earned runs, five runs total over 11 2/3 innings while striking out 14 batters. This includes a 5 2/3 inning start against the Rockies were he held them to two runs while striking out eight batters. The Rockies have the following career numbers against him:

• Jordan Beck 0-1, BB
• Willi Castro 1-7, 3 K
• Brenton Doyle 2-10, HR, BB, 6 K
• Tyler Freeman 2-5, 2 K
• Hunter Goodman 1-3, HR, 2 BB, K
• Troy Johnston 0-3, K
• Edouard Julien 1-2
• Kyle Karros 0-2, BB
• Jake McCarthy 1-6, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Mickey Moniak 1-7, 2 K
• TJ Rumfield 1-2, BB
• Ezequiel Tovar 5-12, 2B, 2 HR, BB, 3 K

The Mets bats will try to do better against Michael Lorenzen whole rolled through the Mets on April 24th, holding them to one run over seven innings. Lorenzen has a 6.09 ERA, 5.08 FIP, 1.765 WHIP and a 79 ERA+ over eight games (34 innings) this year. He’s currently leading the league in hits allowed at 51and is coming off of a start where he allowed four runs from four hits and three walks against the Reds over 5 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-7, K
• Brett Baty 1-6, 2B
• Carson Benge 1-3
• Bo Bichette 1-6, 2B
• Andy Ibáñez 1-3, K
• MJ Melendez 1-10, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Marcus Semien 3-8, 2B, K
• Austin Slater 0-1, K
• Juan Soto 2-13, K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-3, BB, K
• Mark Vientos 4-5, HR, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Mark Vientos. Mark Vientos has terrific career numbers against Michael Lorenzen. Vientos also has six RBI’s in his last two games, and has three extra base hits in his last four games. On top of that, Vientos had two loud flyouts Monday that were both above 102.9 mph off his bat, both had an xBA above .720. One would have been a home run in 28/30 ballparks, the other in 19/30. The Mets need Vientos to get hot right now.
2. Carson Benge. Benge has made two ridiculous catches in the outfield in back-to-back games. He’s also heating up at the plate. Since April 23rd, Benge has played in 11 games and is hitting .303/.361/.545 with two doubles and two home runs. He has raised his season slash line from .136/.219/.197 to .192/.266/.313.
3. Top of the Lineup. Monday’s offense was provided by Mark Vientos and the back of the Mets lineup. The Mets need their top two hitters to step up today and set the tone. Juan Soto went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Bo Bichette went 0-for-4. Soto’s OPS dipped below .900. Bichette is still trying to break .600. It’s only a matter of time until Bichette and Soto get hot.

Let’s Go Mets!

Will today’s game happen? Probably not, but just in case, here we go!

The weather in Denver is miserable, with light rain, snow showers and thunder. The temperature is going to drop further overnight leading to 4-8 inches of snow throughout the Denver area from 8 PM to 3 PM tomorrow. The Mets and Rockies right now are scheduled to play two games throughout the snow.

If tonight’s game happens, the Mets will try to build on yesterday’s win where one big winning essentially propelled them over the Rockies. The Mets have now won three of their last four and are hoping to keep the momentum going.

Freddy Peralta has made seven over 38 1/3 innings with a 3.52 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.200 WHIP and a 114 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed only three earned runs, five runs total over 11 2/3 innings while striking out 14 batters. This includes a 5 2/3 inning start against the Rockies were he held them to two runs while striking out eight batters. The Rockies have the following career numbers against him:

• Jordan Beck 0-1, BB
• Willi Castro 1-7, 3 K
• Brenton Doyle 2-10, HR, BB, 6 K
• Tyler Freeman 2-5, 2 K
• Hunter Goodman 1-3, HR, 2 BB, K
• Troy Johnston 0-3, K
• Edouard Julien 1-2
• Kyle Karros 0-2, BB
• Jake McCarthy 1-6, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Mickey Moniak 1-7, 2 K
• TJ Rumfield 1-2, BB
• Ezequiel Tovar 5-12, 2B, 2 HR, BB, 3 K

The Mets bats will try to do better against Michael Lorenzen whole rolled through the Mets on April 24th, holding them to one run over seven innings. Lorenzen has a 6.09 ERA, 5.08 FIP, 1.765 WHIP and a 79 ERA+ over eight games (34 innings) this year. He’s currently leading the league in hits allowed at 51and is coming off of a start where he allowed four runs from four hits and three walks against the Reds over 5 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-7, K
• Brett Baty 1-6, 2B
• Carson Benge 1-3
• Bo Bichette 1-6, 2B
• Andy Ibáñez 1-3, K
• MJ Melendez 1-10, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Marcus Semien 3-8, 2B, K
• Austin Slater 0-1, K
• Juan Soto 2-13, K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-3, BB, K
• Mark Vientos 4-5, HR, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Mark Vientos. Mark Vientos has terrific career numbers against Michael Lorenzen. Vientos also has six RBI’s in his last two games, and has three extra base hits in his last four games. On top of that, Vientos had two loud flyouts yesterday that were both above 102.9 mph off his bat, both had an xBA above .720. One would have been a home run in 28/30 ballparks, the other in 19/30. The Mets need Vientos to get hot right now.
2. Carson Benge. Benge has made two ridiculous catches in the outfield in back-to-back games. He’s also heating up at the plate. Since April 23rd, Benge has played in 11 games and is hitting .303/.361/.545 with two doubles and two home runs. He has raised his season slash line from .136/.219/.197 to .192/.266/.313.
3. Top of the Lineup. Yesterday’s offense was provided by Mark Vientos and the back of the Mets lineup. The Mets need their top two hitters to step up today and set the tone. Juan Soto went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Bo Bichette went 0-for-4. Soto’s OPS dipped below .900. Bichette is still trying to break .600. It’s only a matter of time until Bichette and Soto get hot.

Let’s Go Mets!

Will it rain on the Mets parade?

The Mets finally won a series over the weekend, taking Sunday’s game against the Angels. Clay Holmes was excellent and Mark Vientos hit two home runs to give the Mets run support. Now the Mets heady into chilly Denver to take on the Rockies who swept the Mets last weekend.

It’s going to be a difficult weather series for the Mets who have already played a slew of cold April games at Citi Field. Today’s game had to be moved up several hours due to the threat of freezing rain in the evening. This puts the Mets at an additional disadvantage as they now have three less hours to acclimate to the elevation in Colorado. Hopefully the adrenaline from yesterday’s win still power the Mets through!

The Mets are going with an opener tonight and then will pass things off to David Peterson. Peterson started against the Nationals last week and it was rough, allowing seven runs from five hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings. In the two games before that he was used as a reliever and looked like a different pitcher. He allowed only one run on seven hits over seven innings of work. The Mets are hoping to replicate that magic tonight. Peterson had one start against the Rockies last season where he allowed only one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings, but it was in Queens, not Denver. The Rockies have the following career numbers agains thim:

• Jordan Beck 1-3
• Willi Castro 1-2, 2B
• Brenton Doyle 2-5, K
• Tyler Freeman 1-2
• Hunter Goodman 0-3, 2 BB
• Jake McCarthy 1-5, K
• Mickey Moniak 1-3, K
• Ezequiel Tovar 1-6, 4 K

Tomoyuki Sugano is off to a great start with the Rockies. Over six starts, 31 2/3 innings, Sugano has a 2.84 ERA, 4.73 FIP, 1.168 WHIP and a 169 ERA+. Over 30 starts, 157 innings, for Baltimore last season he had a 4.64 ERA, 5.36 FIP, 1.331 WHIP and an 88 ERA+. He led the league last year in allowing 33 home runs and he has only allowed five so far this season. That drops his HR/9 from 1.9 to 1.4. At the start of the season, it looked like he was going to struggle with the long ball again, allowing five homes in his first four starts. The Mets faced him last July, scoring three runs over six innings in a game the Mets lost 7-3. The Mets have the following career numbers against Sugano:

• Brett Baty 1-3
• Bo Bichette 3-4, 2B, BB
• MJ Melendez 1-2, K
• Marcus Semien 1-3, HR
• Juan Soto 0-1, 2 BB
• Mark Vientos 0-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Huascar Brazobán. Brazobán will be the opener for the Mets this afternoon. He has been tremendous for the Mets, pitching 15 2/3 innings over 14 games with a 1.15 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 0.894 WHIP and a 358 ERA+. The Mets used him as an opener three times last season and he allowed no runs, no hits and walked three batters over four innings.
2. Mark Vientos. Vientos carried the Mets offense yesterday with two home runs. He now has four on the season, which is tied with Francisco Alvarez for the team lead. His 12 RBI on the season is tied with Brett Baty for second on the team while his four doubles are tied with Baty and Soto for third. These stats simultaneously highlight how much the Mets have struggled as a whole at the plate, and how quickly Vientos can become one of the most dangerous hitters in the lineup.
3. Mickey Moniak. Moniak is on a mini-tear right now, belting three home runs in his last two games (4-for-9). He is tied for the National League lead with 11 home runs this season, on pace to smash his career high of 24 home runs set last year. He is also leading the league slugging (.724) and OPS (1.098). The Mets will need to contain him and his 186 OPS+ if they want a shot at winning this game.

Let’s Go Mets!

Things continue to get worse for the Mets. The Mets were down most of Saturday night and tried to stage a late comeback, but ultimately failed in extra innings against the Angels. Ronny Mauricio fractured his thumb sliding into first base leaving the Mets without a short stop again.

The Mets can still win the series with a win this afternoon but the team is hurting. Yesterday they had to start a lineup with Austin Slader and Andy Ibáñez. The Mets are starting to run out of healthy options.

The Mets are going to need another stellar performance from Clay Holmes this afternoon. Over six starts Holmes has pitched 36 innings with a 1.75 ERA (league leading), 3.84 FIP, 0.972 WHIP and a 230 ERA+ (league leading). He is coming off of a start where he held the Nationals scoreless over six innings, scattering three hits and a walk while striking out six. The Angels have the following career numbers against him:

• Travis d’Arnaud 0-1
• Adam Frazier 0-6, K
• Josh Loew 0-5, BB, 2 K
• Yoan Moncada 0-1, BB
• Zach Neto 0-2, K
• Nolan Schanuel 0-1, K
• Jorge Soler 1-2, 2B, K
• Brent Suter 0-2, K
• Mike Trout 0-3, BB, K

Jack Kochanowicz if off to a great start for the Angels this season. Over 35 innings (six starts) he has a 3.09 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.200 WHIP and a 140 ERA+. He’s coming off of an average start where he allowed three runs, two earned, over six innings in a game the Angels eventually lost. The only members of the Mets who have seen Kochanowicz in a Major League game are Bo Bichette (1-for-3) and Marcus Semien (6-for-13, 2 BB).

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Marcus Semien. For a second straight game, Marcus Semien has execellent career numbers against the opponent’s starting pitcher. Semien went 1-for-4 with a run scored yesterday. With the way he has been hitting this season (.562 OPS, 60 OPS+), any hits recorded are a positive development. As the Mets lineup gets weaker and weaker by injury, they need Marcus Semien to step up.
2. Short. The Mets have a giant question mark at short now. If the Mets are trying to make the best lineup they could, Brett Baty should be a third, Mark Vientos at first and Bo Bichette should play shortstop. For the foreseeable future we are going to see a lot of Bichette and Vidal Bruján. Bruján played 24 games in Syracuse this season and is hitting .241/.304/.313 with three doubles and a home run. He also has five stolen bases.
3. Hope you like grounders. The Mets defensive alignment today is incredibly important with Holmes on the mound. Hitters are hitting grounders 58.1% of the time against Holmes, which is in the 94th percentile. This is slightly higher than last year were he had a 55.9% rate.

Let’s Go Mets!