The Mets and Braves are set to play a double header today. After dropping last night’s game to the Braves 3-2, the Mets slipped to 25-33 and things look bleak. Luckily, the Mets get reinforcements today as Yoenis Cespedes returns and Steven Matz will make the start in the evening game.
Robert Gsellman gets the start this afternoon for the first game. He is 4-3 over 13 games and 10 starts and 57.0 innings with a 5.53 ERA, 4.39 FIP and 1.544 WHIP. Since it looked like his time in the rotation was limited with the return of Matz and Lugo, Gsellman has returned to form. In his last two starts he has allowed 10 hits and 4 walks leading to 4 runs, 3 earned, over 12.1 innings. The Mets have won both games. Gsellman had a solid relief appearance against the Braves the first game of the season allowing no runs on 2 hits in an inning, but his two starts against the Braves have been torrid. In 9.0 innings he allowed 16 hits and 4 walks leading to 11 runs, 10 earned. The Braves have the following numbers against him:
- Kemp 6-12, 3 2B, HR
- Inciarte 3-9, HR
- Markakis 3-11
- Flowers 3-9, 2B
- Swanson 2-7
- Phillips 1-5
The Mets bats will see Sean Newcomb make his major league debut. Before the 2016 season, he was considered the #24 and #21 prospect by Baseball America and MLB respectively. Before this year he was #78 and #80 (and Baseball Prospectus had in at #32 in 2016 and #44, go with their rankings, they are generally the best). In the minors this year he is 3-3 over 11 games and 57.2 innings with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.353 WHIP. For additional context, he ended the 2015 season with a 2.38 ERA over two levels of A ball and AA, in 2016 he ended the season with a 3.86 ERA in an entire season of AA ball.
Let’s Go Mets!
