Can the Mets win seven in a row? We’ll find out today!
The Mets won their 6th game in a row last night in a comeback fashion. After falling 2-0 the Orioles in a pitching duel, the Mets scored once in the 8th and twice in the 9th to win, including Patrick Mazeika‘s 2nd walk-off fielder’s choice in a week. He now has two walk-off’s in his career and 0 hits. Baseball! The game wasn’t all great news for the Mets, who are fairly banged up as of late. Jeff McNeil pulled up lame rounding first after a single trying to stretch it to a double. The Mets described it during the game as full body cramps and after the game as McNeil dodging a bullet. Albert Almora Jr. ran into the wall at full speed trying to make a catch (he actually did make the catch the but the collision with the wall knocked the ball out of his hand). It was a scary moment at Citi Field, on the exact day that Aaron Rowand made a similar catch against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park in 2006. The Mets are going to need every moment of this off-day tomorrow.
But this has been rude of me, I haven’t wished you a Happy Harvey Day yet! Happy Harvey Day!
When Harvey signed a minor league deal with teh Orioles this off-season, eyes fell to this two-game set. Would Harvey make the team and still be on the team in May? Would his rotation spot line up with a start at Citi Field? It’s happening!
Matt Harvey has made 7 starts and pitched 35.0 innings this season with a 3.60 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 1.286 WHIP and a 119 ERA+. Depending on what metric you look at, those are his best numbers since 2015 / 2016. In his last three starts he has allowed 7 runs but only 3 earned, over 15.2 innings with opponents hitting .192/.292/.316 against him. His weakness all year has been the third time through the order, only pitching 6.0 innings once. Only three Mets have seen Harvey in a major league game before (and I highly doubt Almora will be playing today):
- Francisco Lindor 1-4, HR, K
- Jonathan Villar 3-12, 2B, HR, 4 K
- Albert Almora Jr. 1-4, K
The Mets will send out Taijuan Walker to the mound to finish the two-game sweep of the Orioles. Walker has started 6 games and pitched 34.0 innings this year with a 2.38 ERA, 2.84 FIP, 1.029 WHIP and a 161 ERA+. He has a 0.3 HR/9 inning mark, the best in the league. He’s coming off of a strong start against the Cardinals where he allowed one hit and one unearned run over 7.0 innings while walking no one and striking out 8. He faced the Orioles twice last year and kept them scoreless over 9.0 innings, scattering 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 8. The Orioles have the following numbers against Walker:
- Pat Valaika 1-2
- Cedric Mullins 0-2, BB, 2 K
- Chance Sisco 0-3, BB, 2 K
- Rio Ruiz 0-3, K
- DJ Stewart 0-1
- Ryan Mountcastle 0-4
- Pedro Severino 0-3
- Austin Hays 0-1, K
- Ramon Urias 0-1, K
Let’s Go Mets!
