The Mets try to avoid the sweep this evening at Citi Field.
Last weekend the Mets were swept by the Rays. The Mets then “swept” the Cardinals in a rain-shortened two-game series. So far this weekend the Mets have lost both games, despite holding the Braves to only four runs per game. The bats just haven’t been there for the Mets. Saturday’s game was almost an embarrassing disaster as the Braves had a combined no-hitter intact with two outs in the ninth inning. J.D. Martinez hit his first homerun as a Met, breaking up the no hitter and the shutout.
The Mets are calling on Luis Severino to stop the slide tonight as the Mets have the nationally televised night game on Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Mom’s and Mother figures out there! Here’s hoping the Mets can make your day a little more special!
Luis Severino has a 2.93 ERA, 3.38 FIP, 1.175 WHIP and a 132 ERA+ over 40 innings (seven starts) in 2024. He’s coming off of a less than stellar start against the Rays who got him for four runs over five innings from four hits and six walks. Severino missed the Braves earlier in the season and last year the Braves got him for five runs from five hits and two walks over four innings of work. The Braves have the following career numbers against Severino:
- Ronald Acuña Jr. 2-3, HR
- Orlando Arcia 0-5, K
- Travis d’Arnaud 1-3
- Adam Duvall 0-3, K
- Michael Harris II 1-3
- Matt Olson 1-5, 2B, 3 BB, 4 K
- Marcell Ozuna 2-2, HR
- Austin Riley 0-3, 2 K
The Mets bats will try to get back into rhythm tonight against Bryce Elder. Over three starts, 15 1/3 innings, Elder has a 5.28 ERA, 6.35 FIP, 1.761 WHIP and an 81 ERA+. Elder’s stats are tilted from his last outing. Over his first two starts he allowed only two runs from 12 hits over 12 innings. His last time out he allowed seven runs from seven hits and four walks against the Dodgers.
Elder faced the Mets twice last season. The Mets were able to get to him in first start, scoring four runs from four hits and two walks over six innings, despite Elder striking out the Mets eight times. Then later in the season Elder held the Mets to only one run over 5 1/3 innings. That second start was after the Mets tore down the roster though at the deadline. The Mets have the following career numbers against Elder:
- Pete Alonso 1-5, HR
- Harrison Bader 0-2, K
- Brett Baty 1-2, K
- Francisco Lindor 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 BB
- Starling Marte 1-3, 2 K
- J.D. Martinez 1-3, K
- Jeff McNeil 1-7, BB, K
- Omar Narváez 1-2
- Brandon Nimmo 1-7, 3 K
- DJ Stewart 0-2, K
- Joey Wendle 3-12, 2B, BB, 2 K
Three Things To Watch For:
- J.D. Martinez is starting to come around. We already discussed how J.D. Martinez was the hero in Saturday’s game for the Mets. Over his last four games he has gone 4-for-15 at the plate with a home run and a walk. He’s night lighting up the world, but he’s starting to consistently make content. Twice in yesterday’s game he just scorched the ball. Tonight would be a great time for a full 2024 breakout.
- Brett Baty is striking out a lot. Over his last eight games Baty has gone 6-for-30 at the plate with two homers, five runs scored, three walks and a whopping 14 strikeouts. In his last four games he has gone 1-for-15 at the plate with seven strikeouts. To put this in perspective, 14 of Baty’s 30 strikeouts this season have been in the month of May and he has struck out in eight consecutive games.
- The Mets don’t hit triples. Looking at a team’s triples numbers are weird since triples are a combination of speed, ballpark dimensions and the circumstances on the field. That being said, the Mets have had only one triple this season, tied with the White Sox at the bottom of the league. The Red Sox lead the league with 10.
Let’s Go Mets!
