The Mets look to salvage a game this afternoon after losing three straight to the Phillies. The week started off with the Mets losing to the Phillies after blowing the save in the ninth inning in Queens. Since then the Mets have not hit well, not pitched well and the vibes are not great.
What did work Wednesday was Mark Vientos rejoining the roster. Vientos went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, RBI and run scored. Through the fourth inning it looked like the Mets had a chance at the this game! But then the Mets allowed nine runs between the 5th and the 7th. The Mets desperately need a good day on both sides of the plate to reset the energy around the team.
Jose Quintana has pitched 41 1/3 innings over eight starts this season with a 5.44 ERA, 4.95 FIP, 1.548 WHIP and a 70 ERA+. Quintana had a rough start to May where he allowed eight runs over 2 2/3 innings against the Rays. In his last start he allowed four runs over five innings to the Braves, all four runs scoring in one bad inning of work. Over this entire season his xERA of 6.20 puts him in the 4th percentile and xBA of .317 in just the 2nd percentile.
His 2023 campaign ended with back-to-back starts against the Phillies that did not go so great, ballooning his season ERA from 3.02 to 3.57. He allowed ten runs, eight earned over ten innings pitched from 15 hits including three homers. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Quintana:
- Alec Bohm 3-11, 2B, HR, 2 K
- Nick Castellanos 12-46, 3B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 8 K
- Bryce Harper 2-14, HR, 5 K
- Whit Merrifield 4-15, 2 BB, 2 K
- Cristian Pache 1-2
- J.T. Realmuto 2-12, HR, 2 BB
- Johan Rojas 3-5, 2 K
- Kyle Schwarber 4-16, 2B, HR, 7 K
- Edmundo Sosa 2-7, 3 K
- Bryson Stott 0-1, BB
- Garrett Stubbs 0-2
The Mets bats will face an old friend today in Taijuan Walker. Over three starts (18 2/3 innings) Walker has a 4.82 ERA, 5.25 FIP, 1.330 WHIP and an 84 ERA+. He is coming off of his best start of the season where he held the Marlins to only one run over six innings despite allowing eight hits. Walker and the Mets matched up four times last season leading to 23 innings of work with 10 runs from 14 hits (3.91 ERA). The Mets have the following career numbers against him:
- Pete Alonso 2-10, 2 2B, BB, 3 K
- Harrison Bader 0-6, 2 K
- Brett Baty 1-9, K
- Francisco Lindor 2-15, 2 BB, 4 K
- Starling Marte 0-6, BB
- J.D. Martinez 7-14, 2B, HR, 3 K
- Jeff McNeil 1-7
- Omar Narváez 2-7, HR, BB, K
- Brandon Nimmo 3-9, 2B, HR, 2 BB, K
- DJ Stewart 0-7, BB, 2 K
- Tyrone Tayler 1-3, 2 K
- Mark Vientos 0-2
Three Things To Watch For:
- J.D. has the hottest bat right now. The Mets signed J.D. to hit and that’s what he has been doing recently for the Mets. Since May 7th, Martinez has gone 9-for-28 at the plate with two doubles and two homers (.321/.345/.607). In the last three games he has gone 5-for-12 with three extra-base hits.
- Francisco Lindor – base stealer. In 2023 Lindor recorded his first ever 30-30 season hitting 31 homers and stealing 31 bases. Yesterday he stole two bases in the same game, bringing his total to six on the year. This puts him back on track for at least a 20-20 season, and this projection can be bumped up even higher when he starts to heat up at the plate.
- Well, at least Hartwig and Houser ate innings. On Wednesday Hartwig and Houser allowed five runs over 3 2/3 innings. Not great, and it really put the game out of reach for the Mets. At least they were able to finish off the game so higher leverage arms are fresh for tonight’s match.
Let’s Go Mets!
