
The Mets survived Philadelphia!
Thursday night the Mets lost the lead twice, but were able to get the lead one more time in the 11th inning and just hold on for dear life. Now the Mets head to Miami, three games below .500, to face the struggling Miami Marlins.
Miami has spent most of the season struggling at historical levels. They are currently 13-32 and for a while were a candidate to possibly eclipse the 1962 Mets loss total. Things can never quite work out for the Mets and Miami has won three of their last four games, including beating the Phillies. So the Mets have the honor of facing the Marlins as a team on a roll for the first time in 2024.
Christian Scott looks to make it two wins in a row for the Mets this evening. Over his first two starts he has pitched 12 2/3 allowing four runs from 11 hits and three walks while striking out 14. He has a small-sample size 2.84 ERA, 2.64 FIP, 1.105 WHIP and a 137 ERA+. Scott looked good in his second start against a potent Atlanta lineup, generating 14 swing-and-miss strikes (he had 17 in his first start).
Jesús Luzardo has pitched 31 2/3 innings this season over six starts with a 5.97 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 1.326 WHIP and a 71 ERA+. His stats are being weighed down by two back-to-back starts in mid-April where he allowed 12 runs over 9 2/3 innings. In his last two starts he has allowed four runs from seven hits and four walks over 11 2/3 innings while striking out 14 batters (3.09 ERA, 1.74 FIP).
Luzardo poetically started his 2023 campaign against the Mets and ended it against the Mets. Overall he held the Mets to only one run over 12 1/3 innings while striking out 15 batters. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:
- Pete Alonso 2-16, HR, 7 K
- Harrison Bader 1-3, BB
- Brett Baty 1-3
- Francisco Lindor 3-12, 2 BB, 3 K
- Starling Marte 2-6, K
- Jeff McNeil 4-10, 2 K
- Tomás Nido 1-5, BB, 3 K
- Brandon Nimmo 3-9, 2B, HR, 2 BB K
- DJ Stewart 0-4, K
- Tyrone Taylor 2-3, 2B
- Mark Vientos 0-6, BB, 3 K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Mets are still struggling with RISP. The Mets played an extremely close series with the Phillies, picking up one win and three losses. The Mets could have easily gone 3-1. Going 0-4 was also a distinct possibility. The issues the Mets had was closing games out and getting insurance runs. The Mets as a team last night went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. The Mets overall hit well in game, collecting eight total hits, but there was an opportunity to do a lot more damage. The Mets face a Marlins team that’s starting to get some confidence tonight and the Mets can squash that confidence collecting hits when they have RISP.
- The back of the Mets bullpen. The Mets bullpen has been a strength for most of this season, but it has not been for the last week or so. Edwin Díaz blew his third save opportunity in his last five outings on Thursday night. Because the Phillies and Mets played multiple extra-inning games, the bullpen is taxed, with the Mets using five different relievers Thursday alone. The Mets need a chance to reset and breath. Hopefully Scott can go deep into tonight’s game and give the Mets bullpen that opportunity.
- Harrison Bader providing the spark. The Mets were at their best earlier this season when Bader was the surprise spark in the Mets lineup. Thursday night he came off the bench and went 2-for-2 with a critical double. Let’s keep that spark and energy going through the weekend!
Let’s Go Mets!