The Mets homered early and often Friday night in their first clash against the Cubs. Lindor started things off for the Mets with a lead-off home run. In the second inning Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil homered. Juan Soto joined the home run party in the fourth inning. The Mets lineup has always had the power potential – they were sixth in the league for home runs in 2024 then added Juan Soto. It feels like now with the weather getting warmer something is starting to click.
A key to last night’s victory was limiting the damage that Cubs power bats could do. The Cubs have hit the 3rd most home runs in 2025 and both of their runs last night came off of solo shots. Let’s run back the same game plan tonight!
Tylor Megill has a 2.50 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 1.167 WHIP and a 159 ERA+ over 36 innings (seven starts). He’s looked a bit more human in his last two starts starts, allowing seven runs over 11 1/3 innings while striking out 15 batters. Those numbers include a start against the Nationals where he just stayed in the game too long. Megill is still striking out batters a career high clip (11.3 K/9, 9.3 career). He has allowed two home runs in his last two starts (one per start) which is something to keep an eye on with the Cubs in town. The Cubs have the following career numbers against him:
- Jon Berti 0-3
- Michael Busch 0-2, K
- Pete Crow-Armstrong 1-2, 3B, K
- Ian Happ 0-4, 2 K
- Nico Hoerner 1-4, BB, K
- Nicky Lopez 3-4, BB, K
- Seiya Suzuki 2-3, HR, BB, K
- Dansby Swanson 3-12, 2B, BB, 6 K
- Kyle Tucker 0-0, BB
Brad Keller is the opener for the Cubs today in a game that should feature the major league debut of one of the Cubs top prospects, Cade Horton. Keller has been an effective reliever for the Cubs this year, pitching 16 2/3 innings with a 3.78 ERA, 2.21 FIP, 1.260 WHIP and 109 ERA+. The hope for the Cubs is that Keller can pitch two innings, face the Mets big bats before passing the ball over to Horton.
The longest Keller has gone this season is first outing where he tossed 46 pitches over two innings. He has gone two innings as recently as May 3rd, keeping his outing to only 28 pitches. Keller made his debut in 2018 as a starter for the Royals and was made 20 starts are more between 2018-2020, so starting isn’t new for Keller. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:
- José Azócar 1-1, BB
- Francisco Lindor 5-17, BB, 3 K
- Starling Marte 1-4, K
- Juan Soto 4-6, 2 HR, 3 BB
- Tyrone Taylor 0-1
Three Things To Watch For:
- Cade Horton. The Cubs are saying this is a bullpen game, but this feels like the Cade Horton game. Horton has thrown between 76 and 78 pitches in each of his last four outings. How deep does that get him in a major league game? Especially one where Cade Horton is probably not doing his normal routine to start a game. Horton is off to a hot start in the minor leagues with a 1.24 ERA over 29 innings. He has allowed 12 hits and 13 walks (0.862 WHIP) while striking out 33 batters.
- Francisco Lindor. What a game for Lindor Friday night! He went 3-for-5 at the plate with a home run and a stolen base. He has had two home runs in his last four games. We are also now seeing an uptick in stolen bases. Lindor has now stolen three bags in his last five games, which is 60% of the stolen bases he has this season. We also know that the Mets have been a much better home team (14-3) than a road team (11-11). Guess who has been a better home hitter? At home Lindor is slashing .412/.447/.765 with seven of his eight home runs. On the road he’s hitting .207/.300/.287. The power of The Temptations!
- Stolen Bases. Surprising no one, Luisangel Acuña is leading the team with 10 stolen bases, followed by Francisco Lindor (5) who has done most of his stealing in the last week. The Mets as team stole three bases Friday night, bringing their season total to 28, tied with the Dodgers at 18th in the league. This is right around where the Mets were last season, where they finished the season tied with the Pirates at 16th. The three stolen bases Friday night were all off of Kelly catching, but different pitchers. Is this a change in overall strategy for the Mets, a blip on the radar, or something specific to just the Cubs?
Let’s Go Mets!
