Mets fans! We made it! The Mets wind down their end their seven game west coast road trip this afternoon, looking to sweep the season series against the Rockies. Lindor has been a key player in both games so far this weekend. Friday night Francisco Lindor came off the bench to hit a go-ahead double in the top of the ninth inning. Saturday Lindor went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases – his pinky toe is still broken by the way. Go for the sweep today Mets!
Tylor Megill has pitched 59 2/3 innings over 12 games with a 3.77 ERA, 3.12 FIP, 1.307 WHIP and a 100 ERA+. Megill had a rough stretch at the end of April through the middle of May where he allowed 15 earned runs over 18 2/3 innings spread over four games. He then had two solid back-to-back starts against the Red Sox and White Sox holding them to three runs over 10 1/3 innings while striking out 16 batters. The Dodgers got the of Megill his last time out, allowing four runs from four hits and a walk over six innings. Which Megill will we get today? The Rockies have the following numbers against Megill:
- Orlando Arcia 2-11, 2B, BB, 3 K
- Brenton Doyle 1-2, K
- Thairo Estrada 2-5, HR, K
- Tyler Freeman 0-3, K
- Sam Hilliard 0-2, K
- Keston Hiura 0-2, 2 K
- Ryan McMahon 2-4, 2B, BB, K
The Mets bats will get a look at rookie Chase Dollander, who didn’t face the Mets during last weekend’s series in Queens. Dollander has 41 2/3 innings over nine starts with a 6.26 ERA, 5.97 FIP, 1.440 WHIP and a73 ERA+. He’s coming off of a short start in Miami where he walked three batters and allowed two runs over three innings. It was his first start since returning from the injured list and the Rockies kept him to about 60 pitches. The Rockies top prospect has a high-90’s fastball that he uses more than half the time. He then mixes in a high-70’s curveball, high-80’s cutter and changeup. According to Statcast he has also tossed a slider four times this season (0.5% of the time).
Three Things To Watch For:
- Paul Blackburn. Paul Blackburn made a spot start for the Mets on Monday to give the rest of the rotation an extra day of rest. He was spectacular, holding the Dodgers scoreless over five innings, scattering three hits and a walk. With the off-day tomorrow, he’ll be in the bullpen for at least this week. Today makes a lot sense for Blackburn to get a solid chunk of work. Hitters are slashing .196/.278/.371 the first time they face Megill. This jumps to .253/.346/.319 the second time. It would be interesting to see a Megill+Blackburn start combo!
- Ronny Mauricio. Mauricio has started to come around in his last two games! Mauricio started off his call-up going 0-for-8 with three strikeouts. In his last two games he has gone 3-for-4 with a double and a home run. Don’t let Mauricio get hot!
- Production from the second lineup spot. The Mets have been trying different players in the second lineup spot based on matchups. Since Tuesday the second spot has gone 9-for-20 with eight runs scored. It’s difficult to determine if Nimmo and Marte are both getting hot right now, or if they are both benefiting from the Mets putting them in a position to succeed (or some combination of the two). Here are their batting lines from the second spot in the lineup:
- Tuesday: Marte 1-4, 2 R, K
- Wednesday: Nimmo 1-3, 2 R, K, SB
- Thursday: Marte 3-4, 2 R, BB, 2B, HR
- Friday: Marte 2-5, R, 3 K
- Saturday: Nimmo 2-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
Let’s Go Mets!
