The Mets spent the second half of June spiraling but things are looking a bit better after the first week of July. The Mets ripped off a four game winning streak, taking a series from the Brewers and the Yankees. Now the Mets head to Baltimore hoping to start another winning streak.
The Orioles have been one of the more disappointing teams in 2025. They have a lot of young hitting talent but the pitching has completely fallen apart for them. But things have started to look better for the Orioles more recently. They are on a three game winning streak, winning six of their last four games and are only nine games under .500 (at one point they were 16 games under). Will they continue to soar or can the Mets send them back to the nest?
Clay Holmes has pitched 93 1/3 innings over 17 starts with a 2.99 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.243 WHIP and a 127 ERA+. He’s coming off back to back solid starts allowing only three runs over 10 1/3 innings against the Braves and the Brewers. In his last five starts he has a 2.77 ERA and a 5.62 FIP. The discrepancy comes from 16 walks over 26 innings and four home runs allowed. Over seven games and 6 1/3 innings against the Orioles last year he allowed seven runs but only three earned from eight hits and two walks while striking out eight. The Orioles have the following career numbers against him:
- Colton Cowser 1-4, 2 K
- Gunnar Henderson 1-2, BB
- Jackson Holliday 2-3, K
- Alex Jackson 0-1, BB
- Ramon Laureano 0-2
- Coby Mayo 2-3, 2B
- Cedric Mullins 1-7, HR, K
- Tyler O’Neill 2-7, BB, K
- Jacob Stallings 1-9, 2B, K
- Ramón Urías 3-11, 3 K
- Luis Vazquez 0-4, K
- Jordan Westburg 0-6, 3 K
Brandon Young makes his fifth start for the Orioles this evening. Over his first four major league starts (16 2/3 innings) Young has a 7.02 ERA, 4.83 FIP, 1.980 WHIP and a 56 ERA+. Since rejoining the Orioles he has allowed seven runs over eight innings spread over two starts from 11 hits and three walks. Young is coming off of a successful 2024 minor league campaign where he had a 3.57 ERA over 111 innings, but has not seen that level of success yet in the majors.
Three Things To Watch For:
- Starling Marte. Marte has been quietly putting together a solid season for the Mets. He’s on a three game hitting streak where he has at least two hits in each game (7-for-12, 2B, SB, 2 R). He already has a 0.7 bWAR matching his total from last season and a 115 OPS+, his best since 2022.
- Pete Alonso and Camden Yards. Pete Alonso has played seven games in Baltimore hitting .296/.333/.852 with three doubles and four home runs. Now the Orioles have made a lot of changes to the outfield wall over the last couple of years. First they moved the left field walk, which was physically short (like a tall person could stand over it) back. Then they changed their mind and moved it forward a bit. That being said, Pete likes hitting in Baltimore as he currently chases the Mets franchise record for home runs (currently at 246, chasing Strawberry’s 252).
- Get to the Orioles Bullpen. The Orioles had to use six relievers on Saturday and three pitchers on Sunday, including two pitchers on back-to-back days. Young has not gotten deep into a game this year and this is a great opportunity for the Mets to set the tone for the series and tire the Orioles out. The Orioles bullpen currently has a 4.50 ERA (25th in MLB).
Let’s Go Mets!
