Oh boy, the Mets have put themselves in a pickle today.
The Mets have lost the first two games of the series against the Reds and could get swept this afternoon. As Gary Cohen pointed out multiple times during the broadcast on Saturday, both games this series have followed pretty much the exact same story. The Mets got the lead early, the Mets lost the lead, the Mets tried to make a comeback in the ninth but fell short. The only additional wrinkle on Saturday was an increase in defensive miscues by the Mets and some questionable umpiring calls against the Mets. Now the Mets will try to avoid the sweep against the ace of the Reds staff.
It’s a battle of All-Star pitchers this afternoon at Citi Field. David Peterson gets the start fresh off his first career All-Star game. Over 18 starts this season Peterson has pitched 109 innings with a 3.06 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 1.239 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. He’s allowed three runs, two earned over his last two starts and 13 2/3 innings while striking out 10 batters. The Reds have the following career numbers against Peterson:
- Santiago Espinal 0-2
- TJ Friedl 1-4, BB, 2 K
- Austin Hays 0-1
- Connor Joe 0-2, 2 BB, K
- Gavin Lux 0-2, BB
- Noelvi Marte 2-3
- Spencer Steer 1-3, HR, 2 BB
- Tyler Stephenson 2-5, 2 K
- Jose Trevino 1-1
Andrew Abbott has taken off this season with a 2.07 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.084 WHIP and a 217 ERA+ over 91 1/3 innings this season. He’s coming off of a 7 2/3 inning performance against the Marlins holding them to only one run from six hits. He’s not invincible though. He allowed four runs against the Phillies on July fourth and allowed five runs in two starts in June (he allowed three runs total in his other three June starts and one of those five run games in June was mostly due to bad defense). Abbott made one start against the Mets last season allowing three runs, two earned over five innings from seven hits. The Mets have the following career stats against him:
- Pete Alonso 0-4, BB, 2 K
- Brett Baty 1-3
- Francisco Lindor 3-4, 2B, HR, BB
- Ronny Mauricio 2-2
- Jeff McNeil 1-3, BB
- Brandon Nimmo 0-5, K
- Juan Soto 3-5, BB
- Tyrone Taylor 1-4, 2 K
- Mark Vientos 1-2, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo currently has a 13 game on-base streak where he is slashing .327/.411/.571 with three doubles, three home runs and four stolen bases. His season slash line has gone from .252/.313/.448 to .262/.327/.465. He’s now only five home runs, seven doubles and four stolen bases his 2024 numbers. He’s only six home runs and five stolen bases away from career highs in those categories.
- Juan Soto. Speaking of career highs, Juan Soto stole his 12th stolen base of the season on Saturday. He has hit 12 stolen bases in a season now three times in his career and his next stolen base will be a career high.
- Brett Baty. Let’s keep the career best conversation going! Brett Baty went 2-for-3 on Saturday with a home run, his 10th of the season. In 2023, when Baty played in 108 games and had 389 plate appearances, Baty had nine home runs. In 77 games (247 plate appearances) in 2025 he now has a career highs in home runs and stolen bases (4) and is only four doubles and three RBI’s away from career highs in those categories too. Baty has a 1.6 bWAR, by far the best in his career.
Let’s Go Mets!
