What a trade deadline! For the second the time in three series, the Giants and the Mets will face off against each other, but the teams look a little different. The Mets have traded for three players over the last two days. Cedric Mullins will now pratol centerfield. Ryan Helsley will now set up Edwin Díaz. The iron man in the Giants bullpen, leading the league in games pitched in four of the last six years, Tyler Rogers, will now be wearing orange and blue. In addition to trading Tyler Rogers to the Mets, the Giants have also traded away Mike Yastrzemski and Camilo Doval.
After being swept by the Padres the Mets need to get back into the win column tonight. It’s a rematch of 2025 All-Star lefties tonight in Queens! David Peterson will square off again against Robbie Ray!
David Peterson has pitched 121 innings this season which ties 2024 for the most innings he’s ever pitched at the major league level. He has a 2.83 ERA, 3.34 FIP, 1.248 WHIP and a 135 ERA+. Peterson has been on fire recently allowing only three earned runs, five runs total over his last four starts and 25 2/3 innings pitched (1.05 ERA, 3.25 FIP). This includes his last start against the Giants (and Robbie Ray) where he allowed only one run over six innings, scattering eight hits and three walks. The Giants have the following career numbers against Peterson:
- Willy Adames 3-10, 2B, 9 BB, 2 K
- Patrick Bailey 1-2, K
- Matt Chapman 1-3, K
- Rafael Devers 5-13, 2B, 3 K
- Wilmer Flores 3-8, HR, BB, 2 K
- Andrew Knizner 0-2, K
- Jung Hoo Lee 2-3
- Luis Matos 1-4, BB
- Heliot Ramos 2-4, 2B, K
- Casey Schmitt 0-4, BB
- Dominic Smith 2-5, 2 K
Robbie Ray has pitched 129 innings over 22 starts with a 2.93 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.140 WHIP and a 132 ERA+. Ray is coming off of a solid start against the Mets where he allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings from five hits and three walks. Once the Mets got him out of the game, they just erupted at the plate and would go on to win 9-5. Ray’s last start was just his second start in his last eight where he did not allow any home runs. The Mets have the following career stats against Ray:
- Pete Alonso 2-9, 3 K
- Francisco Alvarez 1-2, 3B
- Brett Baty 1-3
- Francisco Lindor 1-5, HR, BB, 2 K
- Starling Marte 9-25, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 3 BB, 9 K
- Jeff McNeil 0-6, K
- Cedric Mullins 4-12, 2 HR, 2 K
- Brandon Nimmo 2-8, 3B, HR, 2 K
- Juan Soto 1-8, BB
- Tyrone Taylor 0-2, 2 K
- Luis Torrens 2-11, 2B, 4 K
- Mark Vientos 1-3, 2B, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Cedric Mullins. The Mets have struggled against left-handed pitching this season slashing .226/.303/.356 vs southpaws compared to .246/.325/.428 against righties. This season Mullins is slashing .229/.305/.433 (105 OPS+) against all pitchers but against lefties he is hitting .298/.390/.476. Further Mullins has been on a hot streak of late hitting .321/.333/.547 over his last 16 games with six doubles and two homers. Mullins might not be an impact bat in the way we traditionally think of an impact bat at the trade deadline, but he’s upgrade in a position the Mets have been struggling to get consistent production out of this season.
- Playing Time. With Mullins now in the mix, Jeff McNeil is going to slot back into the infield. The Mets are now going to need to find consistent at bats for Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuña, Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte. Over the next week we’ll get a sense of who gets the start based on a righty starter vs a lefty starter. We’ll also get a sense of who gets a start when the Mets send out a groundball heavy pitcher. The Mets bench looks stronger now but everyone is going to need to see game time in order to stay productive.
- Slumping Mets. Sometimes bringing in new faces can help other players break out of slumps. Pete Alonso has hit .083/.162/.150 over his last 17 games. Francisco Lindor has hit .136/.150/.220 over his last 13 games. Juan Soto has slashed .116/.240/.279 over his last 12 games. The younger Mets hitting in the back up of the lineup has been carrying the team over their seven game winning streak followed by the three game losing streak, hopefully Alonso, Lindor and Soto can start to break out of their slumps tonight!
Let’s Go Mets!
