Things looked bleak through the first three innings Monday night. The Phillies took an early 3-0 lead. The Mets couldn’t even get a hit. Vibes were bad.
Then a few pivotal things happened. The Mets had a huge fourth inning, knotting the game at three. Alec Bohm caused a 14-minute delay because of a pair parabolic mics in the batter eye. At that point the Mets just went on a tear. The Mets would go on to win 13-3 scoring 13 unanswered runs. Are the mics the new Grimace? Can the Mets ride this momentum wave through the rest of the series?
Sean Manaea has pitched 36 2/3 innings this season with a 5.15 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 1.118 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. Manaea’s July and August have been just polar opposites of each other. Over four games in July Manaea pitched 17 1/3 innings with a 2.08 ERA, 2.95 FIP. In the same amount of games in August he has a 7.91 ERA and 4.82 FIP. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Manaea:
- Alec Bohm 3-13, HR, 3 K
- Nick Castellanos 6-19, 2B, 3 HR, 4 K
- Bryce Harper 4-14, 2 2B, HR, 3 K
- Max Kepler 1-7, HR, BB, K
- Brandon Marsh 0-3, BB, 2 K
- J.T. Realmuto 1-9, BB, 4 K
- Kyle Schwarber 2-8, HR, 3 BB, K
- Edmundo Sosa 5-10, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 K
- Bryson Stott 3-7, 2 BB, K
- Trea Turner 6-18, HR, BB, 4 K
- Weston Wilson 0-2, K
Jesús Luzardo has pitched 145 innings over 26 starts this season with a 4.10 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 1.303 WHIP and a 108 ERA+. Luzardo has been alternating average starts and great starts for his last five starts. In his last start he held the Mariners to one run while striking out 12 over six innings. If the pattern holds, tonight should be an average start. Back in June he kept the Mets scoreless over 6 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Luzardo:
- Pete Alonso 2-25, HR, 12 K
- Brett Baty 1-3
- Francisco Lindor 5-21, 2 BB, 3 K
- Starling Marte 4-14, 3 K
- Ronny Mauricio 0-4, BB, 4 K
- Jeff McNeil 5-12, 2 K
- Cedric Mullins 3-4, 2 BB, K
- Brandon Nimmo 5-15, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
- Juan Soto 5-15, 2B, HR, 4 BB, 3 K
- Tyrone Taylor 2-8, 2B, K
- Luis Torrens 2-7, HR, K
- Mark Vientos 1-11, 2B, BB, 4 K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Parabolic Mics. For the first time this season, it feels like the Mets have an unofficial mascot. There have been plenty of failed unofficial mascots this season, but there is something about the parabolic mic that feels special. The Mets completed a necessary comeback after the mic incident, the mic incident was caused by a Phillies player, the object feels “random”. Let us know if you see anyone referencing the parabolic mic in the stands tonight.
- Mark Vientos. Going into Monday’s night game, Vientos had a 97 OPS+. He now has a 101 OPS+. Vientos has been on an absolute tear recently. Over his eight game hitting streak he has gone 12-for-31 with four doubles and five home runs while recording 13 RBI’s (.387/.429/1.000). Vientos also left the game early Monday night after taking a pitch to the ribs.
- Standings Watch. Every win this series closes the gap in the division. The Mets also need to watch the wild card standings. The Padres lost a second consecutive game Monday night, shrinking their lead over the Mets to only 3.5 games. They take on the Mariners again tonight. The Reds also lost, increasing the Mets lead on the last wild card spot to 2.5 games. The Reds take on Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers tonight.
Let’s Go Mets!
