The Mets could possibly lose a play off spot today. The slide has reached that point.
Friday night the Mets welcomed Jacob deGrom back to Citi Field but before he could even take the mound the Mets just absolutely imploded with Jonah Tong allowing six runs in the first inning. deGrom then retired the Mets in just six pitches in the bottom of the first. The Mets would cut the Rangers lead to just three runs but couldn’t muster anything more than that. Entering today’s slate of games the San Francisco Giants are just a half game back of the Mets. Today is a must win game.
Brandon Sproat makes his second major league start this afternoon after allowing three runs from three hits and four walks over six innings while striking out seven in a solid debut last weekend. Sproat had allowed only one run through the first five innings of work, with the additional two runs coming in his last inning. The Mets have been desperate for their pitchers to get through five innings, so finishing the sixth inning was a major accomplishment. Now the Mets will need Sproat to effectively save their season. No pressure!
The Mets are not facing the Patrick Corbin you remember. He’s slightly better now. Over 27 games he has totaled 142 1/3 innings with a 4.36 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 1.321 WHIP and an 84 ERA+. He is not leading the league in hits, like he has in three of the last six seasons, and he is not leading the league in earned runs, something he has done in three of the last five seasons. He’s coming off a strong start allowing only one run over 5 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:
- Pete Alonso 17-49, 3 2B, 5 HR, 10 BB, 12 K
- Francisco Alvarez 2-5, HR, 3 BB
- Brett Baty 1-2
- Francisco Lindor 13-44, 2 2B, 3 HR, 9 K
- Starling Marte 13-42, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 10 K
- Ronny Mauricio 0-2
- Jeff McNeil 10-37, 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
- Cedric Mullins 3-10, 2B, K
- BrandoN Nimmo 12-43, 2 HR, 2 BB, 13 K
- Jose Siri 1-6, BB, 2 K
- Juan Soto 0-7, 2 BB, 2 K
- Mark Vientos 4-8, 3 2B, 3B, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Getting runners on base. The Mets worked 0 walks Friday night and mustered only five hits. They technically had zero at bats with runners in scoring position because each time they got someone over to third, they came in on a sacrifice fly. It’s great not to leave runners on third, but it’s not great to give yourself only two opportunities for this to happen. In the last two games played the Mets have only scored in two separate innings. Hopefully the Mets can flip this script tonight.
- Juan Soto stat watch. Juan Soto has been one of the few bright spots on the Mets recently while everyone else has been withering away. He still leads the league in walks (118) and OBP (.398). He is eight walks away from breaking John Olerud’s Mets franchise record set in 1999. He is only three home runs away from a career high. At the rate he is stealing bases, maybe (although unlikely) he can reach a 40-40 by the end of the season (needs one more homer and eight more bases).
- Wild Card Picture. The Mets have the benefit of playing first today, and not having to worry about keeping up with anyone else live during the game. The Giants and Logan Webb (3.12 ERA) will take on Clayton Kershaw (3.27 ERA) and the Dodgers at 9:05. The Reds send out Hunter Greene (2.59 ERA) against Luis Severino (4.67 ERA) and the Athletics at 10:05. The Mets just need to win and hold on.
Let’s Go Mets!
