It’s crunch time borderline panic time for the Mets. After dropping two straight against the Nationals, the Reds have officially tied them for the last Wild Card spot. The Diamondbacks are only a game behind the Mets and Reds. It’s worth noting that the Reds currently have the tiebreaker with the Mets so the Mets no longer control their own destiny. Is this enough to put a fire under the Mets for the rest of the season? We are about to find out!
David Peterson has pitched 167 1/3 innings with a 3.98 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 1.339 WHIP and a 102 ERA+. He’s coming off of a brutal start against the Padres where he allowed six runs from six hits and three walks over five innings. In his last four starts he has allowed 21 runs over 17 1/3 innings from 28 hits while only striking out 14 batters (10.90 ERA, 4.59 FIP). The Cubs have the following career numbers against Peterson:
- Willi Castro 1-2, 2B
- Ian Happ 1-8, 5 K
- Nico Hoerner 2-3, BB, K
- Carson Kelly 1-2, 2B, 3 BB, K
- Carlos Santana 0-2, BB
- Seiya Suzuki 2-3, 3B, 2 BB
- Dansby Swanson 3-17, 2B, 2 BB
- Justin Turner 0-0, 2 BB
The Mets season depends on them beating a rookie who is off to a terrific start. Cade Horton has pitched in 22 games totaling 115 innings with a 2.66 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 1.096 WHIP and a 144 ERA+. In his last three starts he has a 1.10 ERA, 1.80 FIP over 16 1/3 innings while striking out 14 batters. His major league debut was against the Mets, who tagged him for three runs over four innings from three hits. The Mets have the following career stats against him:
- Luisangel Acuña 0-2, K
- Pete Alonso 1-2
- Francisco Alvarez 0-1
- Brett Baty 1-2, HR, K
- Francisco Lindor 1-2
- Brandon Nimmo 0-2, K
- Juan Soto 0-2, K
- Mark Vientos 1-2
Three Things To Watch For:
- Pete Alonso’s last week? I don’t want to think about it, but this could be Pete Alonso’s last week as a Met. Alonso has a 145 OPS+ this season, the third highest in his career (147 in 2019, 146 in 2022). He’s three home runs away from 40 homers for the fourth time in his career and is two doubles away from 40 doubles (already has a career high). Does he have one more mega week in him? Are the Mets and Alonso really going to split?
- Lindor 30-30 season? Lindor hit his 28th home run of the season on Sunday and is now only two homers away from his second 30-30 season. The Mets need a huge night from their captain to inject life back into the team. We’ve seen Lindor do this before on the road, he has the opportunity to open the game with a bang and set the tone for the night.
- Wild Card race. The Mets season depends on how much the Pirates want to play spoiler. Johan Oviedo (3.52 ERA) takes on Brady Singer (3.86 ERA). The Diamondbacks will face starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani tonight. As of now, all eyes are on the Reds. The Mets just need to win and need the Reds to lose to take control of their destiny again.
Let’s Go Mets!
