The Mets bring their winning record back to Clover Park today to take on the Marlins for the first time this spring. Yesterday the Mets won their second consecutive spring game as they beat the Nationals 6-3 at West Palm Beach. Trayce Thompson stole the show going 2-for-3 at the plate including a grand slam. Additionally Pete Alonso had a great day at the plate going 2-for-2 with two doubles and walk.
The focus today though is not on the bats – it’s on the pitching. The Mets have several big names making their spring debuts in Houser and López. Nate Lavender, who impressed on Saturday, is scheduled to get his second outing of the year.
The biggest knock on the Mets game on Sunday was their defense. The team committed two errors and had a balk. Yesterday Luke Ritter had an error and Senger allowed a passed ball. It is difficult to have a full read on yesterday’s defense for the Mets because the game wasn’t televised or broadcasted on the radio (and sometimes defensive miscues don’t show up in the box score).
Three Things To Watch For:
- Adrian Houser: Houser is making his first Mets start this afternoon and that’s biggest story of the day. Houser was acquired in a trade with the Brewers to round out the Mets rotation for this season. Last year he made 21 starts and pitched in 23 games tossing 111 1/3 innings with a 4.12 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.392 WHIP and a 105 ERA+. He has a low-to-mid-90’s fastball that he used 71% of the time last year mixing in a slider, curve and changeup. The Mets wild card chances this year are pinned on how solid the back of the rotation can be, Houser is a major factor for that.
- Nate Lavender’s second outing: Lavender was fantastic on Saturday in his spring debut. The Mets prospect struck out the side and turned a lot of heads. After the game he said “If you throw 92 with a little doubt in there, it’s probably gonna get hit pretty hard. If you throw 92 with some grit and some intention behind it, you’re gonna be alright.” Lavender is currently in camp as a non-roster invitee and has a lot to over come to break camp with the team and we are very excited to see his second outing of the year.
- Jorge López: Rebuilding the Mets bullpen was a key part to the Mets off-season. Stearns brought in a ton of pitchers with different throwing styles to give the Mets bullpen something it lacked last year – different looks. López is a key part to making the bullpen a strength for the Mets. Last year wasn’t great for the former All-Star as he posted a 5.95 ERA, 73 ERA+ over multiple organizations. His 2022 stint with the Orioles shows his potential. Over 48 1/3 innings he had a 196 ERA+.
Let’s go Mets!
