The Mets are flying high after Wednesday night’s sweep of the Yankees. Since the All-Star break the Mets are 4-2 and are the only team in baseball winning more than 60% of their games since the start of June. This weekend they have a huge four game series against the Braves in which the Mets could capture the top wild card spot.
Luis Severino has pitched 115 2/3 innings making 19 starts with a 3.58 ERA, 4.24 FIP, 1.176 WHIP and a 109 ERA+. Severino is coming off of a great start where he held the Marlins scoreless and to only one hit over six innings. In his last two starts combined he has allowed only two runs over 12 1/3 innings while striking out 11 batters. He last faced the Braves in May where he held them to two runs over five innings. The Braves have the following career numbers against him:
- Brian Anderson 0-2, 2 K
- Orlando Arcia 0-7, K
- Travis d’Arnaud 1-3
- Adam Duvall 0-3, K
- Jarred Kelenic 1-2, HR
- Ramon Laureano 1-3, 2B, BB, 2 K
- Whit Merrifield 4-12, 2B, BB, 3 K
- Sean Murphy 0-1
- Matt Olson 2-7, 2B, 4 BB, 4 K
- Eddie Rosario 3-11, 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
- Zack Short 0-0, BB
The Mets bats will have fight through a resurgent Chris Sale to start of the series. For the Red Sox in 2023, Sale had a 4.30 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.130 WHIP and a 106 ERA+ (102 2/3 innings). This season, over 18 starts he has pitched 110 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 2.21 FIP (league leading), 0.955 WHIP, 153 ERA+. In his last five starts he has a 1.91 ERA, 1.87 FIP over 28 1/3 innings while striking out 41 batters. The Mets have the following career numbers against Sale:
- Pete Alonso 0-3, 2 K
- Ben Gamel 1-3, K
- José Iglesias 11-33, 2 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
- Francisco Lindor 13-31, 2 2B, HR, BB, 6 K
- J.D. Martinez 9-38, 2 2B, 3 HR, 3 BB, 16 K
- Jeff McNeil 2-3, 2B
- Brandon Nimmo 1-4, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Hitting vs Pitching. Part of what has made Chris Sale so successful this season is his ability to keep the ball in the park. In his last five games he has allowed only one home run. His HR/9 is at 0.6, down from 1.3 a season ago (and below his career mark of 1.0). The Mets are second in the National League and tied for fourth in Major League Baseball for home runs, sitting at 132. We’ve seen the Mets take ace pitches, like Cole on Wednesday night, and just light them up.
- Francisco Lindor. Over his last three games Lindor has gone 6-for-14 with a double and four home runs. Four! He also has eight RBI’s. Wednesday night he reached the 20-20 plateau as he looks to put up consecutive 30-30 seasons. Francisco Lindor is the only player in baseball to go 50-50 since the start of last season. He has gone from snubbed at the All-Star game to forcing himself into the MVP conversation.
- J.D. Martinez is starting to come around again. From July 12th to the 21st, Martinez went 2-for-14 at the plate with ten strikeouts. In two of this three game since then he has recorded multiple hits, including Wednesday night where he had a double. J.D. coming out of his mini-slump this weekend could be the x-factor the Mets need.
Let’s Go Mets!
