What a difference a few hours make! Everything felt bleak after the first game yesterday where the Brewers scored five runs in the sixth inning, putting the game out of reach for the Mets. It was the 14th loss in the last 17 games for the Mets. Pure free-fall.
In the nightcap, a bullpen game of all things, the Mets got out to an early lead. In the second inning, against an almost unhittable prospect, the Mets had a season saving rally (we are leaning into hyperbole today folks!). With two outs the Mets got a walk, walk, single. Brandon Nimmo smashed a grand slam and Francisco Lindor followed up with a solo shot. Pure elation!
Now the Mets look to win a series at Citi Field!
The Mets need a classic, solid outing from David Peterson tonight. Over 95 1/3 innings (16 starts), Peterson has a 3.30 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 1.280 WHIP and a 115 ERA+. June was not kind to Peterson who had a 4.55 ERA, 3.44 FIP over 31 2/3 innings. These numbers include his masterful complete game shutout. Things have fallen apart in each of his last two starts allowing a combined 10 runs from 13 hits over 8 2/3 innings. Peterson last faced the Brewers in relief in the postseason, recording a save in a scoreless inning of work. The Brewers have the following career numbers against Peterson:
- Jake Bauers 0-3, K
- Jackson Chourio 1-3, K
- Isaac Collins 0-3, 2 K
- William Contreras 2-7, BB, K
- Sal Frelick 1-1
- Eric Haase 0-3, 2 K
- Rhys Hoskins 7-16, 3 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 K
- Andruw Monasterio 1-2
- Joey Ortiz 0-3, K
- Brice Turang 0-4, K
- Christian Yelich 1-8, 2 BB, 4 K
The Mets bats will face a friend tonight in Jose Quintana. In two seasons with the Mets, Quintana made 44 starts totaling 246 innings with a 3.70 ERA, 4.24 FIP, 1.268 WHIP and a 107 ERA+. He was on fire for the Mets down the stretch last season allowing two runs, one earned, over a five game stretch (32 innings) that propelled the Mets into the postseason. He’s off to a good start with the Brewers, posting a 3.30 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.417 WHIP and a 121 ERA+ over 60 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Quintana:
- Pete Alonso 1-3, HR
- Travis Jankowski 1-2, K
- Francisco Lindor 3-22, 2B, 2 BB, 6 K
- Starling Marte 5-24, 2B, BB, 8 K
- Jeff McNeil 2-3, 2B
- Brandon Nimmo 1-3, 2B, 2 K
- Juan Soto 1-10, 2 BB, 2 K
- Tyrone Taylor 2-4, 2B, 2 K
- Luis Torrens 0-3, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Francisco Lindor. When Lindor is good, the Mets are good. When Lindor struggles, the Mets struggle. Lindor was named as an All-Star before Wednesday night’s game, his first All-Star game as a Met (which is wild). He also had a terrific game at the plate going 3-for-4 with a homerun a double and three RBI. Each RBI came in a different at bat, furthering the Mets lead.
- How deep can David Peterson go? The Mets used nine different pitchers on Wednesday. Unless the Mets make a roster move, the only member of the Mets bullpen who didn’t pitch on Wednesday was José Buttó. Before his recent rough patch, Peterson was one of the more consistent pitchers on the Mets roster. He pitched at least six innings in seven of eight starts between May 6th and June 17th.
- Jeff McNeil. Jeff McNeil had a solid day at the plate Wednesday night going 2-for-4. This was McNeil’s third game with two hits in his last six games played. His OBP is up to .343 which is the highest it has been since 2022 (when he led the league in batting average). He also has a 134 OPS+, which is the highest it has been since 2022 (140).
Let’s Go Mets!
