213 Miles From Shea

Things looked bleak through the first three innings Monday night. The Phillies took an early 3-0 lead. The Mets couldn’t even get a hit. Vibes were bad.

Then a few pivotal things happened. The Mets had a huge fourth inning, knotting the game at three. Alec Bohm caused a 14-minute delay because of a pair parabolic mics in the batter eye. At that point the Mets just went on a tear. The Mets would go on to win 13-3 scoring 13 unanswered runs. Are the mics the new Grimace? Can the Mets ride this momentum wave through the rest of the series?

Sean Manaea has pitched 36 2/3 innings this season with a 5.15 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 1.118 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. Manaea’s July and August have been just polar opposites of each other. Over four games in July Manaea pitched 17 1/3 innings with a 2.08 ERA, 2.95 FIP. In the same amount of games in August he has a 7.91 ERA and 4.82 FIP. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Manaea:

• Alec Bohm 3-13, HR, 3 K
• Nick Castellanos 6-19, 2B, 3 HR, 4 K
• Bryce Harper 4-14, 2 2B, HR, 3 K
• Max Kepler 1-7, HR, BB, K
• Brandon Marsh 0-3, BB, 2 K
• J.T. Realmuto 1-9, BB, 4 K
• Kyle Schwarber 2-8, HR, 3 BB, K
• Edmundo Sosa 5-10, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 K
• Bryson Stott 3-7, 2 BB, K
• Trea Turner 6-18, HR, BB, 4 K
• Weston Wilson 0-2, K

Jesús Luzardo has pitched 145 innings over 26 starts this season with a 4.10 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 1.303 WHIP and a 108 ERA+. Luzardo has been alternating average starts and great starts for his last five starts. In his last start he held the Mariners to one run while striking out 12 over six innings. If the pattern holds, tonight should be an average start. Back in June he kept the Mets scoreless over 6 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Luzardo:

• Pete Alonso 2-25, HR, 12 K
• Brett Baty 1-3
• Francisco Lindor 5-21, 2 BB, 3 K
• Starling Marte 4-14, 3 K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-4, BB, 4 K
• Jeff McNeil 5-12, 2 K
• Cedric Mullins 3-4, 2 BB, K
• Brandon Nimmo 5-15, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 5-15, 2B, HR, 4 BB, 3 K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-8, 2B, K
• Luis Torrens 2-7, HR, K
• Mark Vientos 1-11, 2B, BB, 4 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Parabolic Mics. For the first time this season, it feels like the Mets have an unofficial mascot. There have been plenty of failed unofficial mascots this season, but there is something about the parabolic mic that feels special. The Mets completed a necessary comeback after the mic incident, the mic incident was caused by a Phillies player, the object feels “random”. Let us know if you see anyone referencing the parabolic mic in the stands tonight.
2. Mark Vientos. Going into Monday’s night game, Vientos had a 97 OPS+. He now has a 101 OPS+. Vientos has been on an absolute tear recently. Over his eight game hitting streak he has gone 12-for-31 with four doubles and five home runs while recording 13 RBI’s (.387/.429/1.000). Vientos also left the game early Monday night after taking a pitch to the ribs.
3. Standings Watch. Every win this series closes the gap in the division. The Mets also need to watch the wild card standings. The Padres lost a second consecutive game Monday night, shrinking their lead over the Mets to only 3.5 games. They take on the Mariners again tonight. The Reds also lost, increasing the Mets lead on the last wild card spot to 2.5 games. The Reds take on Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers tonight.

Let’s Go Mets!

This is potentially the biggest series of the season for the Mets. If the Mets sweep the Phillies, they will be in striking distance of the division lead again. If the Mets win the series, they’ll probably keep the Reds a safe distance behind them. If the Phillies sweep, it will be incredibly difficult for the Mets to mount a comeback with one month of the season to go.

Over the last week we’ve seen the Mets take a series from the second place Mariners, fall apart against the Nationals and almost sweep the Braves. We’ll learn a lot more about who the 2025 Mets are after this series against Philly.

Kodai Senga starts things off for the Mets this week. Over 20 starts and 104 1/3 innings, Senga has a 2.58 ERA, 4.08 FIP, 1.252 WHIP and a 152 ERA+. Senga is coming off of a rough start against the Nationals where he allowed five runs, four earned, from six hits and two walks. He’s also allowed at least one home run per start in the last six starts. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Senga:

• Alec Bohm 1-6, K
• Nick Castellanos 1-7, 3 K
• Bryce Harper 1-2, 2 BB, K
• Max Kepler 0-3, K
• Brandon Marsh 1-5, 2B, K
• J.T. Realmuto 0-5, BB, 3 K
• Kyle Schwarber 1-7, HR, 4 K
• Edmundo Sosa 0-2
• Bryson Stott 1-6, K
• Trea Turner 0-6, BB, 2 K

Cristopher Sánchez is having a tremendous season for the Phillies. He has pitched 157 innings with a 2.46 ERA, 2.63 FIP, 1.096 WHIP and a 180 ERA+. His 6.2 bWAR currently leads the league. Sánchez has been slightly more human over his last two starts allowing six runs, five earned from 13 hits over 12 1/3 innings (but still has an absurd 18 strikeouts). The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Pete Alonso 4-21, 2B, HR, 8 K
• Brett Baty 0-4, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 6-14, 2 BB, K
• Starling Marte 4-13, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Ronny Mauricio 1-4, HR, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-9, 2B, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 5-10, BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 2-9, 4 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-6, HR, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-5, BB, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 3-10, 2 2B, HR, 3 BB, 6 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Mark Vientos. Vientos is having a week! Over his last seven games he has gone 10-for-28 with two doubles and five home runs (including three in the last two games) while slashing .357/.387/.964. Vientos also has great stats against Sánchez going 3-for-10 (3 BB) with all three hits going for extra bases. Vientos has struggled for long stretches of 2025. He has a 97 OPS+ after last season’s standout 135 OPS+. The Mets need this Vientos hot streak to go on for the rest of the season.
2. Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo went in Sunday’s game as a pinch hitter, it was his first action since been removed from the game on the 20th with a stiff neck. Like Vientos, Nimmo has great numbers against Sánchez and the Mets could use his .600 OBP tonight, in whatever way Nimmo is healthy enough to give it.
3. Stat Updates. Francisco Lindor went 1-for-4 on Sunday. He is still five home runs and seven stolen bases away from his second consecutive 30-30 season. Juan Soto went 1-for-3 with two walks. He now leads the league with 104 walks and is only 21 walks behind John Olreud’s single season franchise record 125 walks. Less likely for Soto at this point, he is nine stolen bases away from his first 30-30 season.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for the sweep this afternoon in Atlanta! On Friday night the Mets scored 12 runs on 21 hits. Saturday night the Mets scored nine runs on six home runs. For the second straight game the Mets had a pitcher go at least six innings. On top of all of this positive Mets news, the Reds lost! The Mets enter play today 2.5 games of breathing room in the wild card race and real opportunity to build on their current momentum.

David Peterson has pitched 144 1/3 innings this season with a 3.18 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 1.240 WHIP and a 127 ERA+. He’s coming off of a tremendous start where he held the Nationals to only one run over eight innings while striking out 10 batters. Peterson had a terrible start against the Braves on 8/13 where he allowed six runs from five hits and and tied a season-high with five walks. The Braves have the following career numbers against Peterson:

• Ronald Acuña Jr. 6-20, 2B, HR, 7 BB, 6 K
• Ozzie Albies 3-17, K
• Nick Allen 1-3, 2 BB
• Nacho Alvarez Jr. 1-3, BB, K
• Vidal Brujan 1-1, 2B, BB
• Michael Harris II 2-15, 2B, 7 K
• Sean Murphy 0-8, BB, K
• Matt Olson 5-21, 4 HR, 4 BB, 9 K
• Marcell Ozuna 4-21, 2 HR, 2 BB, 6 K
• Jurickson Profar 5-8, 2 2B
• Eli White 1-5, 2 K

Bryce Elder has pitched 111 2/3 innings over 21 starts with a 6.29 ERA, 5.00 FIP, 1.558 WHIP and a 67 ERA+. He’s coming off of a terrible start against the White Sox where he allowed eight runs from nine hits over 4 2/3 innings. Before that start though he was pretty effective against the Mets, holding them to three runs, two earned, over seven innings. The Mets look to figure out a way to hit Elder like many other teams have this afternoon. The Mets have the following career stats against Elder:

• Pete Alonso 4-11, 2B, HR, K
• Brett Baty 1-6, BB, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 6-10, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB
• Starling Marte 1-6, 4 K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-3, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-12, BB, K
• Cedric Mullins 1-5, 2B, BB, K
• Brandon Nimmo 2-9, 4 K
• Juan Soto 3-5, HR, BB
• Luis Torrens 0-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Jeff McNeil. McNeil got the offense started Saturday night with a three-run homer and hit the Mets last home run of the night. McNeil now has a 131 OPS+, his first time since 2022 that his OPS+ has been over 100. In his last seven games he has gone 11-for-27 at the plate with three doubles and three home runs, slashing an absurd .407/.429/.852. There has been a bit of an offensive revival up and down the Mets lineup over the last two weeks, and Jeff McNeil is a big part of it.
2. Homers. One of the confusing things about the Mets this season is how good the offense looks on paper vs what we were seeing in games. The Mets lineup has a lot of sneaky power in it, and we are starting to see that come to fruition this week. The Mets hit six home runs as players like Brett Baty and Mark Vientos are heating up. The Mets now have 174 home runs on the season, good for 8th in the league and only four behind the Chicago Cubs. The Mets finished last season sixth in the league.
3. Big games. The Mets have scored 21 runs over the first two games of this series and that only happens when multiple players have big games. We already highlight Jeff McNeil who had two home runs on Saturday. Starling Marte and Mark Vientos both had three hits on Saturday. On Friday night Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Tyrone Taylor and Cedric Mullins each had three hits. Big games can feel contagious, can someone on the Mets keep the three-hit performances going?

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to make it two in a row tonight against the Braves! They scored 12 runs Friday night on a whopping 21 hits behind a tremendous seven inning start for Nolan McLean. It was a much needed win for the Mets as both the Reds and Phillies both lost. The most important thing for the Mets right now is to keep winning, and they look to do that again tonight against Clay Holmes.

Clay Holmes has pitched 131 innings over 25 starts with a 3.64 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 1.344 WHIP and a 108 ERA+. Holmes is coming off a good start, holding the Mariners to only one run over five innings last weekend. In four of his last five starts he has allowed two earned runs or less. He’s also pitched five innings in three of his last five starts. The one start in this stretch that wasn’t good was against the Braves who tagged him for five runs from six hits over 3 2/3 innings. The Braves have the following career stats against him:

• Ronald Acuña Jr. 0-4, 4 BB, K
• Ozzie Albies 4-7, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Nick Allen 1-5, 2B, BB, K
• Nacho Alvarez Jr. 2-2, 2B
• Drake Baldwin 1-5, HR, 2 BB
• Vidal Brujan 0-4, 2 BB, K
• Jake Fraley 2-2, 2B
• Michael Harris II 1-7, K
• Sean Murphy 0-2, 2 K
• Matt Olson 3-6, 2 2B, 3 BB, K
• Marcell Ozuna 1-10, BB, 4 K
• Jurickson Profar 0-1, 3 BB

The Mets look to pick up on their hit parade tonight against Cal Quantrill. Quantrill was selected off waivers by the Braves a couple of days ago from the Marlins. Over 24 starts this season he has pitched 109 2/3 innings with a 5.50 ERA, 4.59 FIP, 1.386 WHIP, and an 80 ERA+. Quantrill allowed one run over four innings against the Braves this month. In his other two August starts he has allowed 14 runs over 8 1/3 innings. The Mets faced him way back in March and they scored six runs over four innings from eight hits including two home runs. The Mets have the following career stats against Quantrill:

• Pete Alonso 3-9, HR
• Brett Baty 2-5, 2B, HR
• Francisco Lindor 1-3
• Starling Marte 2-10, HR, BB, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-5, 2B, K
• Cedric Mullins 2-8, HR, BB, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-6, BB, 2 K
• Juan Soto 1-2, BB
• Luis Torrens 1-2
• Mark Vientos 1-5, 2B, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The chase for another 30-30 season. Over the last two games Lindor has gone 6-for-10 with a double, a home run and two stolen bases. He is now only five home runs and eight stolen bases away from his second consecutive 30-30 season. Lindor has just been on an absolute tear recently going 21-for-39 over his last nine games with a .538/.581/.974 slash line (five doubles, four home runs, four stolen bases).
2. Brett Baty. Baty has been heating up all month and went 4-for-6 Friday night. During his six game hitting streak he is slashing .435/.480/.739. He was hitting .226/.283/402 after August 1st and is now hitting .249/.307/.443. He has a 2.3 bWAR already and a 113 OPS+. Baty is showing us this month why he was a highly touted prospect in the Mets system for such a long time.
3. A franchise single-season walk leader. In 1999 Jon Olerud walked 125 times for the Mets, it was the most any Mets hitter had walked in a single season, beating Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry’s previous record of 97 walks. (Quick aside, Olerud was real close to setting this record in 1998 where he walked 96 times). When the Mets signed Juan Soto this record was destined to fall as Soto already had four seasons north of 125 walks. Friday night Soto walked twice, reaching 100 for the season. It feels like a matter of time for this record to fall.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are coming off a disappointing series against the Nationals and it feels like the season is on the line this weekend. The season is not literally on the line, the Mets still have a half game going into play today and there’s a bit more than a month left to play. Mentally though the Mets are in a rough spot.

In addition to losing two games against the Nationals, games where the Mets either had a chance to win (Wednesday) or held the lead (Thursday), the Mets have gone through a sudden rash of injuries. Francisco Alvarez is on the injured list. Brandon Nimmo is out with the same neck injury that has plagued him before. Jeff McNeil is banged up. The Mets are going to need some players to step up right now. One of those players is starting tonight.

Nolan McLean gave a jolt to the Mets rotation in major league debut last weekend. He allowed only two hits and four walks over 5 2/3 scoreless innings during his major league debut while striking out eight batters. Statcast logged six different pitches during his debut. He leaned mostly on his mid-80’s sweeper (36.3% usage). He then mixed in his mid-90’s sinker 26.4% of the time, which had a .125 xBA and a low-80’s curveball 20.9% of the time. Statcast also picked up nine four seamers, four cutters and two changeups. The Mets need McLean!

The Mets bats will try to exorcise their woes from the last couple of days against Joey Wentz. Wentz has pitched with the Pirates, Twins and now the Braves this season. Across all teams he has pitched 32 games making six starts totaling 68 2/3 innings with a 4.72 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 1.383 WHIP and a 90 ERA+. He’s been a much better pitcher with the Braves though, tossing 34 2/3 innings with a 2.60 ERA, 3.11 FIP, 0.952 WHIP and a 161 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed only two runs from seven hits over 11 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Wentz:

• Pete Alonso 1-3, 2B
• Brett Baty 2-4
• Francisco Lindor 1-4, HR, K
• Starling Marte 1-4, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-3, BB
• Cedric Mullins 0-5, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-4
• Tyrone Taylor 0-1

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. When the going gets tough for the Mets, the Mets rely on their leader – Francisco Lindor. Lindor went 3-for-5 yesterday at the plate, leading off the game with a home run. He now has a nine game hitting streak where he has multiple hits in six of those nine games, has reached based at least twice in eight of those games and has three hits in four of them. The Mets aren’t falling apart right now because of Lindor.
2. Starling Marte. Francisco Alvarez was heating up, going 6-for-12 last weekend before his injury. Brandon Nimmo was starting to look more like himself. Jeff McNeil was raking this past week. The Mets are hoping Marte can fill multiple gaps in their lineup left by some crucial hitters. Marte hit his seventh home run of the season last Thursday night, tying his total from last season and he has his highest OPS right now since 2022.
3. Which Joey shows up tonight? Joey Wentz had a 10.1 BB/9 in his six games with the Twins this season. With the Braves that has dropped all the way down to 3.1 BB/9, below his career mark of 4.1 BB/9. With the Braves he is allowing 0.5 HR/9, considerably lower than his career 1.4 HR/9. The Brewers were able to score five runs off of Wentz at the start of August before Wentz’s current hot streak.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets play a must win rubber game this afternoon against the Nationals. The Mets fell behind early Wednesday night with the Nationals going up 4-0 by the time the third inning had ended. The Mets would then go on to score four runs in the next two innings, making the score 5-4. Old problems crept in for the Mets who went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position, hitting into three different, rally killing double plays.

Sean Manaea has pitched 32 innings over seven games with a 4.78 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 1.156 WHIP and an 84 ERA+. In the month of July he allowed only four runs over 17 1/3 innings (four games), a 2.08 ERA. August has not been kind to Manaea as he has allowed 13 runs over 14 2/3 innings. Manaea’s first two games in August followed a similar script. He cruised early, struggled in the fourth or fifth. His last time out he just started allowing runs from the jump. He was quite good against the Nationals in 2024 holding them to only three runs, two earned over 14 innings. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 3-10, 3 K
• Riley Adams 1-1, HR
• Josh Bell 4-8, 2B
• Andres Chaparro 0-3, K
• Dylan Crews 0-3, K
• Luis García Jr. 2-5, 2 K
• James Wood 0-6, K
• Jacob Young 2-4, 2B, BB, K

The Mets bats will get a look at 2025 All-Star MacKenzie Gore today. Over 138 innings, Gore has a 4.04 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 1.319 WHIP and a 102 ERA+. Gore’s numbers are being inflated by three of his four starts between July 20th and August 5th. In that stretch he allowed 23 runs over 15 2/3 innings, raising his season ERA from 3.02 to 4.29. Since August 5th, Gore has allowed two runs over 12 innings while striking out 17 batters. Against the Mets earlier this season he allowed two runs over six innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-18, HR, BB, 2 K
• Brett Baty 0-1, BB, K
• Francisco Lindor 3-17, 2 BB, 2 K
• Starling Marte 4-11, 2 K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-2, K
• Jeff McNeil 8-12, 2 BB, K
• Cedric Mullins 1-6, BB, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 5-17, 2 2B, BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 3-12, 6 K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-11, 2B, HR, 5 K
• Luis Torrens 1-6, 2B, 3 K
• Mark Vientos 2-7, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brett Baty Season. Brett Baty now has a four game hitting streak where he has gone 5-for-13 at the plate with two walks and two home runs. He now has 15 homers on the season and if his hot streak continues, he has a legitimate chance to finish the season with 20 homers. What a turn around for Baty for this season!
2. Adjusting without key bats. Before Tuesday’s game Francisco Alvarez landed on the injured list with a base running thumb injury. Early in Wednesday’s game Brandon Nimmo was pulled from the game with reoccurrence of his stiff neck injury that has plagued him at points in his career. We’ll see today how the Mets organize themselves today, a day game after a night game with a banged up lineup.
3. An opportunity to gain a half game today. The Mets have had a weird schedule the last week with an off-day last Thursday and this Monday. Because of that, they are now on day 3 of 16 consecutive days with a game. This also means they’ve played two less games than the Reds who are only one game behind them for the third and final wild card spot. A win today will give the Mets just slightly more breathing room in a tight race.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to win their fourth straight game and second consecutive series tonight! Tuesday night the Mets unloaded on the Nationals with four different players hitting home runs. David Peterson gave the Mets the best pitching performance in months, going eight innings allowing only one run.

We are getting near the point of the year where we’ll need to scoreboard watch everyday. Unfortunately for the Mets every team the Mets are chasing (Phillies, Dodgers, Cubs and Padres) won and both teams chasing the Mets (Reds, Cardinals) also won. As long as the Mets keep winning, they’ll be alright!

Kodai Senga has pitched 99 2/3 innings this season with a 2.35 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.234 WHIP and a 169 ERA+. Senga looked a lot more like himself his last time out. Last week he held the Braves to two runs over 5 2/3 innings on five hits and a walk while striking out seven. It was his first start since returning from the injured list where he walked only one batter. Senga got injured covering first against the Nationals back in mid-June. In that start he held the Nationals to only one hit and no runs over 5 2/3 innings. In April the Nationals only scored two runs over six innings against Senga. The Nationals have the following career numbers against Senga:

• CJ Abrams 3-9, 3B, 2 BB, K
• Josh Bell 2-10, BB, K
• Dylan Crews 1-2, K
• Paul DeJong 0-3, 2 K
• Luis García Jr. 1-8, 2 BB, 2 K
• Robert Hassell III 0-2, 2 K
• James Wood 2-5, 2 K
• Jacob Young 1-2

The Mets get a look at reliever-turned-starter Brad Lord tonight. Over 40 games, 11 starts, Lord has pitched 91 innings with a 3.26 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 1.220 WHIP and a 127 ERA+. As a starter only he has pitched 52 1/3 innings with a 3.61 ERA. He’s on a bit of run right now allowing only three runs from 11 hits and three walks over his last 12 innings. Lord made a start against the Mets back in April allowing two runs over four innings. He also pitched a clean inning of relief against the Mets back in June. The Mets have the following stats against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-2, K
• Francisco Alvarez 1-2, HR
• Brett Baty 0-1
• Francisco Lindor 2-2
• Jeff McNeil 0-2
• Brandon Nimmo 0-2
• Juan Soto 0-2, K
• Luis Torrens 0-1
• Mark Vientos 0-2, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brett Baty. Baty has gone 11-for-31 over his last nine games with three home runs. He has raised his batting line from .226/.283/.402 to .240/.299/.428. He now has a 103 OPS+, his first OPS+ above 100. The Mets need players to stretch out their batting order and Baty is emerging as one of those guys.
2. Jeff McNeil. The Nationals are going to need to come up with an answer to Jeff McNeil tonight. Against the Mariners Jeff went 5-for-13 with one double and four runs scored. Tuesday night Jeff McNeil went 3-for-4 with a walk, double, and a home run and two runs scored. His season OPS is at .795, knocking on the door of .800!
3. Gregory Soto. Soto has been great for the Mets so far, and hasn’t pitched since Saturday. Over eight games with the Mets he has pitched 8 1/3 innings with allowing one unearned run, no earned runs, scatting six hits while striking out eight. He’s in the 98th percentile in Barrel% this season with a 30.1% Whiff% (80th percentile).

Let’s Go Mets!

“And if we again tomorrow, it’s called a winning streak … It has happened before” – Major League

Winning is the answer to all ills in baseball and the Mets have the chance to go on a three game winning streak if they beat the Nationals in the series opener. On Saturday the Mets held onto a 3-1 lead thanks to a tremendous major league debut for Nolan McLean. Sunday the Mets rolled through the Mariners in the Little League classic playing a version of small-ball that kept the line moving and built frustration on the Mariners. Let’s keep the momentum going tonight in DC!

It’s redemption night for David Peterson! Over 136 1/3 innings and 23 starts Peterson has a 3.30 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 1.276 WHIP and a 120 ERA+. Peterson had a streak of six starts in a row going at least six innings heading into last start. Last time out he lasted only 3 1/3 innings allowing six runs from five hits and five walks (tied a season worst). In his last two starts he has been tagged for 10 runs over 9 1/3 innings. On June 11th Peterson pitched a complete game shutout against the Nationals! The Nationals have the following career numbers against Peterson:

• CJ Abrams 3-17, BB, 3 K
• Riley Adams 0-6, 2 K
• Josh Bell 5-16, HR, 3 BB, 2 K
• Luis García Jr. 6-18, 2B, 3 K
• James Wood 3-10, 4 K
• Jacob Young 3-9, BB, K

Jake Irvin has started 25 games and pitched 140 innings with a 5.14 ERA, 5.40 FIP, 1.379 WHIP and an 80 ERA+. August has been brutal for Irvin, allowing 14 runs (13 earned) over 13 1/3 innings from 23 hits (including four home runs). The last time he faced the Mets he allowed four runs over five innings from five hits. Earlier int he season he held the Mets to only one run over 7 1/3 innings scattering five hits. The Mets have the following career stats against Irvin:

• Pete Alonso 2-15, 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
• Francisco Alvarez 2-14, 7 K
• Brett Baty 0-4
• Francisco Lindor 6-16, 2 2B, HR, 3 K
• Starling Marte 1-2, K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-1
• Jeff McNeil 3-13, BB, K
• Cedric Mullins 0-5, K
• Brandon Nimmo 5-17, 2 HR, 2 BB, K
• Juan Soto 2-6, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-9, 2B, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-2, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 1-12, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Home runs. The Mets won on Sunday on small ball early and a Mark Vientos three-run homer in the middle of the game to break it open. It feels like tonight is a good night for the Mets to hit some bombs. Jake Irvin leads the league in home runs allowed at 27, which is good for a 1.7 HR/9. That’s also not too far off of his previous season marks at 1.4 and 1.5 HR/9. He’s allowed four home runs over three starts this month and he allowed two homers his last time out against the Mets.
2. Francisco Lindor. There are not enough words to describe how hot Lindor is right now. He now has five consecutive multi-hit games and six consecutive getting on base at least two times. Over this stretch he has gone 14-for-25, which is just absurd, with three doubles, three home runs, seven RBI’s and seven runs (.560/.607/1.040). The Mets are kind-of failing Lindor over the last two games. He’s had five hits but hasn’t scored any runs.
3. Francisco Alvarez. How good has Alvarez been recently? He went 6-for-12 in three games against the Mariners hitting two doubles, a home run, recording five RBI’s and scoring four runs. In the opening game against Atlanta he went 3-for-4 with a double and two homeruns. After the game on August 10th Alvarez was hitting .242/.339/.364, six games later he’s hitting .265/.349/.438. This would be a great time for Alvarez to go on a run!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets try to win back-to-back games for the first time in forever tonight as they head to Williamsport for the Little League game!

The Mets are coming off a much needed win Saturday behind Nolan McLean’s dazzling debut. McLean allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings, showing that Mets starting pitchers can in fact record an out in the sixth inning. The bullpen held on to a 1-0 lead that eventually got stretched into a 3-1 win. With a win under their belt the Mets just need to focusing on winning more, and taking a series from the Seattle Mariners is a great start.

Clay Holmes has pitched 126 innings over 24 starts with a 3.71 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 1.349 WHIP and a 107 ERA+. He’s coming off a tough game against the Braves where he allowed five runs over 3 2/3 innings from six hits and six walks. Similar to other Mets losses in this stretch, it was the fourth inning that did Holmes in. He allowed only one run through the first three innings while the Mets bats gave the Mets a 5-1 lead. Then everything fell off in the fourth. What a moral booster it would be for Holmes and the Mets to have a solid five innings today. The Mariners have the following career numbers against Holmes:

• Randy Arozarena 2-12, 8 K
• Dominic Canzone 0-0, RBI
• J.P. Crawford 1-2
• Mitch Garver 2-2, 2B
• Dylan Moore 0-1, 2 BB, K
• Josh Naylor 2-4, 2B
• Jorge Polanco 1-1
• Cal Raleigh 0-4, BB
• Luke Raley 2-3
• Julio Rodriguez 1-5, BB, 2 K
• Donovan Solano 0-1, K
• Eugenio Suarez 1-7, BB, 2 K

The Mets bats will get a look at George Kirby tonight who has pitched 85 innings over 15 starts with a 3.71 ERA, 3.22 FIP, 1.071 WHIP and a 101 ERA+. Kirby is coming off of a fantastic start where he shutout the Orioles over seven innings. In his last three starts he has allowed only two runs over 19 innings, scattering 11 hits and four walks. The Mets have the following career stats against George Kirby:

• Pete Alonso 2-3, HR< BB
• Francisco Alvarez 1-1
• Brett Baty 0-1
• Francisco Lindor 1-3
• Starling Marte 2-2, 2B, 3B
• Ronny Mauricio 1-2
• Jeff McNeil 1-3
• Cedric Mullins 3-17, 2B, 2 BB, 4 K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-4
• Juan Soto 3-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. He’s been the player to watch on the Mets now for about a week. Lindor now has at least two hits in four consecutive games and has reached base at least twice in five consecutive games. During this stretch Lindor is hitting 11-for-20 with two doubles, three home runs, seven runs scored and two stolen bases (.550/.609/1.100). His stolen base on Saturday clinched his third consecutive 20-20 season and a second consecutive 30-30 season is in reach. Despite the massive slump he just got out of, Lindor has a 121 OPS+, the same OPS+ he had in 2023 and just lightly behind his 2022 125 OPS+.
2. Can the bullpen do it again? Gregory Soto pitched 1 2/3 innings of perfect relief Saturday. Edwin Díaz was called on for a six out save and allowed one run on two hits while closing the door. This gave the rest of the Mets bullpen a much needed day off. The Mets bullpen let the Mets down on Friday with Tyler Rogers allowing a run, Helsley allowing two runs and Raley allowing three. With Díaz most likely unavailable tonight, the other big names in the Mets bullpen will have to step up.
3. Journey Bank Ballpark. It’s always fun for players and fans to see the team play in a different stadium. Last season we got to see the Mets play in London. The Mets last played in the Little League Classic against the Phillies back in 2018, a game that the Mets won 8-2. The Statcast numbers suggest it’s a difficult park to hit in, but there’s also a fairly small sample size. If you’re a fan of the spectacle that MLB creates, the Little League classic is one of the better special games they put on.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets slide continued Friday night. The Mets scored nine runs yet still lost the game as the Mariners were able to score 11 on the pitching staff. Over the last week the Mets offense has fully woken up but the pitching staff has completely fallen apart. There are a lot of vibes in baseball. Since the series with the Brewers, no lead has felt safe, every opponent rally feels inevitable.

So the Mets are switching it up today! The Mets are calling up one of their top prospects, Nolan McLean, to make his major league debut in Queens!

There is a new group of highly touted Mets pitching prospects, and Nolan McLean is the first to make his major league debut. The 24-year old righty was originally drafted by the Orioles in 2022 out of Oklahoma State, but didn’t sign him so he went back to school and was drafted in the same round by the Mets in the following season.

Over 21 games and 18 starts this season across Syracuse and Binghamton, McLean has pitched 113 2/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA and 1.126 WHIP with a 10.1 K/9. He has a mid-90’s fastball that he matches with a high-spin, mid-80’s sweeper. He rounds out his arsenal with a cutter, changeup and curveball.

The Mets bats will get a look at Bryan Woo this afternoon. Woo has pitched a career high 146 innings over 23 starts with a 3.08 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 0.952 WHIP and a 121 ERA+. He’s coming of an average start where he allowed three runs from seven hits against the Rays. Home runs have become an issue for Woo over his last five starts. He’s allowed eight of them (4.31 ERA, 4.61 FIP). Juan Soto is the only player on the Mets who has faced Woo before (2-for-5, 2B, HR, BB, 2 K).

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. Lindor is scorching hot again. He now has three consecutive games getting on base at least three times and has hit three home runs over his last two games. The batting line is insane. He’s gone 8-for-12 with a double, three home runs slashing .667/.714/.1.500. The Mets are going to need every bit of this version of Lindor to get out of their current funk.
2. Juan Soto. Don’t let the noise from the greater New York area sports radio market full you, Juan Soto is putting up a very Juan Soto season. He went 1-for-4 last night with a home run and a walk. He has now hit five home runs over his last eight games with a .405 OBP. Soto now has a 4.6 bWAR, and thanks to his home run last night, he’s one stolen base away from his first ever 30-20 season. The only thing that has not been Soto-esque is his BB/K ratio. He is still leading the league in walks and probably will set the Mets franchise record for walks in a season, but its also the first season since 2019 he’ll strike out more than he walks.
3. Containing Cal Raleigh. The Big Dumper did his thing in Queens yesterday. He hit his 46th homer, continuing his absurdly great season while using a fairly fantastic bat. Overall the Mets pitchers just need to contain everyone to get out of this funk. They need to keep the base paths clear for when the big bats come to the plate and limit potential damage.

Let’s Go Mets!