213 Miles From Shea

Tuesday night was not ideal for the Mets who struggled in their first game of the series against the Braves in Atlanta. Potentially things can get thrown into chaos tonight. Atlanta is expecting quite a bit of rain today from a system that is unrelated to the hurricane that is on the way Thursday night. As of writing, MLB hasn’t released a clear plan of next steps if one or two games get cancelled due to the weather.

The most important thing for the Mets though is to just take this one day at a time and remember what got them to this point – the vibes! This is the vibes team!

David Peterson has pitched 114 innings with a 3.08 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.333 WHIP and a 128 ERA+. Peterson is coming off of a rough start against the Phillies where he allowed five runs, four earned, over 3 2/3 innings, his second five run start in his last three. Overall since August 3rd Peterson has pitched 60 1/3 innings with a 2.69 ERA, 2.83 FIP. The last time he faced the Braves was back on July 28th where he allowed four runs over five innings in Queens. The Braves have the following career numbers against Peterson:

• Ozzie Albies 2-12, K
• Orlando Arcia 1-5, 3 BB, 2 K
• Travis d’Arnaud 0-11, 3 BB, 6 K
• Adam Duvall 4-12, 2 2B, HR, BB, 4 K
• Michael Harris II 1-10, 2B, 4 K
• Ramon Laureano 0-2
• Sean Murphy 0-4, K
• Matt Olson 4-16, 4 HR, 3 BB, 8 K
• Marcell Ozuna 3-17, 2 HR, BB, 6 K
• Jorge Soler 3-7, HR, BB, K

Chris Sale has had a dominant year for Atlanta leading the league in ERA (2.38), FIP (2.08) and ERA+ (174). He has a 1.013 WHIP over 177 2/3 innings. Since August 12th he has a 1.44 ERA, 1.68 FIP over 50 innings spread over eight starts. The Mets were able to do some damage against him in July though. The Mets scored two runs over 7 1/3 innings on their way to beating Atlanta 3-2. It has been done, it can be done again! The Mets have the following career numbers against Sale:

• Pete Alonso 0-5, 3 K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2
• José Iglesias 11-36, 2 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 14-34, 2 2B, 2 HR, BB, 7 K
• Starling Marte 0-3, 2 K
• J.D. Martinez 9-41, 2 2B, 3 HR, 3 BB, 18 K
• Brandon Nimmo, 1-4 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-1, BB
• Mark Vientos 0-3, 2 K
• Jesse Winker 2-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Mets X-Factors. The Mets have had two X-Factors in 2024. First is Francisco Lindor, who was the Mets offense for large swaths of the season. In the middle of the game on Tuesday night he got his cleats and ended the game on deck. Then there’s Mark Vientos. Vientos made sure the Mets had something positive to talk about after the game. He went 2-for-4 Tuesday night with his 26th home run of the season. It was his third multi-hit game in his last six, where he is hitting .318/.400/.636.
2. The Vibes. The SNY broadcast on Tuesday night talked about how the 2022 Mets tightened up throughout the last month of the season, and how that negatively impacted them in the final week of the season. The vibes of the 2024 Mets is their identity. They’re the fun team. They’re team that is having too much fun supporting each other to care about what the other team team is doing. On a night where they are facing the possible 2024 Cy Young award winner, the Mets should channel the spirit that brings their success. They are the fun team – and when they have fun, they start to win!
3. Scoreboard Watching. The Giants did the Mets a real solid on Tuesday night. Right after the Mets dropped the game to the Braves, the Giants started their rout of the Diamondbacks. The loss kept the Diamondbacks in the third wild card spot and gives the Mets more avenues to the post-season. Tonight the Diamondbacks counter with one of their best pitchers this season, Zac Gallen (3.74 ERA) against the rookie Mason Black (5.88 ERA).

Let’s Go Mets!

We have finally arrived! When the Grimace-era Mets showed us that the Mets could possibly be the real deal this year, there was a feeling that the entire season could come down to this series against the Braves. When the Mets started to stumble at the end of August, the hope for the post season was the Mets making a comeback throughout this last week of September. Now with the Mets in the driver’s seat, the Mets have an opportunity to exorcise their demons from the 2022 season when they went down to Atlanta up a game and Atlanta swept.

The difference in 2024 – it’s very possible that one of these two teams do not make the play-offs. If the Mets win two of three, they clinch a spot. If the Braves sweep, they control their own destiny. Adding to the chaos is the Arizona Diamondbacks who could fade and create a road for both teams. There’s also a hurricane currently forecasted to impact the Thursday night game. We are finally here!

Luis Severino has pitched 178 innings this season with a 3.79 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 1.225 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. Severino is coming off back-to-back starts where he allowed three runs over six innings due in large part to three homers. Since August 17th Severino has a 2.64 ERA, 3.46 FIP striking out 47 batters over 44 1/3 innings. In both starts against the Braves this season he allowed two runs over five innings. The Braves have the following career numbers against Severino:

• Ozzie Albies 0-3
• Orlando Arcia 1-9, K
• Travis d’Arnaud 2-6, K
• Adam Duvall 0-3, K
• Michael Harris II 1-5, K
• Jarred Kelenic 1-5, HR, K
• Whit Merrifield 4-12, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Ramon Laureano 2-5, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Sean Murphy 0-1
• Matt Olson 4-10, 2B, 4 BB, 5 K
• Marcell Ozuna 2-4, HR, 3 BB, K
• Jorge Soler 1-6, 3 K
• Gio Urshela 0-6, K

Spencer Schwellenbach is wrapping up his rookie season where he pitched 109 2/3 innings with a 3.61 ERA, 3.32 FIP, 1.103 WHIP and a 115 ERA+. He’s allowed three total runs in his last two starts over 12 innings. His best start of the season this year was against the Mets where he held the Mets to no runs over seven innings while striking out 11 batters. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-3, 2B, K
• José Iglesias 0-2, K
• Francisco Lindor 0-3
• J.D. Martinez 0-3, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-3, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 0-2, 2 K
• Jesse Winker 0-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor or Luisangel Acuña. He’s slowly been getting better over the last couple of days, with heavy emphasis on the slowly. The Mets heart and soul of the team matches up well with Sale, who is slated to go tomorrow, so there is an advantage to keeping him out tonight, or only having him take a pinch hit at bat. Keeping the pressure off pushing Lindor is how well Acuña has played, and how the well the team has played as a whole the last week. Over his first nine games in the majors Acuña is hitting .379/.400/.828 with a 239 OPS+.
2. Brandon Nimmo. The Mets needed a player to step up, and Nimmo has answered the call. In his last five games he has gone 5-for-20 with a double and three home runs, and the homers have come in huge moments for the Mets. He asked fans to fill the park for the last series of the season. He was the difference maker on Sunday night. Now he has the power momentum, something we haven’t seen since the first half of the season.
3. Scoreboard Watching. The Diamondbacks lost a west coast game to the Giants last night, and now are half a game behind the Mets in the wild card standings. Brandon Pfaadt is on the mound tonight for the Diamondbacks. After a slew of bad starts (23 runs over four games), Pfaadt pitched a gem in his last start holding the Brewers to one run over seven innings. The Giants are counting with Logan Webb. The Mets currently have the tie breaker with the Diamondbacks.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Phillies match up for the last time in the regular season tonight, with the Mets looking to take the four game series from the Phillies. It’s been a weekend that has seen the Mets score 10 runs in the series opener, the Phillies with a rout on Friday and a close game Saturday afternoon. The Phillies have their ace on the mound tonight trying to clinch the NL East title – something they would love to celebrate in Queens tonight. The Mets are looking to keep their breathing room in the NL wild card race heading into their three game series with the Braves. It’s practically play-off baseball tonight!

Tylor Megill makes his fifth start of the season tonight since rejoining the rotation after the Paul Blackburn injury. Over 14 games this season he has pitched 68 1/3 innings with a 4.08 ERA, 3.46 FIP (career best), 1.259 WHIP and a 97 ERA+ (also a career best). In his last four games he’s had a 1.69 ERA, 2.09 FIP over 21 1/3 innings. In his last two starts he has allowed only one unearned run, no earned runs from three hits over 12 innings while striking out 13. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Megill:

• Alec Bohm 2-7, 2B, K
• Nick Castellanos 1-7, 2B, K
• Bryce Harper 2-10, BB, 3 K
• Brandon Marsh 2-7, HR, 3 K
• J.T. Realmuto 4-12, 2B, HR, 6 K
• Johan Rojas 0-2
• Kyle Schwarber 1-7, 2B, 3 BB, K
• Edmundo Sosa 1-5, K
• Bryson Stott 0-8, 3 K
• Trea Turner 1-4, BB
• Weston Wilson 1-3, K

Zack Wheeler is wrapping up another dominant season, possibly his best of his career. Over 186 2/3 innings he has a 2.56 ERA (career best), 3.14 FIP, 0.954 WHIP (career best and league leading) and a 158 ERA+ (career best). He’s also leading the league in hits per nine innings at 6.2 (also a career best). In his last four starts he has allowed only four runs from 14 hits and four walks while striking out 29 batters over 26 innings. The Mets have and Wheeler are matching up for the first time in 2024 tonight. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 10-31, 2 2B, 2 BB, 6 K
• José Iglesias 3-8, 2B
• Francisco Lindor 8-29, 2B, 3B, HR, 6 K
• Starling Marte 7-20, 2B, 3B, BB, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 12-41, 3 2B, 3B, HR, BB, 7 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-3, K
• Mark Vientos 1-3
• Jesse Winker 0-7, 2 BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete Alonso. There is a possibility that Pete Alonso’s last home game as a Met happens tonight. Pete Alonso has been a home run hitting machine for the Mets, hitting 226 so far in his Mets career. He has four All-Star game appearances. While he’s having a down year, he still has a .808 OPS and 128 OPS+ (which is not actually his lowest career OPS+). Alonso has powered the 2022 Mets with a league leading 131 RBI’s. Tonight the Mets are going to need a slugger in the lineup.
2. Iglesias and Acuña. The Mets have been carrying the team over the last week. Iglesias added to his hitting streak yesterday going 2-for-5 with a double. Over his last 15 games he has gone 24-for-58 slashing .414/.443/.535. More recently he’s been getting extra-base hits on top of just getting on base. Meanwhile, Acuña continued his meteoric rise on Saturday going 2-for-3 with a double and homer. He is hitting .385/.407/.885 over his first eight games of his career with six extra-base hits.
3. The Standings. The Braves won a back-and-forth game with the Marlins today, so the Mets need the win against them to keep their two game lead, critical before heading into a three game series with them. The Diamondbacks had an 8-0 lead today and somehow the Brewers completed a massive comeback. With a win tonight, the Mets would pull back into a tie with the Diamondbacks, which is really a one game lead thanks to the tie-breaker.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets try to get back in the win column this afternoon as they play the third game in the four game set against the Phillies. After three straight games of scoring 10 runs, the Mets offense struggled Friday night to get anything going. Coupled with a good night for the Phillies bats, it was an ugly loss for the Mets. But the Braves lost too and going into play today the Mets have sole possession of the third wild card spot by two games.

Sean Manaea has pitched 171 innings this season with a 3.26 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 1.082 WHIP and a 121 ERA+. Over his last two games he has allowed only two runs over 13 2/3 innings while striking striking out 14 batters. Since July 30th he’s had a 2.49 ERA, 2.91 FIP over 65 innings. He’s had two starts against the Phillies this season. In May he held the Phillies to only one run over six innings in Queens. Then in June he allowed six runs from seven hits including two homers over 3 2/3 innings during the London Series. The Phillies have the following career numbers against him:

• Alec Bohm 2-7, HR, 2 K
• Nick Castellanos 5-13, 2B, 2 HR, 4 K
• Kody Clemens 0-1
• Bryce Harper 4-8, 2 2B, HR, K
• Brandon Marsh 0-3, BB, 2 K
• J.T. Realmuto 0-4, BB, 3 K
• Johan Rojas 0-3, K
• Kyle Schwarber 1-3, 2 BB
• Edmundo Sosa 4-6, 2B, 3B, HR, K

Ranger Suárez has pitched 143 2/3 innings this season for the Phillies with a 3.13 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 1.142 WHIP and a 129 ERA+. In his last four games he has a 5.12 ERA, 4.00 FIP from 11 runs over 19 1/3 innings. Ranger faced the Mets twice earlier this season. In Queens he allowed two unearned runs over five innings and then in London he allowed two runs overs over 5 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-17, 2 2B, 5 BB, 4 K
• Eddy Alvarez 0-2
• Francisco Alvarez 0-5, 3 K
• Harrison Bader 1-5
• José Iglesias 4-5, 2B, K
• Francisco Lindor 5-16, 2B, HR, BB, K
• Starling Marte 6-16, 2B, 2 BB, K
• J.D. Martinez 2-9, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-22, 3 BB, 3 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-5, BB, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 1-5, BB, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 3-12, 2B, HR, 4 K
• Jesse Winker 1-5, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. José Iglesias. Iglesias continued his hot streak last night going 2-for-4 with a lead off homer. During his 14 game hitting streak he has gone 22-for-53 slashing .415/.446/.528. In his last eight games he has gone 15-for-39 with six multi-hit games. Iglesias had a .310 batting average before this streak started and is now hitting .333.
2. Keep runners for stealing. There was a period of time this season where runners ran all over the Mets. Last night the Phillies had 17 hits and stole five bases.
3. Scoreboard watching. The Braves behind Max Fried are going to get started with the Marlins at the same time as the Mets this afternoon. The Braves lost to the Marlins Friday night and failed to pick up a game against the Mets. The Diamondbacks behind Merrill Kelly look to pick up third consecutive win against the Brewers. Meanwhile the Padres will try to give the White Sox their 119th loss of the season.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets opened the series against the Phillies with thunder on Thursday night! The Mets scored 10 runs for a third consecutive game from 11 hits including four home runs. The Phillies also showed why they are one of the best teams in baseball, taking what should have been a rout and making it close late. This is going to be a hard fought series all weekend as the Mets need to win every game to keep pace in the wild card race and the Phillies need to win one more game to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

David Peterson has pitched 110 1/3 innings over 19 starts with a 2.85 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.305 WHIP and a 139 ERA+. Peterson is only one inning pitched away from a new career high. He’s coming off of a phenomenal start against the Phillies where he held them to one run over 7 2/3 innings, scattering four hits. Since the start of August, Peterson has been on a tear with a 2.22 ERA, 2.96 FIP over 56 2/3 innings. His challenge tonight will be dealing with the Phillies adjustments who saw Peterson last weekend. The Phillies have the following career numbers against him:

• Alec Bohm 5-19, 2 2B, 2 HR, BB, 6 K
• Nick Castellanos 3-8, 3 K
• Bryce Harper 7-17, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 4 K
• Brandon Marsh 1-1, HR
• J.T. Realmuto 3-15, 2B, 3 BB, 4 K
• Johan Rojas 0-4, 2 K
• Kyle Schwarber 1-13, 2B, 2 BB, 8 K
• Edmundo Sosa 0-1
• Bryson Stott 0-2, K
• Trea Turner 3-14, 2 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
• Weston Wilson 1-3, 2B, K

Cristopher Sánchez has pitched 172 innings this season with 3.24 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 1.233 WHIP and a 126 ERA+. If this feels like déjà vu, it’s because Sánchez beat Peterson in a pitching duel last weekend. Sánchez allowed one run against the Mets over seven innings. In September he has allowed three runs over 20 innings. This will be his third start against the Mets this season, in his first start the Mets were able score three runs over 5 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Sánchez:

• Luisangel Acuña 0-2
• Pete Alonso 4-15, 2B, HR, 5 K
• Eddy Alvarez 0-1
• Francisco Alvarez 0-4, 2 K
• Harrison Bader 2-5, BB, K
• José Iglesias 1-3
• Francisco Lindor 3-9, 2 BB
• Starling Marte 3-9, 2B, HR, K
• J.D. Martinez 2-6, 2 2B, BB, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 4-11, BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-5, HR, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2, BB
• Mark Vientos 0-6, 5 K
• Jesse Winker 0-6, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brandon Nimmo. On Wednesday Nimmo went 1-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored. During his post game interview he asked Mets fans to pack the stadium. Fans responded with packing the stadium on Thursday night. Nimmo responded with a 2-for-5 night at the plate with a double, another home run and two runs scored. He’s had six RBI’s between both games. Nimmo was a huge part of the Mets June run and was playing at the next level until the All-Star break. Could he be the x-factor this weekend against the Phillies?
2. Francisco Alvarez. Alvarez homered on August 19th and then didn’t homer again until September 11th. Since that game on the 11th, Alvarez has gone 6-for-24 at the plate, with four of his six hits being home runs. He has 10 RBI’s over that stretch. For context he has only 10 home runs and 41 RBI’s for the season.
3. Scoreboard Watching. There are only nine games left in the season! The Padres have a two game lead for the first wild card spot, the Mets and Diamondbacks are tied for the second spot (with the Mets having the tie breaker). The Braves are two games out, looking in. The ageless Charlie Morton takes on the Marlins rookie Valente Bellozo (123 ERA+). Zac Gallen looks to lead the Diamondbacks against Colin Rea. The Padres start a weekend series against the lowly White Sox, who would tie the Mets record for losses in a season if the Padres sweep them.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets head into the most important seven games of their season starting tonight. Four games at home against the Phillies. Three games on the road against the Braves. The Mets are coming off of a three game sweep against the Nationals where the Mets bats finally came to life over the last two nights, scoring 20 runs. Everyone in the wild card race won yesterday so entering play today the Braves are still two games out, the Diamondbacks and the Mets are still tied, and the Padres are still 2.5 games on top.

The Phillies are coming off of a loss against the Brewers on Wednesday. Before the game started the Brewers clinched the NL Central due to a Cubs loss. The Phillies had an playoff elimination number of one, so if the Phillies won on Wednesday, both teams would have been been celebrating on the field. So Phillies, searching for one more win and a place to celebrate, come to Queens.

Luis Severino has pitched 172 innings with a 3.77 ERA, 4.21 FIP, 1.227 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. Severino is coming off of an average start against the Phillies where the scored three runs over six innings thanks to two home runs. In his last six games he has pitched 38 1/3 innings with a 2.35 ERA, 3.38 FIP. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Severino:

• Nick Castellanos 6-18, BB, 3 K
• Kody Clemens 0-4, K
• Bryce Harper 2-3, 2 HR, K
• Brandon Marsh 0-2
• J.T. Realmuto 0-2, K
• Kyle Schwarber 2-7, 2 2B, 2 K
• Cal Stevenson 1-2
• Bryson Stott 0-2
• Trea Turner 0-2, BB, K

Taijuan Walker returns to the Phillies rotation tonight to take on his old team. Walker has had a rough season battling injuries. On top of that he has a 6.29 ERA, 6.34 FIP, 1.627 WHIP and a 65 ERA+. His only scoreless outing of the season happened his last time out – which was against the Mets. In relief he held the Mets to three hits and nothing else over three innings. Since returning to the Mets on August 13th he has pitched 25 2/3 innings with a 7.71 ERA, 7.46 FIP (including his scoreless outing against the Mets).

Walker has pitched in three games against the Mets this season allowing only four runs over 12 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Walker:

• Luisangel Acuña 1-2
• Pete Alonso 3-15, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Eddy Alvarez 0-2, BB, K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-5, 2 K
• Harrison Bader 0-7, 2 K
• José Iglesias 4-12, 2B, BB
• Francisco Lindor 2-20, 2 BB, 4 K
• Starling Marte 3-9, BB
• J.D. Martinez 7-18, 2B, HR, BB, 5 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-12, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-7, 4 K
• Luis Torrens 1-4
• Mark Vientos 1-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Luisangel Acuña. Acuña continued his amazing first week of baseball Wednesday night going 2-for-4 at the plate with a home run. It was his second multi-hit game and his second straight game with a home run (5-for-8, 2B, 2 HR, 5 R). He’s getting on base, he’s scoring runs, he’s hitting with power. What a time for Acuña to make his major league debut! Tonight he will face Walker again, so for the first time we’ll see how a team makes adjustments in their approach to Acuña.
2. Big Innings. The last two games the Mets have had several big innings. On Tuesday they had a four run and a three run inning. Wednesday night they had a nine run inning. Hopefully the Mets can have a big inning or two tonight to set the tone for the entire series.
3. Scoreboard Watching. UPDATE WITH THE 1pm BRAVES GAME. The Diamondbacks start a series with the Brewers tonight, the day after the Brewers celebrated their back-to-back AL Central titles. The Brewers are keeping up with their regularly scheduled starting pitcher tonight, Tobias Myers, who has a 135 ERA+ over 23 starts. Brandon Pfaadt gets the start for the Diamondbacks. Pfaadt has a 10.23 ERA over his last five starts but who knows what the state of the Brewers lineup will be today.

Let’s Go Mets!

What a night for the New York Mets! The offense roared to life on Tuesday, beating the Nationals 10-1. Pete Alonso had five RBI’s. Luisangel Acuña had a breakout game going 3-for-4 with a double and a home run. Even better for the Mets, the Braves, Diamondbacks and Padres all lost. The Mets are now tied with the Diamondbacks for the second wild card spot, but because they have the tie breaker, they are in second. They are only 2.5 games out of the top spot. The Braves are two games out of any spot. Let’s keep the sweep tonight and keep pushing!

Jose Quintana has pitched 159 innings this season with a 3.91 ERA, 4.76 FIP, 1.270 WHIP and a 100 ERA+. In his last four starts he has allowed only two runs, one earned, over 25 innings scattering 18 hits and seven walks (0.36 ERA, 2.73 FIP). Quintana had two, excellent, back-to-back starts against the Nationals in July holding them scoreless over 14 innings. If you start Quintana’s season on that first Nationals start, he has a 3.18 ERA and a 4.59 FIP. The Nationals have the following career numbers against Quintana:

• CJ Abrams 0-8, K
• Joey Gallo 2-7, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Luis Garcia Jr. 2-4, 2B, K
• Keibert Ruiz 1-8
• Ildemaro Vargas 1-8, 3 K
• James Wood 1-5, BB
• Juan Yepez 0-4, BB, K
• Jacob Young 1-7, 2B, BB, 3 K

The Mets face another rookie starting pitcher this evening. Over 80 1/3 innings DJ Herz has a 3.70 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 1.207 WHIP and a 109 ERA+. Herz is coming off back-to-back strong starts allowing one run over 10 innings. He’s really turned a corner in his last 10 starts, pitching with a 2.76 ERA, 3.58 FIP with only a few bad games. What he doesn’t do though is go deep into games – and the Nationals needed to go into the bullpen early Tuesday night.

Herz made his major league debut against the Mets at the start of June and allowed four runs from seven hits over four innings. His next start against the Mets was much better, holding them to one run from five hits while striking out 10 batters (his only double digit strikeout game this year). The Mets have the following career numbers against Herz:

• Pete Alonso 2-6, 2 K
• Francisco Alvarez 1-2, K
• Harrison Bader 1-4, HR, 2 K
• José Iglesias 1-4, 2B, K
• Francisco Lindor 3-6, 2B, HR
• Starling Marte 0-1, BB
• J.D. Martinez 0-2, K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-3, BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2, K
• Luis Torrens 1-2, 2B, K
• Mark Vientos 1-5, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. José Iglesias again. Iglesias has been on a tear recently. He has four multi-hit games in his last five (10-for-22). Tuesday night he went 3-for-4 and because the offense was clicking behind him he actually scored twice. During his 11 game hitting streak he has gone 17-for-40 hitting .425/.465/.475. He only has two extra-base hits, but it doesn’t matter if the players behind him are hitting.
2. Is the Polar Bear coming out of hibernation? Since September 3rd Pete Alonso has gone 14-for45 with two doubles, three homers slashing .311/.407/.556 raising his OPS from .791 to .805. More importantly to the Mets, he has 10 of 86 RBI’s this season during that stretch, including five RBI’s last night. If there ever was a time to get hot, it’s right now!
3. Luisangel Acuña. How does Acuña follow up his amazing Citi Field debut? Acuña went 2-for-4 during his major league debut over the weekend and then went hitless the next game. Tuesday night he was a sensation, getting his first extra-base hit and RBI right after making an error that led to a run. Later he put an exclamation point on the night with a solo shot. Every time he got on base (three times) he came around to score. This is the spark the Mets need!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets came back and won a critical game against the Nationals Monday night! The Mets got an amazing start from Sean Manaea but the bats disappeared again. After scratching out a run in the 8th inning, the Mets sent the game to extra’s where Marte had the walk-off hit. Meanwhile the Dodgers did the Mets a favor and beat the Braves again. The Diamondbacks lost. So the Mets enter play today as the sole holders of the third wild card spot and are only one game out of the second.

Tylor Megill looks to lead the Mets again! Over the course of the entire season Megill has a 4.48 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.316 WHIP and an 87 ERA+ over 62 1/3 innings. He is coming off of a fantastic start against the Blue Jays where he held them to one hit over six innings while striking out six batters. Since rejoining the Mets rotation, Megill has allowed four runs from 11 hits and four walks over 15 1/3 innings while striking out 18 batters (2.35 ERA, 1.80 FIP). The Nationals got the best of Megill back in June, scoring five runs, four earned, over five innings. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 0-2
• Joey Gallo 2-5, 2 HR, 3 K
• Luis Garcia Jr. 1-10, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Drew Millas 0-2
• Keibert Ruiz 3-8, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Ildemaro Vargas 1-4

Mitchell Parker is wrapping up his rookie season where he started 27 games pitching 142 1/3 innings with a 4.24 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.272 WHIP and a 95 ERA+. He’s coming off of a good start allowing two unearned runs over 6 1/3 innings against the Marlins. In his five starts before that Parker struggled allowing 20 runs, 19 earned, over 23 1/3 innings (7.33 ERA, 3.56 FIP). The Mets had a strong game against Parker back at the start of July scoring five runs off of five hits, including three homers over six innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Parker:

• Pete Alonso 0-3, K
• José Iglesias 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 1-3, HR, K
• J.D. Martinez 1-3, 2B
• Brandon Nimmo 0-3, K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-2, HR
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 1-3, HR, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. José Iglesias. Iglesias has a ten game hitting streak now after last night’s 2-for-4 performance. Over the stretch he has gone 14-for-36 with two doubles slashing .389/.436/.444. There’s no power there right now, but he’s getting on base. While Lindor is healing, it seems that Iglesias is going to get the leadoff spot. Iglesias has saved this team before, and he continues to come up big when the Mets need him most during this stretch run.
2. Can J.D. Martinez break out of his slump? Over his five games J.D. has gone 0-for-18 at the plate with two walks and four strikeouts. Two of those four strikeouts came in Monday night’s game. There are 12 games left in the season – can Martinez turn it back on for the final couple of weeks?
3. Inevitable. The Mets are at their best when they feel inevitable. The 2022 Mets felt inevitable – never out of it. The Grimace Mets were inevitable – they were going to win the game. The Mets during the hot streak recently felt like they always had a chance. Losing two games in a row in Philly after having the lead took a bite out of that feeling of inevitability – especially when paired with the Lindor injury. Monday night was a good step forward in getting that swagger back. Let’s look for that same feeling tonight with the Mets bats getting to work early.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to shake off a tough weekend in Philadelphia with a three game set against the Nationals. The Mets dropped back-to-back games where they had the lead. Francisco Lindor started the game on Sunday for the Mets but left after an inning due to a flare up in his back. Things felt pretty dark for the Mets play-off chances most of the day until the 9th inning in Atlanta where the Dodgers mounted a massive comeback. The Mets and Braves are still tied for the last spot, all the Mets need to do is win.

Sean Manaea has pitched 164 innings this season with a 3.35 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.098 WHIP and a 117 ERA+. Since July 30th he has a 2.64 ERA, 3.04 FIP over 58 innings of work while striking out 70 batters. This includes a bounce back start for Manaea in his last start where he allowed one run over 6 2/3 innings. In his only start against the Nationals this season he allowed two runs, one earned over seven innings. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 3-10, 3 K
• Joey Gallo 4-20, 2 HR, BB, 9 K
• Luis Garcia Jr. 2-5, 2 K
• Keibert Ruiz 3-6
• Ildermaro Vargas 1-9, 3B, K
• James Wood 0-3
• Jacob Young 1-2, 2B, BB

Jake Irvin is wrapping up his second major league season, and it’s been a solid one for the 27 year-old. Over 172 innings eh has a 4.19 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 1.186 WHIP and a 96 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start against the Braves where he held them to one run from two hits over six innings. In his two starts before that he allowed 13 runs over 9 2/3 innings. Things have been rougher for Irvin since the start of August generally – he’s allowed nine homers over 43 2/3 innings with a 6.39 ERA, 5.33 FIP.

Irvin had two very different starts against the Mets at the start of July. In his first start, he held the Mets scoreless over eight innings. In his second start five days later, he allowed six runs over six innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-8, 3 K
• Francisco Alvarez 1-8, 4 K
• Harrison Bader 3-3
• Francisco Lindor 5-10, 2B, HR, 2 K
• Starling Marte 1-2, K
• J.D. Martinez 2-6, BB, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 2-10, HR
• Tyrone Taylor 0-3, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 0-6, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. José Iglesias. The Mets need hitters to step up right now and Iglesias has been doing that over the last week. He has an nine game hitting streak right now where he has gone 12-for-32 with two doubles, six runs scored. He’s slashing .393/.452/.464 over the first eight games of the streak. This current streak has pushed his OPS, which dipped to .795 back above .800.
2. Mark Vientos. Coming into the weekend in Philadelphia, Vientos was mired in a slump, going 0-for-16 over five games with eight strikeouts. He collected three hits over the first two games of the series but had a tough day on Sunday, going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. The Mets need Vientos this week, especially while Lindor is hurt.
3. Prospects starting their division rivalry together. The last time the Mets played the Nationals, the Nationals called up their top prospect James Wood. Luisangel Acuña made his major league debut a couple of days ago. Both players will become very familiar with the fan bases of their opponents over the next several years.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to shake off a tough loss on Saturday and win the rubber game this afternoon in Philadelphia. The Mets had the lead heading into the 6th inning on Saturday but the pitching staff, who has been great for much of the Mets stretch run, allowed two-runs in back-to-back innings. A Francisco Lindor-less Mets wasn’t able to make a comeback and the Mets dropped the game. So entering play today the Padres have a 2.5 lead in the top wild card spot, the Diamondbacks have a 1.0 game lead. The Braves and Mets are tied for the last spot.

David Peterson is getting close to a career in innings pitched in a season – a complete game today would do it! Over 102 2/3 innings this season, Peterson has a 2.98 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 1.354 WHIP and a 131 ERA+. He’s coming off of one of his worst starts this season where he allowed five runs, four earned, over 4 1/3 innings. In his seven starts before that he had a 1.81 ERA, 2.99 FIP over 44 2/3 innings while striking out 38 batters. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Peterson:

• Nick Castellanos 3-5, K
• Bryce Harper 7-15, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 4 K
• Brandon Marsh 1-1, HR
• J.T. Realmuto 3-12, 2B, 3 BB, 4 K
• Johan Rojas 0-2, 2 K
• Kyle Schwarber 1-9, 2B, 2 BB, 6 K
• Bryson Stott 0-2, K
• Trea Turner 2-11, 2B, 2 BB, 4 K

Cristopher Sánchez looks to continue his fantastic season for the Phillies. Over 165 innings and 28 career starts (career highs) he has a 3.33 ERA, 2.84 FIP, 1.242 WHIP and a 122 ERA+. September has been good to Sánchez, where he has allowed only two runs scattering 10 hits over 13 innings. His four starts before that were much more human, allowing 15 runs over 25 1/3 innings with a 4.62 ERA, 3.81 FIP. Sánchez faced the Mets back in May and allowed three runs from seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Sánchez:

• Pete Alonso 3-12, 2B, HR, 4 K
• Eddy Alvarez 0-1
• Francisco Alvarez 0-4, 2 K
• Harrison Bader 1-2, BB, K
• Francisco Lindor 2-8, 2 BB
• Starling Marte 3-9, 2B, HR, K
• J.D. Martinez 2-3, 2 2B, BB, K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-8, BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2
• Mark Vientos 0-3, 2 K
• Jesse Winker 0-6, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Only four runs, but a lot of hits. The Mets had 14 hits on Friday night. They followed that up with nine hits on Saturday. While that didn’t translate into a lot of runs scored, for an offense that was cold for a week, nine hits is a positive sign. Iglesias was the only hitter who recorded multiple hits in both games!
2. Francisco Lindor: Lindor did not play in Saturday’s game, but he was available off of the bench. He said after the game that he felt much better and he was hoping that would be enough to get him in games for the rest of the season. He’s the leader on the Mets and the team needs him.
3. There are still four more left. Personally, I am not a fan of the schedule quirk that felt common this year where a two teams would play each other, have a series off, and then play each other again. That’s happening right now with the Mets and Phillies. While today is the rubber game for the series, the Mets still have four more games against the Phillies next weekend. This also means any storylines that come out of today’s game will be immediately revisited in just a few days.

Let’s Go Mets!