213 Miles From Shea

The Mets have finally made it to decision week! Over the next seven games the Mets will face the National League wild card leaders San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mets can make their path to October much easier with a strong week. These two teams last met during the height of the Grimace-era Mets and the Mets swept the Padres. If the Mets win just one game this series they will clinch the tiebreaker against Padres.

Luis Severino did something his last time out that no Mets pitcher had done since Jacob deGrom circa 2021 – Severino tossed a complete game shutout. Over 24 starts this season (142 2/3 innings), Severino has a 3.91 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 1.220 WHIP and a 100 ERA+. He needed that complete game shutout as the three starts before it, he allowed 15 runs, 14 earned over 13 innings. The Padres have the following career numbers against Severino:

• Luis Arráez 1-2
• Xander Bogaerts 3-29, 2B, BB, 8 K
• Jake Cronenworth 0-3
• Manny Machado 4-17, 2B, 3 HR, BB, 10 K

The Mets bats draw Dylan Cease for the season opener. Over 26 starts, 148 1/3 innings, Cease has a 3.46 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 1.025 WHIP and a 118 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed eight runs, five earned, over 10 2/3 innings (4.22 ERA, 5.69 FIP). One of his worst starts of the season this year was against the Mets in June where the Mets racked up seven runs over 3 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-5, HR, 3 K
• Harrison Bader 1-3, 2B, BB, K
• José Iglesias 1-2, K
• Francisco Lindor 3-9, 3 HR, K
• Starling Marte 0-3, 2 BB, K
• J.D. Martinez 4-8, 2B, 3 BB, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-5
• Brandon Nimmo 2-3
• Tyrone Taylor 0-3, K
• Luis Torrens 1-2, K
• Mark Vientos 0-2, 2 K
• Jesse Winker 0-9, 2 BB, 6 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Power is back. The Mets scored three of their four runs on Wednesday on solo home runs. This isn’t always a recipe for success, and speaks to the Mets problems in general at hitting with runners in scoring position (0-for-4 Wednesday, left eight runners on). What made the June Mets so good was it felt like power could come from any point of the lineup and we saw that on Wednesday.
2. Strikeouts. For the last several games we’ve discussed looking at strikeouts as a bellwether. In the three games before Wednesday the Mets struck out a combined 37 times. Wednesday they only struck out five times, compared to four walks.
3. MVP Watch. On Monday Francisco Lindor had an off night, going 0-for-3 at the plate with a walk and a stolen base. Since then he has gone 4-for-8 with two doubles and a home run. He now has a .815 OPS and a 131 OPS+, his best ever as a Met.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets lost a frustrating game against the Orioles Tuesday night, filled with defensive mistake. The Orioles scored early and the Mets made a comeback late, but the Orioles poured on a few insurance runs to keep the Mets at bay. The Mets can still win the series in the rubber game this afternoon in Citi Field.

Sean Manaea has tossed 130 innings with a 3.46 ERA, 3.81 FIP, 1.208 WHIP and a 113 ERA+. Manaea has pitched seven innings in three of his last four starts. During that stretch he has had a 2.25 ERA, 2.24 FIP over 24 innings while striking out 28 batters. He has also allowed only one home run. The Orioles have the following career numbers against Manaea:

• Eloy Jimenez 0-0, BB
• James McCann 1-5, K
• Ryan Mountcastle 1-2, K
• Cedric Mullins 0-3, K
• Austin Slater 4-22, 2B, 3 BB, 6 K
• Ramón Urías 0-2

The Mets were originally slated to face Zach Elfin today, a major trade deadline acquisition for the Orioles. Elfin landed on the injured list before the start of Tuesday’s game and now Cole Irvin is sliding back in the rotation to close things out for the Orioles. This season Irvin has pitched 94 2/3 innings over 21 games (14 starts) with a 4.85 ERA, 4.48 FIP, 1.405 WHIP and a 78 ERA+. He’s been more effective as a starter this season with a 4.06 ERA over 75 1/3 innings, compared to a 7.91 ERA over 19 1/3 innings as a reliever. The Orioles have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-2, BB
• Francisco Alvarez 0-1, K
• Harrison Bader 0-1
• José Iglesias 1-9, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-4
• Starling Marte 0-1
• J.D. Martinez 1-5, BB, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 3-5
• Brandon Nimmo 2-3
• Luis Torrens 6-9, 2B, K
• Mark Vientos 2-3, 2B, BB, K
• Jesse Winker 0-2, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Keeping the ball in the park. Manaea’s success recently has been keeping the ball in the park. The Orioles are a top tier homer hitting team. For the Mets pitching, this is the main metric I’m watching for today.
2. Mets are trying to end a streak. The Mets have struck out more than 10 times in three games in a row now. Sunday the Mets struck out 12 times, Monday 14 times and Tuesday 11 times. That is 37 strikeouts in three games – way too many. In other dugout, the Orioles on struck out five times on Tuesday night.
3. The Martinez heat up is happening? Before Tuesday’s game we discussed how J.D. Martinez’s two run homer on Monday night set the tone for the Mets. It was his first home runs since August 3rd. Martinez hit a home run last night, his second consecutive game with one, that put a comeback on the table for the Mets. If the Mets are going to make a run they are going to need J.D.!

Let’s Go Mets!

Francisco Alvarez hit the biggest home run of his life Monday night, walking off the Orioles in the first game of the series. Rather than starting this article about how the Mets are trying to snap a two game losing streak, thanks to Alvarez we can talk about how the Mets have won three of their last four games. If the Mets win today they will win their second consecutive series. The Braves had the night off on Monday, with the win the Mets find themselves only 1.5 games behind the Braves.

Jose Quintana has pitched 129 innings over 24 games with a 4.26 ERA, 5.00 FIP, 1.295 WHIP and a 92 ERA+. Quintana is having a rough month of August allowing 12 runs from 14 hits and 10 walks over 15 2/3 innings (6.89 ERA, 5.65 FIP). Opponents are getting on base at a .375 clip. In July Quintana had a 2.05 ERA (4.92 FIP) over five starts and opponents were getting on base at a more reasonable .265 clip. The Orioles have the following career numbers against Quintana:

• Gunnar Henderson 0-3, K
• Eloy Jimenez 1-2
• James McCann 4-21, 2B, 3B, 2 BB, 6 K
• Ryan Mountcastle 2-4, 2B, 2 K
• Cedric Mullins 0-2
• Adley Rutschman 0-2, BB
• Anthony Santander 0-3, BB, 2 K
• Ramón Urías 2-5

Dean Kremer has pitched 90 1/3 innings over 17 starts with a 4.48 ERA, 4.79 FIP, 1.284 WHIP and an 85 ERA+. Kremer is coming off of a good start where he held the Nationals to one run over six innings. In his four starts before that he had a 5.66 ERA (4.37 FIP) allowing 16 runs, 13 earned over 20 2/3 innings. Similar to Quintana, he’s been struggling with runners on base. During his recent tough stretch he allowed 22 hits and walked 11 batters, leading opponent hitters to have a .340 OBP. Mets batters have the following career numbers against Kremer:

• Pete Alonso 0-2
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, BB
• Harrison Bader 2-2
• Francisco Lindor 2-3, 2B
• Starling Marte 0-2, K
• J.D. Martinez 3-10, 3 2B, 2 BB, K
• Jeff McNeil 0-2
• Brandon Nimmo 0-1, 2 BB
• Luis Torrens 0-2, K
• Mark Vientos 0-2, 2 K
• Jesse Winker 0-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Please let J.D. Martinez get hot. Francisco Alvarez was the hero Monday night, but J.D. Martinez got things started for the Mets hitting a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, setting the tone for the Mets. That was his first home run since August 3rd. Since the All-Star break J.D. Martinez has only hit three home runs (compared to nine before the break).
2. Strikeouts. For a second straight game Monday night strikeouts were a problem for the Mets. Monday the Mets struck out 14 times, making 26 K’s in their last two games. Four players Monday night struck out two times or more. The Mets are facing a starting pitcher who struggles with hits and walks, their strikeout numbers should be a bellwether on how the night is going.
3. Thirty-Thirty loading? Francisco Lindor stole his 25th base of the season last night. He has 24 home runs on the season. He’s still on track for a 30-30 season. This isn’t news, I just want to celebrate this more.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to shake-off Sunday’s disappointing loss by opening their series against the Orioles with a win tonight in Queens. On Sunday the Mets were not able to take advantage of multiple opportunities, including one in the ninth inning and fell to the Marlins 3-2. Out of the three teams the Mets are chasing, only the Braves won on Sunday putting the Mets still two games out.

The Orioles have gone 5-5 in their last ten games as they battle the Yankees for the number one spot in the American League East. The Yankees have also gone 5-5 and both teams enter play today with the same record. Both the Mets and Orioles need every win this week.

David Peterson looks to continue his amazing 2024 tonight. Over 71 innings (13 starts) this season, Peterson has a 3.04 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.394 WHIP and a 129 ERA+. Over three starts in August Peterson has allowed four runs, three earned over 17 1/3 innings (1.56 ERA, 3.05 FIP). The Orioles have one of the more prolific offenses in the league and tonight will be a real test for Peterson. The Orioles have the following career numbers against him:

• Gunnar Henderson 0-2
• Eloy Jimenez 0-1
• James McCann 0-0, BB
• Ryan Mountcastle 1-5, K
• Cedric Mullins 2-4, 2B
• Ryan O’Hearn 0-1, K
• Adley Rutschman 0-1, BB
• Anthony Santander 0-3, BB, K
• Ramón Urías 0-1

You’ll have to take our word for it that the Marlins actually left town because the Mets bats will face former Marlin, now Oriole, Trevor Rogers. The Orioles put together a fairly large trade package for Rogers at the deadline. Before the deadline over 105 1/3 innings (21 starts), Rogers had a 4.53 ERA, 4.43 FIP, 1.528 WHIP and a 98 ERA+. Since joining the Orioles Rogers has allowed 13 runs, 12 earned over 14 1/3 innings. One of Rogers better starts this season was against the Mets where he held the Mets to two runs, one earned over 4 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Rogers:

• Pete Alonso 3-20, 2 HR, 2 BB, 6 K
• Harrison Bader 0-2
• José Iglesias 1-3, BB
• Francisco Lindor 4-18, 2B, 5 K
• Starling Marte 4-12, 5 K
• J.D. Martinez 3-7, 2 2B, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 4-12, 3 2B, 3 BB, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 4-16, 2 2B, 4 BB, 3 K
• Tyrone Taylor 3-10, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-1, K
• Mark Vientos 2-2
• Jesse Winker 1-3, BB, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Yikes. Too Many Double Plays and Strikeouts. When the Mets bats struggle with RISP, its usually because they are striking out too much. On Sunday the team went a combined 1-for-9 with RISP, leaving nine batters on. They struck out 12 times (and generally things do not go well for the Mets when strikeout nine or more times in a game). The Mets also hit into three double plays yesterday, which is just killer for momentum. At some point the Mets luck will have to change.
2. Jackson Holliday is here. One of the best prospects in baseball had a difficult time adjusting to major league pitching the first time he was called up to the majors. Since returning at the start of August, Holliday has gone 16-for-58 with a double, triple and four homers hitting .276/.323/.535 with 10 RBI’s. Over the last two games he has gone 1-for-7. The last thing the Mets need this week is for Holliday to get hot.
3. McNeil / Marte / Iglesias playing time. Starling Marte returned to the Mets lineup on Sunday and now the Mets will have to navigate so playing time situations. McNeil was playing a lot in the outfield where the Mets were pretty thin. The return of Marte with McNeil’s second half resurgence should have Iglesias see a drop in playing time. Iglesias got on base though four times on Sunday. We’ll probably see Mendoza get more creative with giving players some rest, considering that he also has to find time for Winker, Bader and Taylor too.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for the sweep this afternoon against the Marlins. A few seasons ago MLB selected on game per Sunday to play a game that started before noon on Peacock. That contract is now owned by Roku and the start time for these games is right around noon. This will be the Mets first time on the streaming service.

Luis Severino gave the Mets the spark they needed Saturday, tossing the first complete game shutout for the Mets for the first time since Jacob deGrom did it back in 2021. The Braves also won on Saturday so the Mets are still one game out of the wild card race.

Paul Blackburn had his first rough start of the Mets earlier this week, allowing seven runs, six earned, against his old club. Before that he allowed only two earned runs over 12 innings. Overall this season he has a 4.43 ERA, 4.53 FIP, 1.224 WHIP and a 91 ERA+ across 67 innings. Blackburn faced the Marlins before his injury back in May and it was a good start. He held the Marlins to one run, a solo home run, over seven innings. This also highlights his weakness, keeping the ball in the park. In 2024 he’s allowed 1.3 HR/9. The Marlins have the following career numbers against Blackburn:

• Vidal Bruján 0-3
• Jake Burger 1-2, BB
• Nick Fortes 1-2, HR
• Dereck Hill 0-1, K
• Otto Lopez 0-0, BB
• Emmanuel Rivera 0-2
• Jesús Sánchez 1-5, 2B, BB, K

The Mets bats will close out the series against a rookie, Valente Bellozo. In his first five starts of his major league career he has a 2.28 ERA, 3.21 FIP, 0.940 WHIP and a 197 ERA+ over 27 2/3 innings. In his last two starts he has not allowed a run over 12 2/3 innings, scattering nine hits and three walks. Bellozo has posted a 4.64 ERA over 66 innings and 14 games (13 starts) in the minors this season. No one on the Mets roster has faced Bellozo in a major league game.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Starling Marte. Marte was in the dugout on Saturday after playing a couple of full games in Syracuse. Marte has been out for a couple of months with a right knee injury. Before the injury Marte was hitting .278/.328/.416 with a 112 OPS+ and was a critical part of the Mets lineup. This is the stretch boost the Mets need!
2. Pete Alonso. Alonso hit his 100th career home run at Citi Field on Saturday. It was also his 219th career home run, putting him one homer behind Mike Piazza (220) for third all time. Topping off the list for the Mets of course is Darryl Strawberry (252) and David Wright (242). If Pete Alonso stays with the Mets after this season, the homerun title is almost certainly his.
3. Francisco Lindor. Lindor should have been an All-Star. That’s an old conversation. For the better part of the last month, Lindor has forced his way into the NL MVP conversation. Lindor went 2-for-3 in Saturday’s game, leading off the game with a home run. Since August 7th, Lindor has gone 17-for-43 at the plate with three doubles, a triple and two homers slashing .395/.435/.651. When I checked this morning Lindor had an fWAR of 5.9 and Ohtani was at 5.8.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to take the series against the Marlins this afternoon in Queens. Friday night was a good reset for the team with good hitting and good pitching. The Mets had a monster fourth inning where they scored six runs, Sean Manaea pitched seven innings and Buttó pitched two clean innings of relief.

More importantly for the Mets, all of the teams they are chasing for the wild card lost, so the Mets are only one game out of the last wild card spot.

The Mets are hoping they can get Luis Severino back on the right track this afternoon. Over 23 games, 133 2/3 innings, Severino has a 4.17 ERA, 4.45 FIP, 1.264 WHIP and a 95 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed 15 runs, 14 earned, over 13 innings from 20 hits and four walks. He’s also allowed five home runs in his last three starts (compared to just 12 in his 20 starts before that). Luis Severino has been effective against the Marlins this season, holding them to only six runs over 18 2/3 innings (three starts). The Marlins have the following career numbers against him:

• Vidal Brujan 0-4, BB
• Jake Burger 4-10, 2 HR, BB, K
• Xavier Edwards 0-2, K
• Nick Fortes 0-5, K
• Derek Hill 0-1, BB, K
• Otto Lopez 2-8, 2B, BB, K
• Emmanuel Rivera 0-3, 2 K
• Jesús Sánchez 2-8, 2B, BB, 3 K

The Mets bats look to keep form this afternoon against Max Meyer. Over seven starts he has pitched 36 1/3 innings with a 5.20 ERA, 4.94 FIP, 1.266 WHIP and an 86 ERA+. The Marlins strangely demoted Meyer, who was coming off of Tommy John, after three effective starts in April. Since being recalled at the end of July he has had a 7.91 ERA, 5.97 FIP over four starts. No one on the Mets has seen Meyer in an official game before.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo has been in a slump since the All Star break, hitting .140/.269/.174 with only three extra-base hits going into Friday night’s game. At the start of August it looked like he was starting to break out of his slump and then he went 0-for-13 with three walks in his last four games before Friday night. Friday night though he went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer (which gave him almost as many RBI’s as his previous 23 games combined where he had four). Get hot Nimmo! We need you.
2. Jeff McNeil continues to stay hot. Jeff went 2-for-4 with a double and a homer Friday night. In his last 28 games he has seven home runs and is hitting .316/.362/.663. Only July 12th McNeil was hitting .215/.274/.308. In the last five weeks he has raised that to .240/.296/.396.
3. Jake Burger. In Friday’s Game Chat we discussed how Burger was on another planet right now in terms of power. The good news for the Mets is they held him to only one hit Friday night. The bad news that hit was a home run. In his last eight games he has gone 14-for-32 with seven homeruns (.438/.514/1.125).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to rebound against the Marlins after being swept by the Mariners and losing a series to the Athletics at home. Over the last two games the Mets bats have come back. Yesterday the pitching let the Mets down as the Athletics beat the Mets 7-6. The Braves also lost, so the Mets are still only three games out.

Sean Manaea has a 3.44 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.228 WHIP and a 115 ERA+ over 123 innings. He had a disappointing start his last time out allowing three runs from four hits and five walks over three innings, in a game the Mets eventually lost 4-0. Before that, he allowed no runs over 14 innings while striking out 21 batters.

Manaea’s first start against the Marlins back in April was solid where he allowed two runs over five innings. In July he allowed five runs over five innings from eight hits. The Marlins have the following career numbers:

• Vidal Brujan 0-2, K
• Jake Burger 2-5, 2B, HR
• Xavier Edwards 1-2
• Otto Lopez 2-5, 2B
• Cristian Pache 1-2, 2B
• Emmanuel Rivera 2-4, HR, 2 BB, K
• Jesús Sánchez 1-3

Roddery Muñoz has pitched 74 2/3 innings with a 5.67 ERA, 6.74 FIP, 1.433 WHIP and a 79 ERA+. In August he has allowed nine runs, seven earned, over 8 2/3 innings from 13 hits and three walks (7.27 ERA, 6.41 FIP). Since July 11th he’s had a 5.93 ERA, 5.68 FIP with opponents hitting .261/.331/.496 against him. His only good start since July 11th was against the Mets where held the Mets to one run over five innings. This season he has only allowed one run over 11 innings against the Mets, who have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-4, 2B, 2 K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2
• Harrison Bader 1-2, K
• José Iglesias 0-2, K
• Francisco Lindor 1-4, BB
• J.D. Martinez 0-5, K
• Jeff McNeil 0-4, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-4, BB, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 0-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. OPS of the Mets Lineup. The Mets offense for the most part over the last two weeks has stunk. The last two games though the offense has been fine. On Thursday the Mets had four players in their starting lineup that finished the game with an OPS above .800. Lindor finished exactly at .800, Mark Vientos .890, Iglesias .860 and Pete Alonso .802.
2. Mark Vientos. Speaking of Mark Vientos, what will he do today after yesterday’s game? Vientos went 2-for-5 with two homers, reaching 19 on the year. Over his last six games five of his six hits have been for extra bases (two doubles, three homers, .273/.360/.773).
3. Jake Burger. The Marlins held on to Jake Burger through the deadline and contenders who need a bat might be kicking themselves now. Since August 7th he has gone 13-for-28 with six homers (.464/.546/1.143). Burger is just on another planet right now. Will the Mets give him the Aaron Judge treatment this weekend?

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for the series win this afternoon against the Athletics! Wednesday night the Mets snapped their losing streak with a commanding 9-1 win. Key for the Mets was a six-run inning, where the Mets kept the line moving, something missing for a couple of weeks now.

All of the teams the Mets are chasing also won Wednesday night so the Mets enter play today still two games back of Braves and six games behind the Diamondbacks and Padres.

Jose Quintana has tossed 125 innings over 23 starts with a 4.10 ERA, 4.87 FIP, 1.248 WHIP and a 96 ERA+. Quintana is coming off of a rough start where he allowed five runs over 6 2/3 innings from four hits and two walks. In August he’s allowed eight runs over 11 2/3 innings (6.17 ERA, 4.29 FIP). Only two batters in the Athletics lineup have seen Quintana before (Miguel Andujar 1-for-2, 2B and Daz Cameron 1-for-3, K).

The Mets bats will get a look at rookie Mitch Spence this afternoon. He’s split time between the bullpen and the rotation this season, totaling 106 innings with a 4.33 ERA, 4.21 FIP, 1.311 WHIP and a 93 ERA+. As a starter has 80 2/3 innings with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.376 WHIP. Hitters slash .272/.323/.456 against Spence as a starter vs .231/.293/.363 as a reliever.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Austin Adams, Act 3? On Tuesday night Austin Adams stopped the comeback the Mets were mounting and came off the field doing the OMG chant among just a large amount of chirping. Wednesday night Francisco Lindor hit a home run and made the OMG hand movement towards the Athletics bullpen (with eye contact). Will the Athletics have Adams pitch in relief today? Will the the Mets and Austin Adams continue to go back-and-forth?
2. Pete Alonso is back! Over the Mets losing streak Pete Alonso is 1-for-16 with a walk. The last time the Mets won, before the losing streak started, Alonso went 3-for-3 at the plate with two home runs. Wednesday night Alonso went 4-for-4 with a double and a homer. The Mets need Pete Alonso to get on a hot streak!
3. Francisco Lindor is the MVP. Francisco Lindor has four games in a row now collecting two hits. He has three games in a row with an extra-base hits. Since August 7th, Lindor has gone 13-for-31 with three doubles and a homer, slashing .419/.438/.613 OPS. He currently has a 127 OPS+, which is his best as a Met and a season OPS above .800. His home run last night was his 100th as a Met. If we view the MVP as “this team would have no chance without this player”, then Lindor is far and away the MVP.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to snap their four game losing streak tonight against the Athletics. The Athletics jumped all over Paul Blackburn and the Mets early in the series opener on Tuesday night. It was another frustrating night that saw the Mets sink another game back in the playoffs. They are now 2.0 games behind the Braves for the last wild card spot. The Giants and the Cardinals are now 1.5 games behind the Mets.

David Peterson looks to get the Mets back on track tonight. Over 64 2/3 innings in 12 starts Peterson has a 3.34 ERA, 4.45 FIP, 1.423 WHIP and a 118 ERA+. In the month of August he has allowed three runs from nine hits and four walks over 11 innings with a 2.45 ERA, 2.63 FIP. The Athletics hitting, especially post All-Star break, has been pretty good (we saw this Tuesday night). Peterson will have to keep the ball in the park in order to be successful. He has a 0.8 HR/9 this season which is better than his career mark of 1.1. The only two members of the Athletics roster who have faced Peterson are Miguel Andujar (0-for-2) and JJ Bleday (0-for-1).

Joey Estes has pitched 82 1/3 innings this season with a 4.70 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.202 WHIP and an 86 ERA+. Since July 14th he has had a 2.84 ERA, 4.80 FIP over 25 1/3 innings. In August he’s allowed four runs from eight hits and two walks over 11 innings. Joey has essentially been all over the place this season. His best start of the season was a complete game shutout and his next time out he allowed eight runs over 1 2/3 innings. No one on the Mets roster has faced Estes in a major league game.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Austin Adams. Austin Adams was signed to a non-roster invitation spring training deal with the Mets this season. During spring training the Mets traded him to the Athletics for cash during the roster crunch in the bullpen. Tuesday night Adams came into the game when the momentum was starting to shift from the Athletics to the Mets. He had a good inning, no hits, no runs, no walks, two strikeouts. He then did the OMG dance and seemed to be chirping coming off of the mound. This is the thing for the Mets bats to rally around tonight.
2. Joey Estes home run problems. Joey Estes weakness this season has been homeruns, giving up 11 this season which is good for a 1.2 HR/9. The Mets bats are fairly cold, but have shown an ability to sock the ball throughout the season.
3. Runners in scoring position. The good news is the Mets on Tuesday night got four hits with runners in scoring position, which is more than they had last weekend. The bad news is they went 4-for-17 and left 11 runners on base. So there are signs the offense is coming back, but the results aren’t there yet. Lindor has been on fire with his third straight game collecting two hits and second consecutive game with a double (15-for-43 over his 10 games hitting .349/.391/.419).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to snap their three game losing streak as they welcome the Oakland Athletics to Citi Field tonight. The Mets are coming off of an intense road trip that had them in Anaheim, St. Louis, Denver and Seattle with no days off. They got a much needed physical and mental break on Monday and now head into this series fresh.

The Mets are one full game behind the Braves for the last wild card spot. The Diamondbacks and Padres are each five games ahead of the Mets. This is a huge two weeks for the Mets with a homestand followed by a west coast trip to San Diego and Arizona.

Paul Blackburn has been solid for the Mets. Over his first two starts he has allowed three runs, two earned, over 12 innings scattering 11 hits while striking out 12 (small sample size 1.50 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 1.250 WHIP and a 271 ERA+). Overall this season he has a 3.86 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 1.175 WHIP and a 105 ERA+. Blackburn made his major league debut with the Athletics and has only played with the Athletics until he was traded to the Mets, so this will be his first time facing his original team. The only member of the Athletics roster to face him in a major league game is Abraham Toro (3-for-7, 3B, K).

Joe Boyle will be getting the start for the Athletics this evening. Over seven starts he has tossed 27 2/3 innings with a 7.16 ERA, 5.09 FIP, 1.735 WHIP and a 57 ERA+. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 5th, when he allowed four runs on a hit and three walks in one inning. In Las Vegas this season he has a 5.63 ERA over 38 1/3 innings (12 games, 11 starts).

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Runners In Scoring Position. The Mets hitting with RISP is the key metric to see if the Mets are breaking out of their collective funk. On Sunday night they collectively went 0-for-8 with RISP, which was an improvement from Saturday where they didn’t even get a runner in scoring position. All it takes is one good rally and albatross will evaporate. 
2. Francisco Lindor. Lindor is carrying the club right now. He had his second consecutive two-hit game on Sunday, hitting his 29th double of the season. Since August 3rd he has gone 13-for-39 at the plate with two doubles slashing .333/.366/.385. He’s only scored four times, which is indicative of everything else going on with the club right now. 
3. Pete Alonso. The start of the Mets road trip looked pretty good for Alonso who went 8-for-25 with three homers and five walks (.320/.452/.680). The only alarm bell was 11 strikeouts. Alonso had a series to forget in Seattle going 0-for-11 with a walk and six strikeouts. Let’s hope vintage Pete comes back at home!

Let’s Go Mets!