213 Miles From Shea

The Mets only scored two runs on Tuesday night, but two runs is all they needed as they went on to beat the Twins 2-0. Now the Mets look to sweep the Twins before getting out of town to the West Coast.

Every team in the National League last night that is in the wild card race and has a winning record, won keeping the standings unchanged (Braves +.5, Mets, Padres, Diamondbacks -0.5, Pirates -2, Cardinals -2).

Luis Severino has a 3.58 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 1.202 WHIP and a 109 ERA+ over 120 2/3 innings. Over his last three starts he has allowed only four runs from 13 hits while striking out 17 batters over 17 1/3 innings (2.08 ERA, 3.10 FIP). The Twins have the following career numbers against Severino:

• Byron Buxton 0-2, 2 K
• Willi Castro 0-3, 2 K
• Max Kepler 2-5, 2B, BB
• Manuel Margot 0-3, K
• Carlos Santana 5-21, 2B, 2 HR, BB, 5 K
• Christian Vazquez 4-11, BB, 3 K

The Mets will face an old foe this afternoon in Pablo López. López made his major league debut with the Marlins back in 2018 and stayed with the Marlins through 2022. He was part of a blockbuster winter trade with Luis Arráez. This season López has a 4.73 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 1.144 WHIP and an 87 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed only five runs from 14 hits while striking out 19 batters over 19 innings (2.37 ERA, 3.16 FIP). The Mets have the following career numbers against López:

• Pete Alonso 5-24, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 5 K
• Francisco Alvarez 1-1
• Harrison Bader 0-5, K
• Ben Gamel 1-3, BB
• José Iglesias 1-7
• Francisco Lindor 7-22, 3 2B, HR, 5 K
• J.D. Martinez 0-2, K
• Jeff McNeil 10-22, 3 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 9-29, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 4 K
• Mark Vientos 0-3, 2 K
• Jesse Winker 2-4, HR, 2 BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Roster moves before (or right after) the game. The Mets active roster is a little crowded right now. Matt Gage was recalled from Syracuse after Diekman was DFA’d. Gage allowed two runs and struck out eight batters over 6 2/3 innings with Houston in 2023. He has pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings for Syracuse this season since coming over from the Dodgers system. After the trade deadline the Mets added Paul Blackburn, Huascar Brazobán and Tyler Zuber to the 40-man roster. This feels like the Mets will have to make a move or two either before the start of today’s game or before the team heads to the west coast after the game.
2. J.D. Martinez. For the first time since July 21st / July 22nd, Martinez recorded hits in back-to-back days. Martinez hasn’t been terrible in this stretch, as he has basically alternated days collecting multiple hits and no hits. In his last eight games he has gone 10-for-32 with two doubles, a homer and seven RBI’s.
3. Nobody Walks Anymore. Tuesday night’s game was fairly short, clocking in at two hours and 12 minutes. There were only two runs scored, seven hits recorded and three walks worked between both teams. The Mets went from walking seven times on Monday night to only one time Tuesday. The Mets will be facing a starting pitcher tonight who has been pretty good at not giving free passes with only 25 this season and a 1.9 BB/9 rate.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets lost their offense over the weekend against the Braves and found it Monday night against the Twins. The bats exploded for 15 runs from 17 hits with every hitter in the game recording at least one hit. The Mets just fired on all cylinders. Thanks to how the other games around them ended up, the Mets finished the evening tied for the second wild car spot with the Padres and only a half game back for the first wild card spot.

Sean Manaea has made 20 starts totaling 106 innings with a 3.74 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 1.255 WHIP and a 105 ERA+. His last three starts haven’t been the greatest, allowing 10 runs from 16 hits and six walks over 16 2/3 innings. Homers have hurt him, allowing five over his last three starts (he’s only allowed 12 this season). Before this stretch he pitched five games in a row with a 1.57 ERA, 3.40 FIP. The Twins have the following career numbers against Sean:

• Byron Buxton 2-9, 2B, 2 BB, 3 K
• Willi Castro 3-6, 2B, 2 K
• Max Kepler 1-7, HR, BB, K
• Manuel Margot 2-8, 2 K
• Jose Miranda 1-3, HR, K
• Carlos Santana 4-12, 2B, 4 BB, 3 K
• Christian Vazquez 3-7, BB, 2 K

David Festa will pitch in his fourth major league game this evening. So far this season he has tossed 14 1/3 innings with a 8.16 ERA, 6.23 FIP, 1.605 WHIP and a 52 ERA+. His last outing was by far his best of the season where he held the Phillies to one run over 4 1/3 innings while striking out seven. Before that he allowed 12 runs over 10 innings across two starts. Festa had a 4.39 ERA in AA Wichita over 80 innings and a 2.92 ERA over 12 1/3 innings in AAA St. Paul. No one on the Mets roster has faced Festa before in a major league game.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Letting the Twins work their way into trouble. The Twins were doomed by a few crazy innings for the Mets, who worked seven walks Monday night. This caused the frustration to boil over for the Twins who had several long innings just hoping their pitchers can get it together. The Twins now have an over worked bullpen and will have two games in the next 24 hours against the Mets. So hopefully the Mets can just repeat what they did Monday night.
2. Hitting with runners in scoring position. When the Mets were terrible in May, they couldn’t buy a hit with runners in scoring position. When the Mets were dominating in June, they constantly kept the line moving. That’s what happened Monday night with the Mets going 8-for-17 with RISP after a terrible weekend.
3. Mets bullpen got the night off. As of writing, it is unknown if the Mets let Buttó go all three relief innings in Monday night’s game in order to stretch him out for a turn in the rotation. The short term impact is no one else had to do anything last night. Edwin Díaz and Phil Maton both haven’t pitched since Thursday, Danny Young hasn’t pitched since Saturday.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets welcome the Minnesota Twins to Citi Field for a three game set. The Twins are currently second in the AL Central and hold the second American League wild card spot. The Mets, after dropping two games in a row to the Braves, are the sole holders of the third National League Wild Card but only 1.5 games out of the first spot. Both teams could look different by the series conclusion on Wednesday due to Tuesday’s 4 PM trade deadline.

Jose Quintana has pitched 107 1/3 innings over 20 starts this season with a 4.02 ERA, 5.06 FIP, 1.276 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start against the Yankees where he held the Bronx Bombers to one run over five innings. It was a bounce back start for Quintana who allowed five runs over 5 2/3 innings to the Rockies before the All-Star break. Even with that start against the Rockies, Quintana has a 1.98 ERA over his last seven starts (41 innings). The Twins have the following career numbers against him:

• Byron Buxton 3-18, 2 2 B, HR, BB, 2 K
• Willi Castro 1-3
• Max Kepler 5-16, 2B, 3B, 5 K
• Manuel Margot 6-13, 2 2B, BB, 2 K
• Carlos Santana 9-48, 2 2B, HR, 4 BB, 7 K

Simeon Woods Richardson was a top prospect for the Mets when he was traded to the Blue Jays at the 2019 deadline for Marcus Stroman. Two years later was involved in another deadline trade for a high leverage pitcher. The Blue Jays and Twins swapped Woods Richardson for José Berríos. Woods Richardson returns to Citi Field today in the midst of a breakout season.

Over 17 starts pitching 88 innings, Woods Richardson has a 3.27 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 1.114 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. Over his last three starts he has pitched 16 1/3 innings with a 2.20 ERA and 1.92 FIP. The Twins generally keep him capped at around 90 pitches or so (high 97, last few starts have been upper 80’s), which generally keeps him in games between four and six innings. The only current Met to see him in a game is Jesse Winker who worked a walk in his only plate appearance.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Scoring Runs. The Mets have not scored a lot of runs over the last two games. Pete Alonso hit an end of game two-run shot on Sunday to prevent back-to-back shutouts. The offense has generally carried the team so far and with the hits to the pitching staff over the last couple of days, the Mets are going to need their sluggers to start hitting again.
2. Jesse Winker. The Mets got Jesse Winker to help against right-handed pitching. Yesterday they didn’t use Winker until late in the game as a pinch hitter, and he struck out in his first Mets at bat. Before the trade, Jesse Winker was hitting .257/.374/.419 with a 130 OPS+ this season. Against righties he’s slashing .266/.390/.450.
3. The back of the bullpen is ready. With the Mets winning big against the Braves on Friday followed by back-to-back losses, some of the more reliable pitchers for the Mets haven’t pitched since Thursday. José Buttó , Edwin Díaz and Phil Maton each last pitched in the Mets extra-inning win Thursday night. That’s a solid group that can back up a solid Quintana start.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Braves snapped the Mets winning streak Saturday afternoon setting up a critical last game of the four game set. A Mets loss today splits the series, which isn’t disastrous, and honestly most of us would have been okay with that result before the series started. A win today takes the series and gets the momentum back on track heading into the trade deadline on Tuesday.

David Peterson has pitched 48 2/3 innings over nine starts with a 3.14 ERA, 4.79 FIP, 1.479 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. In his last six starts he has a 2.53 ERA and a 4.96 FIP. For Peterson he needs to keep the bases clear and pitch count low. He can get himself into trouble walking batters, as he has four starts already this year with at least three walks. The difference for Peterson in 2024 is he doesn’t snowball after that. The Braves have the following career numbers against him:

• Brian Anderson 2-7, 2 BB, 2 K
• Orlando Arcia 1-4, 2 BB, K
• Travis d’Arnaud 0-10, 2 BB, 5 K
• Adam Duvall 4-9, 2 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Sean Murphy 0-4, K
• Matt Olson 3-13, 3 HR, 3 BB, 6 K
• Marcell Ozuna 2-14, 2 HR, BB, 6 K
• Austin Riley 8-21, 3 2B, 2 BB, 6 K
• Eddie Rosario 1-2
• Luke Williams 1-6, 2 K

Reynaldo López is having a career season for the Braves. Over 101 2/3 innings he has has a 2.12 ERA, 3.17 FIP, 1.190 WHIP and a 195 ERA+ (career 4.03 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 1.286 WHIP, 107 ERA+). That being said, he has been a different pitcher his last two starts allowing seven runs over 12 innings from 18 hits, raising his season ERA from 1.71 to 2.12. His second start this season was against the Mets where he held the Mets scoreless over six innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-5, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-1, K
• Harrison Bader 1-2
• José Iglesias 2-13, BB
• Francisco Lindor 2-21, HR, 3 BB, K
• J.D. Martinez 5-11, 2 2B, HR, K
• Jeff MCNeil 0-5, BB, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-4, 3 K
• DJ Stewart 1-4, BB
• Tyrone Taylor 0-1, K
• Luis Torrens 0-1
• Mark Vientos 0-0, BB
• Jesse Winker 2-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. New Mets! The Mets look a little different. A couple of days ago the Mets traded for Ryne Stanek from the Mariners who has been struggling of late, four runs in his last three games. Before that he had a 3.55 ERA, 3.49 FIP over 43 games this season and was a pitcher the Mets were looking at in the off season. Overnight the Mets acquired frenemy Jesse Winker who is hitting .257/.374/.419 with a 130 OPS+ this season. Against righties he’s slashing .266/.390/.450.
2. Strikeouts. The Mets batters had a rough day in the office Saturday collecting only four hits while batters struck out 14 times. This includes four K’s for J.D. Martinez who had a grand slam the previous day and three K’s for Vientos who had a homer on Friday. For J.D., he’s been locked in a pattern the last six games where he has a multi-hit day followed by a terrible day. The pattern is locked in for a good one today!
3. Don’t let the Braves get momentum. After two losses against the Mets, the Braves hit three home runs against the Mets yesterday (Ozuna, Olson, Rosario). That was three of their six hits. Peterson and crew need to build off Danny Young’s bullpen performance yesterday where he recorded five strikeouts over two innings.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets scored seven runs in one inning Friday night on their way to beating the Braves 8-4. At one point this season the Mets trailed the Braves by 10 games. Now the Mets find themselves half a game above the Braves. With the win on Friday the Mets have guaranteed that they will at least split the series against the Braves and now they have an opportunity to create some distance.

Tylor Megill returns to the Mets rotation this afternoon to fill in for injured pitcher Christian Scott. With the injury to Kodai Senga on Friday night, Megill will probably be sticking around for at least a few starts. Over 39 innings in the majors this season, Megill has a 5.08 ERA, 3.32 FIP, 1.436 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. In the minors this season he has made seven starts, totaling 27 1/3 innings with a 2.30 ERA. The Braves have the following career numbers against him:

• Orlando Arcia 1-7, 2B, BB, K
• Travis d’Arnaud 2-9, 2B, K
• Adam Duvall 1-2
• Whit Merrifield 0-3
• Sean Murphy 2-2, BB
• Matt Olson 2-11, 2 BB, 2 K
• Marcell Ozuna 5-9, 2B, HR, 2 K
• Austin Riley 5-21, 2B, HR, 8 K
• Eddie Rosario 6-12, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Luke Williams 0-2, K

The Mets bats will get a look at Atlanta rookie Spencer Schwellenbach this afternoon. Over his first nine major league starts he has pitched 50 2/3 innings with a 4.62 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 1.164 WHIP and a 90 ERA+. He’s coming off of a rough start against the Cardinals where he allowed four runs from seven hits (three home runs) over six innings. Before that he allowed one run in back to back starts against the Phillies and the Padres. This will be his first major league start against the Mets.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. J.D. Martinez is heating up! J.D. had the big bat in Friday night’s game, going 3-for-4 and hitting a grand slam. It was his third multi-hit game in his last five, a stretch where he has gone 7-for-21 slashing .333/.364/.524. So far Martinez has a multi-hit day, followed by a day with no hits. Can he break that pattern today?
2. Mark Vientos. Vientos has been in a pretty solid groove over the last five games going 6-for-19 with a double and two homers (.316/.333/.684). He has five RBI’s over this stretch and is part of the reason why the team’s batting lineup feels so deep right now. His strikeouts have been high though, eight over his last five games and 12 in his last nine played.
3. Mets bullpen. The Mets bullpen has to put in a bit of extra work over the last couple of games (literally on Thursday). Most likely Buttó, Diekman and Ottavino are out for today’s game. Alex and Danny Young put a lot of work in on Wednesday but should be good for today’s game. Questions for today’s game – how deep can Houser go if Megill has an early exit? Ryne Stanek, just acquired in a trade Friday hasn’t pitched since Monday, will he be ready to go today?

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets beat the Braves in the tenth inning on Thursday night. On paper it was a tough night for the Mets, facing a team they are chasing in the standings. The Braves had their best pitcher on the mound who already had 13 wins this season. The Mets stayed resilient all night and now find themselves only a half game behind the Braves.

Kodai Senga finally makes his 2024 debut tonight! The Mets ace heading into the season has been dealing with a triceps injury most of this season, which later got compounded with nerve inflammation. Senga was a revelation for the Mets in 2023, making 29 starts tossing 166 1/3 innings with a 2.98 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.220 WHIP and a 140 ERA+. He had a staggering 10.9 K/9, was named to the All-Star game in his rookie season, finished 7th in Cy Young voting and 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting. The Braves have the following career numbers against Senga:

• Brian Anderson 0-2, 2 K
• Orlando Arcia 0-2
• Adam Duvall 0-2, K
• Ramon Laureano 1-2, BB
• Whit Merrifield 1-1, 2B, BB
• Sean Murphy 0-2, 2 K
• Matt Olson 1-2, BB, K
• Marcell Ozuna 1-3, 2B
• Austin Riely 0-3, K
• Eddie Rosario 0-3

The Mets bats will face off against the ageless Charlie Morton who has tossed 103 1/3 innings over 18 starts for the Braves this season. In 2024 Morton has a 3.83 ERA, 4.05 FIP, 1.219 WHIP and a 108 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start against the Cardinals where he allowed one unearned run over six innings. His last five game ERA of 3.64 only tells part of the story. He has two games where he has allowed no earned runs, and then three games where he could not get a quality start.

Morton has faced the Mets twice already this year, and the two starts were quite different. At Citi Field the Mets scored four times off five hits and five walks. In May, in Atlanta, the Mets only mustered one run over seven innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Morton:

• Pete Alonso 7-30, 2 2B, 4 BB, 7 K
• Francisco Alvarez 2-13, HR, 4 K
• Harrison Bader 0-4, K
• Ben Gamel 2-8, HR, BB, K
• José Iglesias 2-3, 2B, K
• Francisco Lindor 7-47, 3 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 13 K
• J.D. Martinez 13-39, 2 2B, HR, BB, 13 K
• Jeff McNeil 6-28, 2 HR, 4 BB, 7 K
• Brandon Nimmo 7-29, HR, 5 BB, 12 K
• DJ Stewart 2-7, 2 2B, 3 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-4, BB, K
• Mark Vientos 2-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Ghost fork! Kodai Senga’s signature pitch returns to the major league’s tonight. We can have debate later if it’s more of a splitter than a forkball. His ghost fork has some serious movement that is just exciting to watch. I cannot wait to see everyone sharing videos on social media of the ghost fork overlayed with his fastball.
2. Francisco Lindor is on another planet. Over his last four games Lindor has gone 7-for-18 at the plate with five homeruns and 10 RBI’s. He is slashing a ridiculous .389/.450/1.278. After yesterday’s game he hit 5.0 WAR for the season. Keep showing the world why you are the best shortstop in baseball Francisco!
3. Jeff McNeil. Thursday night was McNeil’s third game in a row with two hits. He also had the walk-off single Thursday night. Over his last nine games McNeil is 12-for-31 with four doubles, four homers, seven runs scored and 12 RBI’s (out of the 33 he has on the season). What a comeback for McNeil.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are flying high after Wednesday night’s sweep of the Yankees. Since the All-Star break the Mets are 4-2 and are the only team in baseball winning more than 60% of their games since the start of June. This weekend they have a huge four game series against the Braves in which the Mets could capture the top wild card spot.

Luis Severino has pitched 115 2/3 innings making 19 starts with a 3.58 ERA, 4.24 FIP, 1.176 WHIP and a 109 ERA+. Severino is coming off of a great start where he held the Marlins scoreless and to only one hit over six innings. In his last two starts combined he has allowed only two runs over 12 1/3 innings while striking out 11 batters. He last faced the Braves in May where he held them to two runs over five innings. The Braves have the following career numbers against him:

• Brian Anderson 0-2, 2 K
• Orlando Arcia 0-7, K
• Travis d’Arnaud 1-3
• Adam Duvall 0-3, K
• Jarred Kelenic 1-2, HR
• Ramon Laureano 1-3, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Whit Merrifield 4-12, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Sean Murphy 0-1
• Matt Olson 2-7, 2B, 4 BB, 4 K
• Eddie Rosario 3-11, 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
• Zack Short 0-0, BB

The Mets bats will have fight through a resurgent Chris Sale to start of the series. For the Red Sox in 2023, Sale had a 4.30 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.130 WHIP and a 106 ERA+ (102 2/3 innings). This season, over 18 starts he has pitched 110 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 2.21 FIP (league leading), 0.955 WHIP, 153 ERA+. In his last five starts he has a 1.91 ERA, 1.87 FIP over 28 1/3 innings while striking out 41 batters. The Mets have the following career numbers against Sale:

• Pete Alonso 0-3, 2 K
• Ben Gamel 1-3, K
• José Iglesias 11-33, 2 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 13-31, 2 2B, HR, BB, 6 K
• J.D. Martinez 9-38, 2 2B, 3 HR, 3 BB, 16 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-3, 2B
• Brandon Nimmo 1-4, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Hitting vs Pitching. Part of what has made Chris Sale so successful this season is his ability to keep the ball in the park. In his last five games he has allowed only one home run. His HR/9 is at 0.6, down from 1.3 a season ago (and below his career mark of 1.0). The Mets are second in the National League and tied for fourth in Major League Baseball for home runs, sitting at 132. We’ve seen the Mets take ace pitches, like Cole on Wednesday night, and just light them up.
2. Francisco Lindor. Over his last three games Lindor has gone 6-for-14 with a double and four home runs. Four! He also has eight RBI’s. Wednesday night he reached the 20-20 plateau as he looks to put up consecutive 30-30 seasons. Francisco Lindor is the only player in baseball to go 50-50 since the start of last season. He has gone from snubbed at the All-Star game to forcing himself into the MVP conversation.
3. J.D. Martinez is starting to come around again. From July 12th to the 21st, Martinez went 2-for-14 at the plate with ten strikeouts. In two of this three game since then he has recorded multiple hits, including Wednesday night where he had a double. J.D. coming out of his mini-slump this weekend could be the x-factor the Mets need.

Let’s Go Mets!

With Tuesday night’s win, the Mets have clinched winning season series against the Yankees in 2024. A win tonight would mean a season sweep. A win tonight would also mean the Mets would finally reach five games above .500 for the season, a plateau that has alluded this team so far.

Tuesday night’s game had all the makings of a disaster for the Mets. The bullpen was short-handed. The bats left the bases loaded twice and couldn’t make the most of Yankee mistakes. Jake Diekman had to close the game and walked Juan Soto to bring up Aaron Judge, representing the winning run, with one out. The Mets walked Judge in three previous at bats. Jake Diekman reached back and got Judge to strike out looking. The sleep deprived Mets (who landed from Miami a little after five in the morning) locked the victory down. Let’s go for the sweep today!

Sean Manaea has tossed 101 1/3 innings over 19 starts with a 3.73 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 1.243 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. He’s looking to bounce back from a rough start coming back from the All-Star break where he allowed five runs from eight hits and a walk over five innings against the Marlins. Before that start, Manaea had a 2.02 ERA, 3.64 FIP over 35 2/3 innings over six starts. That run includes a start against the Yankees where he held the Bronx Bombers to only two hits and no runs over five innings, despite walking five batters. The Yankees have the following career numbers against Manaea:

• Oswaldo Cabrera 0-1, BB
• J.D. Davis 2-6, HR, 3 BB, 2 K
• Trent Grisham 3-7, K
• Aaron Judge 6-13, 2 HR, 3 BB, 5 K
• DJ LeMahieu 4-10, 2B, K
• Ben Rice 0-2, K
• Juan Soto 0-5, 4 BB, 3 K
• Gleyber Torres 0-4, 2 K
• Alex Verdugo 1-6
• Anthony Volpe 0-3

Somehow the Mets lined up with Gerrit Cole again. Over six starts Cole has pitched 29 1/3 innings with a 4.60 ERA, 4.71 FIP, 1.393 WHIP and a 90 ERA+. He’s looked more like the Cole of old in his last two starts allowing only two runs over 12 innings from 11 hits and two walks while striking out 15 batters. His worst start of the season came against the Mets who scored six runs from seven hits including four home runs over four innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-3, BB, K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, 2 BB, K
• Harrison Bader 1-3, HR, K
• Ben Gamel 1-7, 2 BB, 3 K
• José Iglesias 3-24, 2 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
• Francisco Lindor 4-23, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• J.D. Martinez 8-46, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 BB, 18 K
• Jeff McNeil 3-7, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-8, HR, BB, 2 K
• DJ Stewart 1-11, HR, BB, 7 K
• Tyrone Taylor 3-6, 2B, HR< K
• Luis Torrens 0-4
• Mark Vientos 3-4, 2 HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The King of New York. Jeff McNeil went 2-for-3 with a walk and his fourth homer since the All-Star break in Tuesday’s game. In his last seven games he is 8-for-22 with two doubles, four homers slashing .364/.400/1.000. Further, 11 of his 32 RBI’s in 2024 have happened in his last seven games, including four games with multiple RBI’s.
2. Walk sign is on. You can cross to first base safely if you’re Aaron Judge. The Mets came into Tuesday night’s game with a strategy against Judge. It paid off! Will the Mets do something similar tonight? Are they going to continue to mess with Judge’s head?
3. Seven Express Train. The Mets hit four balls Tuesday night over 104 mph. Mark Vientos had a 109 mph lineout and later hit a 107 mph double. Pete Alonso ripped a 108.8 mph double. Lindor’s double was 104.4 mph. Bonus stat – Pete Alonso stopped a 105 mph screamer from Trent Grishman that Dedniel Núñez unfortunately dropped while fielding.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets survived Miami! The sole holders of the third wild card in the National League by 0.5 games play their cross-town rivals who are the sole holders of the top wild card seed in the American League. The Mets just need to keep the momentum going. They were able to do it June as the soaring Mets swept the Yankees in a two game set.

Jose Quintana finally returns to the rotation after a brief bout with fever that sidelined him coming out of the All-Star break. Over 102 1/3 innings, 19 starts, Quintana has a 4.13 ERA, 4.99 FIP, 1.261 WHIP and a 94 ERA+. From June 15th to July 9th Quintana went on a series run pitching 30 1/3 innings with a 0.89 ERA, 3.51 FIP, striking out 27 batters. Things caught up to him in his last start against the Rockies where he allowed five runs from six hits and a walk over 5 2/3 innings. The Yankees have the following numbers against Quintana:

• J.D. Davis 1-3
• Trent Grisham 1-3, HR
• Jahmai Jones 0-1
• Aaron Judge 2-6, 2B, BB
• DJ LeMahieu 1-10, 3 BB, K
• Juan Soto 1-7, 2 BB, 2 K
• Gleyber Torres 3-6, 2B
• Anthony Volpe 1-2, BB

The Yankess will have their breakout pitcher Luis Gil start the two-game set. In a cosmic coincidence, just like Jose Quintana, Gil has also tossed 102 1/3 innings over 19 starts. He has a 3.17 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.085 WHIP and a 130 ERA+. He is currently leading the league in H/9 at 5.5 and total walks with 49. He’s looked good in his last two starts allowing only two runs from nine hits and a walk over 12 2/3 innings. Before that he had a three game stretch where he allowed 16 runs over 9 2/3 innings which includes a start against the Mets where the Mets got him for five runs over 4 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-2, BB
• Francisco Alvarez 1-1, HR, BB
• Harrison Bader 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 2-3, 2 2B
• J.D. Martinez 2-4
• Jeff McNeil 0-2
• Brandon Nimmo 0-1, 2 BB
• DJ Stewart 0-2
• Tyrone Taylor 0-1
• Mark Vientos 0-2, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. I’m walking here! During the three game stretch that Luis Gil struggled, he allowed nine walks. The Mets are currently 9th in MLB with 325 walks. The Mets lineup looks the best when they are working counts. This is the bellwether what to watch for tonight for tone setting.
2. The conductors of both teams. Francisco Lindor reminded everyone on Monday night why he is the leader of the Mets. He had a huge night with two homeruns, keeping him on base for another 30-30 season. On the other side of the diamond, the Yankees essentially live and die with how Aaron Judge and Juan Soto perform. Both teams need their stars tonight.
3. Welcome to New York. I can’t hear Taylor Swift’s hit without thinking of Jeff McNeil. McNeil hit his third home run of the first half on Monday night. He only had five home runs in the first half. He looks much more like himself in the last few games. The return of a vintage Jeff McNeil really pushes the entire lineup to another level.

Let’s Go Mets!

There are several constants in life – one of them is the Marlins always playing the Mets hard, even when the Marlins are having a terrible season. The Mets look to split the four game series today and avoid losing a series to one of the worst teams in the National League.

The Mets, Diamondbacks and Padres are all effectively tied up for the last wild card spot heading into play today. Things will get tougher for the Mets over the next couple of weeks and it would be nice to head into that stretch with a win tonight.

David Peterson has pitched 43 2/3 innings for the Mets over eight starts with a 3.09 ERA, 4.53 FIP, 1.420 WHIP and a 127 ERA+. The Mets have won each of his last five starts where he has tossed 27 innings with a 2.33 ERA, 4.56 FIP. He has definitely worked his way into and out of trouble during these starts. Hitters have recorded 23 hits and 14 walks (.342 OBP) but only seven runs thanks to the ground balls Peterson produces. His only terrible start this season was against the Marlins (of course) where he allowed four runs from eight hits over five innings. The Marlins have the following career numbers against him:

• Josh Bell 3-12, BB, 2 K
• Jake Burger 1-5, BB, 2 K
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. 2-10, BB, 2 K
• Bryan De La Cruz 3-12, 2B, 2 BB, 4 K
• Xavier Edwards 0-2, BB, 2 K
• Nick Fortes 3-12, 2 K
• Otto Lopez 1-3, 2B
• Emmanuel Rivera 1-2
• Jesús Sánchez 0-3, K

Yonny Chirinos has pitched 25 innings over five starts for the Marlins this season with a 5.76 ERA, 5.39 FIP, 1.720 WHIP and a 76 ERA+. His season stats are heavily influenced by his last start against the Reds where he allowed seven runs from eight hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings. Before that start he had a 4.19 ERA, 3.36 FIP over 19 1/3 innings while striking out 20 batters. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-5, HR, 2 K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, K
• Harrison Bader 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 0-4
• J.D. Martinez 4-13, 3B, 2 BB, 4 K
• Jeff McNeil 4-5
• Brandon Nimmo 1-5
• DJ Stewart 0-3, BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-2, K
• Mark Vientos 1-2, 2B, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Take advantage with runners in scoring position. The Mets had eight hits on Sunday but only scored two runs. The team went a combined 1-for-8 at the plate leaving nine runners on base. Exasperating at bats which led to 14 strikeouts on the day. The offense was so close to clicking. Hopefully things fall into place tonight.
2. Take advantage of errors. The Marlins lead the league in errors and committed three of them on Sunday. Before the All-Star break, when a team made a mistake the Mets would seize that opportunity. It just didn’t happen on Sunday for the Mets.
3. Marlins bullpen. The Marlins bullpen has been pretty good against the Mets this weekend, but has been also used a lot. Unless the Marlins make a roster move before tonight’s game, each of their nine pitchers have thrown against the Mets this weekend with Anthony Bender throwing the least (10 pitches on Friday). Their best relievers have already pitched twice on Friday and Sunday.

Let’s Go Mets!