213 Miles From Shea

The Mets rolled on Thursday night thanks to the first walk-off home run in J.D. Martinez’s career. For most of the night the Mets were befuddled at the plate but the bats were able to figure things as the night went on and beat the Marlins 3-2 to take the series.

The Mets will now welcome the San Diego Padres who are on a three game winning streak right now and have a surging offense. They now have a +26 run differential on the season. The Mets offense has been one of the better offenses in baseball the last couple of weeks. Both teams are catching each other while they’re hot, but there’s one thing that can slow them down – the weather.

Starting the late afternoon throughout a larger portion of the evening we are expecting scattered to severe storms across the tri-state area.

Sean Manaea has made 12 starts in 2024 tossing 60 2/3 innings. He has a 4.30 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.352 WHIP and an 89 ERA+. Manaea is coming off back-to-back difficult starts where he has allowed 12 runs, 11 earned, from 13 hits and three walks spread across 9 1/3 innings. His ERA has jumped from 3.16 to 4.30 from this pair of starts. Before this, Manaea allowed only five runs over 16 innings in three starts.

In four games against the Padres last season, Manaea pitched 12 1/3 innings allowing eight runs, seven earned from 15 hits. He also recorded 14 strikeouts in that stretch. The Padres have the following career numbers against him:

• Luis Arráez 2-6, HR, K
• José Azocar 1-2, 2B
• Jake Cronenworth 2-9, 2B, 2 K
• Kyle Higashioka 1-2
• Ha-Seong Kim 1-8, BB, K
• Manny Machado 7-17, 3 2B, BB, 2 K
• David Peralta 1-7, K
• Jurickson Profar 7-21, 2 2B, 3B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Donovan Solano 3-8, BB, 3 K
• Fernando Tatis Jr. 2-12, BB, 6 K

It’s a knuckleball night! Matt Waldron brings his knuckleball to Citi Field. Over 13 starts, 69 1/3 innings, Waldron has a 3.76 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 1.226 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. Since May 11th he has made six starts allowing only seven runs over 35 1/3 innings which has translated into a 1.78 ERA, 2.07 FIP. Over this stretch opponents are hitting .189/.243/.268 against him. In his last three starts he has allowed only two runs over 19 1/3 innings while recording 16 strikeouts. No player on the Mets roster has faced Waldron in a major league game before.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Mets bats against a knuckleball. It has been a minute since the Mets have faced a starting pitcher who uses a knuckleball. Waldron has used his knuckleball about 37% of the time this year followed by his fastball at 23% of the time. He also mixes in a sweeper, sinker and cutter. This has produced some interesting stats via Baseball Savant. He’s in the 86th percentile in hard-hit% which is what you would expect from a pitcher having success with his knuckleball. Teams are not chasing his pitches (10th percentile), which also makes sense when you’re not sure where the pitch is going. Let’s see how the Mets watch Waldron over the first couple of innings and what adjustments they make throughout the game.
2. J.D. Martinez, RBI machine. The hero of Thursday’s game went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and homer. In his last five games eh has gone 4-for-20 over 23 trips to the plate. Over that time though he has recorded six RBI’s. He now has 21 RBI’s over 41 games as a Met, which is good for sixth on the team. There are three players on the Mets sitting at 32 (Alonso, Lindor, Nimmo) and they have each played between 63 and 67 games this season.
3. Bullpen management. The Mets got a huge boon on Thursday with the return of Edwin Díaz who pitched a clean ninth inning. Tonight the Mets will have to balance the game script with the weather on the field. If Manaea doesn’t got deep, then the Mets will have to turn to Houser for multiple innings. But then the Mets have to hope his long relief doesn’t get interrupted by a delay.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are back!

On Tuesday night the Mets looked sluggish after the second inning with flat at bats and shotty defense. Wednesday night was more like the Mets we’ve seen for the better part of the week. They racked up hits, answered the Marlins when they scored runs and the bullpen looked good! Overall the Mets racked up 14 hits with four hits having two or more hits including Tyrone Taylor who went 4-for-5 with a run scored.

Now the Mets have a chance to win another series! Let’s go!

Luis Severino has made 12 starts totaling 72 innings this season with a 3.25 ERA, 3.73 FIP, 1.139 WHIP and a 118 ERA+. He’s coming off of a tremendous start against the Nationals where he he held them to one run from seven hits and no walks over eight innings. It was the second time in his last three starts where he pitched at least seven innings allowing one run.

The Marlins got to Severino in mid-May scoring five runs from six hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings. They have the following career numbers against him:

• Tim Anderson 5-17, 5 K
• Josh Bell 1-3
• Christian Bethancourt 0-2, 2 K
• Vidal Bruan 0-4, BB
• Jake Burger 2-6, 2B, HR, K
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. 2-4, HR
• Bryan De La Cruz 0-3, K
• Nick Fortes 0-3, K
• Nick Gordon 2-2, 2B, BB
• Otto Lopez 1-3, 2B
• Emmanuel Rivera 0-3, 2 K
• Jesús Sánchez 0-2, BB, K

Roddery Muñoz is making the fifth start in his rookie season tonight. Over his first four games he has a 5.95 ERA, 7.88 FIP, 1.424 WHIP and a 73 ERA+ over 19 2/3 innings. Muñoz’s first two starts win the majors were fine, allowing three runs over 11 innings. Since then he has allowed 10 runs over 8 2/3. He has also pitched in eight games in Jacksonville, the Marlins AAA team, totaling 41 innings with a 5.49 ERA and a 1.293 WHIP.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Fielding Wins Games. The Mets fielding was suspect on Tuesday night with multiple errors and multiple plays that just looked off. The Marlins fielding Wednesday night was worse – weird paths to flyballs, throwing errors. The Tuesday Mets and the Wednesday Marlins just made things look difficult.
2. Hitting with runners in scoring position. When things were going poorly for the Mets in May, we kept talking about how the Mets were either not getting hits, not hitting with runners in scoring position, or both. Wednesday night the Mets got 14 hits and more importantly went 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position. This relentless is what the Mets need to start chipping away at the long list of teams they are chasing for the Wild Card.
3. Starling Marte’s hot streak. Marte extended the streak he is on by another game on Wednesday night going 2-for-4 with a homerun and two runs scored. In his last nine games he has gone 16-for-34 with a double, two triples, a homer and eight runs scored while hitting .471/.526/.706. His season OPS over this stretch has gone from .690 to .774!

Let’s Go Mets!

Tuesday night started off strong for the Mets looking to win their fifth game in their last sixth. Megill was dealing early and Vientos ripped a two-run double in the bottom of the second. Things started to fall apart for the Mets about midway through the game though as the Marlins were able to create a “blow-up” inning against Megill and the Mets bats just couldn’t get anything else going against the Marlins bullpen.

The Mets tailspin in May was fueled by dropping a series against the Marlins in Miami, can the Mets recover tonight?

David Peterson makes his third start of the season tonight. He has allowed five runs, four earned, over 11 2/3 innings this season while striking out five batters. Peterson had a rough 2023 but not against the Miami Marlins. Over two starts he held them to only one run despite allowing 12 hits and five walks over 12 innings. He also struck out 13 fish in that stretch. The Marlins have the following numbers against him:

• Tim Anderson 0-0, BB
• Josh Bell 3-10, K
• Jake Burger 0-3, 2 K
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. 0-7, BB, 2 K
• Bryan De La Cruz 2-9, 2 BB, 4 K
• Nick Fortes 3-10, 2 K
• Jesús Sánchez 0-3, K

The Mets bats look to shake off Monday night against Braxton Garrett tonight. Over five starts (26 1/3 innings) this season, Garrett has a 5.81 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 1.215 WHIP and a 74 ERA+. Braxton’s season has been truly bizarre. Over his first two starts he allowed 11 runs over 9 2/3 innings (including six runs over 4 1/3 against the Mets). Then in his next two starts he allowed one run over 14 innings, including a complete game shutout against the Diamondbacks. His last time out he allowed five runs over 2 2/3 against the Rays. Will the Mets get Braxton at his worst or his best tonight? So far there hasn’t been an in between. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 7-18, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 K
• Francisco Alvarez 1-6, BB, 3 K
• Harrison Bader 0-2, 2 K
• José Iglesias 1-3, K
• Francisco Lindor 5-16, 2B, 3 HR, 4 K
• Starling Marte 4-7, 2 2B, K
• J.D. Martinez 1-6, 4 K
• Jeff McNeil 4-10, 2B, BB
• Brandon Nimmo 1-13, BB
• DJ Stewart 0-2, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-4, K
• Mark Vientos 2-5, 2B, BB, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Mets defense. Before Tuesday’s game, we were praising the Mets defense because of Sunday’s game. The Mets turned three double plays in the game including an incredible one to end the game. Last night the defense was the Mets kryptonite again committing two errors. (Although to be fair, the error on Vientos really could have been ruled as a hit as he had to make an amazing play to just get to the ball). The Mets bullpen is tired, fielding well today can make a world of difference for the Mets.
2. Starling Marte is getting hits in bunches. Marte went 2-for-4 Tuesday night at the plate, recording his sixth multi-hit game in his last eight games played. Since May 29th Marte has gone 14-for-30 at the plate with a double and two triples hitting .467/.515/.633. He has raised his season OBP from .302 all the way up to .332 over this stretch.
3. Brandon Nimmo is getting strikeouts in bunches. Nimmo went 0-for-4 at the plate Tuesday night with three strikeouts. It was his second straight game with three strikeouts. Over his last four games he has gone 3-for-18 with no walks and nine strikeouts. He went through a similar stretch at the start of the season. While his stats overall have taken a hit since he has dropped to the third hole, maybe it’s a product of the Mets schedule? The off-days and rainouts at the start of the season created a similar chaotic schedule to the last week.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets return from London to take on the Marlins at Citi Field! It may not feel like it, but the Mets have won six of their last nine games and four of their last five. The Mets enter play today 3.5 games out of the Wild Card (with six other teams between them and the last Wild Card spot). If there was ever a time for the Mets to make a move, it is right now.

Tylor Megill has made four starts for the Mets this season tossing 21 innings with a 3.00 ERA, 2.91 FIP, 1.238 WHIP and a 129 ERA+. Megill had a tremendous start against the Dodgers back on May 28th where he shut them out over seven innings in a game the Mets eventually lost. He didn’t have his best stuff his last time out, allowing five runs, four earned over five innings in a game the Mets eventually won. The baseball universe is like that sometimes. Anyway the Marlins have the following career numbers against him:

• Josh Bell 3-8, HR, 2 K
• Christian Bethancourt 0-2, K
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. 3-8, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Bryan De La Cruz 0-5, 2 K
• Nick Fortes 1-3, HR, BB, K

Jesús Luzardo had a 124 and 129 ERA+ respectively in 2022 and 2023. So far this season he has made 10 starts throwing 56 innings with a 5.60 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 1.250 WHIP and an 81 ERA+. Luzardo had a solid stretch going though in May where he allowed five earned runs over 25 2/3 innings (1.75 ERA) which includes back to back starts where he didn’t allow any runs over 14 innings. One of those starts was six shutout innings against the New York Mets. He is looking to bounce back from a dreadful start against the Rays where he allowed nine earned runs from nine hits over 4 1/3 innings (raising his season ERA from 4.18 to 5.30). The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-19, HR, 8 K
• Harrison Bader 2-4, BB
• José Iglesias 0-1
• Francisco Lindor 4-15, 2 BB, 3 K
• Starling Marte 2-8, 2 K
• J.D. Martinez 2-3, K
• Jeff McNeil 5-12, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-9, 2B, HR, 2 BB, K
• DJ Stewart 0-4, K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-6, 2B, K
• Mark Vientos 0-9, BB, 4 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. “Jet lag is a choice” Pete Alonso’s famous quote was repeated multiple times from multiple different broadcasts over the weekend. While I admire Pete Alonso’s perspective on the issue, I’m not sure how much I agree. Tonight’s game starts 10 minutes after midnight London time. Hopefully with trainers, pre-planning and caffeine the Mets look awake tonight to take advantage of a game with the Marlins.
2. He’s back! Francisco Alvarez returns to the Mets tonight after tearing the UCL in his left thumb and having surgery. He only recorded three hits throughout his six rehab games but one of them was a home run. Before landing on the injured list, Alvarez was hitting .236/.288/.364 with a 91 OPS+. The Mets really missed his pitch framing and his skills behind the plate.
3. Mets Fielding. The Mets have not been the best team in the field this season. For example, Marte’s path to a fly ball on Saturday led to a hit, which then led to a huge inning. Sunday the Mets looked a lot sharper in the field, with the Mets infield turning three double plays. Two were of the normal variety (6-4-3). The game ended on a fairly spectacular play with Torrens getting the force at home before getting the ball to Alonso for the out at first.

Let’s Go Mets!

Maybe the Mets should have lied Saturday to their British fans and said baseball only last a few innings. The game got off to a good start with the Mets with Manaea looking good and the Mets offense clicking, just not scoring a bunch. Then the Mets had a classic blow-up inning and that just put the game out of reach.

Now the Mets look to split the series with the Phillies overseas before skip across the pond back home. Thanks to the time difference we get to enjoy a full English breakfast of baseball this morning!

Jose Quintana has made 12 starts this season totaling 62 2/3 innings with a 5.17 ERA, 5.24 FIP, 1.388 WHIP and a 74 ERA+. Quintana has now allowed exactly three earned runs in each of his last three starts. Two of those starts were at least quality starts but his last start he pitched only four innings in a game the Mets eventually lost 5-4 when the bullpen lost the lead.

His last start against the Phillies though was good! He held the Phillies to two runs from four hits over 5 1/3 innings. The Phillies have the following numbers against him:

• Alec Bohm 3-13, 2B, HR, 3 K
• Nick Castellanos 12-48, 3B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 9 K
• David Dahl 1-9, 3 K
• Bryce Harper 3-17, HR, 6 K
• Whit Merrifield 5-17, 2 BB, 2 K
• J.T. Realmuto 4-15, HR, 2 BB
• Johan Rojas 3-5, 2 K
• Kyle Schwarber 4-19, 2B, HR, 7 K
• Edmundo Sosa 2-8, 3 K
• Bryson Stott 0-1, BB
• Garrett Stubbs 0-2

The Mets batters will get to face an old friend overseas today in Taijuan Walker. Over seven starts, 37 2/3 innings, Walker has a 5.73 ERA, 5.66 FIP, 1.593 WHIP, 70 ERA+. He faced the Mets back on May 16th allowing two runs from four hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings. Since then he has allowed 13 runs, 12 earned over 15 2/3 innings over three starts with opponents hitting .308/.387/.508 against him. The Mets have the following career numbers against Walker:

• Pete Alonso: 3-12, 2 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Harrison Bader 0-6, 2 K
• Brett Baty 2-10, 2B, K
• José Iglesias 4-10, 2B, BB
• Francisco Lindor 2-17, 2 BB, 4 K
• Starling Marte 2-8, BB
• J.D. Martinez 7-15, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-7, BB
• Brandon Nimmo 3-9, 2B, HR, 2 BB, K
• DJ Stewart 0-9, BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-5, 3 K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 0-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Jeff McNeil returns. Jeff McNeil will finally get a start after sitting for the last four games. José Iglesias has gone 9-for-22 since his call-up, hitting .409/.435/.500 (six games). In McNeil’s last six games he has gone 3-for-22 (.136/.136/.136). Will McNeil seize his opportunity back in the lineup today?
2. Hotter than cuppa. Francisco Lindor continues to be hotter than a cup of tea. It doesn’t matter what capital city he’s playing in right now. Saturday in London, Lindor went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. Over his last three games he has gone 6-for-14 with two doubles and a homer. Since May 21st he has gone 25-for-68 hitting .368/.419/.603.
3. Pete Alonso’s doubles game. Pete Alonso hit his 16th double of the season yesterday. The most doubles he has ever hit in season is 30, and he did that back in his rookie year (2019). Last season he had 21 doubles. So he seems to be on track to break his personal best for doubles this season.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets skipped across the pond Wednesday evening and have had the last two days to prepare for international baseball, welcome to London lads!

For the third time in MLB’s history, games will be played in London Stadium, the home of West Ham United F.C. The fireworks this afternoon/evening (depending on what country you are watching this game in) won’t be created by star midfielders Mohammed Kudus and Edson Álvarez . It is Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso’s turn!

Sean Manaea has made 11 starts totaling 57 innings this season with a 3.63 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 1.298 WHIP and a 105 ERA+. He’s coming off of a rough start against the Diamondbacks where he allowed six runs, five earned over 5 2/3 innings but still managed to have a season high in strikeouts at 10. He last faced the Phillies on May 13th and allowed only one earned run from four hits and a walk over six innings while striking out six. The Phillies have the following career numbers against him:

• Alec Bohm 1-5, HR, 2 K
• Nick Castellanos 5-11, 2B, 2 HR, 3 K
• Bryce Harper 2-6, 2B, K
• Whit Merrifield 4-11, 2 2B, BB, 2 K
• J.T. Realmuto 0-2, BB, 2 K
• Johan Rojas 0-3, K
• Kyle Schwarber 0-0, 2 BB
• Edmundo Sosa 3-4, 2B, 3B, HR, K
• Bryson Stott 3-6, HR, BB
• Garrett Stubbs 1-2

The Mets bats will really get to test the theory if London Stadium is still a hitters park as they face one of the best pitchers in baseball this year, Ranger Suárez. Over 12 starts (74 innings), Suárez has a 1.70 ERA (league leading), 2.65 FIP, 0.797 WHIP (league leading) and a 236 ERA+ (you guessed it, league leading). The Mets scored two unearned runs against Suárez back on May 15th off of four hits and two walks over five innings. Suárez had a short outing his last time out when he took a 106 mph comebacker off of his pitching thumb. This is of course something to keep an eye on today. The Mets have the following career numbers against Suárez:

• Pete Alonso 1-15, 2B, 4 BB, 3 K
• Harrison Bader 1-2
• José Iglesias 2-2
• Francisco Lindor 3-13, HR, BB, K
• Starling Marte 4-13, 2 BB, K
• J.D. Martinez 2-7, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-10, 2B, 3B, K
• Tomás Nido 0-4, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-19, 3 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-5, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2, BB, K
• Mark Vientos 3-9, 2B, HR, 3 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Come On You Irons! West Ham United F.C., also referred to as the Irons invoke iron hammers in club imagery. The Mets and Phillies will be looking to use their hammers today in what has historically been a high scoring ballpark. In 2019, before the fences were brought in, the Red Sox and Yankees combined for 10 home runs over two games. Before heading across the pond the Mets hit six homers over their three game sweep against the Nationals.
2. Mushy P’s and Proper Relievers. The bulk of the Mets has been a bit mushy for the better part of the month. The Mets pen has lost six games where the Mets were leading in the 8th or leader. There were two games where the Mets bullpen allowed big leads to almost slip away at the last moment. But the Mets have won five of their last seven games and that’s because of two new relievers who are off to strong starts. Dedniel Núñez has allowed only three earned runs over 11 2/3 innings with an astounding 19 K’s. Danny Young has allowed one unearned run over 6 2/3 innings while striking out eight.
3. Changing of the Guard? When the Mets traded for Luis Torrens out of the Yankees minor league system, it was widely assumed at the time he would be the odd man out once Francisco Álvarez comes back. All Torrens has done though since coming up is hit for power. He has gone 3-for-10 at the plate with two homers and a double. Nido over his last five games has gone 4-for-13 at the plate with a double and a homer. Nido probably still has the advantage here, but both catchers will be auditioning all weekend for who gets to stay when Álvarez returns.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets have finally done it! They won a baseball series!

It has been about a month since the Mets last won a series and now they have the opportunity to sweep the Nationals before going into a long, two day travel period heading over to London. The Mets looked loose last night and scored six or more runs for the second game in a row. Further the bullpen was able to close the door in the ninth inning (although it still wasn’t pretty).

Luis Severino has made 11 starts (64 innings) this season with a 3.52 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.172 WHIP and a 108 ERA+. His last start wasn’t the best, allowing four runs over 5 1/3 innings. He said after the game he wasn’t feeling well at the beginning of the game, and then ate some energy gummies and then felt better later in his start. He is in the midst of a pattern right now alternating good starts and bad starts. He’s allowed two earned runs or less or in three of his last six and four earned runs or more in the other. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 0-3, K
• Joey Gallo 0-2, BB, K
• Joey Meneses 0-3
• Eddie Rosario 3-8, 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
• Keibert Ruiz 1-3
• Nick Senzel 0-2, K
• Lane Thomas 0-3
• Ildemaro Vargas 0-1, BB

The Mets leave DC facing long-time National Patrick Corbin. Corbin, who led the league in losses for three consecutive seasons from 2021-2023 is having another Corbin like year. Over 12 starts and 66 1/3 innings he has a 5.83 ERA, 4.84 FIP, 1.673 WHIP and a 68 ERA+. He is currently leading the league in hits allowed at 85, a stat he has led the league in for three of the last five seasons. That being said, Corbin has been largely successful in his last month of work. He’s allowed 19 earned runs over six starts, but eight of those runs came in one start. He has allowed only five earned runs over his last 12 innings from 10 hits.

The Mets faced Corbin three times in 2023 recording 14 runs from 21 hits over 15 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 14-44, 2 2B, 5 HR, 9 BB, 12 K (1.130 OPS)
• Harrison Bader 3-12, 2B, HR, BB, 9 K
• José Iglesias 5-11, 2 2B
• Francisco Lindor 12-38, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 K
• Starling Marte 13-42, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 10 K
• J.D. Martinez 1-1, 2B, 2 BB
• Jeff McNeil 10-37, 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
• Tomás Nido 3-10, 5 K
• Brandon Nimmo 10-37, HR, 2 BB, 12 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-4, K
• Mark Vientos 2-3, 2B, 3B

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete Alonso’s bat is waking up! Alonso hit his 14th homer of the season on Tuesday, his second over four games in June. On May 30th Alonso came into a game as a pinch hitter and ripped a double. Since then he has gone 7-for-24 with three doubles and two homers slashing .292/.320/.667. He has a 1.130 OPS against Patrick Corbin. Let’s leave in America on a high note Pete!
2. Nimmo is finding his bat again! Nimmo has had three multi-hit games in his last five played, which is generally a sign that he is about to heat up. Since May 31st he has gone 7-for-21 with two doubles and triple slashing .333/.364/.524. Lindor has been hot. Pete is getting hot. Vientos has provided a spark. If Nimmo comes along to the offense will really be clicking in London over the weekend.
3. The Mets bullpen has incrementally better days. The Mets bullpen survived on Saturday, blew the game on Sunday and survived again on Monday night. Tuesday the bullpen didn’t completely fall apart with Reed Garrett making it interesting in the ninth inning, allowing a run to score on a hit and two walks. Until the bullpen consistently starts showing more success, we will be wary going into the late innings with any lead.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to take the series tonight in DC! Monday night the Mets and Nationals were locked in a back-and-forth type game with the Mets eventually taking an 8-5 lead. Things were looking good for the Mets until the ninth inning where things almost fell apart. The Mets were able to squeak by with an 8-7 win. Did Monday’s game finally exorcise the Mets demons?

David Peterson looks to give the Mets what starting pitchers have struggled too in the last week – length. In his 2024 debut last week he tossed five innings allowing three runs, two earned, off seven hits and a walk. He tossed 86 pitches facing 22 batters. As a starter against the Nationals last season he allowed six runs from nine hits and two walks over five innings. Later in the season he faced the Nationals in relief, totaling four innings over two games holding the Nationals to one unearned run from four hits. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 1-5, K
• Luis García Jr. 3-12, 3 K
• Joey Meneses 3-6, 2 2B, BB, K
• Eddie Rosario 1-2
• Keibert Ruiz 2-7, BB
• Nick Senzel 4-6, 2B, HR, BB
• Lane Thomas 2-7, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Ildemaro Vargas 4-6, 2 2B
• Jesse Winker 1-2, 2B

The Mets will face an old friend tonight in Trevor Williams who is now in his second season with the Nationals. Williams was a critical piece of the 2022 Mets team, putting up a 3.21 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 1.227 WHIP and a 120 ERA+ over 30 games including nine starts. In 2024 he’s having a career year at age 32. Over 11 starts spread out over 56 2/3 innings he has a 2.22 ERA, 2.78 FIP, 1.076 WHIP and a 178 ERA+. Over his last two starts he has allowed one earned run from nine hits while striking out 12 batters. He’s allowed one earned run or less in seven of his last eight starts.

The Mets got his number though last year, scoring 10 runs from 18 hits over 11 1/3 innings in three starts. The Mets have the following career numbers against Trevor:

• Pete Alonso 3-13, 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
• Harrison Bader 6-15, 2B, 4 K
• José Iglesias 2-8, 3B
• Francisco Lindor 4-14, 2 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
• Starling Marte 0-3, BB
• J.D. Martinez 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 4-13, 2B, 3B, 3 BB, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-10, BB, 4 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Playing time at second. Jeff McNeil did not start Monday’s game despite having good career numbers against MacKenzie Gore (6-for-7, BB). José Iglesias got the start instead and went 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and a stolen base. Does Mendoza go with the hot hand? If he goes with McNeil, does he pinch hit for him later in the game?
2. Mark Vientos. Over his last 12 games Vientos has gone 15-for-42 at the plate with three doubles and four homers. He’s slashing .357/.438/.714 in that stretch. In Monday’s game that translated into two runs scored. This is the exact spark the Mets needed in their lineup.
3. What will the Mets bullpen do today? Adrian Houser held things down for the Mets with 2 1/3 scoreless innings on Monday and Drew Smith coming off the injured list finished off the 8th inning for him. Then Ottavino came in for the 9th and the game started to disintegrate. The Mets bullpen just needs a clean end of the game.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets kick off a weird week with a quick road trip to DC. The Mets are coming off of another loss where they had the lead late, but couldn’t hold on, in what has become a horrendous stretch. Further this week the Mets have two days off Thursday and Friday as they make the journey to London.

The Nationals are four games below .500 but generally have been punching above their weight this season. This week provides an opportunity for the Mets to slow the Nationals roll. For the Nationals, they have a chance to show they are a Wild Card contender.

Tylor Megill has a 1.69 ERA, 1.96 FIP, 1.000 WHIP and a 229 ERA+ over three starts and 16 innings so far this season. He’s coming off of a tremendous start against the Dodgers where he shut the Dodgers out over seven innings, limiting them to three hits while striking out nine. In his only start against the Nationals last season, Megill allowed two runs, one earned over five innings. The Nationals have the following career numbers against Megill:

• CJ Abrams 0-2
• Joey Gallo 1-3, HR, 2 K
• Luis García Jr. 1-7, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Joey Meneses 1-4
• Eddie Rosario 5-10, 2 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
• Keibert Ruiz 2-5, 2B, BB, K
• Lane Thomas 1-10, HR, BB, 5 K
• Ildemaro Vargas 1-1

The Mets bats draw MacKenzie Gore in the midst of a breakout season. Over 11 starts, 58 2/3 innings, Gore has a 2.91 ERA, 2.82 FIP, 1.278 WHIP and a 134 ERA+. For comparison, last season over 27 starts he had a 4.42 ERA, 4.89 FIP, 1.401 WHIP and a 96 ERA+. Over his last two starts he has allowed three runs, two earned over 12 1/3 innings of work while striking out 18 batters.

Gore faced the Mets three times in 2023 holding the Mets to four runs despite allowing 14 hits and walking eight batters over 15 innings of work. He also struck the Mets out 15 times. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-7, BB, K
• Harrison Bader 1-2
• José Iglesias 1-2
• Francisco Lindor 0-8
• Starling Marte 2-5, K
• J.D. Martinez 1-2, HR, K
• Jeff McNeil 6-7, BB
• Tomás Nido 0-2, K
• Brandon Nimmo 2-8, BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-5, HR, K
• Mark Vientos 0-2, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Jeff McNeil. Jeff McNeil has not had a very Jeff McNeil like season, currently hitting .227/.296/.320 (82 OPS+). He’s a career .293/.356/.429 hitter with a career OPS+ of 118. In three of the four last seasons, his OPS+ has been below 100, but in the one season it wasn’t, he had a 140 OPS+. A great way to start heading back to his career averages is getting a few hits against a pitcher he has hit well against in the past. McNeil has gone 6-for-7 lifetime with a walk against Gore.
2. Washington’s Run Scoring Style. The Nationals are 27th in the league in home runs and 1st in the league in stolen bases with 94 this season. The Mets lost Saturday’s game because of stolen bases and homers. The Mets lost Sunday’s game due to homers. So this is mixed for the Mets. While they have been weak to homers recently, that’s not the Nationals strength. The Mets have been letting teams run wild on them and that is something the Nationals do regardless. Let’s see how things shake out this week.
3. Mets bullpen usage. The Mets need to get through three games and then everyone gets two days off. Adrian Houser was the only pitcher who wasn’t used Sunday in the pen and we’ve seen the Mets already deploy him in a way that allows him to close out the game. The only pitcher who pitched on back-to-back days is Danny Young. In an ideal world, Megill goes deep and Houser can close things out today.

Let’s Go Mets!

For a second day in a row the Mets will attempt to win a baseball series! The Mets took the first two games of the series but dropped Saturday’s game. A loss today will put the Mets right back where they were before Thursday’s game. A win today is the first step in the “just win two of every three games” mantra that made the 2022 team so good.

Jose Quintana looks to give the Mets what they need most right now – a solid start from a starting pitcher. Over 11 starts (58 2/3 innings) Quintana has a 5.06 ERA, 4.83 FIP, 1.364 WHIP and a 75 ERA+. Over his last three starts he has pitched 17 1/3 innings with a 4.15 ERA, 4.47 FIP. It’s not great, but his results are getting more consistent. A massive warning sign did pop up in the month of May though. From March 29th through April 28th, Quintana allowed only three homers over six starts. In his five starts in May he allowed six homers.

Quintana faced the Diamondbacks last season in September holding them two runs over five innings. The Diamondbacks have the following career numbers against him:

• Tucker Barnhart 3-8, 2 BB, 3 K
• Corbin Carroll 0-3, K
• Randal Grichuk 4-16, 2 2B, HR, 5 K
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 0-1, BB
• Ketel Marte 4-11, 2B, 2 K
• Jake McCarthy 1-1, BB
• Kevin Newman 10-21, 3 K
• Eugenio Suarez 8-25, 2B, HR, 6 BB, 5 K
• Christian Walker 2-7

The Mets bats will get a look at Brandon Pfaadt this afternoon. Over 11 starts, 67 innings, Pfaadt has a 4.16 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 1.075 WHIP and an 96 ERA+. Pfaadt’s season started off rough allowing 11 runs over a two game span but since then he’s allowed three earned runs or less in each start. The only exception is his last start where he allowed four runs over seven innings. Only two Mets have seen Pfaadt in a major league game. J.D. Martinez is 0-for-2 with a strikeout and Tyrone Taylor has a homer in his only plate appearance against Pfaadt.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Mark Vientos Show. On Friday Vientos went 3-for-5 at the plate. Saturday Vientos went 2-for-4 with a homer. Since returning to the major leagues he has slashed .326/.380/.609. Does Vientos continue to seize the opportunity to be the Mets everyday third basemen?
2. Does Alonso make it four straight games with an extra-base hit? Alonso has hit in three consecutive games with going 4-for-10. All four hits have been for extra bases, hitting three doubles and a home run. While his season slugging is still the lowest it has been in his career (.477 compared to a career .524 mark), it’s starting to creep up in the right direction. Over his last 13 games he has had a .563 slugging percentage raising his season mark by about 20 points in the same stretch.
3. Stolen Bases. The Diamondbacks love to steal bases. The Mets have been pretty terrible at holding runners on this year. Neither of these statements are Earth-shattering facts. Saturday the Diamondbacks stole four bases against the Mets. Will they be as aggressive today?

Let’s Go Mets!