213 Miles From Shea

The red-hot Mets face a world series contender for the second time the last two weeks tonight! The Mets have won their last four games in a row, four consecutive series and ten of their last 13 games. This includes a series win against one of the favorites to win the National League pennant – the Atlanta Braves.

Now the Mets face the other favorite to win the pennant – the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers started off the season 10-4. Since then they have won two of their last seven games. They have dropped back-to-back series against the Padres and the Nationals.

Sean Manaea gets the nod for the Mets tonight and looks to rebound after a tough start last Saturday in Queens. This season, over three starts (14 2/3 innings), he has a 4.30 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 1.364 WHIP and a 96 ERA+. This is close to his career line of 4.10 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 1.225 WHIP and a 100 ERA+. Almost all of the damage was done his last start where he allowed eight runs, six earned, from nine hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings.

In two games (one start) against the Dodgers last season Manaea pitched 10 2/3 innings allowing four runs from seven hits and a walk while striking out eight. The Dodgers have the following career numbers against him:

• Austin Barnes 2-7, BB, K
• Mookie Betts 10-29, 2 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Freddie Freeman 5-14, BB, 2 K
• Kiké Hernández 1-9, 2 K
• Teoscar Hernández 2-13, HR, 3 K
• Max Muncy 1-6, BB, 2 K
• Shohei Ohtani 1-5, BB, 2 K
• James OUtman 1-4
• Miguel Rojas 3-9, 2B, 2 K
• Will Smith 8-16, 2B, BB, K
• Chris Taylor 4-16, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 7 K

It is just too poetic that the first pitcher for the Dodgers this week is the major player the Mets tried and failed to sign this off-season. The Mets made a strong push for Yamamoto this winter with a lucrative offer, but ultimately Yamamoto wanted to be a Dodger. Over four starts this year he has a 4.50 ERA, 3.14 FIP, 1.063 WHIP and a 95 ERA+ over 16 innings. He’s also struck out 21 batters. Yamamota’s major league debut was during the two-game Korea Series that occurred during spring training. If you remove that start from his season, he has a 1.80 ERA, 3.00 FIP. Opponents have a .167 BA against him. If you take the Padres out of his season, he has a 0.00 ERA over two starts.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Dodgers Big Three. The Dodgers have a stacked lineup top to bottom, and the lineup is anchored by Mookie Betts (213 OPS+), Freddie Freeman (116 OPS+) and Shohei Ohtani (184 OPS+). How Mets pitchers navigate the big three will dictate how the weekend goes for the team. There are several starting players for the Dodgers that are also struggling right now and the Mets cannot allow them to beat Mets pitchers: Gavin Lux (6 OPS+), Chris Taylor (-41 OPS+), James Outman (74 OPS+).
2. The Mets pitching staff has been rolling. The Mets have won 10 of their last 13 because of the pitching staff. The team ERA is 3.15, which sixth overall in baseball and first in National League. They have struck out 176 batters which is tied for sixth overall and second for the National League. They have allowed 133 hits which is the least in the league. The Dodgers will be a big test for the Mets pitching staff this weekend.
3. Harrison Bader. This season Harrison Bader is hitting .288/.327/.365 with a 98 OPS+. He is a career .244/.311/.395 hitter. Right now he is on a hot streak that has fueled the Mets offense. He has reached base safely in seven consecutive games going 10-for-26 with a double and a homer, his only extra-base hits of the year.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to sweep the Pirates this afternoon to closeout the homestand!

The Mets are rolling right now, winning three straight games, four consecutive series and nine of their last 12 games. Tuesday night was their second come-from-behind victory in a row. This time the Mets were down 1-0 and were able to capitalize on a Pirates team struggling with fundamentals by scoring a key run on a balk. The Mets bullpen continued their dominance shutting the door once the Mets had the lead.

Luis Severino is on the bump to finish off the Pirates today. Over his first three starts of the season Severino has pitched 15 innings with a 3.00 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.400 WHIP and a 139 ERA+. He’s coming off of arguably his best start of the season where he held the Royals to one run from one hit over five innings. He was limited to only five innings due a season high four walks allowed. His next step, like many of the starters in the Mets rotation is to get through six or more innings (he’s pitched exactly five innings in each start this season). The Pirates have the following career numbers against Luis Severino:

• Oneil Cruz 1-3, BB
• Ke’Bryan Hayes 1-4 2 K
• Bryan Reynolds 2-5, 2B, K
• Jack Suwinski 0-5, 2 K
• Michael A. Taylor 2-2, HR
• Rowdy Tellez 0-4, 2 K

The Mets bats will look to give Severino some breathing room tonight by scoring runs against Bailey Falter. Over three starts this season (15 innings), Falter has a 4.20 ERA, 4.98 FIP, 0.933 WHIP and a 102 ERA+. Early season stats are easy to skew and that is happening to Falter here. In his first start of the season he allowed six runs from five hits and three walks over four innings in Miami. Since then he has allowed one run from five hits and a walk over 11 innings against the Orioles and Phillies. Falter faced the Mets once last year and allowed one run from four hits (including a solo homer) over 5 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Falter:

• Pete Alonso 1-6, HR, BB, K
• Francisco Alvarez 1-2
• Brett Baty 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 2-5, 3 BB, K
• Starling Marte 1-5, K
• Jeff McNeil 1-6, K
• Brandon Nimmo 2-7, HR, BB, 3 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-4, K
• Joey Wendle 0-4

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Mets pitchers have been limiting hits. The Mets have allowed 128 hits this season, that’s tied with the Guardians for second best in the league (Tigers lead the league at 116). The last two days the Mets have allowed a total of eight hits. While this is an unsustainably low rate, this is at the heart of the Mets comeback over the last 12 games. The Mets lead the National league in ERA at 3.33 and sixth overall in the league (Royals lead the league at 2.86).
2. Doubles, again! Before Tuesday’s game we talked about how a major change for the Mets was hitting doubles, the Mets had four of them in Monday night’s game. Three of the four hits Tuesday night were doubles. Hitting doubles has put the Mets in a position over the last several days for more interesting things to happen. Double steal? Did that Monday night. Score on a balk? Did that Tuesday night. When the Mets get runners into scoring position, good things happen.
3. The back of the Bullpen is rested. The Mets needed to give Raley, Ottavino and Díaz the night off on Tuesday after all pitched on back-to-back days. Reed Garrett came in as a savior again, pitching two spectacular innings. López and Smith slammed the door closed behind Garrett. Now the big arms rested and ready to go to complete the sweep today.

Let’s Go Mets!

For the first time since Opening Day, the Mets have a chance to end the day with a winning record.

Monday night the Mets completed a come-from-behind victory, knocking off the Pirates 6-3 after falling behind 3-0. The Mets are now playing with an energy that was completely missing from their first week of the season. The dugout looks fun, the vibes are good, and there is a feeling that they are never truly out of the game. The Mets will look to tap into that energy tonight as they look to lock down a fourth consecutive series win.

Jose Quintana will make his fourth start of the season today against his former team. Quintana signed with the Pirates in 2022 and made 20 starts before being traded to the Cardinals. This season Quintana has made three starts (15 2/3 innings) with a 3.45 ERA, 4.88 FIP, 1.532 WHIP and a 121 ERA+. His last start was the least inspiring of the three, where he allowed three runs from five hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings. One thing Quintana has not been able to do yet this season is finish the sixth inning. the Pirates have the following numbers against Quintana:

• Oneil Cruz 0-4, K
• Ke’Bryan Hayes 1-5
• Connor Joe 1-5, BB
• Andrew McCutchen 7-24, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 8 K
• Edward Olivares 1-3
• Bryan Reynolds 3-16, 2B, 3 K
• Jack Suwinksi 0-2, BB, K
• Michael A. Taylor 1-2, K
• Rowdy Tellez 0-8, 5 K

The Mets bats will get a look at Jared Jones who is making the fourth start of his debut season. Over the first three games he has allowed eight runs from 15 hits over 18 innings while striking out 25 (4.00 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 0.944 WHIP, 107 ERA+). Jones has a high strikeout rate at 12.5 K/9 and is leading the league in walks at 1.0 BB/9. On the other hand he has allowed four homers already this season, leading to a high 2.0 HR/9.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor is coming around. Lindor recorded his second consecutive two-hit game Monday Night. Over his last two games he is 4-for-8 with a double and a run scored. One of the signs that he was going to come around, outside of just having an awesome skill-set, is his strikeout numbers. Lindor struck out six times over the first six games of the season. In the last ten games he has struck out only once.
2. Extra-base hits. A key part of the Mets scoring their runs in two sets of three Monday night was their extra-base hits. The Mets had four doubles, one each from Lindor, Marte, Stewart and Bader. For everyone except Bader it was their second double of the year. For Bader, it was his first extra-base hit period this year. This could be the last missing piece for the Mets offense.
3. Getting into Chapman’s head. Jeff McNeil struck out against Pirates setup-man Aroldis Chapman Monday night, but the ball got by catcher Henry Davis. The Mets then played one of their better innings this year. DJ Stewart worked a walk, McNeil and Stewart pulled off a double steal. Harrison Bader crushed a two-run double. Chapman then got tossed for arguing balls and strikes. The Pirates closer David Bednar is having a rough stretch too. The back of the Pirates bullpen will be a story for the rest of this series.

The Mets are rolling! With Sunday’s win over the Royals, the Mets have now won three consecutive series and have won seven of their last ten games. The schedule for the Mets has been unforgiving to start the year as many of the teams they’ve faced have overperformed and are rolling themselves. The Pirates find themselves in that position for a second consecutive year. They are 11-5, winning six of their last four, and have a +24 run differential, second best in the NL Central. Can Adrian Houser throw them off their game?

Over his first two starts of the season Houser has allowed six runs from 11 hits and five walks over 10 innings of work. Almost all of his negative stats came in his last start where the Braves racked up five runs over five innings against him. He had only one start against the Pirates last season and held them to one run from four hits and two walks over six innings while striking out five. The Pirates have the following career numbers against Houser:

• Oneil Cruz 1-2, HR, K
• Henry Davis 0-3
• Ke’Bryan Hayes 4-17, 3 K
• Connor Joe 0-1
• Andrew McCutchen 1-4
• Edward Olivares 0-2
• Bryan Reynolds 6-21, 2B, HR, 3 BB, K
• Jack Suwinksi 1-3, HR, BB, K
• Michael A Taylor 0-1, K
• Alika Williams 1-2

The Mets bats will get a look at Martín Pérez this evening. Pérez is in Pittsburgh now after his second stint with the Texas Rangers. He’s off to a good start this season with a 1.89 ERA, 3.14 FIP, 1.211 WHIP and a 229 ERA+ over three games (19 innings). He’s coming off of his best start of the season where he held the Tigers to one run over eight innings of work. Last season Pérez had a stint as a long reliever and ended up facing the Mets twice in the same three game set. Over both games he allowed no runs off four hits over five innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-9, 3 BB, K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-1
• Francisco Lindor 5-14, 5 BB, K
• Starling Marte 4-8, 2B, HR
• Jeff McNeil 4-10, 2B
• Omar Narváez 1-1
• Brandon Nimmo 4-11, 2B
• Zack Short 2-3
• DJ Stewart 0-1
• Tyrone Taylor 1-1, BB
• Joey Wendle 1-7

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brandon Nimmo: Over his last eight games Nimmo has gone 12-for-34 at the plate with three doubles, a triple and two homers. He’s scored seven times and he has worked five walks. His .450 OBP has been setting the pace for the Mets. It’s a complete flip of his first six games of the season where he went 1-for-21 at the plate with a .286 OBP.
2. Just collecting two-hit games. Harrison Bader got the start on Sunday after having Saturday off. In his last four games he has collect eight hits, exactly two hits each per game. His batting average is up to .302 for the season now. Further he has scored five runs during this stretch (all but one of the runs he scored this season). He still hasn’t had an extra-base hit yet but the Mets will absolutely take their 9th hitter constantly turning over the lineup with singles.
3. Reed Garrett: Garrett has been a critical piece for the Mets this season, soaking up innings when starters fall short and has kept the Mets in games they had no business being in. In three games he has allowed only three hits and two walks over 6 2/3 innings while striking out 11. Over the last five calendar days, he pitched once (Friday), tossing only 15 pitches.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets offense looks to keep rolling for one more game against the Royals as the Mets seek to clinch a series win. Yesterday the Mets were able to score seven runs, fueled by Pete Alonso’s two homers and three-hit day, but everything else fell apart and the Mets lost 11-7.

This afternoon is also Doc Gooden’s retirement ceremony as the Mets continue a recent tradition over the last couple of seasons of finally recognizing the great players who have made their mark on the organizations history. It would be a wonderful tribute if today’s starting pitcher, Jose Buttó can turn out a classic Dr. K-esque performance.

Jose Buttó has rejoined the Mets organization. Buttó barely lost the rotation spot at the start of the season to Tylor Megill as both players had dominant springs. Because of roster rules, Buttó could not be recalled until earlier this week. He was able to make a spot start for the Mets during the first week of the season due to the Mets doubleheader against the Tigers as the 27th roster spot. During that start he allowed one run from three hits and three walks while striking out six batters in six innings of work. The only member of the Royals who has seen Buttó in a major league game is Garrett Hampson (1-for-2).

The Mets bats will have their work cut out for them this afternoon as they face off against Cole Ragans. Over three starts this season Ragan has allowed five runs from 16 hits over 17 1/3 innings (2.60 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 1.269 WHIP, 162 ERA+). He looked a lot more human in his last start against the Astros allowing three runs on ten hits over five innings. Ragans had an excellent start against the Mets last year where he held the Mets scoreless over six innings, scattering seven hits while striking out eight. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-3
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, BB, K
• Brett Baty 0-3, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 0-3, K
• Jeff McNeil 3-3
• Zack Short 0-1, 2 BB, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete Alonso’s 200th Homerun: While it’s unlikely to happen today, we are in striking distance for Pete’s 200th homer. He had two homers in Saturday’s game, bringing him to 198 for his career. Alonso has played 698 career games. Ryan Howard reached this mar in 658 games and Aaron Judge took 671 games. Pete Alonso is trying to beat out the legendary Ralph Kiner (706 games).
2. Fundamentals and Luck. The game fell apart for the Mets in the fourth inning on Saturday when Starling Marte dropped a fly ball and then later Brandon Nimmo knocked a ball over the fence while trying to make an amazing play. Francisco Lindor also got played out on the basepaths. It’s baseball and random things will happen from time to time. On Saturday those events defined the game. Hopefully the Mets play with tighter fundamentals today the baseball gods don’t create any additional bizarre moments.
3. Edwin Díaz: It has been a while since we have seen the most electric closer in baseball. For the first week or so of the season the Mets had to use Díaz every other day because the bullpen was stretched so thin. As the Mets haven’t played a close game in a while, he’s gotten an extended rest. We’ll probably see him used in some capacity today.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets will try to get back to .500 this afternoon as they take on the Royals for game two of their three game set. The Mets started the season 0-5 and since have gone 6-2. The final piece that has fallen into place for the Mets the last two games has been hitting. The Mets have now collected 30 hits and are playing energy again.

On Friday night the Mets stopped a Royals team on a seven game winning streak that was near the top of the league in both pitching and power hitting. If the Mets keep the vibes going today it will be their third consecutive series win.

Sean Manaea has looked tremendous this season allowing one run from four hits over 11 innings so far spread over two starts. He’s walked four batters and has struck out 14. Manaea faced the Royals almost a year ago and held them to one run on three hits over six innings while striking out eight batters. The Royals have the following career numbers against him:

• Adam Frazier 0-3, K
• Garrett Hampson 2-6, 2 K
• Kyle Isbel 0-2, K
• MJ Melendez 1-3, 2B, K
• Vinnie Pasquantino 0-2, K
• Salvador Pérez 4-13, 2 HR, 2 K
• Hunter Renfroe 2-6, BB, K
• Bobby Witt Jr. 1-6, HR, 3 K

The Mets bats look to keep the hit parade going this afternoon against Alec Marsh. Over two starts and 11 2/3 innings this season Marsh has allowed four runs from 10 hits while striking out eight batters. Last season he got into 17 games including eight starts totaling 74 1/3 innings with a 5.69 ERA, 5.70 FIP, 1.561 WHIP and a 78 ERA+. He had one inning of relief against the Mets where he allowed a walk and nothing else. The Mets have limited exposure to Marsh in major league games:

• Pete Alonso 0-1
• Francisco Alvarez 0-1, K
• Francisco Lindor 0-0, BB
• Jeff McNeil 0-1

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Length from starters. The Mets are still looking for a starter pitcher to go deep into a game. While the bullpen is still pretty rested from the rainout on Wednesday and the rout on Thursday, consecutive days of the Mets starter going only five innings will build stress on the bullpen quickly. Sean Manaea has gone six and five innings this year tossing 88 and 92 pitches respectively.
2. Three to the dome. Brett Baty has been on fire recently with the bat and the glove. In his last seven games (since April 5th) he has gone 12-for-31 at the plate. In his last four games he has gone 7-for-18. Overall he has four multi-hit games since the Mets started to win games. Last night he broke out Melo’s “three to the dome” celebration after a hit, and that’s good example of what’s been different about Baty this season. Baty is having fun on the field, he’s bringing the energy and has made the team fun to watch.
3. Harrison Bader’s bat! You already know about Harrison Bader’s glove. His defense is so good that most seasons his play in the field covers for negative performances at the plate. He’s had three consecutive multi-hit games and has cored five runs over that stretch. While he’s still looking for an extra-base hit, this tear he’s on is fueling the Mets.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets started off the season 0-5, they’re now 5-7.

The Mets have won five of their last seven games and just wrapped up a 4-2 road trip. On Thursday the Mets trounced the Braves 16-4, a win that reduced the Mets season run differential deficit to just -1 runs. Now the Mets welcome another AL Central team to Queens – the Kansas City Royals. The Royals are off to a strong start this season with a 9-4 record and have won eight of their last ten games.

Luis Severino will make his third start of the season today. Over his first two starts he has allowed eight runs, four earned, from 14 hits over 10 innings while striking out 13 batters. Severino’s second start was way better than his first start. In hitter friendly Great American Ballpark last weekend Severino held the Reds to only three hits and one earned run. Severino faced the Royals once last season and allowed three runs from eight hits over 5 2/3 innings. The Royals have the following career numbers against Severino:

• Dairon Blanco 0-2
• Freddy Fermín 1-2, 2B
• Adam Frazier 3-4, HR
• Maikel Garcia 1-3, K
• Kyle Isbel 1-2
• MJ Melendez 1-3, 2B
• Salvador Pérez 3-13, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Hunter Renfroe 0-3
• Bobby Witt Jr. 2-3

The Mets bats will face an old friend tonight in Michael Wacha. Wacha pitched for the Mets back in the shortened 2020 season where he pitched 34 innings over eight games with a 6.62 ERA, 5.25 FIP, 1.559 WHIP and a 65 ERA+. Since then he has pitched with the Rays, Red Sox and Padres and is now on a two-year contract with the Royals. Last season over 24 starts and 134 1/3 innings, Wacha had a 3.22 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 1.161 WHIP and a 128 ERA+. Over his first two starts this season he has allowed three runs from five hits over 12 innings of work. The Mets have the following career numbers against Wacha:

• Pete Alonso 2-3, HR
• Harrison Bader 3-8, 2 K
• Starling Marte 9-37, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 9 K
• Jeff McNeil 0-2
• Omar Narváez 0-2
• DJ Stewart 3-9, HR, BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2
• Joey Wendle 1-4, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Is DJ Stewart finally heating up? Stewart went 0-for-10 over his first five games this season, while he did work four walks, he struck out six times and showed none of the power he had last year. In his last three games he has hit two home runs, his only hits of the season, but they’ve been home runs! We should know by the end of the weekend if this was a blip or the start of a streak.
2. Can the bats carry over Thursday’s performance? Collecting hits has been a problem for the Mets. They collectively had 16 hits on Thursday and went 7-for-13 with runners in scoring position. On Tuesday the Mets went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. This is the stat I’m paying attention to the most right now. If the Mets can keep hitting with runners in scoring position, they are going to rack up wins.
3. Francisco Lindor. Lindor has gotten off to a cold start this season, which has led to some vile vitriol online. He’s also had some breakout days throughout the road trip and has showed the Lindor we know is right around the corner. Steve Cohen cosigned the idea of lifting Lindor up tonight with a standing ovation during his first plate appearance tonight.

Let’s Go Mets!

If you turned the game off Tuesday night when the Mets were down 6-0, you missed their near comeback. The Mets scored five runs in the 8th and 9th and ended up losing by only one run. The Mets got a second consecutive less-than-great start from a starting pitcher leading to an early hole. The Mets bats though were able to scratch out five runs, including three runs on a Pete Alonso home run.

The difficulty for the Mets bats was hitting with runners in scoring position, again. The Mets went 1-for-10 with RISP, and ultimately that was the difference in the result.

Wednesday night’s game was postponed due to rain and is going to be made up in September. While that overloads the September schedule, it does give the Mets a massive reprieve right now. Between the day-off and a Tuesday game where Carlos Mendoza was able to avoid using the heavy hitters in the bullpen. Now the Mets go into today’s matinee fully rested.

Jose Quintana makes his third start of the season this afternoon. Over his first two starts he’s tossed 10 1/3 innings allowing three runs from 11 hits while striking out six batters. As we go through the first month of the season, stats start to correct themselves and Quintana has a serious early in the season mismatch with a 2.61 ERA coupled with a 5.94 FIP, 1.645 WHIP. Quintana made two starts against the Braves last season with two very different results. In the first match he held the Braves to one run from four hits over six innings. In the second start the Braves got him for five runs from nine hits over 5 1/3 innings. The Braves have the following career numbers against Quintana:

• Ronald Acuña Jr. 2-13, 2 BB, 3 K
• Ozzie Albies 6-10, 2 2B, 2 HR, BB, K
• Orlando Arcia 4-32, 2B, 6 BB, 6 K
• Travis d’Arnaud 1-6, BB, 2 K
• Adam Duvall 3-8, 2 HR, 5 BB, K
• Luis Guillorme 0-2
• Michael Harris II 3-9, 2B, 2 K
• Jarred Kelenic 1-2, K
• Matt Olson 4-18, 2B, 2 BB, 7 K
• Marcell Ozuna 10-22, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Austin Riley 2-9, 3 BB, K

This was supposed to be the Spencer Strider game for the Braves today, but Strider felt the dreaded elbow soreness after his last start, landing on the injured list. The Braves brought up Allan Winans to be a fresh arm for the bullpen and since he wasn’t needed in relief, he is now starting for Atlanta today.

Last season Winans made six starts totaling 32 1/3 innings with a 5.29 ERA, 4.09 FIP, 1.392 WHIP and an 85 ERA+. This includes back to back starts against the Mets in August with two very different results. In Queens, Winans shut the Mets out over seven innings holding them to just four hits while striking out nine batters. A week later the Mets scored seven runs against him off nine hits over 4 1/3 innings. Winans has made one start in the minors this season allowing two runs from six hits over 5 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Winans:

• Pete Alonso 1-5, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-3
• Jeff McNeil 3-6
• Omar Narváez 3-5, 2B
• Brandon Nimmo 0-2, BB, K
• DJ Stewart 2-5, HR, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Stolen Bases. We started to see this in the series against the Reds, but the Mets are having an early season issue with stolen bases. Acuña stole three bases against the Mets on Tuesday night. Narváez hasn’t looked the best behind the plate when it comes to runners taking chances. Part of this could be because the Mets are facing two of the more electric stars for stealing bases in back-to-back series (Elly De La Cruz followed by Ronald Acuña Jr. just isn’t fair). When future opponents see the amount of stolen bases the Mets have allowed on scouting reports, they are going to feel a little more confident to take the risk.
2. Hitting with runners in scoring position. We discussed this a bit in the introduction but this was the ultimate difference in Tuesday’s game. The Mets went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The Braves went 7-for-14. Splitting / Winning this series will come down to the Mets breaking out of their slump and stopping the onslaught from the Braves.
3. Pete Alonso: Tuesday we talked about the slump that Alonso was mired in. He had a terrific game at the plate last night going 2-for-4 with a double, three-run homer and a walk. Here’s hoping he keeps this going tonight and powers the Mets offense to a win.

Let’s Go Mets!

If you turned the game off Tuesday night when the Mets were down 6-0, you missed their near comeback. The Mets scored five runs in the 8th and 9th and ended up losing by only one run. The Mets got a second consecutive less-than-great start from a starting pitcher leading to an early hole. The Mets bats though were able to scratch out five runs, including three runs on a Pete Alonso home run.

The difficulty for the Mets bats was hitting with runners in scoring position, again. The Mets went 1-for-10 with RISP, and ultimately that was the difference in the result.

Looking ahead for tonight, Carlos Mendoza was able to give the key players in the bullpen the night off and has a much more rested bullpen going into tonight’s match.

Jose Quintana makes his third start of the season tonight. Over his first two starts he’s tossed 10 1/3 innings allowing three runs from 11 hits while striking out six batters. As we go through the first month of the season, stats start to correct themselves and Quintana has a serious early in the season mismatch with a 2.61 ERA coupled with a 5.94 FIP, 1.645 WHIP. Quintana made two starts against the Braves last season with two very different results. In the first match he held the Braves to one run from four hits over six innings. In the second start the Braves got him for five runs from nine hits over 5 1/3 innings. The Braves have the following career numbers against Quintana:

• Ronald Acuña Jr. 2-13, 2 BB, 3 K
• Ozzie Albies 6-10, 2 2B, 2 HR, BB, K
• Orlando Arcia 4-32, 2B, 6 BB, 6 K
• Travis d’Arnaud 1-6, BB, 2 K
• Adam Duvall 3-8, 2 HR, 5 BB, K
• Luis Guillorme 0-2
• Michael Harris II 3-9, 2B, 2 K
• Jarred Kelenic 1-2, K
• Matt Olson 4-18, 2B, 2 BB, 7 K
• Marcell Ozuna 10-22, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Austin Riley 2-9, 3 BB, K

This was supposed to be the Spencer Strider game for the Braves today, but Strider felt the dreaded elbow soreness after his last start, landing on the injured list. The Braves brought up Allan Winans to be a fresh arm for the bullpen and since he wasn’t needed in relief, he is now starting for Atlanta tonight.

Last season Winans made six starts totaling 32 1/3 innings with a 5.29 ERA, 4.09 FIP, 1.392 WHIP and an 85 ERA+. This includes back to back starts against the Mets in August with two very different results. In Queens, Winans shut the Mets out over seven innings holding them to just four hits while striking out nine batters. A week later the Mets scored seven runs against him off nine hits over 4 1/3 innings. Winans has made one start in the minors this season allowing two runs from six hits over 5 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Winans:

• Pete Alonso 1-5, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-3
• Jeff McNeil 3-6
• Omar Narváez 3-5, 2B
• Brandon Nimmo 0-2, BB, K
• DJ Stewart 2-5, HR, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Stolen Bases. We started to see this in the series against the Reds, but the Mets are having an early season issue with stolen bases. Acuña stole three bases against the Mets last night. Narváez hasn’t looked the best behind the plate when it comes to runners taking chances. Part of this could be because the Mets are facing two of the more electric stars for stealing bases in back-to-back series (Elly De La Cruz followed by Ronald Acuña Jr. just isn’t fair). When future opponents see the amount of stolen bases the Mets have allowed on scouting reports, they are going to feel a little more confident to take the risk.
2. Hitting with runners in scoring position. We discussed this a bit in the introduction but this was the ultimate difference in Tuesday’s game. The Mets went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The Braves went 7-for-14. Splitting / Winning this series will come down to the Mets breaking out of their slump and stopping the onslaught from the Braves.
3. Pete Alonso: Yesterday we talked about the slump that Alonso was mired in. He had a terrific game at the plate last night going 2-for-4 with a double, three-run homer and a walk. Here’s hoping he keeps this going tonight and powers the Mets offense to a win.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets can clinch a series split with the Braves tonight!

Yesterday the Braves got an early 4-0 lead due to a massive third inning, but the Mets last night had fight in them. They came back to tie the game at 4-4 thanks to a three-run homer from Brandon Nimmo. The Braves were then able to take the lead thanks to some questionable umpiring that led to a run being scored but the again Brandon Nimmo saved the day, knotting the game back up to five. The Mets then scored three more and were able to hold off the Braves and sneak out with a win while resting the key pitchers in the bullpen. All around, great day! Now the Mets have won four of their last five games and the momentum is starting to build.

Adrian Houser makes his second Mets start tonight. In his season debut last week he allowed on run from three hits over five innings. He faced the Braves in back to back starts last July and just like Julio yesterday, the two games had very different outcomes. In the first game he allowed three runs over six innings while striking out 10 batters (the only time Houser had double digit strikeouts in 2023). Then in his next start, in Atlanta, he allowed six runs from eight hits over four innings. The Braves have the following numbers against Houser:

• Ronald Acuña Jr. 7-12, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Ozzie Albies 4-14, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Orlando Arcia 1-5, 2 K
• Travis d’Arnaud 1-2, K
• Adam Duvall 2-8, 3 K
• Luis Guillorme 1-5
• Michael Harris II 2-4, K
• Matt Olson 1-7, 2B, 3 BB, 4 K
• Marcell Ozuna 3-15, HR, 5 BB, 5 K
• Austin Riley 6-16, HR, 3 K

The Mets bats will get their first look at Reynaldo López tonight. López was signed by the Nationals back in 2016 and was traded in the Lucas Giolito trade for Adam Eaton before the 2017 season. Last year López was traded from the White Sox (with Giolito again!) to the Angels. When the Angles shed payroll at the end of August he was picked up by the Guardians and then in the off-season he signed with the Braves.

In López’s first start of the season he allowed one run from four hits over six innings. Last season, across three organizations, López pitched in 68 games totaling 66 innings with a 3.27 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.273 WHIP and a 137 ERA+. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-3, BB, K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-1, K
• Francisco Lindor 2-18, HR, 3 BB, K
• Starling Marte 3-8, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 0-3, BB, K
• Omar Narváez 2-3
• Brandon Nimmo 0-2, K
• Zack Short 0-1, BB
• DJ Stewart 1-4
• Tyrone Taylor 0-1, K
• Joey Wendle 2-6, 2 2B

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brandon Nimmo is here. In Nimmo’s first four games of the season he went 1-for-16 at the plate with only one walk and five strikeouts. Since then, over five games, he has gone 6-for-17 at the plate with a double, two home runs and seven walks while striking out only three times. Now four of those six hits came last night, but his .560 OBP has been building for the better part of a week now. It’s not a coincidence that the Mets have now won four of their last five.
2. Pete’s streaky season. Between the second and sixth game of the season Pete went 7-for-21 at the plate with two homers, essentially one of only two hitters on the Mets collecting hits and moving the offense. Since then Pete has gone 0-for-18 with a walk and seven strikeouts. Can Pete break out of the funk tonight?
3. Adam Ottavino. The Mets are almost definitely going to use Ottavino tonight as pretty much every reliever is being used every other day right now. His first outing of the year was rough, allowing three hits leading to a run in a game the Mets eventually lost 7-6. He allowed a solo shot in his second outing. His last two outings have been clean. He’s also getting a lot of strikeouts, in three of his four outings he has at least two strikeouts. This gives Ottavino a small-sample size 15.8 K/9, which is considerably higher than his career mark at 10.4.

Let’s Go Mets!