213 Miles From Shea

The Mets head into Atlanta for a four game set after winning their first series of the season. After starting the year 0-5, the Mets have won three of the last four games they’ve played. Yesterday the Mets scored two runs early and there were some concerns if leaving the bases loaded in the second and third inning would come back to bite them. However the pitching was excellent as it has been for most of the season and the Mets squeaked through with a 3-1 win.

This week is an important, early statement series with the Braves. Splitting the series would be an accomplishment. Winning the series could turn heads. Let’s get off to a good start tonight.

Julio Teherán will be pitching in Atlanta tonight – for the Mets? The long-time Atlanta Braves signed a contract with the Mets last week and will will take over Tylor Megill’s spot in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Last season Julio pitched with the Brewers and totaled 71 2/3 innings over 14 games (11 starts) with a 4.40 ERA, 4.93 FIP, 1.130 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. He spent spring training with the Orioles where he allowed five runs over 13 1/3 innings (3.38 ERA) wracking up 10 strikeouts to go with seven walks.

He faced the Braves twice last season with very different results. In the first game he allowed one run over six innings. Then in his next start, in Atlanta, he allowed nine runs from 11 hits over five innings. the Braves the following numbers against him:

• Ronald Acuña Jr. 4-6, HR
• Ozzie Albies 1-5, 3 K
• Orlando Arcia 1-8, 2 K
• Travis d’Arnaud 3-30, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Adam Duvall 3-6, 2B, K
• Luis Guillorme 0-2, BB
• Michael Harris II 1-3, 2B
• Matt Olson 1-9, BB, 4 K
• Marcell Ozuna 19-54, 3 2B, 4 HR, 2 BB, 9 K
• Austin Riley 2-6, 2B, K

The Mets bats draw the ageless Charlie Morton this evening. In Morton’s first start of the season he allowed no runs and three hits over 5 2/3 innings while striking out six batters. Last season Morton made 30 starts over 163 1/3 innings with a 3.64 ERA, 3.87 FIP, 1.427 WHIP and a 122 ERA+. Morton and the Mets squared up frequently last year. Over four starts and 22 innings, Morton had a 3.27 ERA, 1.364 WHIP against the Mets who have have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 6-25, 2B, 3 BB, 6 K
• Francisco Alvarez 2-10, HR, 2 K
• Harrison Bader 0-2, K
• Brett Baty 2-3, 2B, BB, K
• Francisco Lindor 6-41, 3 2B, HR, 2 BB, 12 K
• Starling Marte 4-21, 2 BB, 8 K
• Jeff McNeil 5-25, 2 HR, 2 BB, 7 K
• Omar Narváez 5-16, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 4-24, 4 BB, 10 K
• Zack Short 0-2, K
• DJ Stewart 2-5, 2 2B, 2 BB,2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-4, BB, K
• Joey Wendle 6-16, 2B, 5 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor: Lindor’s season got off to a dreadful start but yesterday was the complete opposite. He went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and a homer. His double in the first inning led to the first run of the game. His solo shot later in the game gave the Mets some much needed breathing room. Here’s hoping he can build on that tonight as he faces Charlie Morton who he has a career .146 batting average and .255 on base percentage against.
2. Starling Marte: The x-factor for the Mets offense this year is going to be Starling Marte. Marte opened the season going 5-for-16 with two walks over the first four games. In the next three games he went 0-for-12. In the last two games he has gone 4-for-7 with two walks and scored three runs. Can he keep the momentum going again tonight?
3. Bullpen usage, again. We’ll continue to monitor this until we don’t have to. The Mets bullpen, on the whole, has been effective this season and has kept the team in games. The starting rotation has also, for the most part, been effective. Starting pitchers are still not going deep into games and yesterday the Mets needed to use four of their key arms in one game, again. Here’s hoping the Mets bats put the team in a position tonight that Reed Garrett can eat innings at the end of the game and give the bullpen more rest.

Let’s Go Mets!

The good thing about winning ball games is it makes it easier to forget mistakes. The Mets sure need a win today to forget about yesterday’s mistakes. The Mets went down early but then rallied and took a 5-2 lead. Then over the course of two innings the Mets just had this awful combination of bad fundamentals and odd situations (like a throw from the outfield bouncing off the rosin bag) the result was the Reds scoring seven runs.

Wins help a lot. The Mets still have a chance to take their first series of the year this afternoon and head to Atlanta winning three of their last four games.

Sean Manaea looks to build on off his first start of the season and get the Mets back on the winning track. In his Mets debut Manaea allowed only one hit and two walks while striking out eight batters over six innings of work. He faced the Reds once last year in relief where he allowed three runs, two earned, over 2 1/3 innings from two hits and a walk. The Reds have the following career numbers against Manaea:

• Will Benson 0-1
• Jeimer Candelario 3-13, HR, 2 BB, 4 K
• Elly De La Cruz 1-1
• Jake Fraley 0-2, 3 BB
• Jonathan India 0-1
• Luke Maile 0-2
• Spencer Steer 0-1, K
• Tyler Stephenson 1-2, BB

The Mets scored runs yesterday and they look to keep that going today against Andrew Abbott. In Abbott’s first start of the season he allowed two runs from three hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings. Last year was his rookie season and made 21 starts and pitched 109 1/3 innings for the Reds. He had a 3.87 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 1.317 WHIP and a 118 ERA+. This includes a start in Queens in September where the Mets scored two runs from six hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-1, BB
• Francisco Alvarez 1-3, 2B, K
• Francisco Lindor 1-1, BB
• Jeff McNeil 0-1, BB
• Brandon Nimmo 0-3, K
• DJ Stewart 0-2, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The bullpen is a tired mess right now. We knew players health, energy and game readiness was going to be a challenge this week with the Mets playing 15 games in 14 days, starting with a doubleheader, but it became the star of the show yesterday when the Mets needed Yohan Ramírez to throw two innings yesterday. His first inning was fine, his second was a disaster but the Mets didn’t really have any other options. Overall he tossed 53 pitches for the Mets. The root problem yesterday was four pitchers on Friday night pitched in back-to-back days. The Mets need Manaea to go deep in today’s game to give the bullpen their strength back.
2. Collecting Hits. Getting hits has been a problem for the Mets this season and yesterday was a breath of fresh air. The Mets collected 11 total hits including Nimmo, Baty and Marte each having two hits and Omar Narváez getting three.
3. Stealing Bases. Starling Marte stole two bases yesterday, which brought the Mets season total to five. This ties them for 11th in the league. The Reds are tied with the Rays for leading the league in stolen bases with 14. This became a focal point in yesterday’s game. How the Mets handle the Reds stealing bases could become x-factor today’s game too.

Let’s Go Mets!

Break up the Mets! They’ve won two games in a row!

After starting the season 0-5 the Mets have won their last two games. On Thursday evening they won the second game of a doubleheader scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth. On Friday evening they squeaked by the Reds 3-2. There’s a trend starting to emerge – the pitching is carrying the team while the offense struggles. The last thing the Mets need is for the pitchers to feel the pressure to be perfect at all times. Playing in Cincinnati is a great way to wake up the bats, let’s hope today is the day!

Luis Severino makes his second start for the orange and blue this afternoon. In his first start he allowed six runs, three earned, off of 11 hits. The defense was shaky behind him and it lead to Severino having to throw a lot more over his five innings of work than he would have liked. On the positive side he didn’t walk anyone and struck out six batters. His first start of the season last year was against the Reds and he held them to one run over 4 2/3 innings giving up four hits and a walk while striking out five. The Reds have the following career numbers against him:

• Jeimer Candelario 1-10, 2B, 5 K
• Will Benson 0-2, K
• Santiago Espinal 1-6, 2B, 3 K
• Stuart Fairchild 2-3, HR
• Jake Fraley 0-2
• Jonathan India 0-2, 2 BB
• Luke Maile 3-10, BB, 2 K
• Nick Martini 1-3, K
• Spencer Steer 1-2, 2B
• Tyler Stephenson 0-0, BB
• Bubba Thompson 0-2

Nick Martinez gets the start today for the Reds. In his first game he allowed three runs from six hits over five innings. He’s coming off of a year where he was mostly used as a reliever with the Padres but made six nine starts over his 63 appearances. He logged a total of 110 1/3 innings with a 3.43 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 1.260 WHIP and a 119 ERA+ (career best). This includes pitching against the Mets on back-to-back days where he allowed a hit and two walks and nothing else over two innings of work. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-1, HR, BB
• Harrison Bader 1-4
• Francisco Lindor 2-3, 2B
• Starling Marte 0-4
• Jeff McNeil 0-1
• Omar Narváez 0-1, BB, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-3, BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-3, 2B
• Joey Wendle 0-4, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Mets and runners in scoring position. The Mets have struggled with two things this season – getting runners in scoring position, having runners score from scoring position. The first game on Thursday was an example of the latter problem, the Mets as a team went 2-for-17 with RISP. In the nightcap, the Mets went 1-for-3, failing to get runners to scoring position in the first place. Yesterday was a mix of both problems with the Mets going 0-for-5.
2. Mets bullpen usage. Thank the baseball gods for Reed Garrett who pitched three innings for the Mets on Thursday night, after the Mets had to use practically their entire bullpen in the first game. Last night the Mets had four pitchers go out of the pen, all pitching on back to back days. Realistically, the three freshest arms for tonight’s game are Yohan Ramírez (hasn’t pitched since his suspension), Jake Diekman (11 pitches Thursday) and Jorge López (6 pitches Thursday).
3. Brett Baty comeback season. Brett had two of the four Mets hits yesterday and made some critical plays on the field. He has now recorded a hit in five of seven games this season and has reached based in six consecutive games. Since striking out four times in the first three games he has struck out only two times in the last four games.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are heading to Ohio with a victory in the books!

Things looked pretty bleak late yesterday afternoon. The Mets already lost the first game after leading most of the game and then self-destructing in the 11th inning. It was the bottom of the ninth in the second game, the Mets were down 1-0. Then Pete Alonso happened. He reached way out of the zone and knocked a solo shot out of the park. A couple of batters later Tyrone Taylor had a walk-off hit and the Mets won. They finally won!

Now the Mets start a grueling stretch that first has them on the road in the hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark. Do the Mets play more loose tonight with a win under their belt? Do the bats get going? How many times will the Mets broadcast booth talk about skyrosas?

The “Skyrosa” at reds Great American Ballpark ⚾️
(@Reds )

$7 – Skyline Chili Coney
$7 – LaRosa’s Pepperoni Pizza pic.twitter.com/mMhj30Fw0a

— US Sport Scran (@SportScran) July 21, 2023

Jose Quintana will make his second start of the season, a full week after his first start. Last week he allowed two runs from six hits over 4 2/3 innings with four strikeouts. He faced the Reds in September last season allowing only two runs from eight hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings while striking out two batters. He’s also pitched well over his career at Great American Ballpark. He has a 2.93 ERA over 30 2/3 innings of work. The Reds have the following career numbers against him:

• Jeimer Candelario 3-7, 2B
• Elly De La Cruz 0-3, K
• Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1-3
• Santiago Espinal 2-2
• Stuart Fairchild 2-4, 2B, K
• Jonathan India 1-6, K
• Nick Martini 0-1
• Spencer Steer 1-6, BB, 2 K
• Tyler Stephenson 1-3

The Mets bats will look to continue their 9th inning magic from yesterday against the flame-thrower of the Reds staff, Hunter Greene. Over 112 innings and 22 starts last season, Greene had a 4.82 ERA, 4.25 FIP, 1.420 WHIP and a 95 ERA+. In his first start this season he allowed two runs from five hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out seven batters in his short outing. When it comes to Greene, patience is key. He strikes out a ton (12.5 K/9 last season) but also walks a lot (3.9 BB/9) and is susceptible to the home run (1.5 HR/9).

In two starts against the Mets last season (beginning and end of the season) he allowed five runs from 10 hits over 11 innings. He struck out 10 batters across both games while walking five and allowing two home runs – basically representative of his 2023 season numbers. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-6, 2 HR, 3 BB, K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-1, BB
• Harrison Bader 1-5, HR
• Brett Baty 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 1-8, HR, 2 K
• Starling Marte 0-6, K
• Jeff McNeil 4-8, 2B, 2 K
• Omar Narváez 0-8, 6 K
• Brandon Nimmo 5-9, HR, 2 K
• DJ Stewart 1-3, K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-9, HR, 4 K
• Joey Wendle 2-7, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brandon Nimmo is walking again. Nimmo’s ability to get on base is key for the Mets offense. In his first three games of the season he went 1-for-13 at the plate with no walks. In his fourth game of the season he went 0-for-3 at the plate, but finally walked. Yesterday he walked five times across both games, raising his OBP from .167 to .286. Obviously we want him to get some hits too but the key to Hunter Greene is letting himself get into trouble. Nimmo walking again is a tremendous sign.
2. Francisco Alvarez has not been the problem. The Mets lineup has been cold. Alvarez has been the exact opposite. He’s opening up the season going 8-for-20 at the plate with three doubles and homer, which translates into a 1.129 OPS. Hopefully the veterans start hitting around him so the Mets can start to take Alvarez’s hot start and turn it into victories.
3. The Díaz Brothers united! Alexis Díaz has had a tremendous first two seasons with the Reds. In his rookie year he had a 1.84 ERA, 237 ERA+ over 63 2/3 innings. Last year he was named an All Star had a 3.07 ERA, 149 ERA+ over 67 1/3 innings. It’s always special to see players on the field with their family members, it’s even more special when both family members are two of the best at what they do.

Let’s Go Mets!

Baseball in Queens! Finally!

The tri-state has had an incredibly rainy start of the week and the last two Mets games were postponed and pushed to today. This now creates a new challenge for the Mets who will play 15 games over their next 14 days. The Mets are calling up Jose Buttó to be the 27th man for the second game, which should prevent one of the current Mets starters from pitching on short rest down the road. Further the Mets signed Julio Teherán to a major league contract and Julio will slot into the rotation for an injured Tylor Megill.

The Mets officially are having one of their roughest starts to the season ever after last night’s loss. They are now 0-4, which has happened only four other times (1962, 1963, 1964 and 2005). Monday night the Mets got amazing pitching for the first nine innings of the game but could not turn any of their hits into runs. On the positive side, multiple players had extremely hard-hit lineouts, and at some point that has to start to break for the Mets.

Adrian Houser will make his Mets debut tonight. Over 23 games, 21 starts, last season he tossed 111 1/3 innings with a 4.12 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.392 WHIP and a 105 ERA+. According to Baseball Savant, while Houser left a lot to be desired last season in terms of missing bats (xBA 25th percentile, Chase % 20th percentile, Hard-Hit % 5th percentile) he produced a lot of ground balls (73rd percentile). If the defense is strong behind him he can be quite effective. The Tigers have the following career numbers against him:

• Javier Báez 2-10 2B, BB, 2 K
• Mark Canha 0-2, K
• Jack Flaherty 0-2
• Carson Kelly 0-1, K

Casey Mize makes his return to the mound for his first start since Tommy John surgery, which has sidelined the former number 1 overall pick since 2022 (where he made only two starts). In his only full season, 2021, he made 30 starts totaling 150 1/3 innings with a 3.71 ERA, 4.71 FIP, 1.137 WHIP and a 114 ERA+. If the Tigers are going to make a surprise run for the post-season this year, they need Casey Mize to make a triumphant return. A few Mets players have seen Mize in previous games:

• Harrison Bader 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 0-2, BB
• DJ Stewart 1-4, BB, 2 K
• Joey Wendle 1-2

Jose Buttó gets the start for the Mets in the afternoon game today. Buttó had a successful season with the Mets last year, making seven starts over nine games and 42 innings of work. During that time he had a 3.64 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.333 WHIP and a 117 ERA+. This includes an outing against the Tigers where he allowed one run over 2 1/3 innings last May. He also had a tremendous spring for the Mets allowing only one run from nine hits over ten innings while striking out nine batters. The Tigers have had limited at bats against Buttó:

• Akil Baddoo 0-1, K
• Andy Ibáñez 0-1
• Javier Báez 0-1
• Matt Vierling 0-3, SB
• Riley Greene 0-1, K
• Spencer Torkelson 1-1

Matt Manning will make his 2024 debut today. He made 15 starts for the Tigers last season tossing 78 innings with a 3.58 ERA, 4.81 FIP, 1.038 WHIP with a 124 ERA+ (career best). His season was interrupted last April when he fractured his foot by taking a comebacker against the Blue Jays. He returned in late June and picked up where he left off. In September he took another comebacker to the same foot, broke it again, and missed the rest of the season. Similar to Buttó, Manning just missed the last spot in the Tigers rotation and is being called up for today’s doubleheader. Casey Mize, the starter in game one, just narrowly beat Manning out for the rotation spot.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The top of the lineup sets the tone. In Monday night’s game the top of the lineup (Nimmo, Lindor, Alonso) went 0-for-11 with two walks. Nimmo and Lindor are off to cold starts this season and Alonso had his first rough game of the season. When the top of the lineup fully turns around, the whole team will follow.
2. Reed Garrett: Reed Garrett was recalled before the start of Monday’s game with Tylor Megill landing on the injured list. Over nine games last season Garrett pitched 17 innings with a 5.82 ERA, 4.90 FIP, 1.235 WHIP and a 74 ERA+. In one game this season he pitched two innings for Syracuse allowing a hit and nothing else while striking out four batters. If there is an extended delay in the middle of today’s game or a doubleheader later this week, the Mets are going to need Garrett to eat some innings save the bullpen.
3. Roster Management: Today is going to be an early test of Carlos Mendoza’s roster management. The Mets are about to embark on a 15 game, 14 day quest. There has been only one starting pitcher for the Mets, Sean Manaea, who has thrown a pitch in the sixth inning this year. With two days off everyone in the bullpen should be available. Will there be another pitcher outside of Reed Garrett who is asked to step up and toss multiple innings today? How many starting position players play both games today?

Let’s Go Mets!

Will the Mets play baseball tonight? Probably not!

The weather in Queens has been dreadful this week. There was heavy rain Monday morning that saturated the field before the Mets and Tigers played on a clear Monday night. It rained all day yesterday and there was a fleeting hope that the Mets and Tigers maybe could get the game in during a small window late in the evening, but that never materialized. Now the Mets repeat the same waiting process today with even worse weather. It is difficult for the Mets and Tigers to reschedule one game, let alone two, but it’s trending that way right now.

The Mets officially are having one of their roughest starts to the season ever after last night’s loss. They are now 0-4, which has happened only four other times (1962, 1963, 1964 and 2005). Monday night the Mets got amazing pitching for the first nine innings of the game but could not turn any of their hits into runs. On the positive side, multiple players had extremely hard-hit lineouts, and at some point that has to start to break for the Mets.

Adrian Houser will make his Mets debut tonight. Over 23 games, 21 starts, last season he tossed 111 1/3 innings with a 4.12 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.392 WHIP and a 105 ERA+. According to Baseball Savant, while Houser left a lot to be desired last season in terms of missing bats (xBA 25th percentile, Chase % 20th percentile, Hard-Hit % 5th percentile) he produced a lot of ground balls (73rd percentile). If the defense is strong behind him he can be quite effective. The Tigers have the following career numbers against him:

• Javier Báez 2-10 2B, BB, 2 K
• Mark Canha 0-2, K
• Jack Flaherty 0-2
• Carson Kelly 0-1, K

Casey Mize makes his return to the mound for his first start since Tommy John surgery, which has sidelined the former number 1 overall pick since 2022 (where he made only two starts). In his only full season, 2021, he made 30 starts totaling 150 1/3 innings with a 3.71 ERA, 4.71 FIP, 1.137 WHIP and a 114 ERA+. If the Tigers are going to make a surprise run for the post-season this year, they need Casey Mize to make a triumphant return. A few Mets players have seen Mize in previous games:

• Harrison Bader 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 0-2, BB
• DJ Stewart 1-4, BB, 2 K
• Joey Wendle 1-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The top of the lineup sets the tone. In Monday night’s game the top of the lineup (Nimmo, Lindor, Alonso) went 0-for-11 with two walks. Nimmo and Lindor are off to cold starts this season and Alonso had his first rough game of the season. When the top of the lineup fully turns around, the whole team will follow.
2. Reed Garrett: Reed Garrett was recalled before the start of Monday’s game with Tylor Megill landing on the injured list. Over nine games last season Garrett pitched 17 innings with a 5.82 ERA, 4.90 FIP, 1.235 WHIP and a 74 ERA+. In one game this season he pitched two innings for Syracuse allowing a hit and nothing else while striking out four batters. If there is an extended delay in the middle of today’s game or a doubleheader later this week, the Mets are going to need Garrett to eat some innings save the bullpen.
3. Early Managerial Trends: Edwin Díaz has pitched in two games so far this season, neither of them being a save situation. In Edwin’s first game, he came in while the Mets were losing – this outing made sense because Edwin was overdue at that point to get into game. He came into last night’s game with the Mets tied 0-0 in the top of the ninth. He had two good outings so non-save situations hasn’t been an issue. The Mets haven’t given him a save situation yet. Once we get farther into the season, it will be interesting to see if Edwin is brought into tie games at home in the future.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets officially are having one of their roughest starts to the season ever after last night’s loss. They are now 0-4, which has happened only four other times (1962, 1963, 1964 and 2005). Last night the Mets got amazing pitching for the first nine innings of the game but could not turn any of their hits into runs. On the positive side, multiple players had extremely hard-hit lineouts, and at some point that has to start to break for the Mets.

The real story of tonight’s game is the weather. It’s been raining for most of the day across the tri-state area and it rained yesterday morning as well. The ground saturation ultimately might be what makes tonight’s game difficult to play. Even if the rain is light enough to play through, can the ground drain it? As the night goes on the rain should get lighter, but then overnight the weather will pick up again. Tomorrow should be just as, if not more, rainy. Will the Mets get a day off tonight? A day off tomorrow?

Adrian Houser will make his Mets debut tonight. Over 23 games, 21 starts, last season he tossed 111 1/3 innings with a 4.12 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.392 WHIP and a 105 ERA+. According to Baseball Savant, while Houser left a lot to be desired last season in terms of missing bats (xBA 25th percentile, Chase % 20th percentile, Hard-Hit % 5th percentile) he produced a lot of ground balls (73rd percentile). If the defense is strong behind him he can be quite effective. The Tigers have the following career numbers against him:

• Javier Báez 2-10 2B, BB, 2 K
• Mark Canha 0-2, K
• Jack Flaherty 0-2
• Carson Kelly 0-1, K

Casey Mize makes his return to the mound for his first start since Tommy John surgery, which has sidelined the former number 1 overall pick since 2022 (where he made only two starts). In his only full season, 2021, he made 30 starts totaling 150 1/3 innings with a 3.71 ERA, 4.71 FIP, 1.137 WHIP and a 114 ERA+. If the Tigers are going to make a surprise run for the post-season this year, they need Casey Mize to make a triumphant return. A few Mets players have seen Mize in previous games:

• Harrison Bader 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 0-2, BB
• DJ Stewart 1-4, BB, 2 K
• Joey Wendle 1-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The top of the lineup sets the tone. In Monday night’s game the top of the lineup (Nimmo, Lindor, Alonso) went 0-for-11 with two walks. Nimmo and Lindor are off to cold starts this season and Alonso had his first rough game of the season. When the top of the lineup fully turns around, the whole team will follow.
2. Reed Garrett: Reed Garrett was recalled before the start of Monday’s game with Tylor Megill landing on the injured list. Over nine games last season Garrett pitched 17 innings with a 5.82 ERA, 4.90 FIP, 1.235 WHIP and a 74 ERA+. In one game this season he pitched two innings for Syracuse allowing a hit and nothing else while striking out four batters. If there is an extended delay in the middle of today’s game or a doubleheader later this week, the Mets are going to need Garrett to eat some innings save the bullpen.
3. Early Managerial Trends: Edwin Díaz has pitched in two games so far this season, neither of them being a save situation. In Edwin’s first game, he came in while the Mets were losing – this outing made sense because Edwin was overdue at that point to get into game. He came into last night’s game with the Mets tied 0-0 in the top of the ninth. He had two good outings so non-save situations hasn’t been an issue. The Mets haven’t given him a save situation yet. Once we get farther into the season, it will be interesting to see if Edwin is brought into tie games at home in the future.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are still looking for their first win of the season tonight as they welcome the Tigers to Citi Field. The Brewers swept the Mets Opening Weekend. Overall it looked like the Mets were just slightly off. Friday they struck out a ton and had loud / hard hit outs. Saturday the Mets showed fight and clawed back, but the pitching put them too deep in the hole. Yesterday was more like Friday – hard hit outs and missed chances.

The Brewers have had the Mets number over the last couple of seasons and maybe the Mets just need to face a team not from Wisconsin – in comes the Detroit Tigers! The Tigers had the opposite weekend of the Mets as they swept their first three games against the Chicago White Sox.

New week, new month, new opponent, let’s go!

Sean Manaea makes his Mets debut tonight. Last season he pitched in 37 games including ten starts where he totaling 117 2/3 innings with a 4.44 ERA, 3.90 FIP, 1.241 WHIP and a 95 ERA+. Manaea’s season took off last year in late July. From July 29th to the end of the season, he pitched in 14 games (51 2/3 innings) with a 2.61 ERA. He faced the Tigers near the start of the season and allowed two runs from four hits over 3 1/3 innings wile striking out four. The Tigers have the following career numbers against him:

• Javier Báez 2-5, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Mark Canha 0-5
• Riley Greene 2-5, 3B, K
• Andy Ibáñez  1-5
• Carson Kelly 2-18, 2B, HR, BB, 4 K
• Jake Rogers 0-1
• Spencer Tokelson 0-1, K
• Gio Urshela 1-8, HR, BB, 3 K
• Matt Vierling 1-2

The Mets bats will look to establish some consistency in 2024 against Reese Olson. In his first season last year, Olson pitched in 21 games making 18 starts with 103 2/3 innings of work with a 3.99 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 1.119 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. Reese Olson threw a mid-90’s fastball about half the time last year and relied on his slider the most as his secondary pitch. About 20% of time last season he would also toss a changeup and a curve. The only person on the Mets roster to face him in a major league game is Joey Wendle (0-for-3).

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Alvarez is off to a hot start. Over three games this season Alvarez is 5-for-10 with a double and a homer. He’s leading the Mets in hits (Alonso has four, Marte three, Baty two, everyone else has one or zero) and has been the most consistent hitter for the Mets this season. Let’s keep this going into week two!
2. Have to get the Mets core players going. Pete Alonso and Francisco Alvarez are carrying the Mets offense right now. Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil and and Brandon Nimmo combined are 3-for-36 with no extra base hits. Nimmo uncharacteristically has zero walks and five strikeouts already. If two of these three batters can turn it around tonight it will be a much happier night in Queens.
3. Watch out for these Tigers. The Detroit Tigers have a lot of young talent on their roster in Colt Keith, Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Park Meadows. The AL Central is fairly open this year and if you type “AL Central Predictions” into google, most baseball pundits are predicting the Guardians and Twins to take the crown. If the young hitters on the Tigers take the next step, the Tigers could end up surprising a lot of people. Hopefully that doesn’t happen this week though.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets will try to avoid being swept this afternoon as they take on the Brewers for the third and final game of the series. The Mets offense finally woke up yesterday and scored six runs thanks to three homers (Alvarez, Baty, and Alonso) but it wasn’t enough to overcome the seven runs the Brewers piled on throughout the game.

Despite the outcome, there is a lot to positive about from yesterday’s game. Edwin Díaz saw his first game action of the year and allowed a hit and nothing else over one inning of work. He also on tossed 18 pitches in his outing. Alvarez had just a tremendous game going 3-for-4 at the plate. The Marte party continued with with him getting on base three times and scoring twice.

The Rhys Hoskins situation only got worse for the Mets yesterday as he responded to Friday’s scuffle with a 3-for-4 day at the plate with four RBI’s. Not great and hopefully after today the Mets don’t have to worry about him until the end of the season.

Tylor Megill looks to right the ship today for the Mets as he debut’s his American spork for the first time in an actual, major league baseball game. Over 25 starts last year he tossed 126 1/3 innings with a 4.70 ERA, 4.96 FIP, 1.575 WHIP and a 90 ERA+. By ERA+ it was his best season in the majors. The Mets rotation is the weakest part of the team going into the season and desperately needs players to step up, can Megill be the person?

The Brewers have the following career numbers against Megill:

• Willy Adames 2-8, 2B, HR, 3 K
• William Contreras 0-6, BB, K
• Rhys Hoskins 0-4, K
• Gary Sánchez 0-3, K
• Christian Yelich 3-6, 2B, 2 HR, BB, 3 K

The Mets bats will look to keep yesterday’s hit parade going against Colin Rea this afternoon. Rea pitched in 26 games last year including 22 starts totaling 124 1/3 innings with a 4.55 ERA, 4.90 FIP, 1.187 WHIP and a 95 ERA+. This includes one start against the Mets where he held the Mets to one run from three hits over 6 1/3 innings while striking out three. The Mets have the following career numbers against Rea:

• Pete Alonso 0-3
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2
• Harrison Bader 0-1
• Brett Baty 1-1, BB
• Francisco Lindor 1-3, K
• Starling Marte 1-6, K
• Jeff McNeil 0-2
• Omar Narváez 0-2
• Brandon Nimmo 0-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. 500 Career RBI’s for Pete Alonso. Yesterday Pete Alonso hit a solo homer in the ninth inning to bring the Mets within one. That RBI was number 499 in his career. In terms of career Mets numbers, Alonso is tenth on the list. Cleon Jones and José Reyes are tied for eight on the list at 521.
2. Brooks Raley will probably get work today. Brooks Raley is the only pitcher in the Mets bullpen who has not been used in a game yet this season, and it seems like right now that Carlos Mendoza is trying to make sure that everyone gets some time on the field this weekend. Tonkin has thrown the most pitches at 33 followed by Ottavino at 24. Everyone else has thrown less than 20 pitches.
3. Cutting back on strikeouts. The Mets had 10 strikeouts and one hit in their first game of the season. Yesterday they had six strikeouts and 12 hits. Brandon Nimmo and DJ Stewart both have the same alarming stat jumping off box scores. They both have four strikeouts over the first two games, two in each game so far. Hopefully they break this trend today.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Brewers square up for game two of the season this afternoon at Citi Field. We hope it’s not a literally squaring up after the fireworks yesterday between Jeff McNeil and Rhys Hoskins after Hoskins had a late slide into second that knocked McNeil down.

The Mets got a fairly solid day of pitching, keeping eight hits to only three runs. The bats were another story as the Mets only mustered up one hit, a rocket solo-homer by Starling Marte. The Mets overall seemed a bit off at the plate yesterday and hopefully today they can back on the right path.

Luis Severino officially makes his Mets debut today. The former Yankee has shown flashes of brilliance over his career. In 2017 he had an absurdly high ERA+ of 152 over 31 starts. As recently as 2022 he had an ERA+ of 124. Last season was a different story for Severino. Over 19 games and 89 1/3 innings he had a 6.65 ERA, 6.14 FIP, 1.646 WHIP and a 65 ERA+. It has been widely discussed that he was tipping pitches last year. His last start last year was against the Brewers where he allowed two runs from four hits over four innings of work while striking out five batters. The Brewers have the following career numbers against him:

• Willy Adames 2-8, HR, BB, 3 K
• Jake Bauers 3-6, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• William Contreras 0-2, K
• Sal Frelick 0-2, K
• Rhys Hoskins 0-3, 2 K
• Andruw Monasterio 0-1
• Brice Turang 1-2, K
• Christian Yelich 1-2, K

It’s an afternoon of team debut’s today! DL Hall makes his Brewers debut. The young lefty was traded with Joey Ortiz in the Corbin Burns trade with the Orioles this past winter. Hall debuted for the Orioles in 2022 and has mostly been used as a reliever in the major leagues. Last season over 18 games, 19 1/3 innings with a 3.26 ERA, 3.00 FIP, 1.190 WHIP and a 129 ERA+. He was used as a reliever and a starter in the minors last year, totaling 52 innings with a 3.98 ERA.

This will be DL Hall’s first time pitching against the Mets and the only person on the Mets roster who has seen Hall in a major league game is Zack Short who is 2-for-2 against Hall with a home run.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Jeff, Rhys and Tempers. After Rhys slid into Rhys yesterday, benches and bullpens emptied. There was no actual fight though. Rhys and the Mets have a history that peaked when Rhys Hoskins took 34 seconds to go around the bases after hitting a home run in 2019. Both players will be amped for today’s game and as we know from years of watch Jeff and Rhys, their baseline energy is already “amped”.
2. Marte Party! Starling Marte is the x-factor for the 2024 New York Mets. If Marte returns to his 2022 version the Mets lineup is going to be dangerous. He hit a missile of a homer yesterday and could have more RBI’s later in the game if Jackson Chourio didn’t make an amazing play in the outfield.
3. Strikeouts. Freddy Peralta was dealing yesterday and he got the Mets to rack up eight strikeouts over six innings. The Mets finished with ten strikeouts on the day with Brandon Nimmo, DJ Stewart, Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty each having two each. Stewart, Alvarez and Baty hit back-to-back-to-back in the linep, that’s a lot of strikeouts concentrated in a small space.

Let’s Go Mets!