213 Miles From Shea

The Mets have won five games in a row as they roll into San Diego for a pivotal series before All-Star break. The Mets were 10 games below .500 and 10 games back in the Wild Card race when this streak started. They are now five games below .500 and only 6.5 games back. They still have a lot of ground to cover but they are finally playing like the team we expected them to play like. After two back and forth affairs with the first-place Diamondbacks, last night the Mets fired on all cylinders and won 9-0, hitting three homers and getting an amazing start from Carlos Carrasco.

They’ll look to keep the vibes going tonight against the San Diego Padres who are in a similar position. The Padres also had huge expectations this season and are currently sitting in fourth place, 6.5 games out of the Wild Card. They’ve won four of their last five games and are looking to save their season also. Only one team will be able to this weekend!

Justin Verlander takes the mound tonight after breaking a season curse his last time out. Verlander has oscillated between good starts and terrible starts. With the exception of his first two starts, this pattern has held true the whole season. He’s now tossed two good/great games in a row, allowing one unearned run over 12 innings from 10 hits and three walks. This season he now has a 3.66 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.188 WHIP and a 114 ERA+. The Padres have the following career numbers against him:

• Rougned Odor 7-41, 2 HR, 2 BB, 12 K
• Manny Machado 7-30, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 BB, 9 K
• Xander Bogaerts 4-17, 2 2B, BB, 4 K
• Gary Sánchez 1-17, 4 K
• Preston Tucker 1-10, 3 K
• Juan Soto 0-3

The Mets bats will try to keep the bats hot tonight against Yu Darvish. Darvish has pitched 80 innings over 14 starts with a 4.84 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 1.225 WHIP and an 85 ERA+. He started June off strong with seven shutout innings. Then over his next three starts he allowed 14 runs in 16 1/3 innings from 20 hits and seven walks. Then Yu Darvish got sick. Tonight will be his first start since missing time due to illness. He lost seven pounds. Hopefully he’s feeling like himself again and is 100%.

Darvish faced the Mets back on April 10th and the Mets scored five runs from six hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Lindor 5-18, 2B, 2 BB, 7 K
• Starling Marte 7-17, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-14, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Pete Alonso 2-13, HR, 4 K
• Omar Narváez 1-8, BB, 6 K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-9, 2 K
• Luis Guillorme 2-9, 2B, 3 K
• Mark Canha 2-7, 2B, K
• Daniel Vogelbach 3-5, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Gary Sánchez faces off against his old team. Sánchez was released by the Francisco Giants on May 2nd and signed with the New York Mets a week later. He had a great stint with Syracuse but didn’t do much in New York going 1-for-6 at the plate. The Mets then DFA’d him, had a whole problem with Nido on the roster. Just a lot happened. Sánchez would get claimed by the Padres and go 12-for-47 in his first 13 games hitting six homers. He’s cooled off a bit in his 20 games since then, going 8-for-57 (.140/.258/.193).
2. Mets went homer happy in Arizona. The Mets hit seven homers in their three games in Arizona. Francisco Álvarez has homered in three straight games. In the first game of the series he hit the go-ahead homer, and in the second game he hit the tying homer. He’s now at 16 on the season, two behind Lindor who also homered last night. Pete hit his 26th homer as he tries to get hot before going to the Homerun Derby. Can the Mets keep this pace up tonight?
3. Francisco Lindor. Lindor went 5-for-5 at the plate last night including two triples and a homer. He had 12 total bases! The Mets play so much better when Lindor is hot. This is the make or break series for the Mets this season and the Mets are going to need Lindor to carry this team.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets hot start to July continued last night! Kodai Senga gave the Mets eight fantastic innings. With two outs in the top of the ninth Álvarez tied the game with a clutch solo shot. Canha would then drive in the go-ahead run a couple of batters later. Now the Mets look to complete the three game sweep of the Diamondbacks and try to win their fifth game in a row.

The Mets turn to Carlos Carrasco to finish the job in Arizona tonight. Over 11 starts (53 innings), he has a 5.94 ERA, 6.46 FIP, 1.566 WHIP and a 70 ERA+. He’s coming off of back to back starts where he has allowed exactly two runs (four runs in nine innings of work). Homeruns continue to be a concern for Carrasco. He’s allowed at least one homer now in eight consecutive starts and in ten of eleven this season. The Diamondbacks have the following career numbers against him:

• Evan Longoria 3-23, HR, 7 K
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 2-8, 2B, 5 K
• Ketel Marte 3-7, BB, 3 K
• Carson Kelly 0-2
• Pavin Smith 0-2, 2 K
• Christian Walker 0-2, 2 K

Ryne Nelson has pitched 90 2/3 innings over 17 starts this season with a 4.67 ERA, 4.45 FIP, 1.379 WHIP and a 94 ERA+. He is coming off back to back excellent starts where he allowed two runs over 14 1/3 innings from six hits and three walks. Before that he allowed eight runs from 16 hits over nine innings (two starts). This will be Nelson’s first start against the Mets and his first time facing anyone on the Mets roster.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Five in July. The Mets won their 4th game in July yesterday (July 5th). Last month they didn’t win their 4th game until the 16th and their fifth game until the 19th. The streak the Mets are currently on is the exact thing they needed to turn their season around.
2. Francisco Álvarez is clutch. Álvarez hit his 15th homer of the season yesterday. Seven of his homers have either given the Mets the lead or tied the game. It was the second day in a row that he did this against the Diamondbacks. On Tuesday, his 467-foot homer gave the Mets a 6-4 lead. He makes the team fun to watch.
3. The Mets are stealing bases at a fast clip now. Pham stole his 10th base of the season yesterday and Marte had his 23rd. On Tuesday the Mets stole four bases (Lindor twice, McNeil and Marte). On Sunday they stole two bases (Canha and Baty). This is something to keep an eye on as the Mets finish out their last week of games before the All-Star break.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to extend their winning streak to four games tonight against the Diamondbacks. A win tonight would clinch the Mets second consecutive series win and make it less likely that the Mets will be sellers at the end of the month. Can the Mets keep the good times rolling?

Kodai Senga was originally scheduled to pitch yesterday and was pushed back to today for one extra day of rest. Over 15 games and 81 2/3 innings this year he has a 3.53 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.347 WHIP and a 117 ERA+. He is still leading the league in walks at 46 but is coming off of a start where he only walked two batters. In his last start he allowed two runs over five innings while striking out eight. It was the third start in his last four that he has allowed two earned runs or fewer.

The Mets bats will get a look at Tommy Henry this evening. Henry has pitched in 13 games tossing 68 1/3 innings with a 4.08 ERA, 5.33 FIP, 1.346 WHIP and a 107 ERA+. He’s been on a roll lately with back to back starts allowing one run. In his last three starts he has a 1.96 ERA over 18 1/3 innings, despite allowing 18 hits and five walks. Before this stretch he allowed 10 runs over nine innings in his first two starts of June. Teams have hit at least one homer off of him for five consecutive starts. The Mets have never seen him in an official major league game before.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. There were a lot of homers yesterday. The Mets and the Diamondbacks hit three homers each yesterday, including a 467-foot bomb from Francisco Álvarez. Tommy Henry has allowed homers in five straight starts and has a 1.6 HR/9 rate this season. Kodai Senga hasn’t allowed a homer in two starts, but we’ve seen him fall into periods of time where teams tee off of him. He has a 1.0 HR/9 rate this season. Will the ball stay in the yard tonight?
2. The Mets are leading the league in hit by pitches. For most of the season the Mets have been in the top three of being hit by pitches. Over the last couple of weeks they have been plunked at a consistent rate and are the standalone leaders. It’s happened 53 times now, four more than the Mariners.
3. Double Steals? Lindor (on base because he got hit by a pitch) and Jeff McNeil completed a double a steal, that eventually turned into a critical insurance run. It was the second consecutive game the Mets have completed a double steal.

Let’s Go Mets!

Are the Mets buyers or sellers?

The next week is going to be crucial for the Mets in 2023. A disastrous week can put the playoffs out of reach and put the team into a full sell mode. A fantastic week, building on the series win against the Giants, can allow the Mets to think about what direction they are going until after the All-Star break.

We already saw a preview of a retooling July could look like with the Mets trade for Trevor Gott yesterday. The Mets didn’t give up a prospect, rather they took on salary to get a pitcher under contract for another 1.5 seasons. This “not quite” buyers or sellers approach can marginally improve the team in 2023 and next year. If the Mets get a few more wins this week they can continue this approach.

Kodai Senga gets the start for the Mets this afternoon. Over 15 games and 81 2/3 innings this year he has a 3.53 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.347 WHIP and a 117 ERA+. He is still leading the league in walks at 46 but is coming off of a start where he only walked two batters. In his last start he allowed two runs over five innings while striking out eight. It was the third start in his last four that he has allowed two earned runs or fewer.

The Mets bats will get a look at Zach Davies. Over nine starts (42 2/3 innings) Davies has a 6.54 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 1.617 WHIP and a 67 ERA+. He’s coming off of his best start of the season where he shutout the Rays for seven innings, holding them to only two hits. Before that he allowed 21 runs, 18 earned, over three starts spanning 10 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Starling Marte 12-31, 2 2B, 3 BB
• Tommy Pham 3-14, BB, 4 K
• Pete Alonso 0-4, BB
• Jeff McNeil 3-7
• Omar Narváez 0-5, BB
• Brandon Nimmo 3-6, 2 2B, 3B, K
• Daniel Vogelbach 2-4, HR, BB, K
• Mark Canha 1-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Tommy Pham is just destroying baseballs right now. Sunday night Tommy Pham went 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles. In his last five games he has now 12-for-18 at the plate with five extra-base hits and has an absurd .667/.700/1.167 (1.867 OPS) batting line. It was his sixth three-hit game of the season. In his last 28 games he is hitting .378/.431/.694. Pham’s OPS has gone from .627 to .892 during this time.
2. Meet the newest Met. The Mets traded for Trevor Gott yesterday. Over 30 games (29 innings) this season, he has a 4.03 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 1.414 WHIP and a 101 ERA+. Since returning from the injured list he has allowed three runs from four hits over 2 1/3 innings. He hasn’t pitched since June 30th so depending on how fast the Mets want to throw him in, he’s ready to go! His Baseball Savant page is where his numbers begin to pop-out. He’s in the 94th percentile for barrel percentage, 88th for xERA/xwOBA, 83rd for xSLG, 81st in walk percentage and 75th for xBA. Essentially, he generally avoids hard contact and doesn’t walk a ton.
3. Old Friend! The Mets got Miguel Castro before the 2020 trade deadline. Castro had a great year with the Mets in 2021, pitching 70 1/3 innings with a 3.45 ERA, 4.36 FIP, 1.294 WHIP and a 116 ERA+. The Mets traded Castro to the Yankees before the 2022 season for Joely Rodríguez. After his one season with the Yankees, Castro signed a deal with Arizona. Miguel is thriving this season with a 3.24 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 1.050 WHIP and a 135 ERA+ over 33 1/3 innings. We’re happy to see Miguel doing so well!

Let’s Go Mets!

The calendar flipped to July and the Mets have started winning again! It’s a sample size of one, but a win is a win. The Mets got a flurry of solo homers, an outstanding start from Verlander and cruised to a 4-1 victory. Now the Mets have a chance to win a series for the first time since June 1st.

David Peterson gets a second start in the rotation this evening. José Quintana is close to joining the Mets rotation and a decision will need to be made about whether the Mets stick to a five-man rotation or jump to a six-man. Peterson made that decision a bit more interesting in his last start, tossing six scoreless innings against the Brewers. He worked out of multiple jams and gave one of his best efforts of the season. Over nine starts and 45 innings, he has a 7.00 ERA, 4.57 FIP, 1.689 WHIP and a 59 ERA+. He faced the Giants back on April 22nd, in a forgettable start, where he allowed seven runs from seven hits and a walk over five innings. The Giants have the following numbers against him:

• Thairo Estrada 3-7, 2 K
• Wilmer Flores 1-4, HR, BB
• Joey Bart 1-5, 2 K
• Brandon Crawford 2-4, 2 HR, K
• Michael Conforto 1-3
• David Villar 0-2
• Mike Yastrzemski 0-3, K
• Heliot Ramos 1-2, 2B, K
• LaMonte Wade Jr. 0-2, K

Ross Stripling will make his first start tonight since coming off the injured list about a week ago. In ten games this season, five starts, Ross has a 6.88 ERA, 6.25 FIP, 1.557 WHIP and a 63 ERA+. He tossed 50 pitches in relief on June 28th, holding the Blue Jays to one run and four hits over three innings (arguably his best outing of the season). He faced the Mets at the end of April and allowed three runs, two earned, over 3 1/3 innings after allowing six hits. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Starling Marte 3-10, 2 BB, K
• Tommy Pham 0-13, BB, 2 K
• Pete Alonso 1-5, 2B, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-4, 2 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 1-3, BB
• Luis Guillorme 1-3, K
• Francisco Lindor 1-3, 2B
• Danny Mendick 2-3, K
• Francisco Álvarez 0-2, K
• Brett Baty 1-2
• Jeff McNeil 2-2
• Mark Canha 0-1
• Omar Narváez 0-1

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Giants bullpen usage questions. DeSclafani lasted only three innings yesterday, giving up three solo homers. Manaea came in after him and pitched three innings. Between Friday and Saturday Manaea has tossed 71 pitches, Taylor Rogers 21, Tyler Rogers 19 and Jakob Junis 17 (but over two innings). Ross Stripling has five innings only three times this year, and was effective in only one of those starts. The Mets can do themselves a lot of favors tonight if they work counts early in the game and put the Giants in a pitching conundrum.
2. The return of the homer-happy offense. Three of the Mets runs yesterday came on solo homers (Álvarez, Nimmo, Lindor). For Álvarez it was his first homer since June 10th. Nimmo and Lindor were continuing their power-hitting summer. It would be nice if the Mets can get runners on before they hit a blast, but after the way the offense has been the last week, it’s just nice to see them hitting blasts.
3. Another day, another notable stat for Pham. After going 8-for-11 in his last three games, a 1-for-3 day at the plate seems a bit like a let down. The hottest hitter in the Mets lineup hit a double and drove in a run yesterday. Pham’s RBI was the only RBI not from solo homer!

Let’s Go Mets!

It’s finally July 1st.

June is over.

The Mets completed one of their worst June’s of all time yesterday with a 7-19 record. In 13 of their 19 losses, including last night, they had the lead at one point in the game. Last year it felt like the Mets could never lose. If they entered the 8th or 9th behind, they still had a chance. Right now it feels like the Mets will always lose. Yesterday the loss came on a rare mistake by David Robertson who allowed a three run homer in the 8th to give the Giants a 5-4 lead. Can the Mets put the month of June behind them and finish out the week strong before the All-Star break?

Justin Verlander has oscillated from good start to bad start since his second start of the season. Over 10 total starts (57 innings), he has a 4.11 ERA, 4.23 FIP, 1.228 WHIP and a 100 ERA+. He’s allowed four runs or more in four starts this season, and they have all came after a start were he allowed one run. Last time out he allowed no runs (first time this year!) over five innings, scattering five hits and two walks. The Giants have the following career numbers against him:

• Mitch Haniger 3-16, 2B, 2 HR, 6 K
• Roberto Pérez 2-7, 2 K
• Joc Pederson 1-4, HR
• Brandon Crawford 0-1, BB

The Mets bats draw Anthony DeSclafani tonight (who has played for the Giants, Reds and Marlins if that ever comes up on Immaculate Grid). Over 90 1/3 innings he has a 4.28 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 1.196 WHIP and a 100 ERA+. His last start against the Diamondbacks was a quality one where he allowed two runs over six innings. Overall he has a couple of poor starts in June leading to a month ERA of 6.65 despite a 3.97 FIP. The Mets faced him back in April and were able to tag him for four runs from seven hits over five innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Starling Marte 3-23, 2 BB, 6 K
• Francisco Lindor 8-18, 2B, 3 HR, 3 K
• Pete Alonso 4-13, HR, 5 K
• Jeff McNeil 3-12, 2 2B, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-10, 2 K
• Tommy Pham 4-11, BB, 2 K
• Mark Canha 2-5, BB
• Luis Guillorme 3-4
• Daniel Vogelbach 1-3, BB< k
• Francisco Álvarez 0-2
• Brett Baty 1-2
• Omar Narváez 0-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. It’s a day that ends in “y” so we’re talking about Tommy Pham. Tommy Pham went 3-for-4 at the plate last night with two runs scored. He also hit his ninth homer on the season. It was the fifth time this season that he has collected three hits in one game. In his last three games he has gone an insane 8-for-11 at the plate with two homers (.727/.750/.1.273, 2.023 OPS). Since May 28th, he is hitting .363/.416/.670 with a 1.086 OPS. Gary Cohen talked last night during the game that it is now possible that Pham could be the Mets All-Star.
2. Jeff Mc-extra-base-hits. Last night Jeff McNeil went 2-for-4 with two doubles. The night before he went 1-for-4 with a double. Before last night’s game you have to go all the way back to June 11th for the last game when Jeff McNeil had an extra-base hit (a homer). Here’s another way to put it. From May 3rd to June 28th, Jeff McNeil had three extra-base hits, two doubles and a homer (50 games). He’s had that same total of extra-base hits in his last two games.
3. Players who could be scouted tonight. The Mets right now look like sellers at the deadline, going winless since Steve Cohen’s press conference. This could always change with a winning streak, but to quote Steve “it’s getting late”. Justin Verlander could still be moved at the deadline. Assuming that David Robertson is unavailable tonight after pitching in back to back games, Brooks Raley is the most likely reliever to be scouted. Tommy Pham is the most enticing hitter going tonight that could be moved followed by Mark Canha.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to pick up the pieces from their latest series loss and end July on a high note as they welcome the San Francisco Giants to town. Last night the Mets had the bases loaded in the seventh and the ninth inning, but didn’t score at all and lost 3-2. They are now nine games below .500 at the halfway point of the season. The Giants are nine games above .500 and come to New York trying to stop a two game slide.

Carlos Carrasco will make his 11th start of the season tonight. Over 48 innings he has a 6.19 ERA, 6.57 FIP, 1.563 WHIP and a 67 ERA+. He’s coming off of a short start his last time out where he held the Phillies to only two runs, but couldn’t go beyond four innings after allowing five hits and two walks. Carrasco is still struggling to keep the ball int he ballpark. His April 15th start in Oakland is the only start this season where he hasn’t allowed a home run. The Giants have the following career numbers against him:

• Brandon Crawford 1-13, 2B, 4 K
• Mitch Haniger 4-9, 2B, HR,2 BB, 3 K
• Isan Díaz 0-6, K
• Wilmer Flores 1-6
• Joc Pederson 1-5, HR, K
• Mike Yastrzemski 2-6, K
• Thairo Estrada 1-3
• LaMonte Wade Jr. 1-3, K
• Alex Wood 0-2

The Mets bats will try to shake off the last two days as they take on Alex Cobb tonight. Over 14 starts, 78 2/3 innings, he has a 3.09 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 1.373 WHIP and a 139 ERA+ (his best ERA+ since 2013). Cobb is coming off of the injury list tonight. In mid-June he landed on the list due to an oblique strain. Last Saturday he made a rehab start with the Giants low-A team where he struck out nine batters over 3 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Cobb:

• Francisco Lindor 4-13, 2B, 5 K
• Mark Canha 1-9, 3 K
• Starling Marte 3-7, 2B, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-5, 2B
• Brandon Nimmo 2-6, 4 K
• Pete Alonso 2-5, HR
• Omar Narváez 0-2
• Tommy Pham 0-2
• Daniel Vogelbach 0-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Carlos Carrasco could be traded. If the Mets continue to fall, the Mets are going to move veterans who are in their last season on contract. Carlos Carrasco is a veteran pitcher who could entice teams if he goes on a bit of a hot streak in his next three to four starts. Just like the Mets playoff hopes, time is running out for Carrasco to increase his trade value.
2. Welcoming old friends back home. The San Francisco Giants still boast quite a few former Mets. J.D. Davis, Wilmer Flores, and Michael Conforto are all on their way back to Citi Field. Flores has been back a bunch of times already, so let’s focus on the other players. J.D. Davis is having a great year with a .829 OPS and a 126 OPS+. Both stats are the highest they’ve been since 2019. Michael Conforto is having an excellent return to baseball with 12 homers, .755 OPS and 106 OPS+. The Mets could be welcoming even more former Mets home tonight but Thomas Szapucki is on the 60-day injured list.
3. Pham continues to rack up hits. After going 3-for-3 on Wednesday night, Pham went 2-for-4 last night. In the 25 games since May 28th he is now hitting .345/.402/.632 and is the Mets hottest hitter in the lineup right now. Tonight he will face off against Joc Pederson, which should continue to fire him up.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets try to escape their four game series against the Brewers with a split tonight. After an easy victory on Tuesday, the Mets fell flat last night and couldn’t overcome some difficult calls by the umpire. Steven Cohen said before the game “All is not lost yet, but it’s getting late”. Last night’s game made it feel later than it already is.

Max Scherzer has pitched 70 2/3 innings this season with a 3.95 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 1.175 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed only three runs from 11 hits and two walks while striking out 16 batters over 14 innings. In five of his last six games he has struck out at least eight batters . Before these six games the most batters he stuck out in an individual game was six. His start against the Brewers at the beginning of the season was forgettable. He allowed five runs from eight hits over 5 1/3 innings including back to back to back homers. The Brewers have the following career numbers against him:

• Christian Yelich 11-37, 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 2 BB, 11 K
• Brian Anderson 6-24, 4 2B, HR, BB, 8 K
• Victor Caratini 8-17, 2B, 3B, BB, 2 K
• Jesse Winker 1-12, 2 BB, 5 K
• Darin Ruf 3-12, 2B, 5 K
• Rowdy Tellez 2-10, HR, BB, K
• Willy Adames 1-10, 6 K
• Garrett Mitchell 1-5, HR, 2 K
• Raimel Tapia 1-5, HR
• William Contreras 2-4, 2 K

The Mets bats will try to get going again tonight as they take on Adrian Houser. Over nine games, seven starts and 40 1/3 innings, Houser has a 4.02 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 1.537 WHIP and a 107 ERA+. He allows a lot of hits (10.9 H/9), but not a ton of homers (0.7 HR/9). Houser had one terrible start this month against Oakland. Outside of that he had one terrific start (one run over seven innings), one short, but effective start (two runs, one earned over four innings) and a shutout inning of relief. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Tommy Pham 4-9, 4 BB, 2 K
• Starling Marte 2-8, 2 K
• Peter Alonso 2-5, BB
• Daniel Vogelbach 1-4, 2 BB, K
• Luis Guillorme 1-5
• Francisco Lidnor 1-5
• Brandon Nimmo 3-5, 2B, K
• Mark Canha 0-2, K
• Jeff McNeil 1-4, 2B
• Denny Mendick 2-2, 2B
• Omar Narváez 1-1

Three Things To Watch:

1. The Mets need a good start from Max Scherzer tonight. During Steve Cohen’s press conference, Cohen suggested that the players need to play better, that the team still has a chance at the wild card, and if the team doesn’t look like it has a chance at the deadline they’ll reevaluate what actions to take. It was also reported this week that Scherzer could be willing to waive his no-trade if the Mets end up as sellers. For both situations (the Mets go for the wild card, the Mets become sellers), the Mets need Scherzer to have a great game tonight.
2. Tommy Pham continues his hot stretch. Tommy Pham went 3-for-3 at the plate last night with his eighth homer of the season. Since May 28th he has five homers and is hitting .337/.398/.639 (1.036). Before that he was hitting .200/.286/.341 (.627). Similar to Scherzer, the Mets need Pham to continue this hot streak as long as possible. Either it lifts the team up to a position where they can content or it increases the return they’ll get for him if the Mets become sellers at the end of July.
3. Will the Mets hit with runners in scoring position tonight? In the first game of the series, the Mets had only three hits. Last night they had seven hits! But the Mets went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position last night. Can they string together some hits tonight?

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets finally got an easy win last night and look to use it as a momentum builder for game three of their four game set. The first inning looked rocky for David Peterson, but he was able to get out of jam without allowing any runs to score and ended up turning in a brilliant, six-inning, shutout performance. Brandon Nimmo hit two homers. Francisco Lindor and Vogelbach each hit one and the Mets cruised to a 7-2 victory. Now Kodai Senga pitches for just the second time on regular rest as the Mets look to make it back-to-back wins.

Kodai Senga has a 3.52 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 1.343 WHIP and a 118 ERA+ through 76 2/3 innings this year. He officially leads the league now in walks (44) and wild pitches (8) but has a strong K/9 (10.9) to balance things out. Senga is coming off of back to back starts where he has allowed four runs in each game, but only two runs were earned in his last start. This will be first start against the Brewers.

The Mets bats will look to keep yesterday’s good vibes going against Wade Miley tonight. Over 52 2/3 innings eh has a 2.91 ERA, 4.30 FIP, 1.025 WHIP and a 148 ERA+ (his highest ERA+ since 2018). Since returning from injury, he’s pitched 11 innings scattering five hits and two walks allowing no runs to score. His first start this season was against the Mets and he held the Mets scoreless over six innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Starling Marte 10-25, 2B, BB, 6 K
• Mark Canha 4-18, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 5-16, 3 2B, 3 BB, K
• Tommy Pham 2-12, 2B, 4 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 1-10, HR, BB, 2 K
• Pete Alonso 3-9, HR
• Jeff McNeil 2-7, K
• Brandon Nimmo 2-7, 3 K
• Omar Narváez 0-2, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. How does Senga handle regular rest? June 4th was the first game Senga pitched on regular rest and he allowed four runs, three earned, over 2 2/3 innings. The Blue Jays were able to rack up four hits and work five walks against him in his shortest outing of the season. The defense behind him wasn’t great, but it was also clear he didn’t have his best stuff that night. The Mets need him to have at least a quality start tonight.
2. Francisco Lindor, the All-Star Finalist. When the first phase of All-Star voting came to an end last week, Francisco Lindor was the only Met who made it into the next round of voting. Lindor continued to show last night why he should be the National League starter. He made a tremendous throw in the field and crushed the ball going 2-for-4 at the plate. Since June 18th he’s now gone 11-for-31, with two doubles and four homers. He has a .436 OBP during this stretch (.308 on the season) and a 1.242 OPS (.760 on the season).
3. Brandon Nimmo’s very good season continues. Brandon Nimmo, like most seasons, is quietly putting together a very good season. Last night he hit is 9th and 10th homer of the season, which definitely puts him on pace to break his career best mark of 17. He has four triples, which means his career high of 8 in 2018 is in jeopardy. His 38 RBI’s means he has a real shot of eclipsing his career best of 64 he had last season. With 44 runs already scored, he likely doesn’t beat his career high of 102 from last season, but he’ll probably end with the second most runs scored in his career.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets have had few nights this season where the bats, the starting pitching and the bullpen click on the same night. Yesterday the Mets got a solid five innings from Justin Verlander. Drew Smith allowed two runs in one inning in his return from suspension, and the rest of the pen looked great. But the bats never arrived and the Mets ended up losing 2-1. Now tonight the Mets will hope that the bats can come back and David Peterson can find a positive groove for the first time since his 2023 debut.

The Mets sent down Tylor Megill after his last start, but didn’t rearrange the Syracuse rotation, so David Peterson, despite his recent struggles, gets another chance in the majors tonight. As a Met this season, Peterson has pitched 39 innings over eight games with a 8.08 ERA, 4.78 FIP, 1.744 WHIP and a 52 ERA+. His H/9 was the worst it ever was in his career at a staggering 12.5 (next closest was 8.6) and his HR/9 was also a career worst at 1.8. Things didn’t get much better for Peterson in Syracuse. Over 37 innings (seven starts) he has a 4.86 ERA and 1.622 WHIP. In his first AAA game he pitched eight shutout innings. Since then he has a 6.00 ERA over 24 innings. He’s already faced the Brewers this season allowing five runs from five hits and five walks over four innings. The Brewers have the following career numbers against him:

• Willy Adames 2-6, 2B, 4 BB, K
• Brian Anderson 2-5, 2 BB, K
• Christian Yelich 1-6, BB, 3 K
• Mike Brosseau 1-6, 3 K
• William Contreras 1-4, BB, K
• Darin Ruf 1-5, BB, 2 K
• Raimel Tapia 0-3, 2 K
• Luis Urías 1-2
• Joey Wiemer 1-2, HR
• Jesse Winker 1-2, 2B

The Mets bats will get a look at an old NL East foe tonight in Juilo Teheran. Julio is off to a fantastic start for the Brewers with a 1.53 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 0.877 WHIP and 131 ERA+ over his first six starts. Julio has had a lot of bumps in the road since his long tenure with Atlanta. He’s been part of the Angels and Tigers organization and was injured for most of 2021. He then bounced around between the Atlantic and Mexican leagues before landing a minor league contract with the Padres. Things weren’t great for him there (5.63 ERA) and he opted out of his contract before coming over to Milwaukee. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Starling Marte 5-27, BB, 6 K
• Jeff McNeil 5-13, 3 2B, BB, K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-9, 2B, 4 BB, 3 K
• Pete Alonso 5-7, 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB
• Tommy Pham 2-10, BB, 2 K
• Luis Guillorme 0-2, BB
• Mark Canha 1-1
• Daniel Vogelbach 0-0, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Work the counts! The Mets didn’t strike out a ton last night like they tend to do when the offense struggles, the just didn’t really fight at all at the plate. The Mets saw only 113 pitches in the game, including only 27 pitches when the Rea left the game after 6 1/3 innings. If you blinked the game was over!
2. Lindor has a five game hitting streak. Lindor has the longest current steak on the Mets right now and when you expand the window to his last eight games he has gone 9-for-27 at the plate with two doubles and three homers. That’s a 1.169 OPS compared to his .747 season OPS. He also has three stolen bases during this window!
   
3. Nittoli and McFarland have the fresh arms. The Mets bullpen usage has been the hot topic of conversation the last couple of days and only two arms now are really fresh after the last three games. Nittoli has allowed one hit over two games and 1 2/3 innings. McFarland was called up before yesterdays game. He has a 2.76 ERA over 32 2/3 innings and 23 games this season. He last pitched on the 24th and should be good to go tonight.

Let’s Go Mets!