213 Miles From Shea

The Mets look to build some momentum this week as they swing into Detroit for a three game set. Yesterday the Mets finally got to play baseball, splitting a doubleheader with the Braves. The Mets battled back multiple times in the first game but still fell short 9-8. In the second game they went up early, lost the lead, but rallied back and beat the Braves 5-3.

Detroit is where the Mets are going to reset their starting rotation. Due to the rainouts this weekend, Max Scherzer is finally eligible to return, however the Mets are slotting him into tomorrow’s spot. Justin Verlander is good to go after a rehab start and will make his Mets debut on Thursday. Kodai Senga is getting extra rest and will start after Verlander which leaves Joey Lucchesi for tonight’s game!

In two games this season, Joey Lucchesi has pitched 12 1/3 innings allowing three runs from nine hits and four walks while striking out 12 batters. After allowing no runs in his first start of the season, Joey struggled a bit against the Washington Nationals last week, allowing three runs over 5 1/3 innings. There are only two batters in the Tigers lineup who have seen Lucchesi before. Former Met Javier Báez is 5-for-7 with two doubles and two homers. Austin Meadows is the other batter, but he just got transferred to the 60-day injured list.

The Mets bats look to stay hot against Michael Lorenzen today. Lorenzen had made three starts and pitched 14 innings with a 7.07 ERA, 5.31 FIP, 1.643 WHIP and a 62 ERA+. Two of his starts have been terrible (six runs over four innings, five runs over five innings). Sandwiched between those starts were five shutout innings against the Orioles where he scattered three hits. The Mets have the following numbers against Lorenzen:

• Starling Marte 6-17, 2 2B, HR, 3 BB, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 2-9, K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-7, 2B
• Tommy Pham 2-7, 2 K
• Pete Alonso 1-5
• Jeff McNeil 0-3, 2 BB
• Eduardo Escobar 2-4, 2B
• Luis Guillorme 2-4
• Tomás NIdo 0-4, 2 K
• Mark Canha 0-2, BB, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Another day, another comment about Brett Baty. Brett Baty is fully in a groove now. He is now hitting .333/.381/.538 on the season and in his last seven games he’s hitting .409/.458/.773. He had three batted balls yesterday that were over 100 mph, bringing him to double digits for the season. We’ve been talking about how the Mets needed another player to step up in the offense. Yesterday that player was Brett Baty.
2. Four Homers in one day? The Mets have been desperate for the big hit and yesterday they got a handful. Pete Alonso, Brett Baty, Eduardo Escobar and Jeff McNeil all homered. Comerica Park is notoriously a pitcher’s ballpark but the Tigers made some changes before this season. The fence was moved in 10-feet in center. The wall from center to right was lowered. Can the Mets ride this power wave, even into a (slightly less) pitcher’s friendly park?
3. Can the Mets take advantage of the Tigers recent struggles? From April 13th to 18th the Tigers went on a five game winning streak. This brought them to only two games below .500. Since then the Tigers are 3-8. This is the time for the Mets to get on a bit of a run.

Let’s Go Mets!

One of my least favorite articles to write is a game preview for the second game of a doubleheader that happens right after the first game. If you’ve followed my website, you know I’m a teacher and I write game previews super early in the morning. I’m actually writing this game preview the night before! Because of that, I can’t give you any context for this game that was set up in the game that just concluded. I have no idea if the Mets pulled off the miracle against Spence Strider in a glorified bullpen game! This article is probably being published during the game!

Tylor Megill gets the start for the Mets. Over his first five starts and 25 innings this season he has a 3.96 ERA, 5.99 FIP, 1.480 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. He’s coming off of back to back rough starts, allowing seven runs over nine innings from 13 hits and five walks while striking out only six batters. Megill has also already allowed five homers this season. The Braves were able to get to Megill last season, tagging him for five runs from seven hits and two walks over six innings.

• Ozzie Albies 4-13, HR, 4 K
• Austin Riley 3-13, HR, 6 K
• Ronald Acuña Jr. 1-5, BB, 3 K
• Ehire Adrianza 0-3, BB, K
• Matt Olson 1-3, BB
• Orlando Arcia 1-3, 2B
• Travis d’Arnaud 1-3, 2B, K
• Eddie Rosario 0-2

The Mets bats will get a look at the ageless pitcher from New Jersey, Charlie Morton. He is 39-years old and over five starts (29 1/3 innings) this season he has a 2.76 ERA, 4.35 FIP, 1.398 WHIP and a 129 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed only two runs from eight hits and five walks over 13 innings while striking out 14 batters. In four starts (21 2/3 innings) against the Mets last year he allowed 13 runs, 12 earned (4.98 ERA) from 25 hits and eight walks while striking out 26 batters. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Lindor 5-35, 2 2B, HR, 9 K
• Pete Alonso 6-18, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Eduardo Escobar 5-17, HR, BB, 4 K
• Starling Marte 3-16, 2 BB, 6 K
• Jeff McNeil 4-15, 2 HR, 7 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-15, BB, 5 K
• Luis Guillorme 1-11, 4 BB, 2 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 4-13, 2 HR, 2 BB, 6 K
• Mark Canha 3-11, HR, 4 K
• Tommy Pham 1-7, BB, 4 K
• Tomás Nido 2-6, BB, K

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Braves hope to get two games in today after an incredibly rainy weekend in the New York City area. After two days in a row of quite literally the same pitching matchup, the Mets made some roster changes last night and made the curious decision to not start Kodai Senga today. Instead, Denyi Reyes will get the start for the first game and Tylor Megill will start later this afternoon.

In case you need a reminder – the last time we saw the Mets was after the fifth inning on Friday night. The Mets and Braves were scoreless for the first four innings on Friday, with the rain steadily increasing throughout the game. The Braves were able to score four runs in the fifth inning, and the Mets couldn’t tie the game in the bottom of the fifth before the rain delay. At that point the game was official and a few hours later the rain delay turned into a rain shortened victory for the Braves.

Denyi Reyes will make his first start of the season for the Mets today. So far in five games and 6 1/3 innings, Reyes has allowed no runs from three hits and two walks while striking out seven. Each time the Mets used him he tossed more and more pitches, from three pitches in his first game to 33 in his last. He’s only pitched in one game for Syracuse since being sent down and that was a week ago where he pitched 1 2/3 innings allowing two runs from three hits. No one for Atlanta has seen Denyi in a major league game before.

The Mets bats have a tall order this afternoon against Spencer Strider. Strider is off to a tremendous start this season, pitching 30 innings over his first five games with a 1.80 ERA, 1.72 FIP (league leading), 0.833 WHIP and a 244 ERA+. He is also leading the league in hits per nine inning at a paltry 4.2 and strikeouts per nine inning at 14.7. Strider had two rough starts earlier in April where he allowed six runs over 10 innings. Since then he has allowed no runs and only three hits in two games and 14 innings. The Mets were able to get to Strider last year scoring six runs from 14 hits over 12 1/3 innings:

• Brandon Nimmo 4-9, HR, BB
• Francisco Lindor 4-9, 3B, K
• Pete Alonso 1-6, 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
• Mark Canha 2-6, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 0-6, BB, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-5, 2B
• Eduardo Escobar 1-3, 2B, BB
• Starling Marte 0-3, BB, 2 K
• Tommy Pham 0-4, 3 K
• Luis Guillorme 1-3, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Which Spencer Strider shows up this afternoon? Spencer Strider looked like the best pitcher in baseball after his eight inning, shutout performance the other night. He is also only two starts removed from two average starts. The Mets have both hit Strider well and completely fell apart against him last year. Which Strider do the Mets see this afternoon?
2. Another day, another reason to talk about Brett Baty. On Thursday night Brett Baty got on base four times and hit a homer. Last night he went 1-for-2, collecting one of the three hits the Mets had yesterday. His single, which bounced off the grass in the infield before going into the outfield was hit off the bat at 110.2 mph. He’s already in the 72nd percentile for max exit velocity according to Baseball Savant.
3. A well-rested bullpen heading into a bullpen game. In an ideal world the Mets get four to five innings out of Denyi Reyes this afternoon. Just looking at his previous games though, I think its more likely we see him on the three to four inning side. The Mets bullpen, which hasn’t been used since Thursday, is incredibly rested heading into the doubleheader with the Braves today. Further, the Mets still have to make two more roster moves this week to bring back Scherzer and Verlander. Someone, possibly two pitchers, are going to get used to their maximum potential today and then get sent down afterwards.

Let’s Go Mets!

Let’s try that again. The Braves and Mets will attempt to play a baseball game after a rain shortened game on Friday night and yesterday’s postponement. Has it stopped raining where you are since Friday night? It has has barely stopped here. 

The Mets and Braves were scoreless for four innings on Friday, with the rain steadily increasing throughout the game. The Braves were able to score four runs in the fifth inning, and the Mets couldn’t tie the game in the bottom of the fifth before the rain delay. At that point the game was official and a few hours later the rain delay turned into a rain shortened victory for the Braves.

The Mets rescheduled yesterday’s game to August 12th. Could the Mets be trying some gamesmanship since the team is struggling right now? Maybe! The move to August 12th means that the earliest Max Scherzer can pitch is now Tuesday. There’s probably a more practical reason why the Mets didn’t schedule the make up today – it’s still raining. According to the National Weather Service, at 11 AM today there’s an 80% of rain in Flushing. Flushing doesn’t get below an 80% chance until 8 PM tonight. I’m not feeling great about this game happening either. 

Tylor Megill gets the start for the Mets. Over his first five starts and 25 innings this season he has a 3.96 ERA, 5.99 FIP, 1.480 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. He’s coming off of back to back rough starts, allowing seven runs over nine innings from 13 hits and five walks while striking out only six batters. Megill has also already allowed five homers this season. The Braves were able to get to Megill last season, tagging him for five runs from seven hits and two walks over six innings.

• Ozzie Albies 4-13, HR, 4 K
• Austin Riley 3-13, HR, 6 K
• Ronald Acuña Jr. 1-5, BB, 3 K
• Ehire Adrianza 0-3, BB, K
• Matt Olson 1-3, BB
• Orlando Arcia 1-3, 2B
• Travis d’Arnaud 1-3, 2B, K
• Eddie Rosario 0-2

The Mets bats have a tall order this afternoon against Spencer Strider. Strider is off to a tremendous start this season, pitching 30 innings over his first five games with a 1.80 ERA, 1.72 FIP (league leading), 0.833 WHIP and a 244 ERA+. He is also leading the league in hits per nine inning at a paltry 4.2 and strikeouts per nine inning at 14.7. Strider had two rough starts earlier in April where he allowed six runs over 10 innings. Since then he has allowed no runs and only three hits in two games and 14 innings. The Mets were able to get to Strider last year scoring six runs from 14 hits over 12 1/3 innings:

• Brandon Nimmo 4-9, HR, BB
• Francisco Lindor 4-9, 3B, K
• Pete Alonso 1-6, 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
• Mark Canha 2-6, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 0-6, BB, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-5, 2B
• Eduardo Escobar 1-3, 2B, BB
• Starling Marte 0-3, BB, 2 K
• Tommy Pham 0-4, 3 K
• Luis Guillorme 1-3, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Which Spencer Strider shows up this afternoon? Spencer Strider looked like the best pitcher in baseball after his eight inning, shutout performance the other night. He is also only two starts removed from two average starts. The Mets have both hit Strider well and completely fell apart against him last year. Which Strider do the Mets see this afternoon?
2. Another day, another reason to talk about Brett Baty. On Thursday night Brett Baty got on base four times and hit a homer. Last night he went 1-for-2, collecting one of the three hits the Mets had yesterday. His single, which bounced off the grass in the infield before going into the outfield was hit off the bat at 110.2 mph. He’s already in the 72nd percentile for max exit velocity according to Baseball Savant.
3. This weather stinks, but at least it is setting up the bullpen. One of the concerns Friday night was if the Mets went into a rain delay early, then came back and immediately had to go to the pen. The bullpen got the night off on Friday and the whole day off yesterday. The Mets also did some shuffling to their pen, moving Raley to the injured list, sending Peterson down, calling up Curtiss and bringing back Ottavino. The Mets are going to need to make even more moves later this week when Scherzer and Verlander come back. If the Mets end up needing to play two games on Monday, they should be good to go.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Braves will attempt to get a game in today after last night’s rain shortened affair. The Mets and Braves were scoreless for four innings yesterday, with the rain steadily increasing throughout the game. The Braves were able to score four runs in the fifth inning, and the Mets couldn’t tie the game in the bottom of the fifth before the rain delay. At that point the game was official and a few hours later the rain delay turned into a rain shortened victory for the Braves.

There are still three games left in this series and tonight should have some rain difficulties as well. The rain chances for Flushing shift from 100% to 80% around 2:00 and step down to 60% at around 8:00. As of writing this in the morning, it feels unlikely that the Mets will get today’s game in.

Tylor Megill gets the start for the Mets. Over his first five starts and 25 innings this season he has a 3.96 ERA, 5.99 FIP, 1.480 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. He’s coming off of back to back rough starts, allowing seven runs over nine innings from 13 hits and five walks while striking out only six batters. Megill has also already allowed five homers this season. The Braves were able to get to Megill last season, tagging him for five runs from seven hits and two walks over six innings.

• Ozzie Albies 4-13, HR, 4 K
• Austin Riley 3-13, HR, 6 K
• Ronald Acuña Jr. 1-5, BB, 3 K
• Ehire Adrianza 0-3, BB, K
• Matt Olson 1-3, BB
• Orlando Arcia 1-3, 2B
• Travis d’Arnaud 1-3, 2B, K
• Eddie Rosario 0-2

The Mets bats have a tall order this afternoon against Spencer Strider. Strider is off to a tremendous start this season, pitching 30 innings over his first five games with a 1.80 ERA, 1.72 FIP (league leading), 0.833 WHIP and a 244 ERA+. He is also leading the league in hits per nine inning at a paltry 4.2 and strikeouts per nine inning at 14.7. Strider had two rough starts earlier in April where he allowed six runs over 10 innings. Since then he has allowed no runs and only three hits in two games and 14 innings. The Mets were able to get to Strider last year scoring six runs from 14 hits over 12 1/3 innings:

• Brandon Nimmo 4-9, HR, BB
• Francisco Lindor 4-9, 3B, K
• Pete Alonso 1-6, 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
• Mark Canha 2-6, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 0-6, BB, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-5, 2B
• Eduardo Escobar 1-3, 2B, BB
• Starling Marte 0-3, BB, 2 K
• Tommy Pham 0-4, 3 K
• Luis Guillorme 1-3, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Which Spencer Strider shows up tonight? Spencer Strider looked like the best pitcher in baseball after his eight inning, shutout performance the other night. He is also only two starts removed from two average starts. The Mets have both hit Strider well and completely fell apart against him last year. Which Strider do the Mets see this afternoon?
2. Another day, another reason to talk about Brett Baty. On Thursday night Brett Baty got on base four times and hit a homer. Last night he went 1-for-2, collecting one of the three hits the Mets had yesterday. His single, which bounced off the grass in the infield before going into the outfield was hit off the bat at 110.2 mph. He’s already in the 72nd percentile for max exit velocity according to Baseball Savant.
3. Last night stunk, but at least it was good for the bullpen. One of the concerns last night was if the Mets went into a rain delay early, then came back and immediately had to go to the pen. The bullpen got the night off yesterday. There’s also a good chance they get the day-off today. The Mets are going to need everyone rested if the Mets have to play two games on Sunday.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets snapped their four game losing streak last night. Was it due to the giant Brandon Nimmo gnome that appeared in the dugout? Was it due to Joey Lucchesi’s churve? What about Brett Baty’s breakout game where he got on base four times including a homer? Whatever the reason, the Mets were able to hold off the Nationals who got back into the game multiple times with a 9-8 win. Now the Mets will take this new found momentum into an important early season meeting with the Braves.

The Mets need David Peterson to come back to the version we saw in spring training. In his first five starts this season Peterson has pitched 25 2/3 innings with a 7.36 ERA, 5.61 FIP, 1.636 WHIP and a 56 ERA+. He has already allowed seven homers this year, and his previous season high was 11 which he hit in each of the last two seasons. His last two starts in particular have been dreadful, allowing 13 runs from 14 hits and a walk over 11 innings. Five of those 14 hits were homers. On the positive side, he did strike out 14 batters in that stretch. Peterson was effective against the Braves last season facing them four times, three starts, totaling 16 1/3 innings with a 2.76 ERA and 22 strikeouts. The Braves have the following numbers against Peterson:

• Ronald Acuña Jr. 2-12, 2B, HR, 5 BB, 4 K
• Austin Riley 8-16, 3 2B, BB, 3 K
• Travis d’Arnaud 0-10, 2 BB, 5 K
• Marcell Ozuna 0-12, BB, 6 K
• Ozzie Albies 2-10
• Matt Olson 2-8, 2 HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Orlando Arcia 0-3, BB, K

The Mets bats will have to contend with Max Fried tonight. In his first three starts of the year, Fried has allowed only one run from 11 hits and three walks over 15 innings of work. Fried has been working back from an injury that cut his first start of the season against the Nationals short to 3 1/3 innings. He returned to the rotation on April 17th and tossed 79 pitches. He was fully back against the Braves, throwing 107 pitches over 6 2/3 innings. Fried faced the Mets a lot last year and was quite good. Over five starts and 29 innings, Fried allowed 11 runs, 9 earned, from 23 hits and 6 walks (2.79 ERA) while striking out 25 batters. The Mets have the following numbers against Fried:

• Pete Alonso 9-32, 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 11 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-23, 2 2B, 4 BB, 9 K
• Jeff McNeil 10-27, 3 2B, 5 K
• Francisco Lindor 3-23, HR, 5 K
• Starling Marte 4-16, 2 2B, BB, 3 K
• Eduardo Escobar 4-16, 4 K
• Mark Canha 4-12, 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Luis Guillorme 4-11, 2 2B, BB, 2 K
• Tomás Nido 3-12, 2 2B, K
• Tommy Pham 2-10, 2 BB, 2 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 0-3, K
• Francisco Álvarez 0-2
• Brett Baty 1-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brett Baty is here! Brett Baty had a breakout game last night, going 3-for-3 at the plate with a homer and a walk. Over his last five games he has gone 7-for-15 and a batting line of .467/.529/.733. This is the reason why he was called up! Is this the spark the Mets need right now to have a great weekend against the Braves?
2. The rain and the bullpen: There’s a good chance that the Mets bullpen sees some rearranging this weekend (if it hasn’t already happened by the time you read this article). With the rain in the forecast tonight and tomorrow, there is the possibility that someone starts a game and leaves early due to weather. Drew Smith is the only person who has pitched in the last three days. Tommy Hunter has thrown 46 pitches in the last three. Jimmy Yacabonis tossed 45 pitches on Tuesday, he’s probably available tonight. Jeff Brigham had a long relief outing on Wednesday and has thrown 74 pitches in the last five days. The Mets already recalled Denyi Reyes with Adam Ottavino on the paternity list. Mother nature could become an X-factor this weekend.
3. Francisco Lindor’s big night: Francisco Lindor is the engine of the Mets offense. When Lindor is on, his energy is contagious and is picked up by other players on the field. He had a huge night last night collecting two doubles and three RBI’s. Lindor’s success tonight can be the push the Mets need to get multiple bats hot.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets need a win tonight in the worst way. Last night the Mets lost the series to the Nationals and their fourth game in a row, the first time since 2021 they’ve lost four games in a row. A win today prevents the sleep and can help the team get it’s swagger back. The last several games have felt lackluster.

Like everything in baseball, it all starts with one game. The Mets home opener this year came right after the Mets got swept in dramatic fashion by the Brewers. it was an ugly series in every way possible for the Mets. The Mets were able to regroup and go 4-2 at home. They then swept the Athletics and then went 2-1 against the Dodgers. It all starts with one game. Here’s hoping that’s today!

Joey Lucchesi played Mets hero in first start of the season. He allowed no runs from four hits and two walks while struck out nine batters over seven innings. It was the longest start by a starter this season for the Mets (which highlight’s the current rotation issues the team has). Lucchesi started to turn around his season in 2021 with a string of successful starts before a season ended injury. He required Tommy John surgery and missed all of last season. He now finds himself in an interesting situation. With Scherzer and Verlander due back next week, if Lucchesi has another strong start in the rotation he could end up pushing another starter out. A few players on the Nationals roster have seen Lucchesi before:

• Victor Robles 4-8, 2B, HR, 2 K
• Corey Dickerson 0-3
• Carter Kieboom 1-2

The Mets get to see an unsung hero from last year’s team – Trevor Williams. Williams pitched in 30 games, including nine starts for the 2022 Mets with a 3.21 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 1.227 WHIP and 120 ERA+. As a member of the Nationals this season he has made four starts pitching 21 1/3 innings with a 3.38 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 1.087 WHIP and a 124 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed only three runs over 11 innings (2.45 ERA, 4.52 FIP). Further, Williams is pretty stretched out now, tossing at least 93 pitches in three of his four starts this season. The Mets have the following career numbers against Trevor:

• Tommy Pham 3-13, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-7, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
• Pete Alonso 2-7, 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-8, 2 K
• Eduardo Escobar 2-5, 2B
• Brandon Nimmo 0-4, 3 K
• Luis Guillorme 0-3
• Daniel Vogelbach 0-0, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete cannot carry the team by himself. The past four games have shown that the Mets offense needs another player to step up as a run producer besides Pete Alonso. Alonso cannot carry the team all by himself. In the four losses, Alonso is hitless in 16 trips to the plate with no walks and six strikeouts. In the 14 games before that, Alonso was hitting .339/.413/.714. Those are fantastic numbers for Alonso but also hot streak numbers. Cold streaks happen. As we saw last night the Mets can still get on base in a cold streak, but who is going to knock them in?
2. Jeff McHits: Over the last six games McNeil has gone 10-for-22 at the plate with a homer leading to a .455/.539/.591 batting line. There has not been a strong correlation yet between his hot streak and the Mets winning games. McNeil, who has been on base a total of 14 times over the last six games has only scored five times. The Mets bats need to take advantage of this streak McNeil is on right now.
3. Eduardo Escobar has been better recently then we all probably think. Brett Baty should be playing every day. That being said, the Mets need to find another way to get Escobar in the lineup because he is starting to heat up. In the last five games he’s played in, dating back to the Oakland series, Escobar is 5-for-18 with a double, triple and a homer and has scored four times (.278/.316/.611). He has also struck out only three times and grounded into one double play during this stretch. Before this stretch of five games, Escobar was hitting .103/.143/.205.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets will try to snap a three game losing streak tonight as they take on the Nationals for game two of the series. Last night the Mets looked flat and un-Mets-like. They were swinging at pitches way out of the zone, not working counts and made several defensive mistakes (like big mistakes) in the field. The whole night felt off.

Hopefully the Mets got a fully night of sleep and are fully adjusted so they can get back on the winning path today against MacKenzie Gore and Dominic Smith.

Kodai Senga makes his fifth start tonight. The hope is that the extra rest he got with the off-day brings back the Senga we saw earlier this season. Over his four starts and 21 innings he has a 4.29 ERA, 6.04 FIP, 1.524 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed eight runs over 9 2/3 innings from 12 hits and eight walks while striking out 11 batters. Further, the home run ball has been hitting him a bit more recently as he has allowed five in his three starts, with two per game in his last two.

The Mets bats will go from one highly touted young player in Josiah Gray to another in MacKenzie Gore. In four starts and 21 innings this season, Gore has a 3.43 ERA, 4.18 FIP, 1.381 WHIP and a 121 ERA+. His last two starts were a bit rougher than his first two, allowing five runs from seven hits and five walks over 9 2/3 innings (4.66 ERA). Gore did not face the Mets last season and the only Met who has seen him in a major league game is Tommy Pham who is 2-for-5 with three strikeouts against him.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. How do the Mets look out of the gate? It was apparent in the bottom of the first inning that something looked off about the Mets yesterday. Brandon Nimmo, who usually works a long first at bat, struck out swinging. Marte and Lindor quickly followed. The Mets added two more strikeouts in the bottom of the second. By the end of the game they struck out a combined 13 times. I personally will feel a giant wave of relief in the bottom of the first today if the Mets are able to work counts and make Gore toss a few extra pitches.
2. Let the kids play! Brett Baty is 5-for-16 in his last four games with a double (.313/.313/.375). Francisco Álvarez is 4-for-15 in his last four games with a homer (.267/.267/.467). These aren’t batting lines that are going to blow anyone away however there have been signs over the last four games they each played that both players are starting to turn a corner.
3. The Mets are no longer HBP leaders! For the first time in what feels like forever, the Mets are no longer hit by pitch leaders. The Mets are tied with the Rays with 17 plunks. Both teams trail the Angels who have been hit 18 times. This is not a category the Mets want to lead in, although their roster is constructed to lead.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets finally return home! While the last two games were disappointing, the Mets went 7-3 on a ten game road trip and took two of three games from the Dodgers. After the Mets 3-4 start to the season they have won or split all five of their last five series. After spring training and a road trip to start the year, the Mets were only home for six games before they went out west for a California adventure. We are hoping the Mets look fresh and rested after the off-day as they welcome the Nationals to Citi Field for the first time season.

Today’s game should have involved the former National Max Scherzer getting the start against the player he was traded for Josiah Gray. As you know by now, Max’s hands were too sticky according to Umpire Phil Cuzzi, leading to Max’s ejection in his last start. The Mets asked Max not to appeal the suspension, because the Mets would have been at risk of losing a roster spot if the suspension was upheld. Instead we get José Butto!

You may be thinking “Hey! I thought José Butto wasn’t eligible yet because the Mets just sent him down after a spot start last week. You would be correct except the Mets moved Edwin Uceta to Injured List, which allows the team to recall Butto. Is this a phantom injury? I’m not really sure!

José Butto made a spot start for the Mets against the Athletics on April 16th. Butto did well, allowing only one run over five innings from five hits and four walks while striking out two. Butto has not pitched in a game since being sent down. Overall he’s allowed two runs from six hits and 9 2/3 innings for Syracuse this season.

Josiah Gray has pitched 21 2/3 innings with a 3.74 ERA, 5.77 FIP, 1.477 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. In his first start of the season against the Braves he allowed five runs from seven hits and two walks over over five innings, including three homers. Since then he has allowed only four runs over 16 2/3 innings (2.16 ERA, 4.28 FIP) and only one homer. That only one homer in his last three starts is huge. His major weak point in his game since his call-up was homers. He gave up a league leading 38 last year. Last year he allowed 2.3 HR/9, down to 1.7 HR/9 this season with most of that happening in the first game. Last season the Mets tagged Gray for 10 runs in nine innings over two starts from 14 hits and six walks. The Mets have the following career numbers against Gray:

• Pete Alonso 3-6, 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 0-5, 2 BB, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 4-6, 2B, HR
• Starling Marte 1-6
• Brandon Nimmo 3-6, 2B, K
• Mark Canha 1-3, BB, K
• Eduardo Escobar 2-3, 2B, HR
• Tomás Nido 1-3
• Tommy Pham 1-2, HR, BB, K
• Daniel Vogelbach 0-1, 2 BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Mets complete the deconstructed 2023 cookie club tour. The 2019 Mets had a cookie club that ordered late night cookies after games and was just the heartwarming story we all needed. Members included current Mets Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo and former Mets J.D. Davis, Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith. The Mets just finished a four game series against the Giants where we got to visit with Davis and Conforto. Tonight the Mets welcome the last, and certainly not least, member back to Citi Field. Dominic Smith played for the Mets for six seasons. At times he flashed the potential that he still has! Other times he looked lost at the plate. This year he’s slashing .233/.325/.233 – the power isn’t there yet, but he’s getting on base a clip better than his career numbers. This is as good a time as ever to remember Dominic’s best hit as a Met. He spent the last two months of the cookie club season on the injured list with a fracture in his left foot. In the last game of the season, Smith was given a chance to take an at bat with the Mets down two in the bottom of the 11th. The rest is pure Mets lore.
2. Gray and Walks: Gray led the league in walks last year with 66. So far this year he has walked nine batters. That’s good for a 3.7 BB/9 rate, just a slight drop from last year’s 4.0 BB/9 rate. The Mets are one of the best teams at working the count and getting the free pass. Watch for the “walk and blast” game plan tonight.
3. Francisco Lindor’s Good Start: Pete Alonso has been getting a ton of attention with his homers. Brandon Nimmo has been getting attention for his other-wordly start. Lindor is quietly putting together a strong campaign too. Boosted by 11 walks, Lindor has a .333 OBP and a .465 slugging (thanks to his four homers and nine doubles). All of this has led to a 121 OPS+ for the Mets superstar.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets finally end their long, west coast trip tonight as they take on the Giants one more time on ESPN. For the Mets, winning tonight determine whether they finish this road trip 8-2 or 7-3. It also determines if they will win their fifth consecutive series of the season. The only other time the Mets have won eight games on a road trip to the West Coast was in 1986 when the Mets went 8-1 out west. While the percentage is an impossible feat for the Mets to match right now, they could tie the win total!

Tylor Megill has made four starts and pitched 21 innings for the Mets this year with a 3.00 ERA, 5.79 FIP, 1.429 WHIP and a 138 ERA+. In his last start he allowed three runs from seven hits (two homers) over five innings against the Dodgers, pickin gup his first loss of the season. Between the seven hits and the four walks, Megill was just slightly off in that game. Megill faced the Giants once last ear and they were able to get four runs over six innings from seven hits and two walks. The Giants have the following career numbers against Megill:

• Brandon Crawford 1-8, 2 K
• Joc Pederson 1-7, HR, BB, K
• Mike Yastrzemski 2-6, HR, BB
• Wilmer Flores 2-5, 2B, BB, K
• LaMonte Wade Jr. 3-6, 2B, HR
• Joey Bart 0-3, 2 K
• Thairo Estrada 1-3, K
• Darin Ruf 1-1

Ross Stripling returns to the rotation for the Giants this evening! Ross signed with the Giants this year to fortify their rotation and struggled out of the gate. The Giants pivoted by putting him in the bullpen and now after a good outing he’s on his way back to the rotation.

On the season he has pitched in four games, one start, totaling 12 1/3 innings with a 7.30 ERA, 8.79 FIP, 1.459 WHIP and a 61 ERA+. Most of his negative stats coming his first two outings. He allowed four runs over five innings against the Yankees, including three homers, to start the season. He he allowed four runs, including two homers, in 1 2/3 innings of relief against the Royals. Since then he has allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings while striking out nine batters. The Mets have the following career numbers against Ross:

• Eduardo Escobar 2-13, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
• Tommy Pham 0-13, BB, 2 K
• Starling Marte 2-8, 2 BB, K
• Pete Alonso 1-3, 2B, K
• Luis Guillorme 1-2, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-2, 2 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 0-2
• Mark Canha 0-1
• Francisco Lindor 0-1

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brett Baty: I usually write the segment hours before the Mets release their lineup for the game. It’s always a risk including the Mets young stars here because of how the Mets have been playing them (really not playing them) since they’ve been called up. Baty had his first multi-hit game of the season yesterday going 2-for-4, scoring a run and knocking one in as well. In his last two games, on back to back days, he’s gone 3-for-9 with three strikeouts. Is the start of something?
2. The Bullpen Savior: After Peterson’s rough start yesterday Edwin Uceta made his Mets debut. He tossed 51 pitches over three scoreless and hitless innings to close out the game. First off, what a strong outing by a young player in their first game for the Mets organization. Second, he saved the rest of the bullpen giving everyone the day off. The Mets finally have a day off tomorrow as well so players are getting some much needed rest. Drew Smith and Jeff Brigham enter tonight’s game on two day’s rest. Adam Ottavino, David Robertson and Jimmy Yacabonis enter tonight’s game with three days of rest!
3. Brandon Nimmo’s Excellent Road Trip: Over nine games during this road trip Nimmo has hit four doubles and two homers among his 19 total hits! He’s hitting .487/.535/.744. He’s not just one of the best hitters on the Mets, he’s one of the best hitters in the league this season!

Let’s Go Mets!