213 Miles From Shea

Francisco Lindor made a game saving catch in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday night. The Brewers had already tied the game at this point and had the bases loaded with two outs. David Hamilton hit a ball that should have at least sent one run home but Lindor made a leaping catch to the end the inning. In the bottom of the tenth, the Mets had the bases loaded and they won the game on an errant throw home. Over the weekend the Mets lost twice on walk-off home runs, so the universe returned the balance of things a bit last night. Now Robert Stock has a chance to lock down the series with a win tonight!

Robert Stock is making his fifth start this season. He has a pitched 16 2/3 innings over his first four starts with a 5.40 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 1.680 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. His 16 2/3 innings is the most in the majors since his rookie season in 2018 (39 2/3 innings, 32 relief outings). The Mets have kept him limited to 4 1/3 innings in his last two outings and it’s been a winning strategy. He allowed a total of two runs, only one earned, from five hits and six walks over 8 2/3 innings while striking out 11 batters. The only batter on the Brewers who has faced him in a Major League game is Christian Yelich (0-for-1, BB, K).

Dustin May was traded from the Cardinals to the Brewers at the trade deadline. He has made 24 starts this season totaling 124 innings with a 4.57 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 1.298 WHIP and an 86 ERA+. In three starts with the Brewers he has pitched 15 innings with a 6.00 ERA, 5.02 FIP, 1.400 WHIP and a 71 ERA+. His stats as a Brewer are being heavily impacted by his last start against the Mariners where he allowed seven runs over two innings (three runs over 11 innings in his other two starts). May shutout the Mets over six innings earlier this season and the Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-4, K
• Brett Baty 2-7, 3 K
• Carson Benge 0-3, K
• Bo Bichette 0-3
• A.J. Ewing 2-2, 2B
• Francisco Lindor 1-5, HR
• Cristian Pache 1-1
• Marcus Semien 0-5, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Eric Wagaman 1-2, BB
• Jared Young 0-6, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. Lindor was the hero Tuesday night for the Mets with a solo home run and a game saving catch! In his last two games, Lindor has gone 4-for-8 at the plate with a double, a home run, a walk and two runs scored. He is now sitting at 13 home runs for the season and has a small chance of reaching 20 for the season. If Lindor gets real hot and hits eight more homers, he will reach 300 for his career this season.
2. Carson Benge. The Mets were not able to take advantage of Carson Benge’s Tuesday night. Benge went 3-for-4 at the plate with a a walk. It was the second time in three games that he had at least three hits and his third consecutive game with at least two hits. In his last five games he has gone 11-for-21 with a double, two home runs and a stolen base while slashing .524/.545/.857. He now has a 116 OPS+. He is still four home runs and one stolen base away from a 20-20 season.
3. Luis Robert Jr. Robert Jr. had a memorable weekend against his former team and rode that momentum into the opener with the Brewers on Tuesday going 2-for-4 with a home run and a walk. In his last six games he has gone 7-for-18 with a double and four home runs, slashing .389/.522/1.111. He has raised his season slash line from .214/.287/.346 to .232/.313/.424. That’s a 100 point jump for his OPS!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets were *this close* to sweeping the White Sox over the weekend. Instead they dropped series with the White Sox hitting walk-off home runs on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. Now the return home to take on the Brewers.

Zac Thornton has made nine starts this season totaling 50 1/3 innings with a 3.04 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 1.152 WHIP and a 134 ERA+. In is last two starts he has allowed six runs over 11 innings from 14 hits and two walks while striking out nine batters. Taking a step back, he’s allowed at least three runs in four of his last five starts, and has allowed five home runs over that stretch. Thornton had an excellent start against the Brewers back in July holding them scoreless over six innings. The Brewers have the following career numbers against him:

• Jackson Chourio 1-3, K
• William Contreras 0-1, BB
• Luis Lara 0-2
• Garrett Mitchell 0-2
• Joey Ortiz 1-2
• Cooper Pratt 1-2
• Gary Sánchez 0-2, K
• Brice Turang 0-3
• Andrew Vaughn 0-2

Kyle Harrison should eclipse 100 innings pitched for the second time in his career tonight. This season he has made 20 starts totaling 98 1/3 innings with a 2.84 ERA, 3.24 FIP, 1.108 WHIP and a 146 ERA+. In his last start he held the Mariners scoreless over five innings but he allowed at least three earned runs in three of the four starts before that. The Mets have the following career stats against Harrison:

• Francisco Lindor 1-3, 2B, K
• Christopher Morel 0-3, K
• Cristian Pache 2-3, K
• Luis Robert Jr. 1-3
• Eric Wagaman 1-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Luis Robert Jr. against other teams. Luis Robert Jr. became the latest example of wanting to torch your former team this past weekend. He went 4-for-10 with a double, two home runs, and three walks against the White Sox. His batting average (.225), on-base percentage (.306)and slugging (.405) are all now the highest they been since 2023. It would be great if he could ride this hot streak all the way through the end of the season.
2. Carson Benge is on another hot streak. He’s at it again! Carson Benge is on a four game hitting streak where he has gone 8-for-17 with a double, two home runs and four runs scored. He now has a 3.0 bWAR on the season to go with a 114 OPS+. Benge is only four home runs and one stolen base away from a 20-20 season in his rookie year.
3. Get Alvarez going! Francisco Alvarez has had a rough go of it at the plate recently. In his last 10 games he has only two hits and four walks. He’s slashing .061/.162/.091 over the stretch which has dropped his season line from .257/.344/.442 to .235/.324/.403.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to take the series from the first place White Sox this afternoon in Chicago! The White Sox won the series opener Friday night on a walk-off home run, slowly erasing a 4-0 Mets lead throughout the night. The Mets roared back on Saturday recording ten runs on 16 hits including five home runs. Now Nolan McLean looks to lock down the series win!

Nolan McLean has made 25 starts totaling 142 2/3 innings this season with a 3.34 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 1.157 WHIP and a 122 ERA+. He’s also leading the league with 14 hit batters. In his last two starts he has pitched 12 innings allowing two runs on seven hits and six walks while striking out six batters. In his last nine starts he has a 2.19 ERA (3.49 FIP) striking out 56 batters in 53 1/3 innings. The only hitter on the White Sox to officially face Nolan McLean is Jake Rogers (0-for-2, BB, K).

Sean Newcomb will open this afternoon’s game for the White Sox. Over 47 games this season he has pitched 70 innings with a 2.44 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 1.100 WHIP and a 172 ERA+. He has pitched as an opener three times this season, including twice in his last three games, allowing no runs over 6 1/3 innings. In his last eight games he has pitched 12 1/3 innings allowing two unearned runs and nothing else. Newcomb can probably pitch between two and three innings depending on how well the Mets hitters do against him. The Mets have the following career stats on Newcomb:

• Brett Baty 0-1
• Bo Bichette 2-7, K
• Francisco Lindor 1-1, HR, BB
• Christopher Morel 2-3
• Luis Robert Jr. 1-3, K
• Marcus Semien 2-8, 2 HR, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-2, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Erick Fedde. Fedde is in line for the bulk work this afternoon behind Newcomb. This season Fedde has pitched in 27 games including 12 starts totaling 114 1/3 innings with a 4.33 ERA, 5.33 FIP, 1.399 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. Home runs has been a problem for Fedde this season. Hitters are hitting 1.7 HR/9, the highest rate since 2020 (career 1.4). He’s coming off of a great relief outing where he held the Cubs scoreless for 4 2/3 innings scattering three hits and two walks. Bo Bichette has gone 6-for-11 with four doubles and two strikeouts against Fedde.
2. Luis Robert Jr. All it took for Robert Jr. was to face his old club. In two games against the White Sox he has gone 3-for-8 with a double and two home runs. How now has three home runs in his last four games played and his best SLG% (.404) since 2023. Here’s hoping the momentum continues after this weekend.
3. Luis Torrens. Torrens has been on another level for the last few weeks. He came off of the bench last night and smacked his third home run in four games played. Since the trade deadline Torrens has played in ten games going 11-for-25 at the plate with six home runs, slashing .440/.517/1.160. The Mets are 7-3 in the last 10 games that Torrens has had a plate appearance.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to rebound after losing to the first place White Sox Friday night. The Mets took a 4-0 lead scoring in the second, fourth and fifth inning last night but then the White Sox came roaring back. They scored four runs in the sixth and then won the game with a walk-off home run off Jefry Yan in the ninth inning.

The Nationals also lost Friday night so the Mets are still only 2.5 games back of fourth place. They can’t climb out of the cellar this weekend, but they can close the gap further with a win tonight!

Christian Scott has made 18 starts totaling 84 2/3 innings this season with a 3.51 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 1.287 WHIP and a 116 ERA+. August has been a bit rough for Scott who has allowed at least three runs in each of his last three starts (5.87 ERA, 2.89 FIP over 15 1/3 innings). Scott has been striking out hitters a healthy clip, posting an 11.2 K/9 this season, already eclipsing 100+ strikeouts. Over his first eight starts in 2024 he had a 7.4 K/9. The only member who has faced Christian Scott before is Brenton Doyle (1-for-2).

The White Sox acquired Luis Castillo from the Mariners at the trade deadline this season. Overall this season Castillo has pitched 115 1/3 innings with a 4.99 ERA, 4.52 FIP, 1.370 WHIP and an 80 ERA+. In three starts with the White Sox he has pitched 15 2/3 innings with a 4.60 ERA, 4.30 FIP, 1.213 WHIP and a 93 ERA+. But those numbers are hiding small-sample results. In two of those starts, Castillo has allowed nine runs, eight earned, over 8 2/3 innings. In the other start he shutout the Reds over seven innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Castillo:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-2, K
• Bo Bichette 7-20, 2 2B, BB, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 8-15, 3 2B, 2 HR, K
• Christopher Morel 2-11, 2B, BB
• Luis Robert Jr. 0-6, K
• Marcus Semien 5-21, HR, BB, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 2-4, K
• Eric Wagaman 0-2, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Bo Bichette. Bo Bichette is closing in on a career high for walks. He is sitting at 36 this season in only 128 games played. He has had 40 walks twice, and 41 walks once. Bichette’s game has been getting hits, he led the league in hits in 2021 and 2022. He is still digging himself out of the whole he his cold start put him in. Even with getting walks at a comparatively high rate, his OBP is still the second lowest in his career.
2. Keep the ball in the park! The White Sox hit three massive home runs last night with two in the sixth and the walk off in the ninth. Amazing, Murakami didn’t hit any of those home runs. The long ball has been part of their success as a team this season, hitting 171, good for third in the league behind the Nationals (183) and Yankees (176). The Mets are currently tied for 10th with 156.
3. Kodai Senga. Senga allowed a run his last time out on two hits and a walk, but still locked down his fourth save, all in consecutive appearances. Senga has pitched in six games in August allowing one run on three hits and three walks while striking out seven batters (1.50 ERA, 2.75 FIP).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to keep the good times going in Chicago! The Mets are fresh off of a series win against the Padres and have won 11 of their last 15 games. They are now only 2.5 games back of the Nationals for fourth place in the division. The White Sox are sitting on top of the AL Central, five games above .500. They have gone .500 in their last 10 games. It’s a battle of the Seans tonight!

Sean Manaea has pitched in 26 games this season totaling 111 innings with a 4.22 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 1.315 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. He got hit a bit more in his last start, allowing four runs over 6 1/3 innings in a game the Mets won 5-4. In his last five starts he has pitched 31 2/3 innings with a 2.87 ERA, 4.14 FIP while striking out 32 batters. He also pitched at least six innings in each of those five starts. The White Sox have the following career stats against him:

• Andrew Benintendi 4-12, 2 BB, K
• Brenton Doyle 0-7, BB, 3 K
• Randal Grichuk 6-19, 2B, 3B, 2 BB, K
• Jake Rogers 0-3, 2 K
• Miguel Vargas 1-10, 3 K

Sean Burke has pitched in 25 games including 21 starts totaling 140 innings with a 3.15 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 1.107 WHIP and a 134 ERA+. He is also leading the league with 10 wild pitches. Similar to Manaea, Burke is coming off of a start where he allowed four runs over 4 1/3 innings. That bad start ended a streak of good starts where he had a 1.47 ERA (2.20 FIP) over seven games (43 innings). The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Bo Bichette 2-3, 2B
• Christopher Morel 0-2, 2 K
• Marcus Semien 0-2
• Eric Wagaman 1-1, 2B, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Reunions Everywhere. Luis Robert Jr. returns to Rate Field for the first time since the trade that brought him to the Mets. He’s had a difficult year with the Mets, but since returning from the injured list he’s been showing some pop. Luisangel Acuña will face the Mets for the first time since that trade. Acuña is currently hitting .237/.269/.538 with a 53 OPS+. Huascar Brazobán had a 2.56 ERA over 52 2/3 innings with the Mets. Since being traded to the White Sox he has a 5.63 ERA over eight innings.
2. Contain Murakami. Munetaka Murakami has been hitting bombs this year for the White Sox. He has 29 home runs in 92 games. He’s slashing .227/.363/.530 with 69 walks, 132 K’s and a 149 OPS+. In his last two games he has gone 0-for-9 so he’s due to hit a homer.
3. Carson Benge. Benge is coming off of a game where he went 2-for-4 with his 15th home run of the season. He is only five home runs and two stolen bases away from a 20/20 season in his rookie season. Benge has been a true bright spot on this team and is just building a portfolio right now for a possible Rookie of the Year award.

Let’s Go Mets!

Fielding has been the story of this series. On Monday night Carson Benge tossed out two runners at the plate in the same inning. Later in the game A.J. Ewing nailed a runner out oat the plate. The Mets ended up winning 2-1. Tuesday night the Padres beat the Mets 5-2 with Fernando Tatís Jr. robbing Francisco Lindor of a grand slam. It’s been an exciting series so far and the Mets have a chance to take the series today!

Robert Stock makes his fourth start of the season today. Over his first three starts he has allowed 10 runs, nine earned, over 12 1/3 innings. His second start is skewing his season data. In that start he allowed eight runs over three innings against the Pirates. In his other two starts he allowed only one earned run over 9 1/3 innings. The only batter on the Padres who has faced Robert Stock before is Manny Machado (0-for-2).

Michael King has made 25 starts totaling 142 1/3 innings this season with a 3.41 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 1.187 WHIP and a 119 ERA+. In his last four starts he has allowed 12 runs, 11 earned, over 23 innings (4.30 ERA, 5.56 FIP). The Mets tagged him for four runs over six innings with two home runs earlier this season. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-5, K
• Brett Baty 2-5, HR, K
• Carson Benge 0-3, K
• Bo Bichette 7-24, 2B, 3B, 2 BB, 8 K
• A.J. Ewing 0-3, K
• Francisco Lindor 3-8, 2 HR, 2 K
• Christopher Morel 0-1, BB, K
• Cristian Pache 0-1, BB
• Jorge Polanco 1-6, 2 K
• Luis Robert Jr. 1-3, 2B
• Marcus Semien 3-11, 2B, 2 BB, 3 K
• Luis Torrens 2-2, 2B, HR
• Jared Young 2-3, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. All or Nothing. Both of the runs the Mets scored last night came on solo home runs. The Mets ended up going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, leaving nine runners on base. The Padres scored five runs and went 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position leaving eight runners on base. They hit three home runs last night.
2. Bo Bichette. Bichette racked up two more hits Tuesday night. In his last 15 games he has gone 21-for-59 slashing .356/.415/.576. Earlier this week his OPS finally crossed over .700 and is now sitting at .704. In his last three games he has six hits and a walk. In that same stretch he hasn’t scored any runs and has only one RBI. The Mets offense, except for the long ball, has cooled a bit, squandering this recent Bichette hot streak.
3. Nate Lavender. Lavender pitched 2/3 of an inning in the first game of the series, facing two batters, recording two outs in only two pitches. Over six games this season he has pitched 5 1/3 innings allowing one hit and two walks while striking out six batters (0.00 ERA, 1.96 FIP). He has a 1.42 xERA with a .091 xBA and an astounding (small-sample size) 33.3% K rate.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to extend their winning streak to five games tonight! The Padres had four hits in the first inning on Monday night but didn’t score any runs thanks to Carson Benge’s arm. Benge tossed out two runners at the plate to prevent any runs from scoring. A.J. Ewing would join Benge later in the game and the Mets were able to squeak by with a score of 2-1.

The Mets have now won 10 of their 13 games. The Padres came into last night’s game winning eight of their last 10. It’s two teams on hot streaks, let’s go!

Zac Thornton has made eight starts so far this season totaling 45 1/3 innings with a 2.78 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 1.103 WHIP and a 147 ERA+. His numbers have returned to Earth a bit in his last four starts allowing 10 runs, nine earned over 22 innings with a 3.68 ERA, 4.85 FIP. He’s allowed exactly three earned runs in three of his last four starts. No one on the Padres roster has faced Thornton before in a Major League game.

Robbie Ray came over from the Giants at the trade deadline a few weeks ago. Overall this season Ray has pitched 131 2/3 innings with a 3.28 ERA, 4.55 FIP, 1.329 WHIP and a 122 ERA+. Since joining the Padres he has made two starts allowing six runs over nine innings from nine hits and eight walks. Ray last faced the Mets back in the first week of April where he allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings from three hits and three walks. The Mets have the following career stats against Ray:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-4, K
• Brett Baty 1-3
• Bo Bichette 3-11, 3 2B, 4 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-9, HR, 3 BB, 3 K
• Cristian Pache 2-12, 2B, HR, 6 K
• Jorge Polanco 1-9, K, BB
• Luis Robert Jr. 1-11, HR, BB, 4 K
• Marcus Semien 2-13, 2B, 4 K
• Luis Torrens 3-14, 2B, 5 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Don’t run on the Mets! The Mets nailed out three Padres runners at home plate Monday night. Carson Benge’s arm strength is in the 98th percentile and A.J. Ewing is in the 92nd percentile according to Baseball Savant. It will be interesting to see tonight if the Padres remain aggressive on the base paths, or if they switch it up.
2. Christopher Morel. The Mets called up Christopher Morel before Monday night’s game, cutting Gabriel Arias. Morel signed with the Mets on July 1st after being released by the Marlins in June. Before being released, Morel was hitting .162/.219/.206. Morel has had three disappointing seasons from 2024 until now, putting up an 80, 89 and 22 OPS+. In his first two seasons with the Cubs he had a 104 and 122 OPS+. Morel has been tearing the cover off the ball in Syracuse, hitting .321/.382/.716 over the last month with hitting 12 homers in 31 games.
3. Kodai Senga and close games. The Mets have won three one-run games in a row, improving their season record to 14-20 in one-run games. Senga locked down the save on Sunday with a clean inning where he struck out two batters on a total of 11 batters. It was his second time pitching in three games, making him unavailable for the save situation last night. In Senga’s last five games he has allowed only one hit, two walks and has seven strikeouts over five scoreless innings.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets swept the Nationals and have won nine of their last 12 games! Since the All-Star break the Mets have won series against the Guardians and Pirates, who were both going for it at the deadline. The only series they lost was against the first place Braves. Now the Mets welcome the Padres to town, who are also surging, winning eight of their last ten. They now have the second wild card spot in a tightening race.

Nolan McLean has made 24 starts pitching 136 2/3 innings with a 3.42 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 1.134 WHIP and a 119 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start against the Braves where he allowed one run on a solo homer over six innings while striking out three. He has a 2.28 ERA, 3.36 FIP in his last eight starts (47 1/3 innings), and that includes a start against the Guardians where he allowed five runs over five innings. He faced the Padres back in June, holding them to one run over six innings. The Padres have the following stats against him:

• Xander Bogaerts 0-1, BB, K
• Freddy Fermin 0-1
• Ty France 0-2, BB
• Manny Machado 0-3, K
• Jackson Merrill 0-3, K
• Gavin Sheets 0-3, K
• Sung-Mun Song 1-1, BB
• Fernando Tatís Jr. 2-3, K

Walker Buehler has made 24 starts this season totaling 114 1/3 innings with a 4.88 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 1.426 WHIP and an 84 ERA+. He’s been on a roll in his last two starts allowing only two runs over 10 innings from nine hits and three walks while striking out eight. Notably he didn’t allow any home runs in his last two starts despite having a 1.1 HR/9. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-3, 3 K
• Gabriel Arias 1-3, 2B
• Brett Baty 0-1
• Bo Bichette 2-8, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-4, HR, K
• Cristian Pache 0-2, 2 BB
• Jorge Polanco 2-3, 2B, BB
• Luis Robert Jr. 0-3, 2 K
• Marcus Semien 2-7, BB, K
• Luis Torrens 0-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Luis Torrens. The Mets need to find ways to get Torrens into the lineup while he’s on this heater. Since the trade deadline he has had 22 plate appearances spread over seven games. During this stretch he is slashing .444/.545/1.111 with eight hits and four home runs. Ten of this 30 RBI’s on the season have come in his last seven games!
2. Jared Young, hit machine. Young has at least two hits in four of this last six games. During this stretch eh has gone 11-for-25 at the plate with two doubles, a triple and a home run while slashing .440/.423/.720. Similar to Luis Torrens, Young has seven of his 29 RBI’s during this recent stretch.
3. Bo Bichette. Bichette finally reached a .700 OPS for the season. Bichette went 3-for-3 yesterday with a triple, pushing his OBP to .313 and SLG to .386. Since the start of July, Bichette has played a lot better slashing .306/.354/.403 with 44 hits over 37 games. It’s been a long journey for Bichette to get back to a .700 OPS. Here’s hoping he continues hitting like he has for the last six weeks for the next six weeks.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for the sweep this afternoon at Citi Field!

The Mets struck first on Saturday but the Nationals roared back, taking a 4-2 lead that held until the ninth inning. The Mets tied the game in the ninth and then took the lead on a Francisco Lindor single, getting Jefry Yan his first career win. So far in this series the Mets have been able to keep the Nationals high-powered offense mostly in check. Just do it one more time!

Christian Scott has made 17 starts totaling 78 1/3 innings with a 3.45 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.302 WHIP and a 118 ERA+. His last two starts have been a lot more human for Scott who has allowed seven runs over nine innings from 13 hits and three walks while striking out 13 batters. In his one start against the Nationals this season he allowed three runs from four hits and three walks over four innings. The Nationals have the following career stats against Scott:

• CJ Abrams 0-5, 3 K
• Brady House 1-2
• Daylen Lile 0-1, BB, K
• Keibert Ruiz 0-3
• Jose Tena 1-2, 2B
• Jorbit Vivas 0-1, BB
• Jacob Young 0-2

Jake Irvin has made 14 starts this season totaling 65 1/3 innings with a 5.79 ERA, 4.86 FIP, 1.316 WHIP and a 73 ERA+. Irvin led the league in earned runs (114) and home runs (38) last season with an identical ERA+. This season his WHIP, FIP and HR/9 have each taken a step back towards his career numbers. He’s made three starts over the last couple of weeks since returning from the injured list. In those starts he has allowed 12 earned runs from 10 hits, including four home runs, over 13 2/3 innings (7.90 ERA, 7.25 FIP). In his one start against the Mets this season he allowed three runs, two earned over four innings from six hits and a walk. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-14, 7 K
• Gabriel Arias 1-4, 2B, K
• Brett Baty 2-10, 2 HR, BB, K
• Carson Benge 1-2
• Bo Bichette 1-4, BB, K
• A.J. Ewing 0-2, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 8-23, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 K
• Marcus Semien 0-4, BB, K
• Luis Torrens 3-9, 2 2B, 3 K
• Jared Young 0-2, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Carson Benge 18 game on-base streak! Benge extended his on-base streak to 18 games on Saturday going 1-for-2 with a home run and two walks! During the streak Carson Benge has slashed .358/.434/.567 with seven of his 24 hits going for extra bases. He has now pushed his OPS to 1.001 over this stretch and has raised his season OPS from .713 to .757 over the last few weeks. He now has a 2.5 bWAR and a 111 OPS+. This current stretch for Benge is starting to push his name into the Rookie of the Year conversation!
2. A tired Nationals Bullpen. The Nationals bullpen was set up to have a difficult weekend with Brad Lord starting on Saturday. His longest outings this season had mostly been between two and three innings. The Mets knocked him out before the end of the first inning yesterday, forcing Will Dion to to take on the bulk of the reliever work, and he did a solid job tossing more than four innings. But the Nationals had to use everyone in their bullpen except for Trevor Williams over the last couple of days. Jake Irvin has struggled recently and is still coming back from a significant injured that sidelined him for almost two months. The Mets bats successfully worked seven walks yesterday. Hopefully the Mets can be as patient today, make Jake work and then get to this tired bullpen.
3. Gabriel Arias. August has been rough for Arias. As a Met he has gone for 0-for-5 over two games and only one start. Overall in August he has gone 0-for-13 at the plate. In the final four games he played in July (7/24-7/29), Arias went 6-for-15 with a double and a walk. Unfortunately for Arias, he is on a roster with several players (Luis Robert Jr, Jorge Polanco) that the Mets need to give at bats to in an effort to get going.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to build on their solid series opener Friday night as they take on the Nationals for game two this afternoon! Robert Stock kept the Mets in the game last night allowing only one run over 4 1/3 innings. Lindor came through with a big home run in sixth inning and Kodai Senga pitched another scoreless inning in the ninth inning earning his second save of the season. The Mets are now only 5.5 games behind the Nationals for fourth in the NL East. Let’s keep climbing out of the cellar!

Sean Manaea has pitched in 25 games this season and has made 11 starts totaling 104 2/3 innings. He has a 4.13 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 1.318 WHIP and a 99 ERA+. He is coming off of a brilliant start where he allowed only one run over seven innings against the Pirates while striking out 11 batters. In his last four starts he has a 2.16 ERA and a 3.56 FIP over 25 innings. Manaea’s one outing against the Nationals this season was a doozy, allowing six runs from seven hits and two walks over 2 2/3 innings of relief. The Nationals have the following career stats against him:

• CJ Abrams 5-14, 2B, 4 K
• Andres Chaparro 1-5, BB, 2 K
• Dylan Crews 0-7, 2 K
• Brady House 3-4, 2B, HR, BB
• Daylen Lile 1-5. 2 K
• Nasim Nuñez 2-3, HR< 2 BB
• Keibert Ruiz 4-11
• Jose Tena 1-3, K
• Jacob Young 2-8, 2B, BB, 4 K

The Nationals are trying Brad Lord out in the rotation! Lord has pitched in 29 games this season totaling 61 2/3 innings, including two starts. He has a 3.79 ERA, 4.05 FIP, 1.184 WHIP and a 112 ERA+. He made a start back on July 1, holding the Red Sox scoreless over 2 1/3 innings. His second start came last week where he held the Reds to one over 2 2/3 innings. Lord has made two extended relief appearances against the Mets this year allowing only one run off of three hits over 5 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Lord:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-3, HR
• Gabriel Arias 0-2
• Brett Baty 1-5, HR
• Carson Benge 2-2
• Bo Bichette 0-3
• A.J. Ewing 0-1, K
• Francisco Lindor 3-4, BB
• Marcus Semien 0-3
• Luis Torrens 0-4

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Carson Benge On-Base Streak. Benge went 1-for-4 Friday night, extending his on-base streak to 17 games. During this streak Benge is hitting .354/.417/.523 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and five walks. In 2024 Francisco reached base safely in 35 consecutive games in a single season. Jon Olerud has the franchise record, reaching base safely in 47 consecutive games between 1998 and 1999. Benge’s current streak at 17 is impressive, and also shows how amazing of a feat Lindor and Olerud accomplished.
2. Francisco Lindor. Lindor still has a real chance to reach 20 home runs this season. His homer last night was his second in four games and his sixth since 7/27 when he hit two in one game. Starting from his two homer game, Lindor is hitting .288/.382/.621 (1.003 OPS). His season OPS has gone from .686 to .768 over this stretch!
3. Kodai Senga. Will Senga pitch in back-to-back games? The Mets are not in a playoff race right now, there’s no reason to push people past their limits. If the Mets though are thinking about Senga as a high-leverage reliever in the future, we will need to see him go on back-to-back days eventually. His last two outings (2 IP, H, BB, 3 K) have been in save situations, separated by four days.

Let’s Go Mets!