213 Miles From Shea

By the smallest of margins the Mets were able to hold on to a lead on Sunday and now have a chance to leave Atlanta with a series split. The Mets scored first but the Braves immediately responded with a three-run first inning. The Mets went on to score four runs in the second and neither team scored again until the ninth inning. The Mets opened the frame with a huge inning, scoring five runs, putting the game seemingly out of reach with a 10-3 lead. The Braves though would work the inning, hit a grand slam and continue to get runners on bases. At the end of the game, the Mets some how survived with a 10-9 win, stranding runners on second and third.

A win is a win though! And a win today means the Mets will win the series, even though it feels like the Braves have been in control.

Freddy Peralta has a shot at redemption tonight. Overall this season he has made 18 starts totaling 95 1/3 innings with a 4.81 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 1.416 WHIP and an 86 ERA+. This is his lowest ERA+ since 2019. Most of the season he was sitting around 110-113. Anyway in his last start Peralta allowed five runs over four innings from seven hits and three walks. Peralta did have a good start against the Braves earlier in the month holding them to one run over five innings. The Braves have the following career stats against him:

• Ozzie Albies 1-18, 2B, 3 BB, 4 K
• Drake Baldwin 2-3
• Joey Bart 1-2, HR, BB
• Mauricio Dubon 1-3
• Kyle Farmer 1-14, 2B, 6 K
• Michael Harris II 2-6, BB, 2 K
• Matt Olson 4-13, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 2 K
• Austin Riley 7-18, 2B, 2 HR, BB, 2 K
• Dominic Smith 2-6, 2 K
• Eli White 1-4, HR
• Mike Yastrzemski 1-11, 2B, 2 K

Reynaldo López has pitched in 20 games this season including seven starts totaling 51 2/3 innings with a 3.31 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 1.297 WHIP and a 126 ERA+. López had been working out of the bullpen since April 29th through June 26. Over that time he had a 3.24 ERA over 25 innings. He rejoined the rotation on July 1st and allowed only one run from two hits over five innings. López pitched one inning of relief against the Mets in June allowing no runs off of no hits and two walks. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, 2 K
• Brett Baty 0-2, BB, K
• Bo Bichette 2-4, 2B, K
• A.J. Ewing 0-1
• Francisco Lindor 3-23, HR, 3 BB, K
• Juan Soto 1-2, BB
• Tyrone Taylor 1-3, 2B, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-2, K
• Mark Vientos 0-1, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Tyrone Taylor. Taylor has played in six games since returning from the injured list going 5-for-14 with two home runs. He’ll look to make it three games in a row tonight. Tyrone Taylor is going to be a free agent at the end of the season and with the way the Mets are currently playing, he’ll almost certainly be traded at the deadline. This is the time for Tyrone Taylor to show that he can play for a contender, or turn the Mets into a contender. (Wishful thinking?)
2. Top of the lineup clicking. Lindor, Soto and Bichette hit 1-2-3 yesterday and combined to go 6-for-13 with two walks, five runs scored and six RBI’s. The Mets entered play yesterday at the bottom of the league in team OPS. Things will only get better for the Mets with their superstars performing like superstars.
3. Momentum? The Mets finally had a positive day hitting with runners in scoring position yesterday. They went 5-for-7 yesterday with RISP. In the previous week the Mets had six hits with RISP. On the other hand, the Mets almost let it all slip away in embarrassing fashion. Will that completely evaporate the good things the Mets did yesterday? Will the Braves come into the day pressing after almost completing a historic come back?

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets have scored three runs in each of their last four games. They have won one of those games by a shutout, lost one close game and have been blown out twice. Taking a larger step back, the Mets have now lost 12 of their last 14 games. They entered this series against an Atlanta team that had lost eight of their last ten games. The Mets still have a chance to split this series, but that requires winning this afternoon’s game.

Nolan McLean has made 17 starts this season totaling 95 1/3 innings with a 3.78 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 1.122 WHIP and a 110 ERA+. He’s coming off of a solid start where he held the Blue Jays scoreless over six innings, scattering five hits while striking out nine. It was his fifth solid start in his last six as he has been finding his groove again recently. In his last four starts he has struck out 31 batters over 23 innings. Earlier in June he allowed two runs over four innings against the Braves who have the following career stats against him:

• Ozzie Albies 1-4, BB
• Drake Baldwin 1-3
• Mauricio Dubon 0-2
• Michael Harris II 0-5
• Matt Olson 0-5, 4 K
• Austin Riley 0-0, 2 BB
• Dominic Smith 1-2
• Mike Yastrzemski 1-2, K

Martín Pérez has pitched in 17 games this season making 13 starts totaling 77 innings with a 3.27 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 1.156 WHIP and a 126 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed seven runs from seven hits, including three home runs, over nine innings of work. In the two starts before that he allowed only two runs over 11 1/3 innings, including 5 1/3 innings of one run ball against the Mets. The Mets have the following career numbers against Pérez:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-4, 2 BB, K
• Brett Baty 1-2
• Carson Benge 0-2, K
• Bo Bichette 5-10, 2 2B, BB, K
• Francisco Lindor 8-19, 2B, 5 BB, K
• Juan Soto 4-10, HR, BB
• Tyrone Taylor2-3, BB
• Luis Torrens 0-6, BB, 3 K
• Mark Vientos 1-6, K
• Eric Wagaman 0-2, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Mets Moral. The last several weeks have been real rough for the Mets. The Mets played .500 baseball for the couple of weeks in June, not gaining ground but not really losing ground. Now they have entered another tailspin where they have lost 12 of 14 games and fired their manager. On top of that over the last couple of days the team has had to answer questions about the relationship between their two top stars during last year’s end of the season collapse. The only thing that can disrupt this is to win games. We have seen this team when times are tough allow things to pile on, turning into lifeless play on the field. Hopefully last night was rock bottom for the Mets and they can start to turn it around.
2. Another game, the same problem. The Mets have been struggling massively with runners in scoring position over the last week. Last night the Mets went 1-for-9 with RISP, leaving 11 runners on base. Overall the Mets had 10 hits and two walks but were only able to turn that into three runs. All three runs the Mets scored came on home runs, which matches a trend we have seen this past week.
3. Juan Soto. Before last night’s game, Juan Soto was named the National League’s All-Star starting roster. It is his first time being an All-Star with the Mets after getting snubbed last season, a season where he ended with 6.1 bWAR, leading the league in stolen bases, walks and OBP. Soto has been having another All-Star quality season entering yesterday’s games leading the league in OBP, OPS, and OPS+.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Braves played one of the more memorable games in baseball history on July4th in Atlanta back in 1985. The game went 19-innings and finished just before four in the morning. Hopefully the only history that repeats itself from that night is a Mets win as this current Mets team is not set up to endure a marathon like that. Happy Independence Day!

Sean Manaea has pitched in 18 games and made four starts this season totaling 63 innings with a 4.71 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 1.365 WHIP and an 88 ERA+. He’s coming off of a start where he allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings from three hits and two walks while striking out four. Overall in June Manaea pitched 29 innings with a 3.72 ERA and 3.59 FIP, giving the Mets a bit more consistency in the rotation. This includes a start against the Braves where he held them to two runs over six innings. The Braves have the following career stats against Manaea:

• Ozzie Albies 1-6, 2B
• Joey Bart 1-6, 4 K
• Mauricio Dubon 2-9
• Michael Harris II 0-5, 3 K
• Ha-Seong Kim 1-12, BB, 2 K
• Jorge Mateo 0-4, K
• Matt Olson 3-8, HR, 3 K
• Austin Riley 3-6, HR, BB, 2 K
• Dominic Smith 2-4, BB
• Eli White 3-5, 2B, K
• Mike Yastrzemski 2-8, 3B, BB, 3 K

Chris Sale is still Chris Sale, even at age 37. Over 15 starts this season Sale has pitched 90 innings with a 2.10 ERA, 2.56 FIP, 1.078 WHIP with a 196 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed four runs but only one earned over 11 2/3 innings while striking out 17 batters. The Mets have the following career stats against Chris Sale:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-2
• Bo Bichette 0-3, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 14-38, 2 2B, 2 HR, BB, 9 K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-3, K
• Juan Soto 1-11, HR
• Tyrone Taylor 1-4, BB
• Luis Torrens 0-3
• Mark Vientos 0-3 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Surprises for Sean Manaea. Over the last month or so Sean Manaea has looked a lot more like his 2024 self. His Baseball Savant page still has quite a bit of blue on it, but there are some positives starting to pop out. His average exit velocity is 87.9 mph, good for the 68th percentile. He’s also getting hitters to chase 32.3% of the time, good for the 70th percentile. Considering his fastball velocity (90.3 mph, 4th percentile), these are positive surprises that he’s figuring out this version of himself.
2. Tweaks in Sale’s Pitch Selection. Last season Sale used his slider and four seamer almost 90% of the time. This year he has decreased his slider usage by 10% and his four seamer a bit. Instead he is throwing his changeup and sinker more. He tossed his changeup more in 2023 and 2024, but this year’s sinker usage is the highest since 2022.
3. July 4th, 1985. It’s a real shame that the SNY crew doesn’t have tonight’s broadcast. On Independence Day, 1985, the Mets and Braves played a 19-inning game that ended at 3:55 AM. Keith Hernandez hit for the cycle. Rick Camp, a pitcher on the Braves, hit an 18th inning home run to send the game into the 19th inning. The Mets scored five runs in the top of the 19th to eventually win the game. The Braves still launched their 4th of July fireworks after the game, which functioned more like an alarm clock in Atlanta.

Let’s Go Mets!

The 2026 season has felt like series of one step forward, two steps backward moments. The Mets beat the Blue Jays 3-0 on Tuesday thanks to a pair of solo home runs and solid pitching. The next day the Mets completely imploded behind Freddy Peralta. Now they head to Atlanta for a four game set. Both the Mets and the Braves have each lost eight of their last ten games. The Mets are 15 games below 500 while the Braves are 15 games above, and are feeling the pressure from the Phillies right behind them. The Braves will be highly motivated to get a four game sweep of the Mets this weekend. The Mets are just trying to survive right now.

Christian Scott has made 10 starts this season, totaling 45 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 3.93 FIP, 1.333 WHIP and a 130 ERA+. His last start was his first since returning from the injured list and he allowed two runs from three hits over 4 1/3 innings while striking out six. It was his second consecutive start striking out at least six batters, but also his second consecutive start allowing at least one home run. The Braves have the following career stats against Scott:

• Ozzie Albies 0-3
• Joey Bart 0-2, K
• Michael Harris II 3-3
• Matt Olson 0-3, 3 K
• Austin Riley 0-2, BB, K
• Mike Yastrzemski 0-2, K

Grant Holmes has pitched in 16 games this season totaling 77 1/3 innings with a 3.96 ERA, 5.19 FIP, 1.358 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed one run over 8 2/3 innings from four hits and five walks while striking out eight. In his two starts before that he allowed six runs from eight hits and five walks over 5 2/3 innings while striking out four. The Mets have the following career stats against Holmes:

• Brett Baty 1-1, BB
• Bo Bichette 0-3, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-3, K
• Ronny Mauricio 1-2, K
• Juan Soto 0-3, BB
• Tyrone Taylor 0-3, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-3, 2 K
• Eric Wagaman 1-3, 2B

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Carson Benge. Benge is coming off of a 2-for-4 afternoon with a solo home run, his 10th of the season. He now has a 1.5 bWAR with a 100 OPS+ for the season to go with 11 stolen stole bases. The power has really started to come out the last month of the season. Since June 2nd he has slashed .281/.328/.491 with two doubles, two triples and six home runs. His xwOBA has been above the league average for his last 100 PA’s. Things are bleak for the Mets right now, but it’s not because of Carson Benge.
2. Hitting with RISP. The Mets really struggled across the board on Wednesday. They only had one at bat with RISP and went 0-for-1. In their last four games they’ve now gone 2-for-33 with RISP. The power is there for the Mets, who have hit four home runs in their last two games, they’re just not doing it with a lot of runners on base.
3. Michael Harris II Fan Club. English football fans invaded Truist Park earlier this week and adopted Michael Harris II as their favorite player. Maybe the Braves fans will have learned a few things from the English fans? Listen for chants like “There’s only one Michael Harris” which is quite funny considering he’s Michael Harris II and his son is Michael “Trip” Harris III.

Let’s Go Mets!

Happy Canada Day! The Mets look to take the series from the Blue Jays this afternoon in Toronto! The Mets had lost four of their last five games going into last night’s bout with the Blue Jays. Each loss was by exactly one run. Last night the Mets offense hit two solo homers and scratched out a late insurance run to beat the Blue Jays 3-0. Hopefully it’s enough momentum to carry the team to a series victory today!

Every Peralta start from here on is important. Either the Mets are going to go on a legendary run, or the Mets are going to have a fire sale. A fire sale would be centered around Freddy Peralta. Peralta has made 17 starts totaling 91 1/3 innings with a 4.53 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 1.369 WHIP and a 91 ERA+. He allowed three runs, all unearned, in his last start totaling 5 2/3 innings while striking out five batters. It was a nice bounce back from his previous start where he allowed 10 runs from 10 hits in 2 2/3 innings. The Blue Jays have the following career stats against Peralta:

• Andrés Giménez 0-5, K
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 0-6, K
• Alejandro Kirk 1-2, 2B
• Nathan Lukes 0-2
• Myles Straw 0-2, K
• Luis Urias 0-2, 2 K
• Daulton Varsho 1-6, BB, 2 K

Braydon Fisher has pitched in 41 games already this season totaling 44 innings with five starts. He has a 3.48 ERA, 4.47 FIP, 1.136 WHIP and a 130 ERA+. He has pitched 5 2/3 innings over his five starts as an opener allowing no runs on three hits and four walks while striking out seven. In his last two outings he has pitched three innings allowing four runs, three earned on two homers. No one on the Mets has faced Fisher in a Major League game before.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Still searching for hits with RISP. Despite the Mets win yesterday, they still haven’t found any recent success with runners in scoring position. On Sunday the Mets went 2-for-16 with RISP leaving 14 runners on base. Monday the Mets went 0-for-9 with RISP leaving seven on base. Last night the Mets went 0-for-7 with RISP leaving seven again on base. All together in their last three games the Mets have gone 2-for-32 with RISP leaving 28 runners on base.
2. Mets are slowing flashing more power. Luis Torrens and Francisco Alvarez each hit solo homers last night. Francisco Lindor hit his third home run of the season on Monday night. Slowly the Mets are starting to show more signs of power returning to their lineup. They currently have 96 home runs as a team and sit 17th in the majors. In 2025 the Mets were 5th in the league and 2024 they were 6th.
3. Juan Soto is quietly putting together another Juan Soto season. Juan Soto picked up two more walks yesterday brining him to 45 on the season and ten walks in his last eight games played. He has a league leading .971 OPS and 170 OPS+. It seems like over the last week or so teams are pitching around Soto, betting (correctly) that the hitters behind him won’t bring him home.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets have lost four of their last five games. Each of those losses were by one run. Things look more bleak if you take a step back. The Mets have lost nine of their last ten games. Two of those games featured eight unearned runs. In last night’s game they allowed a little league home run. The Mets enter play today with 50 losses on the season and are 15 games below 500.

On the positive side, today is Nolan McLean day!

Nolan McLean has made 16 starts this year totaling 89 1/3 innings with a 4.03 ERA, 3.69 FIP, 1.119 WHIP and a 103 ERA+. He has a 10.7 K/9, striking out 106 batters this season and this rate matches his K/9 from last year. He’s just walking batters a bit more and hitters are hitting more home runs against him. McLean is coming off of a start against the Cubs where he allowed six runs over six innings from two home runs while striking out nine batters. His start before that was brilliant, going seven innings allowing only one, unearned run while striking out nine. This will be Nolan’s first start against the Blue Jays and no one on the Blue Jays has faced McLean in a Major League.

The Mets batters will try to find themselves tonight against Kevin Gausman. Gausman has made 17 starts this season totaling 95 innings with a 4.36 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.189 WHIP and a 103 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed 13 runs over eight innings. Overall in the month of June he has a 7.62 ERA, 6.18 FIP over five starts. One start was great (one run over seven) and everything else has been forgettable. The Mets have the following career numbers against Gausman:

• Francisco Lindor 4-11, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Juan Soto 8-17, 2 2B, HR, 12 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 0-2
• Eric Wagaman 2-3, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Please get a hit with RISP. On Sunday the Mets lost 5-4 against the Phillies and went 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position, leaving 14 runners on. Last night the Mets went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position leaving seven runners on including two in the ninth inning. In this current era of the Mets losing streak (four of the last five games) the Mets are always just one hit away from a completely different result.
2. Soto working walks. Soto’s baseball savant page is full of red, like it always is. He’s in the 100th percentile for xwOBA, xBA, xSLG and the 99th percentile for squared-up percentage. He’s in the 96th percentile for his walk rate, sitting at 15.3%, and it has been ticking up recently. Soto has walked eight times in the last seven games. For context, he has 35 walks on the season and has played in 66 games. He has 12 career walks against Kevin Gausman with a .690 OBP.
3. Ewing giveth. Ewing taketh. Before yesterday’s game we talked about the hot streak the Ewing had been on for his last five games (8-for-16). If we take a larger step back, he’s been crushing it for his last 12 games slashing .351/.455/.595 with three doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI’s. He’s also been caught stealing three times in that 12 game stretch, bringing him to six on the year. He also added a fielding error last night to boot.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets have lost three of their last four games by a total of three runs. In some ways the last four games have become a microcosm of the season as a whole. The Mets constantly feel so close to breaking out. So close to going on a run. If only they could just get their offense to click in a higher gear.

Tonight the Mets head north of the border and will try to get their offense to click against one of the best, young arms in the league. Here we go!

Sean Manaea has pitched in 17 games this season totaling 57 1/3 innings with a 4.87 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 1.413 WHIP and an 84 ERA+. He had a short outing his last time out lasting just three innings allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits and two walks. In his two starts before that he allowed five runs, four earned over 11 1/3 innings. The Blue Jays have the following career stats against him:

• Ernie Clement 1-4, K
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 3-6, 2 K
• Alejandro Kirk 0-3, K
• Nathan Lukes 0-3
• George Springer 13-41, 2 2B, HR, 4 BB, 13 K
• Myles Straw 4-11, 2B, 2 BB, 3 K
• Luis Urias 0-3, 2 K
• Daulton Varsho 0-6, BB, K

Trey Yesavage has made 11 starts pitching 60 2/3 innings with a 3.56 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.170 WHIP and a 127 ERA+. June started off rough for Yesavage who allowed 11 runs over 10 2/3 innings. Since then he has allowed only four runs over 13 innings from six hits and five walks. This will be his first career start against the Mets and no on the Mets has faced Yesavage in a Major League game before.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Walk this way. Trey Yesavage has already walked 30 batters this season, good for a 4.5 BB/9. His 12% walk rate is in the 16th percentile in the league. He’s able to limit the dagame because of how good his stuff is (29.2% whiff%, 88th percentile for barrel rate). The Mets worked eight walks yesterday with Juan Soto and Brett Baty each picking up three. Patience is a virtue tonight!
2. Bring them home! Success for the Mets tonight will depend on their ability to bring runners home. Yesterday the Mets went 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 14 runners on. They scored only four runs. The Phillies went 2-for-6 and left six runners on. They scored five runs. Just a demoralizing day for the Mets and hopefully it doesn’t spread to today.
3. Red-hot Ewing. In his last five games A.J. Ewing has gone 8-for-16 with a double, two home runs and three walks (.500/.579/.938). He started on the bench yesterday for the Mets and still collected two hits including a massive two-run homer.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets finally snapped their seven game losing streak yesterday with a 6-2 win over the Phillies. Now the Mets have a chance to win the series!

Today is a good example of the predicament the Mets pitching performance has put the whole team in. David Peterson struggled for a good chunk of the season and the Mets traded him to the Cubs. Peterson had a solid debut for the Cubs last night allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings. This should have been a Kodai Senga game but his recent performance has sent him to the bullpen. Can the Mets win today’s bullpen game that will probably have Senga in it at some point as a bulk reliever?

Cionel Pérez signed as a free agent with the Mets in early May after being released by the Nationals. In 16 innings over 16 games with the Nationals Pérez had a 6.19 ERA, 5.67 FIP, 1.688 WHIP and a 68 ERA+. In 10 games, 14 2/3 innings with the Mets Pérez has been much more effective with a 3.68 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 1.023 WHIP and a 114 ERA+. The Mets have used him for multiple innings of relief several times with his longest outing being 2 1/3 innings against the Cubs earlier this week. He just pitched two innings against the Phillies Friday night holding them to two hits and no runs. The Phillies have the following stats against him:

• Alec Bohm 3-7, 2B
• Justn Crawford 0-2, K
• Bryce Harper 5-5, 2B, HR
• Derek Hill 0-1, K
• Brandon Marsh 0-2
• J.T. Realmuto 0-3, BB, K
• Gabriel Rincones Jr. 0-1. K
• Kyle Schwarber 3-6, HR, BB
• Edmundo Sosa 0-1
• Bryson Stott 1-4
• Trea Turner 1-1

Jesús Luzardo has made 16 starts totaling 92 1/3 innings with a 4.00 ERA, 3.12 FIP, 1.300 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. He’s coming off of a start where he allowed five runs over 6 2/3 innings while striking out 13 batters. It was his second time in his last four starts where he has gone at least six innings but allowed five earned runs. It’s also his third consecutive start with at least eight strikeouts. The Mets have the following career stats against Luzardo:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-6
• Brett Baty 1-3
• Bo Bichette 2-2, HR
• Francisco Lindor 7-28, 2 BB, 4 K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-4, BB, 4 K
• Juan Soto 7-20, 2B, HR, 5 BB, 3 K
• Tyrone Taylor 3-9, 2B, K
• Luis Torrens 2-8, HR, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 2-15, 2B, 2 BB, 6 K
• Eric Wagaman 4-10, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 3 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Kodai Senga. Senga was bumped out of the rotation after his poor start earlier this week where he allowed seven earned runs over 3 2/3 innings. He has allowed nine home runs in his last five major league outings leading to a career worst 2.9 HR/9 this season. The Mets are hoping that Senga can recover his pre-injury 2025 form out of the pen. The only bright spot right now in Senga’s stat line are strikeouts. He has 34 K’s over 27 2/3 innings which is an 11.1 K/9 (career 10.2).
2. Lindor Triple Hitter Again. This is more a statistical anomaly than anything else. Lindor hit two triples early in the season then landed on the injured list a few weeks later. Last night he hit his third triple on the season. He now has more triples (3) than doubles (2) and homers (2). The most he has ever hit in a season is five which he did in 2022.
3. Can the top of the lineup perform again? The top of the lineup came through for the Mets with Benge and Soto getting on base a combined five times. The first four Mets hitters (Benge, Soto, Bichette, Lindor) combined for four RBI’s and five runs scored. After Friday’s disappointing performance at the plate, yesterday was refreshing!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to snap a seven game losing streak this afternoon. Last night felt like a trip back in time to a couple of months ago, where the Mets got a strong pitching performance but the Mets bats couldn’t do much as the Mets lost 2-1. An over-the-wall catch by Derek Hill robbed Juan Soto of a home run that would have tipped things in the Mets favor. The Mets have now dropped two games by only one run in a row. Things look bleak right now.

Christian Scott returns to the rotation this afternoon after landing on the injured list with a right hip impingement. Scott has made nine starts this season totaling 40 2/3 innings with a 3.10 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 1.352 WHIP and a 133 ERA+. Scott’s last start was his worst of the season where he allowed four runs over 4 2/3 innings. No one on the Phillies roster has faced Scott before in a Major League game.

Alan Rangel makes his first major league start this afternoon for the Phillies. He has pitched in two games out of the bullpen this season, totaling eight innings allowing two runs from eight hits, including a home run. Last week he pitched after an opener and tossed five innings of one run ball. Rangel has pitched in 14 games in Lehigh Valley this season totaling 70 innings with a 3.99 ERA. This will be his first game against the Mets and no one on the Mets roster has faced Rangel in a Major League game.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Step 1, get the reinforcements back. The Mets roster has taken some pretty large steps to getting back to normal over the last couple of days. The Mets have seen Francisco Lindor, Ronny Mauricio, Tyrone Taylor and Christian Scott all rejoin the team. The vibe boost of getting everyone back has been crushed though by the Mets seven game losing streak and the dismissal of Carlos Mendoza.
2. Step 2, get everyone going. Francisco Lindor finally got his first hit since returning to the majors in his last at bat last night. Tyrone Taylor who was activated before yesterday’s game hasn’t seen any time yet. Ronny Mauricio has gone 1-for-8 with a double in his first two games back.
3. Careful on the base paths. Mets runs have been at a premium over the last couple of days and aggressive base running hasn’t been helping. A.J. Ewing, who is currently second on the Mets with 8 stolen bases, was caught stealing twice last night, bringing him to five on the season. The Mets as a team have been caught 20 times, which is 10th worst in the majors, and only eight behind the league leading Miami Marlins. But the Mets have only successfully stolen 39 bags, which is 24th in the league. Put another way, everyone above the Mets for being caught stealing, have successfully stolen way more bags.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets had a chance to snap their losing streak last night, but fell short. For a second straight game the Mets made some key errors, leading to three unearned runs scoring in the sixth inning. The Mets were able to claw back to make the game 3-3, sending it to extra innings. However, the Cubs scored in the 10th and the Mets bats couldn’t manage anything.

The vibes are the complete opposite on the Phillies right now. They have hit go-ahead home runs in the 9th inning three games in a row. All the momentum is pointing towards the Phillies right now, can the Mets reverse course?

Zach Thornton will make his second major league start tonight. In his first start near the end of May he allowed four runs from four hits over 4 1/3 innings against the Nationals. He’s pitched in five games, including four starts in the minors since then. In two of them he has allowed 11 runs over 8 1/3 innings. In the other two starts he allowed two runs over nine innings. Between the David Peterson trade and Kodai Senga moving to the bullpen, Thornton may be given a real shot to show the Mets what he can do at the Major League level.

Zack Wheeler has made 11 starts totaling 68 1/3 innings with a 2.11 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 0.878 WHIP and a 209 ERA+. In the month of June he has allowed five runs off of three home runs over 24 2/3 innings (1.82 ERA, 3.55 FIP). This includes a start last week against the Mets where he allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings while striking out seven. The Mets have the following career numbers against Wheeler:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-6, BB, 3 K
• Brett Baty 4-14, HR, 3 K
• Carson Benge 1-2, HR, BB, K
• Bo Bichette 3-14, 4 K
• A.J. Ewing 1-3
• Francisco Lindor 9-36, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 BB, 8 K
• Ronny Mauricio 1-3, K
• Juan Soto 15-56, 2 2B, 3 HR, 17 BB, 16 K
• Luis Torrens 1-4, K
• Mark Vientos 4-12, 2B, 4 K
• Eric Wagaman 1-3, HR< 2 K
• Luke Weaver 1-2, K
• Jared Young 2-4, BB, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Fielding. Mets fielding errors have led to eight unearned runs over the last two games. Five unearned runs on Wednesday night and the Mets lost 10-5. Three unearned runs Thursday night and the Mets lost 4-3. The Mets don’t just need a win, they need a clean fielding day. At some point, pitchers will start to lose faith in the fielding behind them.
2. What to make of Jared Young? For a solid chunk of time, Jared Young was one of the best hitters on the Mets. That was not sustainable for a host of reasons. Starting on June 12th, Young went 2-for-25 over eight games, slashing .080/.115/.195. In his last three games he has gone 2-for-5 with two home runs. One homer came as a starter and the other as a pinch hitter. Hopefully this is the start of another hot streak for Young.
3. Playing time. Similar to the Jared Young conversation, the Mets are entering a particularly tricky period of playing time. The Mets are clearly easing Francisco Lindor in. Juan Soto needs time at DH with his back. Ronny Mauricio is playing short when Lindor is not. Mark Vientos is playing first base but is massively struggling defensively. Francisco Alvarez has one of the hottest bats on the team, but he cannot take too much catching work. Between Soto, Vientos, Alvarez, Lindor, and Mauricio, the Mets have a lot of players who would benefit from a significant amount of time at DH.

Let’s Go Mets!