213 Miles From Shea

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!

Yesterday was just an ugly day of Mets baseball. The Mets took a 3-0 lead in game one only to watch it all fall apart to a 10-3 loss. In the nightcap the Mets took a 3-1 lead and eventually lost 10-5 after committing six errors. After the game the Mets traded David Peterson to the Cubs. Will Sammon reported that it doesn’t necessarily mean the Mets are entering a full on sell mode, but it’s starting to feel like it.

The Mets desperately need to string a few wins together in a row, starting tonight behind Freddy Peralta.

If things continue for the Mets, Freddy Peralta might be the best player the Mets can move at the deadline. Whether the Mets go into full sell mode, or try to salvage this season and make a run, they’ll need Peralta to be more like himself. His last start was dreadful allowing 10 runs over 2 2/3 innings from 10 hits. He’s been in a pattern recently alternating between horrid and decent starts. He allowed three runs on three hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings against the Cubs earlier this season who have the following career stats against him:

• Miguel Amaya 2-9, 2 K
• Alex Bregman 2-8, BB, K
• Michael Busch 3-23, 3 HR, 5 BB, 10 K
• Michael Conforto 3-10, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
• Pete Crow-Armstrong 6-17, 2B, HR, BB, 2 K
• Ian Happ 5-39, 4 HR, 7 BB, 15 K
• Nico Hoerner 6-36, HR, 2 BB, 7 K
• Carson Kelly 2-15, BB, 7 K
• Matt Shaw 1-6, 2 BB, 2 K
• Seiya Suzuki 3-29, HR, 5 BB, 15 K
• Dansby Swanson 2-27, HR, 2 BB, 13 K

Matthew Boyd has made five starts this season totaling 24 innings with a 6.00 ERA, 2.35 FIP, 1.292 WHIP and a 66 ERA+. This will be Boyd’s first start after tearing his meniscus when at home, playing with his kids. He also had a shoulder injury while rehabbing. Before his set back, he allowed eight runs over nine innings spread over two starts. In his one rehab game since, he pitched four scoreless innings striking out seven batters. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-1, HR, BB
• Bo Bichette 2-5, HR
• Francisco Lindor 13-39, 3 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 5 K
• MJ Melendez 0-2, K
• Marcus Semien 3-11, HR, 3 BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 1-10, HR, BB, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 1-2, 3B
• Mark Vientos 2-5, HR, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. More Mets on trading block. Last night’s trade of David Peterson opens things up for more Mets to be traded. Bullpen arms always move from struggling teams and A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley are both free agents at the end of the season. Minter has pitched on back-to-back days and will probably not be available tonight. Raley tossed 20 pitches yesterday, which maybe makes him available. The Mets are also stacked with infielders (Vientos, Baty, Mauricio) who are pre-arbitration eligible with even more coming up through the system. The Mets rumor mill is going to start kicking in high gear.
2. Francisco Alvarez. Francisco Alvarez has a three game home run streak where he has gone 5-for-11. He now has eight on the season and is a legitimate power threat in the Mets lineup. If he gets three more he’ll tie his 11 HR mark that he has reached each of the last two seasons. Alvarez will need to go on a crazy run though to break his personal best of 25 homers in a season that he set in 2023.
3. Defense. Yesterday was just atrocious. The Mets made six errors with Semien and Vientos each making two. The Cubs scored five unearned runs on the night in a game the Mets could have very well won if they fielded their positions correctly. Hopefully this was rock bottom and tonight the Mets start their climb up.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to bounce back from an ugly loss. The Mets took a 3-0 lead but then everything fell apart in the fifth inning. After retiring the first two batters, the Nolan McLean allowed three runs to score to tie the game. The Cubs then scored three more in the sixth before making it an unreachable 10-3 lead later in the game.

The vibes are putrid right now, but Francisco Lindor is back! Can Lindor save the Mets season?

Programing Note: The split-doubleheader today brings us an unusual SNY/WPIX. If you parked yourself in front of SNY this afternoon for the first game and post game, make sure to adjust your dial to WPIX for the night cap.

Sean Manaea has pitched in 16 games this season totaling 54 1/3 innings with a 4.64 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 1.344 WHIP and an 89 ERA+. Since rejoining the Mets rotation he has allowed five runs, four earned, over 11 1/3 innings while striking out 11 batters. He’s kept the Mets in games more reliably of late than most of the Mets rotation. Manaea had a poor relief outing against the Cubs in April allowing five runs over four innings. The Cubs have the following career numbers against him:

• Miguel Amaya 0-4, 2 K
• Alex Bregman 10-42, 3 HR, 5 BB, 5 K
• Michael Busch 2-5, HR, 2 K
• Michael Conforto 2-7, 2B, 3 K
• Pete Crow-Armstrong 0-1, BB, K
• Ian Happ 2-9, HR, BB, K
• Nico Hoerner 2-10, 3B
• Carson Kelly 3-21, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 4 K
• Matt Shaw 2-4. 2B, K
• Seiya Suzuki 2-4, 2B
• Dansby Swanson 0-12, BB, 4 K

Shota Imanaga has seen his starts get bumped a couple of times over the last few days. He was originally supposed to pitch in a game that got rained out on Sunday. The same thing happened on Monday and that led the Cubs to knock him back all the way to today. Over 15 starts, 86 2/3 innings, Imanaga has a 4.26 ERA, 4.58 FIP, 1.062 WHIP and a 93 ERA+. He’s had a good run recently, allowing only one run over 10 2/3 innings. In his three starts before that he allowed 18 runs over 17 1/3. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-2, HR, K
• Brett Baty 2-5, HR, K
• Marcus Semien 1-2, BB
• Zack Short 0-1, BB, K
• Juan Soto 0-3
• Luis Torrens 1-3
• Mark Vientos 0-5

Three Things to Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. The soul of the Mets will finally be back in the lineup tonight after missing two months due to a calf injury. Lindor was hitting .226/.314/.355 with an 89 OPS+ when he went down. In his last nine games before he got injured he was hitting .333/.353/.545. The Mets absolutely need that now.
2. Don’t Chase Imanaga. Imanaga’s off-speed pitches are in the 90th percentile in run value this season. Hitters are chasing his pitches 37.2% of the time, which is good for the 96th percentile. The problem for Imanaga is when hitters are making contact with his pitches, they’re squaring up on the ball. Hitters have a 10.4% Barrel% and a 38.3% Hard-Hit% (18th and 52nd percentile). The Mets hitters strike out a lot but have quite a lot of pop. Should be an interesting night in Queens!
3. Manaea has really changed his pitch selection. Last season stat-cast only picked up three pitches from Manaea: a fastball, sweeper and a changeup. This year they are picking up a sinker and cutter as well. Manaea tossed his fastball 60.5% of time last year, but his fastball this year just hasn’t been the same (19% whiff this year compared to 23.2% last year). Here’s the odd thing though, his sinker and cutter, which is throwing a combined 25% of the time, aren’t that good. Hitters have a .340 BA on his sinker and a .333 on his cutter. His cutter also has a 34.4% whiff rate, so there’s a chance things improve.

Let’s Go Mets!

Last night was more of the same for the Mets. Kodai Senga allowed a ton of runs early for the Mets, and they never were able to climb out of the hole, despite the Mets scoring six runs. Juan Soto left the game early when his back locked up. Francisco Lindor may be activated today, but it won’t happen for the first game the day. The Mets are going to have to stop the bleeding this afternoon without their superstars.

Nolan McLean has made 15 starts totaling 83 1/3 innings with a 3.67 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 1.092 WHIP and a 112 ERA+. McLean is coming off of a great start where he held the Cubs to one unearned run over seven innings while striking out nine batters. In his last four starts he has allowed only four earned runs over 22 innings while striking out 22 batters (1.64 ERA, 3.15 FIP). The Cubs have the following career numbers against McLean:

• Michael Busch 0-3, K
• Pete Crow-Armstrong 0-2, 2 K
• Ian Happ 1-2, 2B, BB, K
• Nico Hoerner 0-3, K
• Carson Kelly 0-2, K
• Matt Shaw 0-2, 2 K
• Seiya Suzuki 2-3, 2 HR< K
• Dansby Swanson 1-1, HR, BB

Javier Assad has pitched in 11 games making five starts this season, totaling 44 innings with a 3.89 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.000 WHIP and a 102 ERA+. Since returning to the rotation in June Assad has been quite good, allowing only two runs over 18 innings in three games (1.00 ERA, 3.83 FIP). He faced the Mets earlier this season allowing only one run from three hits over 5 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Assad:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-2, 2B
• Brett Baty 2-5, K
• Carson Benge 0-3, K
• Bo Bichette 2-7, BB, K
• MJ Melendez 1-5, HR, K
• Marcus Semien 1-3
• Zack Short 1-3, BB, K
• Juan Soto 0-3, K
• Luis Torrens 1-2, 2B
• Mark Vientos 0-4

Three Things To Watch For:

1. MJ Melendez. Melendez’s time on the Mets could be rapidly coming to a close. Tyrone Taylor and Ronny Mauricio are both rehabbing in Syracuse. Over 53 games, 137 PA’s, Melendez has hit .184/.309/.351 and an 86 ERA+. He has been dreadful in June going 5-for-38 with 17 K’s over 17 games, slashing .132/.283/.263. Today may be his last chance to make a strong statement for why he should stay up.
2. Bo Bichette. Bo is the star this afternoon in the Mets lineup. He’ll be hitting behind both Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing with Jared Young and Francisco Alvarez rounding out the top half of the lineup. Bo Bichette went 2-for-4 last night with a home run in the ninth inning. He also had two strikeouts, including one on a foul tip in the second inning that left the bases loaded when the Mets were down three.
3. Francisco Alvarez. The Mets are playing both catchers in the lineup this afternoon, on a day where they are playing two. With the Juan Soto injury the Mets need Alvarez’s bat. Alvarez will be DH’ing in game one. Last night he went 2-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season. Since returning from injury he has gone 12-for-40 at the plate with two home runs (.300/.333/.450).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are so close to things getting better. Francisco Lindor played a rehab game on Sunday with Tyrone Taylor. Christian Scott had a successful bullpen session. The problem is the team they are all coming back to is quickly falling apart. In the last three weeks the Mets have basically played .500 baseball (one game below .500 for the month of June). The starting pitching, on average, hasn’t given the bats a chance. Despite hot streaks from Bichette and Soto, the offense has been stuck in neutral. And now they welcome the Cubs who have won six of their last ten to Queens.

Kodai Senga returned the Mets rotation last week and promptly allowed four runs in the first inning. He settled down after and pitched three scoreless innings to end the night with four innings of work. Over six starts this season Senga has pitched 24 innings with a 9.00 ERA, 6.81 FIP, 1.875 WHIP and a 46 ERA+. On the positive side, he does have 28 strikeouts. Senga had a rough start against the Cubs in April allowing seven runs, six earned over 3 1/3 innings. The Cubs have the following career numbers against him:

• Alex Bregman 2-5, 2B, K
• Michael Busch 0-1, BB, K
• Michael Conforto 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K
• Pete Crow-Armstrong 0-2
• Ian Happ 2-7, BB, 3 K
• Nico Hoerner 2-7, HR, BB, 3 K
• Carson Kelly 0-5, 2 K
• Seiya Suzuki 2-4, 2B, BB
• Dansby Swanson 2-7, 2B, BB, 2 K

The Cubs have really reshuffled their rotation the last couple of days. Shota Imanaga was supposed to start Sunday, but then the Cubs got rained out. Then he was supposed to start yesterday, but the Cubs got rained out again. The Cubs have pushed him now to tomorrow’s doubleheader and decided to keep Edward Cabrera on his normal throwing schedule.

Edward Cabrera has made 13 starts this season totaling 67 1/3 innings with a 5.21 ERA, 5.15 FIP, 1.396 WHIP and a 75 ERA+. In his last six games he has pitched 26 innings allowing 27 runs, 24 earned, for a 8.31 ERA and 7.02 FIP. He had a decent start against the Mets back in April holding the Mets to three runs over six innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-6, BB, 2 K
• Brett Baty 2-4, K
• Carson Benge 1-3
• Bo Bichette 1-3, K
• MJ Melendez 2-3, 2 BB
• Marcus Semien 1-3, 2B, K
• Juan Soto 1-9, HR, 3 BB, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2, K
• Mark Vientos 3-7, HR, BB, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Starting Pitcher Struggles. Let’s work backwards to Senga’s last start. Sunday night Peterson gave the Mets four innings and five runs. Saturday Peralta pitched 2 2/3 innings allowing 10 runs. Thursday Manaea gave the Mets 5 1/3 innings allowing three runs. Wednesday McLean was fantastic allowing only one run over seven. Last Tuesday Senga allowed four runs, all in the first inning, over four innings. The Mets are constantly playing from behind right now, it’s exhausting. The Mets bullpen got a much needed day off yesterday, but with a doubleheader looming tomorrow, they’re going to need Senga to go deep in this game.
2. Contain PCA. Pete Crow-Armstrong has been demolishing baseball recently. Over his last 9 games he has gone 19-for-38 with four doubles, two triples, five home runs and four stolen bases (.476/.511/1.024). His OPS during this stretch has jumped from .774 to .883. He has a career high 149 OPS+ this season. Hopefully the two days off in a row slow him down a bit.
3. Carson Benge. On June 7th Carson Benge went 5-for-5. In the five games after that Benge had a mini-slump going 2-for-18. Since then, over seven games, Benge is hitting .290/.333/.548 including two straight games with a home run.

Let’s Go Mets!