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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
