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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
