Although the Mets lost the last series against the Braves, they come back home after a successful road trip where they swept the Guardians and won a series against the Pirates. The Mets are still in 5th place in the NL East and are 16 games below .500. Tonight they start a series against the 4th place Nationals who are only three games below .500. If the Mets want to climb out of the cellar by the end of the season, this series will be a critical one.
Robert Stock has had two very different starts with the Mets this season. In his first start against the Marlins he allowed only one run over five innings, scattering three hits and no walks while striking out four. In his last start he allowed eight run from nine hits and five walks while striking out four over three innings against the Pirates. In both starts the Mets bats did absolutely nothing for Stock, giving him zero run support. There is no one on the Nationals roster who have faced Robert Stock in a Major League game.
Andrew Alvarez has pitched in 17 games including nine starts totaling 69 1/3 innings this season with a 3.76 ERA, 3.10 FIP, 1.399 WHIP and a 113 ERA+. In his last three outings he has allowed only four runs over 16 innings (2.25 ERA, 3.33 FIP). This includes his longest outing of the year where he pitched 6 1/3 innings against the Phillies. Alvarez faced the Mets earlier this season and pitched four innings of relief allowing two runs. The Mets have the following career stats against Alvarez:
- Francisco Alvarez 1-2, 2B
- Brett Baty 0-1, BB
- Carson Benge 0-1
- Bo Bichette 1-1
- A.J. Ewing 0-1, K
- Francisco Lindor 1-1, BB
- Marcus Semien 0-2
- Luis Torrens 0-1
Three Things To Watch For:
- Hitting Dingers. The Washington Nationals currently lead the league with 177 home runs this season, eight homers ahead of the Yankees in second place. The Mets are now 11th in the league in home runs with 148, as they continue to hit the ball a lot better over the last couple of weeks. It’s very possible that the Mets, who hit three home runs on Wednesday, can finish fairly solidly in the top ten by the end of the season. Andrew Alvarez hasn’t allowed a home run since June 3rd though, so it won’t be easy for the Mets tonight.
- Bo Bichette & Slugging. At the start of July, Bo Bichette started hitting again. From the 3rd to the 27th he slashed .315/.358/.342 with 23 hits but only two two doubles and nothing else. From July 30 to now he is slashing .308/.368/.500 with 16 hits including four doubles and two home runs.
- Carson Benge On Base Streak. Benge has reached base safely in 16 consecutive games, slashing .361/.426/.541 in the process. On Wednesday he went 2-for-4 with a double, it was fifth time in the last six games that Benge recorded at least two hits (.458/.519/.583).
Let’s Go Mets!
