213 Miles From Shea

The Mets play a must win rubber game this afternoon against the Nationals. The Mets fell behind early Wednesday night with the Nationals going up 4-0 by the time the third inning had ended. The Mets would then go on to score four runs in the next two innings, making the score 5-4. Old problems crept in for the Mets who went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position, hitting into three different, rally killing double plays.

Sean Manaea has pitched 32 innings over seven games with a 4.78 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 1.156 WHIP and an 84 ERA+. In the month of July he allowed only four runs over 17 1/3 innings (four games), a 2.08 ERA. August has not been kind to Manaea as he has allowed 13 runs over 14 2/3 innings. Manaea’s first two games in August followed a similar script. He cruised early, struggled in the fourth or fifth. His last time out he just started allowing runs from the jump. He was quite good against the Nationals in 2024 holding them to only three runs, two earned over 14 innings. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 3-10, 3 K
• Riley Adams 1-1, HR
• Josh Bell 4-8, 2B
• Andres Chaparro 0-3, K
• Dylan Crews 0-3, K
• Luis García Jr. 2-5, 2 K
• James Wood 0-6, K
• Jacob Young 2-4, 2B, BB, K

The Mets bats will get a look at 2025 All-Star MacKenzie Gore today. Over 138 innings, Gore has a 4.04 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 1.319 WHIP and a 102 ERA+. Gore’s numbers are being inflated by three of his four starts between July 20th and August 5th. In that stretch he allowed 23 runs over 15 2/3 innings, raising his season ERA from 3.02 to 4.29. Since August 5th, Gore has allowed two runs over 12 innings while striking out 17 batters. Against the Mets earlier this season he allowed two runs over six innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-18, HR, BB, 2 K
• Brett Baty 0-1, BB, K
• Francisco Lindor 3-17, 2 BB, 2 K
• Starling Marte 4-11, 2 K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-2, K
• Jeff McNeil 8-12, 2 BB, K
• Cedric Mullins 1-6, BB, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 5-17, 2 2B, BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 3-12, 6 K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-11, 2B, HR, 5 K
• Luis Torrens 1-6, 2B, 3 K
• Mark Vientos 2-7, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brett Baty Season. Brett Baty now has a four game hitting streak where he has gone 5-for-13 at the plate with two walks and two home runs. He now has 15 homers on the season and if his hot streak continues, he has a legitimate chance to finish the season with 20 homers. What a turn around for Baty for this season!
2. Adjusting without key bats. Before Tuesday’s game Francisco Alvarez landed on the injured list with a base running thumb injury. Early in Wednesday’s game Brandon Nimmo was pulled from the game with reoccurrence of his stiff neck injury that has plagued him at points in his career. We’ll see today how the Mets organize themselves today, a day game after a night game with a banged up lineup.
3. An opportunity to gain a half game today. The Mets have had a weird schedule the last week with an off-day last Thursday and this Monday. Because of that, they are now on day 3 of 16 consecutive days with a game. This also means they’ve played two less games than the Reds who are only one game behind them for the third and final wild card spot. A win today will give the Mets just slightly more breathing room in a tight race.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to win their fourth straight game and second consecutive series tonight! Tuesday night the Mets unloaded on the Nationals with four different players hitting home runs. David Peterson gave the Mets the best pitching performance in months, going eight innings allowing only one run.

We are getting near the point of the year where we’ll need to scoreboard watch everyday. Unfortunately for the Mets every team the Mets are chasing (Phillies, Dodgers, Cubs and Padres) won and both teams chasing the Mets (Reds, Cardinals) also won. As long as the Mets keep winning, they’ll be alright!

Kodai Senga has pitched 99 2/3 innings this season with a 2.35 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.234 WHIP and a 169 ERA+. Senga looked a lot more like himself his last time out. Last week he held the Braves to two runs over 5 2/3 innings on five hits and a walk while striking out seven. It was his first start since returning from the injured list where he walked only one batter. Senga got injured covering first against the Nationals back in mid-June. In that start he held the Nationals to only one hit and no runs over 5 2/3 innings. In April the Nationals only scored two runs over six innings against Senga. The Nationals have the following career numbers against Senga:

• CJ Abrams 3-9, 3B, 2 BB, K
• Josh Bell 2-10, BB, K
• Dylan Crews 1-2, K
• Paul DeJong 0-3, 2 K
• Luis García Jr. 1-8, 2 BB, 2 K
• Robert Hassell III 0-2, 2 K
• James Wood 2-5, 2 K
• Jacob Young 1-2

The Mets get a look at reliever-turned-starter Brad Lord tonight. Over 40 games, 11 starts, Lord has pitched 91 innings with a 3.26 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 1.220 WHIP and a 127 ERA+. As a starter only he has pitched 52 1/3 innings with a 3.61 ERA. He’s on a bit of run right now allowing only three runs from 11 hits and three walks over his last 12 innings. Lord made a start against the Mets back in April allowing two runs over four innings. He also pitched a clean inning of relief against the Mets back in June. The Mets have the following stats against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-2, K
• Francisco Alvarez 1-2, HR
• Brett Baty 0-1
• Francisco Lindor 2-2
• Jeff McNeil 0-2
• Brandon Nimmo 0-2
• Juan Soto 0-2, K
• Luis Torrens 0-1
• Mark Vientos 0-2, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brett Baty. Baty has gone 11-for-31 over his last nine games with three home runs. He has raised his batting line from .226/.283/.402 to .240/.299/.428. He now has a 103 OPS+, his first OPS+ above 100. The Mets need players to stretch out their batting order and Baty is emerging as one of those guys.
2. Jeff McNeil. The Nationals are going to need to come up with an answer to Jeff McNeil tonight. Against the Mariners Jeff went 5-for-13 with one double and four runs scored. Tuesday night Jeff McNeil went 3-for-4 with a walk, double, and a home run and two runs scored. His season OPS is at .795, knocking on the door of .800!
3. Gregory Soto. Soto has been great for the Mets so far, and hasn’t pitched since Saturday. Over eight games with the Mets he has pitched 8 1/3 innings with allowing one unearned run, no earned runs, scatting six hits while striking out eight. He’s in the 98th percentile in Barrel% this season with a 30.1% Whiff% (80th percentile).

Let’s Go Mets!

“And if we again tomorrow, it’s called a winning streak … It has happened before” – Major League

Winning is the answer to all ills in baseball and the Mets have the chance to go on a three game winning streak if they beat the Nationals in the series opener. On Saturday the Mets held onto a 3-1 lead thanks to a tremendous major league debut for Nolan McLean. Sunday the Mets rolled through the Mariners in the Little League classic playing a version of small-ball that kept the line moving and built frustration on the Mariners. Let’s keep the momentum going tonight in DC!

It’s redemption night for David Peterson! Over 136 1/3 innings and 23 starts Peterson has a 3.30 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 1.276 WHIP and a 120 ERA+. Peterson had a streak of six starts in a row going at least six innings heading into last start. Last time out he lasted only 3 1/3 innings allowing six runs from five hits and five walks (tied a season worst). In his last two starts he has been tagged for 10 runs over 9 1/3 innings. On June 11th Peterson pitched a complete game shutout against the Nationals! The Nationals have the following career numbers against Peterson:

• CJ Abrams 3-17, BB, 3 K
• Riley Adams 0-6, 2 K
• Josh Bell 5-16, HR, 3 BB, 2 K
• Luis García Jr. 6-18, 2B, 3 K
• James Wood 3-10, 4 K
• Jacob Young 3-9, BB, K

Jake Irvin has started 25 games and pitched 140 innings with a 5.14 ERA, 5.40 FIP, 1.379 WHIP and an 80 ERA+. August has been brutal for Irvin, allowing 14 runs (13 earned) over 13 1/3 innings from 23 hits (including four home runs). The last time he faced the Mets he allowed four runs over five innings from five hits. Earlier int he season he held the Mets to only one run over 7 1/3 innings scattering five hits. The Mets have the following career stats against Irvin:

• Pete Alonso 2-15, 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
• Francisco Alvarez 2-14, 7 K
• Brett Baty 0-4
• Francisco Lindor 6-16, 2 2B, HR, 3 K
• Starling Marte 1-2, K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-1
• Jeff McNeil 3-13, BB, K
• Cedric Mullins 0-5, K
• Brandon Nimmo 5-17, 2 HR, 2 BB, K
• Juan Soto 2-6, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-9, 2B, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-2, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 1-12, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Home runs. The Mets won on Sunday on small ball early and a Mark Vientos three-run homer in the middle of the game to break it open. It feels like tonight is a good night for the Mets to hit some bombs. Jake Irvin leads the league in home runs allowed at 27, which is good for a 1.7 HR/9. That’s also not too far off of his previous season marks at 1.4 and 1.5 HR/9. He’s allowed four home runs over three starts this month and he allowed two homers his last time out against the Mets.
2. Francisco Lindor. There are not enough words to describe how hot Lindor is right now. He now has five consecutive multi-hit games and six consecutive getting on base at least two times. Over this stretch he has gone 14-for-25, which is just absurd, with three doubles, three home runs, seven RBI’s and seven runs (.560/.607/1.040). The Mets are kind-of failing Lindor over the last two games. He’s had five hits but hasn’t scored any runs.
3. Francisco Alvarez. How good has Alvarez been recently? He went 6-for-12 in three games against the Mariners hitting two doubles, a home run, recording five RBI’s and scoring four runs. In the opening game against Atlanta he went 3-for-4 with a double and two homeruns. After the game on August 10th Alvarez was hitting .242/.339/.364, six games later he’s hitting .265/.349/.438. This would be a great time for Alvarez to go on a run!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets try to win back-to-back games for the first time in forever tonight as they head to Williamsport for the Little League game!

The Mets are coming off a much needed win Saturday behind Nolan McLean’s dazzling debut. McLean allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings, showing that Mets starting pitchers can in fact record an out in the sixth inning. The bullpen held on to a 1-0 lead that eventually got stretched into a 3-1 win. With a win under their belt the Mets just need to focusing on winning more, and taking a series from the Seattle Mariners is a great start.

Clay Holmes has pitched 126 innings over 24 starts with a 3.71 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 1.349 WHIP and a 107 ERA+. He’s coming off a tough game against the Braves where he allowed five runs over 3 2/3 innings from six hits and six walks. Similar to other Mets losses in this stretch, it was the fourth inning that did Holmes in. He allowed only one run through the first three innings while the Mets bats gave the Mets a 5-1 lead. Then everything fell off in the fourth. What a moral booster it would be for Holmes and the Mets to have a solid five innings today. The Mariners have the following career numbers against Holmes:

• Randy Arozarena 2-12, 8 K
• Dominic Canzone 0-0, RBI
• J.P. Crawford 1-2
• Mitch Garver 2-2, 2B
• Dylan Moore 0-1, 2 BB, K
• Josh Naylor 2-4, 2B
• Jorge Polanco 1-1
• Cal Raleigh 0-4, BB
• Luke Raley 2-3
• Julio Rodriguez 1-5, BB, 2 K
• Donovan Solano 0-1, K
• Eugenio Suarez 1-7, BB, 2 K

The Mets bats will get a look at George Kirby tonight who has pitched 85 innings over 15 starts with a 3.71 ERA, 3.22 FIP, 1.071 WHIP and a 101 ERA+. Kirby is coming off of a fantastic start where he shutout the Orioles over seven innings. In his last three starts he has allowed only two runs over 19 innings, scattering 11 hits and four walks. The Mets have the following career stats against George Kirby:

• Pete Alonso 2-3, HR< BB
• Francisco Alvarez 1-1
• Brett Baty 0-1
• Francisco Lindor 1-3
• Starling Marte 2-2, 2B, 3B
• Ronny Mauricio 1-2
• Jeff McNeil 1-3
• Cedric Mullins 3-17, 2B, 2 BB, 4 K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-4
• Juan Soto 3-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. He’s been the player to watch on the Mets now for about a week. Lindor now has at least two hits in four consecutive games and has reached base at least twice in five consecutive games. During this stretch Lindor is hitting 11-for-20 with two doubles, three home runs, seven runs scored and two stolen bases (.550/.609/1.100). His stolen base on Saturday clinched his third consecutive 20-20 season and a second consecutive 30-30 season is in reach. Despite the massive slump he just got out of, Lindor has a 121 OPS+, the same OPS+ he had in 2023 and just lightly behind his 2022 125 OPS+.
2. Can the bullpen do it again? Gregory Soto pitched 1 2/3 innings of perfect relief Saturday. Edwin Díaz was called on for a six out save and allowed one run on two hits while closing the door. This gave the rest of the Mets bullpen a much needed day off. The Mets bullpen let the Mets down on Friday with Tyler Rogers allowing a run, Helsley allowing two runs and Raley allowing three. With Díaz most likely unavailable tonight, the other big names in the Mets bullpen will have to step up.
3. Journey Bank Ballpark. It’s always fun for players and fans to see the team play in a different stadium. Last season we got to see the Mets play in London. The Mets last played in the Little League Classic against the Phillies back in 2018, a game that the Mets won 8-2. The Statcast numbers suggest it’s a difficult park to hit in, but there’s also a fairly small sample size. If you’re a fan of the spectacle that MLB creates, the Little League classic is one of the better special games they put on.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets slide continued Friday night. The Mets scored nine runs yet still lost the game as the Mariners were able to score 11 on the pitching staff. Over the last week the Mets offense has fully woken up but the pitching staff has completely fallen apart. There are a lot of vibes in baseball. Since the series with the Brewers, no lead has felt safe, every opponent rally feels inevitable.

So the Mets are switching it up today! The Mets are calling up one of their top prospects, Nolan McLean, to make his major league debut in Queens!

There is a new group of highly touted Mets pitching prospects, and Nolan McLean is the first to make his major league debut. The 24-year old righty was originally drafted by the Orioles in 2022 out of Oklahoma State, but didn’t sign him so he went back to school and was drafted in the same round by the Mets in the following season.

Over 21 games and 18 starts this season across Syracuse and Binghamton, McLean has pitched 113 2/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA and 1.126 WHIP with a 10.1 K/9. He has a mid-90’s fastball that he matches with a high-spin, mid-80’s sweeper. He rounds out his arsenal with a cutter, changeup and curveball.

The Mets bats will get a look at Bryan Woo this afternoon. Woo has pitched a career high 146 innings over 23 starts with a 3.08 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 0.952 WHIP and a 121 ERA+. He’s coming of an average start where he allowed three runs from seven hits against the Rays. Home runs have become an issue for Woo over his last five starts. He’s allowed eight of them (4.31 ERA, 4.61 FIP). Juan Soto is the only player on the Mets who has faced Woo before (2-for-5, 2B, HR, BB, 2 K).

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. Lindor is scorching hot again. He now has three consecutive games getting on base at least three times and has hit three home runs over his last two games. The batting line is insane. He’s gone 8-for-12 with a double, three home runs slashing .667/.714/.1.500. The Mets are going to need every bit of this version of Lindor to get out of their current funk.
2. Juan Soto. Don’t let the noise from the greater New York area sports radio market full you, Juan Soto is putting up a very Juan Soto season. He went 1-for-4 last night with a home run and a walk. He has now hit five home runs over his last eight games with a .405 OBP. Soto now has a 4.6 bWAR, and thanks to his home run last night, he’s one stolen base away from his first ever 30-20 season. The only thing that has not been Soto-esque is his BB/K ratio. He is still leading the league in walks and probably will set the Mets franchise record for walks in a season, but its also the first season since 2019 he’ll strike out more than he walks.
3. Containing Cal Raleigh. The Big Dumper did his thing in Queens yesterday. He hit his 46th homer, continuing his absurdly great season while using a fairly fantastic bat. Overall the Mets pitchers just need to contain everyone to get out of this funk. They need to keep the base paths clear for when the big bats come to the plate and limit potential damage.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets have another challenging weekend ahead of them as the Seattle Mariners, one of the hottest teams in baseball, roll into town. The Mariners have one of the best rotations in baseball, their bullpen closes the door and recently they’ve started to collectively hit.

On the other hand, it doesn’t matter who the Mets are facing right now as the team is just struggling on all fronts. If starting pitching is rolling or the bullpen is carrying the load, the bitters are scoring runs. If the bats are scoring runs and the bullpen is tight, the rotation is putting the team in a hole to start. If the bats make the comeback, the bullpen lets the lead slide. The vibes are bad right now, but as always winning a game is the first step to turning it all around.

The Mets are hoping Sean Manaea can help stabilize the rotation. Over six games this season Manaea has pitched 27 innings with a 4.33 ERA, 3.81 FIP, 1.111 WHIP and a 93 ERA+. July was great for Manaea. He had a 2.08 ERA over four games allowing exactly one run in each outing. In his two August starts he has allowed nine runs from 13 hits and two walks over 9 2/3 innings. The Mariners have the following career numbers against Manaea:

• Randy Arozarena 3-7, 2B, 2 BB, K
• J.P. Crawford 6-22, 2 BB, 7 K
• Mitch Garver 1-7, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Dylan Moore 3-11, 2B, BB, 5 K
• Josh Naylor 0-3
• Jorge Polanco 0-8, BB
• Cal Raleigh 0-4, 2 K
• Julio Rodriguez 2-4, HR
• Donovan Solano 3-10, BB, 5 K
• Eugenio Suarez 1-9, BB, 3 K

Luis Castillo has made 24 starts totaling 138 1/3 innings with a 3.19 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.186 WHIP and a 117 ERA+. In his last three starts he has pitched 18 1/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA and 4.31 FIP. The only blemish recently has been three home runs allowed over his last two starts (and home runs are a Mets specialty!). The Mets have the following career stats against Castillo:

• Pete Alonso 1-11, BB, 4 K
• Francisco Lindor 5-12, 3 2B, K
• Starling Marte 1-15, 2 BB, 5 K
• Ronny Mauricio 2-2
• Jeff McNeil 5-11, 2B, 2 HR, K
• Cedric Mullins 1-4, K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-8, 2B, 4 BB, K
• Juan Soto 2-10, HR, 6 BB, 5 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2, K
• Luis Torrens 2-5, K
• Mark Vientos 2-3, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. The Mets may have dropped their last two games but Francisco Lindor has started to awaken from his struggles at the plate. Over his last two starts going 5-for-7 at the plate with a double, home run, two walks and four runs scored. He’s now scored a run four consecutive games. His home run (22) and stolen base (19) Thursday night have revived hopes that a hot streak at the end of the season could mean another 30-30 season for Lindor. Look for Lindor to continue leading the lineup tonight.
2. The back of the Mets lineup. The Mets have found new ways to frustrate. As one part of the team fixes itself, the part that was carrying the load starts to fall apart. For the first half of the season the Mets top four hitters were doing the work. When the rest of the lineup started to contribute, the top four collectively went into an awful slump. The top four are back now and the Mets 5-9 hitters collectively went 0-for-16 Thursday night with a walk.
3. Juan Soto 20 Stolen Bases. Juan Soto steals bases now. Thursday night he went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. His next stolen base will give him first 20 stolen base season. He is one hot month of baseball away from 40 home runs (currently at 11, so unlikely but not impossible) and could put up a 40-20 season. It’s one of a couple of career and franchise milestones we’ll be watching Soto for as the season heads into it’s final six weeks.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets demons are back, unfortunately.

Monday night was a feel good night for the Mets. They were hitting home runs all over the place, Pete Alonso set the franchise record for home runs and the Mets just absolutely crushed the Braves. Tuesday night started the same way. By the end of the second inning the Mets had a 6-0 lead. The middle innings have been plaguing the Mets of late. The Mets had multiple big leads get erased, but none as bad as Tuesday night. The Braves scored nine runs in the fourth inning, flipping the script on their way to beating the Mets 11-6. Utterly demoralizing. The Mets desperately need a win.

Kodai Senga will try to get the Mets back on the right track tonight. Over 18 starts and 94 innings, Senga has a 2.30 ERA, 4.05 FIP, 1.245 WHIP and a 173 ERA+. It’s been a rough stretch for Senga since returning from the injured list. Over five starts he has allowed less than three runs only once and gone at least five innings only once. In four of five starts he has walked at least three batters. The Braves have the following career numbers against Senga:

• Ozzie Albies 0-2, BB, K
• Nacho Alvarez Jr. 0-2
• Michael Harris II 0-2, K
• Sean Murphy 0-2, 2 K
• Matt Olson 1-4, BB, 3 K
• Marcell Ozuna 1-4, 2B, K
• Jurickson Profar 0-2, BB, 2 K

The Mets bats will look to keep hitting tonight against Bryce Elder. Over 19 innings he has pitched 100 innings with a 6.12 ERA, 5.15 FIP, 1.560 WHIP and a 68 ERA+. Elder is coming off of a rough start where he allowed five runs over six innings. Through his first ten starts this season he had a 4.08 ERA, 4.33 FIP. Since then he’s had a 8.86 ERA, 6.25 FIP over 42 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Elder:

• Pete Alonso 3-8, 2B, HR
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2
• Brett Baty 1-4, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 4-7, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB
• Starling Marte 1-6, 4 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-9, BB, K
• Cedric Mullins 1-2, 2B, BB
• Brandon Nimmo 1-7, 3 K
• Juan Soto 2-3, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Juan Soto. Soto has been doing everything he can to keep the line moving. He has reached base in 11 straight games, every game so far in August. He’s slashing .279/.392/.558 (.950 OPS) over this stretch with four home runs and seven walks. He’s now one home run away from his fourth 30 home runs season, his third in a row. To put this season in context, Soto has a 151 OPS+, behind his absurd 178 OPS+ last season but on par with his 155 OPS+ in 2023.
2. Can a starter go five innings? David Peterson was supposed to be the chose one. He has been the one the Mets have been relying on to go six innings if not more. With his early exit yesterday, the Mets went a full rotation without a starter going five innings. Luckily Justin Hagenman put four innings in on Monday and Paul Blackburn returned to the majors Tuesday with a five inning relief outing. They have saved the bullpen. It will go a long way for everyone’s moral if Kodai can be effective through five innings tonight.
3. Pete Alonso. Alonso continues to be scorching hot for the Mets with his second consecutive three hit game on Tuesday night. Over his last four games he has gone 9-for-17 with three doubles and three home runs (.529/.556/1.235). Over 11 August games Pete is slashing .386/.408/.886 with six home runs. He has raised his season stat line from .259/.351/.491 to .272/.356/.530, something that’s difficult to do this late in the season!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to win back-to-back games tonight for the first time in 37 years!

Monday night was a night of breaking records and slumps. Pete Alonso became the Mets all-time home run leader hitting his 253rd (and later his 254th) career homer. Francisco Alvarez hit two home runs. Brett Bat hit a home run. Even Brandon Nimmo who was 0-for-19 heading into Monday night hit a homer!

The Mets current losing streak has been littered with giant innings, teams putting up huge crooked numbers against the Mets, often right after when the Mets did the same. The Braves did this in the top of the 4th, knotting the game at 5-5. For a moment it did feel like “not again”. But the Mets had a huge bottom of the 4th and hopefully now the Mets can start to move past some of the things that have been plaguing them over this losing streak.

David Peterson is the pitcher on the Mets you want on the mound for the Mets to build on Monday’s win. Peterson has now made 22 starts, the most in his career totaling 133 innings with a 2.98 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 1.233 WHIP and a 132 ERA+. Peterson is coming off of his first rougher start in a while where he allowed four runs over six innings from five hits (including two homers) against the Guardians last week. He’s been the only pitcher going at least six innings for the Mets and he has done that six consecutive starts. Earlier this season he allowed three runs from five hits over seven innings against the Braves who have the following career numbers against Peterson:

• Ozzie Albies 3-15, K
• Nick Allen 0-2, BB
• Nacho Alvarez Jr. 1-2
• Vidal Brujan 1-1, 2B, BB
• Michael Harris II 1-13, 2B, 6 K
• Sean Murphy 0-7, K
• Matt Olson 5-19, 4 HR, 3 BB, 8 K
• Marcell Ozuna 4-20, 2 HR, BB, 6 K
• Jurickson Profar 2-5, 2B
• Eli White 1-3
• Luke Williams 1-8, 3 K

The Mets will face an old friend tonight in Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco started the season with the Yankees pitching 32 innings over eight games with a 5.91 ERA, 5.32 FIP, 1.531 WHIP and a 70 ERA+. Over his first two starts (11 2/3 innings) with the Braves he has a 6.94 ERA, 5.16 FIP, 1.714 WHIP and a 62 ERA+. The Mets have the following career stats against Carrasco:

• Cedric Mullins 2-9
• Juan Soto 2-10, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-4, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete Alonso. Alonso’s chase for the franchise lead is over, now we need to watch him because he has one of the hottest bats in the Mets lineup. In his last three games he has gone 6-for-13 at the plate with three doubles and three home runs. Every hit he’s had has been an extra base hit (1.385 SLG). Alonso now has 30 doubles and 28 home runs, just two home runs shy of his second straight 30 doubles / 30 homers season. His next double will tie his career best for doubles set last season. Alonso is also now 3.0 bWAR, 0.4 bWAR more than he had all of 2024 and 0.3 away from 2023 bWAR.
2. Frankie Montas. The Mets announced before Monday’s game that Montas will be moving to the bullpen. The Mets only needed to relievers on Monday thanks to the offense finally waking up and Hagenman picking up a massive four inning save. There’s a solid chance we’ll see Montas tonight, especially if the game isn’t close after Peterson exits. Montas last pitched on the 9th allowing three runs over three innings from three hits and two walks coming in as bulk relief. Over 36 2/3 innings he has a 6.38 ERA, 5.26 FIP, 1.555 WHIP and a 62 ERA+.
3. Cedric Mullins (and the bottom half of the lineup). Mullins is starting to come around! Over his last three games he has gone 5-for-12 with a double, home run, walk and three runs scored. As the Mets top of the lineup starts to wake up out of their slumber, it’s the bottom half that can make the lineup feel relentless. Mullins, Alvarez and Baty combined to go 7-for-13 Monday with two doubles and three homeruns.

Let’s Go Mets!

It’s a brand new week for the Mets as they look to snap a terrible two week period.

The Mets had a seven game winning streak in late July. Since then they have lost 11 of their last 12 including seven games in a row. This past weekend in Milwaukee was just emblematic of a team where everything is going wrong. Several heartbreaking losses were capped with Sunday’s loss, where the Mets had a five run lead evaporate. The only thing that can flip the vibes for the Mets is a win!

Clay Holmes has pitched 122 1/3 innings over 23 starts with a 3.46 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 1.300 WHIP and a 113 ERA+. Holmes is coming off of a better start against the Guardians where he allowed only two runs from three hits and a walk over five innings. It was his sixth start in his last seven where he pitched at least five innings. Holmes is still chasing a run he had earlier in May and June where he went six of seven starts going at least six innings.

The Braves faced Holmes in back-to-back starts towards the end of June. It Atlanta they worked him hard getting three runs from four hits and six walks over 4 2/3 innings. Holmes was better the following week allowing only one run from three hits over five innings. The Braves have the following career numbers against Holmes:

• Ozzie Albies 3-5, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Nick Allen 1-4, 2B, K
• Drake Baldwin 1-3, HR, 2 BB
• Vidal Brujan 0-4, K
• Michael Harris II 0-5
• Sandy Leon 1-1
• Sean Murphy 0-2, 2 K
• Matt Olson 1-3, 3 BB
• Marcell Ozuna 1-8, BB, 2 K
• Jurickson Profar 0-0, BB

The Mets bats will get a look at Spencer Strider tonight who has pitched 82 1/3 innings over 15 starts with a 4.04 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 1.300 WHIP and a 103 ERA+. He’s coming off of a rough start where he allowed five runs from 11 hits, including two home runs over 4 2/3 innings against the Brewers. Strider got the better of the Mets in his first game against them, holding them to one run from five hits over six innings. The next week the Mets flipped the script getting three runs from two hits and four walks over five innings. In both starts Strider struck out eight Mets. The Mets have the following career stats against Strider:

• Pete Alonso 4-17, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 8 K
• Francisco Alvarez 1-7, HR, BB, 4 K
• Brett Baty 3-6, K
• Francisco Lindor 6-21, 3B, 3 BB, 4 K
• Starling Marte 2-11, 3 BB, 4 K
• Ronny Mauricio 1-4, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 3-17, 2B, 4 K
• Cedric Mullins 1-5, HR, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 9-22, 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 6 K
• Juan Soto 3-11, 5 BB, 6 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-2, K
• Luis Torrens 0-1, BB, K
• Mark Vientos 0-5, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete Alonso. Alonso had a good day at the plate on Sunday (2-for-4, 2 2B), but those aren’t the hits we are waiting for! Alonso sits at 252 home runs, tied at the top with Darryl Strawberry for most home runs in franchise history. Alonso has a chance tonight at home to become the lone home run leader!
2. Cedric Mullins. Mullins had a rough start at the plate for the Mets, going 1-for-17 over his first six games. He worked three walks and scored three of the four times he was on base. In his last two games he has gone 3-for-7 with a walk and two RBI’s, including his first home run as a Met. The Mets can sure use someone breaking out of a slump right now.
3. Juan Soto. Soto put together a big weekend in Milwaukee and looks on the verge of breaking out and carrying the team. Soto went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in three consecutive games. On Sunday Soto went 2-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored, a walk and a stolen base. He now has an RBI in four consecutive games, scored in four consecutive games and reached base in nine straight.

Let’s Go Mets!

When you’re on a winning streak, everything just seems to break your way.

When you’re on a losing streak, everything just seems to fall apart spectacularly right in front of you.

Saturday night’s game may have been one of the more difficult losses of the season for the Mets who scored one run at a time for four consecutive innings. Things completely imploded in the 7th inning where Ronny Mauricio misplayed a difficult hop allowing two runs to score. The Mets thought they were out of the inning getting William Contreras to pop out but the umpire called a late pitch clock violation. Contreras got another chance and slammed a two-run home run, which personally broke my spirit.

The team needs to win a game! Winning generally fixes everything!

Sean Manaea has pitched 23 innings over five games this season with a 3.52 ERA, 3.54 FIP, 0.957 WHIP and a 113 ERA+. The line for Manaea’s last start (five runs over 5 2/3) doesn’t accurately describe what happened. Manaea was really cruising through the first five innings. He allowed no runs, producing a mix of flyouts and groundouts and barely any strikeouts. His pitch count was low and the feeling was that he would be the first pitcher not named David Peterson in over a month to give the Mets six innings. Things just fell off the rails in the fifth inning with the Guardians scoring five runs. Hopefully the Mets get the first five inning version of Manaea and hopefully he can go deep into the game. The Brewers have the following numbers against him:

• William Contreras 3-9, 2B, 2 BB, 4 K
• Sal Frelick 1-4, K
• Joey Ortiz 0-4
• Blake Perkins 1-4
• Brice Turang 5-5, 2 2B
• Andrew Vaughn 1-6, 2B, BB, K
• Christian Yelich 0-6, 3 K

The Mets bats will have to deal with Quinn Priester this afternoon who leads the league with a .846 winning percentage. Priester has pitched 114 1/3 innings over 21 games (16 starts) with a 3.15 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 1.190 WHIP and a 128 ERA+. Over his last four starts he has a 1.75 ERA and 3.14 FIP striking out 23 batters over 25 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-2, 2B, BB
• Francisco Alvarez 0-3, K
• Francisco Lindor 2-3, 2B
• Jeff McNeil 1-2
• Cedric Mullins 0-2
• Brandon Nimmo 1-3
• Juan Soto 0-2, BB
• Mark Vientos 0-3, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete Alonso. Pete Alonso hit his 252nd career home run Saturday night, which ties the franchise record for home runs with Darryl Strawberry. He’s just one swing away from standing alone as the most feared power bat in Mets history. Alonso’s chase comes at a time where the Mets desperately need a spark and positive vibes. Here’s hoping Alonso causes all of that to happen to the Mets today!
2. Juan Soto. Soto has homered on back-to-back days six times this season. Saturday was the first time that he homered on back-to-back-to-back days (honestly, I’m not sure if that technically means he has now homered seven times on back-to-back days now). Anyway, he looks to homer for a fourth straight game this afternoon. This batting line during this streak has been predictive descriptive of what’s happening to the Mets right now. In three consecutive games he has gone 1-for-4 with a solo home run.
3. Brice Turang. I cannot wait for the Mets to never face Brice Turang again. Turang is 3-for-7 with two home runs and a stolen base so far this series. He is perfect against Sean Manaea going 5-for-5 with two doubles. Turang has played 14 games against the Mets slashing .354/.404/.625. For context, his career slash line is .251/.315/.350 (86 OPS+). The Mets need to find a way to contain Turang today.

Let’s Go Mets!