213 Miles From Shea

Without the context of everything happening around the Mets for the last two months, tonight’s game should be an incredibly exciting game. Jacob deGrom returns to Citi Field to take on the Mets. The Mets send out Jonah Tong and are about to send out a trio of phenom prospects. The most exciting group of starting pitchers since deGrom et al. Both teams are in a playoff race. This should be must watch TV.

The Mets are just playing terribly right now. They have lost six games in a row and are one bad weekend away from losing their Wild Card spot. Thursday night the Mets looked great after the first inning but then fell apart again. They desperately need a win.

Jonah Tong will make his third start of his career tonight. In his first two starts he allowed eight runs, five earned over 11 innings scattering nine hits while striking out 12 batters. Tong cruised through his first start before running into trouble in the fifth inning from Marlins hitters and Mets fielding. The Reds just played a very Reds game in his last start. He allowed only three hits and all three of them were home runs, which matches almost exactly how the Great American Ball Park plays.

Jacob deGrom has pitched over 100 innings this season for the first time since 2019. Over 155 2/3 innings, spread over 27 starts deGrom has a 2.78 ERA, 3.54 FIP, 0.931 WHIP and a 132 ERA+. He’s coming off of a more human start against the Astros where he allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings, mostly due to two home runs. In the three starts before that he allowed only two runs over 15 innings while striking out 18 batters. The Mets have the following career stats against deGrom:

• Starling Marte 2-12, BB, 5 K
• Cedric Mullins 1-7, K
• Juan Soto 5-18, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 5 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Jacob deGrom. deGrom will make his first start against the Mets since leaving the Mets in 2022. The long time ace for the Mets ranks third in Mets career pitching bWAR (41.2, behind Gooden 41.6 and Seaver 76.1) and has the best career ERA (2.52, in front of Seaver 2.57). I personally thought I would have more feelings about his return, but I don’t. It’s a combination of how poorly the Mets have played recently and how long ago 2022 was. This is deGrom’s first really dominant year since signing that massive contract with the Rangers. If he returned one or two seasons after signing with the Rangers emotions would be stronger but the Mets have lived multiple different lives since he left.
2. Repeat last night’s start. The Mets had the perfect start to Thursday’s game. Lindor single. Soto single. Double steal. Multiple hits with runners in scoring position. Four runs scored. Shut down first inning on the field. But then the hitters were basically silent for the rest of the night. As the game got to the middle innings, where things fall apart for the Mets, they allowed six runs and just could not recover. The Mets need another fast start, but then need to sustain it throughout the game.
3. Wild Card race. The Mets are going to need some help tonight. The two most important games will start probably around when the Mets game ends. The Reds and Brady Singer will take on the struggling Athletics. Justin Verlander and the Giants will take on Yamamoto and the Dodgers. There’s a world where we wake up tomorrow and the Mets have a 2.5 game lead in the Wild Card race. There’s also a world where the Mets have a 0.5 game lead.

Let’s Go Mets!

There have been better weeks to be a Mets fan.

The Mets are on a five game losing streak right now and will try to avoid the four game sweep by the Phillies tonight. At this point the Mets are fighting to stay in the Wild Card race. The Mets hold on the second wild card spot has shrank to two games over the Reds and Giants. The Mets desperately need a win tonight.

David Peterson has made 27 starts this season totaling 157 1/3 innings with a 3.72 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 1.316 WHIP and a 109 ERA+. He’s had a rough go of it over his last two starts allowing a total of 12 runs over 7 1/3 innings. In his two starts before that he allowed a total of three runs over over 13 2/3 innings. He had a solid start against Philly back in April holding them to only two runs over 5 1/3 innings. In June he faced them again and allowed five runs over four innings. The Phillies have the following career stats against him:

• Harrison Bader 0-2
• Nick Castellanos 7-17, 2 2B, 4 K
• Bryce Harper 9-24, 2B, HR, 4 BB, 6 K
• Otto Kemp 1-2, K
• Rafael Marchan 2-2
• Brandon Marsh 2-3, HR
• J.T. Realmuto 3-22, 2B, 4 BB, 4 K
• Kyle Schwarber 3-24, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 12 K
• Edmundo Sosa 5-7, HR
• Bryson Stott 0-3, BB, K
• Weston Wilson 3-8, 2 2B, 2 K

The Mets bats look to break out of their slump against Jesús Luzardo tonight. He has pitched 161 2/3 innings spread over 29 starts this season with a 4.01 ERA, 3.01 FIP, 1.293 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. He has allowed only two runs over 12 2/3 innings in his last two starts while striking out 15 batters. He faced the Mets in his start before that and the Mets were able to score four runs over four innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Luisangel Acuña 0-2, K
• Pete Alonso 4-27, HR, 12 K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-5
• Brett Baty 1-3
• Francisco Lindor 6-24, 2 BB, 3 K
• Starling Marte 4-16, BB, 3 K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-4, BB, 4 K
• Jeff McNeil 5-14, 4 K
• Cedric Mullins 3-4, 2 BB, K
• Brandon Nimmo 5-17, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 4 K
• Jose Siri 3-6, 2 2B, K
• Juan Soto 6-17, 2B, HR, 5 BB, 3 K
• Mark Vientos 1-12, 2B, 2 BB, 5 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. A Positive Start. The Mets need a positive, fast start to the game to flip the script. Francisco Lindor has gone 0-for-15 in his last four games. Wednesday night, Soto tried to get something started in the first, getting on base and stealing a base, but the Mets couldn’t get him home. Then Clay Holmes pretty much immediately loaded the bases and allowed two runs to score. A Lindor hit, crooked number in the first inning, and a clean inning by David Peterson in the bottom of the frame tonight could go a long way to flipping the funk around the team.
2. 30-30? Nah. 40-40. Juan Soto, who currently leads the league in walks (118) and OBP (.401) has become one of the more prolific base stealers over the last month or so. Wednesday night he went 3-for-4 at the plate with his 31st stolen base and his 39th home run of the season. He is on pace to have a career high in home runs. If he goes on a little run right now (pun a little intended), he has a chance to push 40 stolen bases on the season.
3. Scoreboard Watching. I’ve personally have had some anxiety opening up the MLB schedule recently thanks the Mets recent slide. The Giants and the Reds are both off today, so the Mets have a chance to gain a half game on two teams chasing them. The Padres, who have also struggled recently, play the Rockies in San Diego tonight. McCade Brown of the Rockies (12.54 ERA, 3 G) takes on Randy Vásquez (3.91 ERA).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to snap a four game losing streak tonight. It’s been a rough go of it recently for the Mets who have won just three games in their last ten played. On Monday night they lost 1-0, Tuesday night was more of a rout with the Phillies winning 9-3. The Mets bats have started to fall into a slumber and have a tough challenge tonight against Cristopher Sánchez.

Clay Holmes has pitched 147 innings over 28 starts this season with a 3.61 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 1.327 WHIP and a 112 ERA+. He’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in four consecutive starts, but has only pitched 9 2/3 innings in his last two starts. Walks held him back a bit in his last start with three free passes. The Phillies have the following career stats against him:

• Harrison Bader 1-2, 2B
• Nick Castellanos 0-3, K
• Bryce Harper 0-3
• Max Kepler 0-3, 2 K
• Brandon Marsh 0-1
• J.T. Realmuto 2-2
• Kyle Schwarber 2-7, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Edmundo Sosa 0-1, K
• Bryson Stott 2-3, K

Cristopher Sánchez has pitched 176 1/3 innings over 28 starts with a 2.60 ERA, 2.59 FIP, 1.117 WHIP and a 170 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed two runs over 14 innings, scattering 13 hits while striking out 13 batters. Before those two starts though, the Mets tagged him for six runs over 5 1/3 innings. Sánchez hasn’t allowed a home run in seven consecutive starts now and has a league best 0.5 HR/9. The Mets have the following stats against him:

• Luisangel Acuña 0-4, BB
• Pete Alonso 5-24, 2B, HR, 10 K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-6, 3 K
• Brett Baty 0-4, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 6-17, 2 BB, K
• Starling Marte 4-15, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 4 K
• Ronny Mauricio 1-4, HR, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-12, 2B, 4 K
• Brandon Nimmo 6-19, BB, 3 K
• Jose Siri 3-11, BB, 4 K
• Juan Soto 3-11, BB, 4 K
• Mark Vientos 5-13, 4 2B, HR, 3 BB, 6 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. Lindor is having a streaky year. He was on fire not even a week ago. In the first two games against the Reds He went 4-for-5 with three doubles, three runs scored and four walks. In his last three games he has gone 0-for-12 with a walk. The Mets need Lindor to start tonight’s game off with a bang tonight.
2. 40-30? Juan Soto stole his 30th base of the season last night and became the first player in the majors in 2025 to reach the 30-30 mark. Soto has never stolen more than 12 bases in a year before this year and over the last six weeks he’s become one of the more prolific base stealers in the league. Soto now needs two more home runs to reach the 40-30 mark. He’s never homered against Cristopher Sánchez and Sánchez is leading the league with a 0.5 HR/9.
3. Wild Card Sadness. The Wild Card race is becoming depressing for the Mets. Their lead is now down to two games over the Giants and three games over the Reds. Eduardo Rodriguez (5.22 ERA) of the Diamondbacks will take Carson Seymour (4.25 ERA) of the Giants tonight. The Diamondbacks are only 4.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot and need salvage something from their current series. First pitch is scheduled for 3:45 and the game should be over around first pitch in Philly. At 8:40 tonight Andrew Abbott (2.88 ERA) for the Reds will take on Nick Pivetta (2.85 ERA) of the Padres. The Mets are also chasing the Padres (3 game lead) for the second wild card spot, so as long as the Mets win, any result of the Reds/Padres game will be positive.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets had a disappointing 1-0 loss to the Phillies Monday night. The game ended with runners on second and third for the Mets with only one out in the ninth inning. The loss makes it incredibly difficult for the Mets to catch up to the Phillies in the division, and now the Mets need to focus their attention on the wild card race.

While the Mets have gone on a three game losing streak, the Padres have gone on a three game winning streak, getting a three game lead for the second wild card spot. The Giants are now only three games behind the Mets for the last wild card spot. Winning fixes everything, the Mets just need to win a few games!

Sean Manaea has pitched 45 innings over 10 games with a 5.60 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 1.244 WHIP and a 73 ERA+. Manaea is coming off of a rough start against the Tigers where he allowed five runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings. In the start before that he held the Phillies to only two runs over 4 2/3 innings, scattering six hits while striking out six. The Phillies have the following career numbers against him:

• Harrison Bader 1-2, K
• Nick Castellanos 6-21, 2B, 3 HR, 6 K
• Bryce Harper 6-16, 2 2B, HR, 3 K
• Max Kepler 1-7, HR, BB, K
• Brandon Marsh 0-3, BB, 2 K
• J.T. Realmuto 1-11, BB, 6 K
• Kyle Schwarber 2-10, HR, 3 BB, K
• Edmundo Sosa 6-12, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 4 K
• Bryson Stott 3-7, HR, 2 BB, K
• Garrett Stubbs 1-2
• Weston Wilson 0-4, K

The Mets bats will try to let the last two games wash off of them against Ranger Suárez tonight. Suárez has made 22 starts totaling 137 innings with a 2.89 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 1.175 WHIP and a 154 ERA+. Suárez has been tremendous of late, allowing only one run over his last 18 innings (three starts), scattering 10 hits while striking out 17 batters. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Luisangel Acuña 1-2, HR
• Pete Alonso 3-18, 2 2B, 9 BB, 4 K
• Francisco Alvarez 1-9, HR< 4 K
• Brett Baty 1-3, HR
• Francisco Lindor 6-19, 2 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Starling Marte 6-20, 2B, 3 BB, 2 K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-4, K
• Jeff McNeil 2-10, 2B, 3B, K
• Cedric Mullins 1-3, 2B
• Brandon Nimmo 3-27, 4 BB, 5 K
• Juan Soto 0-12, BB, 4 K
• Mark Vientos 5-17, 2 2B, HR, BB, 7 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Impacts from injuries. The Phillies beat the Mets without making any changes to their batting lineup on Monday night. No pinch runners. No pinch hitters. They don’t really have a choice right now, before Monday’s game game Trea Turner and Alec Bohm both landed on the injured list. The Mets weren’t immune to the injury bug. Luis Torrens was moved to the injured list before Monday’s game as well. The Mets will now push an injured Francisco Alvarez even farther.
2. Bullpen. While the Mets bats were off on Monday night, the Mets bullpen turned in their third strong performance in the last four games. Helsley, who has struggled as a Met, pitched a clean 8th inning allowing no runs, no hits and struck out two batters. Hopefully this is a turning point. Díaz hasn’t pitched since throwing 30 pitches on Friday, so the Mets may need to get him into the game tonight regardless of game script.
3. Wild Card Picture. The two games to watch will start after 9:40 PM. The Reds will will send Littell (3.81 ERA) against the Padres’ King (2.81 ERA). The Diamondbacks have Zac Gallen (4.77 ERA) starting against against Robbie Ray (3.31) on the Giants. The Giants are the closest to the Mets at three games back heading into today’s slate of games.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets cannot take the division lead this week against the Phillies, but can effectively lose it. The Mets start a critical four game series in Philadelphia tonight. The Phillies have a seven game lead in the division and are on a three game winning streak. The Mets swept the Phillies the last time they met, making the division a bit of a race again. Since then the Phillies have been able to slowly build their lead back up. While winning the NL East feels like an extremely long shot, beating the Phillies in this four game set would not only give the Mets a moral boost, it would also mess with Phillies players, who had a team meeting after getting swept at Citi a couple of weeks ago.

Nolan McLean has been a revelation for the Mets so far. He’s 4-0 over his first four starts as a Met totaling 26 1/3 innings with a 1.37 ERA, 2.42 FIP, 0.759 WHIP and a 300 ERA+. This will be the first time in his career that he faces a lineup for a second time. Last time he played the Phillies he scattered four hits over eight shutout innings while striking out six batters. The Phillies have the following career numbers against him:

• Harrison Bader 0-3, K
• Alec Bohm 2-3
• Nick Castellanos 0-3, K
• Bryce Harper 1-3, K
• Max Kepler 1-3, K
• J.T. Realmuto 0-3
• Kyle Schwarber 0-3
• Bryson Stott 0-3, K
• Trea Turner 0-3, K

The Mets bats will go against an old foe in Aaron Nola tonight. Over 13 starts and 69 innings this season Nola has a 6.78 ERA, 5.05 FIP, 1.507 WHIP and a 66 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed 10 runs from 10 hits over 11 innings. Since he’s returned to the majors he has made four starts with a 8.38 ERA. Nola last faced the Mets back in April allowing four runs from seven hits over 6 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Luisangel Acuña 1-3, K
• Pete Alonso 18-55, 3 2B, 6 HR, 5 BB, 16 K
• Francisco Alvarez 2-4, HR, K
• Brett Baty 0-7, 2 BB, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 8-38, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 10 K
• Starling Marte 11-33, 2 2B, HR, 10 K
• Jeff McNeil 14-43, 2 2B, HR, 5 BB, 9 K
• Brandon Nimmo 14-57, 3B, 2 HR, 13 BB, 21 K
• Juan Soto 10-41, 3 2B, 3 HR, 15 BB, 10 K
• Luis Torrens 2-6
• Mark Vientos 2-6, 2 K
• Jared Young 1-2, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Juan Soto watch continues. Juan Soto went 1-for-4 on Sunday with a solo home run. He now has 38 home runs and 29 stolen bases. He will have his first 30-30 season at his next stolen base and if he has mega night at CBP, he could unlock a 40-30 season. He’s now at 5.9 bWAR, getting closer to his third six+ WAR season. Soto is also sitting at 117 walks, only eight away from John Olerud’s Mets single season record.
2. Knock on wood, the bullpen has stabilized a bit. The Mets lost Sunday’s game but Garrett looked good in his first game back from the injured list. He and Tyler Rogers both pitched clean innings of relief and the bullpen held on to 5-4 lead on Friday night. Hopefully this is a sign that things are starting to return to normal for the Mets relief corps.
3. The rest of the playoff picture. On Sunday the Reds and Cardinals won, the Giants and Diamondbacks lost. All four teams now are right around .500 for the season and are between 4.0 and 4.5 games behind the Mets for the last wild card spot. The Padres won and moved two games ahead of the Mets. The Reds and Padres start a series tonight along with the Diamondbacks vs the Giants. This is going to be a fun week to follow the wild card race!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets outhit the Reds on Saturday 9 to 6 but couldn’t get it done yesterday as the Reds ultimately won 6-3. The Reds now have a chance to win the tiebreaker today if they beat the Mets. If the Mets win, they will not only make more difficult for the Reds to eventually catch up to them (currently five games back), but would open up the more complicated intra-division record as a tiebreaker.

But that’s not the main story today! Brandon Sproat, the final major Mets pitching prospect makes his major league debut! Who would have thought a month or so ago that Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean would all be pitching in the major league rotation on consecutive days!

Brandon Sproat has pitched 121 innings over 26 games this season for Syracuse with a 4.24 ERA, 1.240 WHIP. Sproat is coming off a very strong start where he held the Rail Riders scoreless over seven innings, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out nine. Sproat can dial up his fastball to triple-digits and sits int he upper 90’s. He mixes in a sinker, changeup, sweeper, slider and curveball. We’ll be watching today to see what his pitch mix looks like, and which pitches fool hitters.

Hunter Greene has pitched 83 1/3 innings this season over 15 games with a 2.70 ERA, 3.27 FIP, 0.972 WHIP and a 171 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start against Toronto where he allowed one run over 6 1/3 innings while striking out seven. In his two starts before that he allowed eight runs, six earned, over 11 1/3 innings while striking out 15 batters. The Mets have the following stats against Hunter Greene:

• Pete Alonso 2-9, 2 HR, 3 BB, 2 K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-4, BB, 2 K
• Brett Baty 2-5
• Francisco Lindor 1-9, HR, 2 K
• Starling Marte 0-9, 2 K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-2
• Jeff McNeil 4-10, 2B, 2 K
• Cedric Mullins 1-6, HR, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 5-9, HR, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 0-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Juan Soto 30-30? Juan Soto is on track to have his first ever 40-30 season. He has 37 home runs and on Saturday he stole his 29th stolen base of the season. While hitting three home runs is unlikely today (but not impossible! It is Juan Soto and it is Great American Ball Park), he is only one stolen base away from his first ever 30-30 season.
2. Keep the Reds in the Ball Park. Great American Ball Park is a home run hitting park. It is the third friendliest park for hitters with a 103 Park Factor according to StatCast over the last three years and it is almost entirely due to home runs having a 123 factor (singles, doubles and triples are all below 100, park factors are weighted averages). We saw this impact Tong directly Saturday allowing three home runs. Sproat is going to have to keep the Reds sluggers in the ballpark to have a successful afternoon.
3. Playoff Picture. The playoff picture got a little tougher for the Mets yesterday with the Padres and Phillies winning. The Mets now trail the Phillies by seven games in the division, and the Padres by one game for the final wild card spot. It’s all the other teams involved that made things interesting. There are now four teams trying to close a 5.5 game wild card gap in the final weeks of the season: Giants (4), Diamondbacks (4.5), Reds (5), Cardinals (5.5). Meanwhile the Orioles beat the Dodgers again, so the Dodgers have lost five straight collapsing their division lead to one game. The Mets can close the narrow window all of the wild card chasers have with each additional win.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets bullpen held onto a one-run lead Friday night in Cincinnati! We are so back!

A win this afternoon will block the Reds from winning the season series, and the tiebreaker, against the Mets. The Mets are looking to run into the playoffs this year on the strength of their bats and the excitement of their rookie starting pitchers. The Mets are about to have three consecutive starts by their most exciting pitchers. Jonah Tong will make his second start this afternoon, Brandon Sproat makes his debut Sunday and Nolan McLean most likely will start the first game against the Phillies. Today is all about the Canadian Cannon!

Jonah Tong is coming off of a fantastic major league debut where he cruised through the first four innings and had a rough fifth inning (a true Mets baptism). He allowed only one earned run, four total runs (everything happening in the fifth inning) from six hits and no walks while striking out six batters. It was also a very strange start where the Mets hitters scored 12 runs over the first two innings, keeping Tong off of the mound for over 20 minutes at a time. Tong’s fastball sat in the mid-90’s and the average exit velocity was 86.3 mph, which is very good for a pitcher. Tong’s curveball, which he only tossed 13 times (13.4% usage) had a 50% whiff% according to Statcast!

The Mets bats look to give Jonah Tong 19 runs again, this time against Brady Singer. Singer has pitched 143 1/3 innings over 27 starts with a 4.08 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 1.256 WHIP and a 113 ERA+. Singer is coming off of the definition of a quality start, allowing three runs from five hits over six innings while striking out eight. Before that he allowed only two runs over 18 innings over three starts. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-3, K
• Brett Baty 0-3, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 0-8, 4 K
• Jeff McNeil 0-3
• Cedric Mullins 1-2, 2B
• Juan Soto 3-7, 2B, 2 BB
• Luis Torrens 0-3, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 1-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Late Summer Mark Vientos. Mark Vientos has played in 25 games since August 1st slashing .277/.333/.638 with seven doubles and nine home runs, including the one he hit Friday night. Over 50% of his home runs have come in the last month! He’s raised his season slash line from .234/.285/.372 to .245/.298/.441. He has completely flipped the script on his season going from a negative bWAR to essentially 0 and from a below average OPS+ to 108. Hopefully he keeps raking tonight!
2. A collection of Juan Soto stats to tell a friend. Juan Soto had a very 2025 Juan Soto night on Friday going 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and a stolen base. He now has 5.8 bWAR, the third most in his career, a .924 OPS (third consecutive season above .900), and a 161 OPS+ (also the third highest in his career). Soto has lead the league in walks, pretty much the whole season and now leads the league in OBP at .401. At 116 walks, he is now only nine away from John Olerud’s franchise record 125 walks in a season. He is only three home runs and two stolen bases away from a 40-30 season.
3. Scoreboard Watching. The Phillies maintained their six game division lead on Friday with another win. This afternoon will be a Marlins battle as the Phillies send out Jesús Luzardo against Sandy Alcantara. Things are getting interesting in the wild card race though. The Padres lost their fifth straight game, this time against the Rockies last night. The Mets and Padres are now tied for the last wild card spot. The Giants won so they stayed four back in the race while the Reds fell to six back. Two weeks ago it looked like the Reds were the only team that had a chance at that last spot. As they have struggled, they have let the Giants and Diamondbacks (5.5 back) slip in front of them). We may have a surprise race now for the last wild card spot!

Let’s Go Mets!

The next seven games can decide if the Mets make the playoffs.

Heading into play today the Mets trail the Phillies for the division lead by six games. They are five games ahead of the Reds for the last wild card spot. A solid series in Cincinnati this weekend could effectively knock the Reds out of the postseason picture (barring a Padres and Giants collapse). In July the Reds took two of three games from the Mets, so there is a possibility the Reds could get the tiebreaker outright from the Mets this weekend. The Mets are still in control of their destiny, let’s go!

David Peterson has pitched 152 innings over 26 games this season with a 3.61 ERA, 3.38 FIP, 1.309 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. Peterson is coming off of a rough start against the Marlins where he allowed eight runs over the first two innings from eight hits and three walks. Before that start he allowed only three runs over his previous 13 2/3 innings while striking out 18 in that stretch. He had a great start against the Reds back in July holding the Reds to one unearned run over six innings, scattering four hits. The Reds have the following career numbers against Peterson:

• Miguel Andujar 2-7, 2B, BB
• Elly De La Cruz 1-3
• Santiago Espinal 1-4
• TJ Friedl 1-6, BB, 2 K
• Ke’Bryan Hayes 4-9, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Austin Hays 0-4, K
• Gavin Lux 0-2, BB
• Noelvi Marte 2-5
• Matt McLain 1-3, 2 K
• Spencer Steer 1-6, HR, 2 BB, K
• Jose Trevino 1-1

Andrew Abbott has pitched 139 innings over 24 starts with a 2.65 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.115 WHIP and a 173 ERA+. August was a rougher month for Abbott who has a 4.45 ERA, 3.63 FIP over 30 1/3 innings spread over five games. This includes a seven inning shutout (August 17th) and seven runs, six earned over four innings (August 23rd). He held the Mets to two runs over six innings back in July and the Mets have the following career stats against him:

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

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Alvarez. Alvarez is somehow expected to be activated before tonight’s game. We say somehow because he has been through it over the last month. Against the Mariners in mid-August, he sprained his UCL in his right thumb sliding around the bases. He’s playing through the injury despite needing surgery to really fix it. While rehabbing, he got hit in his left hand by a pitch, fracturing his pinky finger. So here comes Francisco Alvarez with two hurt hands. Alvarez was smoking the ball before getting injured, with three multi-hit games in his last seven played with three home runs, two doubles, seven runs scored and nine RBI’s over that stretch. He’s coming off a game in the minors where he hit a grand slam.
2. Ballpark Factors. Over the last three years, The Great American Ball Park has had a park factor of 103, which is fourth in the majors (positive for hitters). Great American’s park factor is almost entirely due to its home run numbers, 123, meaning that players from all teams are observed to have 23% more home runs at GABP compared to their performance elsewhere. We already know the Mets smash home runs. We also know the Mets bullpen has been a struggle recently. This will play part of the story all weekend. Interestingly, Andrew Abbott has much better splits at home (81 innings, 2.11 ERA, 8 HR) compared to on the road (58 innings, 3.41 ERA, 7 ER).
3. Scoreboard watching. The wild card race has gotten interesting over the last couple of days. The Padres have lost eight of their last ten games and now have a one game lead over the Mets for the second wild card spot. They are playing the Rockies this weekend. The Giants have surged winning nine of their last ten games and have leapfrogged the Reds now. While the Reds are five games back, the Giants are only four games back of the Mets for the last wild card spot. The Phillies with their six game lead in the division start a series with the Marlins tonight.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for a sweep against one of the best teams in baseball this afternoon!

Tuesday night the Mets and Tigers traded shots early before the Mets offense took off in the middle third of the game. Juan Soto hit his fifth home run in five days! Pete Alonso had a two-homer night! Nolan McLean allowed two runs in the first inning and then allowed nothing else for the next five innings!

The Mets will finally have a day off tomorrow as they head to Cincinnati on Friday for a series that will determine if the wild card race will be a real race or not. But first, the Mets need to get by the Tigers one more time!

Clay Holmes has made 27 starts totaling 142 1/3 innings this season with a 3.60 ERA, 4.08 FIP, 1.314 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. Holmes was betrayed by the defense last week, allowing four runs but only two earned over five innings. It was his third consecutive start (sixth start in his last seventh) allowing two earned runs or fewer. He has a 2.76 ERA, 3.01 ERA over his last three starts. The Tigers have the following career numbers against Holmes:

• Javier Báez 4-10, 4 K
• Kerry Carpenter 0-4, 3 K
• Andy Ibanez 2-4
• Colt Keith 1-1, 2B
• Justyn-Henry Malloy 0-1, K
• Zach McKinstry 1-3, 2B, K
• Chris Paddack 0-1
• Jake Rogers 0-1
• Trey Sweeney 0-1, K
• Spencer Torkelson 1-7, BB, 4 K

The Mets bats will close out the series against Casey Mize who is having a bounce-back season. The 2025 All-Star has made 23 starts totaling 120 2/3 innings with a 3.95 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 1.309 WHIP and a 106 ERA+. Mize is coming off of a tough start where he allowed five runs over 3 1/3 innings. Overall August was difficult for Mize who had a 5.81 ERA, 4.77 FIP over five starts (26 1/3 innings). The Mets have the following career stats against Mize:

• Pete Alonso 2-3, K
• Brett Baty 0-1, BB
• Francisco Lindor 0-4, BB
• Starling Marte 0-2
• Jeff McNeil 0-2
• Cedric Mullins 3-10, 2 2B, 3B, BB, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-2, BB, K
• Juan Soto 1-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Juan Soto. What else is there to say about Juan Soto? He’s pulling 2024 Francisco Lindor numbers for the Mets coming down the stretch. Tuesday was his fourth game in his last five games with two hits and at least one walk. He has five home runs in that stretch and four stolen bases. Soto now leads the league in offense bWAR (6.1) and has a 5.5 bWAR, his third best total in his career. His OPS+ is 161. It feels like he’s doing something incredible every night right now.
2. Pete Alonso. Alonso started the year with an incredibly hot April, and now he’s ending the year incredibly hot. Over his last five games he has gone 7-for-24 with three home runs. This includes two games where he went 0-for-8. He now has 33 homers on the season, just one behind last year. If this hot streak takes off, he could push towards 40 before the end of the season.
3. Scoreboard watching. The Mets gained half a game on the Phillies Tuesday and are now only 5.5 games back. The Phillies continue their series with the Brewers today after the rare mid-series day off, with Aaron Nola taking on an old friend in Jose Quintana. On the Mets off day Ranger Suárez takes on Freddy Peralta. The Reds are chasing the Mets and they send Littell against Shane Bieber tonight. The Reds are five games behind the Mets heading into play today. Finally, the Orioles are making things interesting for everyone, beating the Padres in the first two games of their series. The Padres have now lost three games in a row and only have a one game lead on the second wild card spot against the Mets. Both starting pitchers in the Orioles vs Padres series this afternoon have a 5+ ERA.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets try to take the series against the Tigers today! Monday was a back-and-forth affair ending in a 10-8 win. Juan Soto was the hero hitting his first grand slam as a Met and ending the day with six RBI’s! The Mets are still searching for consistent starting pitching performance and today they turn to the only person who has won his first three games as a Mets pitcher, the only pitcher to do that in Mets history – Nolan McLean!

Nolan McLean has pitched 20 1/3 innings over three starts this season allowing only two runs while scattering ten hits and striking out 21 batters. He has a small-sample size 0.89 ERA, 2.44 FIP and 0.689 WHIP over his three game career. In his last start he allowed no runs over eight innings against a mighty Phillies lineup. The vibes have completely changed since McLean came up to the majors, hopefully he keeps that going today!

The Tigers are recalling Sawyer Gipson-Long for tonight’s game. Over six games and 25 innings this season he has a 4.32 ERA, 4.21 FIP, 1.040 WHIP and a 98 ERA+. Gipson-Long has pitched in 12 games across three minor league levels this season totaling 39 2/3 innings with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.084 WHIP. He’s gone as high as 77 pitches in a game this season (June 27th) and has most recently tossed 70 pitches on August 19th, so he probably can go at least three innings, max five innings tonight. The only player on the Mets to face him in a major league game is Cedric Mullins (0-for-2).

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Juan Soto, the hero. For the third time in four games, Juan Soto had a multi-hit game on Monday. He now has four home runs and 11 RBI’s in the last four games while scoring seven runs. With 36 home runs on the season, he has a solid chance of surpassing his career-high 41 home runs he hit last season. We’ll be watching if the Tigers approach him differently today after Monday’s monster game.
2. Mets bullpen. The Mets bullpen had to use all the big arms on Monday (Soto, Rogers, Helsley, Díaz). The Mets pitching struggles have been two-fold over the last month. Their veteran starters have collectively fallen apart and their several major relievers have had difficulties pitching clean innings. Díaz looked great on Monday needing only 11 pitches to record four outs. More of that today please!
3. Scoreboard Watching. Monday wasn’t the best day for the Mets as the Phillies, Reds and Cubs all had wins. The Mets enter play today six games behind the Phillies and four games ahead of the Reds. With the Padres losing on Monday, the Mets are now only two games behind the second wild card spot. The Reds play the Blue Jays today and it’s a good pitching matchup with Nick Lodolo going up against José Berríos. The Phillies have the rare mid-series day off, and resume their series in Milwaukee tomorrow.

Let’s Go Mets!