213 Miles From Shea

The Mets go for a sweep this afternoon to end the first half of the season!

Juan Soto hit a two-run home run Saturday and that was pretty much all the Mets needed as they held on and beat the Royals 3-1. Carlos Mendoza went all out, pushing Edwin Díaz to get get a six out save. Today the Mets should be able to give most of the bullpen the day off as Clay Holmes will be followed by Sean Manaea’s 2025 debut!

Clay Holmes gets the start today, looking to end the first half of the season on a high note! Over 18 starts (98 1/3 innings) he has a 3.29 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 1.261 WHIP and a 116 ERA+. Holmes is coming off of a rough start against the Orioles where he allowed five runs over five innings from seven hits. Before that start, Holmes allowed only eight runs over 26 innings spread over five games (2.77 ERA). The Royals hit him well in 2024, scoring three runs off of five hits over 1 2/3 innings against Holmes. The Royals have the following career numbers against him:

• Freddy Fermín 0-1
• Maikel García 2-7, 2B, 2 K
• Jonathan India 1-3, 2 K
• Kyle Isbel 3-5
• Luke Maile 0-0, BB
• Vinnie Pasquantino 0-3, K
• Salvador Perez 2-5, HR
• Bobby Witt Jr. 0-6, BB, K

The Mets bats will close out the first half against rookie Noah Cameron. Cameron is off to a fine start to his major league career posting a 2.56 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 0.963 WHIP and a 160 ERA+ over 11 starts (63 1/3 innings). He’s been great in July allowing only two runs over 11 2/3 innings while striking out 12 batters. He was more human in the month of June allowing 13 runs over 20 innings stretched over four starts, mostly due to allowing four home runs. The Royals will need Cameron to go deep in today’s game after yesterday’s surprise bullpen game with Michael Lorenzen being a late start due to illness. Cameron can provide that length, going seven innings in his last start and going at least six innings in six of 11 starts this season.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Sean Manaea’s 2025 Debut. Manaea has been sidelined since spring training with an oblique injury followed by an elbow injury while rehabbing. Manaea was the ace of the Mets staff for stretches in 2024, especially when he dropped his arm slot and changed his delivery. Over 32 starts (181 2/3 innings) Manaea had a 3.47 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 1.084 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. In his last rehab start he allowed three runs from four hits over 3 2/3 innings getting up to 73 pitches. The Mets are counting on Holmes and Manaea to carry the pitching staff today.
2. Make this man an All-Star already. Juan Soto continued being Juan Soto on Saturday, going 1-for-4 with a two-run home run. It was his second straight game with a home run and his third straight game with an RBI. Soto has a 4.1 bWAR, a league leading 77 walks and is tied in 7th in the league with a .915 OPS this season. His 163 OPS+ is the fourth highest in his career. Hopefully the league makes this snub right today.
3. The Mets are stealing more bases. Francisco Lindor stole his 15th base of the season on Saturday. Earlier this week Juan Soto stole his 11th base, just putting him one shy of his single-season best 12 stolen bases in a single season. As a team the Mets have 74 stolen bases, tied with the Marlins for 11th in MLB. The Mets were 16th in the league in 2024, 13th in 2023 and 23rd in 2022. Something to keep an eye on as we head into the second half.

Let’s Go Mets!

I’ll admit it, I thought Friday night’s game was over when Bobby Witt Jr. hit a homerun in the seventh inning. The Mets were holding onto a 1-0 lead going into the sixth inning. At that point it felt like the Mets were going to fall apart at the plate, just like on Thursday.

The Mets got the bases loaded in the 8th inning and Mark Vientos came through for the Mets with a bases clearing double. At that point it was like something was lifted from the Mets team and they started swinging again how they were earlier in the season. They put up four more runs in the 9th inning thanks to back-to-back homers by Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. Now the Mets look to keep that momentum going this afternoon and take the series from the Royals!

Frankie Montas has allowed 10 runs over 14 2/3 innings over three starts (6.14 ERA, 5.81 FIP, 1.295 WHIP, 64 ERA+). Last week against the Yankees he allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings, better than his previous start where he allowed six runs over four innings. Home runs have been an issue for Montas this season, allowing four so far. Luckily, Kauffman Stadium is one of the more difficult stadiums in the league for home runs (the caveat being that Montas allowed two home runs at PNC, which is even lower on the list than Kauffman). The Royals have the following career numbers against Montas:

• Kyle Isbel 1-4, 2B, BB
• Luke Maile 1-3, K
• Salvador Perez 3-14, 2B, HR, 3 K
• Bobby Witt Jr. 1-4, 2 K

The Mets batters will try to keep Friday night’s vibes going against Michael Lorenzen. Over 18 starts (99 2/3 innings) Lorenzen has a 4.61 ERA, 4.53 FIP, 1.304 WHIP and an 89 ERA+. Lorenzen is coming off of a strong start against the Diamondbacks holding them scoreless over seven innings. Before that he allowed seven runs over 10 1/3 innings from 14 hits and three home runs. Lorenzen faced the Mets last year as a member of the Rangers before he was traded to the Royals. He allowed three runs from four hits including two home runs over six innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Lorenzen:

• Pete Alonso 2-11, 2 BB, K
• Brett Baty 0-3
• Francisco Lindor 3-15, K
• Ronny Mauricio 0-2, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 0-8, 3 BB
• Brandon Nimmo 2-13, 2B, HR, K
• Juan Soto 1-10, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-0, BB
• Mark Vientos 2-2, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Mark Vientos. Mark Vientos has had a rough season so far, especially compared to 2024. Over 64 games this year he has slashed .217/.275/.350 with an 80 OPS+. This is all down from a .266/.322/.516 and a 136 OPS+ over 111 games last season. Friday night’s bases clearing double felt like a release. Over the last three games he has two multi-hit games and two doubles – let’s hope this is the start of a Vientos hot streak!
2. Francisco Lindor. Francisco Lindor is on a six game hitting streak going 8-for-23 with nine runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and four walks (.464 OBP!). He also has eight RBI’s over the stretch. Lindor continues to be heart of the Mets’ Fab Four and the offense as a whole. His next homerun will be his 20th of the season, reaching that mark for a fifth consecutive season and the eighth time in his career.
3. Edwin Díaz. Díaz has gotten a few days off in a row, last pitching on Tuesday, so he’s ready to go if needed. The three-time All-Star is in the midst of another excellent season for the Mets posting a 1.75 ERA, 220 ERA+ over 36 games this season. He’s on pace right now to surpass 250 saves at some point this season (currently at 243 saves).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to end the first half of the season on a strong note against the Royals. After beating the Brewers and Yankees in consecutive series, the Mets dropped a doubleheader (and the series) to the Orioles yesterday. Right now it feels like the Mets are bit depleted. But there’s good news for the Mets! Tonight they get Kodai Senga back! Sunday they get Sean Manaea back!

Kodai Senga returns to the Mets tonight! Senga was having a tremendous season for the Mets, pitching 73 2/3 innings over 13 starts with a 1.47 ERA, 3.19 FIP, 1.113 WHIP and a 261 ERA+. He injured his hamstring in early June and was diagnosed with a grade 1 hamstring strain. He allowed four runs, three earned over 3 2/3 in his rehab start last week. The Royals have the following career stats against him:

• Maikel Garcia 3-4
• Jonathan India 2-3, 2B, K
• Kyle Isbel 2-3
• Salvador Perez 1-3, 2B, 2 K
• Bobby Witt Jr. 2-3

The Mets batters will face off against one-time friend Michael Wacha tonight. Wacha had a 6.62 ERA over eight games and 34 innings for the 2020 New York Mets. He’s become a very consistent pitcher over the last four years, consisting putting up an ERA in the 3’s. This season he has pitched 101 innings over 18 starts with a 3.83 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 1.287 WHIP and a 108 ERA+. He’s coming off of a rough stretch where he he has allowed 12 earned runs over his last three starts (15 IP, 7.20 ERA, 4.55 FIP). The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 3-6, HR
• Brett Baty 2-3, 2B
• Francisco Lindor, 1-2, BB
• Jeff McNeil 2-5
• Brandon Nimmo 1-2, 2B, BB
• Juan Soto 4-9, 2B, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2
• Luis Torrens 2-4, K
• Jesse Winker 5-15, 5 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Hitting with RISP. The Mets have just struggled with RISP this season. Yesterday the Mets went a combined 2-for-19 with RISP. Although the bullpen couldn’t finish the first game or keep the Mets in the second game, the bats just gave the team nothing to work with leaving 14 runners on base. Having at least one inning with a crooked number will go a long way for moral and setting the tone this weekend.
2. The Bullpen. The Mets used five relievers yesterday. That number is low because newly named All-Star David Peterson pitched seven innings. Waddell and Hagenman on bulk duty were able to complete five innings in the second game. The bullpen yesterday just didn’t get the job done, and it’s safe to assume they may have extra work with Kodai still ramping up to full strength today.
3. Juan Soto. Soto stole his 11th base of the season yesterday. He’s now only one stolen base away from matching his career high of 12 stolen bases set in 2019 and 2023. Soto still currently leads the league with 75 walks (five ahead of Devers) and is ninth in OPS at .901. Sounds like an All-Star to me.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Orioles are making things just slightly tougher for the Mets tonight, scheduling a split doubleheader rather than a day/afternoon doubleheader on a getaway day for the Mets. After tonight’s game the Mets will need to speed out of Baltimore and head to Kansas City. The Mets are getting reinforcements in Kansas City with Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea rejoining the rotation. Both pitchers though will probably be on pitch counts, so the Mets need to be careful tonight with their bulk pitchers, even though this game is a bullpen game.

Justin Hagenman looks to get the bulk of the work in the night cap for the Mets. Over three games this season for the Mets, Hagenman has pitched 10 1/3 innings with a 4.35 ERA, 4.92 FIP, 0.968 WHIP and a 91 ERA+. His last time out was a bit of a rougher appearance, allowing four runs from three home runs against the Yankees over 4 1/3 innings. In previous six innings he allowed only one run while striking out five batters.

Mets batters will get their first look Tomoyuki Sugano, the long time NPB pitcher who made the jump to MLB this season. Sugano has pitched 93 1/3 innings over 17 starts this season with a 4.44 ERA, 5.25 FIP, 1.307 WHIP and an 87 ERA+. Sugano had a 3.04 ERA, 4.70 FIP through is first 12 starts this season. Since then he has pitched 22 1/3 innings over five games with an 8.87 ERA and a 6.98 FIP. He’s given up 13 runs from 19 hits and two walks over his last two starts.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete Alonso homerun watch. Alonso is nearing Strawberry’s franchise record of 252 home runs. Alonso is sitting at 247 home runs and he loves hitting bombs at Camden Yards with five of them so far over nine games. Maybe he’ll provide some fireworks for all the Mets fans who traveled down 95 today to catch the Mets playing two!
2. Sugano’s bizarre under the hood stats. Sugano has had an odd season so far getting positive results over his first 12 games and struggling over his last five. Part of the reason for the discrepancy is what’s happening per at bat. He’s in the 93rd percentile for walks (4.8%) which is very good! But he’s near the bottom of the league in striking out batters (3rd percentile, 14.4%). He’s only getting groundballs 42% of time (50th percentile) and while he’s preventing batters from getting hard contact against him (38.8% of time, 67th percentile), hitters are barreling the ball at a high rate (12%, 8th percentile).
3. Justin Hagenman and pitch selection. Hagenman has used his sinker 32.1% of time this season, mixing in a cutter, changeup and a slider to round out his pitch mix. He’s getting groundouts around 42% of the time, which is slightly below the 50th percentile mark for the league. His sinker has also been his most hit able pitch so far over 10 1/3 innings, with a xBA of .299 and xSLG of .826. Some of this is noise from his last outing against the Yankees. Let’s see if the Mets pitching lab has him doing slightly different things today!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets went from losing 14 of 17 to games to winning 5 of their last 6! Tuesday night the Mets had a come from behind victory where they scored four runs off two, two-run home runs in the 8th inning before taking the lead in the 10th inning.

Several hours after the Mets victory, Patrick Bailey, the catcher of the San Francisco Giants, hit a walk-off three-run inside-the-park home run against Phillies. The Mets enter play today a half game behind the Phillies, but with two games to play due to the rain in Baltimore on Wednesday.

David Peterson has pitched 102 innings over 17 games this season with a 3.18 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 1.275 WHIP and a 120 ERA+. Peterson is coming off of a fantastic start against the Brewers where he held them to only one run over 6 2/3 innings from five hits and three walks. It was a massive step in regressing towards the mean after allowing 13 runs in his previous three starts. Peterson pitched 7 innings against the Orioles last season allowing three runs, two earned from six hits and a walk. The Orioles have the following career stats against him:

• Colton Cowser 1-3, 2 K
• Gunnar Henderson 0-5, 2 K
• Jackson Holliday 0-3, 2 K
• Ramon Laureano 0-2
• Cedric Mullins 2-4, 2B
• Ryan O’Hearn 0-1, K
• Tyler O’Neill 1-3, K
• Jacob Stallings 1-4, BB, K
• Ramón Urías 2-4, 2B, HR
• Jordan Westburg 0-0, BB

The Orioles have decided to change the pitching matchup, having Charlie Morton pitch in the first game this afternoon. The Thursday day game was always Morton’s scheduled start, but instead of facing the bullpen game the Mets were probably going to do in this spot, he now gets David Peterson.

Charlie Morton has pitched in 19 games, 13 starts this season totaling 77 1/3 innings with a 5.47 ERA, 4.43 FIP, 1.552 WHIP and a 71 ERA+. Morton got off to a rough start this season with a 10.36 ERA over 24 1/3 innings in his first six games. In his last four games he’s been much better totaling 21 1/3 innings with a 2.53 ERA, 2.29 FIP. Morton pitched against the Mets three times in 2024 as a member of the Braves with a 5.87 ERA over 15 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Morton:

• Pete Alonso 7-32, 2 2B, 4 BB, 7 K
• Brett Baty 3-8, 2B, BB, 4 K
• Travis Jankowski 2-7, 2 BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 7-48, 3 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 13 K
• Jeff McNeil 7-30, 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 7 K
• Brandon Nimmo 7-30, HR, 6 BB, 13 K
• Juan Soto 8-12, 3 HR, 7 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-4, BB, K
• Mark Vientos 4-5, HR
• Jesse Winker 2-7, BB, 3 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete Alonso. Alonso has now gone 4-for-11 in his last three games played with three home runs and three walks (.364/.500/1.182). His homerun Tuesday night tied the game and was his 5th career home run in eight games played at Oriole Park (.323/.371/.903). Alonso now sits at 247 home runs as he inches ever closer to Strawberry’s franchise record 252 homers.
2. Juan Soto. Juan Soto responded to his All-Star snub Tuesday night with a very Juan Soto game at the plate going 3-for-5 getting the go ahead RBI in the 10th inning. It was second game in his last four with at least three hits and his fourth game in his last five getting on base at least twice. Now he gets to face Charlie Morton. He has a .789 OBP against Morton with a 1.417 SLG!
3. Get to the Orioles Bullpen again. The game plan on Tuesday was to knock Brandon Young out early and put the stress on the Orioles bullpen. Young ended up pitching the best start in his career (five starts) so far, but the Mets were still able to get the Orioles to use six relievers Tuesday, scoring five runs off of them. It was the second game in the last three where the Orioles needed to put in a lot of extra work. Everyone got extra rest with the rainout on Wednesday, but the Orioles will have to figure out a way to get their beleaguered bullpen through two games today. Hopefully the Mets can make that even tougher applying the pressure in game one. 

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets spent the second half of June spiraling but things are looking a bit better after the first week of July. The Mets ripped off a four game winning streak, taking a series from the Brewers and the Yankees. Now the Mets head to Baltimore hoping to start another winning streak.

The Orioles have been one of the more disappointing teams in 2025. They have a lot of young hitting talent but the pitching has completely fallen apart for them. But things have started to look better for the Orioles more recently. They are on a three game winning streak, winning six of their last four games and are only nine games under .500 (at one point they were 16 games under). Will they continue to soar or can the Mets send them back to the nest?

Clay Holmes has pitched 93 1/3 innings over 17 starts with a 2.99 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.243 WHIP and a 127 ERA+. He’s coming off back to back solid starts allowing only three runs over 10 1/3 innings against the Braves and the Brewers. In his last five starts he has a 2.77 ERA and a 5.62 FIP. The discrepancy comes from 16 walks over 26 innings and four home runs allowed. Over seven games and 6 1/3 innings against the Orioles last year he allowed seven runs but only three earned from eight hits and two walks while striking out eight. The Orioles have the following career numbers against him:

• Colton Cowser 1-4, 2 K
• Gunnar Henderson 1-2, BB
• Jackson Holliday 2-3, K
• Alex Jackson 0-1, BB
• Ramon Laureano 0-2
• Coby Mayo 2-3, 2B
• Cedric Mullins 1-7, HR, K
• Tyler O’Neill 2-7, BB, K
• Jacob Stallings 1-9, 2B, K
• Ramón Urías 3-11, 3 K
• Luis Vazquez 0-4, K
• Jordan Westburg 0-6, 3 K

Brandon Young makes his fifth start for the Orioles this evening. Over his first four major league starts (16 2/3 innings) Young has a 7.02 ERA, 4.83 FIP, 1.980 WHIP and a 56 ERA+. Since rejoining the Orioles he has allowed seven runs over eight innings spread over two starts from 11 hits and three walks. Young is coming off of a successful 2024 minor league campaign where he had a 3.57 ERA over 111 innings, but has not seen that level of success yet in the majors.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Starling Marte. Marte has been quietly putting together a solid season for the Mets. He’s on a three game hitting streak where he has at least two hits in each game (7-for-12, 2B, SB, 2 R). He already has a 0.7 bWAR matching his total from last season and a 115 OPS+, his best since 2022.
2. Pete Alonso and Camden Yards. Pete Alonso has played seven games in Baltimore hitting .296/.333/.852 with three doubles and four home runs. Now the Orioles have made a lot of changes to the outfield wall over the last couple of years. First they moved the left field walk, which was physically short (like a tall person could stand over it) back. Then they changed their mind and moved it forward a bit. That being said, Pete likes hitting in Baltimore as he currently chases the Mets franchise record for home runs (currently at 246, chasing Strawberry’s 252).
3. Get to the Orioles Bullpen. The Orioles had to use six relievers on Saturday and three pitchers on Sunday, including two pitchers on back-to-back days. Young has not gotten deep into a game this year and this is a great opportunity for the Mets to set the tone for the series and tire the Orioles out. The Orioles bullpen currently has a 4.50 ERA (25th in MLB).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for the sweep this afternoon against the Yankees!

The Mets had a massive 12-6 victory on Saturday extending their current winning streak to four games. For a second straight game the Mets hit three home runs and the bullpen was able to hold the Yankees offense off just enough to lock down the game. Now the Mets will try to do the improbable, get the win against the Yankees ace while pitching a bullpen game.

Chris Devenski gets the start for the Mets this afternoon. Devenski pitched Saturday facing two batters, allowing a hit and getting a groundout while throwing only five pitches. Over 5 1/3 innings this season he has a 3.38 ERA, 1.78 FIP, 0.938 WHIP and a 121 ERA+.

Devenski will be followed by Brandon Waddell who is slated to be the bulk guy this afternoon. Over 17 2/3 innings spread over seven games Waddell has a 2.55 ERA, 4.05 FIP, 1.132 WHIP and a 153 ERA+. If Waddell gets into a groove, he can go deep into this game. Earlier this season he pitched five innings of relief against the White Sox tossing 94 pitches. He’s gone over 60 pitches several times and his last two outings were each three innings.

The Mets bats will close their series against the Yankees against an old foe in Max Fried. Fried is off to a career start with the Yankees pitching 114 innings over 18 starts with a 2.13 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 0.939 WHIP and a 188 ERA+. He’s coming off of a rough start against the Blue Jays who tagged him for four runs over six innings, including two home runs. He was solid against the Mets in May, holding the Mets to only two runs over six innings from three hits and two walks while striking out eight. The Mets have the following career stats against Fried:

• Pete Alonso 10-39, 2B, 2 HR, 6 BB, 14 K
• Brett Baty 2-6, 3 K
• Travis Jankowski 0-0, BB
• Francisco Lindor 3-31, HR, 6 K
• Starling Marte 5-23, 3 2B, BB, 6 K
• Jeff McNeil 11-32, 3 2B, 2 BB, 6 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-29, 2 2B, 6 BB, 12 K
• Juan Soto 9-30, 2B, 5 BB, 11 K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-7, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 1-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete Alonso. Alonso had a massive day for the Mets on Saturday going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, five RBI’s and two home runs. Alonso was in a bit of a home run drought going 13 games without hitting one (.327 SLG over that stretch). He now has 20 on the season and 246 in his career as he continues his chase for the franchise record held by Strawberry (252). While we’ve been focusing on home runs for Pete Alonso, he already has 25 doubles this season which is the National League lead and only six less than he had in all of 2024. Before yesterday’s game where he hit two home runs, he already had a 2.9 bWAR, which is higher than his bWAR total for 2024 (2.6).
2. Brandon Nimmo. It doesn’t matter where Brandon Nimmo is hitting in the lineup right now. Saturday the Mets went with Marte in the lead off spot (which has worked now for two straight games) and Nimmo in the fifth spot. Nimmo responded with a 2-for-4 performance including a grand slam. It was his third home run in his last four games played and his second grand slam!
3. Managing the bullpen. Through injuries, a doubleheader last Wednesday and weird usage over the last couple of days, the Mets bullpen is tired. The Mets are going to relish the day off on Monday, which should also allow the Mets to push the pen a bit harder today. The Mets still needed four relievers on Saturday to get through the game, including Edwin Díaz who tossed 18 pitches. Díaz had to start warming up in the 8th because Stanek looked like he was about to collapse. There’s a good chance we’ll see Zach Pop who was signed before the start of Saturday’s game. Pop has allowed nine runs over 5 1/3 innings this season in the majors but had a 3.52 ERA over nine games (7 2/3 innings) in Tacoma.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to extend their winning streak to four games and win a second consecutive series this afternoon in Queens! The Mets beat the Yankees on Friday in an back-and-forth affair where the two New York teams put on their own fire work show hitting a combined seven home runs.

The pressure is on the Yankees right now who have aces pitching against the Mets for the rest of the weekend. Yesterday’s loss for the Yankees was their fifth in a row. The Blue Jays extended their winning streak and now have a two game lead in the AL East. Meanwhile the Phillies lost yesterday putting the Mets only a half a game back in the NL East.

Frankie Montas is looking to bounce back this afternoon for the Mets. In two starts this season he has allowed six runs from 10 hits and four walks over nine innings. All six of those runs happened in his last start in Pittsburgh, his start before that he shut Atlanta out over five innings. Montas, a former Yankee, pitched against the Yankees last season holding them to two runs over five innings in Yankee stadium, both runs scoring on home runs. The Yankees have the following career numbers against Montas:

• Cody Bellinger 2-5, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Paul Goldschmidt 1-10, 2 BB, K
• Trent Grisham 1-3, 2B, BB, K
• Aaron Judge 2-10, 2B, 6 K
• DJ LeMahieu 0-4, 2 BB, K
• Ben Rice 1-3, HR, K
• Giancarlo Stanton 0-3, 2 K
• Anthony Volpe 0-2
• Austin Wells 1-2, HR

Carlos Rodón is having his best season with the Yankees and one of the better seasons of his career. Over 106 2/3 innings he has made 18 starts with a 2.95 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.003 WHIP and a 135 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed only two runs over 11 innings. Before that though he allowed 11 runs over 16 innings spread across three starts, including five home runs. The Mets have the following career numbers against Rodón:

• Pete Alonso 1-8, 4 K
• Francisco Lindor 10-38, 3 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 4 K
• Starling Marte 1-7, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 0-2
• Brandon Nimmo 2-6, BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 0-2, 4 BB
• Tyrone Taylor 2-4, HR
• Luis Torrens 1-3, HR, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 2-5, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. A battle of home runs. Rodón has allowed 13 home runs this season, putting him at about his career average for HR/9 innings. The Mets hit three home runs on Friday. The only damage Montas allowed in 2024 against the Yankees were two solo home runs, and the Yankees hit four home runs on Friday. This feels like another day for the ball to just fly out of the ballpark.
2. Juan Soto June is becoming Juan Soto July. Soto had a massive day at the plate on Friday going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two runs scored. It was his second consecutive game with at least two hits and fourth consecutive game getting on base at least two times (.529 OBP over four games in July). Soto has a 3.7 bWAR and is still leading the league with 71 walks this season.
3. Let’s Get Brett Going! Baty had a fantastic day at the plate on Friday going 2-for-4 including his ninth home run of the season. It broke a four game hitless streak for Brett who had three doubles in two games before that. His next home run will set a career high for him a season. He’s only five RBI”s and five doubles away from career highs in those categories too.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets won a series! The Mets won a series!

After losing 14 of 17 games, the Mets have now won two games in row and are building a bit of momentum heading into this weekend’s series against the Yankees. The Yankees are also in a bit of a slump. They just got swept by the Blue Jays who took over first place from the Yankees in the process.

The Mets rotation though is in shambles. The Mets announced Friday that Paul Blackburn was headed to the IL with a shoulder injury. Over the last few weeks Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning and Paul Blackburn have all landed on the injured list leaving the Mets in a bit of a pickle this weekend.

Recently recalled Justin Hagenman will get the bulk of the work today. He’s pitched two games for the Mets (April and June) totaling six innings allowing only one run from five hits while striking out five batters. The success in the majors has not been replicated consistently in Syracuse where he has a 6.21 ERA over 42 innings. Since his last outing in June with the Mets he has allowed six runs over 8 2/3 innings in Syracuse. When pushed, Hagenman can go 70-80 pitches.

The Mets will face off against former Met Marcus Stroman this afternoon. Stroman has made four starts this season totaling 14 1/3 innings with a 8.16 ERA, 6.58 FIP, 1.674 WHIP and a 50 ERA+. His season got off to a rough start, posting an 11.57 ERA over three starts from the end of March to mid-April. A knee injury sidelined him for a few months and he came back strong in his last start allowing only one run over five innings against the Athletics. The Mets have the following career numbers against Stroman:

• Pete Alonso 2-5, 2B
• Brett Baty 0-3
• Travis Jankowski 3-11, 2B, 5 K
• Francisco Lindor 6-27, 2B, 2 BB, 6 K
• Starling Marte 1-8, BB
• Jeff McNeil 0-5
• Brandon Nimmo 1-5, 3 BB, 2 K
• Juan Soto 3-10, 2B, HR, 4 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-2, 2B

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brandon Nimmo. From June 22nd to July 1st Nimmo played in nine games where he hit well (9-for-33, .273/.314/.303) but only had one extra base hit. In his last two games he has gone 3-for-9 with two home runs (including a grand slam Wednesday night). The offense right now overall is still struggling to score run. A Nimmo hot streak can go a long way to relieve this tired pitching staff.
2. Juan Soto. Luckily for Mets fans all three games this weekend against the Yankees are being broadcasted on SNY. During the nationally televised games during the last subway series, we got our fill of Juan Soto talk. During that series Soto went 2-for-10 with four walks (.357 OBP). Over his last 31 games Soto is hitting .320/.474/.699 with 12 home runs and 29 walks – earning player of the month honors for June!
3. Devin Williams. Williams last pitched on July 2nd where he allowed two runs and got tagged for the loss in an 11-9 games with the Blue Jays. Williams has had an up and down season so far but is coming off of a tremendous month of June where he allowed only one run over 9 2/3 innings while striking out 12. He pitched two scoreless innings against the Mets earlier this season, his first time facing the Mets since Pete Alonso hit a go-ahead home run against him.

Let’s Go Mets!

What a difference a few hours make! Everything felt bleak after the first game yesterday where the Brewers scored five runs in the sixth inning, putting the game out of reach for the Mets. It was the 14th loss in the last 17 games for the Mets. Pure free-fall.

In the nightcap, a bullpen game of all things, the Mets got out to an early lead. In the second inning, against an almost unhittable prospect, the Mets had a season saving rally (we are leaning into hyperbole today folks!). With two outs the Mets got a walk, walk, single. Brandon Nimmo smashed a grand slam and Francisco Lindor followed up with a solo shot. Pure elation!

Now the Mets look to win a series at Citi Field!

The Mets need a classic, solid outing from David Peterson tonight. Over 95 1/3 innings (16 starts), Peterson has a 3.30 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 1.280 WHIP and a 115 ERA+. June was not kind to Peterson who had a 4.55 ERA, 3.44 FIP over 31 2/3 innings. These numbers include his masterful complete game shutout. Things have fallen apart in each of his last two starts allowing a combined 10 runs from 13 hits over 8 2/3 innings. Peterson last faced the Brewers in relief in the postseason, recording a save in a scoreless inning of work. The Brewers have the following career numbers against Peterson:

• Jake Bauers 0-3, K
• Jackson Chourio 1-3, K
• Isaac Collins 0-3, 2 K
• William Contreras 2-7, BB, K
• Sal Frelick 1-1
• Eric Haase 0-3, 2 K
• Rhys Hoskins 7-16, 3 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 K
• Andruw Monasterio 1-2
• Joey Ortiz 0-3, K
• Brice Turang 0-4, K
• Christian Yelich 1-8, 2 BB, 4 K

The Mets bats will face a friend tonight in Jose Quintana. In two seasons with the Mets, Quintana made 44 starts totaling 246 innings with a 3.70 ERA, 4.24 FIP, 1.268 WHIP and a 107 ERA+. He was on fire for the Mets down the stretch last season allowing two runs, one earned, over a five game stretch (32 innings) that propelled the Mets into the postseason. He’s off to a good start with the Brewers, posting a 3.30 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.417 WHIP and a 121 ERA+ over 60 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Quintana:

• Pete Alonso 1-3, HR
• Travis Jankowski 1-2, K
• Francisco Lindor 3-22, 2B, 2 BB, 6 K
• Starling Marte 5-24, 2B, BB, 8 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-3, 2B
• Brandon Nimmo 1-3, 2B, 2 K
• Juan Soto 1-10, 2 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-4, 2B, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. When Lindor is good, the Mets are good. When Lindor struggles, the Mets struggle. Lindor was named as an All-Star before Wednesday night’s game, his first All-Star game as a Met (which is wild). He also had a terrific game at the plate going 3-for-4 with a homerun a double and three RBI. Each RBI came in a different at bat, furthering the Mets lead.
2. How deep can David Peterson go? The Mets used nine different pitchers on Wednesday. Unless the Mets make a roster move, the only member of the Mets bullpen who didn’t pitch on Wednesday was José Buttó. Before his recent rough patch, Peterson was one of the more consistent pitchers on the Mets roster. He pitched at least six innings in seven of eight starts between May 6th and June 17th.
3. Jeff McNeil. Jeff McNeil had a solid day at the plate Wednesday night going 2-for-4. This was McNeil’s third game with two hits in his last six games played. His OBP is up to .343 which is the highest it has been since 2022 (when he led the league in batting average). He also has a 134 OPS+, which is the highest it has been since 2022 (140).

Let’s Go Mets!