213 Miles From Shea

The Mets bounced back from Friday’s loss with a 2-0 win Saturday afternoon. The Mets relied on their pitching, like they have most of this season, to win an MLB leading 19th game this season.

Tylor Megill and Mitchell Parker face off in a matchup of breakout starting pitchers. Both starters have ERA’s below 1.50 for the season, leaving fans hoping that this is more than just a hot streak. Can Megill lead the Mets just like Clay Holmes yesterday? Can Parker shut down the Mets lineup?

Tylor Megill has a 1.09 ERA, 2.18 FIP, 1.257 WHIP and a 357 ERA+ over five starts and 24 2/3 innings this season. The next big step for Megill is to finish the sixth inning – he has pitched into the sixth inning three times so far this season but has only recorded two outs. He’s coming off of his best start this season where he held the Phillies to one hit over 5 1/3 innings while striking out 10 batters (however four walks worked up his pitch count). In two starts against the Nationals last season, Tylor allowed six runs, four earned over 11 innings from nine hits and five walks while striking out eight. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 1-5
• Riley Adams 0-2
• Josh Bell 3-10, HR, BB, 3 K
• Alex Call 2-3, 2B
• Dylan Crews 1-2, 2B
• Luis García Jr. 1-12, 2B, BB, 4 K
• Nathaniel Lowe 1-3, K
• Keibert Ruiz 3-10, 2B, BB, 3 K
• José Tena 0-3
• James Wood 0-3, K
• Jacob Young 0-1, BB

In 2024 Mitchell Parker had a 4.29 ERA, 3.85 FIP, 1.305 WHIP and a 94 ERA+ over 151 innings. This season he has a 1.39 ERA, 3.41 FIP, 0.928 WHIP and a 286 ERA+ over 32 1/3 innings. Parker is coming off of his best start of the season where he held the Orioles to only one hit and no runs over eight innings and 99 pitches. He has gone at least six innings in each start this season. Today is a test for Parker though as the Mets put up numbers against him in his rookie season. In 2024 the Mets scored 10 earned runs off of 12 hits and two walks over 9 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Parker:

• Luisangel Acuña 1-2, 2B
• Pete Alonso 1-5, K
• Francisco Alvarez 1-2, HR
• Francisco Lindor 1-3, HR, K
• Starling Marte 1-1, BB
• Brandon Nimmo 0-3, K
• Juan Soto 0-1, BB
• Tyrone Taylor 2-4, HR
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 1-4, HR, K

Three Things To Watch Out For:

1. Homeruns. Mitchell Parker allowed 18 home runs in 2024, four of them in two starts against the Mets. He has allowed only one home run so far in 2025. His HR/9 rate has dropped from 1.1 down to a paltry 0.3. The Mets lineup has hitters who had success against him last year. Does 2024 repeat itself or has Parker broken through?
2. Francisco Lindor. Do you know who is good at baseball? Francisco Lindor. Friday night he went 0-for-4 at the plate, snapping his streak of four games in a row reaching base at least three times. Yesterday he reached base three times. So in his last six games, he has five games getting on base three times. In the three most recent ones, he has only scored two runs, which is a good indication on how things around him are going.
3. Containing Dylan Crews. Crews has evaded Mets pitchers so far this series going 5-for-8 at the plate with a triple and three runs scored. Since April 16th Crews has slashed .368/.368/.684 with a double, triple and three home runs from 14 hits. He has raised his season slash line over this time from .120/.170/.120 to .227/.253/.364. His season OPS+ is still a 75, but won’t be for long if he keeps hitting like he has for the last two weeks.

Let’s Go Mets!

For the first time in 2025, we’ll see how the Mets respond to an ugly loss.

According to the umpires, Jesse Winker lined into a triple play (the ball hit the ground before being caught) which upset the momentum in the game – two on and no out instantly became three outs. The Mets would later overcome this thanks to a bases clearing triple by Mark Vientos, giving the Mets the lead. Jeff McNeil couldn’t make a play in the bottom of the ninth and the Mets went on to lose. A rough game of emotions. A hallmark of a strong club is how loose they come back after an April loss like this – hopefully we see that today!

Clay Holmes has a 3.16 ERA, 2.13 FIP, 1.364 WHIP and a 121 ERA+ over 25 2/3 innings spread across five starts this season. He’s allowed only two runs from six hits and four walks over his last two starts striking out 14 batters while pitching 11 innings. He completed the sixth inning in his last outing against the Cardinals, the deepest he has gone this year and the next critical step in his development as a major league starter. He also pitched six complete innings only needing 91 pitches. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 1-1
• Riley Adams 0-1
• Josh Bell 0-2
• ALex Call 1-1
• Luis García Jr. 0-1
• Nathaniel Lowe 0-1, BB, K
• Amed Rosario 2-8, 3 K
• Keibert Ruiz 0-1
• José Tena 0-1

The Mets bats will get a look at Brad Lord this afternoon. Over 13 1/3 innings in his first major league season, Lord has a 4.73 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.875 WHIP and an 85 ERA+ over six games including three starts. He’s been pitching in the rotation since April 8th allowing six runs over 11 1/3 innings from 13 hits and seven walks while striking out ten. This will be the first time anyone on the Mets has seen Lord in a major league game.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Mark Vientos. After the game on April 11th, Mark Vientos was slashing .109/.241/.152 on the season. Since then he has gone 11-for-38 at the plate with three doubles, a triple and two home runs slashing .289/.325/.579. Vientos is the X-factor for the Mets when he provides the pop. Last weekend he homered in back-to-back days against the Cardinals. Friday night he came up clutch with a bases clearing triple. All of this has raised his season slugging from .152 to .345 over the last 10 games.
2. What do the Mets do with Jeff, Tyrone and Luisangel? We are obviously not talking about anything drastic – Jeff McNeil has only been back for one game. Essentially the Mets have navigate a few things. They need more offensive production from center field. Tyrone Taylor, defensively, has been playing a strong center field since Siri went down. Luisangel Acuña has a better glove and has started to come around with the bat at second. McNeil is a veteran and when he’s locked in at the plate he can consistently get on base.
3. Brandon Nimmo. Is Brandon Nimmo finally starting to breakout of the funk that he’s in? He has a 78 OPS+ on the season, he hasn’t been below 100 since his rookie season. He’s now gotten on base in six consecutive games, going 6-for-24 at the plate with a walk. He’s not walking as much this season, concentrating on power, but hasn’t had an extra base hit since April 13th. Going 2-for-4 at the plate last night, and setting up the Mark Vientos triple is a positive sign!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets hit the road tonight looking to extend their winning streak to eight games in the Nation’s capital tonight!

What a week for the Mets! The Mets completed a four game sweep of the Cardinals and a three game sweep of the Phillies go a perfect 7-0 at home and improve their home record to 12-1. Heading into the last week of April the Mets have the best record in baseball (18-7) and a five game lead in the competitive NL East.

The Nationals are starting to hit a stride, winning four of their last six games. They are led by a stronger than expected starting rotation and are held back by one of the worst bullpens in baseball. Similar to Phillies, the Mets batters will need to push starters out quickly and get to the bullpen.

What a start for Kodai Senga this season! Senga has a 0.79 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 0.971 WHIP and a 486 ERA+ over four starts and 22 2/3 innings this season. He hasn’t allowed any runs (earned or unearned) in his last three starts (17 2/3 innings), working around 12 hits and six walks while striking out eight. Players are struggling to barrel up his pitches (86th percentile), leading to Senga’s success this so far this season. The Nationals have the following career numbers against Senga:

• CJ Abrams 2-3, 2 BB
• Josh Bells 2-5, HR, BB
• Alex Call 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K
• Luis García Jr. 0-4, BB, K
• Keibert Ruiz 0-4, BB

Jake Irvin has a 3.68 ERA, 4.66 FIP, 1.057 WHIP and a 108 ERA+ over 29 1/3 innings and five starts this season. Irvin started the season allowing 10 runs over 16 innings (three starts) and has since allowed only two runs over 13 1/3 innings. He’s coming off of a season high nine strikeouts against the Rockies last weekend. He was pretty effective against the Mets last season, holding them to only seven runs from 14 hits over 21 1/3 innings while striking out 15 batters. The Mets have the following career numbers against Irvin:

• Pete Alonso 1-11, 4 K
• Francisco Lindor 5-10, 2B, HR, 2 K
• Starling Marte 1-2, K
• Jeff McNeil 1-7, BB, K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-12, HR, BB, K
• Juan Soto 0-0, 2 BB
• Tyrone Taylor 1-6, 2B, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 0-9, K
• Jesse Winker 0-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Changes to the roster. Brett Baty and Hayden Senger were optioned to Syracuse after Wednesday’s game to clear up roster space for Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez. Baty was just starting to heat up and hit a massive homerun in Wednesday’s game. Senger made a critical play at the plate and did more than enough to keep the Mets afloat with Alvarez down. Neither of them deserved a demotion, but the Mets don’t have enough roster spots go around. Jeff McNeil looks to solidify the Mets as a super utility player, and it will be interesting to see how much time he and Nimmo get in centerfield in the coming weeks. Alvarez and Torrens are a powerful catching combination on the Mets roster. While rehabbing Alvarez hit only .180/.273/.256 going 7-for-39 at the plate with one homerun. We are anxiously awaiting to see if his power comes back.
2. Soto returns to DC. Soto has already returned to DC with the Padres in 2022 (less than two weeks after being traded), and in 2023. Last season he played a series as a member of the Yankees. The Padres though only played one series a year in DC. The Yankees played one series every other year in DC. As a member of the Mets Soto will now be playing at least two series a season in DC.
3. Francisco Lindor. Lindor went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a walk on Wednesday. It was his fourth consecutive game getting on base three times. Over his last four games he has gone 10-for-17 with three home runs hitting .588/.632/1.118 (1.749 OPS). He now has a 147 OPS+. Video game numbers!

Let’s Go Mets!

What a week for the New York Mets! The Mets secured a series win against the Phillies last night in Queens. The win extended the Mets winning streak to six games, their division lead to four games and now the Mets are 10 games above .500!

The Mets can make a massive statement today with a series sweep. The Mets would take a five game lead against their divisional rival and have a seven game winning streak for the first time this season. It’s a beautiful day in Queens to beat the Phillies one more time!

David Peterson has a 3.27 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 1.364 WHIP and a 118 ERA+ over 22 innings over four starts this season. The Cards were able to get three runs off of Peterson in his last start (5 1/3 innings) and for the second time this season Peterson recorded nine strikeouts in a start (26 on the season). In the regular season last year Peterson held the Phillies to six runs, five earned over 11 1/3 innings (3.97 ERA) while striking out ten. He faced the Phillies twice in relief in the postseason holding them scoreless over 5 1/3 innings. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Peterson:

• Alec Bohm 7-23, 2 2B, 2 HR, BB, 6 K
• Nick Castellanos 6-12, 2B, 3 K
• Bryce Harper 8-21, 2B, HR, 4 BB, 6 K
• Rafael Marchan 2-2
• J.T. Realmuto 3-18, 2B, 3 BB, 4 K
• Johan Rojas 1-7, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Kyle Schwarber 2-19, 2B, 2 BB, 10 K
• Edmundo Sosa 1-2
• Bryson Stott 0-3, BB, K
• Trea Turner 3-19, 2 2B, 2 BB, 6 K

The Mets face the former Met, Zack Wheeler. Wheeler has become one of the most consistent and effective pitchers in baseball since joining the Phillies in 2020. He’s made 138 starts, totaling 860 2/3 innings with a 2.97 ERA. This season he has pitched 31 1/3 innings over five games with a 3.73 ERA, 3.15 FIP, 0.989 WHIP and a 108 ERA+. Wheeler had two rough starts in mid-April where he allowed nine runs from 15 hits over 11 1/3 innings. In his three other starts he has allowed only four runs over 20 innings, including his last start where he had a season high 13 strikeouts over seven innings against the Marlins.

Wheeler held the Mets to two runs, scattering seven hits over seven innings in one regular season start last season. He also had a phenomenal start against the Mets in the playoffs where held the Mets to one hit and no runs over seven innings (a game the Mets eventually won 6-2). The Mets have the following career numbers against Wheeler:

• Luisangel Acuña 1-3
• Pete Alonso 10-37, 2 2B, 2 BB, 12 K
• Brett Baty 3-8, K
• Francisco Lindor 8-31, 2B, 3B, HR, BB, 6 K
• Starling Marte 7-25, 2B, 3B, BB, 4 K
• Brandon Nimmo 13-46, 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 8 K
• Juan Soto 13-51, 2 2B, 3 HR, 13 BB, 15 K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-9, 3 K
• Mark Vientos 3-9, 2B, 3 K
• Jesse Winker 0-11, 4 BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Bullpens. The bullpens have been the story the whole week in this series. Both the Mets and the Phillies entered this series tired. The Mets have had starters go 5 1/3 and 5 innings over the last two games respectively. Sánchez left yesterday’s game after two innings for the Phillies. Both teams should have a similar game plan today – get the starter out earlier and hope they can catch the opponents bullpen running out of gas.
2. We cannot stop talking about Francisco. Lindor has been on another planet over the last three games going 8-for-13 with three home runs, six runs scored and six RBI’s. Since April 7th, his first three hit game of the season, Lindor is slashing .359/.400/.625. He now has a 0.8 bWAR on the season and has a 142 OPS+. Just phenomenal stuff from Lindor.
3. The Mets got hits with runners in scoring position. We have been complaining about the Mets hitting with runners in scoring position, even during the Mets’ winning streaks this season. Last night the Mets only had nine hits as a team (three of them by Lindor) but four of their hits were with RISP. They went 4-for-9 with RISP and even though they still left 10 runners on base, timely hitting by the Mets gave them some crucial insurance runs and saved Mendoza from needing to use Díaz.

Let’s Go Mets!

Did you finish catching your breath yet from last night’s game? The Mets took the lead at the start of the game thanks to another leadoff home run from Francisco Lindor. Lindor would later break the game open with a three-run home run, giving the Mets a 5-0 lead. Nothing can be easy though against the Phillies who rallied in the ninth inning which included a three-run home run that brought them within one run of tying the game. Just a wild night at Citi Field.

Now the Mets are riding a five game win streak. A win today clinches a series win against the Phillies.

Griffin Canning has a 3.43 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 1.333 WHIP and a 112 ERA+ over 21 innings and four starts this season. His worst start of the season was against the Athletics on April 11th where he allowed four runs from seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. He missed his next start had to get bumped a day due to illness and he came back with his best start of the season, holding the Cardinals to one run from three hits and two walks over six innings while striking out a season high of eight batters.

Canning faced the Phillies almost a year ago on 4/29/24 where he allowed four runs from three hits and five walks over five innings. The Phillies have the following career numbers against him:

• Alec Bohm 1-3
• Nick Castellanos 2-8, 2B, 3B, K
• Bryce Harper 0-2, BB, K
• Max Kepler 1-1, 2B, BB
• Johan Rojas 0-1, BB
• Kyle Schwarber 1-2, BB
• Bryson Stott 0-2
• Trea Turner 1-2

Cristopher Sánchez is off to a fantastic start in 2025. Over four games he has pitched 24 1/3 innings with a 2.96 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 1.151 WHIP and a 136 ERA+. The big knock on his game this season, reflected in his FIP, is his homerun rate. He has already allowed four this season, good for 1.5 HR/9, which is near his 2023 mark (1.4 HR/9, 3.99 FIP), and much higher than 2024 (0.5 HR/9, 3.00 FIP). Sánchez is coming off of his best outing of the season where he held the Giants to three runs, two earned, over seven innings while striking out 12 batters.

Sánchez made three starts against the Mets in the regular season last year allowing six runs from 16 hits and nine walks over 17 2/3 innings while striking out 19 batters (3.06 ERA). The Mets scored two runs off of five hits over five innings against Sánchez in the second game of the 2024 NLDS. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Luisangel Acuña 0-4
• Pete Alonso 4-20, 2B, HR, 8 K
• Brett Baty 0-4, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 4-12, 2 BB, K
• Starling Marte 4-13, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 5-16, BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 2-7, 4 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-5, HR, K
• Luis Torrens 0-4, BB, K
• Mark Vientos 2-9, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 6 K
• Jesse Winker 0-6, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor is putting the team on his back. The 2024 Mets made the postseason because Lindor carried the team for multiple months. He’s been carrying the offense throughout this homestand. Over the five games this homestand Lindor has gone 9-for-21 with six runs, four home runs and seven RBI’s. After last night’s game he is now second on the team with five homeruns on the year (80% of them hit over the last four games) and tied for the second on the team with 13 RBI’s (trailing Pete Alonso’s 24). He is also tied with Juan Soto for the team lead in runs scored (16).
2. Roster Moves Incoming. The Mets announced before the game yesterday that Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez were going to play back-to-back games today and tomorrow, with the goal of joining the Mets over the weekend. Notably, McNeil will be playing centerfield tomorrow. The Mets are going to make a couple of roster moves once this happens. Ideally the Mets can keep Baty and Luisangel Acuña , who have been playing better of late up. Today and tomorrow could be the last time we see Azócar and Senger up with the big league squad for a bit. Everything around Baty, Acuña, Azócar and Senger will be watched over the next two games.
3. Bullpen Battle. The Phillies bullpen has struggled in 2025. Nola was able to keep them limited to only 1 2/3 innings last night, but they still managed to give up one run and allowed two inherited runners from Nola to score. The Mets bullpen is just tired and needs to survive until their day off on Thursday. The hope last night was that Kranick could go three innings, but that didn’t happen and Díaz had to pitch. Brazobán hasn’t pitched since Friday and is the most rested. Minter hasn’t pitched since Saturday. Everyone else either pitched Sunday or last night.

Let’s Go Mets!

The first place Mets welcome the second place Phillies to Citi Field tonight for their first clash of the season! The two teams are doing it in different ways so far in 2025. The Mets starting pitching and relief pitching have kept them in every game. The Phillies bullpen has been one of the worst in the majors by ERA, but their offense has been red hot. It’s a classic pitching vs hitting matchup!

Tylor Megill has a 1.40 ERA, 2.21 FIP, 1.345 WHIP and a 275 across four starts and 19 1/3 innings this season. He is coming off of a start where he allowed four runs, two earned from eight hits and no walks over five innings against the Twins. Is Tylor on a hot streak or is he finally breaking out? To be more in “breakout” territory, Tylor needs to finish at least six innings. He’s gone into the sixth inning twice this season but has only recorded one out.

Tylor had one start in the regular season against the Phillies, holding them to one run and four hits over four innings of work. In the playoffs he pitched in relief, allowing one run from a hit and two walks over 1 1/3 innings. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Tylor:

• Alec Bohm 3-10, 2B, 2 K
• Nick Castellanos 4-10, 2B, K
• Bryce Harper 2-12, 2 BB, 5 K
• Max Kepler 0-3, K
• J.T. Realmuto 4-15, 2B, HR, 6 K
• Johan Rojas 0-4
• Kyle Schwarber 1-10, 2B, 3 BB, 2 K
• Edmundo Sosa 1-5, K
• Bryson Stott 0-9, BB, 4 K
• Trea Turner 2-6, 2 BB

The Mets bats will face a familiar opponent in Aaron Nola who is four starts into his 11th season in the majors. He has picked up the loss in all four starts this season with a 6.65 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 1.662 WHIP and a 61 ERA+ over 21 2/3 innings. His stats are skewed by two poor starts, his first one and his most recent one, where he allowed 12 runs, 11 earned over 10 2/3 innings. Between those starts he’s allowed a more normal five runs over 11 innings.

Nola faced the Mets twice in the regular season last year allowing six runs from 10 hits over 13 1/3 innings. His one start in the postseason last year came against the Mets where the Mets got him for four runs from five hits including two homeruns over five innings. The Mets own the following career stats against Nola:

• Pete Alonso 17-52, 3 2B, 6 HR, 5 BB, 15 K
• José Azócar 3-6, K
• Brett Baty 0-7, BB, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 7-36, 2 2B, BB, 9 K
• Starling Marte 11-33, 2 2B, HR, 10 K
• Brandon Nimmo 13-54, 3B, 2 HR, 13 BB, 20 K
• Juan Soto 10-38, 3 2B, 3 HR, 15 BB, 9 K
• Tyrone Taylor 4-12, 2 2B, BB, 3 K
• Luis Torrens 2-3
• Mark Vientos 2-6, 2 K
• Jesse Winker 5-26, 2 BB, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Emotions. The last time the Phillies and Mets faced each other was during the NLDS last October. The Mets won the series in four games with Francisco Lindor hitting a grand slam (accounting for all of the Mets runs in that game). Both the Mets and Phillies are looking to take advantage right now of Atlanta’s slow start. The Mets have played loose and confidently for the majority of the season – hopefully that carries over to today despite the opponent.
2. Francisco Lindor. Francisco Lindor set the tone for the Mets against St. Louis. He had two three hit games, hit a walk off home run on Friday night and a leadoff home run on Sunday afternoon. Since April 7th Lindor has gone 18-for-56 at the plate with two doubles and three home runs slashing .321/.361/.518.
3. Juan Soto. Soto has quietly been moving the Mets offense over the last three games. During this stretch he has gone 5-for-10 at the plate with a double, two runs scored and has five RBI’s. He has recorded an RBI in three consecutive games and in five of his last seven games played. His 0.9 bWAR is second best on the Mets right now behind Pete Alonso (1.8) and ahead of Francisco Lindor (0.4).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for the elusive four-game sweep this afternoon!

Saturday the Mets shut out the Cardinals 3-0 in a brisk two and a half hour game in front of a sold out crowd at Citi Field. Senga cruised through his first five innings and the bullpen was able to get him out of trouble in the sixth. Reed Garrett continued his fantastic season, Minter was able to work around three walks and Díaz shut the door in the ninth. Pete Alonso continued his hot start to the season going 2-for-4 at the plate with a solo home run, double and two RBI’s.

Clay Holmes has tossed 19 2/3 innings with a 3.66 ERA, 2.16 FIP, 1.475 WHIP and a 107 ERA+. Holmes has become a strikeout machine with 28 strikeouts so far this season and 18 of them coming in his last two starts. On April 8th Holmes allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings while striking out 10 against the Marlins. He bounced back in his last start in Minnesota holding them to one run and two hits over five innings, while striking out eight. Holmes only pitched one inning against the Cardinals in 2024, allowing nothing while facing three batters. The Cardinals have the following career numbers against Holmes:

• Nolan Arenado 2-4, BB
• Willson Contreras 1-5, K
• Nolan Gorman 0-1, K
• Lars Nootbaar 0-2
• Jordan Walker 0-1

The Mets bats take on the veteran Sonny Gray this afternoon. Gray is off to a hot start this season with a 3.13 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 0.783 WHIP (league leading) and a 133 ERA+ over 23 innings. He’s coming off of his best start of the season where he held the Astros scoreless over seven innings while striking out four batters. He’s limited opposing lineups to exactly three hits each in his last two starts.

Gray last faced the Mets about a year ago. Going into that game he had a 1.04 ERA over his first three starts of the season. The Mets were able to score four runs, only one earned, off of him over six innings in a game the Mets eventually won 7-4. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-5, HR, BB, K
• Brett Baty 0-1, BB
• Francisco Lindor 5-24, 2 HR, 4 BB, 8 K
• Starling Marte 3-12, HR, 2 BB
• Brandon Nimmo 3-8, 3 K
• Juan Soto 4-8, HR, 4 BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-8, HR, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Jesse Winker 3-8, 2B, 2 BB, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. How deep in the game can Holmes go? The Mets still have four games to go until their next off day and the bullpen has worked extra hard over the last week. Holmes reached a season high of 90 pitches in his last start and on April 8th actually pitched for a bit in the sixth inning. Hitters slash .233/.361/.233 the first time through the lineup against Holmes and that improves (in terms of OPS) to .267/.353/.333. The K/BB ration goes from 2.20 the first time through, to 3.50 the second time and down to 1.50 the third time. Batters OPS jumps from .575 pitches 1-25 to .694 during pitches 51-75. Getting through the sixth inning is Holmes’ next big step – can he do it, and save the bullpen, today?
2. Pete Alonso. How amazing has Pete Alonso been? His solo shot yesterday was his sixth on the season, bringing him 232 for his career and only 20 behind Strawberry for the all-time Mets lead. He currently leads the league with 23 RBI’s, .753 SLG, 1.220 OPS and 247 OPS+. In his last six games he has gone 9-for-20 at the plate with three doubles, a triple, two home runs, five RBI’s and five walks (.450/.560/1.000). What a hot streak!
3. Keep frustrating the Cardinals! We know the Mets struggle with runners in scoring position, and yesterday was another example of that (1-for-7). The Cardinals performed worse though. They went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, leaving eight runners on base. Even though the Cardinals had only three hits yesterday, they still worked five walks. Keep that pressure on the birds! Get the big outs!

Let’s Go Mets!

Are you still fired up after Friday night’s win? The Mets and Cardinals had a back-and-forth game Friday night where the Cardinals went up, the Mets tied it, the Cardinals went up, the Mets tied it. Things went into overdrive in the 8th inning with the Mets going ahead in the bottom of the eighth only for the Cardinals to tie it in the top of the ninth.

Then Francisco Lindor called game in the bottom of the ninth. He crushed a ball to the Coca-Cola Corner, sending Queens into a frenzy. Now the Mets look to build off that momentum and take the four game series with the Cardinals with a win this afternoon.

Kodai Senga has allowed four runs, only two earned, in 17 innings this season with a 1.06 ERA, 2.80 FIP, 1.000 WHIP and a 365 ERA+. He has 16 strikeouts to only five runs. In the last two starts he has allowed no runs, scattering nine hits over 12 innings. The Mets could use another seven inning start from Senga today with the amount the bullpen has been needed over the last several days. The Cardinals have the following career numbers against Senga:

• Nolan Arenado 1-6, HR, K
• Alec Burleson 0-5, BB, 2 K
• Willson Contreras 1-5, K
• Brendan Donovan 1-4
• Nolan Gorman 0-3, K
• Jordan Walker 1-2, HR, BB, K

Matthew Liberatore has a 3.93 ERA, 1.94 FIP, 0.982 WHIP and a 104 ERA+ over three starts and 18 1/3 innings. He’s coming off by far his best start of the season where he shutout the Phillies over six innings holding them to only three runs. In his start before that the Pirates got him for five runs over 6 1/3 innings. He pitched against the Mets twice in relief last season. In one outing he had no runs over two innings. In his other outing the Mets scored three runs, two earned over three innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-3, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-4, HR
• Starling Marte 0-2
• Brandon Nimmo 1-5, 2B, 2 K
• Juan Soto 1-2, 2B
• Tyrone Taylor 2-6, 2 2B, BB
• Mark Vientos 2-2, HR
• Jesse Winker 1-2, 2B

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Where are the batted balls going? According to Baseball Savant, 66% of all home runs came from “pulled airballs”. Batters pulled the ball in the air 17.5% of the time. Kodai Senga was near the league average in pulled airballs in 2023 at 16.6%. This season Senga is near the top of the league allowing that to happen only 9.1% of the time. Three starts isn’t a lot, but if this is still true a month from now Senga will be reaching that next level.
2. Vientos is heating up! Vientos was slashing .109/.241/.152 after the game on April 11th where he went 0-for-4 at the plate with a walk. Since then he has gone 7-for-24 with two doubles, two home runs and five runs scored, slashing .292/.320/.625 over a five game hitting streak. He is now hitting .171/.266/.314 on the year and has homered on back-to-back games. Friday night was also his first multi-hit game of the season. Things are happening right now for Vientos!
3. Juan Soto. There are some interesting things happening on Juan Soto’s Baseball Savant page. You could probably already guessed that he’s near the top of the league in chase%, whiff%, K% and walk%. He’s in the 99th percentile in squared-up%. What this means is the vast, vast majority of the time Juan Soto is getting most of the maximum velocity possible on a swing, by hitting the ball with the sweet spot of the bat. But he’s not getting the most desirable launch angle. He’s in the 18th percentile for achieving the ideal launch angle (between 8 and 32 degrees). Last season he was in the the 65th percentile for this, 35.4% of the time, or 10% more than he is right now. He is normally towards the bottom of the league with this metric, with last season being the outlier.

Let’s Go Mets!

Good teams bounce back and that is exactly what the New York Mets did on Thursday night.

The Mets had a frustrating start of the week in Minnesota with two fluky losses in a row. The best recipe to get out of slide before it becomes a funk is to win. Mark Vientos started the scoring with his first home run of the season and the Mets scored a total of four runs in the second inning. That was all they needed as they ended up beating the Cardinals 4-1. Now David Peterson looks to make it two wins in a row for the Amazin’s!

David Peterson has a 2.70 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 1.380 WHIP and a 141 ERA+ over 16 2/3 innings and three starts this season. He’s coming off of six innings against the Athletics holding them to two runs from seven hits while striking out five. Going deep into games has been a challenge for Mets starters this season, but not Peterson. Peterson has pitched six innings in two of his three start this year. Going at least six innings tonight would make it two games in a row where the Mets got at least six innings from their starter. The only Cardinal that has seen Peterson in a game before is Willson Contreras (1-for-8, 3 K).

The Mets bats draw the veteran Miles Mikolas tonight. Over three starts this season he has pitched 13 innings allowing 14 runs, 13 earned, from 16 hits and five walks while striking out ten (9.00 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 1.615 WHIP and a 45 ERA+). His stats are skewed from his second start this season where the Red Sox scored nine runs over 2 2/3 innings. In his last start he kept the Phillies to three runs from only three hits and two walks over five innings.

Miles had two starts against the Mets in 2024 with different results. At the end of April he held the Mets to two runs over 5 2/3 innings, scattering seven hits. Then two weeks later, he allowed six runs from nine hits over four innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Pete Alonso 3-18, 2B, BB, 4 K
• José Azócar 0-2
• Brett Baty 1-7, 2B, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 7-17, 2 2B, K
• Starling Marte 10-44, 2 2B, 2 BB, 7 K
• Brandon Nimmo 2-19, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 7-21, 2B, HR, 5 K
• Tyrone Taylor 3-10, 2B, HR, 3 K
• Jesse Winker 6-16, 2B, 2 HR, BB, 6 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Mark Vientos. Vientos has a five game hitting streak right now where he has gotten exactly one hit in each game, going 5-for-20 with two doubles, a home run and four runs scored. He’s raised his season OPS from .393 to .511 over this stretch. Hopefully this is a sign that he’s breaking out of the slump he was in at the start of the year.
2. Mets Bullpen. Canning did the Mets bullpen a solid Thursday by pitching six innings. Wednesday was effectively a bullpen game for the Mets and the Mets are in the midst of a long stretch without an off day. The only two pitchers who haven’t pitched in the last two games, Kranick and Young, both had extended outings on Tuesday night. Edwin Díaz has been used two days in a row. The high leverage guys tonight will probably be Stanek and Wednesday’s opener Brazobán. Hopefully David Peterson can go deep in the game tonight!
3. Baty and Acuña. Jeff McNeil is knocking at the door. There are reports of McNeil taking more reps in the outfield, including centerfield, right now. This would give more playing time to Acuña, Baty or both when McNeil returns, if the Mets young players show they deserve that playing time. Baty went 2-for-3 Thursday with a double. It was his second consecutive two-hit game. In his last four games he has gone 6-for-16 with a double and a triple, raising his season OBP from .111 to .209. Luisangel Acuña has gone 8-for-21 with two doubles, four stolen bases and six runs scored over his last six games with a plate appearance (Thursday he came in as a pinch runner and never got to the plate).

Let’s Go Mets!

It’s been a weird last two days for the Mets. The Mets over the last couple of days haven’t been able to take advantage of a Twins team making mistakes on the field. When the Mets were at their best in 2022, or cruising through their Grimace-era – they never let a mistake from the other team slide.

Then there were the unusual things that happened. A critical fielding mistake from Francisco Lindor (one of the most consistent fielders the Mets have ever had). A starting pitcher getting sick and needing to miss a start two days before the Mets were originally thinking about inserting a 6th starter. Losing a challenge early in a game, and because of the arcane challenge rules, couldn’t challenge a missed call at first that led to a run.

The best thing after a couple of days like this is to come home, reset and get some positive vibes going.

Griffin Canning returns to the mound after missing a start due to illness. Over three starts Canning has pitched 15 innings allowing seven runs from 15 hits and eight walks while striking out eight (4.20 ERA, 4.61 FIP, 1.533 WHIP, 91 ERA+). His last start was definitely the worst of the season, allowing four runs over 5 1/3 innings from seven hits and three walks in Sacramento. He was doing great though until the 6th inning where three of those earned runs happened. The Cardinals have the following career numbers against him:

• Nolan Arenado 1-8, BB, 3 K
• Alec Burleson 1-3
• Willson Contreras 2-2, 2B, BB
• Brendan Donovan 1-5, K
• Nolan Gorman 0-3
• Lars Nootbaar 3-6, 2B
• Michael Siani 0-1

Andre Pallante is off to a fast start in 2025. Over three starts he has allowed four runs over 16 1/3 innings from 10 hits, seven walks and 13 strikeouts (2.20 ERA, 4.30 FIP, 1.041 WHIP, 185 ERA+). He’s coming off of his best start of the season where he shutout the Phillies over seven innings. The Mets got to him though in 2024, tagging him for five runs from five hits over 4 2/3 innings. The Mets own the following career stats against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-3, 2 BB
• Francisco Lindor 2-8, 2 BB, 2 K
• Starling Marte 2-3, BB, K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-10, 2B, K
• Juan Soto 0-3, 2 BB
• Tyrone Taylor 3-8, 2B, K
• Jesse Winker 1-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Roster Moves. The Mets made a series of long-awaited roster moves earlier this afternoon. Jose Siri was finally added to the IL, which allows the Mets to recall Max Kranick despite optioning him earlier in the week. Justin Hagenman was optioned to Syracuse and José Azócar was selected. Azócar give the Mets additional outfield depth and was doing alright in Triple A (10-for-41, 2 2B, HR, 4 SB .244/.367/.366).
2. Pete Alonso. As long as Pete Alonso keeps hitting, we’ll keep highlighting him. Yesterday he went 2-for-4 at the plate. It was his third consecutive game with two hits. He already has nine multi-hit games this season (18 games played). The focus on 2025 is going to be on Pete chasing the Mets all-time home run record (252, held by Strawberry and Pete is currently at 231). He’s also turning into a double machine, with eight so far in the young season.
3. Positive signs from struggling hitters. Brett Baty went 2-for-4 at the plate yesterday. It was his third consecutive game with a hit (4-for-13). Luisangel Acuña has a six game hitting streak right now, going 8-for-21 with two doubles, four stolen bases and six runs scored. The Mets have won every game in the last six where Acuña scored a run.

Let’s Go Mets!