213 Miles From Shea

The Mets look to end the first half of the season on a high note as they welcome the Rockies to Citi Field for a three game set! Going into today’s slate of games, the Mets currently hold the third wild card spot and officially control their own destiny in an uncomplicated way. The vibes continue to be good, let’s get another win!

Sean Manaea has tossed 89 1/3 innings over 17 starts with a 3.43 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 1.243 WHIP and a 113 ERA+. Over his last three starts he has allowed only two runs, one earned, in 18 innings while striking out 14 batters (0.50 ERA, 3.45 FIP). The only blight he’s had is a high walk rate, walking 10 batters in his last three starts. The Rockies have the following career numbers against Sean:

• Charlie Blackmon 5-14, 3 2B, 3B, BB
• Jake Cave 0-1, K
• Elias Díaz 2-8, HR
• Brenton Doyle 0-5, 2 K
• Kyle Freeland 0-3, K
• Hunter Goodman 1-3, HR
• Nolan Jones 2-5, K
• Ryan McMahon 1-5, 2B, BB, K
• Brandan Rodgers 3-6, K
• Jacob Stallings 0-2, B
• Michael Toglia 0-2, K
• Exequiel Tovar 2-7, 2 K

Tanner Gordon will pitch in his second major league game after making his debut a week ago. In his first game he allowed five runs from eight hits over 6 1/3 innings against the Royals. He allowed two homers in the start. Gordon tossed four different pitches in first start including a low-90’s four seamer, mid-80’s change up, mid-80’s slider and exactly one sinker. In the minors he allowed made seven starts totaling 33 2/3 innings with a 5.35 ERA and 1.455 WHIP (it’s also the PCL, so take the stats with a grain of salt). Gordon was originally drafted by the Braves and was traded in the Pierce Johnson trade after struggling in the Atlanta farm system.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Can the Mets use Phil Maton two days in a row? Phil Maton had a stellar debut on Thursday for the Mets. He tossed only 10 pitches, nine of them were strikes and he got two strikeouts. He showed a devastating curveball. An all around memorable debut for a bullpen that desperately needed a boost. This was his third outing in his last four where he pitched one inning and recorded two strikeouts.
2. Get to the Rockies Bullpen. The Rockies have the worst run differential in baseball (-167, two runs worse than the White Sox) and a lot of that has to do with the bullpen. The bullpen has a 5.91 ERA, worst in the league (next closest is the Blue Jays at 4.83). They also have the worst WHIP (1.63), hits (390) and earned runs (223).
3. Brandon Nimmo – run producing machine. Brandon Nimmo had one hit yesterday, and it was a big one. He hit a bases clearing double, good for 3 RBI’s which puts him at 62 on the year. Pete Alonso trails him at 49 and then Lindor at 48. To put this in context, Nimmo is tied for ninth in the league with 62 RBI’s. What a season for Nimmo and hopefully that continues tonight!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to complete the sweep of the Nationals this afternoon at Citi Field. On Tuesday the Mets had to hold on tight to the lead after a bullpen implosion. On Wednesday the Mets pretty much cruised to victory with everyone doing their part. They’ll look for another drama-free afternoon closing out their second to last series before the All-Star Break.

David Peterson makes his 8th start of the season today for the Mets. Over 37 2/3 innings, Peterson has a 3.58 ERA, 4.71 FIP, 1.460 WHIP and a 108 ERA+. He’s coming off of a short start against the Pirates where he only lasted 4 1/3 innings after giving up five hits and walking two, but that only translated into two runs. Before that he pitched against the Nationals holding them to two runs on seven hits and a walk over 6 1/3. Since June 17th, Peterson has posted a 3.00 ERA over four starts. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 3-11, BB, 2 K
• Luis García Jr 3-12, 3 K
• Harold Ramirez 1-3
• Keibert Ruiz 4-13, BB
• Lane Thomas 3-12, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Ildemaro Vargas 4-12, 2 2B, K
• Jesse Winker 2-4, 3B, K
• James Wood 1-3, K
• Jacob Young 2-4, BB

MacKenzie Gore has had two poor starts sandwiched around a good start against the Mets. His last time out against the Cardinals he allowed five runs over 3 1/3 innings. Before facing the Mets he allowed five runs over five innings. Against the Mets though he allowed only one run over 5 2/3 innings while striking out eight. On the season he has made 18 starts totaling 94 innings with a 3.83 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 1.436 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-13, HR, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-4, 2 BB, 2 K
• Harrison Bader 2-6
• José Iglesias 3-6
• Francisco Lindor 2-12, BB, 2 K
• J.D. Martinez 1-6, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 7-9, BB, K (Yes, that is correct)
• Brandon Nimmo 3-11, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-7, HR, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-2, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. David Peterson gets a lot of ground balls. Peterson has a 53.8% ground ball percentage which puts him in the 91st percentile in the league. We have seen over the last few Peterson starts that he can get himself into trouble quickly and then gets a double play to get out of it. While that’s living a bit too much on the edge, it has been working for him.
2. MacKenzie Gore is the opposite. We’ll see a clash of approaches tonight between the starting pitchers. Gore is in the 88th percentile for fastball velocity (average 96.4 mph) and gets a lot of whiffs (30.4%, 85th percentile). Because of this he only gets ground balls 34.7% of the time which is good for the 12th percentile). While the Mets struggled against Gore at the start of the month, they did have success against him in June because they worked walks, got hits and had a homer leading to six runs over 4 1/3 innings. The big difference? Two strikeouts in June, eight in July.
3. Mark Vientos. Vientos went 2-for-3 in Wednesday’s game with two doubles and a walk. Before the game Mark Vientos was in a mini-power outage, going five games without an extra-base hit, going 4-for-19 in the process with zero walks and seven strikeouts. Hopefully the two double game is the start of a hot streak!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets took the first game of the series! It was way more stressful than it needed to be with the Mets taking a 6-0 lead and with Jose Quintana tossing seven scoreless innings to start the game. Ottavino and Garrett struggled in relief, allowing five runs but the Mets were able to hold on. Now they look for a much more straight forward victory tonight.

Luis Severino eclipsed the 100 inning mark for the Mets in his last start and now has 103 1/3 over 17 starts this season. He has a 3.83 ERA, 4.35 FIP, 1.200 WHIP and a 101 ERA+. He is coming off of a rough start in Pittsburgh though where he battled through six innings allowing seven runs on nine hits including three homers. His one start against the Nationals this season was brilliant, holding the Nationals to one run on seven hits over eight innings. The Nationals have the following numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 0-6, 2 K
• Luis García Jr. 1-3, K
• Keibert Ruiz 2-6
• Lane Thomas 0-6, K
• Ildermaro Vargas 1-4, BB
• Jesse Winker 2-3, K
• Jacob Young 1-3

Patrick Corbin missed the Mets during their four game set at the start of the month. Over 18 games this season he has pitched exactly 100 innings with a 5.48 ERA, 4.74 FIP, 1.530 WHIP and a 72 ERA+. He currently leads the league in hits allowed (third time in the last five years) and earned runs (third time in the last four years). The Mets roughed him up earlier in June, scoring six runs on seven hits and a walk including three homers over 5 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Corbin:

• Pete Alonso 15-46, 3 2B, 5 HR, 10 BB, 12 K
• Francisco Alvarez 1-4, HR, 2 BB
• Harrison Bader 3-13, 2B, HR, BB, 9 K
• Ben Gamel 3-9, 4 K
• José Iglesias 5-13, 2 2B
• Francisco Lindor 13-41, 2 2 B, 3 HR, 8 K
• J.D. Martinez 2-4, 2B, 2 BB
• Jeff McNeil 10-37, 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
• Brandon Nimmo 11-40, HR, 2 BB, 14 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-6, 3B, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 2-2, 2 HR
• Mark Vientos 2-5, 2B, 3B, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. All-Star snubs continue to hit big. The Mets All-Star snubs have continued to have big games this week. Tuesday Francisco Lindor went 3-for-4 with his 16th home run of the season. Nimmo only had one hit, but it was a big one, his 15th home run of the year. Combined they had six of the seven Mets RBI’s. As the Mets go, they go!
2. Phil Maton, please save us. The Mets bullpen is in a difficult place right now. Season ending injuries and severe injuries have forced several pitchers to into over exposure. The Mets traded for Phil Maton before Tuesday’s game (for cash or a PTBNL). Overall this season he has a 4.58 ERA, 5.63 FIP over 35 1/3 innings. Since June 19th, his last eight games, he has had a 0.96 ERA, 2.74 FIP. Opponents are hitting .103/.133/.241 against him in that stretch.
3. Harrison Bader: Bader went 3-for-4 at the plate last night and has now gone 15-for-44 in his last 12 games as he starts to heat up again. Those 15 hits include four doubles, two homers and he has stolen four bases on top of all of that. The only thing he has done during this stretch is work walks (only one) but he’s still getting on base!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets come back home after splitting a road trip 4-4 against the Nationals and the Pirates. They now have two more big series ahead of them before heading into the All-Star break. They play the Nationals again followed by the Rockies. How much the Mets lean into being buyers or sellers can depend on what they do in this last week of the first half of the season.

Jose Quintana has made 17 starts for the Mets this season totaling 89 2/3 innings with a 4.22 ERA, 4.89 FIP, 1.338 WHIP and a 91 ERA+. In Quintana’s last four starts he has allowed only four runs, three earned, over 23 1/3 innings (1.16 ERA, 3.81 FIP). This includes a fantastic start his last time out on July 4th against the Nationals where he held them scoreless over seven innings, scattering four hits and three walks. The Nationals have the following career numbers against Quintana:

• CJ Abrams 0-6, K
• Riley Adams 3-9, 2 K
• Luis García Jr. 1-2, 2B, K
• Harold Ramirez 2-5
• Keibert Ruiz 1-5
• Lane Thomas 3-10, BB, K
• Ildemaro Vargas 1-8, 3 K
• Jesse Winker 3-15, 2B, 5 K
• James Wood 1-2, BB
• Juan Yepez 0-1, BB, K
• Jacob Young 1-5, 2B, BB, K

The Mets bats will be facing Jake Irvin again. Over 18 games and 106 innings, Irvin as a 2.80 ERA, 3.38 FIP, 1.000 WHIP and a 142 ERA+. In his last eight starts he has posted a 1.65 ERA (3.11 FIP) over 49 innings. He’s been even better in his last three games holding opponents to only two runs across 20 innings while striking out 23 batters. He was phenomenal against the Mets in his last start holding the Mets to a walk and a hit and nothing else over eight innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-5, 3 K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-5, 2 K
• Ben Gamel 0-3, K
• Francisco Lindor 2-6, 2B, 2 K
• J.D. Martinez 1-4, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-5, K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-6
• DJ Stewart 0-2, BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-3, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 0-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brandon Nimmo: Nimmo, snubbed again by the All-Star committee on Sunday night had a huge day at the plate Monday for the Mets going 2-for-4 at the plate with his 14th homer of the season. In his last 30 games he has a .403 OBP and a .581 slugging.
2. Familiar Foes: Both Quintana and Irvin had great outings against their opponents the last time out. It also was an unusual game for everyone with an 11:00 AM start time. How will the hitters adjust seeing their opposing pitchers so recently?
3. James Wood update. The last time the Mets and Nationals Met, the Nationals called up their top prospect James Wood. Wood went 4-for-13 against the Mets, all singles, while working four walks (leading to a very good .471 OBP). Since then he has finally hit a double and a homer and still has a .400 OBP for his career. His strikeouts however have increased since facing the Mets. He only struck out twice in four games against the Mets. He has seven strikeouts in four games since.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to take the series against the Pirates this afternoon and extend their winning streak to three games as they take on the Pirates for last time in the regular season. Yesterday the Pirate took the lead from the Mets late in the game but some heroics by Iglesias and Lindor snatched that lead right back in the ninth inning. Let’s keep riding that momentum!

Christian Scott has pitched 33 1/3 innings for the Mets over six games with a 4.32 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.140 WHIP and an 90 ERA+. His last start was his first back with the Mets since rejoining the major league roster. Scott cruised through the first four innings of the game and then then wheels fell off in the fifth and sixth inning. His final line was 5 2/3 innings with four runs allowed on six hits. Today will be Scott’s first start against the Pirates.

Mitch Keller has made 17 starts this season totaling 103 1/3 innings with a 3.48 ERA, 3.64 FIP, 1.248 WHIP and a 117 ERA+. He has been at his personal best for most of the season, with the exception of the last couple of weeks. In his last four starts he has allowed 14 runs, 12 earned, over 23 2/3 innings leading to a 4.56 ERA and 4.65 FIP. This stretch even includes a spectacular seven innings no runs performance, so it speaks to the struggles in the other three starts. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-5, K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-3, K
• Harrison Bader 0-7, BB, K
• José Iglesias 3-10, HR, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 2-7, 5 BB, 2 K
• J.D. Martinez 0-3, 2 BB, K
• Jeff McNeil 1-9, HR, K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-8, 3 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-4 K
• Mark Vientos 0-2, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. The Mets were lead to victory Sunday afternoon by their best player, Francisco Lindor, who is in the midst of another All-Star quality season who got snubbed again on the initial roster release on Sunday night. He was the hero on Sunday going 3-for-4 with a double and a walk. He now has 26 doubles the season, which is on pace to break his personal best and has an OPS+ of 120 (his third season in a row of a 120+ OPS+).
2. Adrian Houser. Today feels like an Adrian Houser day. He last pitched for the Mets on Thursday when he tossed 15 pitches. Three pitchers in the Mets bullpen have been used on back-to-back days this weekend. Since May 26, Houser has pitched 23 2/3 innings out of pen over 10 games with a 1.52 ERA and 2.04 FIP. At the end of his last start he had a 7.88 ERA and 5.24 FIP, he has lowered those stats to 5.43 and 4.39 respectively.
3. Doubles. If you feel like the Mets have been hitting a lot of doubles recently, you are right! The Mets had three doubles in Sunday’s game (Lindor, Alvarez and Nimmo) and have 164 as a team this season, which is good for fourth in Major League baseball behind the Twins (181), Dodgers (169) and Braves (167). They are ahead of the Orioles (161) and Diamondbacks (159).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets snapped their losing streak Saturday, cruising to an uncomplicated 5-2 win over the Pirates, clinching the season series. Today they will look to at least split their current series in Pittsburgh.

Sean Manaea has made 16 starts over 83 1/3 innings for the Mets this season with a 3.67 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 1.272 WHIP and a 105 ERA+. He’s coming off of a fantastic start where he held the Nationals to two runs, only one earned, over seven innings from five hits and two walks. In his last four starts he has a 1.99 ERA and 3.60 FIP. Hitters have a paltry .523 OPS with 21 strikeouts over those 22 2/3 innings. The Pirates have the following career numbers against him:

• Joey Bart 0-4, 3 K
• Yasmani Grandal 0-3, BB, K
• Ke’Bryan Hayes 1-4, BB, K
• Connor Joe 0-6, K
• Andrew McCutchen 1-9, BB, 3 K
• Edward Olivares 0-4, BB, K
• Joshua Palacios 0-2
• Bryan Reynolds 2-5, HR, 2 BB
• Jack Suwinski 1-9, 2 K
• Michael A. Taylor 2-5, HR, 2 K
• Rowdy Tellez 2-3

Luis Ortiz will make his second start of the season for the Pirates this afternoon. Over 23 games this season he has pitched 55 innings with a 3.27 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 1.236 WHIP and a 126 ERA+. His one start was a good one back on June 26th where he allowed one run over six innings from four hits while striking out seven. He reached 85 pitches in that start.

Ortiz faced the Mets in relief back in April and allowed three runs from two hits and a walk over 1 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-1
• Francisco Alvarez 0-1
• Harrison Bader 1-3, K
• Francisco Lindor 0-0, BB
• J.D. Martinez 0-2, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-1

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Pirates Bullpen. Luis Ortiz is making a spot start in the rotation for Jared Jones who landed on the injured list earlier this weekend. If Luis Ortiz is effective today he can give the Pirates a normal length start. If he isn’t, they’ll have to go to a bullpen that pitched seven innings in last night’s game. The Mets working counts early today can go a long way!
2. The Mets Bullpen. The Pirates weren’t the only team that had to work yesterday. Peterson was only able to last 4 1/3 innings. Luckily Garrett, Núñez, Buttó, and Díaz all turned in good performances that kept the Pirates off the board.
3. Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo went 3-for-4 today at the plate with a stolen base, raising his OPS to .810 on the year. Nimmo is having a fantastic year for the Mets so far and is in line to have season best totals for doubles, home runs, RBI’s and stolen bases. Hopefully the league will recognized him later this afternoon with a selection to his first All-Star game.

Let’s Go Mets!

Friday night’s game was a bit of a disaster for the Mets who lost 14-2 and gave up seven home runs to the Pirates. This stretched the Mets losing streak to three games and was one of the more lopsided losses of the season. The Mets will try to snap this losing streak and channel all the Grimace they can as they take on the Pirates for game two this afternoon.

David Peterson has made six starts for the Mets this season totaling 33 1/3 innings with a 3.51 ERA, 4.63 FIP, 1.440 WHIP and a 110 ERA+. Last time out against the Nationals he allowed two runs from seven hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings. In his last three starts he has allowed only five runs despite allowing 14 hits and walking nine batters – while the Mets hope he has a quieter afternoon with runners on the basepaths, he has shown an ability to get out of trouble this season.

Peterson had a relief outing against the Pirates back in 2023 where he allowed one run from three hits and six (!) walks over 3 2/3 innings. The Pirates have the following career numbers against him:

• Joey Bart 1-5, 2 K
• Oneil Cruz 0-1, K
• Ke’Bryan Hayes 1-2, BB, K
• Connor Joe 0-0, 2 BB
• Andrew McCutchen 1-11, HR, 4 BB, 2 K
• Joshua Palacios 0-2, K
• Bryan Reynolds 0-4, 2 K
• Michael A. Taylor 0-5, K
• Jared Triolo 0-1, BB, K

The Mets bats will face Bailey Falter tonight. Over 16 starts and 88 1/3 innings, Falter has a 3.87 ERA, 4.47 FIP, 1.147 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. So far this has been Falters best year in the major leagues and thankfully for the Mets Falter is having his best year with the Pirates and not for his original team that traded him in 2023 – the Phillies.

Falter already faced the Mets this season and was pretty solid, holding the Mets to two runs on four hits and a walk over five innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Falter:

• Pete Alonso 1-8, HR, BB, K
• Francisco Alvarez 2-4
• Harrison Bader 0-2, K
• Ben Gamel 0-5, K
• Francisco Lindor 2-8, 3 BB, K
• Jeff McNeil 1-8, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-10, HR, BB, 4 K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-6, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 0-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Keeping the ball in the ballpark. Luis Severino gave up three homers on Friday. Adcock allowed three. Diekman gave up a solo shot and failed to record an out. The Mets desperately need their pitchers today to keep them in the game. It is clear over the last three games the offense has hit a bit of rough patch so this is more important than ever for the Mets.
2. Pete Alonso: Outside of Jeff McNeil, Alonso is the only Met who had a good day at the plate Friday night going 2-for-3 with a double. In his last nine games Pete has gone 10-for-34 with two doubles, two home runs and seven runs scored hitting .294/.385/.529. This is even better when you consider that there was an 0-for-7 skid between July 3rd and July 4th.
3. The Bullpen is actually good to go. Luis Severino struggled on Friday, but he still gave the Mets six innings. Tyler Adcock was forced to push through a large chunk of the relief outing. As a result Garrett, Núñez, and Buttó  have all not been used in three calendar days (Garrett hasn’t gone since Monday). Ottavino has had two days of rest and Houser has had one day, and only tossed 15 pitches his last time out.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets got look to rebound after a disappointing series in DC. After taking the first two games in extra innings, the Mets struggled on Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday they blew a five-run lead. Thursday the Mets failed to score at all and lost to the Nationals 1-0 in an early game.

Now the Mets will look to find their bats as they go right through the heart of the young Pittsburgh rotation.

Luis Severino has made 16 starts this season tossing 97 1/3 innings with a 3.42 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 1.161 WHIP and a 112 ERA+. Severino allowed four runs over seven innings in his last start against the Astros. It was a start that if the bullpen was in a better place, Severino would have probably been pulled in the fifth inning after allowing his third and fourth run of the day, but he pushed through and gave the Mets another two scoreless innings. He pitched at least six innings in each start of June, which is exactly what the Mets need. Against the Pirates earlier this season he allowed one unearned run and nothing else over six innings. The Pirates have the following career numbers against him:

• Oneil Cruz 3-6, BB
• Yasmani Grandal 1-5, BB
• Ke’Bryan Hayes 1-4, 2 K
• Connor Joe 0-2
• Edward Olivares 0-2, BB, K
• Bryan Reynolds 3-7, 2B, BB, K
• Jack Suwinksi 0-8, 2 K
• Michael A. Taylor 202, HR
• Rowdy Tellez 1-7, 3 K
• Jared Triolo 0-2, K

The Mets bats will go against one of the more exciting pitching prospects in game tonight, Paul Skenes. Skenes has made nine starts this season totaling 52 1/3 innings with a 2.06 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 1.032 WHIP and a 199 ERA+. In his last four starts he has allowed only three runs from 23 hits and four walks over 25 1/3 innings while striking out an absurd 32 batters. The blight on his game so far has been homers. He’s allowed six so far, which is good for one home run every nine innings. He also gives up quite a few hits (7.6 H/9), but because he strikes out the world, he can work around this. Tonight will be Skenes’ first start against the New York Mets.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Skenes’ Heater: Paul Skenes’ four seam fastball averages 99 mph and hits 102 on a regular basis. He is in the 99^th percentile for fastball speed this season. It is the type of fastball that turns heads and should have everyone’s attention today at the ballpark. Look to see how the Mets approach Skenes the first time through the order and then what adjustments they make the second time around.
2. Let’s get some hits. The Mets only had one hit Thursday, a single from Jeff McNeil. Every single starter in the Mets lineup had one strikeout except for Tyrone Taylor who had two. The only Met who worked a walk was DJ Stewart. The offense has been carrying the club for the last month and it was due for a bad day. It’s going to be tough to bounce back against one of the better talents in the game. During this hot stretch though the Mets have consistently risen to the challenge, hopefully it happens again today.
3. Taking the season series. The last time the Mets and Pirates faced in April, the Mets were surging after a terrible start to the season. The Mets ended up sweeping the Pirates and in the process finally got a winning record on the season. Currently the Pirates are chasing the Mets in the wild card standings. If the Mets beat the Pirates tonight, they will win the season series, thus clinching a tie-breaker scenario at the end of the season if it comes to that.

Let’s Go Mets!

Happy 4th of July! The Mets look to celebrate Independence Day in our nation’s capitol, closing out their series with a win! It’s an early start for the Mets who will be playing a rare morning baseball game.

The Mets will be looking to bounce back from yesterday’s loss. They had the lead early but Scott had some trouble deep into his start and the bullpen wasn’t able to bail him out. Losing a five run lead is always difficult and it’s the second similar loss for the Mets in the last week. Winning today is a great way to reset the vibes!

Mets Pitcher

Jose Quintana has made 16 starts for the Mets this season, totaling 82 2/3 innings with a 4.57 ERA, 4.90 FIP, 1.367 WHIP and an 84 ERA+. Over his last three starts he has allowed four runs, three earned in 16 1/3 innings of work (1.65 ERA, 3.67 FIP). The biggest change recently for Quintana has been his strikeout numbers, he has 21 over his last three starts. For context, he has only 65 on the season. The Nationals have the following career numbers against him:

• CJ Abrams 0-2
• Luis García Jr. 1-2, 2B, K
• Joey Meneses 2-5, 2B
• Harold Ramirez 2-2
• Keibert Ruiz 1-5
• Nick Senzel 7-18, HR
• Lane Thomas 2-8, K
• Ildemaro Vargas 1-6, 3 K
• Jesse Winker 3-15, 2B, 5 K
• Jacob Young 1-3, 2B

Jake Irvin is having a nice sophomore year of his major league career. Over 17 games he has pitched 98 innings with a 3.03 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 1.061 WHIP and a 129 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed two runs over 12 innings from four hits and four walks while striking out 15 batters. Since May 22nd he has pitched 47 1/3 innings with a 2.09 ERA (3.73 FIP).

Jake made one start against the Mets in 2023 and the Mets got him. He allowed six runs from six hits over 4 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-2, 2 K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, K
• Francisco Lindor 2-3, 2B, K
• J.D. Martinez 1-4, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 0-3, K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Mets should expect breaking pitches this morning. Jake Irvin is not going to over power Mets hitters before noon. He only uses his mid-90’s fastball 35% of the time. He also throws his curveball 35% of the time (low-80’s) and mixes in a sinker, cutter and changeup. According to Baseball Savant the run value on his breaking pitches are in the 88th percentile (59th percentile for his fastball).
2. Early Morning Fireworks: The Mets were great at providing fireworks in Wednesday’s game, hitting three home runs between Taylor, Vientos and Lindor. It’s rare to lose a game when hitting three home runs, but the Mets only had five hits as a team on Wednesday. Overall the Mets having been hitting the ball with authority during this hot streak – hopefully that continues this morning despite the early game time.
3. Containing Luis García Jr.: García took the Mets out of Wednesday game. He went 2-for-3 at the plate with a three-run homer in the sixth and then a solo shot in 8th inning. In the first two games of the series he was 0-for-4.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to take series against the Nationals tonight as they continue their four game set in DC. Monday the Mets finally awoke in the 10th inning, scoring six runs. The bullpen made things dicey though, but the Mets were able to hold onto a 9-7 win. Tuesday was the opposite with the Mets cruising to a victory behind a strong start by Sean Manaea, big days at the plate by most of the Mets hitters and a triumphant return for José Buttó. Now the Mets look to repeat with Christian Scott on the mound.

Christian Scott finally returns to the Mets rotation! Scott was successful in five starts for the Mets a few weeks ago where he pitched 27 2/3 innings with a 3.90 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.084 WHIP and a 99 ERA+. As other members of the Mets rotation rehabbed from injury, and the Mets playing schedule got more spread out, Scott was optioned back to the minors. He has made four starts over the last month with Syracuse where he allowed four earned runs (one in each start) over 17 innings, striking out 19 batters. The only concern has been opposing batters hitting three homers against him during that stretch. This will be his first start against the Nationals in his career.

Mitchell Parker has had a solid start to his major league career. He’s made 14 starts in 2024 pitching 78 2/3 innings with a 3.32 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.119 WHIP and a 118 ERA+. Since June 6th he has made five starts (28 2/3 innings) with a 2.83 ERA against the Braves, Tigers, Marlins, Rockies and Rays. Despite the outcome, there are some signs that at least more recently he has been more hit-able. He has a 3.95 xERA and since June 10th his xwOBA has been above the league average (league average is a bit above .300 and over his last 100 PA’s his has been .362). This will be his first career start against the Mets.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor: Major League baseball will be announcing their All-Star rosters in a few days and this is a great time to highlight a few players who are more than deserving to be on the All-Star team. Lindor went 2-for-5 last night with his 14th homer of the year. He’s been one of the best hitting and fielding shortstops in the majors this year (again) and yet still hasn’t been named to an All-Star game as a New York Met. He’s on track for a 25-25 season.
2. Brandon Nimmo: Nimmo has been a solid, top-hitting outfielder for several seasons now and still has not been named to an All-Star game. He has had an OPS+ of above 129 for five consecutive seasons and is currently on track to have about 25 home runs. Nimmo is coming off of a scary situation Monday where he fainted at the hotel. He didn’t start in Tuesday’s game but came off the bench and went 2-for-3 with his 16th homer of the season.
3. José Iglesias: Has the All-Star game ever had an opening concert from a musical artist who has a .974 OPS? Obviously Iglesias hasn’t played enough this season to warrant a trip to the All-Star game, but he’s another key player to watch for the Mets tonight. He had his fifth double already this season on Tuesday’s game.

Let’s Go Mets!