213 Miles From Shea

The Mets look to salvage a game this afternoon after losing three straight to the Phillies. The week started off with the Mets losing to the Phillies after blowing the save in the ninth inning in Queens. Since then the Mets have not hit well, not pitched well and the vibes are not great.

What did work Wednesday was Mark Vientos rejoining the roster. Vientos went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, RBI and run scored. Through the fourth inning it looked like the Mets had a chance at the this game! But then the Mets allowed nine runs between the 5th and the 7th. The Mets desperately need a good day on both sides of the plate to reset the energy around the team.

Jose Quintana has pitched 41 1/3 innings over eight starts this season with a 5.44 ERA, 4.95 FIP, 1.548 WHIP and a 70 ERA+. Quintana had a rough start to May where he allowed eight runs over 2 2/3 innings against the Rays. In his last start he allowed four runs over five innings to the Braves, all four runs scoring in one bad inning of work. Over this entire season his xERA of 6.20 puts him in the 4th percentile and xBA of .317 in just the 2nd percentile.

His 2023 campaign ended with back-to-back starts against the Phillies that did not go so great, ballooning his season ERA from 3.02 to 3.57. He allowed ten runs, eight earned over ten innings pitched from 15 hits including three homers. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Quintana:

• Alec Bohm 3-11, 2B, HR, 2 K
• Nick Castellanos 12-46, 3B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 8 K
• Bryce Harper 2-14, HR, 5 K
• Whit Merrifield 4-15, 2 BB, 2 K
• Cristian Pache 1-2
• J.T. Realmuto 2-12, HR, 2 BB
• Johan Rojas 3-5, 2 K
• Kyle Schwarber 4-16, 2B, HR, 7 K
• Edmundo Sosa 2-7, 3 K
• Bryson Stott 0-1, BB
• Garrett Stubbs 0-2

The Mets bats will face an old friend today in Taijuan Walker. Over three starts (18 2/3 innings) Walker has a 4.82 ERA, 5.25 FIP, 1.330 WHIP and an 84 ERA+. He is coming off of his best start of the season where he held the Marlins to only one run over six innings despite allowing eight hits. Walker and the Mets matched up four times last season leading to 23 innings of work with 10 runs from 14 hits (3.91 ERA). The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-10, 2 2B, BB, 3 K
• Harrison Bader 0-6, 2 K
• Brett Baty 1-9, K
• Francisco Lindor 2-15, 2 BB, 4 K
• Starling Marte 0-6, BB
• J.D. Martinez 7-14, 2B, HR, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 1-7
• Omar Narváez 2-7, HR, BB, K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-9, 2B, HR, 2 BB, K
• DJ Stewart 0-7, BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Tayler 1-3, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 0-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. J.D. has the hottest bat right now. The Mets signed J.D. to hit and that’s what he has been doing recently for the Mets. Since May 7th, Martinez has gone 9-for-28 at the plate with two doubles and two homers (.321/.345/.607). In the last three games he has gone 5-for-12 with three extra-base hits.
2. Francisco Lindor – base stealer. In 2023 Lindor recorded his first ever 30-30 season hitting 31 homers and stealing 31 bases. Yesterday he stole two bases in the same game, bringing his total to six on the year. This puts him back on track for at least a 20-20 season, and this projection can be bumped up even higher when he starts to heat up at the plate.
3. Well, at least Hartwig and Houser ate innings. On Wednesday Hartwig and Houser allowed five runs over 3 2/3 innings. Not great, and it really put the game out of reach for the Mets. At least they were able to finish off the game so higher leverage arms are fresh for tonight’s match.

Let’s Go Mets!

Changes are coming to the New York Mets tonight in Philadelphia.

The Mets lost a rare Tuesday afternoon game / Tuesday getaway day game to Phillies 4-0, with the Mets barely putting up much of an offensive threat the afternoon. Before today’s game Joey Wendle will be officially DFA’d with Mark Vientos getting the call up to help the Mets struggling offense. Further, Joey Lucchesi will get the start over Adrian Houser, who had to warm up in Tuesday’s game because of the amount of pitchers the Mets used. It’s going to be a tall order for the Mets tonight against one of the best pitchers in baseball, can the roster shakeup boost everyone else’s performance?

Joey Lucchesi will make his 2024 debut this evening. Last season he made nine starts for the Mets totaling 46 2/3 innings with a 2.89 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 1.307 WHIP and a 144 ERA+. He has had a pretty good stint in Syracuse so far this season, pitching 38 1/3 innings over seven starts with a 3.29 ERA and 1.304 WHIP. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Joey:

• Alec Bohm 0-1, K
• Bryce Harper 1-1, BB
• Jeff Hoffman 0-3, K
• J.T. Realmuto 0-3, K
• Kyle Schwarber 0-5, BB, 4 K

The Mets offense will have to figure things out against one of the best pitchers in baseball right now, Ranger Suárez. Over eight starts (54 innings), Suárez has a 1.50 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 0.772 WHIP (league leading) and a 268 ERA+. He also leads the league in BB/9 at 1.3 and wins at 7. Suárez started the month looking a bit more human allowing three runs over six innings to the Giants but then rebounded in his last start holding the Marlins to no runs and three hits over seven innings. The Mets were able to get to Suárez in his two starts against them last year, scoring six runs from 10 hits over 12 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Mark Vientos 2-6, HR, 2 K
• Pete Alonso 0-12, 4 BB, 2 K
• Brett Baty 1-3
• Francisco Lindor 3-12, HR, K
• Starling Marte 4-12, BB, K
• J.D. Martinez 1-4, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-8, 2B, 3B, K
• Tomás Nido 0-2, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-16, 3 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-5, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The new timeshare at third. Mark Vientos had a short stint in the majors earlier this season when Starling Marte went on the bereavement list. Vientos seized the opportunity and went 3-for-7 at the plate with a critical homer. In Syracuse this year he is hitting .285/.376/.500. Brett Baty has five extra-base hits this season and is hitting .230/.292/.317. There was a 15 game stretch early on where Baty hit .333/.390/.407. In his 23 games since he is hitting .159/.227/.261. We’ll be checking in a week from now to see how playing time develops for both players.
2. Free passes are crushing the Mets. It’s not rocket science, walking opposing hitters increases the chances of something bad happening. The Mets allowed the Phillies to take the lead in the third on Tuesday thanks to a combination of walks and a hit by pitch. It was walks that allowed the Phillies to win on Monday. Overall they have walked 12 batters in their last two games and currently lead the majors with 187 walks (Miami is #2 with 177).
3. Straight up, not having a good time in Philly. In 2023 the Mets went 1-7 in Philadelphia including losing their last five straight. This was a massive departure from 2022 when the Mets went 7-3 in the city of brotherly love. Obviously there are some differences between the two seasons that we are glossing over.

Let’s Go Mets!

On May 1st the Mets lost to the Cubs 1-0. It was a game the Mets had a lot of chances but ultimately was decided by an controversial call at home plate, calling Alonso out, preventing the Mets from tying the game. The Mets responded to that game with a resounding win against the Cubs on May 2nd.

The Mets are going to need to channel that same energy today. Monday night the Mets blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning. Edwin Díaz, who has struggled pitching on back-to-back days this season, had control issues. There was also an egregious missed called by an umpire, that ended up being an inflection point in the inning. Just like how the Mets moved beyond the controversy on May 1st, they are going to need to do the same thing this afternoon at Citi.

José Buttó looks to get the Mets back on the winning track this afternoon as he makes his seventh start of the season. Over his first 33 innings in 2024 he has a 3.00 ERA, 4.08 FIP, 1.152 WHIP and a 129 ERA+. The Cardinals got Buttó for three runs in his first inning of work last week but then he settled down and allowed nothing else over the next four innings. Buttó ended his 2023 campaign facing the Phillies in back-to-back starts. The Phillies got him in the first start, tagging him for four runs from four hits over four innings. In the next start Buttó held the Phillies to two runs over six. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Buttó:

• Alec Bohm 5-8, 3 HR, K
• Nick Castellanos 2-8, HR, 2 K
• Bryce Harper 0-1, BB, K
• Brandon Marsh 0-5, K
• Cristian Pache 0-0, BB
• J.T. Realmuto 3-5, 2B, K
• Johan Rojas 0-2
• Kyle Schwarber 1-5, 2 BB
• Edmundo Sosa 0-3, 2 K
• Bryson Stott 4-7, 2 K
• Garrett Stubbs 1-1, BB

The Mets bats will get their first 2024 look at an old foe, Aaron Nola. Over eight starts, 49 innings, Nola has a 3.67 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 1.204 WHIP and a 110 ERA+. He’s coming off of a rough start against the Blue Jays where he allowed four runs from nine hits over 5 2/3 innings. In 2023 he only faced the Mets once, allowing four runs over six innings from four hits and three walks. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 16-46, 3 2B, 5 HR, 3 BB, 12 K
• Harrison Bader 0-2, 2 K
• Brett Baty 0-4, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 6-26, 2 2B, BB, 6 K
• Starling Marte 9-27, 2 2B, HR, 8 K
• J.D. Martinez 3-16, 2 BB, 8 K
• Jeff McNeil 13-42, 2B, HR, 5 BB, 9 K
• Omar Narváez 0-4, 3 K
• Tomás Nido 1-11, 6 K
• Brandon Nimmo 12-46, 3B, HR, 11 BB, 18 K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-5, 2 2B, BB
• Joey Wendle 3-12, 2B, 5 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. J.D. Martinez is making his presence known. Over his last five games J.D. has gone 7-for-20 at the plate with two doubles, a homer a walk hitting .350/.381/.600. Three of those hits, including both of the doubles came on Monday night. Overall this season Martinez has hit .302/.351/.434 and has reached base safely in 13 of 16 games played.
2. The hits are coming in bunches for Alonso. Pete Alonso went 2-for-4 at the plate Monday with a double and two runs scored. It was his fourth time in five games that he recorded at least two hits and it was his fourth double in his last five games. With Alonso and Martinez heating up at the same time, it feels like the offense should have a breakout game soon.
3. Getting hits when it counts. The Mets as a team went 3-for-16 last night with runners in scoring position. The breakout we talked about earlier can only happen if the bottom of the lineup gets hits at the same time as the top of the lineup. The six batters in the last four spots of the lineup in Monday’s game combined for a 2-for-17 night with six strikeouts.

Let’s Go Mets!

Do you feel that vibe in the air? That feeling of swagger after a big win. The longing for another baseball game after the Mets play a fun one.

Sunday night the Mets beat the Braves thanks to a walk-off homerun from Brandon Nimmo. The Mets were down one, with one on and Nimmo came to the plate. He didn’t start in the game due to concerns about tweaking his intercostal the game before. Nimmo made solid content, prevented the Braves from sweeping the Mets and sent the Mets home with high hopes.

Now the Mets welcome one of the hottest teams in baseball to Citi Field. The Phillies have been on a roll recently, winning eight of their last 10 games with the best record in baseball. Their run differential of +62 only trails the Dodgers. It’s going to be a tough, but important series for a New York Mets team that has struggled for the better part of the last few weeks.

Sean Manaea makes his 8th start of the season tonight. Over 35 1/3 innings he has a 3.31 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 1.387 WHIP and a 116 ERA+. Manaea is coming of off an average start where he allowed three runs over six innings from six hits and a walk. Since his only terrible start of the season against the Royals, he has allowed only six runs from 17 hits over 20 2/3 innings (2.61 ERA, 3.62 FIP). In his only outing against the Phillies last season he allowed three runs from three hits and two walks over 2 2/3 innings. The Phillies have the following numbers against him:

• Alec Bohm 1-2, HR, K
• Nick Castellanos 5-8, 2B, 2 HR, K
• Kody Clemens 0-1
• Bryce Harper 1-3, 2B
• Brandon Marsh 0-2, 2 K
• Whit Merrifield 4-8, 2 2B, BB, 2 K
• J.T. Realmuto 0-2, BB, K
• Johan Rojas 0-1
• Kyle Schwarber 0-0, 2 BB
• Edmundo Sosa 2-2, 3B, HR
• Bryson Stott 2-3, HR, BB

Cristopher Sánchez is also making his 8th start of the season tonight. Over 36 1/3 innings he has a 3.22 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 1.459 WHIP and a 126 ERA+. Sánchez is coming off of a strong start against the Blue Jays where he allowed only one run from six hits while striking out five. Before that he had a rough start against the Angels where he allowed four earned runs and a start against the Reds were he allowed five runs, but only one was earned. Sánchez pitched against the Mets three times last year (two starts) totaling 13 innings with a 3.46 ERA. The Mets whiffed a whopping 15 times against him. The Mets have the following career numbers against Sánchez:

• Pete Alonso 1-9, HR, 4 K
• Brett Baty 0-2, K
• Francisco Lindor 2-6, BB
• Starling Marte 2-6, HR
• J.D. Martinez 0-1, K
• Jeff McNeil 1-5, 2B, K
• Omar Narváez 0-1
• Tomás Nido 0-2, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-5, BB, K
• DJ Stewart 1-3, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2
• Joey Wendle 1-1

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brandon Nimmo: Nimmo was healthy enough to come off the bench in a huge way on Sunday night. Over his last five games he has gone 5-for-15 at the plate with three homeruns, which is half his total for the entire season. The Mets need him to keep swinging a hot bat against one of the best teams in baseball this week.
2. Mets Bullpen comes into a busy week in a good spot. No one in the Mets bullpen has pitched in back-to-back games over the last two days, meaning everyone should be available to go today if needed. The only exception might be Garrett who did toss two crisp innings Sunday night. The Mets did use most of their higher leverage guys in their last game (Garrett, Ottavino, Diekman, and Díaz), so using any of them tonight probably makes them unavailable on Tuesday.
3. The Mets got hits on Sunday. Overall the Mets collected 10 hits on Sunday and while that only translated into four runs, after Saturday’s affair it was nice to see them just get on base. Stewart, Lindor and Alonso each collected two hits. Lindor now has 10 hits in his last nine games and overall is hitting .278/.290/.556 in that stretch. Alonso has six hits in his last four games, including four extra-base hits.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets try to avoid the sweep this evening at Citi Field.

Last weekend the Mets were swept by the Rays. The Mets then “swept” the Cardinals in a rain-shortened two-game series. So far this weekend the Mets have lost both games, despite holding the Braves to only four runs per game. The bats just haven’t been there for the Mets. Saturday’s game was almost an embarrassing disaster as the Braves had a combined no-hitter intact with two outs in the ninth inning. J.D. Martinez hit his first homerun as a Met, breaking up the no hitter and the shutout.

The Mets are calling on Luis Severino to stop the slide tonight as the Mets have the nationally televised night game on Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Mom’s and Mother figures out there! Here’s hoping the Mets can make your day a little more special!

Luis Severino has a 2.93 ERA, 3.38 FIP, 1.175 WHIP and a 132 ERA+ over 40 innings (seven starts) in 2024. He’s coming off of a less than stellar start against the Rays who got him for four runs over five innings from four hits and six walks. Severino missed the Braves earlier in the season and last year the Braves got him for five runs from five hits and two walks over four innings of work. The Braves have the following career numbers against Severino:

• Ronald Acuña Jr. 2-3, HR
• Orlando Arcia 0-5, K
• Travis d’Arnaud 1-3
• Adam Duvall 0-3, K
• Michael Harris II 1-3
• Matt Olson 1-5, 2B, 3 BB, 4 K
• Marcell Ozuna 2-2, HR
• Austin Riley 0-3, 2 K

The Mets bats will try to get back into rhythm tonight against Bryce Elder. Over three starts, 15 1/3 innings, Elder has a 5.28 ERA, 6.35 FIP, 1.761 WHIP and an 81 ERA+. Elder’s stats are tilted from his last outing. Over his first two starts he allowed only two runs from 12 hits over 12 innings. His last time out he allowed seven runs from seven hits and four walks against the Dodgers.

Elder faced the Mets twice last season. The Mets were able to get to him in first start, scoring four runs from four hits and two walks over six innings, despite Elder striking out the Mets eight times. Then later in the season Elder held the Mets to only one run over 5 1/3 innings. That second start was after the Mets tore down the roster though at the deadline. The Mets have the following career numbers against Elder:

• Pete Alonso 1-5, HR
• Harrison Bader 0-2, K
• Brett Baty 1-2, K
• Francisco Lindor 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 BB
• Starling Marte 1-3, 2 K
• J.D. Martinez 1-3, K
• Jeff McNeil 1-7, BB, K
• Omar Narváez 1-2
• Brandon Nimmo 1-7, 3 K
• DJ Stewart 0-2, K
• Joey Wendle 3-12, 2B, BB, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. J.D. Martinez is starting to come around. We already discussed how J.D. Martinez was the hero in Saturday’s game for the Mets. Over his last four games he has gone 4-for-15 at the plate with a home run and a walk. He’s night lighting up the world, but he’s starting to consistently make content. Twice in yesterday’s game he just scorched the ball. Tonight would be a great time for a full 2024 breakout.
2. Brett Baty is striking out a lot. Over his last eight games Baty has gone 6-for-30 at the plate with two homers, five runs scored, three walks and a whopping 14 strikeouts. In his last four games he has gone 1-for-15 at the plate with seven strikeouts. To put this in perspective, 14 of Baty’s 30 strikeouts this season have been in the month of May and he has struck out in eight consecutive games.
3. The Mets don’t hit triples. Looking at a team’s triples numbers are weird since triples are a combination of speed, ballpark dimensions and the circumstances on the field. That being said, the Mets have had only one triple this season, tied with the White Sox at the bottom of the league. The Red Sox lead the league with 10.

Let’s Go Mets!

Happy Christian Scott Home Debut Day!

The Mets look to rebound after Friday’ night’s loss to the Braves with Christian Scott making his Citi Field debut this afternoon at Citi Field. The Mets got last Friday’s game in after about an hour of delays and the Mets offense spent most of the night looking like they haven’t played in days. Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso powered the offense but overall the team fell short 4-2.

Christian Scott looked electric in his debut last weekend where he held the Rays to one run from five hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings while striking out six. He tossed 94 pitches, 67 of them for strikes. The Rays are a much more free swinging team than the Atlanta Braves, and today may be the toughest lineup that he faces all season. We’ll see if the Braves approach him differently at the plate after seeing the tape of what he did to the Rays lineup.

The Mets bats started to heat up late in Friday’s game, hopefully that’s a sign they’ll be ready for Max Fried this afternoon. Over seven starts Fried has pitched 38 1/3 innings with a 4.23 ERA, 4.09 FIP, 1.148 WHIP and a 98 ERA+. Fried had a tremendous end of April where he tossed a complete game shutout against the Marlins and followed it up with shutting the Mariners out over six innings. His last time out though the Dodgers tagged him for four runs over seven innings. His season stats are still heavily impacted by his second start of the season where he allowed eight runs, seven earned over 4 1/3 against the Diamondbacks. The Mets have the following career numbers against Fried:

• Pete Alonso 10-34, 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 12 K
• Harrison Bader 2-9, BB, 4 K
• Brett Baty 2-5, K
• Francisco Lindor 3-25, HR, 6 K
• Starling Mart 4-18, 2 2B, BB, 4 K
• Jeff McNeil 10-28, 3 2B, BB, 5 K
• Tomás Nido 3-12, 2 2B, K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-26, 2 2B, 4 BB, 11 K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-6, 2 K
• Joey Wendle 0-4

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Lindor is slugging now! Since April 28th Lindor has 10 hits in 44 trips to the plate. Six of his ten hits have been for extra bases. Three of them have been doubles, three of them have been homeruns. Five of his seven homeruns this season have come in his last 14 games played (or in other words he had two homeruns in his first 23 games played this season).
2. Back-to-back multi-hit games for Pete. Pete Alonso was in the midst of a long slump before this week. In his last two games he has gone 4-for-9 at the plate with two doubles, a homerun, and two runs scored. This feels like Pete Alonso breaking out of his slump.
3. The bullpen is well rested. The Mets bullpen has essentially had three days off in a row with Yohan Ramírez and Adrian Houser taking care of business Friday night. Yohan was recently reacquired by the Mets and Houser was just bumped to the bullpen. Both tossed two scoreless innings. If both pitchers can continue to be successful in long relief, this will allow the Mets to pivot and use Reed Garrett in higher leverage situations.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are having a mini-break right now that might get extended by another day. On Wednesday the Mets were primed to sweep the Cardinals over three games coming off of a game where their bats were firing on all cylinders. Then the severe weather started. The Mets and Cardinals couldn’t get the final game of the series in after three hours of rain delays. The game got punted all the way to August 5th, sandwiched for the Mets between a series in Anaheim and one in Denver.

Now the Mets come home to soggy Queens. As of writing, Queens has been subjected to rain for most of the day with more periods of rain tonight. Tomorrow during the day looks nice but rain is supposed to come back Saturday night and Sunday. (Is it really the weekend in the tri-state area if it doesn’t rain?) There’s potential for a bit of a chaotic weekend with delays, postponements and pitchers’ schedules collapsing.

Jose Quintana has made seven starts this season totaling 36 1/3 innings with a 5.20 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 1.541 WHIP and a 76 ERA+. His last start in Tampa Bay was terrible – he allowed eight runs over 2 2/3 innings from 10 hits and a walk. His start before that though was his best of the season where he held the Cardinals to only one run over eight innings. In his one start against the Braves this season, the Braves scored three runs over five hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Braves have the following career numbers against him:

• Ronald Acuña Jr. 2-16, 2 BB, 4 K
• Ozzie Albies 7-13, 2 2B, 2 HR, BB, K
• Orlando Arcia 4-33, 2B, 7 BB, 6 K
• Travis d’Arnaud 1-6, BB, 2 K
• Adam Duvall 4-10, 2 HR, 5 BB, K
• Michael Harris II 3-11, 2B, 2 K
• Jarred Kelenic 1-2, K
• Matt Olson 5-21, 2B, 3B, 2 BB, 9 K
• Marcell Ozuna 11-24, 2 2B, HR, 3 BB, 3 K
• Austin Riley 2-12, 3 BB, 2 K

Charlie Morton has made six starts this season totaling 36 innings with a 3.50 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 1.139 WHIP and a 119 ERA+. Over his last three starts he has allowed only four runs from 13 hits and five walks over 19 innings (1.89 ERA, 3.37 FIP). Against the Mets this year he allowed four runs from five hits and five walks over 5 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Morton:

• Pete Alonso 6-27, 2B, 4 BB, 7 K
• Harrison Bader 0-2, K
• Brett Baty 3-6, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 6-44, 3 2B, HR< 2 BB, 12 K
• Starling Marte 5-24, 2 BB, 8 K
• J.D. Martinez 13-36, 2 2B, HR, BB, 13 K
• Jeff McNeil 6-26, 3 BB, 7 K
• Omar Narváez 5-16, 2B, hR< BB, 3 K
• Tomás Nido 2-6, BB, K
• Brandon Nimmo 6-26, HR, 5 BB, 10 K
• DJ Stewart 2-7, 2 2B, 3 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-4, BB, K
• Joey Wendle 6-17, 2B, BB, 5 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brandon Nimmo’s power is back! Brandon Nimmo has always been an on-base machine, last year he added power to the mix. On Tuesday night he homered for the fifth time this season, his second in his last two games. Since April 29th, in his last nine games, he has hit 10-for-32 with three doubles, three homers and eight RBI’s (.313/.436/.688). Both of his homers in the last two games have either tied the game for the Mets or gave them a lead.
2. Vintage Jeff McNeil: The Mets have missed the 2022, batting champion version of Jeff McNeil. Tuesday night he Mets got a glimpse of that version of McNeil as he went 3-for-4 at the plate including a run scored. If the Mets can get Jeff McNeil going consistently the whole lineup will improve!
3. The return of Zack Short. When the Mets went to Atlanta in early April, they were greeted by an old Mets hero, Luis Guillorme. Thursday the Braves made a couple of moves, sending Luis Guillorme to Anaheim, and acquiring Zack Short from the Red Sox. As a member of the Mets this year Short went 1-for-9 over 12 plate appearances hitting .111/.273/.111 over 10 games. Short played in two games for the Red Sox going 0-for-7. Does he get a revenge bump against the Mets this weekend?

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for the sweep this afternoon in the St. Louis! Tuesday’s game featured the return of the Mets offense with a six run inning and a Pete Alonso homer. The Mets will now ride that wave into an off-day.

Tuesday’s game was an example of how quickly vibes can change. The Mets gave up three runs in the first inning, which for the Mets feels like a giant hole. Then in the fifth inning Brandon Nimmo got the comeback started with a three-run homer. The Mets would then pile on three more runs. Where has this team been?

Jose Quintana has made seven starts this season totaling 36 1/3 innings with a 5.20 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 1.541 WHIP and a 76 ERA+. His last start in Tampa Bay was terrible – he allowed eight runs over 2 2/3 innings from 10 hits and a walk. His start before that though was his best of the season where he held the Cardinals to only one run over eight innings. The Cardinals have the following career numbers against him:

• Nolan Arenado 2-21, 2 HR, BB, 5 K
• Dylan Carlson 1-2
• Brandon Crawford 3-12, HR, K
• Brendan Donovan 0-4
• José Fermín 0-2
• Paul Goldschmidt 12-22, 3 2B, 3 HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Nolan Gorman 0-3
• Ivan Herrera 0-3
• Lars Nootbaar 1-3, 2B
• Michael Siani 0-2
• Masyn Winn 1-3, 2B, 2 K

The Mets bats will try to figure out Sonny Gray who has been on a roll this season. Over five starts (30 1/3 innings) has a 0.89 ERA, 1.56 FIP, 0.857 WHIP and a 466 ERA+. Gray is coming off of a great start against the White Sox where he allowed no runs from three hits and a walk. The Mets got to him back on April 27th, but it doesn’t show up in his season stats. The Mets scored four runs from four hits and three walks but struck out nine times. Only one of those four runs were earned. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-5, HR, BB, K
• Harrison Bader 2-10, 2 K
• Brett Baty 0-1, BB
• Francisco Lindor 5-24, 4 BB, 8 K
• Starling Marte 3-12, HR, 2 BB
• J.D. Martinez 4-13, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 6 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-5, 2B, K
• Omar Narváez 3-17, 2 2B, 2 K
• Tomás Nido 1-2
• Brandon Nimmo 3-8, 3 K
• DJ Stewart 1-1, 2 BB
• Tyrone Taylor 2-8, HR, K
• Joey Wendle 1-6, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brandon Nimmo’s power is back! Brandon Nimmo has always been an on-base machine, last year he added power to the mix. On Tuesday night he homered for the fifth time this season, his second in his last two games. Since April 29th, in his last nine games, he has hit 10-for-32 with three doubles, three homers and eight RBI’s (.313/.436/.688). Both of his homers in the last two games have either tied the game for the Mets or gave them a lead.
2. Vintage Jeff McNeil: The Mets have missed the 2022, batting champion version of Jeff McNeil. Tuesday night he Mets got a glimpse of that version of McNeil as he went 3-for-4 at the plate including a run scored. If the Mets can get Jeff McNeil going consistently the whole lineup will improve!
3. Hits in general! The Mets are going to need hits today and need them in a hurry to push Sonny Gray out of the game. On Tuesday the Mets recorded 14 hits including five players who had at least two hits (Marte, Lindor, Alonso, Martinez, and McNeil). The Mets also went 4-for-7 as a team with RISP.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets won a game!

Monday night the Mets took an early 3-0 lead against the Cardinals playing small ball, stringing hits together, bunting players over, hitting sacrifice flies, etc. Sean Manaea cruised through the first five innings of the game but hit a rough patch in the 6th and gave back all three runs. Brandon Nimmo hit a solo shot and that was all the bullpen needed to keep the Cardinals off the scoreboard for the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. A win tonight will bring the Mets back to .500 for the season!

José Buttó has made five starts this season totaling 28 innings with a 2.57 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 1.071 WHIP and a 154 ERA+. He a strong bounce back start his last time out where he held the Cubs to one run from four hits and two walks over six innings. He was bouncing back from a less than stellar start against the Cardinals where Buttó allowed four runs from four hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings. The walks for Buttó have been a sign as to what type of night he’s going to have and hopefully he can keep them down tonight. The Cardinals have the following career numbers against him:

• Nolan Arenado 0-2
• Alec Burleson 1-2, HR, BB, K
• Willson Contreras 1-2, BB
• Brandon Crawford 1-2
• Brendan Donovan 0-3
• Paul Goldschmidt 1-2, BB
• Nolan Gorman 0-2
• Lars Nootbaar 0-3, K
• Michael Siani 0-2, 2 K

The Mets bats will get another look at Miles Mikolas tonight who has made seven starts already this season. Over 38 innings he has a 5.68 ERA, 4.72 FIP, 1.395 WHIP and a 73 ERA+. Since he faced the Mets he allowed three runs from six hits over six innings against the Tigers. Against the Mets this season he allowed only two runs despite allowing seven hits over 5 2/3 innings. Overall he’s allowed 21 hits in his last three starts while walking zero batters. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-15, BB, 3 K
• Harrison Bader 0-2
• Brett Baty 1-5, 2B, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 5-14, 2 2B, K
• Starling Marte 8-41, 2B, 2 BB, 7 K
• J.D. Martinez 3-6, 2B, HR< K
• Jeff McNeil 8-16, 3 2B, BB, K
• Omar Narváez 4-17, 2 2B, 3B, BB, 3 K
• Tomás Nido 2-5, 2B, HR, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-16, 2B, 3 BB, 3 K
• DJ Stewart 1-2, HR, K
• Tyrone Taylor 3-10, 2B, HR, 3 K
• Joey Wendle 1-7, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete Alonso: Pete Alonso was given the first half of Monday night’s game off, partially to get bench players in the game who happened to have good numbers against Kyle Gibson, partially to allow Alonso to reset. He lined out straight at the second basemen in his one at bat in Monday’s game. Since April 28th Alonso has gone 1-for-29 at the plate with a double and five walks. Tonight is a great night to break out of the slump!
2. Brandon Nimmo: Nimmo has quietly been carrying the Mets offense for the last eight games. Over that stretch he has gone 9-for-28 at the plate with three doubles, two homers and four walks hitting .321/.441/.643. Nimmo’s solo shot on Monday night was the deciding factor for the game.
3. Do we see Adrian Houser tonight? Adrian Houser officially joined the bullpen before Monday night’s game. Everyone in the Mets bullpen has pitched in the last two games. If the Mets get a solid lead tonight (or if the Mets fall back by a lot), it seems destined for Houser to get some work in.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets head to St. Louis today after a frustrating weekend in Tampa Bay. The Mets were swept over the weekend but had a chance in each game. On Friday night the Rays took a massive early lead that the Mets were able to chip away at and lost by only two runs. On Saturday the Mets walked in the two winning runs. On Sunday the Mets blew the lead in the 9th and 10th inning.

Now the Mets get to start a new series and try to get back in the win column as they start a series against the Cardinals. The Mets played the Cardinals about a week ago with the Cardinals taking two of three games at Citi Field. After this week the Mets and Cardinals won’t face each other again unless they both manage to make the playoffs.

Sean Manaea has made six starts (29 1/3 innings) this season with a 3.07 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.432 WHIP and a 129 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed only three runs over 14 2/3 innings (1.84 ERA) but has struggled with control, walking 11 batters. The deepest he’s gone in a game during that stretch is five innings, despite throwing above 90 pitches twice.

Manaea faced the Cardinals once last season in relief, allowing one run over 1 1/3 innings. They Cardinals have the following career numbers against him:

• Nolan Arenado 3-6, HR, 3 K
• Alec Burleson 0-1
• Dylan Carlson 0-1, K
• Willson Contreras 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 2 K
• Brandon Crawford 5-16, 2 2B, BB, 3 K
• Brendan Donovan 0-1, K
• Paul Goldschmidt 1-3, 3B
• Lars Nootbaar 0-1

Kyle Gibson has made six starts (38 innings) this season with a 3.79 ERA, 4.87 FIP, 1.132 WHIP and a 110 ERA+. His WHIP is down about 200 points from 2023 where he led the league in hits allowed at 198 over 192 innings. Most of the damage done against Gibson in 2024 was in his first three starts of the season. In his last three he has allowed three runs over 19 innings from 12 hits. He’s also coming off of a season high for strikeouts (9). The Mets missed him in the rotation earlier this season and last year he held the Mets to three runs over seven innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-17, 3 BB, 6 K
• Harrison Bader 0-4, BB, 3 K
• Brett Baty 0-4, BB, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 19-54, 3 2B, 6 BB, 9 K
• Starling Marte 5-13, 2B, BB, 3 K
• J.D. Martinez 10-34, 2B, 2 HR, 6 BB, 11 K
• Jeff McNeil 7-19, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 K
• Omar Narváez 5-20, 2B, BB, K
• Tomás Nido 1-5, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 5-18, 2 2B, 3 BB, 4 K
• DJ Stewart 0-5, 2 K
• Joey Wendle 11-29, 4 2B, 2 3B, HR, 5 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Teams are running wild on the Mets. The Mets have been horrid at stopping stolen bases and it hit a fever pitch on Sunday with the Rays stealing a total of seven bases, with one player stealing four bases by himself. The Rays are now fourth in the league for stolen bases (42), and if you take yesterday’s game out of it they would be tied for 7th, so they are a team that runs a lot. The Cardinals are near the bottom of the league with with only 15 stolen bases. Will they feel empowered to steal some bags against the Mets?
2. Lindor hot-streak loading! Over his last four games Lindor has gone 5-for-17 at the plate with three doubles and a homer. He’s also recorded eight RBI’s during this stretch. The increase in power recently with RBI’s is something the Mets offense desperately needs. If a struggling Mets hitter like Alonso can click at the same time, the Mets offense will be in a much better place.
3. The Mets are striking out a lot. On Friday night Mets batters struck out nine times. Seven players had one strikeout and Nimmo had three. On Saturday Mets batters had 10 strikeouts over eight players. On Sunday Mets batters had nine strikeouts again. Jeff McNeil had three and he was followed in the order by Harrison Bader and Brett Baty who had two each. It’s difficult to keep a rally going if you strikeout.

Let’s Go Mets!