213 Miles From Shea

The Mets are hunting the teams they helped during the trade deadline. First they took a series from the Diamondbacks (who have since won three games straight and now have the second wild card spot). Now it’s the Marlins. The Mets were able to squeak by the Marlins last night thanks to a go-ahead solo shot from Jeff McNeil in the 10th inning. Now the Marlins are half a game out of the last wild card spot chasing the Reds and the sinking Cubs.

Joey Lucchesi gets another turn in the rotation as the Mets continue to audition internal options for starter spots next season. Over seven starts and 35 innings this season Lucchesi has a 2.83 ERA, 4.49 FIP, 1.257 WHIP and a 150 ERA+. He’s coming off of a phenomenal start where he held the Diamondbacks to one unearned run and five hits over seven innings of work. He’s now allowed zero earned runs (and just that one unearned run) in his last two starts in the majors. The Marlins have the following career numbers against him:

• Garrett Hampson 5-16, 2B, HR, 3 K, BB
• Josh Bell 2-7, 2B, 2 K, BB
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. 0-2, K
• Joey Wendle 1-1, 2B

The Mets bats draw Braxton Garrett tonight. Over 29 games, 28 starts this year he has thrown 149 2/3 innings with a 3.67 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 1.156 WHIP and a 121 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed only two runs from 10 hits and six walks over 15 2/3 innings (1.15 ERA, 3.26 FIP) while striking out 12 batters. Braxton’s first two starts this season were against the Mets where he allowed four runs from 15 hits and a walk over 7 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 3-10, HR, K, 2 BB
• Brandon Nimmo 0-7
• Francisco Lindor 3-9, 2B, 2 HR, 3 K
• Luis Guillorme 1-4, BB
• Jeff McNeil 2-4, 2B, BB
• Tim Locastro 0-2, K
• Francisco Álvarez 1-2, K
• Daniel Vogelbach 0-1
• Omar Narváez 1-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Jeff McNeil. McNeil went 2-for-4 last night at the plate with the game winning run a solo shot in the ninth inning. In his last 14 games he has gone 13-for-54 at the plate with a double and four homers. While his OBP was down during this stretch (.293) his slugging was up to .482 (season OBP of .330, SLG .372). McNeil has now hit double digit homers for just the second time in his career. The only other time he did this was during his absurd 2019 campaign where he had 23 home runs and a 143 OPS+.
2. Adam Ottavino. Ottavino just pitched last night, so we doubt he’ll pitch again tonight, but we wanted to highlight the streak he’s been on recently. In his last five games he has pitched 5 2/3 innings allowing two hits and nothing else while striking out 10 batters. In his last 13 games he has pitched 13 2/3 innings allowing only one run from four hits while striking out 17 batters (0.66 ERA). Something has clicked for him late this season.
3. Milestone Tracker. There was a little movement last night on the milestones we are watching for the rest of the season as Lindor stole a base. He is now sitting at 26 homers and 27 stolen bases on the season as time ticks down to reach 30-30. Pete Alonso has five more home runs to go until 50. Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Álvarez each have two more home runs to go for 25 on the season.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets start their third consecutive series tonight against a team trying to win the third wild card spot. After series at home with the Diamondbacks and the Reds, the Mets head south to Miami to take on the Marlins who have one their last three games in a row. Currently, the Diamondbacks have a half game lead on the second spot. The Cubs and the Marlins are tied for the third spot. The Reds are 0.5 games out after losing to the Mets yesterday. It’s a complicated mess – one that the Mets will make messier for one of the teams in the chase depending on the outcome of this series.

José Butto has been a nice surprise for the Mets since returning to the majors on September 6th. He’s pitched in six games this season totaling 26 innings with a 3.46 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 1.462 WHIP and a 122 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed three runs from eight hits over 11 1/3 innings while striking out 13 batters. This will be Butto’s first official start against the Marlins in a major league game.

The Mets bats will get a look at Edward Cabrera tonight. Over 19 games (17 starts, 85 2/3 innings) this season Cabrera has a 4.52 ERA, 4.66 FIP, 1.436 WHIP and a 99 ERA+. Edward Cabrera was in the minors throughout August after a series of short and disappointing starts. Since returning he has allowed only two runs from two hits over 8 2/3 innings over two starts. His season started off with back to back starts against the Mets allowing four runs from two hits and 13 walks over 6 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Lindor 1-10, 2 K, 2 BB
• Brandon Nimmo 3-6, K, 6 BB
• Pete Alonso 3-10, 3 HR, 4 K, 3 BB
• Jeff McNeil 1-10, 2B, K, BB
• Daniel Vogelbach 0-5, 3 K
• Omar Narváez 1-2, K
• Rafael Ortega 0-1, K, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. David Robertson. When the Mets traded David Robertson, it was clear they were punting on 2023. As a Met this season he had a 2.05 ERA, 172 ERA+ over 40 games and 44 innings with 14 saves. His Marlins career has not gone the same way. He has a 6.89 ERA, 77 ERA+ over 16 games and 15 2/3 innings with only four saves. September started off good for Robertson as he had four consecutive outings without giving up a run and only surrounding two hits while striking out nine. In his last outing he allowed two runs while recording two outs.
2. Mets bats racking up the hits. The Mets offense has been getting hits in bunches lately, and yesterday that actually translated into runs. The Mets had 13 hits and scored eight runs while hitting no home runs, which is fairly unusual for this club. Nimmo Mauricio, Vientos and Locastro all had multiple hits on the day.
3. Milestone Check. There were no movement on any of the single season milestones we are tracking for the rest of the season during yesterday’s game. Lindor is still sitting at 26 homers and 26 stolen bases on the season as time ticks down to reach 30-30. Pete Alonso has five more home runs to go until 50. Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Álvarez each have two more home runs to go for 25 on the season.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Reds and Diamondbacks both won against last night, so both teams are clinging to their tie on the third wild card spot. Meanwhile the Marlins are only half a game behind them. Giants have now lost three games in a row, fall to 2.5 games out of the last spot. But there’s even more drama! The Cubs have lost four games in a row and now only have a half game lead on the second wild card spot. The Mets can continue being agents of chaos as they finish up their series with the Reds this afternoon before taking on the Marlins next.

José Quintana makes his 11th start of the season this afternoon. Over 59 innings he has a 3.05 ERA, 3.19 FIP, 1.271 WHIP and a 137 ERA+. In his last three starts he has pitched 18 innings allowing only three runs from 12 hits and six walks while striking out 13 (1.50 ERA, 2.82 FIP). Seven of his 10 starts this year have been quality starts. Out of three starts that weren’t quality, only one of them was a poor start. The Reds have the following career numbers against Quintana:

• Joey Votto 13-24, 4 2B, HR, K
• Hunter Renfroe 4-13, 2 HR, 4 K, 2 BB
• Nick Senzel 5-15
• Harrison Bader 4-9, 2B, 2 K, BB
• Jonathan India 1-6, K
• Spencer Street 0-3, K
• Nick Martini 0-1

The Mets bats look to bounce back this afternoon against Brandon Williamson. Williamson has made 20 starts so far in his rookie season tossing 102 2/3 innings with a 4.47 ERA, 4.57 FIP, 1.276 WHIP and a 103 ERA+. He’s hit a rough patch of late, allowing 14 runs, 12 earned, over his last four starts (21 2/3 innings) from 28 hits. This stretch includes an amazing game where he allowed no runs over six innings. This will be Brandon’s first start against the Mets in his career.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Quintana’s ERA. There’s a chance that Quintana can finish today’s start with an ERA below 3.00. Kodai Senga just reached this mark earlier this week. Going into this season we were imagining a rotation anchored with Scherzer and Verlander with sub-3 ERA’s. While that didn’t materialize, and Quintana’s return to the Mets was a little too late to help them out this year, both his success and Kodai’s gets us excited thinking about 2024.
2. Mets bats to convert baserunners into runs. Last night the Mets collected eight hits and had four walks, but only two runs. We are hoping today the Mets can rack up just as many hits as yesterday, maybe even more, but they are more timely and actually push runners across the plate. Several big names in the Mets lineup (Nimmo, Alonso, McNeil) yesterday combined to go 0-for-12 with two walks.
3. Milestone Check. There are lots of milestones still on the horizon for the Mets. Lindor is still sitting at 26 homers and 26 stolen bases on the season as time ticks down to reach 30-30. Pete Alonso has five more home runs to go until 50. Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Álvarez each have two more home runs to go for 25 on the season.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets offense behind Pete Alonso wasn’t able to hold off the Reds last night as the Mets lost the series opener 5-3. The Reds and the Diamondbacks both won yesterday so they are tied for the third wild card spot right now. The Marlins are half a game out and the Giants are one game out. On the tanking front, the Angels stretched their losing streak to three games, keeping the Mets with the 8th worst record.

Tylor Megill continues his 2023 campaign today with his 23 start of the season. Over 107 1/3 innings he has a 5.03 ERA, 5.14 FIP, 1.640 WHIP and an 83 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed only four runs from 12 hits and seven walks over 16 1/3 innings (2.20 ERA, 4.36 FIP) while striking out 16 batters. This is his best three game stretch since his first three starts this season. Only two Reds players have seen Megill in a game before. Harrison Bader is 2-for-2 with a homer and Hunter Renfroe is 1-for2.

The Mets bats will face off against rookie Andrew Abbott. Abbott has pitched 99 innings tis season with a 3.64 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 1.222 WHIP and a 127 ERA+. Abbott is coming off of a rough start against the Cardinals where he allowed six runs over four innings. Before that Abbott had a five game stretch with a 4.07 ERA, so slightly worse than his season numbers. This will be Abbott’s first start against the Mets.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete Alonso. Alonso hit his 45th homer of the season, putting him in striking distance of a 50th homer of the season. Pete has been on fire recently going 6-for-18 in his last four games with two doubles and two homers (1.146 OPS).
2. DJ Stewart is still racking up the hits. Stewart has been a massive surprise for the Mets the second half of this season. Last night he went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Since September 2nd he has gone 11-for-37 at the plate with three doubles and two homers while scoring six runs. Stewart has a .955 OPS (158 OPS+) over 46 games this season.
3. The back of the bullpen is ready to go. Ottavino and Raley are both well rested if they are needed tonight. Raley hasn’t pitched since he tossed 15 pitches on Monday. Ottavino threw 17 on Tuesday. We’ve said this a few times this week, but the Mets starters all going five innings plus recently has significantly removed stress from the bullpen that was burning through pitchers a couple of weeks ago.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets time as agents of chaos continues tonight as they start a weekend series with the Reds. The Mets just took three of four games from the Diamondbacks, collapsing the race for the last NL Wild Card spot. The Giants now hold it with a one game lead in the loss column (0 game lead by winning percentages) over the Diamondbacks and the Reds. The Marlins are only half a game behind them. For the Mets, winning their last three games has dropped them out of a protected draft spot. Playoff implications this weekend at Citi Field! Let’s take a look at the lineups and pitchers.

David Peterson looks to build on his quality start his last time out. On the season he has pitched in 24 games totaling 94 1/3 innings with a 5.35 ERA, 4.53 FIP, 1.601 WHIP and a 78 ERA+. His last time on the mound he allowed three runs from eight hits while striking out eight over six innings of work. It was his second quality start in his last three and his second time in his last three starts he struck out eight batters (he’s only done that three total times this season). Peterson started against the Reds back on May 9th where he allowed four runs from seven hits over 3 1/3 innings. The Reds have the following career numbers against him:

• Hunter Renfroe 0-3, 3 BB
• Jonathan India 1-3, 2B, K
• Nick Senzel 3-3, 2B, HR, BB
• TJ Friedl 1-2
• Spencer Steer 0-1, BB
• Luke Maile 1-2, 2B
• Tyler Stephenson 1-2

The Mets bats face one of the more electric young starters in the league tonight: Hunter Green. Greene has made 18 starts (91 1/3 innings) this season with a 4.43 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 1.434 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. His K/9 rate is up from last year (11.7 to 12.1) but so is his BB/9 (3.4 to 4.3). In his last two starts he has allowed only two run runs, none earned, from four hits over 11 1/3 innings while striking out 15 batters. He faced the Mets back in May allowing two runs from six hits over 5 1/3. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Omar Narváez 0-6, 4 K
• Brandon NImmo 4-6, HR, K
• Francisco Lindor 1-5, HR, 2 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 1-5, 2 K, BB
• Pete Alonso 1-3, 2 BB
• Rafael Ortega 0-3, K
• Jeff McNeil 3-6, 2 K
• Francisco Álvarez 0-1, BB
• Brett Bay 0-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brandon Nimmo keeps collecting extra-base hits. In his last three games Nimmo is 6-for-13 with three doubles and a triple. In the seven times he’s reached first base (.500 OBP) he’s scored three times. We are now hitting the peak version of Nimmo where he’s getting on base, getting into scoring position, and the Mets are bringing him home.
2. David Peterson single season milestones. Peterson is only 5 2/3 innings away from breaking 100 innings for the second time in his career. While the season has been rough for him, he’s shown positive signs in the last month.
3. DJ Stewart climbing up the charts. DJ Stewart had two more RBI’s yesterday bringing him to 26 on the season. That’s good for ninth on the team and is only one RBI from Marte’s 28 and two from Baty’s 29. It’s highly unlikely, practically impossible for Stewart to catch up to Vogelbach (45), but it’s probably that Stewart ends the season 7th on the team. Who would have predicted that?

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to take the four game series this afternoon as they take on the Diamondbacks one last time in 2023. The Diamondbacks and Reds are now tied for the last Wild Card spot due to the Mets victory last night. The Giants and Marlins are now only half a game out of that last spot. The Mets are now agents of chaos!

Kodai Senga takes the mound for the Mets this afternoon. Over 149 1/3 innings Senga has a 3.07 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 1.232 WHIP and a 136 ERA+. Since July 5th Senga has made 11 starts (67 2/3 innings) with a 2.53 ERA and 3.05 FIP. In his last four starts (26 2/3 innings) he has a 2.03 ERA and 3.67 FIP (with 32 strikeouts). As the season has continued Senga has gotten better and better. One of his best starts this season was against the Diamondbacks where he held them to one run over eight innings while striking out 12 batters. The Diamondbacks have the following numbers against Senga:

• Jack McCarthy 1-3, 2 K
• Geraldo Perdomo 1-4, K
• Jace Peterson 0-3, 3 K
• Corbin Carroll 1-3, 2 K
• Lourdes Guriel Jr. 0-3, 2 K
• Alek Thomas 0-3
• Christian Walker 1-2, HR
• Evan Longoria 0-2, K
• Ketel Marte 0-1

The Diamondbacks have two solid starters in Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. The Mets were able to knock out the former last night and go for Kelly tonight. Kelly has made 26 starts this season tossing 154 innings with a 3.16 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.188 WHIP and a 138 ERA+. On August 29th he allowed seven runs from 12 hits over five innings to the Dodgers. Since then he has allowed two runs from eight hits over 12 2/3 innings over two starts. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 4-13, 3 HR, K
• Daniel Vogelbach 2-8, BB
• Omar Narváez 2-5, BB
• Francisco Lindor 2-6, 2B, 2 K, BB
• Jeff McNeil 1-6, HR, K
• Rafael Ortega 1-5, K, BB
• Brandon Nimmo 0-2, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Is Brett Baty getting out of his slump? Before last night’s game Baty had gone 0-for-15 in five games only working two walks while striking out eight times. Last night he went 2-for-3 scoring both times and striking out in his other at bat. Baty is the only baby Met right now that hasn’t seen the September boost yet – could last night be the sign of things to come?
2. Francisco Lindor OPS watch. The big season stat we are looking for with Lindor is a 30-30 season. He’s still sitting at 26 home runs and 26 stolen bases. Lindor had a huge night at the plate though going 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, raising his OPS for the year to .794. Will he inch even closer to the .800 mark tonight?
3. The Mets bullpen is doing okay. The last week or so the starting rotation has given the Mets bullpen a lot of space to breathe. Drew Smith is the only pitcher that has thrown over 30 pitches in the last three days, Trevor Gott has tossed 29. Brooks Raley hasn’t pitched since Monday and Jeff Brigham hasn’t pitched since Saturday. It’s amazing how getting consistent innings from starting pitchers has taken a load off of the bullpen.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Diamondbacks will try to squeeze a game in today’s rainy weather this evening at Citi Field. The Diamondbacks won the first game of the series. The Mets were able to muscle up last night and win with multiple homeruns. With the loss the last night the Diamondbacks lead on the last Wild Card spot has shrank to one game.

The Mets are mixing in a sixth starter to the rotation tonight bringing back fan-favorite Joey Lucchesi to Citi Field. In six major league starts he has pitched 28 innings with a 3.54 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 1.286 WHIP and a 120 ERA+. His last start on August 18th was a great one where he held the Cardinals scoreless over 5 2/3 innings. Since that start in the majors things haven’t been so great in Syracuse for Joey. He’s allowed 13 runs runs over 14 innings. The Diamondbacks have the following career numbers against him:

• Ketel Marte 7-16, 2 2B, HR, 3 BB, 2 K
• Evan Longoria 4-13, BB, 3 K
• Christian Walker 1-6, K
• Tommy Pham 1-4, HR
• Lourdes Gurriel 1-2, HR, K

The Diamondbacks back of the rotation is being held together by magic and sheer will – the front of the rotation is held together by Zac Gallen. The 2023 All-Star has made 30 starts this season tossing 187 2/3 innings with a 3.31 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 1.082 WHIP and a 132 ERA+. He bounced back in his last start pitching a complete game shutout against the Cubs, holding them to only three hits. Before that start he allowed 11 runs over 10 2/3 innings against the Dodgers and the Orioles. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-11, 6 K, 2 BB
• Jeff McNeil 2-13, 2B, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-7, K
• Rafeal Ortega 1-8, 3 K
• Omar Narváez 0-6, 2 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 1-5, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 1-4, 2B, K, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Ronny Mauricio is a power hitter now. Well his calling card all season has been the pop in his bat. He had a double in his first game and then didn’t hit another double until Monday night. Yesterday he finally hit his first major league home run which traveled 440+feet into the second deck.
2. Pete is inching closer to 50 homers. Pete Alonso hit his 44th home run of the season last night, getting ever so closer to 50 on the season. Matt Olson’s recent homerun tear, putting him at 51 home runs probably puts the season title out of reach for Alonso. Alonso getting to 50 homers on the season and Lindor achieving a 30-30 season are two big season milestones we’ll keep following the rest of this month.
3. Branon Nimmo’s extra base hit spree. Brandon Nimmo had three hits last night – two doubles and a triple. Since September 3rd he has gone 12-for-34 with three doubles, a triple and three homers leading to a .353/.405/.765 batting line.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets let the lead the slip away late last night and the Diamondbacks were able to take game one of the series. The Diamondbacks with the win increased their lead on the last Wild Card spot to 1.5 games over the Marlins and the Giants. The loss means the Mets continue to “control” their destiny to a protected draft pick (as much as you can control tanking).

José Butto rejoined the Mets rotation last week. He had a terrific start, allowing two runs from six hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings. Butto now has an opportunity to get an early start on 2024 spring training competition for a rotation spot during the last two weeks of the season. Overall this season he has pitched in five games and 21 innings with the Mets with a 3.86 ERA, 4.50 FIP, 1.571 WHIP and a 110 ERA+. The only player on the Diamondbacks who has faced Butto in an official game before is Jace Peterson (0-for-2, BB).

Ryne Nelson has made 25 starts tossing 130 2/3 innings in his second major league season. He has a 5.30 ERA, 5.07 FIP, 1.423 WHIP and an 82 ERA+. This is his first start in the rotation since being sent down to Reno to work on his pitching. He had back to back starts in August where he allowed a combined 12 runs from 15 hits over six innings of work. He faced the Mets in July and allowed seven runs from nine hits over three innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Lindor 2-2, 2 3B
• Daniel Vogelbach 1-2, 2B, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-2
• Pete Alonso 2-2, HR
• Jeff McNeil 1-2, 2B
• Francisco Álvarez 1-2, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Jeff McNeil wants all the hits. Last night McNeil went 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run. Since August 2nd Jeff has hit .313/.350/.469 over 37 games including five of his eight home runs of the season. Jeff has really turned things around since mid-July and is playing like his 2022 self again. In addition to collecting hits, if he gets two more home runs he’ll be at double digits for just the second time in his career.
2. Power for Mauricio. Ronny already has ten hits in nine games this season, collecting hits in eight of his ten starts so far. His very first hit was a rocket, stand-up double. Since then it’s all been singles until last night were he had another double, picking up two more RBI’s. We are looking to see more signs of power as the season starts to wind down.
3. Mets dramatically improve their strikeout to walk ratio. The Mets won on Sunday but struck out 16 times and only walked twice (8:1!). Last night the Mets lost but struck out 10 times and were able to work five walks (2:1!). We were hoping to see the Mets take a more patient approach yesterday and they did! Also five different Mets worked walks in last night’s game. Let’s hope they can keep the same approach tonight.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets escaped Minneapolis with a win this weekend and welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks to Citi Field tonight. After yesterday’s win and a Nationals loss, the Mets now 1.5 games ahead of the Nationals for last place in the Division. The Diamondbacks have a lot to play for this week – they currently have a 0.5 game lead for the last wild card spot right above the Miami Marlins. The Diamondbacks are being chased by three teams for the last spot, all a maximum of 1.5 games out. Win or lose today, the Mets are going to help someone’s chances and hurt someone else’s.

José Quintana takes the mound for his 10th start of the season. Over his first nine starts and 54 innings, Quintana has a 3.00 ERA, 3.22 FIP, 1.259 WHIP and a 140 ERA+. He’s coming off of a brilliant start where he allowed one run over seven innings to the Nationals, scattering four hits. Over his last two starts he has allowed only one run from seven hits in 13 innings of work while striking out nine. The Diamondbacks have the following career numbers against him:

• Tommy Pham 4-19, HR, 4 K, BB
• Evan Longoria 5-20, 3 K, BB
• Ketel Marte 3-8, 2B, K
• Christian Walker 2-4
• Jace Peterson 0-1, K, BB
• Emmanuel Rivera 2-2

Zach Davies makes his 16th start of the season tonight. Over 71 1/3 innings he has a 6.81 ERA, 4.54 FIP, 1.598 WHIP and a 64 ERA+. His first two starts since returning to the rotation were great – he allowed only two earned runs over 11 innings. His last start – not so much. Against the Rockies he allowed five runs from six hits and three walks over three innings. He faced the Mets back in July where he allowed four runs from five hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-7, 2 K, BB
• Brandon Nimmo 4-8, 2 2B, 3B, HR, K, BB
• Francisco Lindor 2-6, 2 HR, 2 K, 2 BB
• Omar Narváez 0-5, BB
• Jeff McNeil 4-9, K
• Daniel Vogelbach 2-6, HR, K, BB
• Rafael Ortega 1-5
• Tim Locastro 1-5, K
• Francisco Álvarez 0-2, K
• Brett Baty 1-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Welcome Back Tommy Pham! Tommy Pham was one of the surprise signings for the Mets this offseason and essentially carried the Mets offense in early summer. Over 79 games for the Mets he hit 10 homers and slashed .268/.348/.472 with a 125 OPS+. In 33 games with the Diamondbacks he’s hit five home runs and has a .248/.289/.451 slash line with a 99 OPS+.
2. Don’t forget about DJ Stewart! DJ Stewart is still playing good baseball down the stretch of the season. Since August 28th he has hit five home runs and has gone 7-for-26 (.885 SLG) at the plate with 11 RBI’s. He pushed the only two runs scored in yesterday’s game across the plate. While our eyes have started to shift over to the baby Mets since the start of September, Stewart is still here, still making noise, still making a case to be part of the 2024 Mets.
3. Will the Mets cut down on strikeouts today? Yesterday the Mets struck out a combined 16 times. Lindor, McNeil, Alonso, Mauricio and Vientos all struck out two times each. Stewart, the hero of the game, had three strikeouts!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to avoid the sweep this afternoon in Minneapolis as they take on the Twins for one last time in 2023. The story for the Mets has been the same for the last two games – they’ve gotten quality starts from their starters but each day one pitcher in the bullpen self-destructed giving the first-place Twins a new chance to hold on to. Can the Mets buck the trend today?

Tylor Megill will make his 22nd start this season. Over 102 1/3 innings he has a 5.28 ERA, 5.16 FIP, 1.661 WHIP and a 79 ERA+. He hit the 100-innings pitched this season mark in his last start, the first time in his career! In his last start he allowed three runs from five hits, including two homers, over 5 1/3 innings. Those two homers have been part of a trend since he returned to the majors in August. He’s allowed seven homers now over six starts and 31 innings (5.52 ERA, 5.33 FIP. Further, he’s allowed two homers in the same start on three different occasions in his last six starts. The only player on the Twins roster who has seen Megill in a major league game before is Andrew Stevenson (1-for-3).

The Mets get to face an old foe today in Pablo López. López spent his first five major league seasons in the NL East as a member of the Miami Marlins. There were a lot of rumors that the Marlins were going to trade him during the 2022 season but they held on to him, and traded him in January to the Twins for Luis Arráez, a trade that has helped both clubs! López had his first All-Star season this year playing for the Twins. Over 28 starts he has pitched 170 2/3 innings with a 3.59 ERA, 3.46 FIP, 1.184 WHIP and a 122 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start where he allowed one run over six innings against the Guardians. Since August 1st he has made seven starts with a 1.93 ERA allowing only 10 runs, 9 earned over 42 innings. These numbers are even better because five of those nine runs came in just one bad start. The Mets have the following career numbers against Pablo:

• Pete Alonso 5-21, 2B, HR, 4 K, 2 BB
• Brandon Nimmo 8-25, 2B, HR, 3 K, 3 BB
• Francisco Lindor 7-20, 3 2B, HR, 3 K
• Jeff McNeil 10-19, 3 2B, HR, K, BB
• Daniel Vogelbach 2-9, 3 K
• Rafael Ortega 1-4
• DJ Stewart 0-2, 2 K
• Omar Narváez 0-1, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Nimmo’s power run: Brandon Nimmo has been showing a bit more power this month, already hitting four homers in seven games. In those seven games he’s gone 9-for-30 with two doubles, four homers and six runs scored slashing a .300/.344/.767. He has an OPS+ of 123 this season, making it his fifth season now with an OPS+ above 120.
2. Pete Alonso home run watch. Pete Alonso hit his 43rd homer of the season yesterday. It was a week ago when Alonso ended his homer-less streak and hit two home runs in the same game against the Mariners before hitting another home run in the Mets following game Tuesday night against the Nationals. He still has a chance to get to 50 on the season!
3. Raley, Gott and Bickford out of the pen. The Mets have had an unusual week thanks to an off-day before and after the series with the Nationals. The Mets have also had two quality starts in a row from the pitchers in Minnesota. Because of that, Raley, Gott and Bickford, the only pitchers used out of the pen on Wednesday, haven’t pitched in a baseball game since Wednesday. In fact, there are no pitchers in the Mets bullpen who have pitched in back to back days since Tuesday. I don’t remember another point this season where this was true.

Let’s Go Mets!