213 Miles From Shea

The Mets will try to snap their five game losing streak and avoid getting swept for a second consecutive series tonight against the Atlanta Braves. Last night, for the second game in a row, the Mets blew a 4-1 lead. At least last night they eventually tied the game again, but would later lose as the offense and the bullpen fell short.

In the first inning last night Pete Alonso got hit on the hand/wrist by a Charlie Morton pitch. X-Rays came back negative and it’s been diagnosed as a contusion. Some Braves fans started to cheer after Alonso went down in a disgusting display of behavior. The Mets pitchers wisely and correctly did not retaliate.

Justin Verlander looks to put the Mets back on track tonight in the battle of the aces as he goes up against Spencer Strider. Over six starts (36 innings) Verlander has a 4.25 ERA, 4.53 FIP, 1.139 WHIP and a 98 ERA+. He’s coming off of a good start where he held the Blue Jays to one run over six innings, scattering five hits and three walks. The Mets eventually lost that game because the offense disappeared. The Braves have the following career numbers against him:

• Matt Olson 5-21, 2B, 2 HR, 7 K
• Eddie Rosario 3-20, 2B, 4 K
• Ehire Adrianza 2-7, HR, 4 K
• Kevin Pillar 2-7, K
• Sean Murphy 1-5, 3 K
• Marcell Ozuna 1-3, K
• Travis d’Arnaud 1-2, K

The Mets bats have to deal with the ace of the Atlanta staff tonight – Spencer Strider. Over 12 starts (69 2/3 innings) this season, Strider has a 2.97 ERA, 2.60 FIP, 1.005 WHIP and a 150 ERA+. He is currently leading the league with 113 strikeouts, a 14.6 K/9 rate and a 5.7 H/9 rate. That being said, Strider has been a bit more human recently, allowing 12 runs, 10 earned, over his last four starts and 23 innings (3.91 ERA, 4.59 FIP). During this stretch he has still struck out the world (34 batters), but also allowed five of the seven homers he’s given up this season. In three starts against the Mets last season he had a 4.38 ERA from allowing six runs from 14 hits over 12 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Brandon Nimmo 5-12, 3B, HR, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 5-11, 3B, BB, 2 K
• Pete Alonso 2-9, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 6 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 1-8, 2 BB, 4 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-7, 2B
• Mark Canha 2-6, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Starling Marte 1-5, 2 BB, 2 K
• Eduardo Escobar 1-3, 2B, BB
• Tommy Pham 0-4, 3 K
• Brett Baty 0-2, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Tommy Pham hot streak loading. In his last six games, Pham has gone 6-for-12 at the plate with a double, a triple and three homers. Buck Showalter, from spring training through rough patches this season, has always defended Tommy Pham specifically how hard he hits the ball. He is currently sitting in the 91st percentile for maximum exit velocity. The Mets need anyone on a hot streak to step right now, can it be Tommy?
2. The Baby Mets got hits last night. While Vientos has been inexplicably on the bench recently while Vogelbach struggles, the other baby Mets got a few hits and hard hit balls last night. Brett Baty had a single that drove in run in the first inning. Francisco Álvarez crushed a solo shot right after Alonso got hit by a pitch. Can they continue to deliver tonight?
3. Working Counts. The Mets worked six walks last night and struck out only seven times. It was the first time during this losing streak they didn’t have double digit strikeouts. It was also the first time in a while we’ve seen the Mets make a starting pitcher work, which is a hallmark of the Mets offense when things are going good. Leading the pack was Brandon Nimmo who had two strikeouts and now has 31 on the season (tied for 18th in the league). Spencer Strider has a high strikeout rate, a low hit rate but he does walk more batters than you think he would. His 3.4 BB/9 means the Mets can afford to be patient and make him work a little.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to break their four game losing streak tonight as they take on Atlanta for game two of their series. Last night the Braves got on the board in the second inning and the Mets immediately responded by hitting two, two-run homers in the top of the third. The Mets would eventually give the lead back though and the offense couldn’t be bothered to produce any more runs.

Can the Mets offense break through the struggles tonight?

The Mets turn to Max Scherzer to right the ship tonight. In nine starts (47 2/3 innings) Scherzer has a 3.21 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 1.091 WHIP and a 129 ERA+. In his last four starts he has tossed 25 innings allowing only four runs, three earned, leading to a 1.08 ERA (2.16 FIP) while striking out 28 batters. He’s pitched seven innings now in back to back starts. Last season he pitched 26 innings over four games against the Braves with a 3.12 ERA. The Braves have the following career numbers against him:

• Marcell Ozuna 13-50, 7 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 15 K
• Travis d’Arnaud 7-33, 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 12 K
• Ronald Acuña Jr. 9-32, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, BB, 9 K
• Ozzie Albies 4-25, 3 BB, 10 K
• Austin Riley 4-18, 2B, HR, 7 K
• Eddie Rosario 1-12, BB, 6 K
• Matt Olson 3-12, HR, 6 K
• Michael Harris II 1-9, BB
• Kevin Pillar 3-8, 2 HR, 4 K
• Ehire Adrianza 1-5, K
• Orlando Arcia 2-5, 2B, 2 K
• Sean Murphy 1-3, 2B

The Mets bats will face off against the ageless Charlie Morton this evening. Over 11 starts (64 2/3 innings) Morton has a 3.62 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 1.438 WHIP and a 123 ERA+. His last two starts have gone about the same as his season numbers, allowing five runs over 12 1/3 innings from 13 hits and four walks while striking out 18 batters. In four starts against the Mets last year he allowed 13 runs, 12 earned from 25 hits and eight walks over 21 2/3 innings (4.98 ERA). The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Lindor 5-37, 2 2B, HR, BB, 10 K
• Pete Alonso 6-21, 2B, BB, 4 K
• Starling Marte 4-19, 2 BB, 7 K
• Jeff McNeil 5-18, 7 K
• Brandon Nimmo 4-18, BB, 6 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 5-15, 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 6 K
• Eduardo Escobar 5-17, HR, BB, 4 K
• Mark Canha 3-13, HR, BB, 5 K
• Omar Narváez 3-12, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Tommy Pham 1-7, HR, BB, 4 K
• Brett Baty 1-2, 2B, K
• Francisco Álvarez 1-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Strikeouts continue to stifle the Mets offense. Yesterday we talked about how the Mets have three consecutive games with double digit strikeouts as a team. They did it again yesterday with Nimmo, Vogelbach and Marte each having double digit strikeout days. Vogelbach fared the worst going 0-for-4 with three stikeouts. The Mets need to figure this out.
2. Can the Mets score from anything other than a homer? I love home runs, this is not a knock on the Mets finding power after they went weeks without hitting a homerun. Last night was the second game in a row when all the Mets runs came on homers. On Sunday the Mets hit four solo homers. Last night they hit two, two-run homers. Sometimes though you need a good, small-ball rally for crooked numbers on the scoreboard and to make the other team work a little.
3. Most of the Mets bullpen is ready to go tonight. The Mets used Ottavino and Smith last night (both gave up a run). Robertson and Raley are well rested though, they haven’t pitched since Saturday. It’s getting to the point that one or both of them may be used tonight even if game script doesn’t dictate it.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets head into Atlanta for a very important three game series. Last week the Mets swept the Phillies then got swept by the Blue Jays. Now the Mets sit exactly at .500 in third place in the NL East, 5.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are 11 games above .500 and like the Mets they have also gone 5-5 in their last 10 games. A series win could prove to be vital for the Mets, and that starts with picking up the first game tonight.

Carlos Carrasco takes the mound for the Amazin’s tonight. Over six starts (31 1/3 innings) this season he has a 5.74 ERA, 6.09 FIP, 1.372 WHIP and a 72 ERA+. He has been much better in his last two games, allowing only two earned runs over 12 2/3 innings, scattering 11 hits and three walks. Both runs in each game were from solo homers, which is still his weak point in his game this season. He had a 3.38 ERA over 16 innings and three games against the Braves last season where he allowed 14 hits and four walks. Three of those 14 hits were homers. The Braves have the following career numbers against him:

• Eddie Rosario 13-38, 2 2B, 3 HR, 5 BB, 9 K
• Kevin Pillar 2-15, 3B, BB, 3 K
• Ehire Adrianza 2-13, 4 K
• Matt Olson 5-12, 2 2B, 2 HR, BB, 2 K
• Orlando Arcia 1-9, 2B, 2 BB, 4 K
• Ronald Acuña Jr. 3-8, 2 2B, HR, BB, K
• Austin Riley 0-8, BB, 3 K
• Travis d’Arnaud 2-7, 3 K
• Marcell Ozuna 1-6, K
• Ozzie Albies 1-3
• Michael Harris II 1-3

The Mets bats will get a look at Bryce Elder today. The 24-year old is in his second big league season and is currently leading the league in ERA (1.92) and ERA+ (231) over 11 starts and 65 2/3 innings. In the month of May Elder made five starts allowing only seven runs over 36 2/3 innings (1.72 ERA, 2.98 FIP) while allowing 31 hits and 10 walks. You would expect someone with a 1.92 ERA to have a WHIP lower than 1.157 (although that is still a good WHIP). The reason Elder’s ERA is so low is he keeps the ball in the ballpark. He allows 0.5 HR/9 which is even better than his 0.7 rate last season. Elder faced the Mets once last season in Atlanta and allowed three runs from five hits over 2 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Mark Canha 0-1
• Luis Guillorme 1-2
• Jeff McNeil 0-2, K
• Pete Alonso 0-1
• Francisco Lindor 0-0, BB
• Starling Marte 1-1
• Brandon Nimmo 1-1

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Homers weren’t enough on Sunday. Can the offense come through today? The Mets bats this weekend were pretty much silent, which is why they got swept by the Blue Jays. On Sunday the bats woke up with four solo homers leading to the four runs the Mets scored (two from Pham, one from Alonso and Marte). But in the end the Blue Jays were able to score two more runs late and seal the Mets fate. Tonight the Mets go against a pitcher who hasn’t allowed a lot of homers this year. Can the Mets get the offense going again?
2. A new catching and DH situation for the Mets. Omar Narváez returns to the Mets tonight, which led to Tomás Nido being DFA’d yesterday. Francisco Álvarez was called up to the major league squad to replace Narváez after his injury. Now the Mets will need to balance Narváez and Álvarez getting playing time, while the DH spot is already being split between Vogelbach/Pham/Vientos. It feels like another roster move is looming.
3. Strikeouts galore. The Mets bats did not have a fun time at the plate this weekend – you already knew this. They struck out a combined 32 times over three games. On Friday night they struck out 10 total times, with Nimmo, Lindor, Baty, and Vientos each having multiple strikeouts. On Saturday they struck out 11 total times with Nimmo, Lindor and Baty each having multiple strikeouts for a second consecutive day. On Sunday Lindor had his third consecutive day with multiple strikeouts as the Mets struck out 11 more times as a team.

Let’s Go Mets!

For a second straight game the Mets offense was non-existent and despite excellent pitching the Mets fell 2-1. Now the Mets will try to salvage the series and sneak out with a win. Can the Mets get the hitting and the pitching to get hot at the same time?

Kodai Senga takes the mound today for the Mets. Over 10 starts and 55 innings Senga has a 3.44 ERA, 3.85 FIP, 1.345 WHIP and a 121 ERA+. He is coming off of his best start of the season where he held the Phillies to one run and no walks over seven innings while striking out nine batters. Previously he was being hurt by high walk totals. This is absolutely what you want to see from Senga as he gets more and more acclimated to the majors.

Senga will face off today against Yusei Kikuchi who is having a better season than last year. Over 11 starts (56 1/3 innings) this season he has a 4.47 ERA, 5.97 FIP, 1.402 WHIP and a 92 ERA+. His WHIP has dropped about 100 points from last season (1.500) because his walks have dropped (3.0 BB/9 vs 5.2 last season). That being said, his last four starts have been rough. He’s allowed 15 runs, 14 earned, from 23 hits and 11 walks over 18 2/3 innings. He’s been hurt by the long ball in this stretch allowing seven. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Mark Canha 5-17, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 4 K
• Tommy Pham 1-2, 2 BB
• Eduardo Escobar 1-2, 2B, K
• Francisco Lindor 0-3, K
• Starling Marte 0-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Kodai Senga starts on regular rest. For the first time season Kodai Senga will start on regular rest. Pitchers in Japan have about a week between starts. Pitchers in MLB usually start every five days. The Mets have been easing Senga into the rotation this season, which has been a bit easier to do so far with the Mets off-days and rainouts. Today Senga will get his first start on regular rest. We are looking to see if he still pitches a comparable amount to previous games, his effectiveness and if he’s going to get extra rest before his next start.
2. Alonso has gone cold. This is not the first time this season that Alonso has gone cold. Over his last five games he is 2-for-19 with one run scored. He’s only struck out three times though. Alonso has emerged from similar stretches with hot streaks where he hits a home run every other night. Kikuchi’s weakness is homeruns. He’s given them up at a rate of 2.4 per nine innings (and his career mark is 1.8).
3. Stikeouts crushed the Mets yesterday. The Mets struck out 11 times yesterday including Nimmo with two, Lindor with three and Baty with three. Lets see early on in the game if the Mets can reverse this trend.

Let’s Go Mets!

For the first time this season the Mets got a quality start from a pitcher and did not win the ball game. Justin Verlander held the Blue Jays to only one run over six innings while striking out eight batters, but the Mets offense could only muster a total of four hits.

The Mets look to get back in the win column tonight as they take on the Blue Jays for game two.

Tylor Megill looks to put his last two starts behind him tonight. Over 11 starts and 54 innings this season he has a 4.67 ERA, 5.28 FIP, 1.593 WHIP and an 89 ERA+. His WHIP so far this season is about 300 points higher than his previous two seasons, and that’s led to most of the struggles he’s faced. Over his last two starts he has allowed 12 runs, eight earned, from 16 hits and four walks over 7 2/3 innings. Before that he allowed only four runs, three earned, from eight hits over 11 innings. Megill has had more success at home this year, 3.29 ERA vs 6.08 ERA, in a similar amount of innings. His home WHIP is 1.171 vs a 2.025 on the road. The Blue Jays have the following career numbers against him:

• Brandon Belt 3-7, 2 HR, 2 BB, K
• Bo Bichette 0-2, BB
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 0-3, K
• Daulton Varsho 1-3, K
• Cavan Biggio 1-2, K
• George Springer 0-2

The Mets bats will get a look at José Berríos this afternoon. Berríos is coming off of a season where he led the league in hits (199) and earned runs (100). He’s been far better this season with a 3.86 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.255 WHIP and a 106 ERA+ over 65 1/3 innings. In his last two starts he has allowed only one run from nine hits and 12 2/3 innings while striking out 10 batters. In his last five starts (31 1/3 innings) he has a 2.30 ERA (in the six starts before that he had a 5.29 ERA). Will his hot streak continue? Can the Mets make him look the Berríos from April? The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Lindor 9-32, 4 2B, HR, 2 BB, 4 K
• Mark Canha 2-14, HR, 6 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 3-8, HR< 2 K
• Tommy Pham 0-3, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. It’s still Mark Canha szn. Mark Canha continued his terrific week yesterday going 1-for-3 at the plate and recording his third stolen base of the season. Not a crazy batting line, but the offense was pretty lackluster yesterday. He’s having a great week hopefully he keeps it going through the weekend.
2. Baby Mets are hitting a bit of a rough patch. Brett Baty is 2-for-17 in his last five games (but both hits were doubles!). Francisco Álvarez is 1-for-15 over his last four games, but the one hit was a homer. Mark Vientos is 1-for-10 in his last four games. They all couldn’t be on super hot streaks at the same time. They all can’t continue to be on cold streaks at the same time. Something will give eventually!
3. The Mets are stealing a lot more recently. The Mets as a team have 41 stolen bases on the year, which is tied for 14th in the league. A significant portion of those stolen bases come from Starlin Marte who has 17 on the season. For context, the Rays lead the league with 77. In the last seven days the Mets have stolen six bases, which is tied for 7th in the league.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are coming off of a three game sweep of the Phillies and look to extend their winning streak to four games tonight as they take on the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Mets starting pitching rotation had a major turnover this past off-season with three major pitchers (deGrom, Walker and Bassitt) leaving the team as free agents. The Mets faced off against Taijuan Walker yesterday and tonight they draw Chris Bassitt as he makes his Citi Field return.

Justin Verlander looks to move beyond his last start where he allowed six runs over five innings. It was the second time in three starts that he allowed six runs over five innings of work. Both of these terrible starts were preceded by a start where Verlander allowed exactly one run over at least seven innings. If the pattern continues, Verlander should have a good start today. Overall this season he has a 4.80 ERA, 4.59 FIP, 1.100 WHIP and 87 ERA+ over 30 innings. Verlander faced the Blue Jays last April and allowed three runs from four hits and a walk over six innings of work. The Blue Jays have the following career numbers against him:

• Whit Merrifield 5-24, 2B, BB, 7 K
• Matt Chapman 1-20, HR, 2 BB, 10 K
• George Springer 5-13, HR, BB, 5 K
• Kevin Kiermaier 1-11, 5 K
• Bo Bichette 0-6, BB, 3 K
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1-6
• Brandon Belt 1-3

Chris Bassitt has pitched 66 1/3 innings with a 3.80 ERA, 5.22 FIP, 1.146 WHIP and a 109 ERA+ this season. Bassitt has already had three different seasons in 2023. After allowing nine runs in his first start he settled in for a good April where he had a 3.03 ERA, 4.20 FIP over 29 2/3 innings and five games. Then Bassitt became the best pitcher in baseball for three consecutive starts, allowing no runs from nine hits and seven walks over 23 innings while striking out 20 (2.86 FIP). In his last two starts he has allowed 13 runs, nine earned. It is a fair question to ask – which Bassitt do the Mets see tonight? The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Eduardo Escobar 2-9, 2 2B, BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 3-9, HR, K
• Daniel Vogelbach 2-5, HR, 2 BB, K
• Starling Marte 0-5, BB, K
• Tommy Pham 0-1, BB, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Mark Canha Szn. Mark Canha has turned a corner the last week and is entering a hot streak. Over his last seven games he has gone 7-for-19 at the plate with two homers and five walks hitting .368/.520/.684. He’s now homered in back-to-back games and has six RBI’s in the last two games. The Mets have only scored eight runs those games!
2. The Mets bullpen is bouncing back. Last weekend was a rough one for the Mets bullpen. Due to the Mets game script, the Mets top relievers were also left out of a bunch of the games. The Mets needed to heavily rely on Ottavino and Robertson for the first two games in the Phillies series, which meant that the rest of the Mets bullpen needed to get the job done yesterday in a close game. To quote the SNY broadcast, the law firm of Brigham, Raley and Smith were able to get the final six outs and allowed only one hit.
3. Starling Marte could set a personal record for stolen bases. In 2016 and 2021 Starling Marte recorded 47 stolen bases. Yesterday he stole his 16th stolen base on the season. This would put him right around 45 for the season if he continues at his current pace. There is no one else close to Marte right now. Pham is second on the team with five stolen bases and is only in second because he stole two bases in one game recently.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for a series sweep this afternoon! So far the Mets have beat the Phillies 2-0 and 4-1 this week. In the first game the Mets got an excellent start from Kodai Senga. Last night the Mets got an amazing start from Carlos Carrasco (his second in a row) and outstanding performance from Mark Canha. Canha hit his fourth homer on the season and recorded all four RBI’s in the game.

Senga, Carrasco and Canha have all made their mark on this series. Who will be hero today?

Max Scherzer looks to lock down the Phillies offense this afternoon as he makes his ninth start of the season. Over 40 2/3 innings this season, Scherzer has a 3.54 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 1.131 WHIP and a 118 ERA+. Scherzer pitched 22 2/3 innings over his first five starts with a 5.56 ERA and a 6.28 FIP with opponents hitting .259 against him (.851 OPS). Since then, over three starts, he’s pitched 18 innings with a 1.00 ERA and 2.56 FIP. Opponents are hitting .172 with a .486 OPS against him. Last season he made four starts against the Phillies with a 3.38 ERA over 24 innings while recording 29 strikeouts. The Phillies have the following career numbers against him:

• J.T. Realmuto 7-61, 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 18 K
• Bryce Harper 6-20, 2 2B, 3 HR, 5 BB, 9 K
• Nick Castellanos 3-20, 2 2B, BB, 10 K
• Kyle Schwarber 4-11, 2 HR, 4 BB, 4 K
• Edmundo Sosa 2-8, 4 K
• Bryson Stott 6-7, 2B
• Brandon Marsh 0-3, 2 K

The Mets bats will face off against old friend today as Taijuan Walker makes his first start against the Mets as a member of the Phillies. Walker had two seasons as one of more reliable starters in the Mets rotation, making 58 starts and pitching over 150 innings in both seasons. Walker earned his first All-Star with the Mets and overall had a 3.98 ERA, 4.11 FIP and a 99 ERA+.

This season Walker has made 11 starts totaling 53 1/3 innings with a 5.57 ERA, 5.16 FIP, 1.463 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. When you look at his game logs, they look very Walker-like. In the month of May he had two very good starts, one where he allowed one run over six innings, another where he allowed no runs over 5 1/3 innings. He also has a start where he allowed eight runs over 3 1/3 and four runs over just 2/3 innings. Which Walker will show up against the Mets today? The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Tommy Pham 1-9, BB, K
• Mark Canha 3-5, HR, BB
• Francisco Lindor 1-6, K
• Starling Marte 0-2, BB
• Brandon Nimmo 1-3, 2B
• Eduardo Escobar 0-2

Things To Watch For:

1. Mets feasting on Quality Starts. The Mets improved to 15-0 when their starting pitcher tosses a quality start. When Scherzer started this season, he was struggling to get to the sixth inning. More recently he has looked like himself. Can Scherzer give the Mets the chance today to further improve this record to 16-0?
2. Mets bats could help out the back of the bullpen today. After having several days off in a row, Robertson and Ottavino had to go in back to back games to start this series. Robertson has tossed 38 pitches and started to look a bit gassed by the end of his outing yesterday. Ottavino only needed 6 pitches yesterday (17 in his last two games), so he’s probably good to go if needed today. Leone, Brigham, Drew, Hunter, Nogosek all haven’t pitched in the last three calendar days (four days for Drew). Hopefully the Mets bats can give enough of a cushion to use other bullpen arms today.
3. The Mets are showing their defensive chops. Last night Francisco Lindor made an excellent play in the field. The night before Brandon Nimmo reached over the wall and brought back a homerun. Francisco Álvarez is in the 86th percentile for pitch framing this year and has been praised for his ability to steal strike three calls. These things make the Mets that much more fun to watch!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Phillies gear up for game two tonight at Citi Field! Last night Kodai Senga gave the Mets his best performance of the year, pitching seven innings of one hit ball, holding the Phillies scoreless. More amazingly, he struck out nine batters while allowing zero walks, the one weakness in his game this season.

Tonight Carlos Carrasco will look to build off that momentum and try to secure a Mets series victory.

Carlos Carrasco is coming off of a great start himself. In five starts this season he has tossed 25 1/3 innings with a 6.75 ERA, 6.44 FIP, 1.421 WHIP and a 62 ERA+. His last time out he held the Cubs to one run and five hits over 6 2/3 innings, by far his best start of the season. Carrasco faced the Phillies once last year (almost exactly a year ago on May 27th) and allowed five runs from six hits over 5 2/3 innings, a game the Mets eventually won 8-6. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Carrasco:

• Nick Castellanos 12-49, 5 2B, 3 BB, 15 K
• Bryce Harper 2-9, BB, K
• Jake Cave 1-8, 3 K
• Trea Turner 6-8, 3 2B
• J.T. Realmuto 2-7, 2 K
• Kyle Schwarber 0-6, 3 K
• Alec Bohm 1-3, K
• Brandon Marsh 0-2, BB, 2 K

Aaron Nola makes his 12th start of the season today for the Phillies. Over 68 2/3 innings, Nola has a 4.59 ERA, 4.32 FIP, 1.121 WHIP and a 94 ERA+. Nola is having a weird month where he has been alternating between bad starts and good starts. Three times his month he has allowed at least four runs. Two times this month he has allowed exactly two runs. Every game this month he has pitched at least six innings. If the pattern continues he should have a good game against the Mets tonight. Nola faced the Mets five times last season totaling 29 1/3 innings with a 3.99 ERA. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Brandon Nimmo 12-43, 3B, HR, 11 BB, 16 K
• Jeff McNeil 12-39, 2B, HR, 5 BB, 9 K
• Pete Alonso 15-43, 3 2B, 5 HR, 3 BB, 12 K (1.159 OPS)
• Francisco Lindor 6-23, 2 2B, BB, 6 K
• Starling Marte 9-24, 2 2B, HR, 7 K
• Eduardo Escobar 2-9, 2B, 2 BB, 4 K
• Tomás Nido 1-9, 5 K
• Daniel Vogelbach 3-8, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Mark Canha 1-6, 2B, K
• Brett Baty 0-2, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Mets and Quality Starts: The Mets improved to 14-0 last night when they get a quality start from a starting pitcher. During the free-fall period in April, the Mets couldn’t barely find a quality start. Now they are starting to get them more frequently. Carlos Carrasco joined the quality start club his last time out. Two quality starts in a row from Cookie will get a long way in calming anxiety around the Mets starting rotation.
2. Bryce Harper: The Mets will get their first look this season at Bryce Harper who is amazingly playing baseball again only 159 days after having Tommy John surgery. The Phillies are still exclusively using him as a DH right now and the Mets broadcast booth talked about how he could come back as a first basemen after the All-Star break since Rhys Hoskins is most likely out for the season. In his first 23 games this season, Harper is hitting .306/.406/.482 with a 145 OPS+.
3. Francisco Lindor: Lindor has been destroying the baseball this week hitting three homers in his last four games, becoming the second player on the Mets to reach double digits for homers. He’s the leader of this team and if he keeps getting hot at the same time that the Baby Mets are hot, the rest of the National League needs to watch out.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets return to Citi Field tonight after a mixed road trip. Some days the Mets got good starting. Other days they got good hitting. There were some games that had effective bullpen outings. The Mets are still looking to get a groove where all three parts of the team fire at the same time.

In the Mets two most recent losses, the bats were fully on and kept them in the game each night. Can the pitching keep up tonight?

Kodai Senga returns to the mound tonight. On the season he has made nine starts tossing 48 innings with a 3.94 ERA, 4.31 FIP, 1.521 WHIP and a 108 ERA+. He allowed three runs from six hits and five walks over five innings. Senga has a very high 5.8 BB/9 on the season but it is also paired with a high 11.4 K/9. Unfortunately the walks came back to hurt him in his last start. If he can keep his walk count lower tonight, he will have a solid chance to rack up another quality start and give the Mets a chance to win the game.

The Mets bats look to keep the momentum going against Ranger Suárez tonight. He’s made only three starts this season (11 innings), allowing 12 runs from 17 hits (9.82 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 2.000 WHIP and a 45 ERA+). His last outing was his deepest of the season. Ranger was able to pitch five innings and 85 pitches but still allowed five runs from five hits. His two starts against the Mets season were quite different from each other. He opened the season against the Mets, allowing three runs from five hits over 2 2/3 innings. Then last August he tossed a gem against the Mets, holding them to one run from three hits over seven innings of work. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Brandon Nimmo 3-10, 2 BB, K
• Pete Alonso 0-7, 3 BB, 2 K
• Starling Marte 2-9, BB, K
• Francisco Lindor 1-6
• Mark Canha 1-3, BB, K
• Eduardo Escobar 3-5, 2B, HR
• Luis Guillorme 2-4
• Jeff McNeil 0-3, K
• Tomás Nido 0-2, 2 K
• Tommy Pham 0-1, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The back of the bullpen is rested, but not the middle inning crew. The Mets haven’t had to call on Adam Ottavino or David Robertson since Friday night. Brooks Raley tossed six pitches on Sunday and nothing on Saturday. So if Kodai Senga has a quality start, then the Mets are good. If Senga has an early exit that the Mets are going to have to use their overused arms. Brigham, Leone and Nogosek have each pitched on back to back days (and we know how that went).
2. Francisco Álvarez continues to crush it. In his last eight games Francisco has gone 12-for-30 with seven runs and 13 runs batted in. Seven of his 12 hits went for extra bases including five homers. He has an absurd 1.421 OPS during this stretch. Francisco got pushed higher up in the lineup by the end of the weekend, and he delivered.
3. Trea Turner’s struggles. Turner was the big acquisition for the Phillies this off-season. He had a big game on Saturday going to 2-for-5 at the plate hitting his second homer of the season. In his last nine games though he is hitting just .154/.195/.308. Overall this season he is hitting .243/.288/.383 with an 83 OPS+. Which Turner shows up tonight?

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Rockies play the rubber game of the series today! Last night the Mets went down 6-1 early, but mounted a fierce comeback that fell just slightly short. Álvarez hit an epic three run home run to tie the game at six runs and the Mets eventually went ahead 7-6, but then the Mets gave the lead right back and the Rockies held on to win 10-7.

Tylor Megill looks to lead the Mets to another series victory this afternoon. Over ten starts (50 innings) he has a 4.32 ERA, 5.45 FIP, 1.480 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. On May 12th and 18th he tossed back to back good games where he allowed a total of four runs, three earned, from eight hits over 11 innings. He took a step backwards in his last start allowing six run, four earned, over 3 2/3 innings. The Rockies have the following career numbers against him:

• Kris Bryant 0-4, BB, 3 K
• Randal Grichuk 0-4, BB
• Charlie Blackmon 0-1, BB
• C.J. Cron 1-3, K
• Elias Díaz 2-3
• Ryan McMahon 0-2, K
• Ezequiel Tovar 1-2

The Mets bats look to keep the offense rolling against Austin Gomber today. Over ten starts (50 innings) Gomber has a 6.48 ERA, 6.05 FIP, 1.460 WHIP and a 78 ERA+. He has given up a league leading 36 runs this season. Gomber had a stretch of four good starts in a row starting on April 24th and ending on May 12th where he pitched 23 2/3 innings with a 2.28 ERA, dropping his season ERA from 12.12 to 6.30. This includes a star against the Mets where he allowed two runs over six innings. Since then he has allowed eight runs from 12 hits over 10 innings. Gomber had a great start against the Mets last season, holding the Mets to two runs and seven hits over seven innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Tommy Pham 1-10, 2 BB, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 4-11, 2B, 2 K
• Starling Marte 0-8, BB, 4 K
• Pete Alonso 1-6
• Tomás Nido 0-6, K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-6
• Mark Canha 1-5, K
• Eduardo Escobar 0-5
• Daniel Vogelbach 1-3, BB, K
• Brett Baty 0-3
• Jeff McNeil 1-3, 2B
• Francisco Álvarez 1-1, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Baby Mets drove the Mets offense yesterday. All three baby Mets were given a chance to start the game and went a combined 5-for-9. Álvarez did the most damage with his sixth double of the year and his sixth homer. Baty added his fifth double of the season. Vientos collected multiple hits. Will the Baby Mets be given another chance to shine today?
2. Pete Alonso keeps his homer lead. Jorge Soler for the Marlins has been heating up recently with 17 homers on the season. Max Munch added his 16th of the season yesterday. Pete Alonso responded by becoming the first player in the majors to reach the 20 homer mark. Insert eye emoji here when you start to extrapolate his end of season numbers.
3. Jeff McNeil has been getting hits in bunches. Since May 12th, McNeil has played in 15 games going 19-for-57 at the plate. Last night was his sixth time in that streak, second in his last three games, where he collected at least two hits. When McNeil started this stretch, he was only scoring once per game, if at all. In the last three games he has scored five times.

Lets Go Mets!