213 Miles From Shea

Yesterday was a tough loss for the Mets. Max Scherzer looked great coming off the injured list, striking out 11 over six innings while allowing no runs. The team didn’t allow any runs until the ninth inning when the Reds hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded and no outs against Seth Lugo. It was the offense last night that was completely cold for the Mets leaving runners in scoring position throughout the game.

The Mets will look to get back to the win column today behind David Peterson. Peterson has tossed 58 1/3 innings this season over 12 games (10 starts) with a 3.24 ERA, 3.78 FIP, 1.200 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. One thing that has changed for Peterson recently is his strikeout totals. He has 60 on the season but 25 of those strikeouts have happened during his last three starts. He’s posted a 2.45 ERA and a 3.01 FIP during that three start span.

There is no one on the major league roster for the Reds who have seen Peterson in a game before. The only player on the 40-man who has seen Peterson is Stuart Fairchild (0-2) who was claimed off waivers by the Reds a couple of weeks ago. Fairchild currently plays in Louisville.

For a third straight day the Reds will send out a rookie starting pitcher to face the Mets bats. Graham Ashcraft has made eight starts this season throwing 43 2/3 innings with a 4.53 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 1.237 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. He is coming off of one his worst starts of the season where he allowed seven runs over 2 1/3 innings against the Cubs from seven hits and two walks. Since June 12th he has made four starts allowing 19 earned runs over 20 innings of work from 30 hits and four walks. In his four starts before that he allowed only three earned runs.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets won their 50th game of the season yesterday taking the series Opener from the Cincinnati Reds. The end of the game was important for the Mets – Díaz wasn’t available last night as the Mets have used him a lot recently. Seth Lugo came on, allowed a hit and nothing else in the 9th inning to lock down the win.

Today is the day though that Mets fans have been waiting for – the return of Max Scherzer to the mound! Before landing on the injured list, Scherzer made eight starts and pitched 49 2/3 innings with a 2.54 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 0.946 WHIP and a 160 ERA+. Scherzer faced the Reds last year as both a National and a Dodger. With Washington he allowed two runs over seven innings from five hits while striking out nine. Then in September he allowed no runs from two hits over seven innings while striking out seven. The Reds have the following career numbers against Scherzer:

• Mike Moustakas 6-39, 2B, HR, BB, 12 K
• Joey Votto 5-20, 2 2B, HR, 5 BB, 7 K
• Tommy Pham 3-20, 2B, BB, 9 K
• Brandon Drury 1-8, BB, 3 K
• Jonathan India 1-5, BB, K
• Matt Reynolds 0-3, 2 K

For a second straight game the Mets bats will get their first look at a rookie starting pitcher for the Reds. Nick Lodolo will make his 4th major league start today. Over his first three starts he has allowed nine runs from 14 2 /3 innings (5.52 ERA) coming from 18 hits and five walks. He has also struck out 19 batters over this stretch and allowed three homers. Most of the damage was done over his first two starts where he allowed eight runs over nine innings. In his third major league start, back on April 24th, he held the Cardinals to one run over 5 2/3 innings.

After that start in late April, the Reds revealed that Nick was actually pitching injured with tightness on his side and he landed on the injured list. The Reds are using caution with their young pitcher who is one of their top pitchers in their system.

Let’s Go Mets!

Yesterday was a good day for the Mets and they look to keep the good vibes going in Cincinnati this evening. The Mets beat the Rangers 4-1, taking the rubber game on the same day that the Braves lost. Jacob deGrom tossed 24 pitches and struck out five batters. All of this leads to a happy flight from Queens to Ohio.

Taijuan Walker gets the series started for the Mets. Over 13 starts and 72 2/3 innings he has a 2.72 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 1.170 WHIP and a 148 ERA+. Walker is coming off of a dominant start against the Astros where he allowed no runs over 7 1/3 innings, scattering four hits and two walks. That was the third time in his last four starts where he has allowed one run or less. Overall in his last four starts he has pitched 26.0 innings, striking out 27 batters with a 1.73 ERA and a 1.73 FIP.

The Reds have the following numbers against Walker:

• Mike Moustakas 0-7, K
• Tommy Pham 1-6, BB
• Tyler Naquin 0-5, 4 K
• Joey Votto 1-2, HR, BB

The Mets bats will get a look at the flame throwing rookie Hunter Greene tonight. His fastball sits at 99 and frequently goes above 100 (check out his Baseball Savant page for more info!). He has made 15 starts tossing 74 innings this season with a 5.72 ERA, 5.53 FIP, 1.338 WHIP and an 82 ERA+. He has also allowed a league leading 20 homers. Over his last three starts he has allowed 15 runs, 13 earned, over 14 innings (8.36 ERA). So ultimately today will be the story of power pitching vs power hitting.

Let’s Go Mets!

Yesterday was a slug fest at Citi Field. The starting pitcher for the Rangers, Martín Pérez, gave up two home runs, doubling the total amount he allowed for the season. The Mets gave up four homers, leading to the Rangers scoring 7 runs, an amount the Mets could not overcome.

Now the Mets have lost four of their last five and need Carlos Carrasco to rebound this afternoon. Carrasco has pitched 81 2/3 innings (15 starts) this season with a 4.85 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.335 WHIP and an 84 ERA+. Over his last two starts he has allowed 11 earned runs over 6 2/3 innings. Looking back a bit farther, he has allowed 19 earned runs over four starts (17 2/3 innings) which translates to a 9.68 ERA. He has been crushed by the home run ball during this stretch. In his last four starts he has allowed seven homers. In his 11 starts before that he allowed only three homers.

The Rangers have the following numbers against Carlos Carrasco:

• Marcus Semien 1-14, BB, 6 K
• Mitch Garver 1-14, HR, 10 K
• Brad Miller 3-13, 2 BB, 3 K
• Kole Calhoun 2-14, 2B, HR, 6 K
• Corey Seager 1-4, K

The Mets bats will try to clinch the series split today against Jon Gray. Over 13 starts and 71 2/3 innings with a 3.89 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 1.158 WHIP and a 99 ERA+. From the start of the season until June 7th, Gray made nine starts with an ERA of 5.28. Since then he has made four starts, totaling 25 2/3 innings, with a 1.40 ERA and a 2.19 FIP. If you were listening to the SNY broadcast yesterday, the booth mentioned multiple times how Gray has been on a tear over the last month.

The Mets have the following numbers against Jon Gray:

• Eduardo Escobar 5-23, 2B, HR, 5 BB, 3 K
• Ender Inciarte 3-17, HR, 2 BB, 4 K
• Starling Marte 4-16, HR, 3 K
• Pete Alonso 0-2, BB, K
• Jeff McNeil 1-3, K
• Dominic Smith 0-3, 2 K
• Mark Canha 1-1, HR, BB
• J.D. Davis 1-2, 2B

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets broke their three game losing streak yesterday and they look to make it two games in a row against the Rangers this afternoon at Citi Field.

Right around when lineups were posted, the Mets got good news and bad news yesterday. The good news – Max Scherzer will be returning to the rotation on Tuesday. The bad news – Chris Bassitt was heading to the IL with a non-injury related issue. This moved David Peterson up a day and he did great last night. Peterson’s scheduled start today was most likely not going to happen anyway as he anxiously awaits the birth of his first child.

There’s another reason why his scheduled start today might not have happened anyway – it’s supposed to rain! Possibly torrentially. We are expecting a stormy situation across the tri-state starting around the late afternoon and continuing into the evening, so this game may not happen.

Anyway the Mets are sending out Trevor Williams. Over 14 games and six starts Williams has pitched 42 innings with a 3.64 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 1.310 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. He pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief against the Astros on June 28th where he allowed one hit and two walks while striking out 4. As a starter this season he has tossed 24 innings with a 4.88 ERA and a 1.375 WHIP. His K/9 rate takes a significant drop as a starter (6) compared to when he is used in relief (11.5). The Rangers have the following numbers against Williams:

• Corey Seager 4-10, 2B, K
• Kole Calhoun 2-4, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Mitch Garver 0-3, 2 K
• Brad Miller 1-3, K
• Marcus Semien 0-2, BB, K
• Steven Duggar 0-2

The Mets face a resurgent Martín Pérez tonight. Over 11 seasons, Pérez has a career 4.52 ERA, 4.39 FIP, 1.455 WHIP and a 99 ERA+. This season, over 15 games and 93 1/3 innings, Pérez has a 2.22 ERA, 2.59 FIP, 1.157 WHIP and a 174 ERA+. He is keeping the ball in the ballpark this year. He has a career 1.0 HR/9 rate and this year he has a league leading low 0.2 HR/9. He hasn’t put a number below 1.0 in that category since 2016.

All that being said, Pérez has been more human in the month of June. On the 11th he allowed seven runs, 6 earned over 5.0 innings from 12 hits and 2 walks. His last time out he allowed four runs from seven hits with two walks. In between those starts he allowed only one run over 13 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

• Mark Canha 2-13, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 3-10, 3 BB
• James McCann 2-12, K
• J.D. Davis 2-10, BB, 2 K
• Pete Alonso 0-6, 2 BB, K
• Jeff McNeil 3-7
• Eduardo Escobar 1-5, K
• Starling Marte 2-5, 2B, K
• Brandon Nimmo 2-4, 2B

Let’s Go Mets!

We have good news and bad news. The good news: June is over! The Mets survived June, which has crushed them the last several years with a winning record and they are still in first place. The bad news: the Mets have lost three games in a row for the first time season. After losing a walk-off in Miami, the Mets dropped their next two against the Astros. One game was a blowout. The Astros scored twice in the top of the ninth to beat the Mets in their last game.

But the Mets had a day off to push aside that series and welcome the Texas Rangers into town tonight. Chris Bassitt gets the start. Over 15 games and 89 2/3 innings he has a 4.01 ERA, 3.93 FIP, 1.149 WHIP and a 101 ERA+. In his last three starts he has pitched 21 1/3 innings with a 2.53 ERA and 2.80 FIP. In that stretch he has allowed six earned runs from 14 hits and three walks while striking out 21. Those run numbers are a bit inflated as three runs came home after he left a game.

Bassitt faced the Rangers four times last year pitching a total of 28 innings allowing only three runs (0.96 ERA) while striking out 22 batters. The Rangers have the following numbers against him:

• Kole Calhoun 4-12, 2 2B, 3 BB, 3 K
• Adolis García 0-11, 4 K
• Nathaniel Lowe 0-9, 3 BB, 4 K
• Nick Solak 1-12, 2B, 5 K
• Eli White 4-10, 2 2B, 3 K
• Jonah Heim 0-6, 2 K
• Corey Seager 0-3, K

The Mets bats will get a look at Glenn Otto. Over nine starts and 42 1/3 innings he has a 5.31 ERA, 5.19 FIP, 1.512 WHIP and a 73 ERA+. His numbers are inflated by two starts. On May 14th he allowed eight runs over four innings. His last time out he allowed six runs over two innings. In between those two starts he allowed seven runs, six earned, over 22 innings which is a 2.45 ERA. There are only two batters on the Mets roster who have seen Otto in a major league are Starling Marte (2-3, 3B) and Mark Canha (0-1, K).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets try to avoid the series and season sweep this afternoon with their last game against the Astros this year. Last night was a night to forget for the Mets – the Astros took an early lead and just kept building it from there.

Taijuan Walker looks to put the Mets back on the right path today. Over 12 games and 65 1/3 innings this season he has a 3.03 ERA, 3.11 FIP, 1.209 WHIP and a 133 ERA+. In his last start he allowed three runs from eight hits and two walks over six innings. Before his last start he allowed only two runs over 12 2/3 innings from eight hits and two walks while striking out 19 batters.

• Jose Altuve 11-29, 3 2B, HR, BB
• Michael Brantley 2-8, 2B, K
• Alex Bregman 3-5, K
• Yuli Gurriel 3-5, 2B, HR
• Kyle Tucker 1-2, 2B
• Martin Maldonado 1-1

The Mets bats will get a look at Justin Verlander today. Over 14 starts and 89 1/3 innings, Verlander has a 2.22 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 0.873 WHIP and a 171 ERA+. I don’t put a lot of stock in wins as a stat except for league leaders. Verlander is currently leading the league with 9 wins. Verlander had a rough start on June 18th where he allowed seven runs, four earned over 3 2/3 innings. In his last start against the Yankees he allowed only one run over seven innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Verlander:

• Francisco Lindor 10-32, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 BB, 4 K
• Eduardo Escobar 2-18, BB, 6 K
• Mark Canha 5-14, 2B, HR, BB, 4 K
• Starling Marte 3-9, 2B, 3B, BB, 2 K
• Ender Inciarte 2-4, 2 K
• James McCann 1-3, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-2, K

Let’s Go Mets!

Last week the Astros became the only team this season to sweep the Mets. Tonight the Mets can take their revenge as they open up home two-game set against Houston.

Carlos Carrasco will make his 15th start of the season today. So far he has pitched 77 1/3 innings with a 4.42 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 1.293 WHIP and a 91 ERA+. He is coming off of a rough start against Houston where he allowed five runs from four hits and two walks over 2 1/3 innings and left early with an injury scare. This was one of the lower points of the Mets season – it seemed like the injury news for the Mets was starting to get insurmountable.

Carrasco avoided a major injury and he’s back to pitch in New York tonight. He has been significantly better at home. In his seven home starts he has a 3.00 ERA and a 1.238 WHIP. In his seven away starts he has a 6.11 ERA and a 1.359 WHIP. The difference – the home run ball. He has allowed only two homers at home but has allowed seven on the road, three of them in Houston during his last start. The Astros have the following numbers against him:

• Jose Altuve 10-27, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Alex Bregman 4-15, HR, 5 K
• Yuli Gurriel 5-13, 2 2B, 3 K
• Michael Brantley 2-5, 2B
• Martin Maldonado 0-3, 2 K
• Yordan Álvarez 2-2, 2 HR

The Mets bats will get a look at Framber Valdez today. Over his first 14 games and 87 innings of work, he has a 2.90 ERA, 3.39 FIP, 1.126 WHIP and a 131 ERA+. He has been a bit more human in his last three starts, tossing a total of 18 innings allowing 10 runs, 8 earned, which translates into a 4.00 ERA. In that stretch he has allowed 14 hits and six walks while striking out 20. Very few Mets have seen him in an official game before:

• Mark Canha 3-9, 2 BB
• Starling Marte 1-8, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 0-1
• James McCann 0-1, K

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets go for the sweep today!

The Mets took a 3-0 lead early against the Marlins. The Marlins were able to tie it with a two-run homer and than later a solo homer. In the 8th inning Pete Alonso hit his second homer of the game to give the Mets lead and eventually the win.

David Peterson gets the start for the Mets today on the Peacock game of the week. Peacock games can only be seen with a subscription service, no matter if you in market or not. Peacock is also the reason why games on the east coast on Sundays have to start 1:35 or later, and can no longer start at 1:05/1:10. Anyway, for me personally, I think having games on Peacock is a terrible way to grow the sport.

Back to the game! Peterson has pitched 10 games, starting eight this season while tossing 45 1/3 innings. He has a 3.18 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.346 WHIP and a 127 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start against the Marlins where he allowed no runs over 5 1/3 innings, scattering six hits and two walks. He also hit a season high for strikeouts (7). The Marlins have the following numbers against Peterson:

• Jon Berti 1-6, K
• Luke Williams 1-4, K
• Jesus Aguilar 1-3
• Garrett Cooper 0-3, K
• Miguel Rojas 2-3
• Jorge Soler 1-3, K
• Jacob Stallings 1-2, BB, K
• Bryan De La Cruz 0-2, 2 K

The Mets bats will get a look at Daniel Castano this afternoon. Over five games, two starts, this season, Castano has pitched 14.0 innings with a 2.57 ERA, 4.19 FIP, 1.571 WHIP and a 164 ERA+. In his career since 2020, he’s pitched in a total of 17 games (12 starts) with 64 innings pitched posting a 3.52 ERA, 4.78 FIP, 1.453 WHIP and a 125 ERA+.

Castano’s last two outings were his only starts of the season. Against the Phillies he did great – no runs over 6 2/3 innings from five hits and 2 walks. Last time out he allowed four runs from seven hits and three walks over 3 1/3 innings against the Rockies. The Mets have the following career numbers against Castano:

• Pete Alonso 1-4, HR, 2 BB
• J.D. Davis 3-5, 2B
• Jeff McNeil 1-4, BB, K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-5, K
• Dominic Smith 2-4, 2B, K
• Francisco Lindor 0-2, K

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets exorcised their demons last night and were able to beat Alcantara a week after he rolled through the Mets. For a while yesterday the Mets and Marlins were locked into a back and forth affair with the Mets taking the lead and the Marlins coming back to tie it. Francisco Lindor broke the game open with the a bases clearing double and the Mets were able to hold onto to the lead from there.

Now the Mets go for the series victory today with Chis Bassitt on the mound. Over 14 games and 82 2/3 innings, Bassitt has a 4.03 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 1.173 WHIP and a 99 ERA+. Bassitt’s line from his last start (6 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 3 earned runs- against the Marlins) doesn’t actually tell the whole story. Bassitt was pulled from the game in the 7th inning with the bases loaded. The pitcher who came in to relieve him promptly gave up a grand slam to a player (Jerar Encarnacion) making his major league debut. All three runs from Bassitt came from that swing. Before that moment, where Bassitt didn’t have direct control of the outcome, he had completed 14 innings of scoreless baseball from his last two starts. Here’s hoping he continues to build on that in Miami today!

The Marlins have the following career numbers against Bassitt:

• Avisail Garcia 0-6
• Jorge Soler 1-5, HR
• Willians Astudillo 0-3
• Jon Berti 0-2, BB, 2 K
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. 1-3, 2 K
• Bryan De La Cruz 1-2, BB, K
• Miguel Rojas 2-3
• Jacob Stallings 1-3, 2 K

The Mets bats get another look at Trevor Rogers! Rogers has made 13 starts and pitched 58 2/3 innings with a 5.83 ERA, 4.89 FIP, 1.619 WHIP and a 71 ERA+. Since May 20th Rogers has made six starts totaling 26 1/3 innings where he has allowed 23 runs from 33 hits and 17 walks. This translates into a 7.52 ERA and 6.20 FIP with hitters slashing .303/.391/.560. His last start was against the Mets where he allowed four runs, three earned, over five innings from five hits and two walks.

The Mets have the following career numbers against Rogers:

• Pete Alonso 0-12, 6 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-10, 2 2B, 2 BB, K
• Jeff McNeil 3-9, 3 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 1-7, K
• Dominic Smith 2-4, 2 BB, 2 K
• Eduardo Escobar 0-4, 2 K
• J.D. Davis 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K
• Mark Canha 0-2, BB, K
• Starling Marte 1-3, K

Let’s Go Mets!