The Mets survived a Vargas start yesterday and escaped with a win! Now they’ll have to push through a Chris Flexen start to string together a couple of wins. Vargas didn’t last incredibly long yesterday, but was able to hold the Cardinals to only 1 run. On the other side of the ball, Cano had a good game with three hits and Pete Alonso reached across the strike zone to defend it with 2-strikes and ended up launching the ball deep into center field.
Vargas only lasting 4 innings is a concern for today with Chris Flexen on the mound who under normal, spot-start circumstances (if there is such a thing) would ask him to go about 4-5 innings. This will put pressure on Syndergaard tomorrow to save the bullpen but we are getting ahead of ourselves.
This is Chris Flexen’s first start of 2019 and the first time we’ll see him in the majors since he lost a good chunk of weight. In Major League Spring Training this year he tossed 2.1 innings over 3 games and allowed only 1 hit while striking out 2. In Syracuse this year he has allowed 7 runs over 12.0 innings from 11 hits (due to 3 homers). As a plus side, his strikeouts are way up, recording 18 in his first two starts. He has never done that. Last year he pitched in 4 games and 6.1 innings allowing 13 runs, 9 earned and in 2017 he pitched in 14 games and 48.0 innings posting a 7.88 ERA. There are only two Cardinals who have seen Flexen before when they were members of other teams. Ozuna is 0-1 with 2 walks and Goldschmidt is 1-3 with a strikeout.
The Mets bats will look to make things easier for Flexen by putting up runs against Miles Mikolas. In his first four starts of the season eh has allowed 15 runs, 14 earned over 21.0 innings leading to a 6.00 ERA, 6.26 FIP, 1.381 WHIP and a 70 ERA+. He is coming off a tremendous year where he went 18-4 over 32 starts and 200.2 innings posting a 2.83 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 1.071 WHIP and a 137 ERA+. The last four stats are amazing considering he led the league in hits allowed at 186 but he only walked 29 batters. He has never faced the Mets but several players on the Mets roster have seen him. The problem is several of them are injured:
- Robinson Cano 1-3
- Yoenis Cespedes 1-3, 2B
- Jed Lowrie 0-2, BB
- Keon Broxton 0-2
- Todd Frazier 1-1, HR
Let’s Go Mets!
