Game Preview: Mets @ Marlins

The Mets face a challenge they have surmounted few times in the last couple of seasons. It’s their Everest. Their albatross. The most difficult type of game for them ever – a Sunday, day game, rubber game. Last night the Mets beat the Marlins 4-2 thanks to a strong start from Noah Syndergaard and Robinson Cano‘s first homer with a runner on all season (did we win the Cano trade yet?).

Today the Mets will try to score runs for Jacob deGrom. Not only is today a Sunday, day game, rubber game, it’s a deGrom start! Jacob has tossed 7 quality starts in a row yet the Mets as a team are 1-6 in those starts. Amazin’. Jacob is 4-7 over 18 stars and 110.0 innings with a 3.27 ERA, 3.14 FIP, 1.091 WHIP and 124 ERA+. In his last 9 starts he has tossed 58.0 innings with a 2.64 ERA while holding batters to getting on base at a .263 clip. He faced the Marlins in back to back starts in May with very different results. In the first start he allowed 1 run over 7.0 innings (close to his April outing against the fish – 7.0 innings of shutout ball). He then allowed 7 runs, 6 earned on 9 hits over 5.0 innings. The Marlins have the followings stats against deGrom:

Starlin Castro 10-32, 2B, 2 BB, 4 K
Miguel Rojas 5-26, 3 BB, 3 K
Brian Anderson 6-19, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
Neil Walker 3-18, BB, 4 K
Martin Prado 3-13, 2B, BB, 5 K
Garrett Cooper 2-6, BB, 3 K
JT Riddle 1-6, 5 K

The Marlins send out their 2019 All-Star, Sandy Alcantara for the rubber game. He is 4-8 over 17 starts and 101.1 innings with a 3.82 ERA, 4.61 FIP, 1.401 WHIP and 107 ERA+. He faced the Mets in back to back starts in May and like deGrom, they were very different starts. In the first start he allowed 4 runs from 8 hits and 2 walks in 5.2 innings in a game the Mets would win 4-1. He then pitched a complete game shutout against the Mets, holding the Mets bats to just 2 hits and a walk. The Mets have the following stats against Sandy: