Second half baseball baby!
The Mets enter the 2nd half of the year holding onto first place in the division! The Mets survived a first half filled with injuries, players stepping up, improbable wins and surprise cancellations. The season has been a roller coaster and defined by a team that genuinely likes each other and has fun on the field.
On a smaller scale – the Mets return exactly where they left off, playing the Pirates! The Mets and Pirates split a four game series before the All-Star break with the Mets having one of their worst losses of the season last Sunday.
Marcus Stroman will start the Mets revenge tour against the Pirates. In 18 starts and 98.1 innings this season, Stroman has a 2.75 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 1.119 WHIP and a 142 ERA+. His last three starts have been rough – allowing 12 runs, 8 earned, from 16 hits and 4 walks over 13.0 innings. This includes a start against Pittsburgh where he allowed 3 runs over 5.0 innings from 5 hits, including a homer from the opposing starting pitcher. The Pirates have the following numbers against him:
- Bryan Reynolds 4-5, 2B
- John Nogowski 1-2, 2B, K
- Michael Perez 3-5, 2B, BB
- Ben Gamel 4-10, 2B, BB, 2 K
- Adam Frazier 4-10
- Cole Tucker 0-2
- Jacob Stallings 0-2
- Wilmer Difo 0-2
- Kevin Newman 0-2
The Mets bats will kick off the second half against Chad Kuhl. Over 11 starts and 51.1 innings this year Chad has a 4.73 ERA, 5.35 FIP, 1.364 WHIP and an 87 ERA+. Chad missed the Mets before the All-Star break and is making his first start since July 6th where he allowed 1 run over 6.0 innings from 4 hits and no walks against the Braves. In his last four starts he has a 2.42 ERA over 22.1 innings allowing exactly one run in three of those four starts. The Mets have the following numbers against him:
- Jose Peraza 4-10, 2 BB, K
- James McCann 1-4, BB
- Kevin Pillar 0-1, BB
- Jonathan Villar 2-11, BB, 4 K
- Michael Conforto 0-4, BB, K
- Billy McKinney 0-2
- Dominic Smith 0-2, 2 K
Let’s Go Mets!
