The Mets are heading to Ohio looking to get a fresh start. Last week was fairly terrible for the Amazin’s. Last week the Mets split a doubleheader with the Braves, then got swept by the Tigers and finally lost a series with the Rockies. Just an awful week.
Winning games makes all of the frustration from the last couple of weeks melt away and that’s what the Mets will try to do today as they take on the Reds!
Max Scherzer needs a good start in the worst way. Last Wednesday he made his return from a foreign substance suspension that was delayed a bit from rainy weather in Queens and later in Detroit. In his first five games he has a 5.56 ERA, 6.35 FIP, 1.412 WHIP and a 77 ERA+ over 22 2/3 innings. He’s now in the 19th percentile for exit velocity, 38th for hard hit percentage and 8th for barrel percentage. In other words, if it feels like teams are hitting Scherzer hard this year – they are. Scherzer shutout the Reds over six innings in his one start against them last season. The Reds have the following numbers against Max:
- Wil Myers 7-25, 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, BB, 14 K
- Joey Votto 5-20, 2 2B, 5 BB, 7 K
- Jonathan India 1-8, 2B, BB, 3 K
- Nick Senzel 0-6, 4 K
- Tyler Stephenson 0-3, 2 K
The Mets bats look to find some consistency as they take on Luke Weaver. In three starts this season, Weaver has a 7.88 ERA, 6.35 FIP, 1.688 WHIP and a 64 ERA+ over 16 innings. He’s allowed at least four runs in each start this season. His last start was the shortest of the season, 4 1/3 innings, where he allowed four runs from nine hits and two walks. On the positive side, it was the first start this season where he didn’t allow any homers (the Pirates and Rangers hit a total of five against Luke in his first two games). The Mets have the following career numbers against him:
- Starling Marte 5-12, 2B, BB, K
- Tommy Pham 2-6, 2B, 2 K
- Mark Canha 0-2, K
- Tomás Nido 0-2, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Steve Gelbs on the call! Steve Gelbs is going to do the play-by-play call this series for SNY! Gary Cohen is getting the series off so Gelbs will get the opportunity to call a regular season game for the first time in his career. Over under 1.5 conversations this week about Skyline Chili?
- Quality Starts Please. The Mets starting pitching has been the major weak point for the club over the first 35 games this season. The Mets constantly find themselves playing from behind and with starting pitchers making early exits. In the first 35 games this year the Mets as a staff have tossed only five quality starts (Senga has two, Lucchesi, Megill and Scherzer each has one). This puts extra pressure on everyone and eventually things start to break. We saw that on Sunday as the Mets bullpen, working overdrive so far, pretty much fell apart against the Rockies.
- Jeff McHits Is Back! Jeff McNeil had a terrific day at the plate on Sunday going 3-for-5 with a run scored. He broke an 0-for-10 slump. from his previous four games. Hopefully McNeil can build off Sunday’s game tonight in Cincinnati!
Let’s Go Mets!
