The 2023 Mets are going to live and die by their starting pitching. Max Scherzer was a late scratch to last night’s start and David Peterson got a surprise return to the rotation. He couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity and the Mets ended up playing another game from behind.
At one point last night the Mets were down 7-1 and they were able to fight back to make it 7-6, the second game in a row where they scored six runs. Between Peterson’s start and some questionable calls (including one that got Showalter ejected) the Mets couldn’t come out on top. Last night was the first time in a while though that the Mets showed fight. They have now lost 12 of their last 15 and are free falling. Can they stop the fall tonight?
Justin Verlander looks to get the Mets back on track. In his Mets debut last week he pitched five innings allowing two runs from five hits and a walk while striking out five. The Mets as a team have had only five quality starts from starting pitchers this year. A Verlander quality start will go a long way for the Mets ball club this evening. The Reds have the following career numbers against Justin:
- Joey Votto 3-5, 3 2B, BB, 2 K
- Curt Casali 0-5, 3 K
- Wil Myers 1-4
- Nick Senzel 0-3, 2 K
The Mets bats will get a look at the flame-thrower of the Reds staff: Hunter Greene. Over seven starts and 33 2/3 innings this season, Greene has a 3.74 ERA, 2.93 FIP, 1.426 WHIP and a 131 ERA+. The big difference between this year and last year is his HR/9 rate. He’s dropped it from 1.7 to 0.8. Now that being said, he’s coming off of his worst start of the season where he allowed five runs from seven hits and a walk including two homers against the White Sox. Greene faced the Mets once last season and allowed six runs from seven hits and a walk. The key to beating Greene in that game? The Mets hit two homers. Anyway the Mets have the following career numbers against Greene:
- Pete Alonso 0-2, BB
- Mark Canha 1-2, 2B
- Eduardo Escobar 0-3, K
- Francisco Lindor 1-2, HR, K
- Starling Marte 0-3, K
- Jeff McNeil 2-3, K
- Brandon Nimmo 2-3, HR
- Daniel Vogelbach 0-2, BB, K
- Tomás Nido 1-2
Three Things To Watch For:
- Álvarez! The Mets top catching prospect had a huge night last night, hitting solo homers twice! He’s now hitting .241/.281/.444 on the season and in his last six games he’s hitting .333/.400/.778. The Mets need every spark they can get right now!
- Work Walks. Hunter Greene has allowed three walks in a game three times this season. Teams have been able to push Greene out of those starts after 3 1/3 innings, 4 2/3 innings and 5 innings. Plus, in this ballpark, runners on the base paths can easily be brought in with a homer.
- Can the Mets get Marte Going? Marte was a hero of last year’s club hitting .292/.347/.468 with a 132 OPS+. This year has been the exact opposite. Over 31 games this season he is hitting .223/.298/.286 with a 65 OPS+. In the month of May he is 6-for-27 and is hitting .222/.250/.472. Last night he was able to get on base twice with two singles. Is this the start of something?
Let’s Go Mets!
