The Mets look to extend their winning streak to four games and get above .500 this afternoon when they take on the Guardians for the first game of a doubleheader. Yesterday’s afternoon game was washed out, which was probably a good thing for the Mets as their bullpen had been overtaxed the last three games. Now we have a doubleheader probable lineup for the ages as Max Scherzer pitches in the afternoon followed by Justin Verlander tonight.
Friday night was another incredibly exciting win for the Mets who were down 3-0 early. Pete Alonso tied the game with a grand slam in the 7th inning. The baby Mets (specifically Álvarez and Baty) had homers as well and eventually the Mets won the game with a walk-off single from Francisco Lindor. The vibes are good!
Max Scherzer has pitched 27 2/3 innings over six games with a 4.88 ERA, 5.65 FIP, 1.301 WHIP and an 86 ERA+. He is coming off of one his better starts this season where he held the Nationals to one run from two hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings. How’s now hit a season high of six strikeouts in three different starts – those have also been his best starts (this is excluding the start against the Dodgers, but he was heading toward at least six K’s before he was ejected). The Guardians have the following career numbers against Max:
- Amed Rosario 5-17, 2B, HR, 8 K
- Josh Bell 5-12, 3 2B, HR, 3 BB, 2 K
- José Ramírez 1-6, 2B, 2 K
- Andrés Giménez 1-4, 3B, 2 K
- Cam Gallagher 1-3, K
- Josh Naylor 1-3
- Mike Zunino 0-3, K
The Mets bats will get a look at rookie Tanner Bibee. In his first four major league starts he has has tossed 22 1/3 innings with a 3.22 ERA, 2.71 FIP, 1.030 WHIP and a 133 ERA+. Bibee had a rough start against the Tigers back on May 8th where he allowed four runs from seven hits and four walks over 3 2/3 innings. He bounced back in a big way against the Angels his time out, holding them to only one run from two hits over 7 2/3 innings while striking out 7 batters.
Three Things To Watch For:
- The Mets are showing power again! Álvarez hit his fifth homer of the year and Baty hit his fourth in the Mets last game. It was also the third time in four games that the Mets hit three homers in the same game – before this streak they were struggling to hit one homer in a game. This now gives the Mets 51 homers on the season, good for 14th in the league (they were sitting at 20th at the start of the week). In the last seven calendar days the Mets have hit 10 homers (all in the last four games), which puts them 6th in the league.
- The Baby Mets. Álvarez, Baty and Vientos have been crucial for the Mets during this current winning streak. Pete Alonso leads the team with 17 homers. Francisco has 6. After that Álvarez is third on the team with five homers and Baty is tied for fourth with four homers. Vientos hit that critical homer in his first game with the Mets. When the kids are playing they are pushing the team forward.
- Bullpen Check: The Mets bullpen probably did not complain that yesterday’s game was cancelled. Five pitchers were used in Friday’s game including Dominic Leone (25 pitches), Drew Smith (19 pitches), Stephen Nogosek (18 pitches), Adam Ottavino (16 pitches) and David Robertson (9 pitches). Nogosek, Ottavino and Robertson have each tossed at least 37 pitches in their last three games. They could use a break!
Let’s Go Mets!
