The Mets and Red Sox play a rubber game tonight after splitting the doubleheader yesterday. The Mets won the first game of the afternoon 5-4, a game that they were leading 4-3 before the rain suspended the game in the fourth inning. The nightcap was a much messier affair for the Mets as Scherzer allowed five runs and the bullpen immediately allowed three runs. The Mets were able to make it close, but couldn’t complete the comeback and lost 6-4.
Carlos Carrasco has pitched 65 2/3 innings this season with a 5.35 ERA, 5.95 FIP, 1.447 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. He’s coming off of a rougher start where he allowed four runs over 4 2/3 innings, in a game where the Mets eventually won 11-10. Before that he pitched an absolute gem, allowing no runs from three hits over eight innings in Arizona. The Red Sox have the following career numbers against him:
- Jorge Alfaro 2-10, 2B, 3 K, BB
- Adam Duvall 2-8, 2B, K
- Justin Turner 1-4, HR, 2 BB
- Rafael Devers 0-3, 2 BB, 4 BB
- Rob Rafsnyder 1-5, K
Alex Cora put the Red Sox in a interesting position yesterday. Today was always going to be a bullpen day for the Red Sox, probably featuring an opener with Pivetta doing the blk of the work after. Pivetta only pitched an inning yesterday, but that’s enough to mean the bullpen is going to need to do a lot more today.
Brennan Bernardino starts things off for the Red Sox. Over 28 games, including three starts, he has pitched 32 2/3 innings with a 2.48 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 1.041 WHIP and a 189 ERA+. As a starter he has pitched 5 1/3 innings allowing only one run from three hits while striking out seven. Two innings is the most he has tossed in any game this season and the most amount of pitches he’s tossed is 36. On “Friday night” (really Saturday) against the Mets he allowed two hits and a run over an inning of work. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:
- Francisco Álvarez 0-1, K
- Mark Canha 0-1
- Mark Vientos 0-2, K
- Brett Baty 1-1
- Pete Alonso 1-1, 2B
Three Things To Watch For:
- Mark Vientos! Mark Vientos finally played! Vientos pinch hit and then stayed in the game afterwards in the first game yesterday, going 1-for-2 at the plate with a strikeout. Then he got to start in the nightcap going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Vientos struggled when he was initially called this season because the Mets did not give him consistent playing time. Collecting three hits yesterday should be enough warrant more playing time but it’s the Mets so who knows.
- Pete Alonso! Alonso needed a good weekend at the plate in the absolute worst way, and he got it. He went 2-for-4 in both games, collecting a double and a triple int he nightcap. If the Mets are going to make a run, they absolutely need Alonso’s bat to heat up.
- The Red Sox Bullpen. The Red Sox used four pitchers in the first game yesterday (Jacques, Bernardino, Bleier, and Martin) and four pitchers in the second game (Winckowski, Pivetta, Garza, and Jansen). The Mets need to take advantage of a tired bullpen this evening.
Let’s Go Mets!
