The Mets survived Miami! The sole holders of the third wild card in the National League by 0.5 games play their cross-town rivals who are the sole holders of the top wild card seed in the American League. The Mets just need to keep the momentum going. They were able to do it June as the soaring Mets swept the Yankees in a two game set.
Jose Quintana finally returns to the rotation after a brief bout with fever that sidelined him coming out of the All-Star break. Over 102 1/3 innings, 19 starts, Quintana has a 4.13 ERA, 4.99 FIP, 1.261 WHIP and a 94 ERA+. From June 15th to July 9th Quintana went on a series run pitching 30 1/3 innings with a 0.89 ERA, 3.51 FIP, striking out 27 batters. Things caught up to him in his last start against the Rockies where he allowed five runs from six hits and a walk over 5 2/3 innings. The Yankees have the following numbers against Quintana:
- J.D. Davis 1-3
- Trent Grisham 1-3, HR
- Jahmai Jones 0-1
- Aaron Judge 2-6, 2B, BB
- DJ LeMahieu 1-10, 3 BB, K
- Juan Soto 1-7, 2 BB, 2 K
- Gleyber Torres 3-6, 2B
- Anthony Volpe 1-2, BB
The Yankess will have their breakout pitcher Luis Gil start the two-game set. In a cosmic coincidence, just like Jose Quintana, Gil has also tossed 102 1/3 innings over 19 starts. He has a 3.17 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.085 WHIP and a 130 ERA+. He is currently leading the league in H/9 at 5.5 and total walks with 49. He’s looked good in his last two starts allowing only two runs from nine hits and a walk over 12 2/3 innings. Before that he had a three game stretch where he allowed 16 runs over 9 2/3 innings which includes a start against the Mets where the Mets got him for five runs over 4 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:
- Pete Alonso 0-2, BB
- Francisco Alvarez 1-1, HR, BB
- Harrison Bader 0-2
- Francisco Lindor 2-3, 2 2B
- J.D. Martinez 2-4
- Jeff McNeil 0-2
- Brandon Nimmo 0-1, 2 BB
- DJ Stewart 0-2
- Tyrone Taylor 0-1
- Mark Vientos 0-2, 2 K
Three Things To Watch For:
- I’m walking here! During the three game stretch that Luis Gil struggled, he allowed nine walks. The Mets are currently 9th in MLB with 325 walks. The Mets lineup looks the best when they are working counts. This is the bellwether what to watch for tonight for tone setting.
- The conductors of both teams. Francisco Lindor reminded everyone on Monday night why he is the leader of the Mets. He had a huge night with two homeruns, keeping him on base for another 30-30 season. On the other side of the diamond, the Yankees essentially live and die with how Aaron Judge and Juan Soto perform. Both teams need their stars tonight.
- Welcome to New York. I can’t hear Taylor Swift’s hit without thinking of Jeff McNeil. McNeil hit his third home run of the first half on Monday night. He only had five home runs in the first half. He looks much more like himself in the last few games. The return of a vintage Jeff McNeil really pushes the entire lineup to another level.
Let’s Go Mets!
