The Mets look to snap their three game losing streak as they welcome the Oakland Athletics to Citi Field tonight. The Mets are coming off of an intense road trip that had them in Anaheim, St. Louis, Denver and Seattle with no days off. They got a much needed physical and mental break on Monday and now head into this series fresh.
The Mets are one full game behind the Braves for the last wild card spot. The Diamondbacks and Padres are each five games ahead of the Mets. This is a huge two weeks for the Mets with a homestand followed by a west coast trip to San Diego and Arizona.
Paul Blackburn has been solid for the Mets. Over his first two starts he has allowed three runs, two earned, over 12 innings scattering 11 hits while striking out 12 (small sample size 1.50 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 1.250 WHIP and a 271 ERA+). Overall this season he has a 3.86 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 1.175 WHIP and a 105 ERA+. Blackburn made his major league debut with the Athletics and has only played with the Athletics until he was traded to the Mets, so this will be his first time facing his original team. The only member of the Athletics roster to face him in a major league game is Abraham Toro (3-for-7, 3B, K).
Joe Boyle will be getting the start for the Athletics this evening. Over seven starts he has tossed 27 2/3 innings with a 7.16 ERA, 5.09 FIP, 1.735 WHIP and a 57 ERA+. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 5th, when he allowed four runs on a hit and three walks in one inning. In Las Vegas this season he has a 5.63 ERA over 38 1/3 innings (12 games, 11 starts).
Three Things To Watch For:
- Runners In Scoring Position. The Mets hitting with RISP is the key metric to see if the Mets are breaking out of their collective funk. On Sunday night they collectively went 0-for-8 with RISP, which was an improvement from Saturday where they didn’t even get a runner in scoring position. All it takes is one good rally and albatross will evaporate.
- Francisco Lindor. Lindor is carrying the club right now. He had his second consecutive two-hit game on Sunday, hitting his 29th double of the season. Since August 3rd he has gone 13-for-39 at the plate with two doubles slashing .333/.366/.385. He’s only scored four times, which is indicative of everything else going on with the club right now.
- Pete Alonso. The start of the Mets road trip looked pretty good for Alonso who went 8-for-25 with three homers and five walks (.320/.452/.680). The only alarm bell was 11 strikeouts. Alonso had a series to forget in Seattle going 0-for-11 with a walk and six strikeouts. Let’s hope vintage Pete comes back at home!
Let’s Go Mets!
