Francisco Alvarez hit the biggest home run of his life Monday night, walking off the Orioles in the first game of the series. Rather than starting this article about how the Mets are trying to snap a two game losing streak, thanks to Alvarez we can talk about how the Mets have won three of their last four games. If the Mets win today they will win their second consecutive series. The Braves had the night off on Monday, with the win the Mets find themselves only 1.5 games behind the Braves.
Jose Quintana has pitched 129 innings over 24 games with a 4.26 ERA, 5.00 FIP, 1.295 WHIP and a 92 ERA+. Quintana is having a rough month of August allowing 12 runs from 14 hits and 10 walks over 15 2/3 innings (6.89 ERA, 5.65 FIP). Opponents are getting on base at a .375 clip. In July Quintana had a 2.05 ERA (4.92 FIP) over five starts and opponents were getting on base at a more reasonable .265 clip. The Orioles have the following career numbers against Quintana:
- Gunnar Henderson 0-3, K
- Eloy Jimenez 1-2
- James McCann 4-21, 2B, 3B, 2 BB, 6 K
- Ryan Mountcastle 2-4, 2B, 2 K
- Cedric Mullins 0-2
- Adley Rutschman 0-2, BB
- Anthony Santander 0-3, BB, 2 K
- Ramón Urías 2-5
Dean Kremer has pitched 90 1/3 innings over 17 starts with a 4.48 ERA, 4.79 FIP, 1.284 WHIP and an 85 ERA+. Kremer is coming off of a good start where he held the Nationals to one run over six innings. In his four starts before that he had a 5.66 ERA (4.37 FIP) allowing 16 runs, 13 earned over 20 2/3 innings. Similar to Quintana, he’s been struggling with runners on base. During his recent tough stretch he allowed 22 hits and walked 11 batters, leading opponent hitters to have a .340 OBP. Mets batters have the following career numbers against Kremer:
- Pete Alonso 0-2
- Francisco Alvarez 0-2, BB
- Harrison Bader 2-2
- Francisco Lindor 2-3, 2B
- Starling Marte 0-2, K
- J.D. Martinez 3-10, 3 2B, 2 BB, K
- Jeff McNeil 0-2
- Brandon Nimmo 0-1, 2 BB
- Luis Torrens 0-2, K
- Mark Vientos 0-2, 2 K
- Jesse Winker 0-3, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Please let J.D. Martinez get hot. Francisco Alvarez was the hero Monday night, but J.D. Martinez got things started for the Mets hitting a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, setting the tone for the Mets. That was his first home run since August 3rd. Since the All-Star break J.D. Martinez has only hit three home runs (compared to nine before the break).
- Strikeouts. For a second straight game Monday night strikeouts were a problem for the Mets. Monday the Mets struck out 14 times, making 26 K’s in their last two games. Four players Monday night struck out two times or more. The Mets are facing a starting pitcher who struggles with hits and walks, their strikeout numbers should be a bellwether on how the night is going.
- Thirty-Thirty loading? Francisco Lindor stole his 25th base of the season last night. He has 24 home runs on the season. He’s still on track for a 30-30 season. This isn’t news, I just want to celebrate this more.
Let’s Go Mets!
