Game Preview: Padres vs Mets

The Mets try to stop a three game slide and will try to avoid being swept tonight as they take on the Padres for ESPN Sunday night baseball.

The Mets offense is mired in a team wide slump. Despite collecting eight hits and three walks last night, the Mets could only push one run across the plate. The Mets pitching has been excellent – hopefully the bats will come around.

The Mets bats will have probably their toughest assignment of the series this evening as they take on Joe Musgrove. Over 16 starts and 104 innings pitched, Musgrove has a 2.42 ERA, 3.09 FIP, 0.971 WHIP and a 157 ERA+. Musgrove has hit a few bumps in his last couple of starts. Last time out he allowed five runs from nine hits in five innings against the Rockies. Back on June 23rd he allowed six runs from from seven hits against the Phillies. (Between those two starts he allowed three runs over 14 innings). He also allowed five homers between June 16th and June 30th (and only four homers across all other starts). The Mets have the following numbers against Musgrove:

Francisco Lindor 5-14, 2 2B, 2 HR, BB, 6 K
Daniel Vogelbach 0-7, BB, 4 K
Eduardo Escobar 2-8, HR, 2 K
Starling Marte 2-6
Jeff McNeil 1-5, 2B, K
Pete Alonso 2-6, 2 K
Luis Guillorme 2-5, K
Michael Perez 0-4, BB, 2 K
Travis Jankowski 1-3, BB
Brandon Nimmo 0-3

Carlos Carrasco will make his first start of the second half this evening. Over his first 18 starts and 99 innings he has a 4.27 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 1.333 WHIP and a 93 ERA+. Over his last three starts he has allowed only three runs over 17 1/3 innings from 18 hits and five walks while striking out 19 batters. This translates into a 1.56 ERA and 2.54 FIP.

Against the Padres earlier this season Carrasco allowed only two runs from five hits over seven innings. That was the only start this season where he reached ten strikeouts. The Padres have the following numbers against him: