The Mets have had a rough two days. The offense went silent against, arguably, the worst team in baseball. The Braves won both days the Mets lost, shrinking the Mets lead to only one game. However, the Mets have been here before. Multiple times this season the Braves have gotten really close to the lead. All it takes another Mets streak to get some breathing room again. The first step to that is a win – and that’s exactly what the Mets and Taijuan Walker hope to do in Pittsburgh this afternoon.
Walker has made 23 starts this season, tossing 122 2/3 innings with a 3.45 ERA, 3.73 FIP, 1.215 WHIP and a 113 ERA+. Since coming back from his injury, he has allowed five runs over 10 1/3 innings from nine hits and five walks. Frustratingly, the Mets have lost those games by a combined three runs because the Mets offense only scored a total of five runs in those starts.
Tonight is also a bit of a revenge game for Walker. Last season Walker faced the Pirates on back to back starts, with the All-Star game between them. In the first start he allowed two runs over five innings from four hits and three walks. The second start foreshadowed his second half struggles. He was tagged for six runs, five earned, from four hits and four walks (plus some weird plays) while only recording one out. The Pirates have the following career numbers against Walker:
- Bryan Reynolds 1-4
- JT Brubaker 0-1, 2 BB
- BenGamel 1-1, 2 BB
- Ke’Bryan Hayes 0-3, K
- Tucupita Marcano 0-3
- Kevin Newman 1-2, BB
The Mets bats will try to break out of their funk today against Mitch Keller. Over 25 games, 23 starts, and 124 innings of work, Keller has a 4.43 ERA, 3.93 FIP, 1.460 WHIP and a 94 ERA+. Keller is coming off of a good start against the Brewers where he held them to two runs from four hits and two walks over six innings while striking out 10. In his previous three starts before that he allowed 15 runs, nine earned, over 11 innings from 17 hits and 6 walks (7.36 ERA, 4.57 FIP).
Keller didn’t pitch in the major leagues last year from mid-June to the end of July – so he missed the Pirates and Mets back to back series. The Mets have the following career numbers against Keller:
- Tyler Naquin 3-8, 3 2B, 4 K
- Francisco Lindor 0-0, 3 BB
- Starling Marte 0-2, K
- Darin Ruf 0-2, K
Let’s Go Mets!
