In order to reclaim first place today – the Mets need to win two! With a 5-1 win this afternoon, now all the Mets need to do is win the nightcap and they’ll be back in sole possession of first place.
With that in mind, the Mets need their ace today! Jacob deGrom takes the mound for his seventh start of the season. Over his first six starts he’s pitched 36 1/3 innings, posting a 1.98 ERA, 1.41 FIP, 0.550 WHIP and a 198 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed two runs over 13 innings from six hits and two walks while striking out 18. His last start was his first one this season finishing seven innings and it came against the best team in baseball – the Dodgers.
Jacob’s season ended due to injury last year right before the Mets faced the Pirates for back to back series. The Pirates have the following career stats against him:
- Josh VanMeter 0-5, 3 K
- Ben Gamel 1-3, K
- Tucupita Marcano 0-3, K
- Tyler Heineman 1-1, 2B
Johan Oviedo gets the start for the Pirates tonight. He’s pitched 15 games this season, mostly with the Cardinals and has made two starts. Overall he’s logged 28 1/3 innings with a 2.86 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 1.341 WHIP and a 138 ERA+. His last outing was his first in the majors in the last month. On September 2nd he logged three scoreless innings, scattering two hits and three walks while striking out four. He did reach 77 pitches. The only other time he got close to that was June 4th, his first start of the season, where he threw 103 pitches over five innings allowing three runs from eight hits and three walks. The Mets have the following career numbers against Oveido:
- Tyler Naquin 1-5, 2B, BB, K
- Daniel Vogelbach 1-6, K
- Eduardo Escobar 0-3
- Pete Alonso 0-1, K
- Jeff McNeil 0-2
- Tomás Nido 2-2, HR
Let’s Go Mets!
