The Mets return to Queens tonight to kick off the second half of the season. Right now the Mets are six games under .500 after dropping the last two against the Padres. They are 18.5 games back in the division and 7.0 games back in the Wild Card. Currently the Marlins, Diamondbacks and Giants have the three wild card spots. In between the Mets and the third spot are the Phillies, Brewers, Padres and Cubs. A good weekend against the Dodgers can put the Mets closer to a buy mode. A terrible weekend can put the Mets closer to a sell mode. There’s a lot at stake – let’s go!
Justin Verlander starts things off for the Mets tonight. Over 12 starts, 70 innings, this season he has a 3.60 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 1.200 WHIP and a 115 ERA+. He’s coming off of a solid start against the Padres where he allowed three runs, two earned, over six innings from five hits. In his last three starts he has allowed four runs total, two earned, over 18 innings (1.00 ERA) despite allowing 15 hits and six walks. The Dodgers have the following career numbers against Verlander:
- Mookie Betts 0-16, 2 BB, 2 K
- David Peralta 2-12, HR, BB, 4 K
- J.D. Martinez 3-6, 2 K
- Trayce Thompson 0-4, 2 BB, K
- Miguel Rojas 1-5
- Austin Barnes 1-3
- Freddie Freeman 0-2
- Max Muncy 0-3, 3 K
The Mets bats draw Julio Urías tonight. Over 12 starts (64 1/3 innings), Urías has a 4.76 ERA, 4.90 FIP, 1.181 WHIP and a 92 ERA+. He is coming off a season where he led league in ERA (2.16) and ERA+ (188). Urías had a solid start before the All-Star break allowing only two runs and three hits over six innings while striking out eight. Before that he allowed 11 runs over six innings across two starts. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:
- Tommy Pham 3-12, 2B, HR, BB, 4 K
- Starling Marte 3-12, HR, 4 K
- Brandon Nimmo 1-6, K
- Pete Alonso 1-6, K
- Mark Canha 1-2, 2 BB
- Francisco Lindor 1-2, BB
- Luis Guillorme 0-2
- Omar Narváez 0-2
- Daniel Vogelbach 0-2, 2 K
- Jeff McNeil 0-1, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Tommy Pham’s health. Tommy Pham has been one of hottest hitters in the Mets lineup recently. He tweaked his groin before the All-Star break. Tests came back negative and because of the break he was able to get several days off in a row. The Mets don’t want to do anything though that could turn a non-serious injury into a very serious one. If he plays tonight, we’ll be looking to see what, if any, aspects of his game are impacted.
- What does Francisco Álvarez do in the second half? Álvarez had a terrific first half of the season smacking 17 homers in 66 games. If he gets to 32 by the end of the season, he would start to break into the top 25 single-season homers by a New York Met. Currently 32 homers in the season is a three way tie between Gary Carter, Ike Davis and Robin Ventura). It’s also worth noting that Francisco Lindor is on pace this season to join this list!
- Francisco Lindor Appreciation Time, again. Francisco Lindor, the most notable All-Star snub on the Mets, has been putting up amazing numbers this season. If you haven’t recently, check out his Baseball Savant page. He’s in top half of every category except for two (xBA where he’s exactly at the 50th percentile and Arm Strength). His spray chart shows power in all directions. He’s having a phenomenal season and the Mets will need him to come out strong in the second half.
Let’s Go Mets!
