The Mets got the job done last night and frankly looked like the team they were projected to be at the start of the season. Justin Verlander looked great and gave the Mets six strong innings. Pete Alonso hit two homers. The bullpen made things interesting but held it together. Even with the win the Mets are six games below .500 and still seven games out of the wild card.
The Mets got a big scare late in the game last night as Francisco Álvarez took a pitch to his hand. Buck Showalter said after the game there was “some concern” but X-rays came back negative. Álvarez later in the evening said there was no concern and basically said he was fine.
José Quintana looks to build on his positive Mets debut as the Mets look to sweep the two game series from the Yankees. In his first start he pitched five innings allowing two runs from six hits and no walks. He was able to toss 77 pitches, 53 of them for strikes. He held the Yankees to one run from six hits and no walks over five innings last season. The Yankees have the following career numbers against Quintana:
- Anthony Rizzo 3-12, 2 2B, 2 K
- DJ LeMahieu 1-9, BB
- Isaiah Kiner-Falefa 1-8, 2B, 2 K, BB
- Harrison Bader, 1-6, 2 K, BB
- Gleyber Torres 2-3, 2B
- Giancarlo Stanton 0-2, K
- Greg Allen 1-1, BB
- Jake Bauers 1-1
The Mets bats look to continue their offensive outbreak tonight against Carlos Rodón, who has had a tough start to his Yankee career. Over his first three starts as a Yankee, he’s allowed 12 earned runs over 14 2/3 innings leading to a 7.36 ERA, 7.17 FIP. The damage has come from hits (12), walks (9) and homers (4). Rodón had a solid start against the Mets last season where he held the Mets to three hits and no runs over five innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:
- Francisco Lindor 10-34, 3 2B, 2 HR, 4 K, 2 BB
- Tommy Pham 1-4, 3 K, 2 BB
- Mark Canha 2-9, 2 HR, 2 K
- Daniel Vogelbach 0-2, BB
- Brandon Nimmo 1-2, K, BB
- Pete Alonso 1-2, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Tommy Pham. Originally Tommy Pham was supposed to get the start yesterday. That was announced plan on Sunday. But Pham didn’t feel fully ready to go yet before the game and wanted one more day to rest his groin. As we get closer to the trade deadline, Pham being out of the lineup starts to shift from “is he feeling ok?” to “is this a hug watch situation?”.
- Pete Alonso. Alonso hit his 27th and 28th homer of the season last night. He had been in the midst of one of the deepest slumps of his career but has shown a lot of life in his last four games. He’s gone 8-for-15 in that stretch with two doubles, a triple and two homers. In his last four he’s hitting .533/.588/1.200. If the Mets are going to make a miracle run for the Wild Card, they’re going to need Pete Alonso.
- Francisco Lindor. It’s going to take more than Pete Alonso on a hot streak to save the Mets. The Mets need Francisco Lindor to get hot too. Lindor went 3-for-5 last night with a double, scored three runs and stole two bases. He has now stolen four bases in his last four games and has a hit in his last three games.
Let’s Go Mets!
