The Mets try to salvage a game from a four game set with the Braves tonight on national television. It was a tough day in Queens yesterday as the Mets lost the first game 21-3 and then lost the nightcap 6-0. In the first game just about everything went wrong for the Mets. In the second game they got a solid start from Quintana but the bats couldn’t come through. Then the bullpen self-destructed late making the game impossible for the Mets. The Mets are now half a game out of last place in the NL East.
Kodai Senga has been one of the few bright spots this season for the Mets. Over 21 starts (116 2/3 innings) Senga has a 3.24 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 1.303 WHIP and a 129 ERA+. In his last six starts (35 innings) he has a 2.57 ERA and 2.78 FIP. The key change for Senga over the last two months compared to his first two months has been better control and keeping the ball in the park. In his last eight starts he has allowed only two homers, he had nine homers in the 13 starts before that. His walks have also taken a dramatic drop. This will be Senga’s first start against the Braves.
The Mets bats, who have struggled a lot this weekend, will look to get things going tonight against Yonny Chirinos. Yonny was picked up on waivers by the Braves towards the end of July. Overall in 2023 he has pitched in 18 games making seven starts totaling 76 1/3 innings with a 4.83 ERA, 5.60 FIP, 1.323 WHIP and an 87 ERA+. His three starts as a Brave have been a bit uglier allowing 13 runs runs from 19 hits over 13 2/3 innings, leading to an 8.56 ERA, 6.04 FIP, 1.683 WHIP and a 54 ERA+. The Mets have the following career numbers against Yonny:
- Omar Narváez 1-4, K
- Francisco Lindor 0-2
- Brandon Nimmo 0-2
- Daniel Vogelbach 0-2
- DJ Stewart 0-1, BB
- Pete Alonso 1-2, HR
- Francisco Álvarez 0-2, K
- Jeff McNeil 1-2
Three Things To Watch For:
- Nimmo and Lindor played last night! Lindor and Nimmo have both been dealing with injuries this weekend. Lindor sat on Friday and the first game on Saturday. Nimmo was taken out of the game Friday night which force Jeff McNeil to play a bit of centerfield. Last night Lindor went 0-for-4 at the plate while Nimmo went 2-for-2 with two walks. The Mets lineup is definitely rough right now, but without Nimmo and Lindor the lineup looks like a spring training split-squad lineup.
- Daniel Vogelbach responded to the boos. After a terrible Friday night where Vogelbach went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts, Vogelbach responded with three hits over the two games, including a three-run homer which is responsible for the only runs the Mets have scored all weekend.
- Ozzie Albies. Ozzie had a pretty fantastic day at the plate yesterday. After the game he was quoted saying, “a lot of pleasure, of course, because they always say they’re going to beat us. That’s all I can say. I won’t say much” when asked how much pleasure the Braves take in beating the Mets. It’s been a long time since the Mets have said anything like this, especially with how the Mets are right now. This is the type of quote that could live beyond this season.
Let’s Go Mets!
