Atlanta cooled down the Mets run this week and the dream of sneaking into the playoffs is just about over. The Mets enter play tonight seven games out and really need to put together a winning streak to make something happen. With the Angels, winners of three games in their last seven, coming to town tonight, who knows?
Kodai Senga gets the start tonight for the Mets. Over 23 games, 129 2/3 innings pitched, Senga has a 3.19 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.249 WHIP and a 130 ERA+. Senga is coming off of a strong start where he allowed one run from two hits over seven innings. Since the start of July (eight starts), Senga has a 2.63 ERA and 2.93 FIP, striking out 53 batters over 48 innings.
The Mets bats will get a look at Patrick Sandoval this evening. Over 22 starts, 117 innings, he has a 4.08 ERA, 4.03 FIP, 1.453 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. His last two starts have been a bit of a mess, allowing 11 runs total, only six earned, over 7 1/3 innings from 11 hits and nine walks. If there’s one thing the Mets are good at, it’s working a walk, so we’ll see what happens tonight. The Mets have the following career numbers against Sandoval:
- Francisco Lindor 0-3, 2 K, 2 BB
- Pete Alonso 0-2, K, BB
- DJ Stewart 0-2, 2 K
- Brandon Nimmo 1-3, K
- Jeff McNeil 3-3
Three Things To Watch For:
- Shohei Ohtani. The Angels revealed this week that the greatest baseball player on the planet right now has a UCL tear and will not be pitching for the rest of the season. Whether he gets surgery or not is unclear as of writing, and reports yesterday said the he would continue to DH this weekend. In 2018 Ohtani hit played after announcing a UCL tear and had two homers. All of the Ohtani injury news exists with talk of his impending free agency, one that the Mets are expected to participate in. Do the Mets do anything special tonight to try give off a strong impression?
- Not Mike Trout. You probably already know the joke. Mike Trout does something amazing, Shohei Ohtani does something that hasn’t been done in 50+ years, and the Angels lose the ball game. The Angels have two generational talents on their team. I know I’ve sought out Angels tickets in the past when they come to the East Coast to Jersey’s own Mike Trout. Trout was on the injured list from July 4th through August 22nd. He was activated on the 23rd and ended up back on the injured list yesterday. Just brutal for everyone involved, we hope he gets better soon!
- Old Friends. The Mets are going to see a few old friends tonight. Former Mets Dominic Leone, Aaron Loup, Brandon Drury, and Eduardo Escobar are all on the roster for the Angels. Since being traded to the Angels, Escobar is hitting .224/.270/.308 with a 57 OPS+. compared to his .236/.286/.409, 90 OPS+ with the Mets. Leone has gone from a 95 ERA+ to a 97 ERA+.
Let’s Go Mets!
