The Mets started off the season 0-5, they’re now 5-7.
The Mets have won five of their last seven games and just wrapped up a 4-2 road trip. On Thursday the Mets trounced the Braves 16-4, a win that reduced the Mets season run differential deficit to just -1 runs. Now the Mets welcome another AL Central team to Queens – the Kansas City Royals. The Royals are off to a strong start this season with a 9-4 record and have won eight of their last ten games.
Luis Severino will make his third start of the season today. Over his first two starts he has allowed eight runs, four earned, from 14 hits over 10 innings while striking out 13 batters. Severino’s second start was way better than his first start. In hitter friendly Great American Ballpark last weekend Severino held the Reds to only three hits and one earned run. Severino faced the Royals once last season and allowed three runs from eight hits over 5 2/3 innings. The Royals have the following career numbers against Severino:
- Dairon Blanco 0-2
- Freddy Fermín 1-2, 2B
- Adam Frazier 3-4, HR
- Maikel Garcia 1-3, K
- Kyle Isbel 1-2
- MJ Melendez 1-3, 2B
- Salvador Pérez 3-13, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
- Hunter Renfroe 0-3
- Bobby Witt Jr. 2-3
The Mets bats will face an old friend tonight in Michael Wacha. Wacha pitched for the Mets back in the shortened 2020 season where he pitched 34 innings over eight games with a 6.62 ERA, 5.25 FIP, 1.559 WHIP and a 65 ERA+. Since then he has pitched with the Rays, Red Sox and Padres and is now on a two-year contract with the Royals. Last season over 24 starts and 134 1/3 innings, Wacha had a 3.22 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 1.161 WHIP and a 128 ERA+. Over his first two starts this season he has allowed three runs from five hits over 12 innings of work. The Mets have the following career numbers against Wacha:
- Pete Alonso 2-3, HR
- Harrison Bader 3-8, 2 K
- Starling Marte 9-37, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 9 K
- Jeff McNeil 0-2
- Omar Narváez 0-2
- DJ Stewart 3-9, HR, BB, K
- Tyrone Taylor 0-2
- Joey Wendle 1-4, HR
Three Things To Watch For:
- Is DJ Stewart finally heating up? Stewart went 0-for-10 over his first five games this season, while he did work four walks, he struck out six times and showed none of the power he had last year. In his last three games he has hit two home runs, his only hits of the season, but they’ve been home runs! We should know by the end of the weekend if this was a blip or the start of a streak.
- Can the bats carry over Thursday’s performance? Collecting hits has been a problem for the Mets. They collectively had 16 hits on Thursday and went 7-for-13 with runners in scoring position. On Tuesday the Mets went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. This is the stat I’m paying attention to the most right now. If the Mets can keep hitting with runners in scoring position, they are going to rack up wins.
- Francisco Lindor. Lindor has gotten off to a cold start this season, which has led to some vile vitriol online. He’s also had some breakout days throughout the road trip and has showed the Lindor we know is right around the corner. Steve Cohen cosigned the idea of lifting Lindor up tonight with a standing ovation during his first plate appearance tonight.
Let’s Go Mets!
