The Mets will try to get back to .500 this afternoon as they take on the Royals for game two of their three game set. The Mets started the season 0-5 and since have gone 6-2. The final piece that has fallen into place for the Mets the last two games has been hitting. The Mets have now collected 30 hits and are playing energy again.
On Friday night the Mets stopped a Royals team on a seven game winning streak that was near the top of the league in both pitching and power hitting. If the Mets keep the vibes going today it will be their third consecutive series win.
Sean Manaea has looked tremendous this season allowing one run from four hits over 11 innings so far spread over two starts. He’s walked four batters and has struck out 14. Manaea faced the Royals almost a year ago and held them to one run on three hits over six innings while striking out eight batters. The Royals have the following career numbers against him:
- Adam Frazier 0-3, K
- Garrett Hampson 2-6, 2 K
- Kyle Isbel 0-2, K
- MJ Melendez 1-3, 2B, K
- Vinnie Pasquantino 0-2, K
- Salvador Pérez 4-13, 2 HR, 2 K
- Hunter Renfroe 2-6, BB, K
- Bobby Witt Jr. 1-6, HR, 3 K
The Mets bats look to keep the hit parade going this afternoon against Alec Marsh. Over two starts and 11 2/3 innings this season Marsh has allowed four runs from 10 hits while striking out eight batters. Last season he got into 17 games including eight starts totaling 74 1/3 innings with a 5.69 ERA, 5.70 FIP, 1.561 WHIP and a 78 ERA+. He had one inning of relief against the Mets where he allowed a walk and nothing else. The Mets have limited exposure to Marsh in major league games:
- Pete Alonso 0-1
- Francisco Alvarez 0-1, K
- Francisco Lindor 0-0, BB
- Jeff McNeil 0-1
Three Things To Watch For:
- Length from starters. The Mets are still looking for a starter pitcher to go deep into a game. While the bullpen is still pretty rested from the rainout on Wednesday and the rout on Thursday, consecutive days of the Mets starter going only five innings will build stress on the bullpen quickly. Sean Manaea has gone six and five innings this year tossing 88 and 92 pitches respectively.
- Three to the dome. Brett Baty has been on fire recently with the bat and the glove. In his last seven games (since April 5th) he has gone 12-for-31 at the plate. In his last four games he has gone 7-for-18. Overall he has four multi-hit games since the Mets started to win games. Last night he broke out Melo’s “three to the dome” celebration after a hit, and that’s good example of what’s been different about Baty this season. Baty is having fun on the field, he’s bringing the energy and has made the team fun to watch.
- Harrison Bader’s bat! You already know about Harrison Bader’s glove. His defense is so good that most seasons his play in the field covers for negative performances at the plate. He’s had three consecutive multi-hit games and has cored five runs over that stretch. While he’s still looking for an extra-base hit, this tear he’s on is fueling the Mets.
Let’s Go Mets!
