Despite everything that has transpired in the last week, the Mets still have the chance to clinch a spot in the post season today. With the Braves winning yesterday and the Diamondbacks losing, the Braves just have to win a game and be in. The Mets are in with a win and a Diamondbacks loss. There are also scenarios where the Mets have to play the Braves tomorrow where the games do not mean anything to the Braves. All the Mets need to do is win (actually, they could lose and still make the playoffs tomorrow, but that’s another story). The Mets are the same team that took three of four from the Phillies last weekend in Citi Field. They went 8-1 without Lindor down the stretch. Now they need to find that fight and rhythm back.
David Peterson looks to do that on the mound this afternoon for the Mets. Over 114 innings Peterson has a 3.08 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.333 WHIP and a 128 ERA+ (all career bests except for the WHIP). Peterson has been on / off throughout the month of September. When he’s on, he’s allowed two runs over 13 2/3 innings against the Red Sox and the Phillies. When he’s been off he’s allowed 10 runs, eight earned, over eight innings against the Blue Jays and the Phillies. The Brewers have the following numbers against Peterson:
- Willy Adames 2-7, 2B, 6 BB, 2 K
- William Contreras 2-7, BB, K
- Rhys Hoskins 7-16, 3 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 K
- Andruw Monasterio 1-2
- Blake Perkins 0-3, K
- Gary Sánchez 1-4, 2B, BB, K
Colin Rea has pitched 162 innings with a 4.17 ERA, 4.72 FIP, 1.228 WHIP and a 101 ERA+. The Brewers have been bouncing Rea a bit this past month between starting an pitching in relief. Since August 4th he has pitched in seven games (five starts) with a 7.43 ERA and a 6.09 FIP. His season got off to a strong start against the Mets where he held them to one run over five innings, scattering five hits. The Mets have the following career numbers against Rea:
- Pete Alonso 2-6
- Francisco Alvarez 1-3, 2B, BB
- Harrison Bader 0-1
- Francisco Lindor 1-6, K
- Starling Marte 1-8, K
- Brandon Nimmo 0-6, 2 K
- Tyrone Taylor 1-1, BB
- Jesse Winker 0-2, K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Competitive At Bats. The Mets struggled Saturday night with competitive at bats. They were just under balls, getting weak contact, or swinging early. The Mets had only two hits and a walk. The last four relievers the Brewers threw 14, 11, 7 and 14 pitches respectively. Just way, way too fast. The Mets offense has been relentless at points throughout this season. They’ve also been lifeless at points. Here’s hoping the pendulum swings back to relentless this afternoon.
- A solid start for David Peterson. The Mets starting pitching fueled the push they made throughout September. The starting pitching has disappeared in the last week with the offense. (To be clear, the losses this week fall more on the bats than the arms). Peterson needs to give himself, the team and the bullpen a nice reset today, especially if the Mets need to play two games tomorrow.
- Scoreboard watching. A lot of avenues for the Mets today rely on the Padres beating the Diamondbacks. Martín Pérez (4.25 ERA) goes against Pfaadt (4.80) who looks to rebound after a difficult month. Pfaadt would love to rewrite his narrative this month and be the reason why the Diamondbacks get into the post season. A Braves win today also immensely helps the Mets. Alec Marsh (4.65 ERA) goes against the Braves. The Braves are countering with the ageless Charlie Morton (4.08 ERA).
Let’s Go Mets!
