Good teams bounce back and that is exactly what the New York Mets did on Thursday night.
The Mets had a frustrating start of the week in Minnesota with two fluky losses in a row. The best recipe to get out of slide before it becomes a funk is to win. Mark Vientos started the scoring with his first home run of the season and the Mets scored a total of four runs in the second inning. That was all they needed as they ended up beating the Cardinals 4-1. Now David Peterson looks to make it two wins in a row for the Amazin’s!
David Peterson has a 2.70 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 1.380 WHIP and a 141 ERA+ over 16 2/3 innings and three starts this season. He’s coming off of six innings against the Athletics holding them to two runs from seven hits while striking out five. Going deep into games has been a challenge for Mets starters this season, but not Peterson. Peterson has pitched six innings in two of his three start this year. Going at least six innings tonight would make it two games in a row where the Mets got at least six innings from their starter. The only Cardinal that has seen Peterson in a game before is Willson Contreras (1-for-8, 3 K).
The Mets bats draw the veteran Miles Mikolas tonight. Over three starts this season he has pitched 13 innings allowing 14 runs, 13 earned, from 16 hits and five walks while striking out ten (9.00 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 1.615 WHIP and a 45 ERA+). His stats are skewed from his second start this season where the Red Sox scored nine runs over 2 2/3 innings. In his last start he kept the Phillies to three runs from only three hits and two walks over five innings.
Miles had two starts against the Mets in 2024 with different results. At the end of April he held the Mets to two runs over 5 2/3 innings, scattering seven hits. Then two weeks later, he allowed six runs from nine hits over four innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:
- Pete Alonso 3-18, 2B, BB, 4 K
- José Azócar 0-2
- Brett Baty 1-7, 2B, 3 K
- Francisco Lindor 7-17, 2 2B, K
- Starling Marte 10-44, 2 2B, 2 BB, 7 K
- Brandon Nimmo 2-19, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 3 K
- Juan Soto 7-21, 2B, HR, 5 K
- Tyrone Taylor 3-10, 2B, HR, 3 K
- Jesse Winker 6-16, 2B, 2 HR, BB, 6 K
Three Things To Watch For:
- Mark Vientos. Vientos has a five game hitting streak right now where he has gotten exactly one hit in each game, going 5-for-20 with two doubles, a home run and four runs scored. He’s raised his season OPS from .393 to .511 over this stretch. Hopefully this is a sign that he’s breaking out of the slump he was in at the start of the year.
- Mets Bullpen. Canning did the Mets bullpen a solid Thursday by pitching six innings. Wednesday was effectively a bullpen game for the Mets and the Mets are in the midst of a long stretch without an off day. The only two pitchers who haven’t pitched in the last two games, Kranick and Young, both had extended outings on Tuesday night. Edwin Díaz has been used two days in a row. The high leverage guys tonight will probably be Stanek and Wednesday’s opener Brazobán. Hopefully David Peterson can go deep in the game tonight!
- Baty and Acuña. Jeff McNeil is knocking at the door. There are reports of McNeil taking more reps in the outfield, including centerfield, right now. This would give more playing time to Acuña, Baty or both when McNeil returns, if the Mets young players show they deserve that playing time. Baty went 2-for-3 Thursday with a double. It was his second consecutive two-hit game. In his last four games he has gone 6-for-16 with a double and a triple, raising his season OBP from .111 to .209. Luisangel Acuña has gone 8-for-21 with two doubles, four stolen bases and six runs scored over his last six games with a plate appearance (Thursday he came in as a pinch runner and never got to the plate).
Let’s Go Mets!
