213 Miles From Shea

The Mets look to avoid a three game losing streak tonight. Last night felt like a microcosm of the season for the Mets. They flashed real promise, like Carson Benge throwing a runner out at home on a 100-mph throw. The Mets hit two home runs. Sean Manaea had a great start. But the team also struggled to get runners on base, Juan Soto got injured and the Mets ultimately lost a close game.

Holding the Mets record aside, tonight’s game should be exciting. Two aces battling it out. Should be a fun one!

Nolan McLean has made 20 starts this season pitching 113 1/3 innings with a 3.34 ERA, 3.30 FIP, 1.094 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. He’s in a groove right now, allowing five runs, but only two earned, in his last four starts (24 innings) while striking out 29 batters (0.75 ERA, 1.81 FIP). Taking a farther step back, he has had a 2.08 ERA, 2.91 FIP over 52 innings in his last nine starts. He had a brilliant start against the Dodgers earlier this season holding them to one run over seven innings while striking out eight. The Dodgers have the following career numbers against him:

• Alex Freeland 0-2
• Freddie Freeman 0-3, 2 K
• Teoscar Hernández 0-3, 3 K
• Max Muncy 1-3
• Shohei Ohtani 0-3
• Andy Pages 0-3, 2 K
• Kyle Tucker 0-2, BB

Yoshinobu Yamamoto has made 18 starts this season totaling 119 2/3 innings with a 2.78 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 0.877 WHIP and a 150 ERA+. His FIP is the highest in his career (previous seasons at 2.61 and 2.94) and its probably due to slight uptick in home runs (0.7 HR/9 to 1.0 HR/9). On July 11th he had a rough start against the Diamondbacks where he allowed six runs over six innings. He then tossed a complete game against the Yankees, allowing only two runs. Yamamoto had a great start against the Mets back in April holding the Mets to one run, from a solo homer, over 7 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-4, BB
• Brett Baty 0-3, 2 K
• Carson Benge 1-3
• Bo Bichette 2-6, 2B, BB, K
• Francisco Lindor 3-10, HR, 3 K
• Jorge Polanco 0-3, K
• Luis Robert Jr. 0-3
• Marcus Semien 1-6, 2 K
• Juan Soto 1-3, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Luis Robert Jr. The Mets are hoping that Luis Robert Jr. goes on a massive hot streak over the next week to up his trade value. Since returning from injury he has played in four games, including three starts, going 2-for-13 with five strikeouts. Both hits have been solo home runs. The pop is there!
2. Francisco Alvarez. In his six games he has gone 7-for-19 with three home runs with four walks (.368/.478/.842). There are not a lot of catchers available on the market, and he’s starting to generate some trade interest. How do the Mets see Alvarez? He’s only a couple of seasons removed from being one of the top prospects in baseball and when healthy, he flashes so much potential.
3. Contain Freddie Freeman. Freddie Freeman feasted on Mets pitching last night going 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Freeman is hitting .294/.377/.486 with a 138 OPS+ this season, which is not to far off of his career line of .299/.386/.510 and a 142 OPS+. Against the Mets he has hit .305/.391/.499. Somehow, it has felt a lot worse than that.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets schedule doesn’t get any easier. They opened the second half of the season against the Phillies and Brewers on the road. Now they welcome the Dodgers and Braves at home. The Mets went 3-3 against the Brewers and Phillies and just dropped the series against the Brewers. They had a real shot at beating the Brewers in rubber game, but they couldn’t get beyond a key error by Brett Baty in the outfield. The Mets will try to shake if off against the Dodgers tonight.

We are now 10 days away from the MLB trade deadline. As of writing, the Mets haven’t dismantled the team yet. The hug-watch isn’t fully on yet, but it’s starting to creep in.

Sean Manaea has pitched in 21 games making seven starts totaling 79 2/3 innings. He has a 4.74 ERA, 4.35 FIP, 1.356 WHIP and an 88 ERA+. July hasn’t been the best for Manaea allowing 13 runs, 9 earned, over 16 2/3 innings (4.86 ERA, 7.01 FIP). This month he has struggled to keep the ball in the park, allowing six home runs. Specifically he’s allowed two in each start. This was after three consecutive starts to end June allowing no home runs. The Dodgers have the following career numbers against Manaea:

• Mookie Betts 10-36, 2 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 3 BB, 5 K
• Alex Call 0-6, 2 BB, 2 K
• Tommy Edman 4-5, 2B, 2 HR
• Freddie Freeman 5-20, HR, BB, 4 K
• Teoscar Hernández 5-18, HR, 2 BB, 4 K
• Max Muncy 2-9, 2 HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Shohei Ohtani 3-12, 2 BB, 5 K
• Andy Pages 1-5, 2B, 3 K
• Miguel Rojas 3-10, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Kyle Tuker 8-22, 2B, 4 HR, 4 K

Roki Sasaki has made 17 starts totaling 86 2/3 innings with a 4.98 ERA, 5.35 FIP, 1.338 WHIP and an 83 ERA+. He’s coming off of a solid start against the Yankees in New York where he allowed one unearned run over 5 2/3 innings. In his five starts before that he allowed 22 earned runs over 23 innings from 25 hits including nine home runs (8.61 ERA, 8.15 FIP). The only two players on the Mets to face Sasaki previously are Bo Bichette (0-for-1) and Marcus Semien (0-for-3).

Three Things To Watch For:

1. RISP. Until the Mets have a breakout day at the plate with runners in scoring position, we have to talk about it. The Mets have been putrid with RISP over their last nine games, going 1-for-68. Wednesday they went 1-for-7. Against the Brewers the Mets went a combined 3-for-21. Just absolutely brutal.
2. Marcus Semien. Semien went 0-for-9 in his first two games back from the injured list. Since then he has gone 2-for-7 with a HR and a walk. Not lighting the world on fire, but so much better than his first two games back. In those first two games back he had five strikeouts, since then one strikeout.
3. A.J. Ewing. Ewing went 2-for-5 with a double on Wednesday, his second game with two hits in his last four. Ewing has a 2.2 bWAR slashing .274/.345/.426 with a 114 OPS+. His 2.2 bWAR is second on the team, behind Juan Soto (2.6) and ahead of Carson Benge (1.8). Over on Statcast, Ewing is not lighting up any of the batting stats, but outside of striking out he’s not bombing either. He is dominating in other ways though. His arm strength is in the 91st percentile, range in the 83rd and spring speed is in the 95th.

Let’s Go Mets!

The last place New York Mets look to win a second consecutive series against a playoff bound team! Last night felt like a look at what could have been. The Mets had some clutch hits, strong starting pitching, and amazing outfield fielding as they rolled through the Brewers. Let’s go get that series win!

Christian Scott has made 13 starts this season totaling 59 2/3 innings with a 2.87 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 1.223 WHIP and a 146 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed no runs over 10 2/3 innings, scattering six hits and a walk while striking out 12. He has thrown 5 2/3 innings three times this season, could today be the day that he finally completes six innings? This will be Scott’s first start against the Brewers and no one on the Brewers has faced Scott in a Major League game before.

Logan Henderson has made seven starts this season totaling 33 1/3 innings with a 2.97 ERA, 2.71 FIP, 0.930 WHIP and a 143 ERA+. He’s allowed one run or less in three of his last four starts. Henderson throws his fastball 41.4% of the time and it averages 93.1 mph. He mixes in a changeup and cutter. He also has slider that he has thrown only 19 times this season. This will be his first start against the Mets and no one on the Mets has faced Henderson before in a Major League game.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. For the second time in three days, Lindor had three hits. In his last three games he has gone 7-for-11 with two doubles, a home run, and three walks. Despite reaching base 10 times, he’s only scored two runs over this stretch, which speaks to the overall struggles the Mets have had hitting with runners in scoring position.
2. Hitting with RISP. The Mets have won two of their last three games. In those wins they have gone 3-for-14 and 1-for-9 with RISP. Somehow they are managing to win games despite leaving 25 runners on base in those games. In the last eight games the Mets are collectively 6-for-61 with RISP. It’s notable and so far off of the average Mets at bat. At some point the Mets will have to (positively) regress to the mean.
3. Now Pinch Hitting for the Mets. The glut of players who need to start on the Mets roster has peaked this week with so many injured Mets returning. On Monday we saw Carson Benge sit with Juan Soto playing in the field so Jorge Polanco can DH. Yesterday we saw the best possible defense alignment with Benge, Ewing and Robert Jr. in the outfield and Soto DH’ing. With all of this extra fire power on the bench the Mets have gone two games straight without using a pinch-hitter, pinch-runner, or making a defensive substitution.

Let’s Go Mets!

The first place Brewers rolled through the Mets in the first game of the series last night. Freddy Peralta faltered in one of his final auditions before the trade deadline allowing seven runs in 5 1/3 innings. The Mets bats consistently left runners on base, going 1-for-5 with RISP and leaving seven batters on.

Tonight could have been an intrasquad matchup a year ago with Zach Thornton getting the start against former Met Brandon Sproat.

Zach Thornton has made three starts for the Mets this season totaling 17 1/3 innings with a 2.60 ERA, 2.99 FIP, 0.923 WHIP and a 164 ERA+. He regained a spot in the rotation right before the All-Star break and was brilliant against the Red Sox, holding them to no runs and only two hits over seven innings. In his last two starts he has allowed only one run over 13 innings. This will be Thornton’s first start against the Brewers and no one on the Brewers has faced Thornton in a Major League game.

Brandon Sproat was traded with Jett Williams for Freddy Peralta last winter. Sproat made four starts with the Mets last season totaling 20 2/3 innings with a 4.79 ERA, 2.80 FIP, 1.210 WHIP and an 87 ERA+. He’s made 16 starts as a Brewer this season plus two games in relief adding up to 82 innings with a 5.16 ERA, 5.12 FIP, 1.366 WHIP and an 82 ERA+. His last start was short, allowing three runs, two earned, in three innings of work. On the whole he’s been hitting a groove lately pitching 18 1/3 innings in his last four starts, striking out 24 batters with a 2.45 ERA, 3.70 FIP. No one on the Mets has officially faced him in a Major League game.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Hits with RISP. Despite winning the series against the Phillies over the weekend, the Mets are still not getting hits with runners in scoring position. In their last seven games the Mets have gone 5-for-52 with RISP. On Sunday when the Mets beat the Phillies they managed to get three hits with RISP, but went 3-for-14 overall. The added challenge now is getting Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert Jr. and Marcus Semien back into the groove while rotating out the young bats.
2. The Returning Mets. The Mets have a lot of names available again that we haven’t seen in quite some time. Luis Robert Jr. returned to the diamond for the first time since April last night and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Marcus Semien has played in two games since returning in half the time expected. He’s gone 0-for-9 with 5 K’s. Jorge Polanco has been back the longest and has played in seven games since the second week of July. He has gone 4-for-25 with a double and a walk. Combined all three players have gone 4-for-38. Not great!
3. Bo Bichette. Bichette has had two good games in a row, collecting four hits, a double, two walks, with two runs scored. At the start of June it was difficult to envision anyone wanting to take Bichette in a trade. In his last 39 games he has slashed .325/.358/.497 with nine doubles, a triple and five home runs.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to build off yesterday’s series win as they head into Milwaukee tonight. The Mets and Brewers made a massive trade in the off-season with former-Brewers GM David Stearns traded for Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers for Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. The trade has been one of many things that hasn’t gone well for the Mets. Freddy Peralta, starting tonight against his former team, will probably traded in the next two weeks. He may even be traded back to the Brewers.

It’s a big night for players on the Mets to raise their trade value!

Freddy Peralta has made 20 starts this season totaling 104 1/3 innings with a 4.66 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 1.438 WHIP and an 89 ERA+. He hasn’t completed the fifth inning since the end of June when he allowed three unearned runs, no earned runs, in five innings against the Cubs. In his last two starts he has allowing five runs, three earned, over nine innings from nine hits while walking six batters. The only two batters on the Brewers who have faced Peralta in a Major League game are William Contreras (1-for-2, K) and Andrew Vaughn (4-for-8, 2B, 2 K).

The Mets bats face one of the best pitchers in baseball tonight. Jacob Misiorowski has made 18 starts this season totaling 111 innings with a 1.62 ERA, 2.09 FIP, 0.757 WHIP and a 259 ERA+ (all league leading). He also leads the league with an absurd 167 strikeouts (13.5 K/9). That being said, he’s looked more human in his last two starts allowing eight runs, four earned, over 12 innings from eight hits including four home runs. He still managed to strikeout 22 batters. The Mets have the following stats against Misiorowski:

• Brett Baty 0-1, BB
• Francisco Lindor 1-2, HR
• Jorge Polanco 0-1, BB, K
• Juan Soto 0-1, BB
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2

Three Things to Watch For:

1. Mets Outfield Rotation. Over the weekend Andy Green said his goal is to get all of the Mets outfielders into a rotation (Benge, Ewing, Soto, and now Luis Robert Jr.). The Mets situation will most likely solve itself in the next two weeks with the Mets probably trading Tyrone Taylor and Luis Robert Jr. Robert Jr. hasn’t played since the end of April with a lumbar/spine disc herniation injury. Across eight rehab cames he has hit .323/.400/.548. The Mets are hoping he hits the ground running and raises his trade value in the next two weeks.
2. Francisco Lindor. Who needed a big game more than Lindor? Lindor is coming off of a massive game where he went 3-for-3 with two walks, a double, a home run and three RBI’s. It would mean so much for this offense to finally get Lindor going, especially while Ewing and Benge are swinging the bats well.
3. Heaters. Jacob Misiorowski’s fastball value is in the 100th percentile on Baseball Savant. His fastball averages 100.5 mph (100th percentile). He throws it 63.1% of the time with a .171 BA, .165 xBA. His fastball has a 41.0 Whiff%. Jacob then mixes in four other pitches to round out his arsenal, but it’s really all about his fastball. That being said, he hasn’t looked as invincible his last two games.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets played all the 2026 hits yesterday. The team only mustered three hits, all from the bottom of the lineup. Collectively went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Committed three errors. Had a starter allow four runs, including two in the first. Just a poor showing all the way around. But the Mets won on Thursday, and a win today means the Mets would win the series.

Nolan McLean has made 19 starts this season totaling 107 1/3 innings with a 3.52 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 1.118 WHIP and a 118 ERA+. Over his last three starts he has allowed only two earned runs (five runs total) over 18 innings from 15 hits and five walks while striking out 19 batters (1.00 ERA, 2.16 FIP). In his last eight starts he has a 2.35 ERA, 3.19 FIP and that includes a start where he allowed six runs over six innings. The Phillies have the following career stats against McLean:

• Alec Bohm 2-3
• Bryce Harper 1-6, 3 K
• J.T. Realmuto 0-5, BB
• Kyle Schwarber 0-5, BB
• Edmundo Sosa 1-2, K
• Bryson Stott 1-5, K
• Trea Turner 0-2, K

Alan Rangel has pitched in five games this season (two starts) totaling 19 1/3 innings with a 4.19 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 1.397 WHIP and a 109 ERA+. His first start on July 2nd was solid, holding the Pirates scoreless over four innings. Last time out he allowed three runs, including two home runs against the Reds over 3 1/3 innings. On June 27th he pitched four innings in bulk relief against the Mets allowing four runs from four hits and two walks. The Mets have the following numbers against Rangel:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, K
• Brett Baty 0-2
• Carson Benge 0-2
• Bo Bichette 1-2, K
• A.J. Ewing 1-2, K
• Francisco Lindor 1-2, 3B
• Juan Soto 1-1, BB
• Jared Young 0-1, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Get Hits. Yesterday the Mets only had three hits as a team, with Tyrone Taylor and A.J. Ewing getting all three as the 7th and 8th hitters in the lineup. Since the Red Sox series last weekend, the Mets have gone an astounding 1-for-33 with runners in scoring position. This has been a problem for most of the season, and almost impossible to win games without getting big hits. At some point that number has to regress to the mean, and for the Mets that would mean actually getting some big hits.
2. Stealing Bases. In the last five games the Mets have stolen five bases and haven’t been caught stealing at all. For most of this season the Mets were stealing bases at a clip far lower than last season but being caught at a much higher rate. With the Mets struggling at the plate, there’s a lot of pressure to manufacture runs on the base paths.
3. Bullpen Arms. The Mets used Senga and Curry yesterday to finish off the last 3 1/3 innings they needed, saving all of the arms in the bullpen that may be moved in the next two weeks. The Mets need to both show case arms they want to move and protect players from bad outings and injuries. With all the high leverage relievers last pitching on Thursday, the group of tradeable relievers are all available today.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets and Phillies are playing through weather that should be in a science fiction movie. Smoke from wild fires. Extreme thunderstorms. It’s a lot to handle. The Mets beat the Phillies Thursday night and had a scheduled off-day yesterday, which ended up being for the best. The smokey conditions were bad at first pitch on Thursday but continued to get worse as the night progressed.

The Mets survived the Phillies and the weather in the first game of the series, hopefully they can do it again!

Sean Manaea has pitched in 20 games this season totaling 75 innings with a 4.56 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 1.320 WHIP and a 91 ERA+. His last six games have all been starts where he has pitched 32 innings with a 3.94 ERA, 4.35 FIP. In his last start he pitched seven innings for the first time this season allowing three runs, two earned from six hits including two home runs. He last pitched against the Phillies mid-June allowing three runs, two earned over 5 1/3 innings while striking out five. The Phillies have the following career stats agaisnt him:

• Alec Bohm 6-18, 2B, HR, 3 K
• Justin Crawford 0-2, K
• Bryce Harper 7-21, 2 2B, HR, BB, 4 K
• Dereck Hill 2-5, 2B
• Brandon Marsh 0-6, BB, 4 K
• J.T. Realmuto 1-14, BB
• Kyle Schwarber 3-16, HR, 3 BB, 4 K
• Edmundo Sosa 7-16, 2 2B, 2 3B, HR, 4 K
• Bryson Stott 5-11, HR, 2 BB, K
• Garrett Stubbs 1-2
• Trea Turner 7-21, HR, BB, 6 K

Jesús Luzardo has made 19 starts this season totaling 110 1/3 innings with a 3.51 ERA, 2.84 FIP, 1.224 WHIP and a 128 ERA+. He is in the midst of a career year and was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career. Luzardo has been on fire recently allowing only three earned runs in his last four starts (24 2/3 innings) leading to a 1.09 ERA, 1.15 FIP while striking out 39 batters. This includes a start against the Mets where he held the Mets to one run over 5 innings, scattering four hits and three walks. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-8, K
• Brett Baty 1-4, BB
• Carson Benge 1-3, K
• Bo Bichette 3-5, HR, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 7-28, 2 BB, 4 K
• Jorge Polanco 1-2
• Marcus Semien 1-6, 2 K
• Juan Soto 7-21, 2B, HR, 7 BB, 3 K
• Tyrone Taylor 5-11, 2B, K
• Luis Torrens 2-10, HR, 2 K
• Eric Wagaman 4-13, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 4 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Marcus Semien. Semien was scheduled to be in the lineup today and Andy Green said Semien will have a lot of playing time moving forward. Semien landed on the injured list in June due to a grade 3 hip flexor strain. This injury usually takes 4-6 six weeks to heal but he’s back already. Semien is hitting .214/.271/.341 this season with a 70 OPS+ and a -0.6 bWAR. Before landing on the IL Semien went 1-for-19 with a walk in his last five games.
2. Brett Baty. With Semien back, the Mets will need to get more creative about how they incorporate Brett Baty. Baty has played in the outfield, second and third and as the veterans start to get healthy (Semien, Polanco, Luis Robert Jr.), there are less at bats to go around. Baty went 2-for-4 Thursday night with a home run. It was the second time in four games that Baty had multiple hits in a game including a home run.
3. Hug Watch. It’s been reported over the last couple of days that almost everyone except Benge, Ewing, Scott, McLean and Soto. It sounds like the Mets are going to have a disorienting couple of weeks heading into the deadline. There are still several players who the Mets would like to raise the value of in the next couple of days, which could dictate playing time. Tyrone Taylor falls into this category as does Luis Robert Jr., whenever he is activated. As of writing, there are no concrete, specific rumors involving the Mets heading into this afternoon’s game.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets head to Philadelphia after a dreadful series against the Red Sox. The Phillies host the Mets after hosting the 2026 All-Star game. ESPN has the rights for tonight’s game which is why the Mets and Phillies are the only teams playing today (and probably why the teams have an off-day tomorrow). The weather though today is closer to science fiction than normal summer in Philadelphia. Wild fire smoke has invaded Canada. In 2023 the Phillies played a game between 150-200 AQI. They then postponed the game the next day when the AQI was above 200. It’s the Mets vs Phillies plus the Mets & Phillies vs the smoke. Let’s start the second half of the season!

Christian Scott has made 12 starts this season totaling 54 innings with a 3.17 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 1.296 WHIP and a 132 ERA+. He’s coming off of a solid start eight days against the Royals where he held them scoreless over five innings, scattering three hits and a walk while striking out five. He has had some bumps overall in his last four starts averaging to a 4.50 ERA, 6.10 FIP over 18 innings. His strikeout count has also jumped, racking up 24 in his last 18 innings. This stretch includes a start against the Phillies where he allowed two runs over 4 1/3 innings from three hits and two walks. The Phillies have the following stats against Scott:

• Justin Crawford 0-2, K
• Bryce Harper 1-2, HR, K
• Rafael Marchan 1-2
• Brandon Marsh 1-2, K
• Gabriel Rincones Jr. 0-2, K
• Kyle Schwarber 0-1, BB, K
• Edmundo Sosa 0-2
• Byrson Stott 0-2
• Trea Turner 0-1, BB, K

Aaron Nola has made 19 starts this season totaling 97 innings with a 5.75 ERA, 4.67 FIP, 1.433 WHIP and a 79 ERA+. Nola’s last five starts have been close to his season performance, posting a 5.47 ERA, 5.11 FIP over 26 1/3 innings while striking out 31 batters. This includes a start against the Mets where he allowed three runs, two earned over five innings from seven hits including two home runs. Homers have been issue for Nola this season. He’s allowed nine his last six starts including two long balls in four consecutive starts to end June. The Mets have the following career stats against Nola:

• Francisco Alvarez 3-8, HR, 2 K
• Brett Baty 1-12, 3 BB, 4 K
• Carson Benge 1-3, K
• Bo Bichette 4-13, 2B, HR, 3 K
• A.J. Ewing 2-3, 2B
• Francisco Lindor 8-41, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 11 K
• Juan Soto 12-45, 3 2B, 5 HR, 17 BB, 11 K
• Tyrone Taylor 5-14, 2 2B, BB, 4 K
• Luis Torrens 2-6
• Jared Young 1-5, HR, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Juan Soto. After being snubbed last year, Soto finally played as a Met in the All-Star game earlier this week. He has a 2.8 bWAR and 167 OPS+ this season slashing .290/.405/.562 over 78 games played. He’s been working walks (55) and crushing the ball (21 home runs). Not only does Soto have excellent career numbers against Aaron Nola (1.134 OPS in 45 AB’s), he has terrific numbers in Philadelphia. Over his career he has played 48 games in Citizens Bank Park slashing .335/.438/.687 with 18 home runs.
2. Francisco Lindor. Lindor’s error cost the Mets in a big way last Sunday, but Lindor was also the reason why the Mets had the lead in the first place, going 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and a home run. Lindor has played in 16 games since returning from injury going 12-for-60 at the plate with a double, a triple and three home runs (.200/.273/.400). If the Mets were to pull off a miracle, they’ll need Lindor to put together a scorching hot stretch.
3. Hug Watch. We are now in the stretch run for the 2026 trade deadline. The Mets bullpen has been a strength this season and there are several players who will and could be moved. Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter are both free agents at the end of the season and are very likely to be moved. Luke Weaver will be one of the best relievers on the market, but he’s still under contract for another season, so there’s no guarantee the Mets move him. Tyrone Taylor, who has flashed power since returning from injury will probably be traded. There are also rumblings about Luis Robert Jr. despite his injury. Luis Torrens and Francisco Alvarez have both been in the rumor mill. Not a factor for today’s game, but starting pitchers Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes will be on the trading block as well. Keep watch for hugs!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to salvage the series against the Red Sox this afternoon before heading into a long, All-Star break. The old Mets issues have returned over the last two games with the Mets struggling to score. A win today would mean the Mets have gone 3-3 in their last six. A loss means the Mets enter the All-Star break 17 games below 500.

Zach Thornton returns to the majors! In his first two starts he allowed five runs over 10 1/3 innings from nine hits and three walks while striking out 10 batters. His second major league start was great holding the Phillies to one run over six innings while striking out seven batters. Since then he has pitched 7 2/3 innings over two outings in Syracuse allowing three runs, two earned. He was pulled after two perfect innings in his last start a few days ago with five strikeouts, in preparation for tonight. With Senga back in the bullpen, and the potential departure of Freddy Peralta looming, there is room for Thornton to stick around in the big leagues if he does well this afternoon.

Payton Tolle has made 14 starts for the Red Sox totaling 80 1/3 innings with a 3.14 ERA, 3.39 FIP, 1.071 WHIP and a 129 ERA+. Since the start of June, Tolle has made seven starts pitching 39 innings with a 3.69 ERA and 4.11 FIP. In three of those starts he has allowed no runs over 19 innings, scattering 10 hits. In the other four starts he has allowed 16 runs over 20 innings. Which version of Tolle will the Mets see today? The only hitter on the Mets who has seen Payton Tolle is Zack Short (0-for-2, K).

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Getting hits with RISP. On Friday the Mets recorded 10 hits but went 0-for-8 with RISP leaving seven runners on base. Saturday the Mets did it again, going 0-for-8 with RISP and leaving nine on base. The Mets worked seven walks as a team but only mustered three hits. The bats were bursting at the start of the week!
2. Carson Benge stealing bases. Benge has stolen a bag in three consecutive games and four times in his last five games. His steal on July 7th was his first stolen base since June 18th. Benge actually had only two stolen bases the entire month of June. More impressive, Benge hasn’t been caught stealing this month yet, a problem that has plagued the Mets this season.
3. Checking in on Trade Targets. It’s still a bit early in the month for the deluge of trades the Mets are heading towards. Relievers on the Mets should almost all be available. A.J. Minter pitched in back-to-back days, so he should be unavailable today. Brooks Raley pitched for the first time since Wednesday yesterday pitching a clean inning. We still haven’t seen Luke Weaver from the start of the week as he continues his strong season. Luis Torrens over the last month has been basically playing like his season slash line. Tyrone Taylor has gone hitless in his last three at-bats over two games, after homering three times in five games. There is a non-zero chance that someone here will not be a Met after the All-Star Break.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Red Sox overcame their plane issues and beat the Mets in the first game of the series last night. The Mets were able to string together 10 hits but old problems returned and they went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Now the Mets need to win the next two games in order to end the first of the season with a series win.

This is a huge start for Freddy Peralta. Unless the Mets go on a historic run for the rest of the month, Peralta will be dealt at the trade deadline. He has started 19 games this season totaling 100 innings with a 4.68 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 1.420 WHIP and an 88 ERA+. Peralta allowed three runs, only one earned in his last start totaling 4 2/3 innings. His starts have been weird recently. He’s been ineffective in two of his last five, allowing a total of 15 runs. In his other three starts in his last five he has allowed only two earned runs but seven runs total thanks to the defense behind him. The Red Sox have the following career stats against him:

• Wilyer Abreu 0-3, 2 K
• Jarren Duran 3-5
• Ceddanne Rafaela 2-2, HR
• Connor Wong 1-2
• Masataka Yoshida 0-3, 2 K

The Red Sox needed a starter today after an injury to Ranger Suárez after his last start. This was a perfect opportunity for the Red Sox to bring back Brayan Bello after his struggles in the rotation earlier this season. Instead the Red Sox are going with Eduardo Rivera who pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings against the Yankees in his Major League debut back at the end of April. Across two levels in the minors, Rivera has pitched 87 innings over 20 games with a 2.48 ERA. He’ll probably go a few innings then its on to the bullpen for the rest of the game.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Brett Baty. Baty has been quietly putting together a hot streak in his last 10 games. In his last 10 he has gone 13-for-38 with four doubles, a home run, two stolen bases and eight runs scored. Before this streak he was hitting .208/.295/.290 and now he’s hitting .226/.301/.322. For context he is a career .230/.296/.360 hitter.
2. Watch Fielding Alignments. On Thursday A.J. Ewing played in center then saw time at second base before going back to center. In the same game, Brett Baty moved between second, third and back to second. Yesterday Ewing started the game in center until Tyrone Taylor came in as a pinch hitter and stayed in the game at center. Ewing then took over second from Zack Short. With Marcus Semien injured, Polanco working his way back as a DH, and the inevitable return of Luis Robert Jr, the Mets need to find ways to keep A.J. Ewing (and to a lesser extent, Brett Baty) in the lineup. Let’s see if the defensive alignment changes continue today.
3. Trade Targets. Tyrone Taylor came in late as a pinch hitter yesterday and then played center going 0-for-2 at the plate. In his last six games he has a double and three home runs going a combined 4-for-12 with a walk. Raley and Luke Weaver, who both could be traded this month, had another day of rest yesterday. Weaver hasn’t pitched since Monday and has a 1.89 ERA over 38 innings. Raley hasn’t pitched since Wednesday and has a 2.16 ERA over 37 games.

Let’s Go Mets!