213 Miles From Shea

The Mets will try to “put it in the books” for the last time at home this season. Before today’s game the Mets are honoring Howie Rose’s legendary career. The long time voice of the Mets, Howie Rose has been the soundtrack for many of us over the years, connecting generations of Mets fans. Hopefully the Mets can close the season at home the right way, in his honor.

Jonah Tong has pitched in five games this season totaling 21 innings, surpassing his inning total for last season. He has a 3.43 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.190 WHIP and a 121 ERA+. Tong is coming off of his best start of the season where he held the Orioles bats to one unearned run over six innings while striking out six batters. He has 13 strikeouts in his last 11 innings pitched. The only player on the Phillies who has faced Tong before is Luis Arráez (1-for-1).

The Mets have a tall order this afternoon in Cristopher Sánchez. Sánchez is having a superb season, making 31 starts totaling 193 2/3 innings with a 2.93 ERA, 2.79 FIP, 1.224 WHIP and a 156 ERA+. He is currently leading the league with 7.6 bWAR and if that holds it will be his second consecutive season leading the league in bWAR (8.1 last season). That being said, he’s had a really rough last couple of games where he has allowed 11 runs over 12 1/3 innings. Sánchez has a 6.87 ERA in the month of September and has allowed at least three runs in four of his last five starts. In his one start against the Mets this season, he held the Mets to one run over six innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-11, 4 K
• Brett Baty 0-4, 3 K
• Carson Benge 0-3, 2 K
• Bo Bichette 2-12, 3 K
• Francisco Lindor 6-20, 2 BB, K
• Ronny Mauricio 1-4, HR, 3 K
• Christopher Morel 0-6, BB, 3 K
• Marcus Semien 1-5, BB
• Juan Soto 6-17, 2B, BB, 4 K
• Luis Torrens 1-10, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Mark Vientos 6-17, 4 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 8 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Carson Benge 300. Benge went 3-for-4 on Saturday hitting his 19th home run of the season and breaking Pete Alonso’s record for most hits by a Mets rookie. He’s now only one home run away from a 20-20 season!
2. 300. Francisco Lindor has one more chance at home to get his 300th career home run. Lindor hit two home runs Saturday of last weekend (9/12) and has been sitting at 299 since then.
3. Last game at home. It’s been a trying year for the Mets. Sky high expectations to start that fell apart with a disastrous losing streak in mid-April. Lackluster play in May and June, injuries to star players, the Mets were basically out of it by the end of June. After trading away stars in July the team was rejuvenated and has played well for the last two months. This last week at home has been trying, with fans cheering players on other teams to levels noticeable to players on the Mets. With a potential lockout looming next season, we aren’t sure the next time the Mets will play at home. Let’s just make it a good day today.

Let’s Go Mets!

The New York Mets will retire Carlos Beltrán’s number today in a ceremony before the game. The Hall of Famer was inducted in July. Over 20 seasons he racked up 70 bWAR with 435 home runs playing some great centerfield. Beltrán signed a seven year contract with the Mets after the 2004 season and was a leader on the 2006 Mets blasting 41 home runs. He’s an icon of his era, and his number now join his teammate, David Wright.

There’s also baseball to play today! The Mets finally snapped their five game lousing streak Friday night. Heading into play today all three NL Wild Card Teams have the same record. The Diamondbacks, the only other team that can enter the playoff picture, are five games out. Sure would be great for the Mets to make Phillies sweat out the last 10 days or so of the season by beating them this weekend.

Christian Scott has made 22 starts this season totaling 105 1/3 innings with a 3.76 ERA, 3.73 FIP, 1.263 WHIP and a 108 ERA+. He’s coming off of a solid start against the Yankees where he held them to only two runs over six innings in the Bronx. In his two September starts he allowed only four runs from seven hits over 10 2/3 innings. Scott has done well so far against the Phillies this season where he allowed only two runs over 10 innings while striking out 13 batters. The Phillies have the following career stats against him:

• Alec Bohm 0-2
• Justin Crawford 0-4, K
• Bryan De La Cruz 2-6, K
• Bryce Harper 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 K
• Rafael Marchan 1-2
• Brandon Marsh 1-4, K
• J.T. Realmuto 1-2
• Kyle Schwarber 1-4, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Edmundo Sosa 0-2
• Bryson Stott 0-4, 2 K
• Trea Turner 0-4, BB, 2 K

Andrew Painter has pitched in 23 games making 21 starts totaling 115 1/3 innings with a 5.54 ERA, 4.75 FIP, 1.439 WHIP and an 83 ERA+. Painter has either been fantastic or terrible over the last four weeks or so. He has multiple starts where he has allowed only one run and even has seven out shout innings. He’s also had multiple starts where he has allowed five runs. This will be his first start against the Mets and no one on the Mets has faced him before in a Major League game.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Top of the Lineup. Three of the first four hitters in the Mets lineup went off Friday night setting the tone. Lindor, Soto and Benge combined to go 7-for-13 with two doubles a home run. Keep the pressure up!
2. Ronny Mauricio. Mauricio is back up with the Mets with the injury to Jared Young. Mauricio’s was hitting .180/.180/.260 over 17 games with the Mets with a stint in April and a stint late June, early July. Over 71 games with Syracuse he has hit .261/.302/.493 with 18 home runs. In his last 15 games he has hit .188/.224/.328. It would be great for the Mets to find him some positive at bats before the end of the season.
3. Milestones. The milestones are mostly unchanged. Francisco Lindor is still only one home run away from 300 for his career. Carson Benge is two homes away from a 20-20 season. Thanks to Juan Soto’s home run yesterday, if he ends the season on a hot streak and hits four more home runs, he can reach 30 this season.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to snap their five game losing streak tonight against the Phillies. Last week the Mets were flying high, looking to challenge the Marlins for third in the division, now the Mets are back in the cellar, two games behind the Nationals. Thursday night Aaron Nola held the Mets scoreless over seven innings and the Mets batters only mustered four hits. Jared Young had a scary collision with Nolan McLean and Young had to be carted off. After the game Andy Green told reporters that Young was having concussion symptoms. The vibes heading into the Mets final three home games are not good.

Zac Thornton is winding down his successful rookie season. Over 13 starts he pitched 73 1/3 innings with a 3.44 ERA, 4.46 FIP, 1.159 WHIP and a 119 ERA+. Thornton is coming off of a fantastic start against the Yankees where he held them to two runs over seven innings. Thornton faced the Phillies back in June when he held them to one run over six innings, scattering five hits while striking out seven batters. The Phillies have the following career stats against Thornton:

• Alec Bohm 0-3, K
• Bryce Harper 2-3
• Derek Hill 0-2, 2 K
• Brandon Marsh 0-3, 2 K
• J.T. Realmuto 1-2, 2B
• Kyle Schwarber 1-2, BB
• Edmundo Sosa 0-2, K
• Bryson Stott 0-2, K
• Trea Turner 1-3, 2B

José Urquidy was claimed by Phillies on Thursday and is pitching for them today. He won’t be eligible for the postseason roster but the Phillies are hoping he can help give the team some necessary innings between now and then. Between the Pirates and the White Sox this season, Urquidy pitched in 11 games totaling 29 innings with a 5.28 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.517 FIP and an 83 ERA+. He last pitched for the White Sox against the Pirates ten days ago where he racked up four innings, holding the Pirates to two runs. His first outing of the season was a relief outing against the Mets where he allowed one unearned run. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Marcus Semien 7-for-18, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Bo Bichette 4-15, HR, BB, 4 K
• Francisco Lindor 2-6, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 1-5, BB, K
• Cristian Pache 0-3, K
• Juan Soto 1-2, 2B, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. Last Saturday Francisco Lindor hit two home runs including a grand slam. Since that game Lindor has gone 2-for-19 with a double and four walks (.105/.261/.158). Is getting his 300th home run becoming a weight? Just a random blip? It’s probably just a blip but it would be great for Lindor to get his 300th home run at home and get this milestone behind him.
2. Take Advantage of the Phillies. Tonight is the problem night for the Phillies. They are hoping for bulk innings from Urquidy tonight. Jhoan Duran has pitched in back-to-back games. Tonight is the night to put some pressure on this pitching staff. The Mets bats have been cold over the last couple of days, collecting only 11 singles and no runs in the last two games.
3. Nate Lavender. It’s been a few days, so it may be another Nate Lavender day tonight. The last time we saw Lavender was on Tuesday where he pitched 1 2/3 innings while striking out four batters. Over 17 games and 17 innings he has a 1.59 ERA, 1.21 FIP, 0.882 WHIP and a 261 ERA+. He also has a 11.6 K/9.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets start their last home series of the season tonight as they welcome the Phillies to town! This weekend the Mets will be retiring Carlos Beltran’s number and host a retirement ceremony for Howie Rose. Right now the Mets need to get back in the win column and turn the page after being swept by the Orioles this week. If anyone can do it, it’s Nolan McLean!

Nolan McLean has made 29 starts this season totaling 166 2/3 innings with a 3.24 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 1.176 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. McLean is coming off of a rough start in the Bronx where he allowed five runs from 10 hits, including two home runs, over five innings. McLean had a 1.16 ERA in the five starts leading up to that one. In his one start against the Phillies this season he shut them out over six innings while striking out 10 batters. The Phillies have the following career stats against McLean:

• Luis Arráez 0-2
• Alec Bohm 3-5, K
• Justin Crawford 0-2, 2 K
• Bryce Harper 1-9, 5 K
• Brandon Marsh 0-2
• J.T. Realmuto 0-7, BB, K
• Kyle Schwarber 0-7, 2 BB, K
• Edmundo Sosa 1-2, K
• Bryson Stott 1-6, BB, K
• Trea Turner 1-6, 2B, 3 K

The Mets bats will try to get back on the right track against Aaron Nola. Nola has made 30 starts pitching 161 1/3 innings with a 4.69 ERA, 4.85 FIP, 1.370 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. He’s also leading the league for home runs allowed with 34, the second time in three seasons he’s leading the league in that stat. Aaron Nola has been a different pitcher though over the last six weeks allowing only eight runs over 36 1/3 innings while striking out 36 batters (1.98 ERA, 3.98 FIP). In two starts against the Mets this season, Nola has allowed six runs from 13 hits over 11 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 5-10, 3 HR, BB, 2 K
• Brett Baty 3-15, HR, 3 BB, 4 K
• Carson Benge 2-6, K
• Bo Bichette 4-16, 2B, HR, 4 K
• A.J. Ewing 2-6, 2B, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 8-44, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 11 K
• Christopher Morel 3-8, 2B, HR, BB, 4 K
• Cristian Pache 1-8, 2B, 3 K
• Marcus Semien 1-9, 2 K
• Juan Soto 13-46, 3 2B, 5 HR, 19 BB, 11 K
• Luis Torrens 2-6
• Mark Vientos 2-8, 2 BB
• Jared Young 1-7, HR, BB, 3 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. A.J. Ewing. Ewing is back on a mini-hot streak. In his last three games he has gone 5-for-11 with a home run, a stolen base and two runs scored. He has a 3.1 bWAR and is slashing .256/.327/.383 with a 100 OPS+ over his rookie season.
2. Milestones. Francisco Lindor has four more games to reach 300 home runs at home. Carson Benge is only two home runs away from a 20-20 season.
3. Players with long histories. When baseball reorganized the schedules a few years ago to have every team play each other, teams lost sizeable chunk of their intra-division matchups. It used to be more common to have pitchers and hitters with deep histories against each other. We sort of have that tonight. Aaron Nola has been with the Phillies over his whole career. Juan Soto has been in the NL East for all but 1.5 seasons. Soto has 46 at-bats against Nola with 19 walks (.492 OBP).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets will try to salvage the last game of their series with the Orioles today. Monday night the Mets offense fell flat and the Orioles squeaked by 2-1. Tuesday night the Mets had a small, 3-2 lead for most of the game, but lost it late. Pete Alonso hit his 300th career home run in the ninth inning, and the Orioles went on to win the game in extra innings. That was the Mets 82nd loss, guaranteeing a losing season. After the game Sean Manaea talked about how it was bit odd having players cheering for a home run that directly cost the Mets the game. The Mets only have a few more home games, a few more times to make memories at Citi Field this season.

Robert Stock has pitched in eight games for the Mets this season making seven starts totaling 30 1/3 innings. He has a 5.93 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 1.747 WHIP and a 69 ERA+. He allowed three runs over four innings in his last start against the Marlins, a game that ended with a 15-14 Mets win. In his start before that he held the Rays scoreless over 5 1/3 innings and in the start before he allowed seven runs over four runs to the Brewers. Which Stock shows up tonight against the Orioles? The only member of the Orioles who has seen Stock in a Major League game is Pete Alonso (0-for-3, K).

The Mets bats face an old friend tonight in Chris Bassitt. Bassitt has pitched in 18 games making 16 starts for the Orioles this season totaling 90 1/3 innings with a 4.88 ERA, 4.57 FIP, 1.594 WHIP and an 85 ERA+. His last two starts have been more or less emblematic of his season as a whole, allowing five runs over 10 2/3 innings while striking out 11 batters and issuing seven walks. The Mets have the following career stats against Bassitt:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-6, 2 K
• Brett Baty 0-5, 4 K
• Bo Bichette 1-3
• Francisco Lindor 5-17, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• Christopher Morel 0-6, 3 K
• Marcus Semien 1-12, 3 K
• Juan Soto 2-12, 2 BB, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 2-4, BB, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 1-9, 6 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Milestone Watch. Carson Benge hit his 18th home run of the season Tuesday night. He is now only two home runs away from a 20-20 rookie season!. Francisco Lindor enters tonight’s game still sitting at 299 career home runs. It would be wonderful for him to reach this milestone at home this season.
2. Hitting with Runners in Scoring Position. The Mets got hits last night, 12 of them in fact! They also worked five walks. The problem for the Mets was getting hits when it mattered the most. They ended the night going 3-for-16 leaving 13 runners on base. They had opportunities throughout the regular game to extend their lead or take the lead in the ninth inning.
3. Jack Weisenburger. Weisenburger hasn’t pitched since saving the bullpen last Friday, pitching three innings against the Yankees allowing only one run on three hits. He and Tobias Myers enter today’s game as the two most rested bullpen arms. In four games this season, Weisenburger has pitched 7 1/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA, 2.28 FIP, 1.091 WHIP and a 174 ERA+.

Let’s Go Mets!

Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso will both try to hit home run 300 again tonight at Citi Field. Pete Alonso returned to Citi Field Monday night in front of a crowd that was excited to see him. Alonso and Lindor both had quiet nights, as did most of both lineups as the Orioles beat the Mets 2-1. With the loss the Mets are finally, officially eliminated from postseason play. The Mets are truly, and only, playing for next season now.

Sean Manaea has pitched in 30 games this season making 16 starts totaling 133 1/3 innings with a 4.79 ERA, 4.50 FIP, 1.343 WHIP and an 86 ERA+. Manaea is in a bit of a rough stretch last night. He’s coming off of a start where he allowed four runs over five innings, the fifth consecutive start he allowed at least four runs. Over that five start stretch Manaea has a 7.22 ERA, 5.72 FIP while allowing seven home runs. The Orioles have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 1-2, HR, 2 BB, K
• Colton Cowswer 1-3, 2 K
• Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1-3, K
• Gunnar Henderson 1-3, K
• Jackson Holliday 0-1, K
• Yohel Pozo 0-2, K
• Leody Taveras 1-3, K

Shane Baz has made 29 starts this season pitching 169 innings (a career high!) with a 4.05 ERA, 3.54 FIP, 1.331 WHIP and a 102 ERA+. Despite all of the numbers showing that he is almost an exactly average starting pitcher, he’s actually leading the league with 15 losses. Baz is coming off a rough start where he allowed five runs over 5 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Baz:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-3
• Brett Baty 0-2, K
• Bo Bichette 1-9, HR, 2 BB
• Francisco Lindor 0-2, BB
• Marcus Semien 2-7, 2B
• Juan Soto 3-5, 2B, HR, 3 BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. 300. Francisco Lindor is sitting at 299 career home runs. Pete Alonso is sitting at 299 career home runs. Two iconic Mets players (although one is an Oriole now) could reach this monumental plateau on the same night.
2. Carson Benge. Benge collected two hits in a game for the second time in his last three games played. He’s wrapping up his rookie season with a 3.3 bWAR, slashing .273/.336/.412 only three home runs away from a 20-20 season. He’s currently leading the Mets in bWAR. His 3.3 bWAR is ranked sixth for rookies in the Majors for rookies (two players in front of him have bWAR from their 2025 season rolled into the data). What a season for the young outfielder!
3. Nate Lavender. Nate last pitched on Sunday against the Yankees where he held them scoreless, walking a batter and allowing no hits over an inning. It was a nice bounce back outing from his worst outing of the season last Wednesday where he allowed three runs on four hits while recording only one out. Overall this season he has pitched in 16 games totaling 15 1/3 innings with a 1.76 ERA and a 239 ERA+.

Let’s Go Mets!

There’s a big reunion happening at Citi Field tonight. Pete Alonso returns to Queens for the first time since signing a massive contract with the Orioles in the off-season. The Mets did not offer fan favorite Pete Alonso a contract, essentially cutting ties with their franchise home run leader. Alonso comes to town with the Orioles chasing a playoff spot. The Mets are out of it for this season, but have playing much better baseball for the last six weeks. Should be a fun series with old friends getting to see each other!

Jonah Tong has pitched in four games for the Mets this season totaling 15 innings with a 4.80 ERA, 4.77 FIP, 1.333 WHIP and an 88 ERA+. He allowed four runs over five innings against the Marlins last week in his return to the rotation while striking out seven batters. Tong struck out the side to start the game, allowed four runs in the second inning, and then didn’t allow any more runs for the rest of the start. This will be Tong’s first start against the Orioles and no one on the Orioles has faced Tong in a Major League game.

Brandon Young has made 25 starts pitching 140 2/3 innings for the Orioles this season with a 3.71 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 1.351 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. He’s coming off of a rough start where he allowed six run runs over 3 2/3 to Cleveland. In his last two starts combined he has allowed nine runs off 12 hits including three home runs over 10 1/3 innings. Before that he allowed only three runs over 12 2/3 innings. The Mets hitters have the following career stats against Young:

• Brett Baty 2-2, 2B
• Bo Bichette 0-3, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 0-3
• Christopher Morel 0-2, BB, K
• Marcus Semien 1-3, 2B, BB
• Juan Soto 1-2, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Pete Alonso. Pete Alonso is having another Pete Alonso season. He has a 4.1 bWAR, his highest since his 4.4 bWAR in 2022. He is currently leading the league with 100 RBI’s and has smashed 35 homers. His 143 OPS+ is right up there with his 144 OSPS+ last season. Pete Alonso was lighting the world on fire in 16 game stretch in the middle of August where he had nine home runs (.484/.543/.952). He’s cooled off a bit in the 17 games since hitting only three home runs hitting .213/.355/.361 but he did get on base three times on Sunday.
2. Shaking off Sunday. The Mets bats on Saturday were on fire belting six home runs. Sunday was the exact opposite with the Mets only picking up three hits. Overall the Mets bats have looked pretty good of late and they had a tough pitching matchup on Sunday. Shake it off and come back stronger today.
3. Milestone watch. Francisco Lindor is one home run away from 300 on his career. Carson Benge is three home runs away from a 20-20 season. Both would be a nice career marks to close out the season!

Let’s Go Mets!

Game two of the Subway Series was all Mets. Zac Thornton was wonderful, holding the Yankees to only two runs over seven innings. The Mets lineup mashed six home runs, including two from Francisco Lindor. Lindor’s second was a grand slam! Just a fantastic day all around for the Mets. This afternoon we’ll find out who has more momentum: the Mets bats who are mashing the ball out of Yankee Stadium, or Cam Schlittler who has a 2.01 ERA and 220 K’s this season.

Christian Scott had made 21 starts this season totaling 99 1/3 innings with a 3.81 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.289 WHIP and a 108 ERA+. His last six games have been the greatest, but they also haven’t been terrible. Over 30 innings he has a 5.70 ERA and a 3.87 FIP while striking out 35 batters. A few players on the Yankees has faced Christian Scott before:

• Jose Caballero 0-3, K
• Luis García Jr. 1-5, HR, BB
• Ryan McMahon 1-2, 2B, BB
• Heliot Ramos 0-1, BB, K

Cam Schlittler has made 30 starts this season totaling 178 2/3 innings with a league leading 2.01 ERA, 209 ERA+ and 6.6 bWAR. He also has a 2.61 FIP and 0.918 WHIP. In his last six games he has allowed only five runs over 39 innings while striking out 49 batters (1.15 ERA, 2.44 FIP). Schlittler faced the Mets back in May, holding the Mets to one run over 6 2/3 innings from two hits, including a home run. The Mets have the following career stats against Schlittler:

• Brett Baty 1-2, BB, K
• Carson Benge 0-3, K
• Bo Bichette 1-7, 2B, K
• A.J. Ewing 0-2, K
• Marcus Semien 0-1, BB, K
• Juan Soto 1-3, HR, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 0-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. September has been incredible for Francisco Lindor. Lindor went 3-for-5 on Saturday with a home run to lead off the game and a grand slam later in the game. This month he is hitting .255/.314/.638 with six of his 12 hits leaving the park. He now is sitting at 299 career home runs!
2. Home runs in general. The Mets hit six homers in Saturday’s game, putting them at 188 for the season. That performance has pushed them to 7th in the league, just one ahead of Atlanta. It’s amazing how the Mets, who got off to such a slow start hitting for power, losing Pete Alonso in the off-season, have reached this point despite how many power hitters on the team either missed time or underperformed.
3. A well rested bullpen. Friday night Jack Weisenburger pitched all three innings of relief for the Mets. Saturday Tobias Myers pitched both relief innings. Everyone else in the Mets bullpen hasn’t pitched since last Tuesday or Wednesday. Since joining the bullpen Kodai Senga has pitched 13 1/3 innings over 14 games with a 2.03 ERA, 3.40 FIP while striking out 15 batters. He has dropped his season FIP from 6.51 down to 5.79.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets tried to claw back Friday night, but ultimately the Yankees were able to keep them at bay. This afternoon rookie Zac Thornton will try to get the Mets back in the win column against Gerrit Cole. The Yankees are now on a four game winning streak but they are still three games out of the division lead. The Mets look to start another win streak this afternoon. They are now only one game game above fifth but still only three games out of third place.

Zac Thornton has made 12 starts this season totaling 66 1/3 innings with a 3.53 ERA, 4.49 FIP, 1.191 WHIP and a 117 ERA+. He is coming off of a rough start against the Giants where he allowed six runs over five innings from four home runs. He has now given up eight home runs in his last five starts and has allowed a total of 11 on the season. His 1.5 HR/9 is definitely being influenced by his last start, but it’s not a stat you want going into a game against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. This will be Thornton’s first start against the Yankees and no one on the Yankees roster has faced Thornton while members of other teams.

Gerrit Cole has made 19 starts this season totaling 111 innings with a 3.41 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 1.090 WHIP and a 124 ERA+. He’s in a bit of of a rough stretch recently allowing 10 runs from 20 hits including five home runs over his last 18 1/3 innings pitched (4.91 ERA, 5.72 FIP). The Mets have the following Career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-4, 3 BB, K
• Brett Baty 0-2, K
• Bo Bichette 7-43, 2 2B, HR, 11 K
• Francisco Lindor 6-26, 2 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Christopher Morel 0-2, BB, 2 K
• Cristian Pace 0-2
• Marcus Semien 12-47, 3 2B, 3 HR, 4 BB, 13 K
• Juan Soto 4-6, 2B, 2 HR, K
• Luis Torrens 0-4
• Mark Vientos 3-7, 2 HR, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. A.J. Ewing. Ewing is just hitting the cover off of the baseball right now. He has reached base in 10 consecutive games going 16-for-37 at the plate with three doubles, two home runs and four walks (.432/.476/.676). Before Friday night’s game we noted that with a good night he could push his OPS back over .700, which is exactly what happened. He’s now sitting with a 3.0 bWAR in his rookie season, with 11 hits in his last five games.
2. Juan Soto. I forgot how much Yankee fans booed Juan Soto last season at Yankee Stadium. Yankee fans did not and they let Soto have it Friday night. This will probably continue throughout the weekend, hopefully Juan Soto can put on a show today.
3. Home runs. Gerrit Cole has allowed six home runs in his last four starts and has a 1.4 HR/9, a bit above his 1.0 HR/9 career rate. Zac Thornton has allowed eight homers in his last five starts and has a 1.5 HR/9. The Yankees are second in the league with 201 home runs. The Mets are eighth with 182. Yankee Stadium is second in the league with a 118 park factor for home runs over the last three season. It may be a great day to see some long balls!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets head into this weekend’s Subway Series on a four game winning streak, coming off of a sweep of the Marlins. Wednesday’s game was one of the crazier one’s in Mets history. The Mets roared to an early 8-0 lead, the Marlins came back. The Mets then extended the lead to 15-9, the Marlins came back falling just short with a final score of 15-14. The Mets now sitting in fourth place, two games above the Nationals, and are only 3.5 games behind the Marlins for third in the division.

The Yankees have won three games in a row and they have also won seven of their last ten. They just got Aaron Judge back and are three games off of the division lead. This is shaping up to be a competitive weekend!

Nolan McLean has pitched 161 2/3 innings over 28 starts with a 3.06 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 1.144 WHIP and a 134 ERA+. In his last five starts he has pitched 31 innings with a 1.16 ERA and 3.87 FIP. He’s been on a roll recently with the only blemish being free passes. He has walked 15 batters in his last four starts, but he’s been able to work around that allowing only four runs. The only members of the Yankees to face McLean in a Major League game are Luis García Jr. (0-for-4, K) and Heliot Ramos (0-for-2, K).

Carlos Rodón had made 13 starts this season totaling 64 innings with a 3.09 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 1.172 WHIP and a 136 ERA+. Since returning to action at the start of August he has pitched 17 2/3 innings over four starts where he allowed six runs, five earned while striking out 18 batters (2.55 ERA, 4.80 FIP). He still hasn’t pitched beyond five innings since coming back. The Mets tagged him for three runs, two earned over 3 2/3 innings back in May. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-3, BB
• Brett Baty 1-2, 2B
• Carson Benge 1-2
• Bo Bichette 4-15, 2 2B, 2 BB, 3 K
• A.J. Ewing 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 10-39, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 BB, 5 K
• Christopher Morel 1-13, 6 K
• Cristian Pache 0-2
• Marcus Semien 5-28, 2B, HR, BB, 8 K
• Juan Soto 1-5, 5 BB, K
• Luis Torrens 1-6, HR, 3 K
• Mark Vientos 2-10, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Francisco Lindor. Lindor has been on a heater in his last three games. He has gone a combined 4-for-15 with two home runs and five runs scored. He now has four home runs in the month of September and 18 total for the season. Lindor has fantastic numbers against Rodón and he has slashed .295/.360/.525 with seven home runs at Yankee Stadium.
2. A.J. Ewing. Ewing has gone 10-for-18 in his last five games with two doubles, a home run and stolen base (.556/.571/.833). It’s nice to see Ewing get back into a hot streak to end the season, emerging from a colder August. He’s now hitting .252/.322/.370 and has a solid chance raise his season OPS back over .700 for the first time since mid-August.
3. Christopher Morel. Brett Baty hurt his knee running to first in the second inning on Wednesday, giving Morel significant playing time. Morel went 3-for-4 with a double, home run and three runs scored. That doubles the amount of hits he has had as a Met. Before Wednesday Morel went 3-for-16 over nine games slashing .188/.278/.188 .

Let’s Go Mets!