Wednesday, August 14, 2019 • 7:20 p.m.
SunTrust Park • Atlanta, GA
LHP Steven Matz (7-7, 4.49 ERA) vs. LHP Dallas Keuchel (3-5, 4.83 ERA)
SNY • WCBS 880 AM • ESPN 1050 AM

The Mets are coming off back to back losses for the first time in a while as they face the Braves in Atlanta tonight. Last night the Mets offense struggled to get into gear while starting pitching, through Wheeler, struggled for the first time in a long time. This happens, let’s see what happens next. The larger concern – Jeff McNeil – left the game in the ninth inning with a hamstring problem and has since been placed on the 10-day IL.

Mets Lineup

  1. Amed Rosario  SS
  2. J.D. Davis  LF
  3. Pete Alonso  1B
  4. Wilson Ramos  C
  5. Michael Conforto  RF
  6. Todd Frazier  3B
  7. Ruben Tejada  2B
  8. Juan Lagares  CF
  9. Steven Matz  P

Braves Lineup

  1. Ronald Acuna Jr.  RF
  2. Ozzie Albies  2B
  3. Freddie Freeman  1B
  4. Josh Donaldson  3B
  5. Adam Duvall  LF
  6. Johan Camargo  SS
  7. Ender Inciarte  CF
  8. Tyler Flowers  C
  9. Dallas Keuchel  P

The Mets bats will be facing Dallas Keuchel tonight. There’s some universe that the Mets signed Keuchel in the offseason as an upgrade to Jason Vargas. There’s some universe where the Mets signed Keuchel when the rotation was facing problems in late April and early May. More plausible – there’s some universe where anyone signed Keuchel in the off-season well ahead of spring training and he has a normal start to the season. We do live in the universe where none of that happened.

Keuchel is 3-5 over 10 games and 59.2 innings with a 4.83 ERA (worst since 2013), 5.23 FIP (worst since 2012), 1.358 WHIP (worst since 2013), and has a 95 ERA+ (which is actually his fifth-best in eight years). He’s coming off his worst start of the season where he allowed eight runs from 10 hits in 3.2 innings against the Marlins. Before that, he had a 3.86 ERA and the beginning of this paragraph probably looks a lot different. He has had outings that he looks like his classic self but in others, he hasn’t looked good at all. This will be his first start this season against the Mets and the Mets have the following numbers against him:

Steven Matz is 7-7 over 23 games and 21 starts pitching 110.1 innings with a 4.49 ERA, 4.72 FIP, 1.396 WHIP, and 92 ERA+. Matz is coming off of a strong start against the Marlins, allowing two runs over 6.2 innings from seven hits and is only two starts removed from his complete-game shutout against the Pirates. He was good in his first start against the Braves allowing two runs over six innings and then his second start he allowed five runs over five innings. The Braves have the following numbers against him:

Game Notes

The Mets lost their second game in a row for the first time on Tuesday since July 18-19 against the San Francisco Giants. They have only lost back-to-back games twice since the All-Star break and have not lost three games in a row in the second half either.

If the Mets were to lose this game tonight, they would lose only their second series since the All-Star break, with the first coming against the Giants.

The Mets are 4-7 against the Atlanta Braves and are 29-26 against the NL East as a whole. They have seven games remaining with the Braves after Wednesday and 20 games against the entire division.

Let’s Go Mets!