Tuesday, August 18, 2026 • 7:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
LHP Robbie Ray (10-7, 3.28) vs. LHP Zac Thornton (3-3, 2.78)
SNY
The Mets tonight look to extend their winning streak to five games, a mark they haven’t hit yet this season. The Padres had four hits in the first inning on Monday night but didn’t score any runs thanks to Carson Benge’s arm. Benge tossed out two runners at the plate to prevent any runs from scoring. A.J. Ewing would join Benge later in the game and the Mets were able to squeak by with a score of 2-1.
The Mets have now won 10 of their last 13 games. The Padres came into last night’s game winning eight of their last 10. It’s two teams on hot streaks, let’s go!
Zac Thornton vs. Brewers
Mets Lineup
- Francisco Lindor – SS
- Bo Bichette – 3B
- Carson Benge – RF
- Luis Robert Jr. – CF
- Francisco Alvarez – DH
- Christopher Morel – 1B
- Marcus Semien – 2B
- A.J. Ewing – LF
- Luis Torrens – C
Starting Pitcher: Zac Thornton
Zac Thornton has made eight starts so far this season totaling 45 1/3 innings with a 2.78 ERA, 3.88 FIP, 1.103 WHIP and a 147 ERA+. His numbers have returned to Earth a bit in his last four starts, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) over 22 innings with a 3.68 ERA and 4.85 FIP. He’s allowed exactly three earned runs in three of his last four starts.
No one on the Padres roster has faced Thornton before in an MLB game.
Opposing Lineup
- Fernando Tatis Jr. – RF
- Luis Rengifo – LF
- Manny Machado – 3B
- Ty France – 1B
- Jackson Merrill – CF
- Xander Bogaerts – SS
- Austin Hays – DH
- Freddy Fermin – C
- Jake Cronenworth – 2B
Robbie Ray came over from the Giants at the trade deadline a few weeks ago. Overall this season Ray has pitched 131 2/3 innings with a 3.28 ERA, 4.55 FIP, 1.329 WHIP and a 122 ERA+. Since joining the Padres he has made two starts allowing six runs over nine innings from nine hits and eight walks. Ray last faced the Mets back in the first week of April where he allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings from three hits and three walks. The Mets have the following career stats against Ray:
- Francisco Alvarez 2-4, K
- Brett Baty 1-3
- Bo Bichette 3-11, 3 2B, 4 K
- Francisco Lindor 1-9, HR, 3 BB, 3 K
- Cristian Pache 2-12, 2B, HR, 6 K
- Jorge Polanco 1-9, K, BB
- Luis Robert Jr. 1-11, HR, BB, 4 K
- Marcus Semien 2-13, 2B, 4 K
- Luis Torrens 3-14, 2B, 5 K
Game Notes
A.J. Ewing was moved to eighth in the order. He’s been regularly hitting leadoff since July 6 but has just a .231/.296/.336/.633 slash line and 79 wRC+ since then.
Austin Warren was activated from the injured list, and Chayse McDermott was optioned to Triple-A.
Jose Iglesias is throwing out the first pitch tonight!
Three Things To Watch For
- Don’t run on the Mets! The Mets nailed out three Padres runners at home plate Monday night. Carson Benge’s arm strength is in the 99th percentile (fifth-highest in the league) and A.J. Ewing is in the 92nd percentile, according to Savant. It will be interesting to see tonight if the Padres remain aggressive on the base paths, or if they switch it up.
- Christopher Morel. The Mets called up Christopher Morel before Monday night’s game. Morel signed with the Mets on July 1 after being released by the Marlins in June. Before being released, Morel was hitting .162/.219/.206. Morel has had three disappointing seasons from 2024 until now, putting up an 80, 89 and 22 OPS+. In his first two seasons with the Cubs he had a 104 and 122 OPS+. Morel has been tearing the cover off the ball in Syracuse, hitting .321/.382/.716/1.098 over the last month with hitting 12 homers in 31 games.
- Kodai Senga and close games. The Mets have won three one-run games in a row, improving their season record to 14-20 in one-run games. Senga locked down the save on Sunday with a clean inning where he struck out two batters on a total of 11 batters. It was his second time pitching in three games, making him unavailable for the save situation last night. In Senga’s last five games, he has allowed only one hit, two walks and has seven strikeouts over five scoreless innings.
Let’s go Mets!
