What a time for the New York Mets’ offense to come alive!

The Yankees head to Queens today to take on the Mets, who just swept the Detroit Tigers. Yesterday, five different Mets players hit home runs, and only two players struck out. It’s the best the Mets’ bats have looked in a long time.

The Yankees are 10 games over .500 but have lost six of their last ten. The Mets are seven games under .500 and have won seven of their last 10. Each team has a sub-2 ERA pitcher on the mound tonight!

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Bo Bichette – SS
3. Juan Soto – LF
4. Mark Vientos – 1B
5. MJ Melendez – DH
6. Brett Baty – 3B
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. A.J. Ewing – CF
9. Luis Torrens – C

Starting Pitcher: Clay Holmes

Holmes has thrown 48 1/3 innings over eight games with a 1.86 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 1.014 WHIP and a 214 ERA+. He already has 1.9 bWAR this season (last season he had 2.0 bWAR over 33 games). Holmes has also struck out exactly six batters in each of his last three outings. Those 18 batters are a season-high in any three-game stretch for him this season.

The Yankees, who used to employ Holmes as a reliever, have the following career numbers against him:

• Cody Bellinger 1-4, 2B, BB, K
• Jazz Chisholm Jr. 0-2, BB, K
• Paul Goldschmidt 1-8, HR, 4 K
• Trent Grisham 0-0, 3 BB
• Ryan McMahon 1-6, HR, 2 BB
• Amed Rosario 2-8, 3 K
• Max Schuemann 0-1, K

Opposing Lineup

1. Trent Grisham – CF
2. Ben Rice – 1B
3. Aaron Judge – RF
4. Cody Bellinger – LF
5. Jazz Chisholm Jr. – 2B
6. Ryan McMahon – 3B
7. Spencer Jones – DH
8. Anthony Volpe – SS
9. Austin Wells – C

The Mets’ bats face off tonight against one of the best pitchers in the American League. Cam Schlittler has tossed 53 1/3 innings over nine starts with a league-leading 1.35 ERA, 1.65 FIP, 0.806 WHIP and a 312 ERA+. He also leads the league in H/9 at 5.7. This will be the Mets’ first time facing Schlittler, and the only player on the roster who has seen him before is Bichette (1-for-4, 2B, K).

Game Notes

• Jared Young is beginning his rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie tonight after being placed on the 15-day injured list with a meniscus tear in his right knee on April 15.
• The Yankees are 7-13 in their last 20 games at Citi Field and haven’t won a series there since 2018.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Recent Call-ups. What a first week for A.J. Ewing! In his first three major league games, he has gone 3-for-9 with a triple, home run, stolen base and three walks (.538) while scoring four runs. The Mets have won every game he’s played in so far. The Yankees called up Spencer Jones last week, and he has gone 1-for-12 over his first five games with three walks. Before getting his call-up, Jones had 11 home runs in 33 games at Triple A (.258/.366/.592). The story of today’s game are the two sub-2 ERA pitchers. The story of the weekend, though, could be Ewing and Jones.
2. Home Runs. The Mets slugged five home runs yesterday, bringing them to 36 on the season. They are now 25th in the majors in that stat. Going into play yesterday, they were basically in last, hanging out with the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Francisco Giants. The Mets’ roster is constructed to get moderate pop from just about everyone. That’s tough to do without Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez, Jorge Polanco, Ronny Mauricio and Luis Robert Jr. Yesterday showed that the baby Mets (Vientos, Baty) and the rookies, plus Juan Soto, can put on a show.
3. Marcus Semien. Semien got off to a slow start this season. Through his first 19 games, he slashed .194/.257/.269. In the 24 games since, he is slashing .253/.309/.368 with five stolen bases and two home runs. He’s not lighting the world on fire, but his last 24 games are much closer to what he has done in recent years (.230/.305/.364 in 2025, .237/.308/.391 in 2024).

Let’s go Mets!

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The Mets have a chance to go for the sweep this afternoon! There were a lot of reasons to give up on last night’s game. The Tigers took an early 2-0 lead. The Mets struggled with runners in scoring position. Some weird calls went against the Mets (for example, an umpire claiming he saw Baty challenge a pitch). Juan Soto left the game after fouling a ball off his foot just below his guard. But the Mets rallied late, sending the game into extra innings. In the bottom of the tenth, Carson Benge drove home the speedy A.J. Ewing to win the game!

To keep those vibes going today, the Mets will also have to battle the weather, which doesn’t look great today. With the Tigers leaving town, the Mets and Tigers will do everything they can to get today’s game in.

Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Bo Bichette – SS
3. Juan Soto – DH
4. Mark Vientos – 1B
5. MJ Melendez – LF
6. Brett Baty – 3B
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. A.J. Ewing – CF
9. Hayden Senger – C

Starting Pitcher: Nolan McLean

The Mets’ ace gets the ball today! Nolan McLean has made eight starts totaling 45 1/3 innings with a 2.78 ERA, 2.38 FIP, 0.904 WHIP and a 143 ERA+. He has 57 strikeouts, which matches his exact total of strikeouts in eight starts in 2025 (48 innings). McLean is coming off a strong start against the Diamondbacks, holding them to one run over six innings while striking out six. McLean faced the Tigers last September, holding them to two runs over six innings. The Tigers have the following career numbers against McLean:

• Dillon Dingler 1-2, K
• Riley Greene 0-2, BB
• Colt Keith 0-3, K
• Zach McKinstry 0-1, BB
• Wenceel Pérez 1-2, K
• Spencer Torkelson 1-2

Opposing Lineup

1. Kevin McGonigle – SS
2. Colt Keith – 3B
3. Riley Greene – LF
4. Dillon Dingler – DH
5. Gage Workman – 2B
6. Zach McKinstry – RF
7. Spencer Torkelson – 1B
8. Wenceel Pérez – CF
9. Jake Rogers – C

Keider Montero has pitched 39 2/3 innings over seven starts this season with a 3.18 ERA, 3.23 FIP, 0.958 WHIP and a 134 ERA+. He’s been on a roll in May, allowing only two runs over 12 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Keider Montero:

• Bo Bichette 1-3, 2B
• Marcus Semien 0-1, BB K
• Austin Slater 1-3, K
• Juan Soto 0-2, K

Game Notes

• Juan Soto is back in the lineup after exiting Wednesday’s game in the seventh inning. X-rays were negative on his foot, and he was considered day-to-day.
• Francisco Lindor’s latest MRI showed healing, but he’s still not nearing baseball activities, Carlos Mendoza said. As for Francisco Alvarez, he had surgery Thursday morning and is expected to be sidelined about eight weeks.
• The Mets are just 2-6 in games started by Nolan McLean this year, averaging three runs per game when he’s on the mound.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Carson Benge. Last night’s hero has been heating up. He had a three-hit night, and since moving to the leadoff spot, he has gone 5-for-10 with a run, two RBIs and a stolen base. In his last nine games, he has gone 12-for-31 with seven runs scored and seven RBIs, while slashing .378/.457/.581. The Mets needed someone to take the lead of the offense, and it’s the rookie doing it!
2. Nolan McLean 100 innings? Nolan McLean is sitting at 93 1/3 innings. Weather permitting, it is possible today that he clears 100 career innings. In his first 93 1/3 innings with the Mets, he has a 2.41 ERA, 2.68 FIP, 0.975 WHIP, 168 ERA+ and 114 strikeouts. If the Mets are going to dig out of this hole from their terrible April, it’s going to be because of Nolan McLean.
3. Hit hard, don’t expect walks. Keider Montero has walked only 5.2% of hitters this season, good for the 92nd percentile. His xBA is also solid at .230 (66th percentile). On the other side, though, when hitters make contact, they are hitting Montero hard. Hitters are getting hard contact 43.2% of the time (29th percentile), barreling the ball 10.3% of the time (24th percentile), and the average exit velocity is 91.3 mph (12th percentile). The Mets are seventh in the majors with an average exit velocity of 89.7 mph and 15th in raw number of barrels.

Let’s go Mets!

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The Mets got the spark they were looking for! A.J. Ewing had a tremendous major league debut last night recording a triple and three walks in a 10-2 romp of the Tigers. For the first time in a while the vibes feel good! It went beyond Ewing as the Mets recorded 13 hits with Benge, Soto, Vientos and Baty all recording two hits each.

Now the Mets will try to keep those vibes going tonight as they take on Framber Valdez.

Before the game, the Mets got more bad injury news with Francisco Alvarez suffering a right meniscus tear. He’s been placed on the injured list and Hayden Senger has been recalled.

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Bo Bichette – SS
3. Juan Soto – DH
4. Mark Vientos – 1B
5. Marcus Semien – 2B
6. Brett Baty – 3B
7. Tyrone Taylor – LF
8. A.J. Ewing – CF
9. Luis Torrens – C

Starting Pitcher: Christian Scott

Christian Scott will make his fourth start of the year tonight. Over his first three starts he has tossed 11 innings with a 3.27 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 1.182 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. He’s coming off of a solid start in Colorado where he held the Rockies to only three hits and one run over 4 2/3 innings while striking out six. No one on the Tigers have faced Scott in a Major League game.

Opposing Lineup

1. Kevin McGonigle – 3B
2. Dillon Dingler – C
3. Colt Keith – DH
4. Riley Greene – LF
5. Matt Vierling – CF
6. Wenceel Pérez – RF
7. Spencer Torkelson – 1B
8. Zach McKinstry – 3B
9. Zack Short – SS

Framber Valdez signed a 70 million two-year deal with Tigers this off season. The long time Astros ace will be returning from a five-game suspension tonight. Over eight starts, 43 1/3 innings, Valdez has a 4.57 ERA, 4.32 FIP, 1.408 WHIP and a 94 ERA+. He has allowed 26 runs, 22 earned, this season, but the vast majority of that happened in two starts. He allowed eight runs over five innings against the Twins on April 8th.

His last time out he allowed 10 runs, seven earned, over three innings against the Red Sox. During this start he intentionally threw at Trevor Story after giving up back-to-back home runs to open the fourth inning. Valdez says that it wasn’t intentionally and that he lost his grip on his fastball, and he’s been working on that during his suspension. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-6, 2B, 2 K
• Bo Bichette 4-13, HR, K
• MJ Melendez 2-5, BB, 3 K
• Marcus Semien 12-41, 2B, 2 HR, 7 BB, 10 K
• Austin Slater 6-15, 4 K
• Juan Soto 3-7, 3 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-5, BB
• Luis Torrens 3-14, 2B, 3 K
• Mark Vientos 1-6, HR, K

Game Notes

As mentioned above, Alvarez has hit the IL and Senger is back. Alvarez will have surgery and is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks. Senger has already set a career-high with six home runs in Triple-A this year, though he has struck out 40% of the time.

Relief prospects Ryan Lambert, Dylan Ross and Jonathan Pintaro all had scoreless outings earlier on Wednesday for Triple-A Syracuse.

Jack Wenninger extended his scoreless streak to three starts (16.2 IP) for Triple-A Syracuse.

If you’ve been living under a rock, Mets top position prospect A.J. Ewing made his debut on Tuesday night and was quite good.

Three Things to Watch For

1. Christian Scott. Scott has had a weird season so far. In his first start he struggled to get an out, in his second start he pitched a lot better than his line said (5 innings, 3 runs, 8 strikeouts). His xERA is 3.30 and xBA is .172. If he was a qualifying pitcher in Statcast, his xBA would somewhere in the 90th-ish percentile. This is true for his K% (31.3) and Hard-Hit% (29.2) as well. Despite the high K% he’s not generating a ton of chase (30.5%) and whiff’s (23%). As he makes more starts it will be interesting to see how some of these numbers start to settle.
2. A.J. Ewing. What does Ewing do tonight as an encore? The Mets have been struggling this season to get hits, score runs, steal bases and work walks. Ewing had a triple, scored two runs, worked three walks and stole a base all in his first start. He’s already 12th on the Mets for walks in 2026. What a start!
3. Carson Benge. Every player to watch tonight is part of the next generation of Mets players! Benge was moved to the leadoff spot last night and went 2-for-5 with a run scored. In his last eight games he has gone 9-for-26 with three doubles, a home runs, four walks and seven runs scored. That’s a .346/.433/.577 slash line. Since April 22nd he has raised his season slash line from .136/.219/.197 to .215/.280/.331.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Game Chat: Tigers vs Mets, 7:10 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets desperately need to shake things up after the offense has evaporated. The Mets have scored one run in each of their last two games and are now tied for the fewest runs scored in the majors. They need a spark to get going!

Desperate times call for bold moves and the Mets are doing that calling up A.J. Ewing, the No. 2 prospect behind Jonah Tong in the Mets system. (In reality, he’s probably No. 1 on the next update.) It’s time for the next generation to take over!

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Mets Lineup

1. Bo Bichette – 3B
2. Juan Soto – LF
3. MJ Melendez – DH
4. Mark Vientos – 1B
5. Carson Benge – RF
6. Francisco Alvarez – C
7. Brett Baty – 3B
8. Marcus Semien – 2B
9. A.J. Ewing – CF

Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta

Freddy Peralta has pitched 43 1/3 innings over eight starts with a 3.12 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.200 WHIP and a 128 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start against the Rockies, where he held them scoreless over five innings. In his last three starts he has a 1.62 ERA over 16 2/3 innings (against the Rockies twice and the Nationals).

The Tigers have the following career numbers against him:

• Riley Greene 1-4, BB
• Colt Keith 0-1
• Zach McKinstry 0-7, BB, K
• Jake Rogers 1-2
• Spencer Torkelson 0-2, K
• Matt Vierling 1-4, 2B, BB, 2 K

Opposing Lineup

[Insert Lineup Tweet]

Jack Flaherty has tossed 34 innings over eight starts this season with a 5.56 ERA, 5.29 FIP, 1.647 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed 14 runs (12 earned) over 10 2/3 innings with a 10.13 ERA. He has struck out 18 batters in that stretch, but he has also allowed four home runs.

The Mets have the following numbers against Flaherty:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-4, 2B, K
• Bo Bichette 7-13, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Marcus Semien 3-10, HR, BB, 3 K
• Austin Slater 1-3, 2B, K
• Juan Soto 2-11, 2B, 8 BB, 3 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-7, BB, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 0-6, 2 K

Game Notes

A.J. Ewing was officially called up, and Andy Ibáñez was designated for assignment in his place. Ewing will wear No. 9.

Three Things To Watch For

1. A.J. Ewing. Ewing was tearing up Binghamton earlier this season, slashing .349/.481/.571 over 18 games with nine extra base hits and 12 stolen bases. He got the quick promotion to Syracuse where he hit .326/.392/.435 with four extra base hits and five stolen bases over 12 games. Over his minor league career he hit .290/.395/.425 with 101 stolen bases over 251 games. The Mets have not been getting on base and have not been stealing bases–two things Ewing does well! Welcome to the big leagues! Check out a profile of Ewing here.
2. Kevin McGonigle. McGonigle has turned a lot of heads in his rookie season hitting .293/.395/.435 with a 132 OPS+ and 2.2 bWAR through 39 games this season. He is a double hitting machine with 11 of them so far this year and has worked 23 walks. Shutting McGonigle down is critical for getting through this Tigers squad.
3. Bo Bichette. The Mets need Bichette to get through his current slump tonight. In his last four games Bichette has gone 0-for-13 with three walks. The Mets have gone 1-3 in those games. In the five games before that Bichette went 7-for-23 and the Mets went 4-1 in those games.

Let’s go Mets!

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The New York Mets’ offense continues to struggle.

New Yorktook a 1-0 lead early last night but then couldn’t do anything else as they fell 2-1 to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Sunday, the Mets have a chance to win their third consecutive series and end this long, West Coast road trip on a happy note.

Mets Lineup

1. Juan Soto – DH
2. Bo Bichette – SS
3. Austin Slater – LF
4. Mark Vientos – 1B
5. Marcus Semien – 2B
6. Andy Ibáñez – 3B
7. Tyrone Taylor – CF
8. Carson Benge – RF
9. Luis Torrens – C

Starting Pitcher: Huascar Brazobán

The Mets will be using Huascar Brazobán as an opener with David Peterson set to take on the bulk of the work Sunday afternoon. Over eight games and 34 1/3 innings, Peterson has a 6.29 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 1.602 WHIP, and a 64 ERA+. In 11 innings as a reliever, he has a 2.45 ERA and a 1.000 WHIP. His K/BB rate goes from 2.00 as a starter to 9.00 as a reliever.

Peterson had a tough start against the Diamondbacks earlier this season allowing five runs over five innings from six hits and two walks. The Diamondbacks have the following career numbers against him:

• Nolan Arenado 2-6, 2 K
• Jorge Barrosa 1-3, 2B, BB, K
• Corbin Carroll 4-12, 2 2B, 3 K
• Jose Fernandez 1-2, K
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 4-10, 2B, 2 HR
• Ketel Maarte 3-13, 2B, HR, 5 K
• James McCann 0-0, BB
• Gabriel Moreno 1-4, 2 K
• Geraldo Perdomo 3-9, 2B, 4 BB, K
• Tim Tawa 0-2
• Ildermaro Vargas 5-14, 2 2B, K

Diamondbacks Lineup

1. Ketel Marte – 2B
2. Corbin Carroll – RF
3. Geraldo Perdomo – SS
4. Adrian Del Castillo – C
5. Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
6. Nolan Arenado – 3B
7. Jared McCann – C
8. Jorge Barrosa – CF
9. Ryan Waldschmidt – LF

Starting Pitcher: Eduardo Rodríguez

Eduardo Rodríguez has made seven starts totaling 39 2/3 innings with a 2.50 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.286 WHIP and a 168 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed two runs from 7 hits over 11 2/3 innings while striking out 11 batters. He was solid against the Mets earlier this season holding the Mets to one run over six innings, scattering five hits and two walks. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-9, 2 K
• Brett Baty 1-3
• Bo Bichette 6-15, 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 K
• Vidal Bruján 0-0, BB
• Andy Ibáñez 3-5, 2 2B, HR, K
• MJ Melendez 1-9, BB, 6 K
• Marcus Semien 7-28, 2B, 3 BB, 10 K
• Austin Slater 1-6, 2 K
• Juan Soto 0-4, 2 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 3-4, 2 2B
• Luis Torrens 1-5, K
• Mark Vientos 0-8, K

Game Notes

Prior to the game, manger Carlos Mendoza confirmed that Luis Robert Jr. has yet to resume baseball activities. He also confirmed there is no timetable on Jorge Polanco‘s return. Polanco is having, “good days and bad days.”

Prior to the game, manager Carlos Mendoza also said RHP Kodai Senga will throw a bullpen Sunday. Additionally, LHP A.J. Minter threw a bullpen Saturday. He recently had his “rehab clock” restarted due to hip soreness.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Huascar Brazobán. Brazobán pitched a scoreless first inning against the Colorado Rockies a few days ago opening up a game where David Peterson got the bulk of the work. Hitters are just not making solid contact right now against Brazobán who is in the 97th percentile for average exit velocity (84.8 mph). Hitters are barreling the ball only 2.0% of the time (95th percentile), getting a hard-hit 26.5% (96th percentile), and grounding out 55.1% (90th percentile).
2. Offense. The 2026 Mets have scored 138 runs this season, good for 29th in the major leagues. Their pitching is tied for the ninth-fewest runs allowed, at 165. The Mets don’t need a crazy bump in offense to turn things around, but they need something, anything, to give them a spark.
3. Luis Torrens. Torrens may be the secret to David Peterson. In 26 2/3 innings throwing to Alvarez this season, Peterson has a 7.42 ERA. In 7 2/3 innings throwing to Torrens, Peterson has a 2.35 ERA. The numbers weren’t as stark last year, but the trend was there as well. Peterson had a 4.95 ERA with Alvarez catching compared to a 3.52 ERA with Torrens. Torrens has continued to excel at catching base runners, throwing out three already, putting him in the 98th percentile.

The post Game Thread: Mets vs. Diamondbacks, 4:10 P.M. appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Believe it or not, the Mets are on the verge of winning their third consecutive series, despite being eight games under .500. The Mets beat the Diamondbacks in an extra-inning game overnight thanks to Mark Vientos who has been the engine of the Mets’ offense for the last week. Now the Mets turn to one of their most consistent pitchers this season to lock down the series win.

William Liang-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Juan Soto – LF
2. Bo Bichette – SS
3. MJ Melendez – DH
4. Mark Vientos – 1B
5. Carson Benge – RF
6. Marcus Semien – 2B
7. Brett Baty – 3B
8. Francisco Alvarez – C
9. Tyrone Taylor – CF

Starting Pitcher: Clay Holmes

Clay Holmes has pitched 42 2/3 innings this season over seven starts with a league-leading 1.69 ERA and 235 ERA+. He has a 3.65 FIP, 0.984 WHIP, and is allowing 5.9 H/9, way below his career rate of 7.7. In his last two starts, he allowed only one run from seven hits over 12 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Holmes:

• Nolan Arenado 2-7, BB, K
• Corbin Carroll 1-1
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 2-8, K
• Ketel Marte 0-3, K
• James McCann 0-2, BB, K
• Geraldo Perdomo 0-1

Opposing Lineup

1. Ketel Marte – 2B
2. Corbin Carroll – RF
3. Geraldo Perdomo – SS
4. Adrian Del Castillo – DH
5. Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
6. Nolan Arenado – 3B
7. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – LF
8. Gabriel Moreno – C
9. Ryan Waldschmidt – CF

Merrill Kelly has gotten off to a rough start this season. Last year, he made 32 starts between the Rangers and Diamondbacks with a 3.52 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.114 WHIP, and a 116 ERA+. This season, he has made four starts totaling 19 innings with a 9.95 ERA, 8.13 FIP, 2.316 WHIP, and a 42 ERA+. His first start of the season against the Orioles was solid, holding them to two runs over 5 1/3. Since then, he has allowed 19 earned runs over 13 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Kelly:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-3, 3 K
• Brett Baty 0-3, K
• Andy Ibáñez 0-1
• Marcus Semien 2-8, HR, 3 K
• Austin Slater 2-11, BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 5-19, 2B, HR, 2 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-8, K
• Luis Torrens 1-4, 2B, BB
• Mark Vientos 0-1, BB

Game Notes

• The Mets send Clay Holmes to the mound Saturday with a chance to win the series over the D-backs. Holmes enters his start with an NL-leading 1.69 ERA and the eighth-lowest batting average against at .189. Holmes has also been the best length pitcher for the Mets, pitching at least six innings in four of his seven starts.
• Carson Benge is starting to heat up for the Mets. The 2024 first-round pick is slashing .314/.385/.486 with a homer in his last 35 at-bats, and doubled in a run in the Mets’ 10th inning victory Friday.
• Brooks Raley pitched another scoreless inning Friday for the Mets. The lefty has been sensational for the Mets, and has now pitched 40 outings out of his last 46 without allowing an earned run.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Mark Vientos. Mark Vientos was the Mets’ offense again last night. He now has eight RBI’s in his last five games, is leading the Mets in home runs, and is tied for the lead in RBI’s. Vientos’ eight RBI’s come in games when the Mets scored a total of 11 runs, meaning Vientos is putting the whole team on his back some nights.
2. Strikeouts. Merrill Kelly has rarely lit the world on fire with strikeouts. His career rate is 8.1 K/9, with only one season above 9.5. This season, he is struggling, striking out hitters 6.6 per nine. The Mets struggled a lot with swinging last night, racking up 10 K’s as a team. Three players (Soto, Torrens, Melendez) each struck out two times.
3. Bullpen. The Mets had to use Weaver, Raley, Williams, and Myers last night. Most likely, they’ll be opening tomorrow’s game with an opener or two since it worked out well last time. Brazobán and Warren both haven’t pitched since Thursday but they are most likely candidates to open a game. Kimbrel hasn’t pitched since allowing a go-ahead grand slam to the Rockies. Sean Manaea hasn’t pitched since Wednesday when he allowed three hits before recording his first out. The Mets have avoided using anyone back-to-back days for the last week, and it feels like that stretch will probably end today. Devin Williams has only tossed a total of 25 pitches in his last three games (five days).

Let’s go Mets!

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The good news is the Mets have won two consecutive series on the road. That being said, yesterday’s game was a winnable game that they just couldn’t close the deal on. The Mets look to shake it off as they head to Arizona to end this long West Coast road trip.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Juan Soto – LF
2. Bo Bichette – SS
3. Brett Baty – 3B
4. Mark Vientos – 1B
5. Carson Benge – CF
6. Marcus Semien – 2B
7. MJ Melendez – RF
8. Francisco Alvarez – DH
9. Luis Torrens – C

Starting Pitcher: Nolan McLean

McLean gets the start for the Mets today! Over seven games and 39 1/3 innings, he has a 2.97 ERA, 2.12 FIP (league-leading), 0.914 WHIP and a 134 ERA+. McLean is coming off of his shortest start of the season where he allowed three runs on six hits and one walk over four innings against the Los Angeles Angels. He still managed to strike out six batters.

The Diamondbacks have the following career numbers against McLean:

• Jorge Barrosa 0-2, K
• Adrian Del Castillo 0-3, 2 K
• Jose Fernandez 2-3, 2B
• Ketel Marte 0-3, K
• James McCann 0-2, 2 K
• Geraldo Perdomo 0-2, BB
• Tim Tawa 1-2
• Ildemaro Vargas 0-2, BB, K

Opposing Lineup

1. Geraldo Perdomo – SS
2. Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
3. Corbin Carroll – RF
4. Adrian Del Castillo – DH
5. Nolan Arenado – 3B
6. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – LF
7. Gabriel Moreno – C
8. Jose Fernandez – 1B
9. Jorge Barrosa – CF

Ryne Nelson has pitched 31 1/3 innings over seven starts this season with a 6.61 ERA, 5.50 FIP, 1.436 WHIP and a 64 ERA+. Nelson has been either great or terrible this season with very little in-between. Against the Mets earlier this season, he allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings. His last time out against the Cubs, he allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings. He also has three starts where he allowed six runs or more.

The Mets have the following career stats against Nelson:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-10, HR, 4 K
• Brett Baty 1-4, BB, K
• Carson Benge 0-2
• Bo Bichette 3-8, BB, K
• Vidal Bruján  0-1,K
• Marcus Semien 1-7, 2 K
• Juan Soto 3-12, 3B, 2 HR, 7 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-4, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 2-9, 2 K

Game Notes

• The Mets have not won three series in a row so far this season, though they have a chance to do so in Arizona this weekend.
• New York has not lost the season series to the Diamondbacks since 2017, when it went 1-6 against them.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Be Patient Mets. Nelson has a BB/9 rate of 3.7 this season, which is quite a bit above his career rate of 2.5. The last time the Mets faced Nelson, they worked zero walks, the only outing for Nelson this year where that happened. Let’s take the patient approach tonight and make Nelson work.
2. Mark Vientos. Earlier in the week, Vientos was the engine pushing the entire Mets offense, recording six RBIs over two games. Since then, he has gone 0-for-8 at the plate with a walk and two strikeouts. Vientos doesn’t have great numbers in Arizona, going 4-for-17 with one RBI in his career. Can he flip the script tonight?
3. Too many double plays. The Mets are tied with the Astros and the Rangers for No. 5 in the majors with 30 GIDP’s this season. Alvarez has 10 of them, following by Bichette with 6. Alvarez is leading the league and Bichette is tied for No. 6. So it’s not just you if you’re watching games at home thinking the Mets are ending rallies early, and often.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Game Thread: Mets vs. Diamondbacks, 9:40 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets look to get out of Colorado with a sweep!

Overnight, the Mets secured their second consecutive series win with a 10-5 victory over the Rockies. It was a typical game in Denver, meaning that nothing about this game was typical. The temperature was right around freezing all night, and the Mets opened the game up with an 8-0 lead over the first six innings. That’s when this game became a Coors Field game. Tobias Myers struggled in two-thirds of an inning, allowing four runs. Sean Manaea later allowed three hits and recorded one out. So despite a massive lead, the Mets needed to use Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams to lock down the win.

It will still feel like winter when the Mets wake up, but by game time, it should be near 60 and rising. It’s a great day to sweep the Rockies!

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Juan Soto – DH
2. Bo Bichette – 3B
3. Mark Vientos – 1B
4. Austin Slater – RF
5. Marcus Semien – 2B
6. Andy Ibáñez – LF
7. Francisco Alvarez – C
8. Tyrone Taylor – CF
9. Vidal Bruján – SS

Starting Pitcher: Christian Scott

The Mets used six pitchers last night, so it’s imperative that Christian Scott has a solid outing this afternoon. Scott’s debut this season was rough, allowing one run on no hits and five walks over 1 1/3 innings. He was much more effective his last time out, allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits and no walks over five innings while striking out eight batters. The only two hitters on the Rockies who have seen Scott in a Major League game are Brenton Doyle (1-for-2) and Ezequiel Tovar (1-for-3, 2B, K).

Opposing Lineup

1. Edouard Julien – 2B
2. Mickey Moniak – LF
3. Tyler Freeman – DH
4. TJ Rumfield – 1B
5. Troy Johnston – RF
6. Willi Castro – SS
7. Jake McCarthy – CF
8. Kyle Karros – 3B
9. Brett Sullivan – C

Jose Quintana stands between the Mets and a series sweep. Over five starts (24 1/3 innings), Quintana has a 4.07 ERA, 6.30 FIP, 1.356 WHIP and a 118 ERA+. Over his last two starts, Quintana has allowed only two runs and seven hits over 11 1/3 innings (5 1/3 against the Mets). Both his runs came on solo homers, and that has been Quintana’s weakness this season. He’s allowed five home runs so far for a 1.8 HR/9, double his career rate. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Brett Baty 0-4, 2 K
• Bo Bichette 0-3, 2 BB
• Andy Ibáñez 0-2, BB
• MJ Melendez 0-2, BB
• Marcus Semien 6-17, 3 2B, BB, 4 K
• Austin Slater 3-10, HR, BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 2-16, 2 BB, 4 K
• Tyrone Taylor 3-8, 2B, HR, 3 K
• Luis Torrens 0-7, K
• Mark Vientos 2-4

Game Notes

• Vidal Bruján will make his debut today. In Triple-A Syracuse, he has batted .241/.304/.313 with one homer and three doubles over 92 plate appearances.
• The Mets have won consecutive series for the first time this season, and are aiming for their first sweep of the year.

Three Things To Watch For

1. The race for five homers. It is May 7th, and the Mets still do not have a player with five home runs. Francisco Alvarez has been sitting at four homers for a while. Juan Soto hit his fourth home run last night (and would already be at five if it wasn’t for James Wood robbing him last week). Mark Vientos has four after his two-home run game earlier this week. He should be at five or six if it wasn’t for the wind blowing straight in on Tuesday afternoon at Coors Field. As a team, the Mets have hit 30 home runs, good for 25th in the majors. With Quintana’s home run struggles, today feels like a good day for someone to finally get to five.
2. Marcus Semien. For the better part of the last two weeks, we’ve been highlighting how Marcus Semien has good stats against the opposing starting pitcher. This goes back to the last homestand against the Rockies when the Mets faced Quintana. Semien is coming off of his best night as a Met, going 4-for-5 at the plate with a double and a home run. In his last nine games, he has gone 9-for-34 and is slashing .265/.286/.382. Last night is doing a lot of lifting, but there are signs that Semien has been slowly breaking out of his slump.
3. Who comes in after Christian Scott? With the Mets using Myers, Manaea, Raley, Weaver and Williams yesterday, the Mets enter play today stretched a little thin. Huascar Brazobán and Austin Warren haven’t pitched since they opened Tuesday night’s game. Today would make sense for them to get some work in as they will probably open Sunday’s game before David Peterson. Brazobán’s Baseball Savant page looks amazing. He has an xERA of 2.70 and is in the 92nd percentile or higher for walk rate, barrel rate, hard-hit rate, ground-ball rate and average velocity. Austin Warren has a 1.42 ERA over 6 1/3 innings while striking out eight batters.

Let’s go Mets!

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Yesterday’s Rockies and Mets game was postponed due to snow in the Denver area. The Rockies moved today’s getaway game from the early afternoon to night, giving the team time to dig the stadium out of the snow. The game that was missed yesterday is slated for tomorrow afternoon. As of writing, there is still a chance that tonight’s game will have to be postponed, setting up a doubleheader on Thursday.

If tonight’s game happens, the Mets will try to build on Monday’s win, where one big inning essentially propelled them over the Rockies. The Mets have now won three of their last four and are hoping to keep the momentum going.

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Juan Soto – LF
2. Bo Bichette – SS
3. MJ Melendez – RF
4. Mark Vientos – 1B
5. Brett Baty – RF
6. Marcus Semien – 2B
7. Carson Benge – CF
8. Francisco Alvarez – DH
9. Luis Torrens – C

Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta

Freddy Peralta has made seven over 38 1/3 innings with a 3.52 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.200 WHIP and a 114 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed only three earned runs, five runs total over 11 2/3 innings while striking out 14 batters. This includes a 5 2/3 inning start against the Rockies were he held them to two runs while striking out eight batters. The Rockies have the following career numbers against him:

• Jordan Beck 0-1, BB
• Willi Castro 1-7, 3 K
• Brenton Doyle 2-10, HR, BB, 6 K
• Tyler Freeman 2-5, 2 K
• Hunter Goodman 1-3, HR, 2 BB, K
• Troy Johnston 0-3, K
• Edouard Julien 1-2
• Kyle Karros 0-2, BB
• Jake McCarthy 1-6, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Mickey Moniak 1-7, 2 K
• TJ Rumfield 1-2, BB
• Ezequiel Tovar 5-12, 2B, 2 HR, BB, 3 K

Opposing Lineup

1. Edouard Julien – 2B
2. Mickey Moniak – DH
3. Hunter Goodman – C
4. TJ Rumfield – 1B
5. Tyler Freeman – RF
6. Troy Johnston – LF
7. Kyle Karros – 3B
8. Ezequiel Tovar – SS
9. Jake McCarthy – CF

Starting pitcher: Michael Lorenzen

The Mets’ bats will try to do better against Michael Lorenzen whole rolled through the Mets on April 24th, holding them to one run over seven innings. Lorenzen has a 6.09 ERA, 5.08 FIP, 1.765 WHIP, and a 79 ERA+ over eight games (34 innings) this year. He’s currently leading the league in hits allowed at 51and is coming off a start where he allowed four runs from four hits and three walks against the Reds over 5 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-7, K
• Brett Baty 1-6, 2B
• Carson Benge 1-3
• Bo Bichette 1-6, 2B
• Andy Ibáñez 1-3, K
• MJ Melendez 1-10, 2B, BB, 3 K
• Marcus Semien 3-8, 2B, K
• Austin Slater 0-1, K
• Juan Soto 2-13, K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-3, BB, K
• Mark Vientos 4-5, HR, K

Game Notes

• According to Francys Romero, the Mets have signed veteran lefty Cionel Perez to a minor league deal.
• Carson Benge is batting .303 (10-33) with six runs, two doubles, two homers, five RBI, three walks, a .361 OBP, a .545 SLG, and a .907 OPS over his last 11 games. He leads the Mets with three OAA, whcih is tied for the 17th-most in the majors.
• Mark Vientos is on a four-game hitting streak, batting .313 (5-16) in that span with three runs, two doubles, two homers, seven RBI, and a 1.125 OPS. Over his last 10 games, Vientos is batting .294 (10-34) with four runs, two doubles, two homers, eight RBI, four walks, a .368 OBP, a .529 SLG, and an .898 OPS.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Mark Vientos. Mark Vientos has terrific career numbers against Michael Lorenzen. Vientos also has six RBI’s in his last two games, and has three extra base hits in his last four games. On top of that, Vientos had two loud flyouts Monday that were both above 102.9 mph off his bat, both had an xBA above .720. One would have been a home run in 28/30 ballparks, the other in 19/30. The Mets need Vientos to get hot right now.
2. Carson Benge. Benge has made two ridiculous catches in the outfield in back-to-back games. He’s also heating up at the plate. Since April 23rd, Benge has played in 11 games and is hitting .303/.361/.545 with two doubles and two home runs. He has raised his season slash line from .136/.219/.197 to .192/.266/.313.
3. Top of the Lineup. Monday’s offense was provided by Mark Vientos and the back of the Mets lineup. The Mets need their top two hitters to step up today and set the tone. Juan Soto went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Bo Bichette went 0-for-4. Soto’s OPS dipped below .900. Bichette is still trying to break .600. It’s only a matter of time until Bichette and Soto get hot.

Let’s go Mets!

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Will it rain on the Mets’ parade?

The Mets finally won a series over the weekend, taking Sunday’s game against the Angels. Clay Holmes was excellent, and Mark Vientos hit two home runs to give the Mets some much-needed run support. Now the Mets head into chilly Denver to take on the Rockies, who swept the Mets last weekend.

It’s going to be a difficult weather series for the Mets, who have already played a slew of cold April games at Citi Field. Today’s game had to be moved up several hours due to the threat of freezing rain in the evening. This puts the Mets at an additional disadvantage as they now have three fewer hours to acclimate to the elevation in Colorado. Hopefully, the adrenaline from yesterday’s win still powers the Mets through!

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Juan Soto, LF
2. Bo Bichette, SS
3. MJ Melendez, RF
4. Mark Vientos, 1B
5. Brett Baty, 3B
6. Marcus Semien, 2B
7. Carson Benge, CF
8. Francisco Alvarez, DH
9. Luis Torrens, C

Starting Pitcher: Huascar Brazobán

The Mets will use an opener tonight before handing the ball to David Peterson. Peterson started against the Nationals last week, and it was rough, allowing seven runs from five hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings. In the two games before that, he was used as a reliever and looked like a different pitcher. He allowed only one run on seven hits over seven innings of work. The Mets are hoping to replicate that magic tonight. Peterson had one start against the Rockies last season, allowing only one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings, but it was in Queens, not Denver. The Rockies have the following career numbers against him:

• Jordan Beck 1-3
• Willi Castro 1-2, 2B
• Brenton Doyle 2-5, K
• Tyler Freeman 1-2
• Hunter Goodman 0-3, 2 BB
• Jake McCarthy 1-5, K
• Mickey Moniak 1-3, K
• Ezequiel Tovar 1-6, 4 K

Opposing Lineup

1. Mickey Moniak, LF
2. Tyler Freeman, DH
3. TJ Rumfield, 1B
4. Hunter Goodman, C
5. Willi Castro, 2B
6. Jordan Beck, RF
7. Kyle Karros, 3B
8. Ezequiel Tovar, SS
9. Brenton Doyle, CF

Tomoyuki Sugano is off to a great start with the Rockies. Over six starts, 31 2/3 innings, Sugano has a 2.84 ERA, 4.73 FIP, 1.168 WHIP and a 169 ERA+. Over 30 starts and 157 innings for Baltimore last season, he had a 4.64 ERA, 5.36 FIP, 1.331 WHIP and an 88 ERA+. He led the league last year in most home runs allowed (33), and he has only allowed five so far this season. That drops his HR/9 from 1.9 to 1.4. At the start of the season, it looked like he was going to struggle with the long ball again, allowing five homers in his first four starts. The Mets faced him last July, scoring three runs over six innings in a game the Mets lost 7-3. The Mets have the following career numbers against Sugano:

• Brett Baty 1-3
• Bo Bichette 3-4, 2B, BB
• MJ Melendez 1-2, K
• Marcus Semien 1-3, HR
• Juan Soto 0-1, 2 BB
• Mark Vientos 0-3, K

Game Notes

• Juan Soto is batting leadoff for the third time in his career and the first time since 2021.
• The Mets have won five straight games at Coors Field

Three Things To Watch For

1. Huascar Brazobán. Brazobán will be the opener for the Mets this afternoon. He has been tremendous for the Mets, pitching 15 2/3 innings over 14 games with a 1.15 ERA, 2.89 FIP, 0.894 WHIP and a 358 ERA+. The Mets used him as an opener three times last season, and he allowed no runs, no hits and walked three batters over four innings.
2. Mark Vientos. Vientos carried the Mets’ offense on Sunday with two home runs. He now has four on the season, which is tied with Francisco Alvarez for the team lead. His 12 RBIs on the season are tied with Brett Baty for second on the team, while his four doubles are tied with Baty and Soto for third. These stats simultaneously highlight how much the Mets have struggled as a whole at the plate and how quickly Vientos can become one of the most dangerous hitters in the lineup.
3. Mickey Moniak. Moniak is on a mini-tear right now, belting three home runs in his last two games (4-for-9). He is tied for the National League lead with 11 home runs this season, on pace to smash his career high of 24 home runs set last year. The Mets will need to contain him and his 186 OPS+ if they want a shot at winning this game.

Let’s go Mets!

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