Wednesday, May 8, 2024 • 1:15 PM
Busch Stadium • St. Louis, MO
LHP Jose Quintana (1-3, 5.20) vs. RHP Sonny Gray (4-1, 0.89)
SNY

This game is already in a rain delay. 

The Mets go for the sweep this afternoon in St. Louis! Tuesday’s game featured the return of the Mets’ offense, with a six-run inning and a Pete Alonso homer.

Tuesday’s game was an example of how quickly vibes can change. The Mets gave up three runs in the first inning, which for the Mets felt like a giant hole. Then, in the fifth inning, Brandon Nimmo got the comeback started with a three-run homer. The Mets would then pile on three more runs. Where has this team been?

Photo by Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Lineup

  1. Brandon Nimmo – LF
  2. Tyrone Taylor – RF
  3. Francisco Lindor – SS
  4. Pete Alonso – 1B
  5. J.D. Martinez – DH
  6. Brett Baty – 3B
  7. Harrison Bader – CF
  8. Joey Wendle – 2B
  9. Omar Narváez– C

Jose Quintana has made seven starts this season, totaling 36 1/3 innings with a 5.20 ERA, 4.16 FIP, 1.541 WHIP, and a 76 ERA+. His last start in Tampa Bay was terrible – he allowed eight runs over 2 2/3 innings from 10 hits and a walk. His start before that, though, was his best of the season, where he held the Cardinals to only one run over eight innings. The Cardinals have the following career numbers against him:

Opposing Lineup

  1. José Fermín – 2B
  2. Lars Nootbaar – LF
  3. Nolan Arenado – 3B
  4. Ivan Herrera – DH
  5. Alec Burleson – 1B
  6. Dylan Carlson – RF
  7. Masyn Winn – SS
  8. Pedro Pagés – C
  9. Michael Siani – CF

The Mets bats will try to figure out Sonny Gray, who has been on a roll this season. Over five starts (30 1/3 innings) has a 0.89 ERA, 1.56 FIP, 0.857 WHIP and a 466 ERA+. Gray is coming off a great start against the White Sox, where he allowed no runs from three hits and a walk. The Mets got to him on April 27th, but it doesn’t show up in his season stats. The Mets scored four runs from four hits and three walks but struck out nine times. Only one of those four runs were earned. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

Game Notes

Right-handed reliever Yohan Ramírez has been added to the roster. The Mets recently claimed him off waivers, and he started the season with them. They sent right-handed reliever Cole Sulser to Triple-A Syracuse to make room on the active roster.

Tylor Megill struck out seven in four scoreless innings for Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.

On this date in 1961, Mets was officially chosen as the franchise name. Jets, Burros and Avengers were also among the 10 finalists.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Brandon Nimmo’s power is back! Brandon Nimmo has always been an on-base machine, last year he added power to the mix. On Tuesday night, he homered for the fifth time this season, his second in his last two games. Since April 29th, in his previous nine games, he has hit 10-for-32 with three doubles, three homers, and eight RBIs (.313/.436/.688). Both of his homers in the last two games have either tied the game for the Mets or gave them a lead.
  2. Vintage Jeff McNeil: The Mets have missed the 2022 batting champion version of Jeff McNeil. Tuesday night, they got a glimpse of that version as he went 3-for-4 at the plate, including a run scored. If the Mets can get Jeff McNeil going consistently, the whole lineup will improve!
  3. Hits in general! The Mets are going to need hits today and need them in a hurry to push Sonny Gray out of the game. On Tuesday, the Mets recorded 14 hits, including five players with at least two hits (Marte, Lindor, Alonso, Martinez, and McNeil). The Mets also went 4-for-7 as a team with RISP.

Let’s go Mets!