Saturday, April 6, 2024 • 4:10 PM
Great American Ballpark • Cincinnati, OH
RHP Luis Severino (0-1, 5.40) vs. RHP Nick Martinez (0-0, 5.40)
SNY

Break up the Mets! They’ve won two games in a row!

After starting the season 0-5 the Mets have won their last two games. On Thursday evening they won the second game of a doubleheader scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth. On Friday evening they squeaked by the Reds 3-2. There’s a trend starting to emerge – the pitching is carrying the team while the offense struggles. The last thing the Mets need is for the pitchers to feel the pressure to be perfect at all times. Playing in Cincinnati is a great way to wake up the bats, let’s hope today is the day!

Luis Severino. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Lineup

  1. Brandon Nimmo DH
  2. Francisco Lindor SS
  3. Pete Alonso 1B
  4. Brett Baty 3B
  5. Starling Marte RF
  6. Tyrone Taylor LF
  7. Jeff McNeil 2B
  8. Harrison Bader CF
  9. Omar Narváez C

Luis Severino makes his second start for the orange and blue this afternoon. In his first start, he allowed six runs, three earned, off of 11 hits. The defense was shaky behind him and it led to Severino having to throw a lot more over his five innings of work than he would have liked. On the positive side, he didn’t walk anyone and struck out six batters. His first start of the season last year was against the Reds and he held them to one run over 4 2/3 innings giving up four hits and a walk while striking out five. The Reds have the following career numbers against him:

Opposing Lineup

  1. Jonathan India 2B
  2. Will Benson CF
  3. Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1B
  4. Jeimer Candelario 3B
  5. Jake Fraley RF
  6. Elly De La Cruz SS
  7. Spencer Steer LF
  8. Nick Martini DH
  9. Tyler Stephenson C

Nick Martinez gets the start today for the Reds. In his first game, he allowed three runs from six hits over five innings. He’s coming off of a year where he was mostly used as a reliever with the Padres but made six nine starts over his 63 appearances. He logged a total of 110 1/3 innings with a 3.43 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 1.260 WHIP, and a 119 ERA+ (career best). This includes pitching against the Mets on back-to-back days where he allowed a hit, two walks, and nothing else over two innings of work. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

  • Pete Alonso 1-1, HR, BB
  • Harrison Bader 1-4
  • Francisco Lindor 2-3, 2B
  • Starling Marte 0-4
  • Jeff McNeil 0-1
  • Omar Narváez 0-1, BB, K
  • Brandon Nimmo 0-3, BB, K
  • Tyrone Taylor 1-3, 2B
  • Joey Wendle 0-4, K

Game Notes

  • Carlos Mendoza told the media pregame that Tylor Megill will have his shoulder reevaluated in the next couple of days. If all goes well, the righty will begin a throwing program.
  • Last night, Edwin Díaz recorded his first save since October 4, 2022. He allowed an unearned run, walking one and striking out one. In four appearances this season, Díaz owns a 0.00 ERA (4.0 IP) with one hit, one walk, and six strikeouts…His 206 saves are the fourth-most among active players.
  • Overall, New York’s bullpen has posted a 2.12 ERA (7 ER/29.2 IP) with 11 walks and 33 strikeouts. The team’s 2.12 ERA is the best in the National League.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. The Mets and runners in scoring position. The Mets have struggled with two things this season – getting runners in scoring position and having runners score from scoring position. The first game on Thursday was an example of the latter problem, the Mets as a team went 2-for-17 with RISP. In the nightcap, the Mets went 1-for-3, failing to get runners to scoring position in the first place. Yesterday was a mix of both problems with the Mets going 0-for-5.
  2. Mets bullpen usage. Thank the baseball gods for Reed Garrett who pitched three innings for the Mets on Thursday night, after the Mets had to use practically their entire bullpen in the first game. Last night the Mets had four pitchers go out of the pen, all pitching on back-to-back days. Realistically, the three freshest arms for tonight’s game are Yohan Ramírez (who hasn’t pitched since his suspension), Jake Diekman (11 pitches Thursday), and Jorge López (6 pitches Thursday).
  3. Brett Baty comeback season. Brett had two of the four Mets hits yesterday and made some critical plays on the field. He has now recorded a hit in five of seven games this season and has reached base in six consecutive games. Since striking out four times in the first three games he has struck out only two times in the last four games.

Let’s go Mets!