Friday, April 12, 2024 • 7:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Michael Wacha (1-0, 2.25) vs. RHP Luis Severino (0-1, 3.60)
SNY

The Mets have won five of their last seven games and now hold a 5-7 record after wrapping up a 4-2 road trip that included series wins over the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves. On Thursday afternoon, the Mets trounced the Braves 16-4, reducing their season run differential deficit to just -1.

Now, New York welcomes another AL Central team to Queens – the Kansas City Royals. The Royals are off to a strong start this season with a 9-4 record and have won eight of their last ten games while currently sustaining a seven-game win streak. This weekend marks Kansas City’s first trip back to Citi Field since the two sides squared off in a World Series rematch during June of 2016.

Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Lineup

  1. Brandon Nimmo – LF
  2. Starling Marte – RF
  3. Francisco Lindor – SS
  4. Pete Alonso – 1B
  5. Brett Baty – 3B
  6. Francisco Álvarez – C
  7. Jeff McNeil – 2B
  8. DJ Stewart – DH
  9. Harrison Bader – CF

Luis Severino will make his third start of the season today. Over his first two starts he has allowed eight runs, four of which were earned, on 14 hits through 10 innings while striking out 13 batters. Severino’s second start was considerably better than his first as he held the Reds to only three hits and one earned run at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark last weekend. Severino faced the Royals once last season and allowed three runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings. Kansas City has the following career numbers against Severino:

Opposing Lineup

  1. Maikel Garcia 3B
  2. Bobby Witt Jr. SS
  3. Vinnie Pasquantino 1B
  4. Salvador Pérez C
  5. MJ Melendez LF
  6. Nelson Velázquez DH
  7. Adam Frazier 2B
  8. Hunter Renfroe RF
  9. Kyle Isbel CF

The Mets’ bats will face an old friend tonight in Michael Wacha. Wacha pitched for the Mets back in the shortened 2020 season where he threw 34 innings over eight games with a 6.62 ERA, 5.25 FIP, 1.559 WHIP and a 65 ERA+. Since then, he has pitched with the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres before signing a two-year contract with the Royals. Last season over 24 starts and 134 1/3 innings, Wacha had a 3.22 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 1.161 WHIP and a 128 ERA+. Over his first two outings this season he has allowed three runs on five hits over 12 innings of work. The Mets have the following career numbers against Wacha:

Game Notes

Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that the Mets will call up José Buttó to start opposite Cole Ragans on Sunday afternoon. In his lone outing this season, Buttó threw six innings of one-run ball while tallying six strikeouts in a 2-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on April 4.

Mendoza did not offer an update on the status of J.D. Martinez, who was initially given a few days of rest for “overall body soreness” last weekend after playing in a pair of games for Low-A St. Lucie before receiving a cortisone injection for back tightness on Tuesday and having his timetable for return elongated even further.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Is DJ Stewart finally heating up? Stewart went 0-for-10 over his first five games this season, and while he did work four walks, he struck out six times and showed no signs of the power he displayed last year. Over his past three games, however, he has mashed two home runs. They mark his only hits of the season, but at least they’ve been home runs! We should know by the end of the weekend if this was a blip or the start of a streak.
  2. Can the bats carry over Thursday’s performance? Racking up hits has been a problem for the Mets so far this season. They collectively had 16 hits on Thursday and went 7-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Conversely, on Tuesday, the Mets went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. This is the stat I’m paying attention to the most right now. If the Mets can keep hitting with runners in scoring position, they are going to rack up wins.
  3. Francisco Lindor. Lindor has gotten off to a cold start this season, which has led to some vile vitriol online. He’s also had some breakout games throughout the road trip and has showed the Lindor we know is right around the corner. Steve Cohen co-signed the idea of lifting Lindor up tonight with a standing ovation during his first plate appearance as part of a trend that has become increasingly prevalent across baseball.

Let’s go Mets!