Wednesday, August 28, 2019 • 7:10 p.m.
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Kyle Hendricks (9-9, 3.20) vs. RHP Noah Syndergaard (9-6, 3.71)
SNY • WCBS 880 AM • ESPN 1050 AM

The good news for the Mets on Tuesday night: Pete Alonso became the all-time leader in homers hit in a single season. The bad news for the Mets Tuesday night: the team couldn’t get to the Cubs starter early or late and ultimately fell. Now the Mets need to win the next two games to prevent themselves from falling out of the Wild Card race. It’s not do or die yet, but its do or every game after becomes that much direr.

Mets Lineup

  1. Jeff McNeil  3B
  2. J.D. Davis  LF
  3. Michael Conforto  RF
  4. Pete Alonso  1B
  5. Wilson Ramos  C
  6. Joe Panik  2B
  7. Amed Rosario  SS
  8. Juan Lagares  CF
  9. Noah Syndergaard  P

Cubs Lineup

  1. Jason Heyward  CF
  2. Nicholas Castellanos  RF
  3. Kris Bryant  3B
  4. Javier Baez  SS
  5. Kyle Schwarber  LF
  6. Addison Russell  2B
  7. Ian Happ  1B
  8. Victor Caratini  C
  9. Kyle Hendricks  P

Noah Syndergaard looks to get the Mets on track. He is 9-6 over 25 starts and 160 innings with a 3.71 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 1.175 WHIP, and 110 ERA+. Since May 2, he has pitched 126.0 innings with a 3.00 ERA, since July 13 he has pitched 54.1 innings with a 1.82 ERA and since July 30, Noah has pitched 33.1 innings with a 1.35 ERA. The Cubs have the following numbers against him:

The only runs the Mets could push over last night were two solo shots, one from Alonso and one from J.D. Davis. The Mets offense will look to do more tonight against Kyle Hendricks who is 9-9 over 24 starts and 143.1 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 1.095 WHIP, and 142 ERA+.

Hendricks has been tremendous of late though with the exception of one start. In his last starts games, he has tossed 35 innings with 10 ER and 28 hits – a 2.57 ERA. But seven of those runs and 12 of those hits came from one 2.2 inning game against the Reds. If that’s pulled, in five games and 32.1 innings, he has allowed three runs off 16 hits. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

Game Notes

Noah Syndergaard, who turns 27 tomorrow, has thrown eight straight quality starts for the first time in his career. Over that stretch he has lowered his ERA from 4.68 to 3.71, pitching to a 1.82 ERA (11 earned runs/54.1 innings) with 55 strikeouts and just 12 walks.

Syndergaard has thrown at least six innings, allowed two runs or fewer and thrown fewer than 100 pitches in five-straight starts. That is the longest such streak in franchise history.

In 55 home games this year, J.D. Davis is batting .356 (52-146) with 29 runs, 10 doubles, a triple, 11 homers, 24 RBI, 18 walks, two steals, a .425 OBP, a .664 SLG and a 1.090 OPS…His 1.090 OPS at home ranks third in the NL among players with at least 100 plate appearances.

Amed Rosario is batting .400 (22-55) with nine runs, three doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI, a walk and a 1.029 OPS in the first inning this season. His .400 batting average in the first places him fourth in the majors and second in the NL. He is batting .313 (41-131) with 21 runs, eight doubles, two triples, three homers, 12 RBI, eight walks and a .830 OPS when batting first.

New York’s .659 (27-14) second-half winning percentage is the third-best in the majors. The pitching staff has a 3.15 ERA since the All-Star break, the second-lowest mark in the majors, with only Cleveland (3.14) has a lower ERA. The
staff has surrendered 42 homers in the second half, the second-fewest in the majors.

Let’s Go Mets!