Tuesday, August 27, 2019 • 7:10 p.m.
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Yu Darvish (4-6, 4.43) vs. RHP Marcus Stroman (7-11, 3.18)
SNY • MLBN • WCBS 880 AM • ESPN 1050 AM

The Mets open up an incredibly important series with the Cubs tonight as the Mets try to tighten up the Wild Card race. After a successful sweep of the Indians, the Mets fell flat and couldn’t beat the Braves at all, going .500 in their last six games (the nicest way possible I could write – they got swept). Now it’s up to Marcus Stroman to put the Mets back on track.

Mets Lineup 

  1. Amed Rosario – SS
  2. Jeff McNeil – RF
  3. Pete Alonso – 1B
  4. Michael Conforto – CF
  5. Wilson Ramos – C
  6. J.D. Davis – LF
  7. Joe Panik – 2B
  8. Todd Frazier – 3B
  9. Marcus Stroman – RHP

Cubs Lineup

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

Stroman left early in his last start due to a hamstring issue so that’s something we’ll be watching for tonight – how is he? He is 1-0 over four starts and 19.2 innings as a Met posting a 4.58 ERA, 4.89 FIP, 1.780 WHIP and 91 ERA+. Overall this year he is 7-11 over 21 starts and 144.1 innings with a 3.18 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 1.303 WHIP and 141 ERA+. The Cubs have the following numbers against Stroman:

Yu Darvish starts the series off for the Cubs. On the year, he is 4-6 over 26 games and 144.1 innings with a 4.43 ERA, 4.76 FIP, 1.164 WHIP and 103 ERA+. If you think that stat line looks a bit off – a nice WHIP, but average/below-average ERA, Yu has given up a league high 30 homers this year. To put that in perspective, he’s only given up 129 in his career (and that includes the 30 this season). He’s also hit a league high 11 batters this season (33 before this year). So far in August he has alternated good start/bad start including 7.0 innings of scoreless ball on August 15 and then 5.1 innings of seven-run ball on the 21st (from four homers). Against the Mets earlier this year he allowed four runs on four hits including two homers in 6.0 innings of work. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

Game Notes

Despite dropping three straight, New York has won 13 of its last 17 home games and is 37-24 at Citi Field this year…The Mets will play 20 of their remaining 32 games at home…New York’s 20 remaining home games are the most in the majors…St. Louis has 17 home games left…The Mets’ .607 home winning percentage is the seventh-best in the majors and the fourth-best in the National League…The Mets have gone 14-5 at home since the break.

New York’s .675 (27-13) second-half winning percentage is the best in the majors…The pitching staff has a 3.11 ERA since the All-Star break, the lowest mark in the majors…The staff has surrendered 40 homers in the second half, the second-fewest in the majors.

Wilson Ramos is on a 19-game hitting streak (the longest active in the majors), batting .417 (30-72) with six runs, three doubles, three homers, 14 RBI, three walks, a .440 OBP, a .583 SLG and a 1.023 OPS in that span…The streak matches his career-high from April 24-May 19, 2015…The last Met with a longer streak was a 20- game streak by David Wright from September 14, 2007-April 2, 2008…The last time a Met had a longer single-season streak was Moises Alou, whose 30-game streak in 2007 is the longest in Mets history…Ramos is second in MLB among catchers with 59 RBI and ranks fifth with a .350 OBP.

Justin Wilson has pitched to a 0.95 ERA (two earned runs/19.0 innings) with eight walks and 21 strikeouts in 23 games since returning from the 10-Day IL on July 2.

Let’s Go Mets!