Sunday, July 7, 2019 • 1:10 p.m.
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Aaron Nola (7-2, 3.89) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (6-5, 4.42)
PIX11 • WCBS 880 AM • ESPN 1050 AM

Well the Mets end the first half of the season today. It’s been a rough first half, with both stars in the marquee trade (Cano and Diaz) not playing at the level originally thought, the bullpen overall has struggled and it feels like the Mets are wasting another strong season from All-Star Jacob deGrom, and an amazing rookie start from Pete Alonso, plus a second strong hitting season from Jeff McNeil. The Mets will now have four days off from today to figure out how they will handle the trade deadline, regroup and see what happens next.

Mets Lineup

  1. Jeff McNeil (L) RF
  2. Pete Alonso (R) 1B
  3. Robinson Cano (L) 2B
  4. Todd Frazier (R) 3B
  5. Dominic Smith (L) LF
  6. Wilson Ramos (R) C
  7. Amed Rosario (R) SS
  8. Juan Lagares (R) CF
  9. Zack Wheeler (L) P

Phillies Lineup

Part of the trade deadline: Zack Wheeler. The Mets put Steven Matz into the bullpen to probably give Wheeler another chance to show-off his stuff. Wheeler is 6-5 over 18 starts and 114.0 innings this year with a 4.42 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.246 WHIP and a 92 ERA+. In his last three starts he has pitched 19.1 innings with a 1.86 ERA and an opponents batting average of .182 including a start against the Phillies where he allowed 1 run off two hits in six innings of work. The Phillies have the following numbers against Wheeler:

  • Bryce Harper 6-for-34, 2 HR, 4 BB, 14 K
  • Cesar Henandez 9-for-21, HR, BB, 4 K
  • Maikel Franco 3-for-14, 2B, HR, 2 BB
  • Rhys Hoskins 1-for-14, 2 BB, 7 K
  • J.T. Realmuto 7-for-14, 2B, 3 K
  • Jean Segura 1-for-9
  • Jay Bruce 0-for-6, K

Aaron Nola is 7-2 over 104.0 innings with a 3.98 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 1.327 WHIP, 115 ERA+. Nola has been tremendous the last two games he has tossed 15.0 innings allowing no runs off five hits and 18 strikeouts including a game where he shut out the Mets over seven innings and struck out 10. The Mets have the following numbers against Nola:

  • Michael Conforto 4-for-26, HR, 3 BB, 10 K
  • Amed Rosario 4-for-20, 2B, 6 K
  • Todd Frazier 0-for-13, BB, 4 K
  • Wilson Ramos 4-for-13, 2B, BB, 4 K
  • Dominic Smith 3-for-15, 2B, HR, 6 K
  • Jeff McNeil 5-for-13, 2B, 4 K
  • Adeiny Hechavarria 2-for-5, 2 BB
  • Pete Alonso 1-for-5
  • Robinson Cano 2-for-5, 2B, BB

Notes

The Mets defeated the Phillies, 6-5, last night. New York has won three of their last five. New York went 39-55 in the first half in 2018. The Mets are looking for their ninth series win of the season and their seventh at home. The Mets are 3-7 in rubber games this year. The Mets are 12-17 in day games in 2019. The Mets are finishing a 10-day, eight-game homestand against the Braves (1-2), Yankees (1-1) and Phillies (1-1). Following the All-Star break, the Mets hit the road for a 10-day, nine-game road trip to Miami (three games), Minneapolis (two games) and San Francisco (four games) beginning on July 12.

LHP Anthony Kay will take part in the 2019 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game today at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Kay is 7-6 with a 2.91 ERA (26 earned runs/80.1 innings) with 84 strikeouts in 16 combined starts this year between Binghamton (AA) and Syracuse (AAA).

Pete Alonso will be the first Met to compete in the home run derby since David Wright in 2013 at Citi Field. Wright also competed in the derby in 2006. Darryl Strawberry was a co-winner of the derby with Wally Joyner in 1986. Other Mets to compete in the derby: Bobby Bonilla (1993), Howard Johnson (1991) and (1989) and Strawberry (1990).

Let’s go Mets!