Tuesday, July 23 • 7:10 p.m. E.T.
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
LHP Jason Vargas (4-5, 4.25 ERA) vs. RHP Chris Paddack (6-4, 2.70 ERA)
SNY • WCBS 880 AM • ESPN 1050 AM
The Mets have had a frustrating weekend. After winning four games in a row, the Mets dropped 3 of 4 games to the Giants with all three losses coming in extra innings. If we wanted to be serious about the Mets making a run at the post-season, they needed to win all of those games. Now it is still mathematically possible for the Mets to make a run, but extremely unlikely. Maybe the Mets make a bunch of trades in the next 7 days? Or maybe they don’t do anything and just let the season play out.
Mets Lineup
- Jeff McNeil RF
- Michael Conforto CF
- Pete Alonso 1B
- Robinson Cano 2B
- Wilson Ramos C
- Dominic Smith LF
- Todd Frazier 3B
- Amed Rosario SS
- Jason Vargas P
Padres Lineup
- Fernando Tatis Jr. – SS
- Manuel Margot – CF
- Manny Machado – 3B
- Hunter Renfroe – LF
- Franmil Reyes – RF
- Eric Hosmer – 1B
- Francisco Mejia – C
- Luis Urias – 2B
- Chris Paddack – RHP
All of this makes Jason Vargas‘ start tonight interesting. Is he auditioning for another team tonight? Maybe. He is 4-5 over 17 games and 16 starts pitching 82.2 innings with a 4.25 ERA, 4.82 FIP, 1.282 WHIP and 97 ERA+. He’s coming off the definition of an average start, allowing 3 runs over 6.0 innings from 5 hits and a walk while striking out 4 against the Twins. Overall, the month of July hasn’t been too kind to Vargas who has posted a 6.61 ERA, .304 opponents OBP and .867 opponents OPS over 16.1 innings. The Padres have the following numbers against him:
- Ian Kinsler 25-67, 8 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 2 K (1.050 OPS)
- Eric Hosmer 2-15, 3 BB, 3 K
- Manny Machado 4-15, K
- Wil Myers 1-10, 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
- Austin Hedges 1-2, K
The Mets bats draw the rookie tonight, Chris Paddack, who was on a tear in April, and pretty much right up until after he faced the Mets. When Alonso won the rookie of the month in April, Chris called him out by saying “I’d rather win Rookie of the Year”. Since then Chris hit a rough patch, was sent down the minors to conserve innings, and is now back up. On the season he is 6-4 over 16 games and 90.0 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 0.867 WHIP, and 156 ERA+.
When he faced the Mets last time he came into the game with a 1.91 ERA (and clearly was battling Alonso for rookie of the month in April). He then dominated the Mets allowing no runs over 7.2 innings from 4 hits and a walk while striking out 11, his first (and only) double digit strikeout game. Then over 5 games he allowed 20 runs, 16 earned, over 25.0 innings from 30 hits and 3 walks (8 homers), leading to his brief demotion. Since then he has dominated again, pitching 24.1 innings with a 1.48 ERA and opponents getting on base at a .193 clip. The Mets have the following numbers against him:
- Jeff McNeil 2-4, K
- Pete Alonso 0-3, 2 K
- Robinson Cano 0-2, BB
- Michael Conforto 0-3, 2 K
- Todd Frazier 1-3
- Adeiny Hechavarria 0-3, K
- Jacob deGrom 1-2, K (Obviously not playing tonight, included so you know who got the other hit)
Game Notes
The Mets have posted a 2.83 team ERA since the All-Star break, the best mark in the Majors. No other team has an ERA below 3.00 so far in the second half.
Jeff McNeil is hitting .362 with a 1.010 OPS over his last 27 games. He has also recorded 20 multi-hit games over his last 40 games.
Michael Conforto is currently tied for 17th on the Mets all-time home run list, and with one more homer he would tie Curtis Granderson and Bobby Bonilla for 15th all-time. With six more home runs, he will become the 14th player in Mets history to hit at least 100 home runs for the club.
Jason Vargas has allowed one or no runs in six of his last 14 starts, and has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 13 of them. Over that span, he has a 3.42 ERA.
Let’s go Mets!
