Joey Lucchesi. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The New York Mets have an off day on Thursday as they travel to Oakland for a three-game weekend series with the A’s. That gives us the opportunity to shed some light on the Mets minor leagues with a full game thread of four games taking place on Thursday night.

Thursday, April 13, 2023 ⋅ 6:35 PM
PNC Field ⋅ Moosic, PA

Syracuse Lineup 

  1. Danny Mendick DH
  2. Brett Baty  3B
  3. Mark Vientos 1B
  4. DJ Stewart RF
  5. Jonathan Arauz 2B
  6. Ronny Mauricio SS
  7. Michael Perez C
  8. Lorenzo Cedrola CF
  9. Carlos Cortes

Joey Lucchesi gets the ball for Syracuse in his third start of the year. The left-hander allowed just one run and struck out six in five innings in his last outing, though he did walk four.

Thursday, April 13, 2023 ⋅ 6:05 PM
Mirabito Stadium ⋅ Binghamton, NY

Binghamton Lineup 

  1. Wyatt Young SS
  2. Matt Rudick RF
  3. Luke Ritter 2B
  4. JT Schwartz LF
  5. Brandon McIlwain CF
  6. Agustin Ruiz DH
  7. Dariel Gomez 1B
  8. Mateo Gil 3B
  9. Matt O’Neill C

Right-hander Luis Moreno makes his first start of the season and his second appearance. The 23-year-old gave up six runs in 1 1/3 innings in his first appearance of the season.

Thursday, April 13, 2023 ⋅ 7:00 PM
Truist Stadium ⋅ Winston-Salem, NC

Brooklyn Lineup

  1. Kevin Kendall 2B
  2. Kevin Parada DH
  3. Alex Ramirez CF
  4. Stanley Consuegra RF
  5. Jaylen Palmer 1B
  6. Cesar Berbesi SS
  7. Omar De Los Santos LF
  8. Chase Estep 3B
  9. Drake Osborn C

Right-hander Cameron Foster will make his first pro career with the Cyclones on Thursday.

Thursday, April 7, 2023 ⋅ 6:30 PM
Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium ⋅ Jupiter, FL

St. Lucie Lineup

  1. Jett Williams SS
  2. Abraham Almonte LF
  3. Junior Tilien 2B
  4. Jose Peroza 3B
  5. Jacob Reimer DH
  6. Carlos Dominguez RF
  7. Jefrey De Los Santos CF
  8. Vincent Perozo C
  9. Eduardo Salazar

Right-hander Jordany Ventura makes his second start of the season after allowing three runs on six walks in 1 2/3 innings on Opening Day.

Things to Watch For

  1. How Much Longer? The Mets offense has struggled to begin the season including veteran third baseman Eduardo Escobar (-6 wRC+) while Brett Baty has been one of the best hitters in the minor leagues with a .335/.445/.771 slash line and his leading Triple-A with a 100.8 mph average exit velocity. For reference, Escobar has been among the worst in baseball with his 84.2 mph average exit velocity. So, how much longer can the Mets continue to keep Baty in Triple-A as Escobar flounders to start the season?
  2. Can Lucchesi Help Mets? The Mets have already dipped into their minor league depth for their starting rotation by needing David Peterson and Tylor Megill in the majors. Veteran starter Carlos Carrasco has struggled to the tune of an 11.82 ERA and has shown diminished velocity in his first two starts of the season. The Mets will need a sixth starter coming up as well, with Lucchesi and Jose Butto as the two most likely options.