Friday, August 25, 2023 • 7:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, New York
LHP Patrick Sandoval (6-10, 4.08) vs. RHP Kodai Senga (10-6, 3.19)
WPIX

Atlanta cooled down the Mets run this week, and the dream of sneaking into the playoffs is just about over. Shohei Ohtani comes to New York on the heels of the unfortunate news that he has a right UCL tear. Mets fans will also miss the opportunity to see Mike Trout, the star outfielder is on the injured list.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Lineup

  1. Brandon Nimmo – CF
  2. Francisco Lindor – SS
  3. Jeff McNeil – RF
  4. Pete Alonso – 1B
  5. Francisco Alvarez – C
  6. DJ Stewart – DH
  7. Danny Mendick – 2B
  8. Jonathan Araúz – 3B
  9. Tim Locastro – LF

Kodai Senga gets the start tonight for the Mets. Over 23 games, and 129 2/3 innings pitched, Senga has a 3.19 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.249 WHIP and a 130 ERA+. Senga is coming off of a strong start where he allowed one run from two hits over seven innings. Since the start of July (eight starts), Senga has a 2.63 ERA and 2.93 FIP, striking out 53 batters over 48 innings.

Opposing Lineup

  1. Nolan Schanuel – 1B
  2. Shohei Ohtani – DH
  3. Brandon Drury – 2B
  4. Mike Moustakas – 3B
  5. Luis Rengifo – SS
  6. Logan O’Hoppe – CC
  7. Hunter Renfroe – RF
  8. Mickey Moniak – CF
  9. Randal Grichuk – LF

The Mets bats will get a look at Patrick Sandoval this evening. Over 22 starts, and 117 innings, he has a 4.08 ERA, 4.03 FIP, 1.453 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. His last two starts have been a bit of a mess, allowing 11 runs total, only six earned, over 7 1/3 innings from 11 hits and nine walks. If there’s one thing the Mets are good at, it’s working a walk, so we’ll see what happens tonight. The Mets have the following career numbers against Sandoval:

Game Notes

Mets minor league home run leader Luke Ritter will miss the rest of the season with an oblique strain. The 26-year-old had 27 home runs this season between Double-A and Triple-A.

Infielder Marcos Vargas and catcher/first baseman Ronald Hernandez have been promoted to the Low-A. St. Lucie Mets. Both were acquired in return for sending veteran reliever David Robertson to the Marlins.

Mark Vientos is starting his rehab assignment tonight, batting third and playing third base for the Syracuse Mets.

Make sure to check out our Series Preview!

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Shohei Ohtani. The Angels revealed this week that the greatest baseball player on the planet right now has a UCL tear and will not be pitching for the rest of the season. Whether he gets surgery or not is unclear as of writing, and reports yesterday said that he would continue to DH this weekend. In 2018, Ohtani played after announcing a UCL tear and had two homers. All of the Ohtani injury news exists with talk of his impending free agency, which the Mets are expected to participate in. Do the Mets do anything special tonight to try to give off a strong impression?
  2. Not Mike Trout. You probably already know the joke. Mike Trout does something amazing, Shohei Ohtani does something that hasn’t been done in 50+ years, and the Angels lose the ball game. The Angels have two generational talents on their team. I know I’ve sought out Angels tickets in the past when they come to the East Coast to Jersey’s own Mike Trout. Trout was on the injured list from July 4th through August 22nd. He was activated on the 23rd and returned to the injured list yesterday. It’s just brutal for everyone involved, and we hope he gets better soon!
  3. Old Friends. The Mets are going to see a few old friends tonight. Former Mets Dominic Leone, Aaron Loup, Brandon Drury, and Eduardo Escobar are all on the roster for the Angels. Since being traded to the Angels, Escobar is hitting .224/.270/.308 with a 57 OPS+. compared to his .236/.286/.409, 90 OPS+ with the Mets. Leone has gone from a 95 ERA+ to a 97 ERA+.

Let’s go Mets!