Tuesday, August 8, 2023 • 7:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, New York
RHP Jameson Taillon (6-6, 5.36) vs. RHP Carlos Carrasco (3-6, 6.60)
SNY

The Mets had a week’s worth of offense last night as the battled the Cubs the and rain in Queens. Led by Pete Alonso, the Mets (and the sky) opened the floodgates, beating Chicago 11-2. Will the Mets make the Cubs regret not selling at the deadline? Will the Cubs help the Mets get a protected, top-six draft pick?

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Lineup

The silver lining for Carrasco in his last start was he pitched into the seventh inning. If he stayed in the dugout for the seventh he would have finished the day with a quality start, allowing three runs over six innings. Alas, he ended the day with six runs over six innings.

Over his last four starts, he has allowed 21 earned runs. On the season he has a 6.60 ERA, 6.00 FIP, 1.638 WHIP and a 63 ERA+. One of Carrasco’s better starts this season was against the Cubs though, allowing one run over 6 2/3 innings from five hits.

The Cubs have the following career numbers against him:

Opposing Lineup

The Mets bats will try to keep last night’s vibes going against Jameson Taillon.

Taillon is in the first year of a four-year deal he signed with the Cubs after a couple of effective years in the Bronx. Over 19 starts and 94 innings, this season he has a 5.36 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 1.404 WHIP and an 85 ERA+. With the exception of his WHIP, those are all career worsts for Jameson. That being said, he’s gone on a run the same time the Cubs have gone on a run. In his last five games (30 1/3 innings) he has allowed only seven runs from 25 hits and 10 walks leading to a 2.08 ERA and 3.60 FIP.

The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

Game Notes

Pete Alonso on Monday became the first MLB player ever to have three two-home-run, five-RBI games within two weeks of each other.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Pete’s quest for 50 homers. Pete Alonso had a monster night at the plate going 3-for-4 with two homers, bringing him to 33 on the year. When you account for time missed due to injury, Pete is hitting about ten homers a month. The two homers last night put him back on schedule to get the remaining 17 before the end of the season.
  2. Danny Mendick is doing alright. Before the season, Mendick was seen as a crucial bench piece for the Mets. When he finished his injury rehab in late June, the season was already slipping away from the Mets. In 34 trips to the plate he is hitting .212/.235/.364 but things have changed recently. In his 24 plate appearances since July 26, he is hitting .292/.292/.500. This is boosted by his 2-for-4 game last night where he hit his first homer as Met. As things stand, Mendick is with the team until 2026, so this is something to monitor for the rest of the season.
  3. Francisco Lindor. The narrative around Lindor in certain parts of the internet continues to puzzle me. I feel like we are living in alternate universes when people criticize Lindor’s season. Lindor continued his amazing 2023 campaign, the one where he has a 121 OPS+ and a 4.5 bWAR last night with a 3-for-4 night at the plate. This was coupled with Alonso’s big night so Lindor scored three times. In Lindor’s last four games he has gone 8-for-14 at the plate with two doubles and two walks (.625 OBP).

Let’s go Mets!