Friday, September 1, 2023 • 7:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, New York
RHP Logan Gilbert (12-5, 3.66) vs. RHP Kodai Senga (10-7, 3.17)
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After the Mets sold at the trade deadline, the natural question became, “When does Ronny Mauricio come up?” With rosters expanding today, the Mets will finally call up Mauricio with Brett Baty. They join a roster that already has Francisco Álvarez and Mark Vientos. At long last, the four most intriguing Mets are all playing in Queens.
Mets Lineup
- Brandon Nimmo – CF
- Francisco Lindor – SS
- Jeff McNeil – LF
- Pete Alonso – 1B
- Daniel Vogelbach – DH
- DJ Stewart – RF
- Francisco Álvarez – C
- Brett Baty – 3B
- Ronny Mauricio 2B
Kodai Senga will kick off the weekend series for the Mets. Over 24 starts and 136 1/3 innings this season, Senga has a 3.17 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.240 WHIP, and 131 ERA+. Since July 5th, he has made nine starts totaling 54 2/3 innings with a 2.63 ERA and 2.82 FIP, striking out 63 batters during that stretch. In his last start, he struck out 10 batters, his first time with double-digit strikeouts since July 5th. Senga evolved from a promising rookie to an All-Star, to now being in a position where he’ll probably get some Rookie-of-the-year votes.
Opposing Lineup
- J.P. Crawford – SS
- Julio Rodríguez – CF
- Eugenio Suárez – 3B
- Cal Raleigh – C
- Teoscar Hernández – RF
- Dominic Canzone – LF
- Ty France – 1B
- Mike Ford – DH
- Josh Rojas – 2B
Logan Gilbert has pitched 155 innings this season over 26 starts with a 3.66 ERA, 3.71 FIP, 1.045 WHIP, and a 112 ERA+. Gilbert has allowed only three runs over his last 13 innings while striking out 10. Since June 17th he has pitched 81 innings in 13 starts with a 3.00 ERA and 4.00 FIP. The only Met who has seen him in a major league game is Tim Locastro (0-for-4, 2 K).
Game Notes
The Mets officially added Mauricio and Baty to the roster. The 22-year-old Mauricio is making his major league debut on Friday, wearing No. 10. Right-handed pitcher José Butto has been added to the roster as well. Infielder Danny Mendick was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.
In 116 games at Triple-A this season, Ronny Mauricio has batted .292/.346/.506 with 76 runs, 30 doubles, three triples, 23 home runs, 71 RBI, 24 steals, and 35 walks. He led all Triple-A players with 248 total bases at the time of his call-up.
According to multiple reports, MLB will keep the pitch clock rules in place for the 2023 postseason.
Make sure to check out our Series Preview.
Three Things To Watch For
- The Baby Mets. Ronny Mauricio makes his debut, and Baty returns as they both join Vientos and Álvarez. Mauricio started off his 2023 campaign hot and cooled off between June and July. Mauricio, however, has been scorching hot in the month of August. As the Mets look at their roster and their farm system, this is Mauricio’s chance to show how he fits into the 2024 and beyond plans. Since going to the minors, Baty has gone 17-for-69 at the plate with two doubles and five homers during that 17-game stretch. We hope to see all four Baby Mets get a lot of playing time for the remainder of the season.
- Daniel Vogelbach and playing time. Since August 12th, Vogelbach has gone 13-44 at the plate with six homers and nine walks, leading to a .296/.426/.705 batting line. This includes a homer he hit on Wednesday night, also known as the DJ Stewart game. Going forward, the best way to get all four Baby Mets into the lineup is for Vientos to DH. The younger players really should be getting the bulk of the playing time for the rest of the season. We are curious to see how Buck Showalter manages his new roster in the final month of the season.
- Dominic Leone. Dominic Leone is now a Mariner after the Angels waiver wire sale yesterday, solidifying a crazy 2023 for the right-hander. He signed with the Rangers during spring training and was released at the end of March. A week later, he resigned with the Rangers and was released at the start of May. He then signed with the Mets and was traded to the Angels for Jeremiah Jackson (who has been doing well in the Mets system). The Angels then fell apart after becoming buyers at the deadline and put Leone, among others, on the waiver wire for teams to pick up. Now, in September, Leone has played for three American League West teams and the Mets.
Let’s go Mets!
