Wednesday, August 23, 2023 • 7:20 PM
Truist Park • Atlanta, Georgia
LHP José Quintana (1-4, 3.03) vs. RHP Charlie Morton (12-10, 3.54)
SNY

The Mets get another opportunity tonight to win the series against the Braves after losing the second game of the series yesterday 3-2. The pitching came to play again for a second straight night in Atlanta on Tuesday, with the bullpen allowing no runs after Tylor Megill exited the game. The bats just couldn’t bring home any runs beyond Daniel Vogelbach’s two-run homer. Two out of three though in Atlanta would still be pretty great, and the Mets turn to one of the steadiest pitchers in the rotation to lead them – José Quintana.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Lineup

José Quintana has pitched 35 2/3 innings over six starts since returning to the majors with a 3.03 ERA, 3.41 FIP, 1.262 WHIP and a 139 ERA+. In his last three starts, he has posted a 2.50 ERA, 3.82 FIP over 18 innings allowing five runs from 13 hits and nine walks while striking out 15. He has also allowed only one home run over his six starts this season. He has already faced the home run hitting machine braves this season, allowing one run over six innings. The Braves have the following career numbers against him:

Braves Lineup

The Mets’ bats look to get back to doing their thing against Charlie Morton tonight. Over 24 starts, 134 2/3 innings, Morton has a 3.54 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 1.433 WHIP and a 126 ERA+. In his last two starts, he has allowed no runs from seven hits and eight walks over 11 innings of work. Before those two starts, he had a 7.32 ERA over four starts, so something has shifted in the last two weeks. This includes a start against the Mets where despite walking seven times, the Mets couldn’t get any runs across the plate. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

Game Notes

The Mets will be going for their third straight series victory on Wednesday and will look to finish their seven-game road trip with a 5-2 record.

After his home run on Tuesday, Daniel Vogelbach is hitting .321 with four home runs and a .486 OBP over his last 10 games.

On Wednesday, the Mets reactivated reliever  Sean Reid-Foley, who pitched for the Mets last year before undergoing Tommy John surgery. In a corresponding move, the team optioned Reed Garrett and designated Tyson Miller for assignment.

Francisco Lindor enters Wednesday on a nine-game hitting streak. He is hitting .395 during that span.

After homering again earlier in the game, the Mets’ minor-league home run leader, Luke Ritter, was forced to leave Wednesday’s game for the Syracuse Mets after taking an awkward swing in the eighth inning. Ritter, 26,  has 27 home runs on the season.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Pete Alonso. During Tuesday’s game, Pete Alonso got hit by a pitch and the Atlanta fans actually cheered. He handled it after the game like the pro he is saying “Boos are just the same as cheers on the road, that means you’re doing something right. For me, it’s fine. That’s jus away fans doing their job.” Pete Alonso is a better person than I. Last night’s boos from the fans continues a similar narrative we saw with Tommy Pham this week that some fans lack the ability to see baseball players as humans.
  2. Jeff McHits. While most of the team struggled at the plate last night, Jeff McNeil recorded his second straight multi-hit game. In his last 12 games, starting on August 12th, McNeil has gone 20-for-51 at the plate slashing .392/.396/.510. He has a hit in 11 of those games and he has multiple hits in six of them. He’s also recorded three hits, three separate times in that stretch. What McNeil has not done during this time is scored multiple times in the same game. When the Mets can help him cross that threshold the offense really will be on fire. MMO’s Rivka Boord further explored how McNeil has been able to turn things around as of late.
  3. The Bullpen has looked good the last two nights. The Mets bullpen has held one of the best power hitting teams in check the last two nights, and for long stretches of time. Adam Kolarek was the hero last night, tossing 28 pitches over two innings. Because of his performance (and Reed Garrett and Brooks Raley behind him), Drew Smith, Trevor Gott, Phil Bickford, Adam Ottavino and Sam Coonrod all got the night off. Further,  Raley only had to throw five pitches, so he should be good to go today as well.

Let’s go Mets!