Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Monday, September 18, 2023 • 6:40 PM
loanDepot Park • Miami, Florida
RHP José Butto (1-2, 3.46) vs. RHP Edward Cabrera (6-7, 4.52)
SNY

The Mets start their third consecutive series tonight against a team trying to win the third wild card spot. After series at home with the Diamondbacks and the Reds, the Mets head south to Miami to take on the Marlins who have one their last three games in a row. Currently, the Diamondbacks have a half game lead on the second spot. The Cubs and the Marlins are tied for the third spot. The Reds are 0.5 games out after losing to the Mets yesterday. It’s a complicated mess – one that the Mets will make messier for one of the teams in the chase depending on the outcome of this series.

Mets Lineup

  1. Brandon Nimmo, CF
  2. Francisco Lindor, SS
  3. DJ Stewart, RF
  4. Pete Alonso, 1B
  5. Jeff McNeil, LF
  6. Ronny Mauricio, 3B
  7. Omar Narváez, C
  8. Mark Vientos, DH
  9. Luis Guillorme, 2B

RHP José Butto

José Butto has been a nice surprise for the Mets since returning to the majors on September 6. He’s pitched in six games this season, totaling 26 innings with a 3.46 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 1.462 WHIP and a 122 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed three runs from eight hits over 11 1/3 innings while striking out 13 batters. This will be Butto’s first official start against the Marlins in a major league game.

Marlins Lineup

  1. Luis Arraez, 2B
  2. Jorge Soler, DH
  3. Josh Bell, 1B
  4. Jazz Chisholm Jr., CF
  5. Jake Burger, 3B
  6. Jesús Sánchez, RF
  7. Garrett Hampson, LF
  8. Joey Wendle, SS
  9. Jacob Stallings, C

RHP Edward Cabrera

The Mets bats will get a look at Edward Cabrera tonight. Over 19 games (17 starts, 85 2/3 innings) this season Cabrera has a 4.52 ERA, 4.66 FIP, 1.436 WHIP and a 99 ERA+. Edward Cabrera was in the minors throughout August after a series of short and disappointing starts. Since returning he has allowed only two runs from two hits over 8 2/3 innings over two starts. His season started off with back to back starts against the Mets allowing four runs from two hits and 13 walks over 6 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

  • Francisco Lindor 1-10, 2 K, 2 BB
  • Brandon Nimmo 3-6, K, 6 BB
  • Pete Alonso 3-10, 3 HR, 4 K, 3 BB
  • Jeff McNeil 1-10, 2B, K, BB
  • Daniel Vogelbach 0-5, 3 K
  • Omar Narváez 1-2, K
  • Rafael Ortega 0-1, K, BB

Game Notes

The Mets announced before the game that Luis Guillorme has returned from his rehab assignment and been reinstated from the injured list, while Jonathan Araúz was optioned to Triple-A.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. David Robertson. When the Mets traded David Robertson, it was clear they were punting on 2023. As a Met this season he had a 2.05 ERA, 172 ERA+ over 40 games and 44 innings with 14 saves. His Marlins career has not gone the same way. He has a 6.89 ERA, 77 ERA+ over 16 games and 15 2/3 innings with only four saves. September started off good for Robertson as he had four consecutive outings without giving up a run and only surrounding two hits while striking out nine. In his last outing he allowed two runs while recording two outs.
  2. Mets bats racking up the hits. The Mets offense has been getting hits in bunches lately, and yesterday that actually translated into runs. The Mets had 13 hits and scored eight runs while hitting no home runs, which is fairly unusual for this club. Nimmo Mauricio, Vientos and Locastro all had multiple hits on the day.
  3. Milestone Check. There were no movement on any of the single season milestones we are tracking for the rest of the season during yesterday’s game. Lindor is still sitting at 26 homers and 26 stolen bases on the season as time ticks down to reach 30-30. Pete Alonso has five more home runs to go until 50. Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Álvarez each have two more home runs to go for 25 on the season.

Let’s go Mets!