Thursday, August 3, 2023 • 2:10 PM
Kauffman Stadium • Kansas City, Missouri
RHP Carlos Carrasco (3-5, 6.40) vs. RHP Brady Singer (6-8, 5.46)
SNY

The Mets look to salvage the series against the Royals this afternoon and avoid the sweep on getaway day. The Mets offense couldn’t score any runs last night despite Jeff McNeil’s big 3-for-5 day at the plate. It was also the second game in a row that Brandon Nimmo rested due to tightness in his quad. Before the game, he said he was missing that last 10 percent to be ready to go. There is zero reason for Brandon Nimmo to rush back right now.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Lineup

  1. Jeff McNeil – LF
  2. DJ Stewart – RF
  3. Francisco Lindor – SS
  4. Pete Alonso – 1B
  5. Brett Baty – 3B
  6. Mark Vientos – DH
  7. Omar Narváez – C
  8. Rafael Ortega – CF
  9. Jonathan Araúz – 2B

Carlos Carrasco takes the mound tonight, and he looks to rebound from his last start, where he allowed eight runs, six earned, over 2 1/3 innings against the Nationals. In his last three starts, he has allowed 17 runs, 15 earned, over 9 1/3 innings of work (14.46 ERA, 4.66 FIP). Amazingly, he has allowed that many runs, but only one homerun, despite allowing 12 homers in his other 12 starts. Overall on the season, over 15 starts (70 1/3 innings), Carrasco has a 6.40 ERA, 5.77 FIP, 1.649 WHIP and a 64 ERA+.

Only two players on the Royals roster have seen Carrasco in a major league game. Salvador Perez is 7-for-30 with nine strikeouts. Edward Olivares is 1-for-3 with a strikeout.

Opposing Lineup

  1. Maikel Garcia – 3B
  2. Bobby Witt Jr. – SS
  3. MJ Melendez – RF
  4. Salvador Perez – 1B
  5. Michael Massey – 2B
  6. Freddy Fermin – C
  7. Matt Beaty – DH
  8. Drew Waters CF
  9. Samad Taylor – LF

Brady Singer has pitched 113 2/3 innings over 21 starts this season with a 5.46 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 1.460 WHIP, and 81 ERA+. In his last two starts, he has allowed only four runs over 11 innings (3.27 ERA, 1.18 FIP) while striking out 19 batters. This was a positive departure from his two previous starts, where he allowed 10 runs from 20 hits over 13 innings (6.92 FIP, 4.66 ERA). Which Brady Singer will show up this afternoon to take on the Mets? The Mets have the following limited career stats against him:

Game Notes

Luke Voit opted out of his deal with the Mets and is a free agent again. The veteran slugger had 14 home runs in 37 games with Triple-A Syracuse.

Brandon Nimmo is the Mets winner of the Heart & Hustle Award for a second straight year and third time overall. The award recognizes one player on each Major League team who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.

Make sure to check out our interview with Mets prospect Jett Williams!

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco is a free agent at the end of the season. Every start from here on out is an audition for any major league team. He started the month of July looking spectacular with an eight inning shutout performance. In his last three starts, there’s been a crazy 10-run difference between his ERA (14.46) and his FIP (4.66). Here’s hoping Carrasco can go on a bit of a run here to close out the season.
  2. Danny Mendick. Mendick is arbitration eligible in 2024 and can be a free agent in 2026. He found his way to the Mets when the White Sox granted him free agency in November 2022. Mendick may be with the team next season. While I would rather see the Mets give more playing time to younger right now, Mendick has been getting a long look since the end of July. In his last three games, he has gone 4-for-10 with a double. He only has five hits on the season, so he’s done most of his damage this week. Is this the start of a hot streak?
  3. Jeff McNeil. Jeff McNeil has had to fill in for Brandon Nimmo for the last couple of days at the start of the lineup and has responded with some great days at the plate. In his last three games, McNeil has gone 5-for-14 with a triple and scored three runs. His best day was yesterday, when he slapped in three hits, bringing him to 99 on the season. Yesterday was the second game in a row where McNeil was exclusively in the outfield. With Luisangel looming in the system now, I am curious to see the share of games Jeff gets in the outfield compared to second going forward.

Let’s go Mets!