Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Monday, March 2, 2022 • 1:10 PM
Clover Park • Port St. Lucie, Florida
LHP Kolby Allard (0-0, -.–) vs. RHP Carlos Carrasco (0-0, -.–)
SNY

The Mets look to win two games in a row as they take on the Atlanta Braves this afternoon!

It was all about power for the Mets in their win on Wednesday. Francisco Lindor hit his first homer of the spring. Pete Alonso smacked his second. Ronny Mauricio hit an MLB-leading third homer of the spring. This is further evidence that Lindor and Alonso are ready to go to the World Baseball Classic next week.

Mets Lineup

Braves Lineup

Game Notes

Scheduled pitchers for the Mets today include RHP Carlos Carrasco, RHP José Butto, RHP Bryce Montes de Oca, RHP Denyi Reyes, and RHP Drew Smith.

David Wright, Darryl Strawberry, and Edgardo Alfonzo are in Mets camp today. Joining the former Mets legends are the Budweiser Clydesdales.

The Mets will get creative with their rotation in 2023 including going to a six-man rotation at times.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Carlos Carrasco: As of today Carlos Carrasco projects to be the Mets fifth starter and what a blessing that is to have that much depth. Carrasco had a rocky 2021 coming back from injury and was able to make 12 starts pitching a total of 53 2/3 innings with a 6.04 ERA, 5.22 FIP, 1.435 WHIP and a 67 ERA+. Home runs crushed him in 2021, he gave them up at a rate of two per nine innings, almost double his career mark of 1.1. Last season he was a different story. Carrasco made 29 starts and pitched 152 innings with a 3.97 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 1.329 WHIP and 97 ERA+. He also cut his home run per nine inning total in half compared to 2021.
  2. Ronny Mauricio: The young prospect has been on a tear with three home runs in four games, can he keep it up and will it earn him legit consideration for a spot in the majors this season?
  3. Drew Smith: Smith makes his Grapefruit League debut today also! Drew Smith pitched in 44 games, 46 innings, last season with a 3.33 ERA, 4.33 FIP, 1.152 WHIP and a 117 ERA+. Good numbers for any reliever, but also a step backward from his phenomenal 31-game, 41 1/3 inning 2021 campaign where he finished with a 2.40 ERA and 168 ERA+. The Mets brought in reinforcements to flank Edwin Díaz with this off-season. Drew Smith finishing anywhere between his 2021 and 2022 performances will be a huge boon to the Mets.

Let’s Go Mets!