Carlos Carrasco. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday, June 18, 2023 • 1:40 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, New York
LHP Matthew Liberatore (1-2, 5.14) vs. RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-3, 5.71)
WPIX

The New York Mets look to win a crucial rubber game this afternoon against a struggling St. Louis Cardinals squad. The Mets came close yesterday but couldn’t complete the comeback.

After a leadoff home run from Brandon Nimmo, the Cardinals were able to hit a couple of homers and take the lead 4-1. Luis Guillorme hit a crucial two-run homer to bring it to 4-3, but the Mets bats’ fell flat late with the wind blowing into the stadium, knocking down some hard hit balls and the hopes to take the game.

Luckily, the Mets will get a very important reinforcement today. That being Pete Alonso.

Mets’ Lineup

Carlos Carrasco looks to get the Mets on the right path today. Over eight starts and 41 innings this season, Carrasco has a 5.71 ERA, 6.24 FIP, 1.463 WHIP, and a 73 ERA+.

Carrasco is coming off of a shorter start where he was able to keep the Pirates to only two runs despite allowing six hits and three walks. It was his third start in his last four where he allowed two runs or fewer.

The Cardinals have the following career numbers against Carrasco:

  • Willson Contreras 2-9, 3 K
  • Tommy Edman 2-6, 2B, 2 K
  • Paul Goldschmidt 3-6, 2B
  • Paul DeJong 0-5, 2 K
  • Tyler O’Neill 1-5, 2 K
  • Nolan Arenado 2-2, BB
  • Dylan Carlson 0-1, BB

Cardinals’ Lineup

Matthew Liberatore gets the start for the Cardinals this afternoon. He has pitched in five games (four starts) this year totaling 21 innings. He has a 5.14 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 1.571 WHIP, and an 85 ERA+.

That being said he he’s coming off of one his stronger starts against the Giants where he allowed two runs via seven hits and two walks over six innings.

Game Notes

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

José Quintana made another rehab start with St. Lucie. His final line: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 46 pitches (30 strikes).

Read all about the Mets activating slugger Pete Alonso and sending down prospect Mark Vientos right here.

Buck Showalter on Vientos’ time in New York, “At this time, Mark needs to get some at-bats down there.” He added, “He’s [Vientos] got a chance to be a good hitter and I think he’s starting to really make strides defensively.”

The Mets run the risk today of being the 28-43 Cardinals’ first series win since May 17.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Can Carrasco keep the ball in the park?Home runs hurt the Mets in yesterday’s game, and long balls have been Carrasco’s weak point this season. He’s only had one start where he he hasn’t allowed a homer. Even in his good starts, he’s allowed solo bombs. The Cardinals are struggling in a lot of different ways, but not with the long ball. They have hit 96 as a team, which is good for sixth in the league.
  2. Brandon Nimmo is in the red. If you look up Nimmo’s Baseball Savant page, you’ll see a lot of red. Nimmo is in the 85th percentile for average exit velocity, 83rd for hard-hit rate and 82nd in xwOBA. Nimmo’s signature skill, his eye, is reflected in his chase rate sitting in the 92nd percentile.
  3. Welcome back Pete Alonso! The Mets made a surprise move today, activating Pete Alonso off the injured list and optioning Mark Vientos to Syracuse (Triple-A). His return comes about one-or-two weeks ahead of schedule. This also ends an extremely frustrating month for Vientos, where he barely got any consistent playing time. In the last nine calendar days, he only played on the June 9, 11 and 14.