Sunday, August 16, 2020 • 1:05 p.m.
Citizens Bank Park • Philadelphia, PA
RHP Rick Porcello (1-2, 5.68) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (2-0, 2.89)
SNY • WCBS 880 AM • WQBU 92.7 FM
The Mets absolutely need this game today.
After a couple of good games against the Nationals at the end of the week, they’ve dropped the last two against the Phillies. Matz was cruising yesterday until the fifth inning when everything fell apart but the offense wasn’t doing him any favors.
The bats stayed largely quiet until Dominic Smith hit a homer for a fourth day in a row, bringing him to six on the season (the record for the Mets is five days in a row by Richard Hidalgo).
Mets Lineup
- Brandon Nimmo – LF
- Michael Conforto – RF
- J.D. Davis – 3B
- Dominic Smith – 1B
- Robinson Canó – DH
- Andrés Giménez – SS
- Wilson Ramos – C
- Luis Guillorme – 2B
- Billy Hamilton – CF
Phillies Lineup
- Jean Segura – 2B
- Rhys Hoskins – 1B
- Bryce Harper – RF
- J.T. Realmuto – DH
- Didi Gregorius – SS
- Alec Bohm – 3B
- Jay Bruce – LF
- Andrew Knapp – C
- Scott Kingery – CF
So the Mets will turn to Rick Porcello who is trying to change the narrative about his season.
In his first four starts he has allowed 14 runs, 12 earned, over 19.0 innings which is a 5.68 ERA, 3.18 FIP, 1.632 WHIP and 76 ERA+. Over his last two starts though, both against the Nationals, he has allowed three runs over 13.0 innings, a 2.08 ERA. He hasn’t walked anyone and has struck out nine.
In a weird scheduling quirk this year, his first two starts were against the Braves, then he had two against the Nationals. The pattern will end today. Rick has the following numbers against the Phillies:
- Rhys Hoskins 3-8, 2B, 2 HR, K
- Jay Bruce 2-8, 2B, HR, 2 BB, K
- Phil Gosselin 1-2
- Jean Segura 4-13, HR, 3 K
- Didi Gregorius 7-37, 2 2B,2 HR, 3 BB, 6 K
- JT Realmuto 2-8, BB, K
- Bryce Harper 1-11, HR, BB, 5 K
- Scott Kingery 2-5, 2 BB, K
- Andrew McCutchen 1-10, 2 BB, 4 K
- Neil Walker 1-14, 5 K
The Mets will face Zack Wheeler for the first time tonight.
Zack Wheeler was acquired in a deadline deal for Carlos Beltran with the Giants in 2011. Despite injuries with the Mets, he became a key part of the rotation. The Mets (for some reason) didn’t pursue him in the offseason and he got a pay day with the Phillies. Personally, I’m going to find it rough to root against him today.
He’s also been crushing it. In three starts he has pitched 18.2 innings, allowed 19 hits but only seven runs (six earned). He has a 2.89 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 1.268 WHIP and a 159 ERA+. A few of the newer Mets have seen him before in a major league game:
- Wilson Ramos 4-15, 2B, K
- Billy Hamilton 1-5, K
Game Notes
Today, the Mets join a league-wide centennial celebration of the founding of the Negro Leagues. All MLB players, managers, coaches and umpires will wear a symbolic Negro Leagues 100th anniversary logo patch during games. The logo, a derivative of the official logo created by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, also will be featured on base jewels and lineup cards.
Dominic Smith has homered in four consecutive games for the first time in his career. Pete Alonso was the last Met to homer in four straight games (August 5-9, 2019). The regular season club record is five consecutive games with a home run, accomplished by Richard Hidalgo from July 1-5, 2004.
The Mets went 0-3 with runners in scoring position last night. Overall, the team is batting .208/.327/.424 with RISP this season. That average is 29th in the majors and last in the NL. New York’s 243 plate appearances with RISP rank second in the majors and leads the NL.
Porcello will be making his seventh career start vs. the Phils. He has not yielded more than five hits or three runs in any of his last three starts against the club. He faced Philadelphia twice last season, going 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA (five earned runs/10.0 innings). He’s allowed three runs or fewer in all but one of his six career starts against Philly. At Citizens Bank Park, he’s 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA (six earned runs/18.0 innings).
Let’s Go Mets!
