Saturday, April 15, 2023 • 4:07 PM
Oakland Coliseum • Oakland, California
RHP Carlos Carrasco (0-2, 11.42) vs. RHP Shintaro Fujinami (0-2, 17.55)
WPIX

The Mets finally had a breakout day for the offense! The Mets worked a franchise record 17 walks on Friday and scored 17 runs as they took the series opener from the Oakland Athletics. The 17-6 win was enough to flip the Mets’ run differential all the way to a +10 on the season.

Francisco Lindor had the most memorable night at the plate, hitting a grand slam in the second and getting three more RBIs on a double later in the game. The Mets have struggled all season to get the big hit and Lindor essentially did that twice as the offense finally showed signs of life.

Jackie Robinson Day

Saturday marks the 76th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in the major leagues. In 1997, at Shea Stadium, #42 was retired across the major leagues to honor Jackie Robinson’s legacy. Jackie Robinson Day started in 2004 with celebrations across Major League Baseball and Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars throwing out the first pitch (something that will continue in Oakland today as the Athletics honor 21 scholars this afternoon). As per tradition since 2009, all players will be wearing #42 this afternoon.

Mets Lineup

Friday was a redemption day for the Mets offense. Here’s hoping Saturday is a redemption day for Carlos Carrasco. The first two starts of the year have been tough for Carrasco. He has allowed 11 runs from 10 hits and seven walks. In previous years, Carrasco has struggled when he allows homers, and he’s already allowed three this year. His troubles this year seem to be related to a drop in velocity. The Athletics have the following career numbers against Carrasco:

Opposing Lineup

The Mets bats will get a look at Shintaro Fujinami, making his third start of his major league career. Fujinami struck out four batters over two scoreless innings in his first start. Since then, he has tossed 4 2/3 innings allowing 13 runs from eight hits and seven walks. The 29-year old pitched in Japan for 10 years before this season, posting a career 3.17 ERA over 252 games and 1,302 1/3 innings.

Game Notes

Entering Saturday, the Mets lead the majors with 76 walks. Brandon Nimmo leads all of MLB with 14 walks, while Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso have 10 walks each.

With the Mets continuing their Interleague schedule on Saturday, they own a 236-227 record in Interleague play. Their .510 winning percentage ranks second-best among National League teams.

Through 14 games of the 2023 season, the Mets have committed just two errors. They lead the majors in fielding percentage with .996.

The rule changes introduced for the 2023 season were always going to encourage more stolen bases, and the Mets are taking full advantage. They are currently fifth in the majors and third in the NL with 15 stolen bases. Starling Marte ranks fourth in the National League with five steals. Brandon Nimmo has three steals in 13 games in 2023, matching the total he put up in 151 games in 2022.

Justin Verlander will throw a bullpen session on Saturday as he continues his road to recovery.

Max Scherzer (2-1, 4.41 ERA) will get the start for the Mets on Sunday in the series finale against Oakland, before they head to LA to take on the Dodgers on Monday.

Prior to Saturday’s game, the Mets announced that they selected the contract of RHP Jimmy Yacabonis from Triple-A, and recalled RHP José Butto from Triple-A. In addition, the Mets also announced that RHP Dennis Santana has been designated for assignment, and RHP Stephen Nogosek has been placed on the 15-day IL with a left elbow bone bruise.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. The Athletics’ Overworked Bullpen: Going into Saturday’s game, the Athletics have the least effective, in terms of ERA, starting rotation in the majors. Their last day off was 4/6 and they don’t have another day off scheduled until 4/20. The Mets were able to knock James Kaprielian out before the end of the fourth inning on Friday, further exasperating the bullpen. Can the Mets do it again and take advantage of the bullpen?
  2. Work those counts! The Mets worked 17 walks Friday night and now have 76 on the season, good for 1st in the league. While Friday was extreme, the Mets have been working walks all season. Last night was the first time the Mets fully capitalized on the free passes.
  3. Possums. Gary Cohen revealed last night that the Mets broadcast booth is not actually in the visiting TV booth this series. Wayne Randazzo discovered during his first broadcast of the year that there is a possum living in the visiting TV booth. When the SNY crew tried to set up for this series they found some possum droppings and decided to go to another booth. Today is the first WPIX game of the year so first, we’ll look to see if the “new” visiting booth has signage more centered than last night. Second, a camera man still had to operate out of the possum booth. Here’s hoping he can coexist with our new fury friend for the rest of the weekend.

Let’s go Mets!