Sunday, May 9, 2021 • 1:10 P.M. EST
Citi Field • Flushing, New York
RHP Riley Smith (1-1, 4.91) vs. RHP Jacob deGrom (2-2, 0.51)
SNY • WCBS 880 AM • WQBU 92.7 FM

The Mets go for five wins in a row and a series win this afternoon!

New York is heading into another awkward week where they have two off days, Monday and Thursday, and the way the Mets had to use their bullpen over the last few days, those breaks are going to be welcomed.

The Mets went with an opener and bulk pitcher last night and it worked! Tommy Hunter was great over two innings and Joey Lucchesi came in after and was effective. Jeurys Familia, Aaron Loup and Trevor May locked the game down behind them. At the plate, Jeff McNeil hit a two-run homer to get the Mets on the board and right after, Francisco Lindor went from first to home on an errant throw as he was trying to steal second.

Mets Lineup

Jeff McNeil (L) 2B
Francisco Lindor (S) SS
Michael Conforto (L) RF
Pete Alonso (R) 1B
Dominic Smith (L) LF
Kevin Pillar (R) CF
Jonathan Villar (S) 3B
James McCann (R) C
Jacob deGrom (L) P

Diamondbacks Lineup

Pavin Smith (L) 1B
Josh Rojas (L) RF
Josh VanMeter (L) 2B
David Peralta (L) LF
Stephen Vogt (L) C
Eduardo Escobar (S) 3B
Nick Ahmed (R) SS
Daulton Varsho (L) CF
Riley Smith (R) P

And now the Mets get to take all of this momentum and put it behind Jacob deGrom. DeGrom was scratched from his start last week due to a sore side. In five starts he has pitched 35.0 innings with a 0.51 ERA, 0.82 FIP, 0.571 WHIP and a 759 ERA+. He leads the league in all of those categories. He also leads the league in K/9 (15.2) and H/9 (4.1). In two starts against the Diamondbacks in 2019, the right-hander held them to two runs over 13.2 innings from eight hits and two walks while striking out 18. The Diamondbacks have the following numbers against him:

  • Josh Rojas 1-for-3, 2 K
  • Asdrubal Cabrera 2-for-11, 2 2B, BB, 3 K
  • Nick Ahmed 1-for-8, 2B, 3 K
  • David Peralta 1-for-5, 2 K
  • Eduardo Escobar 1-for-6, 3 K
  • Carson Kelly 0-for-3, K
  • Stephen Vogt 0-for-3, 2 K
  • Christian Walker 0-for-6, 2 K

The Mets bats will get a look at Riley Smith today. Smith made his debut in 2020 and pitched 18.1 innings over six games with a 1.47 ERA, 2.75 FIP, 1.091 WHIP and a 316 ERA+. He’s pitched in six games this year, making three starts, totaling 22.0 innings with a 4.91 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 1.545 WHIP and a 86 ERA+. He’s starting to fall into a starting rhythm, as this will be his third consecutive start, in his last two starts he has allowed six runs over nine innings from 11 hits and two walks. No one on the Mets roster has faced Smith in a major league game.

Let’s go Mets!