Wednesday, September 5, 2018 • 7:35 p.m. (ET)
Dodger Stadium • Los Angeles, CA
RHP Zack Wheeler (9-7, 3.37) vs. LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (4-1, 2.24)
SNY • MLBN • WOR 710 AM • 104.3 WAXQ-FM HD 2 • ESPN 1050 AM

All good things have to come to an end, and Vargas streak of four games with a 1.99 ERA had to come to an end last night as he allowed five runs (four earned) over 3.1 innings. Oswalt tripped up later in the game being tagged for five runs over four hits without even recording an out. The Mets look to move beyond all of that tonight with an afternoon game in LA, which is almost a normal start time here.

Mets Lineup

  1. Amed Rosario  SS
  2. Jeff McNeil  2B
  3. Wilmer Flores  1B
  4. Todd Frazier  3B
  5. Michael Conforto  LF
  6. Austin Jackson  CF
  7. Kevin Plawecki  C
  8. Brandon Nimmo  RF
  9. Zack Wheeler  P

Dodgers Lineup

  1. Joc Pederson  LF
  2. Alex Verdugo  RF
  3. Justin Turner  3B
  4. Max Muncy  1B
  5. Cody Bellinger  CF
  6. Yasmani Grandal  C
  7. Enrique Hernandez  SS
  8. Brian Dozier  2B
  9. Hyun-Jin Ryu  P

Wheeler is 9-7 over 26 games and 1601.1 innings with a 3.37 ERA, 3.19 FIP, 1.185 WHIP and a 109 ERA+. In Wheeler’s last four starts, he has posted a 1.04 ERA over 26 innings and in his last 12 games, he has posted a 1.83 ERA over 78.2 innings. One of his last average starts was 13 games ago against the Dodgers where he allowed four runs over seven innings. The Dodgers have the following numbers against him:

  • Utley 4-for-15, 2B, HR, BB
  • Freese 1-for-5
  • Grandal 2-for-6, HR
  • Bellinger 3-for-5, 3 HR
  • Pederson 0-for-4, BB
  • Turner 3-for-5, HR
  • Hernandez 1-for-4

The Mets bats draw Hyun-Jin Ryu who is 4-1 over 10 starts and 52.1 innings with a 2.24 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 0.955 WHIP and a 176 ERA+. Since coming back in August he has logged 22.1 innings over four games posting a 2.38 ERA. Last year, he was good against the Mets logging 12 innings over two starts allowing two earned runs. The Mets have the following numbers against Ryu:

  • Flores 2-for-9
  • Frazier 1-for-8, 2B
  • Bruce 3-for-8, 2 HR
  • Mesoraco 0-for-5
  • Jackson 0-for-3
  • Conforto 0-for-3
  • Rosario 0-for-2

Game Notes

The Mets have lost 13 of their last 14 games to the Dodgers dating to May 28, 2016.

Zack Wheeler’s fastball is averaging 96.5 mph according to Fangraphs, the sixth-fastest in the majors this is and is tied with Jacob deGrom for the fastest slider (91.5 mph).

Amed Rosario is 14-for-32 (.438) with three doubles, two RBI and three runs scored on this road trip (seven games). Rosario is third in the NL with 12 stolen bases since the All-Star break and 11th in the NL with 18 stolen bases overall. Rosario is hitting .343 (35-102) with six doubles, three homers, 14 RBI and 17 runs scored in his last 23 games. Overall, he is tied for sixth in the NL with seven triples.

The Mets have 12 triples since the All-Star break, tied for the most in the majors. Overall, the Mets have 29 triples, tied for the seventh-most in the majors.

Brandon Nimmo is third in the NL with a .430 OBP since the All-Star break, 11th with a .311 batting average and
eighth with a .547 slugging percentage. Nimmo is also tied for eighth in the NL with 12 second-half doubles.

Michael Conforto has three homers and five RBI on this road trip (eight games) and seven homers and 18 RBI in his last 24 games. Overall, he is tied for ninth in the NL with 71 walks. Conforto has 10 homers (tied for ninth in the NL), 27 RBI (tied for 13th in the NL) with a .332 OBP and a .481 slugging percentage since the All-Star break.

Let’s Go Mets!