Mark Vientos, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Saturday, March 11, 2023 • 7:05 PM
The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches • West Palm Beach, Florida
RHP John Curtiss (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Josiah Gray (0-0, 0.00)
MASN

The Mets maintained their .500 winning percentage on Friday, winning the first game of the day against the Astros and losing against the Cardinals the nightcap. The more important game was the afternoon game, where Verlander tossed 3 1/3 innings, allowing one run from three hits while striking out five. Starling Marte made his spring debut by going 2-for-2 with a double and a homer. The Mets learned the hard way last year how important Marte is to the lineup. A healthy Marte on Opening Day would be a huge boost.

A new storyline might also be developing: Mark Canha got reps at first base yesterday. The Mets are fairly thin at first after Pete Alonso, with Darin Ruf penciled in as one of the main alternates. But Ruf has struggled in his first week playing games. Could the Mets be testing out some ideas if they decide to cut or trade Ruf? This is something to keep an eye on for the next two-plus weeks.

Mets Lineup

Opposing Lineup

  1. Lane Thomas – RF
  2. CJ Abrams – SS
  3. Alex Call – LF
  4. Keibert Ruiz – C
  5. Luis Garcia – DH
  6. Jeter Downs – 2B
  7. Ildemaro Vargas – 3B
  8. Matt Adams – 1B
  9. Erick Mejia – CF

Game Notes

Kodai Senga was scratched from his start today due to soreness in his right index finger. The Mets say he was sent for imaging. Buck Showalter added that it if was a regular-season game, Senga would’ve pitched.

Buck also noted that Brooks Raley will join the team on Tuesday and expects the left-hander to be ready for Opening Day. Raley was removed from the Team USA roster because he was dealing with tightness in his left hamstring.

The World Baseball Classic play in the United States takes place today with Mets players like Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Edwin Diaz, and more all participating.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. John Curtiss, Spot Starter: Kodai Senga was a late scratch for tonight’s game with a finger injury. Curtiss will make the spot start in his place. So far this spring Curtiss has pitched three scoreless innings over three games allowing one hit while striking out six. The 30-year-old pitcher has bounced around over his career signing with Mets last April with this year in mind. Last season, Curtiss was still healing from his Tommy John surgery in September 2021.
  2. Let The Kids Play: Vientos, Mauricio and Baty will all be starting in the Mets infield tonight. Vientos will be starting at first. Right now his only path forward to break camp with the team is to usurp Ruf at DH. As stated earlier, this is something we want to keep an eye on for the next two weeks. Vientos and Mauricio also combined last night to 0-6 with three strikeouts and a walk – a rare off night this spring.
  3. Get On Base By Any Means: Locastro will be leading off for the Mets for a second straight night. He is the only player on the Mets, and possibly in baseball, that gets hit by the pitch more often than Mark Canha. Last night he got hit by a pitch while going 2-3 with a double. He’s having a tremendous spring slashing .391/.500/.609 over 28 plate appearances. Will he get hit by his 5th pitch this spring tonight?

Let’s go Mets!