Carlos Carrasco. Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday, June 25, 2023 • 1:35 PM
Citizens Bank Park • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-3, 6.34) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (6-4, 3.48)
WPIX • MLBN (Out of Market)

The last time the New York Mets won a series was against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 1. The Mets will attempt to win another series against the Phillies, and get back on the right track this afternoon as they take on Philadelphia in the rubber game.

Max Scherzer battled through the humidity yesterday and kept the Mets in the game all afternoon. When the Phillies erased the Mets’ 2-0 lead, New York was able punch right back and take a 4-2 lead.

Mets’ Lineup

Carlos Carrasco takes the mound today for the Mets. Showalter has scrambled the rotation a bit, having Max Scherzer yesterday pitch on regular rest in order to insert Carrasco in-between Scherzer and Justing Verlander.

Over nine games and 44 innings, Carrasco has a 6.34 ERA, 6.66 FIP, 1.545 WHIP, and a 66 ERA+. His last good start was against the Phillies where he allowed only one run and six hits as well as a walk over six innings of work.

Since then, he has allowed 12 runs (11 earned) via 17 hits and eight walks over 12 2/3 innings, including a very troublesome four home runs.

The Phillies have the following numbers against him:

Phillies’ Lineup

The Mets draw an old friend this afternoon as they take on Zack Wheeler. Over 15 starts (88 innings) Wheeler has a 3.48 ERA, 2.67 FIP, 1.114 WHIP, and a 122 ERA+.

At the start of June, Wheeler had a terrible game against the Washington Nationals where he allowed seven runs over 3 2/3 innings. In his three games since, he has allowed only two runs (one earned) via 11 hits and four walks over 19 1/3 innings while striking out 19 batters. It is by far his best three game stretch this season.

The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

Game Notes

The Mets have claimed right-hander Reed Garrett off waivers from the Orioles and optioned him to Triple-A Syracuse. The 30-year-old has a career 7.90 ERA in the big leagues, but does have a 1.59 ERA in 19 relief appearances in Triple-A this year.

José Quintana is set to make another rehab start – his third, this time for Brooklyn (High-A) this afternoon. The game against Hudson Valley, in Brooklyn, is scheduled for a 2:00 pm ET first pitch.

Landon Marceaux, one of the prospects in the recent Escobar deal, is set to make his debut in the Mets organization today. He’ll start for Binghamton (Double-A) against Akron at 2:05 pm ET. Marceaux is ranked as the 18th-best prospect in the Mets’ system by MLB Pipeline.

The Mets went 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position (RISP) yesterday. In 15 games since June 7, the Mets are batting .304 (41-for-135) with 61 RBIs with RISP. That is the fifth-highest mark in the majors in that span.

Pham leads the Mets with a .342 (13-for-38) average with runners in scoring position.

Over the last 17 games, Lindor has posted a .963 OPS, going 14-for-53 with four home runs, 11 RBIs, 12 walks, and five steals. He has posted a 2.3 fWAR this year, which ranks 12th (second among shortstops) in the National League.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Is Starling Marte coming around? Marte was a huge for the 2022 Mets. You can make the argument that their fall in September had a lot to do with Marte’s injury. On June 8, Marte went 3-for-5 at the plate. In the 13 games since then, Marte has gone 17-for-56 with two doubles, a home run (which he hit yesterday) and 11 runs scored. His OPS in this stretch is .721, which is 70 points higher than his season OPS of .651. If the Mets were going to go on a little run to save their season, Marte needs to be part of it.
  2. Who is available in the bullpen today? The Mets needed Robertson to get a five-out save yesterday. Normally, that would put Robertson in the not-available category for today, but he only needed 13 pitches thanks to the defense turning two double plays. Ottavino, who Robertson bailed out, worked hard tossing 26 pitches. Additionally, Brooks Raley has now pitched on back-to-back days. The rest of the bullpen is well rested.
  3. The defensive giveth and taketh. Friday night’s game was a defensive mess for the Mets. Yesterday Guillorme, Lindor, and Alonso turned three double plays, bailing out pitchers multiple times. One double play quickly killed a rally in the bottom of the eighth inning. Meanwhile, another sealed the Mets’ win.