Sunday, August 4, 2019 • 1:35 p.m.
PNC Park • Pittsburgh, PA
RHP Noah Syndergaard (7-5, 4.10) vs. RHP Joe Musgrove (8-9, 4.23)
SNY • WCBS 880 AM • ESPN 1050 AM
The Mets look to take the rubber game of their series with the Pirates after tying the series 1-1 last night with a comeback win. Marcus Stroman struggled, but battled in his debut and Wilson Ramos had a break out game as a Met with four hits and six RBI. Edwin Diaz made things a bit closer in the ninth, allowing a two-run homer to bring the Pirates within two (the inning had shades of last Sunday’s game against the Pirates) but the Mets held on and now look to Syndergaard to lead them out of Pittsburgh with a win.
Mets Lineup
- Jeff McNeil (L) RF
- Michael Conforto (L) CF
- Todd Frazier (R) 1B
- Robinson Cano (L) 2B
- J.D. Davis (R) LF
- Amed Rosario (R) SS
- Adeiny Hechavarria (R) 3B
- Tomas Nido (R) C
- Noah Syndergaard (L) P
Pirates Lineup
- Adam Frazier (L) 2B
- Bryan Reynolds (S) LF
- Starling Marte (R) CF
- Josh Bell (S) 1B
- Melky Cabrera (S) RF
- Colin Moran (L) 3B
- Kevin Newman (R) SS
- Jacob Stallings (R) C
- Joe Musgrove (R) P
Noah Syndergaard is 705 over 21 starts and 134.0 innings with a 4.10 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 1.239 WHIP and 100 ERA+. In his last four starts, he has tossed 28.1 innings allowing eight runs, six earned, for a 1.91 ERA while striking out 36. During this stretch opponents have a .278 OBP against him with a .612 OPS. In each game he has pitched at least seven innings and this streak has lowered his season ERA from 4.68 to 4.10. The right-hander missed the Pirates last week and only three players on the Pirates roster have ever seen him in a major league game:
- Gregory Polanco 3-for-10, 2 2B, 2 K
- Starling Marte 0-for-5, 2 K
- Chris Stratton 0-for-1
The Mets bats will look to take down Joe Musgrove today, who is 8-9 over 23 games and 22 starts over 121.1 innings posting a 4.23 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 1.195 WHIP and 103 ERA+. Musgrove had a July with a couple of bad starts, a couple of average starts and one good start, but not in a pattern that makes sense to evaluate. He ended June with a 4.27 ERA and ended July with a 4.23, so his July basically averages out to his season. He missed the Mets last week but faced them last year in Pittsburgh where he allowed only one run off five hits and two walks in seven innings. The Mets have the following numbers against him:
- Robinson Cano 3-for-11, 2 K
- Amed Rosario 1-for-5
- Brandon Nimmo 0-for-3
- Luis Guillorme 1-for-3
- Jeff McNeil 0-for-3, K
- Michael Conforto BB
- Todd Frazier 1-for-1
- Adeiny Hechavarria 1-for-1
Notes
Jeff McNeil is batting .343 (72-210) with 34 runs, 19 doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 29 RBI, 14 walks, a .397 OBP and a .557 SLG in 54 games on the road this year. His .343 road batting average is the second-best in the majors and the best in the NL.
New York owns the best winning percentage in the majors (.700, 14-6) since the All-Star break. The Mets have slugged 30 second-half homers, tied for the third-most in the NL.
Noah Syndergaard has thrown at least seven innings in four-straight starts for the first time in his career. Over that stretch he has lowered his ERA from 4.68 to 4.10, pitching to a 1.91 ERA (six earned runs/28.1 innings) with 36 strikeouts and just seven walks. He’s fanned at least eight in all four of those outings, his longest such streak since a career-best eight-game streak from 2015-2016.
J.D. Davis is batting .348 (40-115) with 16 runs, seven doubles, a triple, four home runs, 13 RBI, 11 walks, a steal, a .414 OBP and a .944 OPS since June 4 (44 games). He is hitting .384 (38-99) with 16 runs, six doubles, a triple, four homers, 13 RBI, nine walks, a steal and a 1.026 OPS in 26 starts since that date. He owns a .302/.365/.468 slash line in 58 starts compared to .242/.342/.485 in 34 games where he did not start.
Let’s go Mets!
