Sunday, July 29, 2018 • 1:35 p.m.
PNC Park • Pittsburgh, PA
RHP Zack Wheeler (4-6, 4.33) vs. RHP Joe Musgrove (4-4, 3.90)
PIX11 • WOR 710 AM • 104.3 WAXQ-FM HD 2 • ESPN 1050
Last night was a typical Mets game with a deGrom start in 2018. Jacob gave the Mets his all and the Mets got runners on base but failed to move any home as the Mets lost 5-0. The story for today though is Zack Wheeler. As of this morning, Wheeler hasn’t been traded yet so the start is happening. There’s a lot of interest in Wheeler but ultimately the Mets and other teams see two different Zacks. Other teams see the Wheeler who missed all of 2015 and 2016 and was spotty last year. The Mets see the Wheeler from 2013-14 and this year as a return to that form. So all eyes will be on Wheeler today.
Mets Lineup
- Amed Rosario SS
- Brandon Nimmo LF
- Wilmer Flores 1B
- Jose Bautista RF
- Jeff McNeil 2B
- Austin Jackson CF
- Kevin Plawecki C
- Luis Guillorme 3B
- Zack Wheeler P
Pirates Lineup
- Adam Frazier 2B
- Starling Marte CF
- Gregory Polanco RF
- Colin Moran 3B
- David Freese 1B
- Elias Diaz C
- Austin Meadows LF
- Sean Rodriguez SS
- Joe Musgrove P
Wheeler is 4-6 over 19 games and 114.1 innings with a 4.33 ERA, 3.69 FIP, 1.303 WHIP and 88 ERA+. He’s coming off a strong start where he allowed two runs over seven innings, his best start recently came against the Pirates where he shut them out over seven innings. In his last five starts, he has posted a 3.03 ERA over 32.2 innings. The Pirates have the following numbers against Wheeler:
- Bell 1-6, 2 K
- Harrison 1-6, 2B
- Polanco 2-5, BB
- Dickerson 1-4
- Mercer 0-5
- Cervelli 2-3
The Mets will get a look at Joe Musgrove this afternoon who is 4-4 over 60.0 innings with a 3.90 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 1.317 WHIP and 103 ERA+. He’s been much better in most of his last four starts allowing 9 runs over 26.2 innings leading to a 3.04 ERA (this includes a start where he allowed five runs over 7.2 innings). Before this stretch, his ERA was 4.59. A few Mets have had limited AB’s against Musgrove:
- Bautista 0-1
- Nimmo 0-1
- Plawecki 0-1
- Rosario 1-1
- Smith 0-1
Game Notes
The Mets have lost two straight following their three-game winning streak. New York is 5-5 in its last ten games. New York is 11-11 in July. The 11 wins this month are tied for the second-most among NL East teams with Miami, behind the Phillies, who have 14 victories in July. The Mets are 18-38 in their last 56 games.
Zack Wheeler has completed at least six innings in 14 of his 19 starts this season, including 12 of his last 15 starts. Over his last eight starts, he has a 3.35 ERA (17 earned runs/45.2 innings) and is 2-0 with a 3.03 ERA (11 earned runs/32.2 innings) in his last five starts.
Michael Conforto is 11-for-30 (.367) with three homers, two doubles and nine RBI in eight games since the All-Star break. Over his last 12 games, Conforto is hitting .333 (14-42) with four home runs, two doubles, 12 RBI, 11 runs scored and a .431 OBP. Conforto has a 14.7 percent walk rate, the tenth-best in the majors.
Wheeler’s average fastball velocity on the season is up to 96.3, seventh-highest among MLB qualifiers. Here is a
month-by-month look at Wheeler’s average fastball: 94.3 in April, 95.1 in May, 96.2 in June, and 96.9 in July.
New York’s bullpen is 7-16 with a 5.72 ERA since May 25. Overall, the pen’s 4.77 ERA is the 25th in the majors.
Let’s Go Mets!
