Tuesday, June 26, 2018 • 7:10 p.m.
Citi Field • Flushing, N.Y.
RHP Chad Kuhl (5-5, 4.56) vs. LHP Steven Matz (3-5, 3.68)
SNY • WOR 710 AM • 104.3 WAXQ-FM HD 2 • ESPN 1050
The Mets continued their losing streak last night. At one point last night the Mets were down 5-1 when Wilmer Flores hit a three-run homer to pull it to 5-4. Like the last several games, the Mets had several chances after that to tie the game or possibly even take the lead, but they couldn’t get it to happen.
Mets Lineup
- Jose Bautista (R) RF
- Michael Conforto (L) CF
- Todd Frazier (R) 3B
- Asdrubal Cabrera (S) 2B
- Wilmer Flores (R) 1B
- Dominic Smith (L) LF
- Kevin Plawecki (R) C
- Jose Reyes (S) SS
- Steven Matz (R) P
Pirates Lineup
- Starling Marte (R) CF
- Austin Meadows (L) LF
- Josh Harrison (R) 2B
- David Freese (R) 3B
- Elias Diaz (R) C
- Jose Osuna (R) 1B
- Gregory Polanco (L) RF
- Jordy Mercer (R) SS
- Chad Kuhl (R) P
Steven Matz will look to stop the slide. He is 3-5 over 14 games and 71.0 innings with a 3.68 ERA, 5.05 FIP, 1.282 WHIP with a 103 ERA+. He is coming off one of his worst starts in a while where he allowed five runs over 5.2 innings from eight hits and two walks. In Pittsburgh in 2016, Matz held the Pirates to two runs over five innings allowing eight hits and two walks. The Pirates have the following numbers against him:
- Cervelli 0-for-2, BB
- Freese 1-for-3
- Harrison 3-for-3, 3B
- Kang 2-for-3
- Marte 0-for-3
- Polanco 0-for-2
The Mets bats will get a look at Chad Kuhl who is 5-5 over 15 starts and 81.0 innings with a 4.56 ERA, 4.75 FIP, 1.444 WHIP, and a 87 ERA+. He is coming off his worst start in 2018 where he allowed eight runs over two inning from eight hits and a walk against the Diamondbacks. Prior to that start Chad Kuhl had allowed nine runs, eight earned over 29.1 innings over five starts which led to a 2.45 ERA. In one start against the Mets last year he allowed five runs over 4.1 innings from eight hits. The Mets have the following numbers against Kuhl:
- Bautista 0-for-2, BB
- Bruce 1-for-2, 2B
- Conforto 0-for-3
- Reyes 1-for-3, 3B
- Cabrera 0-for-2
- deGrom 1-for-2
- Mesoraco 0-for-1
Notes
Wilmer Flores hit a pinch-hit three-run homer last night. The Mets have nine pinch-hit homers since 2017, tied for the fifth-most in the majors.
Jose Bautista had a .476 on-base percentage in his first 30 games with the Mets. The only player with a higher OBP than Bautista in his first 30 games for the Mets was Richie Ashburn (.493) in 1962.
The Mets 2018 first-round draft pick, Jarred Kelenic, will be introduced tomorrow in the Press Conference Room at Citi Field following Mickey Callaway’s 4 p.m. pre-game press briefing. Kelenic will then take BP with the Mets. He is hitting .615 (8-for-13) with one double, one triple and two RBI in his first three games with the rookie-level Gulf Coast Mets.
Brandon Nimmo is third in the NL and fifth in the majors with a .403 on-base percentage, third in the NL and eighth in the majors with a .571 slugging percentage and is third in the NL and seventh in the majors with a .974 OPS. He is tied for fourth in the majors with six triples. Nimmo ranks second in the majors with 12 hit by pitches. Lucas Duda holds the franchise record, getting hit 14 times in 2015.
Let’s Go Mets!
