Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday, May 10, 2023 • 6:40 PM
Great American Ball Park • Cincinnati, Ohio
RHP Justin Verlander (0-1, 3.60) vs. RHP Hunter Greene (0-2, 3.74)
SNY

The 2023 Mets are going to live and die by their starting pitching. Max Scherzer was a late scratch to last night’s start and David Peterson got a surprise return to the rotation. He couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity, and the Mets ended up playing another game from behind.

At one point last night the Mets were down 7-1,  but they were able to fight back to make it 7-6, the second game in a row where they scored six runs. Still, between Peterson’s rough start and some questionable calls (including one that got Buck Showalter ejected) the Mets couldn’t come out on top. Last night was the first time in a while though that the Mets showed fight. They have now lost 12 of their last 15 and are free-falling. Can they stop the fall tonight?

Mets Lineup

Justin Verlander looks to get the Mets back on track. In his Mets debut last week he pitched five innings allowing two runs from five hits and a walk while striking out five. The Mets, as a team, have had only five quality starts from starting pitchers this year in 36 games. A Verlander quality start will go a long way for the Mets this evening. The Reds in the lineup have the following career numbers against Verlander:

Reds Lineup

The Mets’ bats will get a look at the flame-thrower of the Reds staff: Hunter Greene. Over seven starts and 33 2/3 innings this season, Greene has a 3.74 ERA, 2.93 FIP, 1.426 WHIP and a 131 ERA+. The big difference between this year and last year is his HR/9 rate. Greene has dropped it from 1.7 to 0.8. With that being said, he’s coming off of his worst start of the season where he allowed five runs from seven hits and a walk including two homers against the White Sox. Greene faced the Mets once last season and allowed six runs from seven hits and a walk. The key to beating Greene in that game? The Mets hit two homers. The Mets have the following career numbers against Greene:

Game Notes

Tomás Nido appears headed for the IL with a vision issue, according to the New York Post’s Mike Puma. Michael Pérez is in town to fill in as the Mets’ backup catcher if Nido is, in fact, unavailable.

Max Scherzer attempted to play catch on Wednesday but had to stop after he was still suffering from neck spasms, according to Newsday’s Tim Healey. Scherzer did say that the injury improved from yesterday, but said it still hasn’t “fully let go yet.”

The Mets sent reliever Brooks Raley to Double-A Binghamton for a rehab assignment.

New York will be looking to stave off yet another series loss on Wednesday. The Mets have lost four series in a row and have not won a series since they took two-out-of-three from the Dodgers on April 19.

The Mets signed veteran catcher Gary Sánchez on Tuesday. With Nido and Omar Narváez out, it will be interesting to see if/when the Mets will give him an opportunity.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Álvarez! The Mets top catching prospect, Francisco Álvarez had a huge night last night, hitting two solo homers. He’s now hitting .241/.281/.444 on the season, and, in his last six games, he’s hitting .333/.400/.778. The Mets need every spark they can get right now!
  2. Work Walks. Hunter Greene has allowed three walks in a game three times this season. Teams have been able to push Greene out of those starts after 3 1/3 innings, 4 2/3 innings and 5 innings. Plus, in the Great Amercian Ballpark, runners on the base paths can easily be brought in with a homer.
  3. Can the Mets get Marte Going? Starling Marte was a hero of last year’s club hitting .292/.347/.468 with a 132 OPS+. This year has been the exact opposite. Over 31 games this season he is hitting .223/.298/.286 with a 65 OPS+. In the month of May he is 6-for-27 and is hitting .222/.250/.472. Last night he was able to get on base twice with two singles. Is this the start of something?

Let’s go Mets!