Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Thursday, June 1, 2023 • 1:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing New York
RHP Taijuan Walker (4-2, 5.57) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (4-2, 3.54)
SNY – MLBN

The Mets go for a series sweep this afternoon! So far, the Mets have beat the Phillies 2-0 and 4-1 this week. The Mets got an excellent start from Kodai Senga in the first game. Last night the Mets got an amazing start from Carlos Carrasco (his second in a row) and an outstanding performance from Mark Canha. Canha hit his fourth homer on the season and recorded all four RBI’s in the game.

Senga, Carrasco, and Canha have all made their mark on this series. Who will be the hero today?

Mets Lineup

Max Scherzer looks to lock down the Phillies offense this afternoon as he makes his ninth start of the season. Over 40 2/3 innings this season, Scherzer has a 3.54 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 1.131 WHIP and a 118 ERA+. Scherzer pitched 22 2/3 innings over his first five starts with a 5.56 ERA and a 6.28 FIP with opponents hitting .259 against him (.851 OPS). Since then, over three starts, he’s pitched 18 innings with a 1.00 ERA and 2.56 FIP. Opponents are hitting .172 with a .486 OPS against him. Last season he made four starts against the Phillies with a 3.38 ERA over 24 innings while recording 29 strikeouts. The Phillies have the following career numbers against him:

  • J.T. Realmuto 7-61, 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 18 K
  • Bryce Harper 6-20, 2 2B, 3 HR, 5 BB, 9 K
  • Nick Castellanos 3-20, 2 2B, BB, 10 K
  • Kyle Schwarber 4-11, 2 HR, 4 BB, 4 K
  • Edmundo Sosa 2-8, 4 K
  • Bryson Stott 6-7, 2B
  • Brandon Marsh 0-3, 2 K

Opposing Lineup

The Mets bats will face off against old friend today as Taijuan Walker makes his first start against the Mets as a member of the Phillies. Walker had two seasons as one of the more reliable starters in the Mets rotation, making 58 starts and pitching over 150 innings in both seasons. Walker earned his first All-Star with the Mets and overall had a 3.98 ERA, 4.11 FIP and a 99 ERA+.

This season Walker has made 11 starts totaling 53 1/3 innings with a 5.57 ERA, 5.16 FIP, 1.463 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. When you look at his game logs, they look very Walker-like. In the month of May, he had two very good starts, one where he allowed one run over six innings, and another where he allowed no runs over 5 1/3 innings. He also has a start where he allowed eight runs over 3 1/3 and four runs over just 2/3 innings. Which Walker will show up against the Mets today? The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

  • Tommy Pham 1-9, BB, K
  • Mark Canha 3-5, HR, BB
  • Francisco Lindor 1-6, K
  • Starling Marte 0-2, BB
  • Brandon Nimmo 1-3, 2B
  • Eduardo Escobar 0-2

Game Notes

Infielder Howard Johnson, LHP Al Leiter and broadcasters Gary Cohen and Howie Rose will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 3 in a pre-game ceremony prior to the 4:10 p.m. game vs. the Blue Jays at Citi Field. The four new additions will bring the total membership of the Mets Hall of Fame to 34. Jay Horwitz will also be honored with the Mets Hall of Fame Achievement Award for his contributions to the organization.

Ronny Mauricio extended his on-base streak to 20 games on Wednesday.

The Mets have homered in season-high 14 straight contests, hitting 23 home runs in that span. It is the longest active streak in the majors. The 14-game homer streak is tied for the second-longest in franchise history.

The Mets are considering starting Kodai Senga on Sunday, and it would be his first time starting on four days’ rest.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Mets feasting on Quality Starts. The Mets improved to 15-0 when their starting pitcher tossed a quality start. When Scherzer started this season, he was struggling to get to the sixth inning. More recently, he has looked like himself. Can Scherzer give the Mets a chance today to further improve this record to 16-0?
  2. Mets bats could help out the back of the bullpen today. After having several days off in a row, Robertson and Ottavino had to go in back-to-back games to start this series. Robertson has tossed 38 pitches and started to look a bit gassed by the end of his outing yesterday. Ottavino only needed 6 pitches yesterday (17 in his last two games), so he’s probably good to go if needed today. Leone, Brigham, Drew, Hunter, and Nogosek all haven’t pitched in the last three calendar days (four days for Drew). Hopefully, the Mets bats can give enough of a cushion to use other bullpen arms today.
  3. The Mets are showing their defensive chops. Last night Francisco Lindor made an excellent play in the field. The night before, Brandon Nimmo reached over the wall and brought back a homerun. Francisco Álvarez is in the 86th percentile for pitch framing this year and has been praised for his ability to steal strike three calls. These things make the Mets that much more fun to watch!

Let’s go Mets!