Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday, May 1, 2022 • 7:18 P.M.
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Zack Eflin (0-1, 3.45 ERA) vs. RHP Max Scherzer (3-0, 1.80 ERA)
ESPN • WCBS 880 AM

The Mets find themselves playing another rubber game as they look to win their seventh consecutive series to start off 2022. Last night New York couldn’t move beyond a late Kyle Schwarber bomb, which has been the theme throughout Schwarber’s career against the Mets.

Mets Lineup

  1. Brandon Nimmo, CF
  2. Francisco Lindor, SS
  3. Jeff McNeil, LF
  4. Pete Alonso, DH
  5. Eduardo Escobar, 3B
  6. Dominic Smith, 1B
  7. Starling Marte, RF
  8. Luis Guillorme, 2B
  9. Tomás Nido,C

The Mets’ bats will try to wake themselves up tonight against Zach Eflin. In Eflin’s first four starts this season he has pitched 19 2/3 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 1.119 WHIP and a 121 ERA+. It’s only one month of the season so far but those are all career bests for Eflin.

Most of the runs scored on Eflin came from back-to-back starts in the middle of the month where he allowed eight runs, only six earned, over two starts. He rebounded in his last start against the Rockies where he allowed only one run over six innings.

Last year Eflin faced the Mets twice and allowed only three runs despite the Mets recording 15 hits against him over 12 innings. New York has the following career numbers against Eflin:

Phillies Lineup

  1. Jean Segura, 2B
  2. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
  3. Bryce Harper, DH
  4. Nick Castellanos, RF
  5. J.T. Realmuto, C
  6. Kyle Schwarber, LF
  7. Alec Bohm, 3B
  8. Johan Camargo, SS
  9. Odubel Herrera, CF

Max Scherzer will make the nationally televised start for the Amazin’s tonight. In four games and 25 innings this season, Scherzer has a 1.80 ERA, 2.01 FIP, 0.760 WHIP and a 206 ERA+. He also has a league-leading H/9 rate at 4.0. Scherzer’s only allowed a total of five runs so far this season, but only two runs in his last 19 innings of work.

This includes a five-inning start against the Phillies where he allowed only one run on five hits while striking out seven. The Phillies have the following numbers against him:

Game Notes

  • Earlier this afternoon it was announced Mets’ reliever Sean Reid-Foley was placed on the 10-day injured reserve after a MRI revealed a partially torn UCL. To replace him on the roster the Mets recalled Yoan López from Triple-A Syracuse. 
  • The Mets will look to win their seventh straight series to begin the season. This would be the first time a team has done so since the 2018 Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mets have already surpassed their personal record of six straight series wins achieved during the 2018 season.
  • If you are a Seton Hall or Saint Peter’s basketball fans, you may want to be in your seats early. Queens’ native Shaheen Holloway, who was recently named Seton Hall’s new head basketball coach, will throw out the game’s first pitch. 
  • The Mets are holding right-handed hitters to a major league-leading .170 batting average against this season. The Phillies have five right-handed hitters in their lineup tonight against Max Scherzer. This includes their big bats in Hoskins, Castellanos, and Realmuto.
  • Jeff McNeil was moved to the number three hole in the lineup for tonight’s contest. He is currently riding a seven-game on-base streak. Over this stretch he is batting .385 with four doubles, a triple, three runs batted in, and an OPS of 1.023. 
  • The Mets will be playing on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball for the first time this season. Their starter, Max Scherzer, has started six games on Sunday Night Baseball in his career. He has pitched to an ERA of 1.22 with 46 strikeouts across these starts.

Let’s Go Mets!