Friday, March 15, 2024 • 6:10 PM
Clover Park • Port St Lucie, FL
RHP Trevor Williams (0-1, 9.00) vs. RHP Adrian Houser (0-1, 3.86)
SNY

It’s a doubleheader at Clover Park! The New York Mets’ top prospects took on the Washington Nationals this afternoon in their inaugural Spring Breakout game and came away with a 4-2 win. Now, the veteran players take the field for the night cap.

The Mets are coming off of a tie in Jupiter, Florida yesterday where both they and the St. Louis Cardinals each had just three hits. Brett Baty and Zack Short were the only Mets to record base knocks while Luke Voit had a tough go at it, finishing the day 0-for-3 with three strikeouts.

While the bats on both sides went cold, the pitchers were feasting. José Buttó, competing with Tylor Megill for the last rotation spot, had a great outing as he pitched four scoreless innings while punching out three batters. Austin Adams, who is fighting for a bullpen spot, struck out the side in his clean inning of work. Two of the pitchers he is battling against are scheduled to pitch in tonight’s game – Sean Reid-Foley and Phil Bickford.

The Mets will also get to face an old friend tonight in Trevor Williams. Williams found his way to the Mets as part of the Javier Báez deal with the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline during the 2021 season. He had a solid year-and-a-half with the club, posting a 3.17 ERA across 122 innings, and is now starting his second season with the Nationals. In 2023, he had a 5.55 ERA over 144 1/3 innings in 30 starts.

Photo Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Mets Lineup

  1. DJ Stewart LF
  2. Francisco Lindor SS
  3. Brett Baty 3B
  4. Francisco Álvarez C
  5. Starling Marte RF
  6. Ji Man Choi DH
  7. Mark Vientos 1B
  8. Harrison Bader CF
  9. Joey Wendle 2B

Opposing Lineup

  1. Lane Thomas RF
  2. Luis García Jr. 2B
  3. Joey Meneses 1B
  4. Joey Gallo DH
  5. Nick Senzel 3B
  6. Alex Call LF
  7. Ildemaro Vargas SS
  8. Riley Adams C
  9. Víctor Robles CF

Game Notes

Jeremy Rodriguez and Ryan Clifford both recorded RBI hits during the Mets’ Spring Breakout victory while Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat and Calvin Ziegler combined for five strikeouts over three shutout innings to shut the door on the Nationals.

David Stearns announced on Friday that Kodai Senga will be shut down for another seven to 10 days as he works his way back from a moderate right posterior capsule strain.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Adrian Houser’s fourth outing of the spring. After two solid outings to start spring training, Adrian Houser hit a speed bump on March 3rd when he allowed three runs on four hits and a walk over 1 2/3 innings against the Houston Astros. His last time out against the Detroit Tigers was completely different, however, as he didn’t allow any runs, hits or walks in 3 1/3 innings while striking out five batters. Here’s hoping tonight is more of the same.
  2. Fringe bullpen competition. Bickford and Reid-Foley are on the outside looking in right now towards the final bullpen spot on the Opening Day roster. Bickford’s first outing of the spring was rough – he allowed three runs on four hits in one inning of work. Last time out was better, however, as he was recorded two strikeouts while allowing no runs. Reid-Foley has enjoyed a strong spring himself, pitching four innings while allowing no runs, no hits and one walk to go with seven strikeouts. Both pitchers can improve their case with a strong showing tonight.
  3. Mark Vientos, power hitter. While the Mets have been connected to J.D. Davis over the last week, Mark Vientos would like to remind you that he’s still here. After a slow start to spring, he’s been heating up as of late. In his last four games, Vientos has gone 4-for-13 with two homers, a double and a walk while only striking out twice during that stretch.

Let’s go Mets!