Happy Easter!

It has been a long week-and-a-half to start the season for the New York Mets. Since their off-day after Opening Day the Mets have been nonstop, playing two more games at home then changed time zones with a series in St. Louis before heading out to San Francisco. The Mets finally have a day off to catch their breath Monday before starting their first real homestand of the season.

Standing between them and home is one more game against the Giants. The Mets struggled in the first game of the series and lost Juan Soto with a mild-calf strain in the second. But the Mets’ offense finally woke up in the second game of the series and that continued yesterday with a 9-0 drubbing.

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Bo Bichette – 3B
3. Jorge Polanco – DH
4. Luis Robert Jr. – CF
5. Jared Young – LF
6. Mark Vientos – 1B
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. Carson Benge – LF
9. Francisco Alvarez – C

Starting Pitcher: Kodai Senga

Kodai Senga looked good last week. He allowed two runs from four hits and three walks while striking out nine batters over six innings. His fastball averaged at 97.4 mph, which was two-to-three mph faster than last season. His cutter was at 90.5 mph, about one mph higher than last season.

He had a 37% whiff rate which was 10% higher than 2025. Just all positive signs for Senga in his first start.

The Giants have the following career numbers against him:

• Willy Adames 1-7, BB, 3 K
• Luis Arráez 3-5, BB
• Harrison Bader 1-2, K
• Patrick Bailey 0-2, K
• Matt Chapman 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB, K
• Rafael Devers 1-9, 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
• Jung Hoo Lee 1-3, 2B, BB
• Heliot Ramos 0-5, BB
• Casey Schmitt 1-2, 2B

Giants Lineup

1. Willy Adames – SS
2. Luis Arraez – 2B
3. Matt Chapman – 3B
4. Rafael Devers – 1B
5. Heliot Ramos – LF
6. Jung Hoo Lee – RF
7. Jerar Encarnación – DH
8. Harrison Bader – CF
9. Patrick Bailey – C

Starting Pitcher: Logan Webb

It’s been a tale of two starts for Logan Webb in 2026. In his first start he allowed seven runs (six earned) from nine hits and a walk against the New York Yankees. In his next start, he allowed three runs from three hits and four walks over six innings against the San Diego Padres. Not great, but a lot better than his first start. He does have 12 strikeouts over 11 innings.

The Mets were able to get to him in his one start against them last season, tagging him for six runs on eight hits and a walk over four innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Webb:

• Francisco Alvarez 1-2, K
• Brett Baty 1-9, 3 K
• Bo Bichette 2-7, K
• Francisco Lindor 5-17, 2B, HR, 6 K
• Luis Robert Jr. 4-9, 2 2B, 2 K
• Marcus Semien 4-15, BB, K
• Juan Soto 4-18, 2B, 3B, BB, 4 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-6, BB, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 1-4

Game Notes

Prior to the game, the Mets scratched Brett Baty. Jared Young replaced him in the lineup. According to manager Carlos Mendoza, he jammed his thumb on a head-first slide Saturday night. Encouragingly, Mendoza expects him to be back in the lineup on Tuesday.

Notably, Christian Arroyo and Nick Morabito were not in Triple-A Syracuse’s lineup.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Mark Vientos. For a second straight day, Vientos is the player to watch. In his last two games he has gone 5-for-8 with a double, two RBIs, two walks, and three runs scored. He now has eight hits over six games this season, a .526 OBP and a small-sample size 268 OPS+. With so many hitters on the Mets struggling after the Cardinals series, the Mets needed someone unexpected to step up and Vientos has definitely done that.
2. Francisco Alvarez. Alvarez was an offensive engine for the Mets Friday night, going 2-for-5 with two solo homers. He now has three on the season. Paired with a .375 OBP (219 OPS+), Alvarez is getting off to a hot start. If he keeps hitting like this the Mets may need to move him up the lineup!
3. Bullpen management before the off-day. The Giants plowed through the Mets on Thursday. The Mets returned the favor Friday and Saturday. Due to game script, the Mets haven’t used Luke Weaver and Devin Williams since Wednesday. Regardless of the score Sunday, both pitchers will probably see some work today, especially given the off day Monday. Over three games and three innings, Weaver has allowed a hit, two walks and no runs this season. Devin Williams has put up the same numbers, except he has struck four batters out.

The post Game Chat: Mets vs Giants, 4:05 P.M. appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

At catcher, San Francisco Giants backstop Patrick Bailey got the nod. It was well deserved as Bailey turned in a sensational season behind the plate. He ranked in the 100th percentile in framing, had a plus-19 defensive runs saved, and a plus-30 fielding run value. Joining Torrens was Chicago’s Carson Kelly as the other finalist.

Like Torrens, Peterson also lost out to a San Francisco Giant in Logan Webb. Webb had a plus-seven defensive runs saved. For whatever it was worth, Peterson was at a plus-six. The other finalist was another Cub, Matthew Boyd.

This marks another season in which no Mets were awarded a Gold Glove. The last Met to win one was Juan Lagares in 2014.

The post Finalists Peterson, Torrens Fall Short Of Gold Glove appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Mets scored early and often off of Giants ace Logan Webb, who looked nothing like himself from the start. Just four pitches in, the Mets were on the board via a Brandon Nimmo double and a Francisco Lindor single. Pete Alonso added to the lead not much later with a sacrifice fly to give the Mets an instant two-run boost.

The Giants cut into the lead in the bottom of the first, but Clay Holmes held them there for the five innings of work he produced. Despite allowing just the one run over the course of his outing, Holmes labored with 104 pitches and constant traffic on the basepaths. He extended his streak of not completing six innings to eight straight starts but kept the Mets in prime position by limiting the scoring.

From there, the Mets added on with Lindor’s 20th home run of the year, a solo shot pulled down the right field line, and a three-run sixth inning which featured a Tyrone Taylor RBI and two-run Brandon Nimmo single. Two more runs were added in the ninth on a wild pitch and a Juan Soto single, giving the Mets an 8-1 lead.

Huascar Brazobán was the first reliever tasked with keeping the lead intact following Holmes’ exit, and he pitched a scoreless sixth inning before Rico Garcia completed two masterful innings without allowing a baserunner. It took him just six pitches to get through the seventh inning before retiring three in the eighth inning on 15 pitches. He has continued to look fantastic since returning to the Mets after a brief stay with the Yankees.

José Castillo, recently recalled from Triple-A, entered in the ninth with the big lead and swiftly completed a scoreless inning with three strikeouts, not allowing the Giants to make things uncomfortable. The Mets’ first game of the west coast road trip ends in an 8-1 win, giving the team a 60-44 record after their fifth straight win.

Player of the Game

Francisco Lindor’s slump is officially behind him, as the shortstop went 3-for-5 with a home run, a single, and a double with an RBI and three runs scored. Lindor has looked good at the plate these last few games, and it’ll be huge for the Mets if he can turn it on after struggling for so long.

On Deck

The Mets will continue their series in San Francisco Saturday night, with first pitch scheduled for 9:05 p.m. ET. It will be a showdown between a pair of lefty All-Star pitchers, with David Peterson (6-4, 2.90 ERA) taking the mound against Robbie Ray (9-4, 2.92 ERA). The game will be broadcast on SNY.

The post Mets’ Bats Stay Hot in 8-1 Win Over Giants appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Starting pitcher Sean Manaea got the job done for New York, going five innings and allowing two runs with six strikeouts over 88 pitches. The only significant blow was a home run by Brett Wisely in the third inning, while a throwing error by Tomás Nido attempting to pick off Matt Chapman at third allowed another run to score. Adrian Houser, recently moved to the bullpen in favor of David Peterson, who is set to return from injury on Wednesday, provided solid relief, surrendering one run on two hits with two strikeouts. He went the remaining four innings after Manaea pitched five.

For most of the game, the Mets’ offense struggled, as Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso combined to go 1-for-7. Harrison Bader was a lone bright spot, driving in a run to tie the game in the bottom of the second. Logan Webb was stellar for San Francisco, pitching seven innings, only allowing one run on three hits and eight strikeouts. Ryan Walker would come in and hold the fort. San Francisco would go to Tyler Rogers, due to Camilo Doval being unavailable after pitching the last two games.

The momentum and game dramatically shifted in the bottom of the ninth when Rogers entered. After a quiet afternoon offensively, the Mets ignited a rally against Rogers. J.D. Martinez singled, moving Brandon Nimmo to second. Despite DJ Stewart‘s lineout, Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Harrison Bader then doubled, bringing in two runs to tie the game at 3-3. After an intentional walk to Brett Baty, Narváez singled to center to drive in Jeff McNeil, sealing the Mets’ 4-3 victory.

Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Statistic Of The Game: Harrison Bader, Clutch

Having the bases loaded is something Harrison Bader has enjoyed this year. In these situations, he has gone 4-for-10 (.400) to go along with seven RBIs. Bader is now hitting .279 on the season while playing terrific defense.

Player Of The Game: Harrison Bader

Another clutch performance by Bader, going 2-for-4 with three runs drive in, including both game-tying runs in the bottom of the second and the bottom of the ninth. He also made a terrific defensive play, robbing an extra-base hit, and potential home run, at the wall, earlier in the game.

On Deck

The Dodgers come into town on Memorial Day, as New York begins a three-game series with Los Angeles. Gavin Stone (4-2, 3.60 ERA) is the projected starter for the Dodgers on Monday, while Tylor Megill (0-2, 3.00 ERA) is the probable starter for the Mets. First pitch is at 4:10 pm ET and will be broadcast on SNY and WCBS 880 FM.

The post Mets Rally In The Ninth, Avoiding The Sweep Courtesy Of A 4-3 Win appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The New York Mets are free falling right now. They have now lost five games in a row and are a season-worst nine games below .500. The games they have lost in the past week are all games they could have easily won, with the last three losses involving blown leads late in games. This has to be causing increased pressure on the bullpen, which in turn is making results worst right now.

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor, SS
2. Pete Alonso, 1B
3. Brandon Nimmo, LF
4. J.D. Martinez, DH
5. DJ Stewart, RF
6. Jeff McNeil, 2B
7. Harrison Bader, CF
8. Brett Baty, 3B
9. Tomás Nido, C

Over nine starts (46 1/3 innings) this season, Manaea has a 3.11 ERA, 3.41 FIP, 1.295 WHIP, and a 123 ERA+. Since his terrible start against Kansas City on April 13, Manaea has made six starts with a 2.56 ERA (3.41 FIP) while opponents are slashing .224/.305/.310 against him. He has gotten results on the field this year despite some of the under-the-hood statistics suggesting he has been experiencing some good luck (4.25 xERA, .254 xBA).

The Giants have the following career numbers against him:

• Patrick Bailey 1-1, BB
• Curt Casali 0-6, BB, 2 K
• Matt Chapman 1-2
• Thairo Estrada 2-12, K
• Wilmer Flores 8-23, 2 2B, BB, 4 K
• Heliot Ramos 0-2, BB
• Jorge Soler 2-7, HR, BB, K
• Mike Yastrzemski 2-8, 3B, BB, 3 K

Giants Lineup

1. Luis Matos, CF
2. Thairo Estrada, 2B
3. Patrick Bailey, C
4. Matt Chapman, 3B
5. Wilmer Flores, 1B
6. Jorge Soler, DH
7. Heliot Ramos, LF
8. Ryan McKenna, RF
9. Brett Wisley, SS

The Mets’ bats will face Logan Webb who has already made 11 starts this season. Over 65 1/3 innings, Webb has a 3.03 ERA, 2.82 FIP, 1.332 WHIP, and a 128 ERA+. Over his last two starts, he has allowed two runs over 12 innings while striking out 11. This is a massive improvement over the three starts before that where he allowed 12 runs (10 earned) over 14 2/3 innings.

He last faced the Mets in April 2023 where he held the Mets to two runs from five hits and a walk over seven innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-14, HR, BB, 5 K
• Harrison Bader 2-5, 2 BB
• Brett Baty 0-5, 2 K
• Francisco Lindor 2-11, 2B, 4 K
• Starling Marte 7-15, 2B, K
• J.D. Martinez 1-7, BB, 4 K
• Jeff McNeil 3-12, 2B, BB, K
• Omar Narváez 1-8, 2 K
• Tomás Nido 1-6
• Brandon Nimmo 1-14, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• DJ Stewart 0-3
• Tyrone Taylor 0-4, BB, 2 K

Game Notes

Prior to the game, the New York Mets officially announced that David Peterson will start Wednesday against the Dodgers. He’ll come off the injured list to make his season debut. As a result, Adrian Houser back to the bullpen.

Francisco Lindor is batting .333 (9-for-27) with three runs, four doubles, two RBIs, and one walk to go along with a .379 OBP and a .481 SLG over his last six games.

Pete Alonso has hit 204 home runs in his career. His 204 home runs are the most in the majors since he entered the league in 2019.

The Mets are 10-16 at Citi Field this year. After starting the season 0-5 at Citi, the team is 10-11 at the ballpark. New York has posted a 3.04 ERA at home this year, the lowest mark in the National League and the third-lowest mark in the majors.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Sean Manaea revenge game? The San Francisco Giants jerked Manaea around last year between the bullpen and the rotation. Players are sometimes more amped up when they face their last team. We’ll know fairly earlier on if Manaea is having a revenge game type outing from the radar gun. His sinker which he throws about 40% of the time sits around 92/93 mph and has maxed out this season at 96. His four-seam fastball which he throws about 15% of the time sits around 92 as well and has gone as high as 97 this year. Look to see if his pitches are averaging slightly higher than normal.
2. A normal day for the bullpen. The bullpen has not been the only culprit over the last several games for the Mets. Once a strength, now a problem, the Mets have lost three games in a row that they had the lead late. Further, the last two games we’ve seen massive explosions, like Reed Garrett allowing five runs in the 8th inning Friday night or yesterday where the Mets allowed five in the 10th and didn’t even give the offense a chance.
3. Mets have flashed a lot of power. The Mets have hit 12 home runs as a team over their last five games. They’ve also lost all five of those games. An incredible feat. The offense is coming together but they are still struggling to hit with runners in scoring position. Friday’s game ended with the bases loaded. Saturday, the Mets had a runner on third with one out in the bottom of the ninth but couldn’t bring them in.

The post Game Chat: Giants vs. Mets, 1:40 P.M. appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Quintana entered the day with 11 walks in 20 2/3 innings, an unsteady 4.8 walks per nine. That’s nearly double his career number of 2.7 walks per nine. For whatever reason, he has been throwing more and more balls and walking more and more batters.

He had a clean first inning in this game but quickly allowed two soft hits in the second inning. This appeared to rattle him a bit as he started throwing more balls and pitching around batters. He only allowed one walk in the inning, but with the bases loaded due to the two earlier hits, he allowed a two-out, two-run hit to the nine-hitter Nick Ahmed. That gave the Giants an early 2-0 lead.

The third inning was more of the same for Quintana, who allowed a walk and a base hit to start the inning. After recording a strikeout in a 3-2 count, Quintana allowed a double down the left field line to Matt Chapman, scoring two more to double the Giants’ lead to four.

Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Quintana managed to settle down with quiet fourth and fifth innings, and he appeared to be doing the Mets’ bullpen a favor by going out for the sixth inning. He would last just one more pitch, as Michael Conforto led off and crushed the first pitch he saw over the wall in right field. That officially ended Quintana’s night with a stat line of five runs in five-plus innings, allowing seven hits, three walks, and striking out four. His ERA on the season ballooned from 3.05 to 4.21.

Starting for the Giants, Keaton Winn had a dissimilar game from Quintana in that he routinely got ahead of batters and kept his pitch count down. Making his 10th major league start in his 14th major league appearance, Winn looked like a seasoned veteran in the way he mowed through the Mets’ lineup. His lone blemishes through four innings, infield hits by Starling Marte and Pete Alonso, wound up being erased, so Winn faced the minimum in that span.

That was until Alonso clocked his 199th career home run on the second pitch of the fifth inning to put the Mets on the board. It was his first home run in 28 at-bats and his seventh total of the year. The Mets would have loved for that to have served as the start of a big inning, but Winn kept his composure and eased through the next three batters.

After an easy 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, Winn stayed on to pitch in the seventh inning for the first time in his career, but he finally faced trouble. After allowing a single to Marte and a four-pitch walk to Francisco Lindor, he was pulled in favor of Ryan Walker. Unable to cash in on a golden opportunity, the Mets’ 3-4-5 hitters went down in order.

Things got interesting in the ninth inning with closer Camilo Doval on in a non-save situation. Brandon Nimmo led off with a walk before Starling Marte advanced him on a fielder’s choice. Then, an error on what should’ve been a sure out allowed Lindor to reach when Doval dropped a throw while trying to cover first base. Nimmo subsequently came home on a wild pitch before Alonso recorded the second out of the inning, but a Brett Baty walk (somehow) brought the tying run to the plate. The game’s fate fell into the hands of DJ Stewart, but he weakly grounded out to put the game to rest.

The Mets fall to 12-10 with the loss, their second in a row. With Quintana’s struggles and the bats remaining asleep for the second game in a row, the Mets never really had a chance but somehow stayed alive until the final out. The Mets are now in danger of losing their first series since they started 0-5, so they will try to keep their series win streak alive with a victory Tuesday night.

Statistic of the Game: The Walks Keep Adding Up

The Mets’ pitching staff entered Monday with the worst walk rate of any team in the major leagues, and that trend of walking too many batters continued in this game. Quintana walked three in five innings, putting his walks per nine innings on the year closer to five. The bullpen faced a similar fate when Sean Reid-Foley walked two more to give the Mets’ pitching staff five on the night. The staff has pitched well this year, keeping runs down despite all the walks, but that won’t remain true if the free passes continue to plague this team.

Player of the Game

With the pitching staff struggling and most of the bats unable to do damage, Pete Alonso was the only Mets player to show up in this one. He finished the game 2-for-4 with a solo homer, putting him within one of 200 on his career. Through the first 22 games of the season, Alonso has a .253 batting average and .847 OPS.

On Deck

The series against the Giants continues at Oracle Park on Tuesday at 9:45 p.m. ET. The matchup features a pair of impressive righty starters, with Luis Severino (2-1, 2.14 ERA) taking the mound against San Francisco’s ace  Logan Webb (2-1, 2.93 ERA). Severino will face the Giants for the first time, while Webb has pitched to a 3.52 ERA in four career starts against the Mets.

The game will air on PIX11 and MLB Network.

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David Peterson. Photo by Ed Delany of MetsmerizedOnline

The New York Mets (14-8) and San Francisco Giants (7-13) continued their four-game series at Oracle Park Saturday on a beautiful, cool day in San Francisco. The Mets had a 2-0 series lead going into Saturday afternoon’s game and were looking to take the series win on Saturday.

David Peterson took the mound for the visiting Mets against right-handed pitcher Logan Webb of the Giants. Unfortunately, for New York, Peterson continued to struggle as he gave up seven earned runs across five innings. The Giants scored four quick runs in the first inning and did not look back, ultimately cruising to a 7-4 win.

The only big hit the Mets had on Saturday came in the third inning as Brandon Nimmo hit his second home run of the year. Brett Baty, Starling Marte, and Daniel Vogelbach each drove in runs as well.

A huge positive for the Mets was relief pitcher Edwin Uceta. Uceta threw three scoreless innings of relief on Saturday. Most importantly, he helped preserve the bullpen for Sunday’s rubber game.

As for the game, the Giants teed off on Peterson in the bottom of the first to take a big early lead. Thairo Estrada opened the bottom half of the inning with a single to second. Two batters later, former Met Michael Conforto singled to center field to move Estrada over to third and into scoring position. Wilmer Flores then walked to load the bases.

After a sacrifice fly, the very next batter, Brandon Crawford, hit a hard three-run home. It ballooned the Giants’ lead to 4-0 headed to the second inning.

The Mets got one run back in the top of the second. With two outs, Vogelbach hit a deep double to right-centerfield that got past Conforto scoring a run. New York cut the Giants’ lead to 4-1.

The Giants answered back immediately in the bottom of the inning. Heliot Ramos doubled to lead-off the inning, then Ruf singled to right field and to score Ramos. Then, Conforto hit into a fielder’s choice, but Alonso’s throw home was late making it a 6-1 game before the inning concluded.

The Mets once again got a run back in the third. This time it was off the bat of Nimmo. He sent a ball over the wall in the deepest part of the ballpark to make it a 6-2 in the third inning.

In the fifth inning, former fan-favorite Flores hit his third home run of the year to extend the Giants’ lead to 7-2. Peterson’s day was subsequently done after five rough innings. His final line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO. Peterson’s season ERA now sits at a staggering 7.36.

Uceta replaced Peterson and excelled quickly. He ended up finishing out the game, tossing three innings and striking out three while holding the Giants hitless. A nice change of pass from Peterson’s woeful performance prior to Uceta’s entrance.

Brett Baty. Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The Mets tried to once again get some offensive momentum in the eight. Baty and Nimo hit back-to-back singles to lead off the eighth. With one out, Marte singled to score Baty and the Mets made it a 7-3 game in the eighth inning. Though, that was all the damage they would create in the inning.

New York made a little more noise in the ninth inning against Giants’ closer Camilo Doval. Canha tallied a one-out single for his second hit of the day. Baty – who finished 2-for-4 – then singled on line drive to left field to score Canha (he advanced to second base on defensive indifference) to make it a 7-4 game. However, Luis Guillorme grounded out to end the game as the Giants were able to preserve a 7-4 win over New York.

Player of the Game: Edwin Uceta

The 25-year old right-handed pitcher, Edwin Uceta, made his New York Mets’ debut and pitching very well. Uceta threw three scoreless innings and did not give up a hit. He walked two and struck out three across 51 pitches. Most importantly, as mentioned above, he preserved the Mets’ bullpen for the rubber game of the series Sunday.

On Deck:

On Sunday, the Mets and Giants will finish the four-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:08 pm ET and is nationally televised on ESPN. The probable pitcher matchup is Tylor Megill (3-1, 3.00 ERA) against right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling (0-1, 7.30 ERA).

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Pete Alonso. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday, April 22, 2023 • 4:05 PM
Oracle Park • San Francisco, California
LHP David Peterson (1-2, 6.10) vs. LHP Logan Webb (0-4, 4.94)
FOX

The New York Mets go for their fifth series win in a row on Saturday as they attempt to extend their winning streak to four games.

Friday night proved to be an excellent night all around for New York. Joey Lucchesi returned to Major League Baseball for the first time in nearly two years and had one of the best starts of his career (and arguably the best start by any Met this season), holding the Giants scoreless over seven innings while striking out nine batters. Pete Alonso continued his current tear with his major league leading 10th homer of the season.

David Peterson gets what is an important start for the Mets on Saturday. With Max Scherzer suspended, and Justin Verlander still about two weeks away, the Mets need Peterson to show that same brilliance he has at various points in his career.

Mets Lineup

Saturday in SF. #LGM

🆚 San Francisco
💪 @_David_Peterson
📺 FOX
📻 @wcbs880 pic.twitter.com/CTklAyugaS

— New York Mets (@Mets) April 22, 2023

On the season, David Peterson has made four starts, pitching 20 2/3 innings with a 6.10 ERA, 5.52 FIP, 1.645 WHIP and a 68 ERA+. This season Peterson has been alternating between good starts and not-so-good starts.

His last time out he allowed six runs and three homers over six innings against the Dodgers. Before that, he kept the Padres to only two runs over 5 2/3 innings.

Peterson made a solid start in San Francisco last year, holding the Giants to two runs from three hits (one home run) in six innings of work while striking out six. The Giants have the following career numbers against him:

• Thairo Estrada 1-4, 2 K
• Wilmer Flores 0-2
• Darin Ruf 0-2, BB
• Mike Yastrzemski 0-3, K
• Joey Bart 1-2, K
• Brandon Crawford 1-2, HR

Giants Lineup

Giants’ lineup vs. Mets:

Thairo Estrada – 2B
Darin Ruf – DH
Michael Conforto – RF
Wilmer Flores – 1B
David Villar – 3B
Brandon Crawford – SS
Joey Bart – C
Heliot Ramos – CF
LaMonte Wade Jr. – LF

Logan Webb – RHP

— Maria I. Guardado (@mi_guardado) April 22, 2023

Wins and losses as a statistic are imperfect, and because they are imperfect they can tell you something about luck. Logan Webb has been fairly unlucky on top of not being his normal self this season.

He’s 0-4 in four starts over 23 2/3 innings with a 4.94 ERA, 4.23 FIP, 1.225 WHIP and an 89 ERA+. In all four starts he has allowed four runs, and in three of those starts the four runs have been earned.

Webb had two different starts against the Mets last season. In New York, he allowed three runs from three walks and six hits over 3 2/3 innings. In San Francisco, he lasted five innings, allowing two runs from from five hits and a walk. The Mets have the following numbers against Webb:

• Eduardo Escobar 4-13, 2B, 4 K
• Mark Canha 4-9, 2 HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 0-8, BB, 3 K
• Pete Alonso 1-8, HR, BB, 3 K
• Starling Marte 3-8, K
• Jeff McNeil 1-6, 2B, BB
• Francisco Lindor 2-4, 2B, K
• Tommy Pham 0-5, K
• Tomás Nido 1-4
• Daniel Vogelbach 1-3
• Luis Guillorme 1-1, BB

Game Notes

Per Will Sammon of the Athletic, here are some Mets’ injury updates:

• Verlander: remains on track to throw a live tomorrow.
• Carrasco: He’s 2-3 days from throwing, per Buck Showalter. They won’t know more until he starts throwing.
• Ridings: “Two steps forward, one step back with him,” Showalter said. “Mostly forward now. He will be a nice guy to get in mix.” Backed off, but close to where he was at end of ST.
• Nogosek: Started a rehab assignment today with Triple-A Syracuse. He threw 1 1/3 innings allowing two hits and one run.

The Mets have now won three consecutive games and eight of their last nine contests. They are 7-1 on the west coast road trip and are a season-high seven games above .500. If the Mets are able to win Saturday’s game, then they would claim their fifth straight series and their seventh series overall.

New York’s 14 wins are tied for the second-most in the majors and tied with the Braves and the Pirates for the most in the National League.

With a win on Saturday or Sunday, the Mets would match their highest win total on a California road trip in franchise history. Wins in both games would help to set a new franchise record. Their previous best trip in Cali was an 8-1 run against LA, San Francisco and the Padres in 1986.

Pete Alonso became the first player in Mets history to hit 10 home runs before May 1 after hitting a dinger against the Giants on Friday. He also became the fourth player in franchise history to have consecutive games with four or more RBI and the first since Lucas Duda in 2015.

Tylor Megill will get the start for the Mets on Sunday in the final game of the road trip. They will then have an off day on Monday before returning home to face the Nationals at Citi Field on Tuesday.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Logan Webb and home runs: Logan Webb’s major weakness this year has been the long ball. He’s allowed five of them through four starts this season. That’s an early season 1.9 HR/9 inning rate, compared to his career stat of 0.7 HR/9. The Mets on this away trip have been home run happy (mainly Pete Alonso). Can the Mets exploit this on Saturday?
2. David Peterson and home runs: Peterson is going through something similar. He’s giving up home runs at a rate of 2.2 HR/9 where he is normally at 1.2 HR/9. The difference is three of the five homers that Peterson gave up all happened in the same game where Webb has allowed two homers in the same start twice already. Peterson’s H/9 is also way up this season to 11.3, his previous career high was 8.6 H/9.
3. A rested back of the bullpen: Thanks to the Mets’ bats New York has been able to give David Robertson and Adam Ottavino the last two days off. Brooks Raley has been a big part of this pitching on back to back days, and only throwing 20 pitches in the process.

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Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

After taking two of three from the Rockies in Denver, the Mets are heading to San Francisco for the final leg of their road trip. When the Mets last faced the Giants at Citi Field in April, the Mets won three of four games. But the last time the Mets faced the Giants in California, back in 2021, it was part of a disastrous west coast trip that marked the beginning of the end for the 2021 Mets’ playoff aspirations. This time around, things should go much better for the 2022 Mets.

For starters, the Mets are 28-15, good for first place and an eight-game lead in the NL East. The Giants are 22-17, in third place in the NL West, and are coming off a 10-1 loss to the Padres in a series where they were swept by the Padres at home. Although the Mets and Giants are both expected to be playoff contenders, it’s fair to say that at this juncture, the Giants are on a cold streak while the Mets are taking care of business.

Luis Guillorme was the unexpected star of the Rockies series for the Mets. He went five for seven at the plate in the two games that he played, and also played some stellar defense, both at second in game one and at third in game two. Starling Marte was huge in his return from the bereavement list, hitting a two-run homer off the first pitch in his first at-bat of game one.

The Mets pitching staff was also solid in Denver, holding the Rockies offense to less than two runs in game one and game three. Spot starter Trevor Williams and the rest of the bullpen faltered in game two, but the other games were huge successes.

The Giants are coming into this series against the Mets having lost four games in a row, one against the Rockies and three against the Padres. Like many teams this season, the Giants are dealing with injuries. Evan Longoria and Tommy La Stella have spent significant time on the injured list, and starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani, who pitched against the Mets back in April, is out until at least June 21. The Giants have also been hit by Covid-19. Brandon Belt and Mike Yastrzemski both missed time after testing positive for Covid-19.

Despite all the injuries and absences, things are not as bleak for the Giants as they could be. Retired Giants’ beat reporter Henry Schulman, in his summary of the Giants’ season through the first 40 games, noted that they have only two less wins this year than they had at this time last year, during their 107-win season.

Still, the Giant’s will need more consistent offensive production from their players who have missed time, and better starting pitching if they want to succeed in 2022. Especially because, as Schulman pointed out, the Padres have joined the Dodgers at the top of the NL West, something that was not the case last season.

Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Monday, May 23, 2022: LHP David Peterson (1-0, 1.89 ERA) vs. RHP Alex Cobb (3-1, 5.61 ERA)

Peterson has been up and down between the majors and Triple-A this year, filling in the major league rotation because of injuries to other starters . In this series, Peterson is pitching in place of Max Scherzer, who is on the injured list with a moderate to high grade oblique strain. Peterson’s last start in the major leagues was against the Braves, and he gave up four runs in five innings of work. Peterson has never faced the Giants, and only two current Giants have had at-bats against him: Thairo Estrada and Kevin Padlo.

Cobb’s last two starts have been against the Rockies, one at home and one away. In the game in San Francisco, he went 5 1/3 innings and gave up one run. In the game in Colorado, he went 5 1/3 innings and gave up seven runs. Cobb faced the Mets back in April, giving up four runs in 4 1/3 innings. He left that game early due to right groin injury, and wound up on the 10-day injured list. He ended up spending a little over the minimum 10 days required before returning from the injured list, so it seems that injury was minor. As an aside, Cobb has yet to make it out of the sixth inning in any of his starts this year. Hopefully the Mets can knock him out early again this start, just without an injury this time.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday, May 24, 2022: RHP Chris Bassitt (4-2, 2.77 ERA) vs. RHP Logan Webb (5-1, 3.54 ERA)

Bassitt is the last remaining top of the rotation starter from the Mets’ spring training starters. He’s going to be counted on to help carry the load until Jacob deGrom and Scherzer can return. In his last start, Bassitt went 6 1/3 innings and gave up four runs. He faced the Giants back in April and gave up five runs in six innings in the only game the Mets lost in that series.

Webb, the ace of the Giants staff, has had a decent season so far, though he has not been nearly as dominant as he was against the Dodgers in the NLDS last year. In his last start in Denver, Webb gave up three runs in seven innings. In his start against the Mets back in April, he went 3 2/3 innings and gave up three runs. He tossed 75 pitches in that start, so the Mets should look again to up his pitch count and give him an early exit.

Photo by Ed Delany of MMO

Wednesday, May 25, 2022: TBD vs. RHP Jakob Junis (1-1, 2.70 ERA)

The Mets’ starter for this game is currently unannounced, but speculation from the beat reporters is that Thomas Szapucki will get the start. He was pulled from his start in Syracuse on May 20 after just one inning, and according to Anthony DiComo, Szapucki has flown to San Francisco to meet the team. In seven starts in Syracuse, Szapucki has a 2.86 ERA.

Junis stepped into the Giants’ rotation when DeSclafani went down with right ankle inflammation. He’s pitched well in his five starts so far this season, and, until the Padres managed to score four runs in six innings off of him on Friday, his ERA this season was under 2.

Junis has started one game against the Mets in his career, back in 2019. He went 6 1/3 innings and gave up three runs in that game, which was in San Francisco. Of the players on the current Mets squad, Francisco Lindor has the best numbers against Junis, as he is batting .500/.500/1.056 in 36 at-bats with five home runs and 14 RBIs. Perhaps a game against Junis will really get Lindor’s bat going.

Prediction

The Mets are catching the Giants at a down point in their season, so there’s a good chance the Mets win this series, as long as they get solid starts from Peterson and Szapucki. If either one of them falters, the Mets may be looking at their second losing series of 2022.

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Aug 10, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; Members of the grounds crew roll the tarp onto the infield during a thunderstorm in the second inning of a game between the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Due to inclement weather, Monday night’s series opener between the Mets and Giants has been postponed. On Tuesday, the two teams will play a single-admission doubleheader starting at 3:10 pm. Tickets for Monday’s game will not be valid for entry for the doubleheader.

Pitching Schedule

Alex Cobb (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Giants in the first game, and Tylor Megill (2-0, 0.00 ERA) will make the start for the Mets. Megill is still scheduled to start Saturday against Arizona. Rising star Logan Webb (1-0, 1.29 ERA) will start for San Francisco in game 2, while the Mets are still scheduled to send the three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer (2-0, 3.27 ERA) to the mound.

Mets’ Performance in Doubleheaders Last Year

The Mets played in 12 doubleheaders in 2021 and didn’t get swept in any of them. However, they only swept three of them, splitting the other nine, going 15-9 in those games. Unlike last year, doubleheaders will feature two nine-inning games for the first time since 2019.

Giants Look to Keep Winning at Citi Field

Last year, the Giants went 5-1 against the Mets, including a three-game sweep in Flushing in late August. Since Citi Field opened in 2009, the Giants are 23-15 in the Mets’ home and have won 7 of the 12 series there. Since they split one in the stadium’s inaugural season, the two teams haven’t played a four-game series in Queens.

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