Saturday, August 17, 2024 • 4:10 p.m.
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Max Meyer (3-2, 5.20) vs. RHP Luis Severino (7-6, 4.17)
SNY
The Mets are looking to win the series against the Marlins this afternoon in Queens. Friday night was a good restart for the team with good hitting and good pitching. The Mets had a monster fourth inning in which they scored six runs, Sean Manaea threw seven innings and Buttó threw two clean innings in relief.
More importantly for the Mets, all of the teams they were targeting in the wild card battle have lost, leaving the Mets just one game away from the final wild card spot.
Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mets lineup
- Francisco Lindor – SS
- Mark Vientos – 3B
- Brandon Nimmo – LF
- JD Martinez – DH
- Pete Alonso – 1B
- Jesse Winker – HF
- Francisco Alvarez – C
- Jeff McNeil – 2B
- Harrison Bader – CF
The Mets hope they can get Luis Severino back on track this afternoon. In 23 games and 133 2/3 innings, Severino has a 4.17 ERA, 4.45 FIP, 1.264 WHIP and 95 ERA+. In his last three starts, he has allowed 15 runs, 14 earned, on 20 hits and four walks in 13 innings. He has also allowed five home runs in his last three starts (compared to just 12 in his 20 starts before that). Luis Severino has been effective against the Marlins this season, holding them to just six runs in 18 2/3 innings (three starts). The Marlins have the following career numbers against him:
- Vidal Brujan 0-4, BB
- Jake Burger 4-10, 2 HR, BB, K
- Xavier Edwards 0:2, 1:0
- Nick Fortes 0:5, K.
- Derek Hill 0-1, BB, K
- Otto Lopez 2-8, 2B, BB, K
- Emmanuel Rivera 0-3, 2K
- Jesus Sanchez 2-8, 2B, BB, 3K
Opponent formation
- Xavier Edwards – SS
- Jake Burger – 3B
- Jesus Sanchez – DH
- Jonah Bride – 1B
- Derek Hill – CF
- Kyle Stowers – LF
- Otto Lopez – 2B
- Vidal Brujan – RF
- Nick Fortes – C
The Mets hitters appear to be holding their own against Max Meyer this afternoon. In seven starts, he has pitched 36 1/3 innings with a 5.20 ERA, 4.94 FIP, 1.266 WHIP and 86 ERA+. The Marlins oddly demoted Meyer, who was coming off Tommy John, after three successful starts in April. Since being recalled in late July, he has had a 7.91 ERA and 5.97 FIP in four starts. No one on the Mets has seen Meyer in an official game before.
Game Notes
- Starling Marte is to be activated on Sunday, Carlos Mendoza told the media before today’s game.
- Jesse Winker celebrates his 31st birthday today. In total, 16 different Mets have hit a home run on their birthday. Jeff McNeil is one of three players who have hit multiple home runs on his special day. Jim Hickman (also twice) and Mike Piazzawho accomplished this feat three times.
- The Mets have scored a total of 22 runs in their last three games and have a batting average of .291/.383/.544 with six doubles, one triple, six home runs and 13 walks during that span.
Three things to look out for
- Brandon Nimmo. Nimmo has been in a slump since the All-Star break, and before Friday night’s game he had just three extra-base hits with a .140/.269/.174 batting average. He looked like he was coming out of a slump in early August, but then he was 0-for-13 with three walks in his final four games before Friday night. On Friday night, however, he hit 2-for-5 with a three-run home run (giving him nearly as many RBIs as he had in his previous 23 games combined, in which he had four). Get ready, Nimmo! We need you.
- Jeff McNeil remains hot. Jeff went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run on Friday night. In his last 28 games, he has hit seven home runs and has a batting average of .316/.362/.663. As recently as July 12, McNeil had a batting average of .215/.274/.308. Over the last five weeks, he has increased his batting average to .240/.296/.396.
- Jake Burger. In Friday’s game thread, we talked about how Burger is on another planet right now in terms of hitting power. The good news for the Mets is that they limited him to just one hit on Friday night. The bad news was that that hit was a home run. In his last eight games, he’s gone 14-for-32 with seven home runs (.438/.514/1.125).
Let’s go, Mets!
