Game Chat: Mets vs Phillies, 6:40 PM

Wednesday, May 28, 2024 • 6:40 PM
Citizens Bank Park • Philadelphia, PA
LHP Joey Lucchesi (0-0, -.–) vs. LHP Ranger Suarez (7-0, 1.50)
SNY • MLBN

Changes are coming to the New York Mets tonight in Philadelphia.

The Mets lost a rare Tuesday afternoon game / Tuesday getaway day game to the Phillies 4-0, with the Mets barely putting up much of an offensive threat the afternoon. Before today’s game, Joey Wendle was officially DFA’d, with Mark Vientos getting up to help the Mets’ struggling offense. Further, Joey Lucchesi will get the start over Adrian Houser, who had to warm up in Tuesday’s game because of the number of pitchers the Mets used. It will be a tall order for the Mets tonight against one of the best pitchers in baseball. Can the roster shakeup boost everyone else’s performance?

Mets Lineup

1. Brandon Nimmo – LF
2. Pete Alonso – 1B
3. Francisco Lindor – SS
4. J.D. Martinez – DH
5. Mark Vientos – 3B
6. Starling Marte – RF
7. Harrison Bader – CF
8. Jeff McNeil – 2B
9. Tomás Nido – C

Joey Lucchesi will make his 2024 debut this evening. Last season, he made nine starts for the Mets, totaling 46 2/3 innings with a 2.89 ERA, 4.22 FIP, 1.30,7 WHIP and a 144 ERA+. He has had a pretty good stint in Syracuse so far this season, pitching 38 1/3 innings over seven starts with a 3.29 ERA and 1.304 WHIP. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Joey:

• Alec Bohm 0-1, K
• Bryce Harper 1-1, BB
• Jeff Hoffman 0-3, K
• J.T. Realmuto 0-3, K
• Kyle Schwarber 0-5, BB, 4 K

Opposing Lineup

1. Kyle Schwarber – DH
2. J.T. Realmuto – C
3. Bryce Harper – 1B
4. Alec Bohm – 3B
5. Nicholas Castenallos – RF
6. Bryson Stott – 2B
7. Edmundo Sosa – SS
8. Colin Pache – LF
9. Johan Rojas – CF

The Mets offense will have to figure things out against one of the best pitchers in baseball right now, Ranger Suárez. Over eight starts (54 innings), Suárez has a 1.50 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 0.772 WHIP (league-leading) and a 268 ERA+. He also leads the league in BB/9 at 1.3 and wins at 7. Suárez started the month looking a bit more human allowing three runs over six innings to the Giants but rebounded in his last start, holding the Marlins to no runs and three hits over seven innings. The Mets got to Suárez in his two starts against them last year, scoring six runs from 10 hits over 12 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Mark Vientos 2-6, HR, 2 K
• Pete Alonso 0-12, 4 BB, 2 K
• Brett Baty 1-3
• Francisco Lindor 3-12, HR, K
• Starling Marte 4-12, BB, K
• J.D. Martinez 1-4, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 2-8, 2B, 3B, K
• Tomás Nido 0-2, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-16, 3 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-5, K

Game Notes

Brandon Sproat made his Double-A debut on Wednesday with five scoreless innings.

The Mets made a flurry of moves before the game on Wednesday: Optioned RHP José Buttó to Triple-A, designated RHP Yohan Ramírez and UT Joey Wendle for assignment, and recalled RHP Grant Hartwig, 1B/3B Mark Vientos and LHP Joey Lucchesi from Triple-A.

Three Things To Watch For

1. The new timeshare at third. Mark Vientos had a short stint in the majors earlier this season when Starling Marte went on the bereavement list. Vientos seized the opportunity and went 3-for-7 at the plate with a critical homer. In Syracuse this year, he is hitting .285/.376/.500. Brett Baty has five extra-base hits this season and is hitting .230/.292/.317. There was a 15-game stretch early on where Baty hit .333/.390/.407. In his 23 games since, he is hitting .159/.227/.261. We’ll be checking in a week from now to see how playing time develops for both players.
2. Free passes are crushing the Mets. It’s not rocket science; walking opposing hitters increases the chances of something bad happening. The Mets allowed the Phillies to take the lead in the third on Tuesday thanks to a combination of walks and a hit-by-pitch. It was walks that allowed the Phillies to win on Monday. Overall, they have walked 12 batters in their last two games and currently lead the majors with 187 walks (Miami is #2 with 177).
3. Straight up, not having a good time in Philly. In 2023, the Mets went 1-7 in Philadelphia, losing their last five straight. This was a massive departure from 2022, when the Mets went 7-3 in the city of brotherly love. Obviously, there are some differences between the two seasons that we are glossing over.

Let’s go Mets!

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