Game Chat: Braves vs Mets, 7:10 p.m.

Friday, July 26, 2024 • 7:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Charlie Morton (5-5, 3.92) vs. RHP Kodai Senga (0-0, -.–)
SNY

The Mets beat the Atlanta Braves by a score of 3-2 on Thursday night courtesy of a Jeff McNeil walk-off in the 10th inning. It was an all-important game to start a crucial series for the Mets, who now sit just a half-game behind Atlanta for the first Wild Card spot in the National League. The Braves had their best pitcher in Chris Sale on the mound, but New York stayed resilient and came away with yet another impressive win as they continued their push towards the postseason.

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Jose Iglesias – 2B
3. J.D. Martinez – DH
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Jeff McNeil – LF
6. Mark Vientos – 3B
7. Jose Iglesias – 2B
8. Francisco Alvarez – C
9. Tyrone Taylor – CF

Kodai Senga finally makes his 2024 debut tonight! The Mets’ ace heading into the season has been dealing with triceps and shoulder injuries most of this season, which later was compounded by nerve inflammation. Senga was a revelation for the Mets as a rookie in 2023, making 29 starts while tossing 166 1/3 innings with a 2.98 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.220 WHIP and a 140 ERA+. In addition to those numbers, he was named to the All-Star game, finished seventh in Cy Young voting and second in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

The Braves have the following career numbers against Senga:

• Brian Anderson 0-2, 2 K
• Orlando Arcia 0-2
• Adam Duvall 0-2, K
• Ramón Laureano 1-2, BB
• Whit Merrifield 1-1, 2B, BB
• Sean Murphy 0-2, 2 K
• Matt Olson 1-2, BB, K
• Marcell Ozuna 1-3, 2B
• Austin Riley 0-3, K
• Eddie Rosario 0-3

Opposing Lineup

1. Jarred Kelenic – CF
2. Austin Riley – 3B
3. Marcell Ozuna – DH
4. Matt Olson – 1B
5. Travis d’Arnaud – C
6. Eddie Rosario – LF
7. Adam Duvall – RF
8. Nacho Alvarez Jr. – 2B
9. Orlando Arcia – SS

The Mets’ bats will face off against the ageless Charlie Morton tonight, who has thrown 103 1/3 innings over 18 starts for the Braves this season. In 2024, he has a 3.83 ERA, 4.05 FIP, 1.219 WHIP and a 108 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start against the St. Louis Cardinals where he allowed one unearned run over six innings. His 3.64 ERA over his last five outings only tells part of the story, as he had two games during that span where he allowed no earned runs and three where he could not earn a quality start.

Morton has faced the Mets twice already this year, and the two starts had vastly different outcomes. In Atlanta on April 9, the Mets tagged him for four runs on five hits and five walks. At Citi Field on May 11, however, New York scored one run on three hits and a single walk.

The Mets have the following career numbers against Morton:

• Pete Alonso 7-30, 2 2B, 4 BB, 7 K
• Francisco Alvarez 2-13, HR, 4 K
• Harrison Bader 0-4, K
• Ben Gamel 2-8, HR, BB, K
• Jose Iglesias 2-3, 2B, K
• Francisco Lindor 7-47, 3 2B, 2 HR, 2 BB, 13 K
• J.D. Martinez 13-39, 2 2B, HR, BB, 13 K
• Jeff McNeil 6-28, 2 HR, 4 BB, 7 K
• Brandon Nimmo 7-29, HR, 5 BB, 12 K
• DJ Stewart 2-7, 2 2B, 3 BB, 2 K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-4, BB, K
• Mark Vientos 2-3

Game Notes

The Mets made a number of roster moves on Friday, all of which pertained to the bullpen. The club designated both Adrian Houser and Shintaro Fujinami for assignment while placing Dedniel Núñez on the 15-day IL with a right pronator strain. Subsequently, they reinstated Senga from the injured list and recalled Eric Orze from Triple-A Syracuse as their corresponding moves.

Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that he has a pitch count in mind for Senga, but opted to keep that number private. The right-hander threw 79 pitches in his final rehab start for Syracuse last Saturday.

Per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets have traded right-handed reliever Cole Sulser to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations. Sulser was designated for assignment for Monday after the team signed catcher Logan Porter to a major league deal. Sulser recorded a 9.64 ERA in four appearances for the Mets this season and had previously turned in seven scoreless outings for the Rays as a rookie in 2019.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Ghost fork! Kodai Senga’s signature pitch returns to the majors tonight. We can debate later if it’s more of a splitter than a forkball, but we all know it has some serious movement that is just exciting to watch. I cannot wait to see everyone sharing videos on social media of the pitch overlayed with his fastball.
2. Francisco Lindor is on another planet. Over his last four games, Lindor has gone 7-for-18 at the plate with five home runs and 10 RBIs. He is slashing a ridiculous .389/.450/1.278 over that span. After yesterday’s game, he reached 5.0 fWAR for the season. Keep showing the world why you are the best shortstop in baseball Francisco!
3. Jeff McNeil. Thursday night was McNeil’s third game in a row with two hits, one of which was his walk-off single. Over his last nine games, McNeil is 12-for-31 with four doubles, four homers, seven runs scored and 12 RBIs. What a resurgence for McNeil!

Let’s go Mets!

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