Series Preview: Long Road Trip Begins Against Angels

Long road trips at this time of the year can completely shift the momentum for teams looking to earn a spot in the postseason. In this case, the New York Mets (57-51) will be put to the test over the next week and change. They have 10 games over the next 10 days across four cities, which will begin on the West Coast.

Their first opponent is the Los Angeles Angels (47-62), who recently learned that Mike Trout is out for the season with a torn meniscus. It seems all but confirmed that they will finish below .500 for the ninth-consecutive season.

Let’s take a look at some notes for the three pitching matchups this weekend.

Friday, August 2, 2024: RHP Paul Blackburn (4-2, 4.41 ERA) vs. LHP Tyler Anderson (8-9, 2.96 ERA)

Paul Blackburn is set to make his Mets debut on Friday night. All of his 77 starts in the big leagues have come with the Oakland Athletics, so he is familiar with the Los Angeles Angels and Angel Stadium. In fact, Blackburn’s last start for Oakland was in Anaheim on July 26. He allowed four runs on five hits, including two home runs, over five innings. He has faced them a total of six times in his career and is 4-0 with a 3.27 ERA. It’ll be interesting to see what adjustments he makes this time around.

Many believed Tyler Anderson was a prime candidate to be traded at this year’s deadline. The Angels chose not to move him, however, which came as a surprise. Anderson pitched really well in the month of July, going 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in four starts. He earned a loss last Saturday against the Athletics, giving up three runs on six hits while tying a season high with 10 strikeouts in seven innings. The veteran is 2-2 with an impressive 2.45 ERA in five career starts against the Mets.

Saturday, August 3, 2024: LHP David Peterson (5-1, 3.51 ERA) vs. RHP José Soriano (6-7, 3.69 ERA)

When David Peterson starts, the Mets are 8-2 this season. That being said, this is an opportunity for him to regroup and bounce back. Peterson made a few key mistakes last Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, and they made him pay for it. The big blow was a three-run home run from Matt Olson, which came on a breaking ball that the left-hander hung. Peterson was still able to complete five innings, but he gave up four runs along the way. In five road starts this year, he is 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA in 28 1/3 innings.

José Soriano began his time in the big leagues as a reliever. He made 38 appearances as a rookie for the Angels in 2023, all of which came out of the bullpen. He remained in that role to start this season, but he was moved into the rotation after a few weeks. Soriano has a total of 17 starts under his belt in the majors. In that role, he is 6-6 with a 3.63 ERA. The one big difference for him since that transition? His strikeout total. Soriano was at 12 strikeouts per nine as a reliever, but that number is down to 7.3 as a starting pitcher.

Sunday, August 4, 2024: LHP Jose Quintana (6-6, 3.89 ERA) vs. RHP Griffin Canning (3-10, 5.25 ERA)

No Mets starter is currently in better form than Jose Quintana. The veteran left-hander is 5-1 with a 1.91 ERA over his last eight starts, and he has allowed one run or less in six of those eight outings. The one outlier came against the Colorado Rockies on July 14, when he gave up four home runs in 5 2/3 innings. Besides that, he has been virtually untouchable over the last month and a half. Quintana is 3-2 in 10 road starts this year, but he also has a 4.50 ERA away from Citi Field. Let’s see if he can keep up this strong run against the Angels.

Griffin Canning is on pace to set a new career-high in starts despite his constant struggles. He leads the league with 68 earned runs allowed, a number he has reached in 116 2/3 innings. July was not a good month for Canning, as he went 0-2 with a 7.43 ERA in five starts. He gave up six runs in two of those starts, including his last time out against the Rockies on Tuesday. One stat to look out for? Canning is up to 21 home runs allowed on the season. He has given up at least one in each of his last nine outings.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

J.D. Martinez (NYM)

J.D. Martinez has crushed a lot of teams over the course of his long career, including the Angels. In 65 games against them, he is slashing .322/.383/.622/1.055 with 14 home runs and 34 runs batted in. With guys like Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Alvarez struggling at the plate, Martinez will be relied upon to come through with runners in scoring position.

Logan O’Hoppe (LAA)

The Angels’ lineup will never be the same without Trout in the middle of it. Their offense still has a few guys to be wary of, however, one of which is Logan O’Hoppe. The catcher is having a really strong season, hitting .280 with a .804 OPS in 93 games. O’Hoppe is also a power threat, as he has a career-high 16 home runs in 2024.

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