Game Chat: Mets vs Rockies, 8:40 PM

Tuesday, August 6, 2024 • 8:40 PM
Coors Field • Denver, CO
RHP Luis Severino (7-4, 3.93) vs. LHP Kyle Freeland (3-4, 5.64)
SNY

Sometimes it only takes one game to get your swagger back.

The Mets, who had looked dreadful with runners in scoring position all weekend, woke up on Monday and scored six runs on nine hits during their makeup game with the Cardinals. They still managed to go only 2-for-7 with RISP, but one of of those hits was a bases-clearing double by Tyrone Taylor that broke the game open.

The National League Wild Card race has collapsed with the Mets on the outside looking in. The Braves, Diamondbacks and Padres are all “tied” for the first Wild Card spot (technically the Braves are in first by 0.001 winning percentage points). Meanwhile, the Mets’ victory over the Cardinals on Monday pushed the Red Birds to four games back of the Mets. It’s going to be a fun final seven weeks of the season!

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Brandon Nimmo – CF
3. J.D. Martinez – DH
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Mark Vientos – 3B
6. Jose Iglesias – 2B
7. Luis Torrens – C
8. Harrison Bader – CF
9. Tyrone Taylor – RF

Luis Severino has tossed 123 2/3 innings over 21 starts with a 3.93 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 1.237 WHIP and a 100 ERA+. Severino just did not have it in his last start against the Twins, allowing six runs from six hits, including two homers over three innings. Before that start, Severino allowed only four runs over 17 1/3 innings in three starts while striking out 17 batters.

Only two members of the current Rockies team have seen Severino in a game: Kris Bryant (0-for-3, 2 K) and Jake Cave (0-for-3, 2 K).

Opposing Lineup

1. Charlie Blackmon – DH
2. Wilfredo Tovar – SS
3. Brenton Doyle – CF
4. Ryan McMahon – 3B
5. Brendan Rodgers – 2B
6. Kris Bryant – RF
7. Michael Toglia – 1B
8. Elias Díaz – C
9. Jake Cave – LF

The Mets’ bats look to build off of Monday’s win as they take on Kyle Freeland this evening. Over 59 innings this season, Freeland has a 5.64 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 1.508 WHIP and an 81 ERA+. Freeland is coming off of one of his strongest starts of the season, where he held the Angels to one run over seven innings. Since June 23, he has had a 2.91 ERA (3.65 FIP).

The Mets have the following career numbers against Freeland:

• Pete Alonso 1-2, K
• Harrison Bader 3-5, 2B, K
• Ben Gamel 2-7, BB, 3 K
• José Iglesias 0-2
• Francisco Lindor 2-7, 2B, BB, K
• J.D. Martinez 5-9, 2B, HR, 2 K
• Jeff McNeil 0-1, BB
• Brandon Nimmo 3-8, 2B, HR, 3 K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-9, 4 K
• Luis Torrens 0-1, K
• Jesse Winker 2-6, BB, 2 K

Game Notes

Jeff McNeil, one of the Mets’ hottest hitters, sits against a lefty in Freeland. The Mets also face a lefty on Thursday and it’s hard to imagine McNeil sits two of three games in Coors.

Starling Marte will start a rehab assignment on Wednesday.

Check out the series preview here.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Bottom of the Mets lineup coming through for the Mets. The Mets’ offense has been mired in a bit of a slump recently, especially with runners in scoring position. On Monday the 7-9 hitters on the Mets (McNeil, Alvarez, Bader) combined to go 6-for-12 with four runs, two doubles, a homer and two RBIs. When the Mets are hitting their stride, their entire lineup is a threat and it’s balanced. Let’s see if the back of the lineup can anchor the team again this evening.
2. Contain Brenton Doyle. The Rockies Brenton Doyle won the National League Player of the Month award for July. This season he is hitting .266/.327/.471 with a 115 OPS+. In the month of July he hit .333/.394/.800 with 11 home runs. In the month of August so far, he has gone 2-for-17, so a bit of a cool-off.
3. Strikeouts are still too high. Despite the Mets offense clicking yesterday, the strikeouts are still too high. The Mets had 10 strikeouts as a team, including three from J.D. Martinez. On Sunday, the Mets had 10 strikeouts as a team and eight on Saturday. The high strikeouts are directly related to the low batting average with RISP. We are looking to see if the Mets can start to buck this trend tonight.

Let’s go Mets!

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