Apple Cup (baseball): Mets (61-54) at Mariners (60-56)

Edwin returns, and also Jesse Winker

Author’s note: Everyone deserves to have a friend who champions their work even - and perhaps especially - when they don’t really know or care about the work itself. Maddie is the pinnacle of that. She and I moved into a tiny Fremont apartment together on an afternoon when Félix pitched six shutout innings, Nelson Cruz homered and the Mariners tidily beat the A’s. There’s a photo of us from that day, sitting side by side on a couch we bought for $75, baby-faced, sweaty and beaming. I’m wearing a Yes We Canó t-shirt. In the, phew, many years since, Maddie has remained an exceptional friend and the ultimate champion of my baseball work, from gently teasing about my “baseball homework” as I freelanced frenetically at all hours, to finding a new roommate to take over my lease when Cooperstown came calling, to bragging mortifyingly about me any time baseball comes up in conversation - regardless of whether that’s at an afternoon work gathering or at 1 am at Comet. This weekend, we’re celebrating 30 years of her magic and, as such, this preview is a little truncated. I hope you understand and, above all, I hope you are lucky enough to have a Maddie in your life.

Seattle remains consistently inconsistent, tripping and falling in the first two games of the series against the Tigers, but somehow barrel rolling back up into a standing position last night, courtesy of Mitch Haniger’s eighth walk-off as a Mariner. Tonight they turn their sights back to the NL East as they host the New York Mets for a three-game series, culminating in (gulp) Sunday Night Baseball. Cue the Sabrina Carpenter.

*Game odds courtesy of FanGraphs

Thanks to a surging NL West, a powerhouse Phillies team and the precipitous fall of the Atlanta Braves, the Mets find themselves second in their division and clinging to a half game lead over the third Wild Card spot. It’s been a year of headlines for the Mets, with only a handful related to the actual games happening on the field. They opened the season by honoring a veteran who captured the *ahem hearts of the internet, a truly abysmal May could not be salvaged with the return of $1 hot dog night, while a franchise-best June was powered by Pride and a fast food mascot. And that doesn’t even begin to get into the sweeping phenomenon of OMG. Despite what many - and by many, I mean Mets fans online - thought at the start of the year, they’re still very much in it.

With five hits in his first 51 at-bats, Francisco Lindor’s 2024 began with a catastrophic start but, fueled perhaps by a standing ovation from the hometown faithful, he’s been exceptional - nearly two times better than the next best player by fWAR. Jeff McNeil has taken that “call the ambulance, but not for me” meme to heart in the second half, Mark Vientos has flashed some real power and Pete Alonso has had a relatively down year but appears unconcerned. “I mean, I’m on pace for close to 40 homers. I’m an All-Star, or I was an All-Star this year. So to beat myself up or be frustrated, it’s really no use. And I’m really excited for the end of the year where we get to play winning baseball.”

Probable Pitchers

Updated Stuff+ Explainer

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

José Quintana has had something of an up and down season, with a rough start but relatively strong outings of late. How’s that for a vague description? He relies on a sinker, curveball, four-seamer mix with a changeup for good measure, and has been exactly what he’s needed to be - solid rotational depth.

Sean Manaea has been one of baseball’s best pitchers for the last month, dominating with his wipeout sweeper and a rejuvenated four-seamer.

When Luis Severino hasn’t been talking shit he’s had a solid start to the year, though a dip in his velocity has loomed large. He’s a rare right-gander in the Mets’ lefty-heavy rotation.

The Big Picture:

It is, once again, the Seattle Mariners and the Houston Astros, playing a game of chicken with the AL West division title.