Spring Training Game Chat: Mets vs Tigers, 1:05 PM

Thursday, March 21, 2024 • 1:05 PM
Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium • Lakeland, FL
RHP Dom Hamel (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Matt Manning (1-0, 3.75)
MLBTV

The Mets are getting on a roll as they wrap up their spring training schedule. The Mets have won four of their last five spring training games, and depending on how you look at the split-squad situation last Sunday, they are either on a two or three-game winning streak right now.

The big story in yesterday’s game was Christian Scott. The Mets prospect got the start, as the Mets are starting to hide their starters from major league games in the final week of the season (which is normal!). Scott pitched four innings, allowing one run from two hits and striking out seven batters. The Mets will continue sending out their top prospects, as Dom Hamel gets the start in today’s game!

There are some familiar and interesting names in the other dugout to pay attention to as well. For the second time this spring, the Mets will face off against an old friend, Mark Canha. The Tigers also have two of their top prospects in the lineup today – Colt Keith and Parker Meadows.

Mets Lineup

1. Jeff McNeil 2B
2. Francisco Lindor SS
3. Pete Alonso 1B
4. Ji-Man Choi DH
5. Starling Marte RF
6. Francisco Álvarez C
7. Brett Baty 3B
8. Tyrone Taylor LF
9. Harrison Bader CF

Opposing Lineup

1. Parker Meadows CF
2. Riley Greene LF
3. Spencer Torkelson
4. Kerry Carpenter DH
5. Mark Canha RF
6. Colt Keith 2B
7. Javier Báez SS
8. Gio Urshela 3B
9. Carson Kelly C

Game Notes

Tylor Megill has made the Mets’ rotation to start the season.

Edwin Díaz, coming off throwing 21 pitches on Wednesday, is scheduled to pitch in a minor league game on Thursday.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Dom Hamel’s big start! We last saw Hamel during the Mets Spring Breakout game, where he started off the game pitching two innings, allowing one run from two hits and a walk while striking out two batters. Hamel burst on the Mets scene back in 2022 when he posted a 3.25 ERA over 119 innings across St. Lucie and Brooklyn. He followed it up with a 3.85 ERA over 124 innings in Binghamton last year. There is a significant chance that Dom will make his major league debut at some point this season.
2. Brett Baty: Baty went 1-for-3 at the plate Tuesday, working a walk and hitting his second home run of the spring. Overall, this spring, he is 10-for-41, hitting .244/.311/.415. The line is a far cry from his line in 2023 that hyped up the fan base (.325/.460/.425), but his current batting line is being weighed down by his slow start. If you look at only March, he’s hitting .290/.371/.516, with all of his extra-base hits happening in the last 20 days. Let’s keep this momentum going!
3. Francisco Álvarez’s Arm: The hype around Álvarez is usually about his bat, but we need to talk about his arm. He threw out Herrera on Tuesday trying to steal second base. This spring, he has already caught eight batters stealing (take these numbers with a grain of salt as they also include catching batters at home, and it’s spring training). Last spring, in eight games as a catcher, he didn’t catch anyone stealing. Last season, he caught 15 batters stealing. This is something to keep an eye on this season.

Let’s go Mets!

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