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

Friday, May 17, 2024 • 7:10 PM
loanDepot Park • Miami, FL
RHP Christian Scott (0-1, 2.84) vs. LHP Jesús Luzardo (0-3, 5.97)
SNY

The Mets survived Philadelphia!

On Thursday night, the Mets lost the lead twice but were able to capture a hold of it one last time in the 11th inning and hold on for dear life to avoid the four-game sweep. Now, they head to Miami three games below .500 to face the Marlins.

Miami has spent a majority of the season struggling at historical levels. They are currently 13-32 and appeared to be candidates to potentially eclipse the 1962 Mets’ loss total of 120. Things can never quite work out ideally for the Mets, however, as the Marlins have won three of their last four games and may be turning a corner for the first time this year.

Mets Lineup

1. Tyrone Taylor – LF
2. Pete Alonso – 1B
3. Francisco Lindor – SS
4. J.D. Martinez – DH
5. Mark Vientos – 3B
6. Starling Marte – RF
7. Harrison Bader – CF
8. Jeff McNeil – 2B
9. Tomás Nido – C

Christian Scott looks to make it two wins in a row for the Mets this evening. Over his first two starts he has pitched 12 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on 11 hits and three walks while striking out 14. His stats, while representing a small sample size, are a 2.84 ERA, 2.64 FIP, 1.105 WHIP and a 137 ERA+. Scott looked good in his second career start against a potent Atlanta lineup, generating 14 swing-and-miss strikes after recording 17 in his major league debut.

Opposing Lineup

1. Jazz Chisholm Jr. – CF
2. Bryan De La Cruz – DH
3. Josh Bell – 1B
4. Jesús Sánchez – RF
5. Jake Burger – 3B
6. Nick Gordon – LF
7. Otto López – 2B
8. Vidal Bruján – SS
9. Nick Fortes – C

Jesús Luzardo has pitched 31 2/3 innings this season over six starts with a 5.97 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 1.326 WHIP and a 71 ERA+. His stats are being weighed down by two back-to-back starts in mid-April against the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves where he allowed 12 earned runs over 9 2/3 innings. Over his last two starts, he has given up a combined four runs on seven hits and four walks across 11 2/3 innings while striking out 14 batters.

Luzardo poetically started his 2023 campaign against the Mets and also ended it against them. Overall, he held New York to only one run over 12 1/3 innings while striking out 15 batters. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 2-16, HR, 7 K
• Harrison Bader 1-3, BB
• Brett Baty 1-3
• Francisco Lindor 3-12, 2 BB, 3 K
• Starling Marte 2-6, K
• Jeff McNeil 4-10, 2 K
• Tomás Nido 1-5, BB, 3 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-9, 2B, HR, 2 BB K
• DJ Stewart 0-4, K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-3, 2B
• Mark Vientos 0-6, BB, 3 K

Game Notes

Per Paige Leckie of MLB.com, Carlos Mendoza said that Brandon Nimmo feels better today despite his absence from the starting lineup for a second game in a row with a stomach bug, though it’s too early to know whether or not he is available off the bench.

Mark Vientos will earn his second start in three games against the left-hander Luzardo tonight after being recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, lending credence to the notion that he and Brett Baty will continue to platoon at the hot corner for the foreseeable future.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Mets are still struggling with RISP. The Mets are coming off of an extremely close series with the Phillies, picking up one win and three losses, though they could have reasonably secured three wins. Losing all four was a distinct possibility as well, thanks in part to the issues the Mets had in closing games out and bringing across insurance runs. As a team last night, they went 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. The Mets overall hit rather well on the night, but there was an opportunity to do plenty more damage. They now face a Marlins team that’s starting to get some confidence back, but the Mets can build on their own momentum by collecting hits when they have runners in scoring position.
2. The back of the Mets bullpen. The Mets bullpen has been a strength for most of this season, but that has not been over the last week or so. Edwin Díaz blew his third save opportunity over last five outings on Thursday night, and his struggles have raised some concerns for the club. Because the Phillies and Mets played multiple extra-inning games, the bullpen is going into Miami taxed as the Mets used five different relievers on Thursday alone. They need a chance to reset and breathe, so hopefully Scott can go deep into tonight’s contest and provide the bullpen with that opportunity.
3. Harrison Bader providing the spark. The Mets were at their best earlier this season when Bader was the surprise contributor in the lineup. He came off the bench and went 2-for-2 with a critical double on Thursday, and the team hopes he can help keep that spark and energy going throughout the weekend!

Let’s go Mets!

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