NEW YORK METS NOTES:
METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets fell to the Marlins, 2-1, last night…The team is now 1-1 on the season…The Mets continue their first road trip of the season, a seven-game trip to Miami (1-1) and Milwaukee (three games).
LET’S GO FISHING: The Mets are now 52-47 at loanDepot park…Today mark’s New York’s 100th game at the ballpark…The team has won three of their last four here and eight of their last 11 games at the yard…The team owns a 3.46 ERA at the yard and has hit .249/.324/.404.
MEGILL, MY BELLE: Tylor Megill is set to make his first start of the season today in Miami…The right-handed pitcher appeared in 15 games (nine starts) in 2023, going 4-2 with a 5.13 ERA (27 ER/47.1 IP) with 13 walks and 51 strikeouts….In nine starts in 2022, Megill went 4-2 with a 5.01 ERA (23 ER/41.1 IP) with 11 walks and 47 strikeouts…This will mark his third career appearance against the Fish…He is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA (4 ER/6.0 IP) in his two previous appearances.
TOMMY BOY: Tommy Hunter tossed 2.0 scoreless innings and allowed only a hit last night…It was his 495th career game…He ranks 18th among active pitchers in appearances.
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER: In two games this year, the Mets bullpen has allowed one run in 6.0 innings, good for a 1.50 ERA…They have allowed three hits, striking out six and have yet to allow a walk…The team’s 1.50 ERA is tied for fourth in the majors…Last year, the Mets bullpen posted a 3.50 ERA, which ranked third in the National League.
WELCOME TO MIAMI: Omar Narváez is a .385 (5-13) hitter with two runs, a double, an RBI and four walks in five career games at loanDepot park… Francisco Lindor owns a .319/.412/.528 slashline with 12 runs, 23 hits, six doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI in 19 games at the ballpark… Brandon Nimmo owns a .262/.361/.467 slashline with 17 runs, sis doubles, two triples, five home runs, 22 RBI and 19 walks in 38 games in Miami.
A STARLING IS BORN: Starling Marte is 4-8 with a run, a walk and two steals in two games this season…Marte has batted .295/.350/.468 with 77
runs, 24 doubles, five triples, 16 home runs, 63 RBI, 27 walks and 20 steals in 120 games as a member of the Mets…Marte owns a .306/.369/.445 slashline with 50 runs, 11 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 32 RBI, 20 walks and 21 steals in 74 career games at loanDepot ballpark.
FOR PETE’S SAKE: Pete Alonso socked the first Mets home run of the year, a solo shot in the ninth inning…He has hit 12 home runs in 30 career games at the ballpark…That is tied with the Nationals Park for his most home runs at an opponent’s ballpark.
Rank Player HR GAMES
5th Dave Kingman 154 664
6th Carlos Beltrán 149 839
7th Pete Alonso 147 532
Rank Player RBI GAMES
15thMichael Conforto 396 757
16th Dave Kingman 389 664
17th Pete Alonso 381 532
METS ALL-TIME LEADERS ONLY A FEW CAN COM-PETE: Pete Alonso set a franchise single-season RBI record with 131 last year…His 131 RBI were tied for the major league lead and led the National League…Only once before in franchise history has a Met finished the season with the most or tied for the most RBI…Howard Johnson recorded a career-best 117 RBI in 1991 to lead the National League…He had 27 game-winning RBI season, the most since the stat was first tracked in 1974…His 35 go-ahead RBI were tied for the second-most in a single season in Mets history…Keith Hernandez had 36 go-ahead RBI in 1985.
THREE’S COMPANY: The 2022 Mets joined the 1972 club as the only teams in franchise history that never had more than a three-game losing streak… The last such National League team to not lose more than three-in-a-row prior to 2020 was the 2014 Dodgers (three games)…Courtesy of Elias.
CLOSING TIME: David Robertson earned the first Mets save of the year on Opening Day…It was the 158th of his career…He is now 1-1 with four saves and a 0.71 ERA (1 ER/12.2 IP) with six walks and 20 strikeouts in 11 career games against the Marlins…The Mets signed Robertson to a one-year deal in December of 2022…Robertson, 37, spent the 2022 season between the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies where he totaled a 4-3 record with 20 saves and a 2.40 ERA (17 ER/63.2 IP) with 35 walks and 81 strikeouts…He ranked tied for seventh among National
League relievers in opponents’ batting average (.173), tied for eighth in saves and tied for ninth in strikeouts…The righty recorded 20 or more saves in a season for the fourth time in career, also doing so in each year from 2014-16.
WHEN I WAS 22: The Mets finished 2022 going 101-61 and finished in second place in the National League East…It was a 24-win improvement from the 2021 season…The Mets have recorded 100 wins in a season four times in franchise history: 1986 (108), 2022 (101), 1988 (100) and 1969 (100)…The team’s 101 wins were the second-most in franchise history…Only the 1986 team (108-54) finished with a better record.
THE BUCK STARTS HERE: Buck Showalter owns a 1,653-1,579 career record as a manager…His 1,653 wins place him 19th all-time in major league history…Showalter has now managed four teams to the Postseason…He is the fourth manager to accomplish that feat in major league history, joining Dusty Baker (five teams) and Billy Martin and Davey Johnson (four teams)…Showalter is the first manager in Mets history to record 100 victories in his first season with the club…He also joins Yogi Berra as the only managers to guide the Mets and Yankees into the playoffs.
HITTING THE ROAD: New York is 1-1 on the road his year…The team finished the 2022 season going 47-34 on the road…Their .580 road winning percentage placed them third in the majors and second in the NL…It was tied for the fourth-best road record in team history and the highest road-winning percentage since 2007…Overall, they hit .265/.334/.424 away from Citi Field…Their .265 road average was second in the majors and the best in the NL, while their .334 OBP led The Show… They ranked fourth in MLB and second in the Senior Circuit with a .424 SLG…Brandon Nimmo (.406), Jeff McNeil (.399) and Mark Canha (.378) ranked three through five in road OBP in the National League.
THE EAST IS A BEAST: The Mets are 1-1 against the divison this year…The team went 50-26 against the East in 2022…Their .658 winning percentage against the East was the best mark in club history…They lost only three series in the division all season long (against Atlanta, August 15-18, Washington, September 2-4 and September 30-October 2 at Atlanta)…They won the season series vs. Philadelphia, Washington and Miami…Overall, the Mets posted a 3.38 ERA against the East, while hitting .262/.335/.425…The Mets outscored their divisional opponents, 380-272.
SMILE LIKE YOU MEAN IT: Francisco Lindor hit 26 home runs last season…That surpasses Asdrubal Cabrera’s 23 home runs in 2016 for the most by a Mets shortstop in a single season…He set the single-season record with most RBI by a Mets shortstop, recording 107 this season…He led major league shortstops in RBI, ranked third in walks (59), was third in home runs, tied for third in triples (five), fifth in OBP (.337) as well as OPS (.782) and ninth in SLG (.445)…Lindor led all shortstops in the majors, ranked seventh in MLB and fifth in the National League with a 6.8 fWAR.
STARTING PITCHER – TYLOR MEGILL RHP #38
SPRING FEVER: Megill made five appearances, including three starts, in Spring Training, going 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA (7 ER/17.0 IP) with 13 walks and 12 strikeouts… Megill threw 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen on March 1 at Miami and added 4.0 scoreless inning in a start at Miami on March 13…On March 25, his final outing of the spring, Megill started and allowed three runs over 5.0 innings on two hits, five walks and four strikeouts.
2022 RECAP: Was the Mets Opening Day starter and earned the victory after tossing 5.0 scoreless innings against the Nationals…Did not allow a run over 5.1 innings and earned the victory in his following start against the Phillies on April 12…Started the Mets combined no-hitter against the Phillies on April 29 and threw 5.0 innings with three walks and five strikeouts…Struck out a season-high nine batters in his following start against the Braves on May 4…Was on the 15- Day Injured List with right biceps inflammation from May 12 – June 10…Made two starts in his return from the IL before beginning another stint on the Injured List with a right shoulder strain on June 17…Was transferred to the 60-day IL on June 27 and returned to action on September 19…Made his final six appearances of the season in relief and allowed four earned runs over 6.0 innings in those appearances.
AMAZIN APRIL: In five April starts last season, Megill went 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA (6 ER/28.0 IP) and 27 strikeouts…Among qualifiers, Megill led the majors in opponent’s batting average (.182), ranked second in opponent’s OPS (.522), second in WHIP (0.86) and eighth in ERA during the month…Megill’s four wins in April were tied for the major league lead. TY-FOUR: Megill won four of his first five starts last season, boasting a 1.93 ERA, becoming the fifth Mets pitcher in the last 30 years to go 4-0 or better with a sub-2.00 ERA through five starts (courtesy of Sportradar)…The other four: Steven Matz (4-0, 1.80 ERA in 2015), Matt Harvey (4-0, 1.54 in 2013), John Maine (4-0, 1.35 in 2007) and Armando Reynoso (5-0, 1.54 in 1998).
RELIEVOR: After starting the first 27 games of his major league career, Megill transitioned to the bullpen after returning from the 60-Day IL on September 19 last season…Megill pitched to a 6.00 ERA (4 ER/6.0 IP) out of the bullpen…In his final appearance of the 2022 season, Megill threw 2.0 scoreless innings on October 4 vs. Washington.
COMBINED NO-NO: Threw the first 5.0 innings of MLB’s first no-hitter of the season on April 29 at Citi Field…It was the second no-hitter in team history (also, Johan Santana, June 1, 2012 vs. St. Louis)…This was 17th time a team has thrown a combined no-hitter and the 10th time in the Wild Card Era…Drew Smith (1.1 IP, BB, 4 K), Joely Rodríguez (1.0 IP, 2 BB), Seth Lugo (0.2 IP) and Edwin Díaz (1.0 IP, 3 K) finished the job with 4.0 hitless innings out of the bullpen. 17.1.
OPENOR: Last year, Tylor Megill was named the Mets Opening Day Starter…With 89.2 career innings pitched entering the 2022 season, Megill had the fewest major league innings of any Mets Opening Day starting pitcher in franchise history…Became the 28th different Opening Day starting pitcher in Mets history.
RUNS IN THE FAMILY: His brother, Trevor, is a pitcher in the Minnesota Twins organization…They both made their MLB debut in 2021..According to Elias, they are the fourth pair of brothers to make their major league debut in the same season since 2000 (2019, Scott & Tyler Heineman, 2017, Joe & A.J. Jimenez and 2012, Donovan & Jhonatan Solano).
MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:
MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today continue their opening series with the third of four games against the New York Mets. Miami will continue their opening homestand with a three-game set against the Twins, their first of 15 Interleague series in 2023, starting Monday. The club’s first road trip includes a three-game series against the Mets that starts on April 6, with a built-in off day on April 7, before heading to play the reigning National League-champion Phillies from April 10-12.
YESTERDAY’S RECAP
Skip Schumaker recorded his first win as a Major League manager last night with a 2-1 Marlins win over the Mets. RF Jorge Soler shined in his first start in right field since 2021, going 2×4 at the plate with a solo home run which put the Marlins on the board early. LHP Jesus Luzardo kept the Mets offense to just 2 hits and 0 runs over 5.2 innings. CF Jazz Chisholm, Jr. added an eighth-inning solo home run for his first hit of the year. LHP A.J. Puk recorded his first save as a Marlin.
TURNING THE TRENDING TIDE
The Marlins played their first one run game of the season last night, emerging with the win. Miami played 64 games decided by 1 run in 2022, the most such games in the Majors last season. Miami’s 40 one-run losses were the most such losses in a season in club history, the most since the 1975 Houston Astros (41), and just three shy of the single-season record for one-run losses during the Live Ball Era (since 1920) held by the 1968 White Sox (44).
• The Marlins started last season playing one-run games in each of their first three games and five of their first six.
SAVE IT
LHP A.J. Puk recorded his first save of the year last night, and first as a Marlin. Becomes the 25th different Marlins pitcher to earn a save since the start of the 2018 season, just the sixth lefty.
HOMER TIME
The Marlins have scored four of their five runs this season via home runs – hitting three homers total over the first two games. Didn’t hit their third homer until Game 4 last year.
JESUS LUZARD-NO
Dating back to last season, LHP Jesus Luzardo has held his opponent to 2 runs or less in five straight starts. Over his last three starts at loanDepot park, Luzardo has allowed just 1 run in 18.1 innings of work including scoreless outings in his last two starts.
• With his 5 strikeouts last night, has now recorded 298 career strikeouts.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Marlins roster is re-shaped from last season, featuring six players who did not appear in with the organization last year.
• Offensively, Miami acquired infielder Luis Arraez from Minnesota. The reigning American League batting champion posted a .316 avg. (173×547) in 2022 and owns a .314 avg. in four career Major League seasons. The club also signed free-agent infielder Jean Segura to a two-year deal with a club option for a third year. Segura, a two-time All-Star and the 2016 NL hits leader, has averaged 6.7 AB/SO during his 11-year professional career, the third-best mark since 2012 among players with at least 1,300 games played. The newest addition to the Marlins lineup is two-time World Series champion and 2021 AL Batting Champion Yuli Gurriel, who hit 40 doubles last season for the World Series champion Houston Astros.
• Miami bolstered the starting rotation with the signing of free-agent pitcher Johnny Cueto. The 15-year veteran is a 2015 World Series champion and two-time All-Star, owning a career 143-107 record and 3.44 ERA in 355 appearances (353 starts). To add to the back end, the Marlins acquired right-handed reliever Matt Barnes from Boston, who posted a 1.59 ERA (22.2 IP/4 ER) with six saves in his final 24 appearances of 2022. Additionally, Miami acquired former first-round selection A.J. Puk from Oakland. The southpaw led the Athletics bullpen with 76 strikeouts last year in his first full season in the big leagues.
OPENING DAY FIRST
INF Garrett Cooper hit his first career Opening Day home run on Thursday in his fifth Opening Day appearance. Thursday’s 2-run shot was Cooper’s 40th career HR, eight of those against the Mets. Has four career home runs against the Braves.
• Since the start of 2021, Cooper has batted .319 (23×372) with a .980 OPS in 21 games against the division rival Mets.
NEW SKIP IN TOWN
Skip Schumaker secured his first managerial win last night, becoming the 17th manager in Marlins history to win at least 1 game at the helm. Last season, Schumaker served as St. Louis’s Bench Coach under rookie Manager Oli Marmol. Schumaker concluded his 11-year Major League career in 2015, appearing in a total of 1,149 games with the Cardinals (2005-12), Los Angeles Dodgers (2013), and Cincinnati Reds (2014-15). He is a two-time World Series champion (2006, 2011) as a member of the Cardinals.
TODAY’S STARTER – 27 EDWARD CABRERA
• Edward Cabrera, 24, made 14 starts at the Major League level last year after being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on May 31, 2022.
• Ranked in the top three among rookie starters in several categories, including his .177 opponents batting average, 1.074 WHIP, and 3.01 ERA.
• His .177 avg. against was the lowest by a rookie starter with at least 10 GS. Among all MLB pitchers, ranked fourth behind Christian Javier (.170), Tony Gonsolin (.172), and Jacob deGrom (.175).
• In 7 starts at home in 2022, went 3-3 with a 4.58 ERA (35.1 IP/18 ER). Posted a 1.49 ERA (36.1 IP/6 ER) in 7 starts away, allowing 10 less hits than at home.
• Was named to MLB.com’s All-Rookie Second Team.
• Made four consecutive scoreless outings (22.2 IP) after returning from injury from Aug. 1 until Aug. 22, becoming the second pitcher in franchise history to make four consecutive scoreless starts, joining Chris Hammond in 1994.
• Set a new career-high with 8.0 innings pitched at Oakland on Aug. 22, 2022.
• Missed 47 games from June 13 to August 5.
• In his first start back in almost 2 months on Aug. 5, 2022 tossed 5.0 no-hit innings against Chicago Cubs.
• Was the first pitcher in club history to pitch 6.0 innings or more and allow two hits or less in each of his first two starts of a season.
