SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:
Padres even series with their 4-2 Tuesday win, look to take today’s rubber match
• Last night, Manny Machado doubled in the 5th inning, plating Luis Campusano and Brandon Dixon for the goahead runs…Xander Bogaerts provided needed insurance runs with his 2-run homer in the 9th…Campusano had his 1st-career 3-hit game, and the Padres offense went 3-for-9 with RISP.
• Starter Ryan Weathers got his 1st win since 2021, tossing 5.0 innings of 3-hit, 1-run ball on 2 walks and 3 punchouts…he’s now worked 5.0+ IP with 1 or 0 runs allowed in back-to-back starts for the 1st time in his career. Padres secure winning roadtrip; have won 4 of their last 5 games
• San Diego already has secured a winning 1st roadtrip of 2023, having won 3 of 4 games from the Braves in Atlanta (the Braves hadn’t lost 3 straight games at home in all of 2022) and having won
• Despite last night’s loss, the Padres have now won 4 of their last 5 games and 7 of their last 10.
Snell looks to go the distance
• In his 1st start on Opening Day vs. COL (March 30 in San Diego), Blake Snell went just 4.1 IP with 3 runs allowed, and in his 2nd outing on April 6 @ ATL, he went just 3.2 IP with 4 runs allowed…his start to the season is the 1st time since 2021 in which he didn’t get past 4.1 IP in back-toback outings (July 4, 17, 2021 went 4.0 IP and 4.0 IP).
• The last time he faced the Mets on October 8, 2022 in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card series, he went just 3.1 IP with 2 runs allowed and 6 walks in San Diego’s 7-3 loss.
• Despite Snell’s 4.1 IP and 3.2 IP, the Padres rotation have logged the most innings of any National League team so far in 2023 (66.0 IP)
Padres in a stretch of playing 18 games in 18 days; 21 games in 22 days
• San Diego had their 1st off day on Wednesday and will not enjoy their 2nd one until April 24th, playing 18 games in 18 days from April 6-23…their 3rd off day will be on April 28, and since April 6, their current stretch of games are also 21 games in 22 days.
• San Diego is also starting the regular season with 24 games in 25 days…they had 1 off day on April 5 they will have one in Chicago on April 24th, and they’ll have their 1st off day in San Diego on April 28.
Padres batting vs. RHP & Mets batting vs. LHP
• The Padres, going up against righty Tylor Megill, have the 50 hits this season (a .223 average) against right-handed pitchers this year…those 50 hits are the 4th fewest of any team so far…the Mets, going up against Blake Snell, have 44 hits vs. lefties, which rank 2nd most in 2023 behind the Nationals’ 65 hits.
San Diego relievers packing a punch
• The Padres bullpen have racked the most punchouts of any National League team thus far (51 strikeouts).
STARTING PITCHER – BLAKE SNELL #4
Snell set to make 8th career start vs. Mets
Blake Snell returns to the Citi Field mound for the series and road trip finale today vs. the Mets in what will be his 8th career start vs. the Mets (including Postseason)…he enters today with a 3-3 record vs. the Mets in his 7 previous starts…his last time on the Citi Field bumped he tied his Postseason career-low with 3.1 IP and issued a Postseason career-high 6 BB in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series on Oct. 8, 2022 in SD’s 7-3 defeat.
Trouble going the distance
In his 1st start on Opening Day vs. COL (March 30 in San Diego), Snell went just 4.1 IP with 3 runs allowed, and in his 2nd outing on April 6 @ ATL, he went just 3.2 IP with 4 runs allowed…his start to the season is the 1st time since 2021 in which he didn’t get past 4.1 IP in back-to-back outings (July 4, 17, 2021 went 4.0 IP and 4.0 IP). The last time he faced the Mets on October 8, 2022 in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card series, he went just 3.1 IP with 2 runs allowed and 6 walks in San Diego’s 7-3 loss.
Milestone alert
Although Snell struck out 2-or-fewer for just the 15th start of his career last Thursday @ ATL, the 2 strikeouts were all he needed to reach the 1,000 strikeout plataeu and become the 15th active pitcher to have 1,000 strikeouts since 2016 (teammate Yu Darvish has 1,116 K’s since ’16)…10 pitchers have now recorded their 1000th career strikeout in a Padres uniform, and the last one prior to Snell was Ian Kennedy on May 28, 2015 vs. PIT (Elias).
Snell tagged with the loss in 2nd Opening Day Start
Snell made his 2nd career Opening Day start on March 30 vs. COL, striking out 9 and walking 1 with 3 runs allowed on 6 hits in SD’s 7-2 defeat…his other Opening Day start was opposite HOU’s Justin Verlander, who finished 2nd to Snell in the 2018 AL Cy Young Award voting and made his 11th Opening Day assignment…it was the 4th time since the Cy Young Award was introduced in 1956 that a reigning winner faced the runner-up on Opening Day.
Can’t spell Blake without the K
In 2022, he posted the 2nd-highest SO/9 IP ratio (12.02) of his career, along with 5 double-digit strikeout performances…since 2018, he’s posted the 3rd-most double-digit strikeout games (23) among all ML left-handers, trailing only Robbie Ray (26) and Chris Sale (25).
Tale of two halves
In his 10 1st half starts last season, he went 1-5 with a 5.22 ERA and .705 opponent OPS…in
his 14 second half starts, he went 7-5 with a 2.19 ERA and .585 opponent OPS…finished the
season with a 3.38 ERA, it’s lowest mark at any point in 2022.
NEW YORK METS NOTES:
METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets fell to the Padres, 4-2, last night.. The Mets are seeking their third series victory of the season… The Mets finish their first homestand of the season, a six-game stand against the Marlins (2-1) and Padres (1-1)…New York is off on Thursday before they head to the West Coast for their second road trip of the season, a 11-day, 10-game trip against the Athletics (three games), Dodgers (three games) and Giants (four games).
AMAZIN APRIL: In seven April starts since 2022, Tylor Megill is 6-0 with a 1.85 ERA (8 ER/39.0 IP) and 37 strikeouts…Megill’s six wins in April since last season are eighth…Among qualifiers in March/April dating back to 2022, Megill is fifth in ERA and ninth in WHIP with a 0,95 mark (Min. 30.0 IP).
ADDING TO THE LIST: Today, Megill will make his first career start against the San Diego Padres…The Padres will be the 15th team Megill has faced in his career…In five career starts against NL West foes, Megill is 1-1 with a 5.60 ERA (17/27.1 IP).
RUBBER BAND MAN: The Mets play their first rubber game of the season today…The Mets were 18-4 in rubber games last season.
THE LEFTOVERS: The Mets left seven men on base last night… The team has now left 90 on base this season…That is tied for the fourth-most in the majors and tied for the second-most in the National League.
D-FENCE: The Mets have committed only two errors in 12 games this season…The team’s .995 fielding percentage is the best in the majors.
A HIT’S A HIT: The Mets have collected 14 infield hits this season, which is tied for the second-most in the majors…Last year, the Mets collected 186 infield hits, which was the fifth-most in franchise history and the third-most in the majors in 2022.
TO THE LEFT, TO THE LEFT: As a team, the Mets are batting .246/.332/.402 against left-handed pitchers this season…That compares to a .186/.309/.294 slashline against righties…The Mets are 2-4 when a left-hander starts a game in 2023.
THE LEFT OF US: Brandon Nimmo is batting .308 (4-13) with a double and three walks against left-handed pitchers this year… He hit .264/.358/.428 with 24 walks and a .786 OPS in 234 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers last season…Since 2022, his 21 extra-base hits as a lefty against left-handed pitchers is tied for the fourth-most in the majors.
SINCE 2022 – MOST XBH BY LEFTY AGAINST LHP
PLAYER TEAM EXTRA-BASE HITS
Yordan Alvarez Astros 23
Corey Seager Rangers 22
Kyle Tucker Astros 21
Brandon Nimmo Mets 21
Shohei Ohtani Angels 21
CITI SLICKERS: The Mets are now 3-2 at Citi Field this year…The team won 54 games at home last year…That their highest total at Citi Field in franchise history..,The last time the team won more than 50 games in New York was in 2000 when they went 55- 26…Overall, the Mets went 54-27 at Citi Field…The team’s .667 winning percentage was the fourth-highest in team history… Only the 1988 (56-24, .700), 2000 and 1986 teams (both 55-26, .679) had a better home winning percentage.
DOCTOR ROBERT-SON: David Robertson has appeared in five games this season and has allowed only one hit in 5.0 innings with six strikeouts…He has tossed 3.0 consecutive perfect innings.
CURTAINS FROM CURTISS: John Curtiss hasn’t allowed a run in his last 4.1 innings with five strikeouts and has yielded one run overall in 5.1 innings (1.42 ERA) in five outings.
ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US: The Mets have stolen 11 bases this season, which is third in the National League…Starling Marte fourth in the NL with four steals…Brandon Nimmo, who is tied for fifth in the NL, has stolen three bases in 11 games this year…Nimmo stole a total of three bases in 151 games last season.
Rank Player HR GAMES
5th Dave Kingman 154 664
6th Pete Alonso 151 542
7th Carlos Beltrán 149 839
Rank Player RBI GAMES
14th Todd Hundley 397 829
15th Michael Conforto 396 757
16th Pete Alonso 391 542
METS ALL-TIME LEADERS
FOR PETE’S SAKE: Pete Alonso has hit 65 home runs at Citi Field… That is the third-most in the history of the yard…Only Michael Conforto (66) and Lucas Duda (71) have hit more…Overall, Alonso has hit .247/.343/.497 in 265 career games at Citi Field.
OPENING LIN-DOOR: Over the last six games, Francisco Lindor is batting 7-22 (.318) with six runs, three doubles, a home run, six RBI, three walks with a .423 OBP and a .591 SLG.
WALK THE WALK: The Mets rank fourth in the majors and third in the National League with 52 free passes this season…Brandon Nimmo is tied for first in the majors with 12 walks…The Mets have recorded two walks with the bases loaded this season, which is tied for the third-most in the majors…In 2022, the team drew 10.
KING OF QUEENS: In five games at home this year, Jeff McNeil is 4-15 with two runs, three doubles, three RBI and six walks…He has hit .311 with 128 runs, 56 doubles, four triples, 25 home runs, 118 RBI and 77 walks in 266 career games at the yard…His .311 batting average is the second-highest by a Met at the ballpark (min. 100 PA)…Only Luis Castillo, .313, has a higher batting average in the history of the ballpark.
DAY MAN!: The Mets are 5-3 in day games this year…In 2022, the Mets went 39-19 in day games…The team’s .672 winning percentage in the sunlight was the second-best in the National League and third-best in the majors…The Mets posted a 3.16 ERA with 150 walks and 564 strikeouts in the daytime last year…Their 3.16 ERA in the daytime was third in the majors and second in the NL.
TODAY’S STARTER – TYLOR MEGILL RHP #38
MEGILL’S PITCH ARSENAL
Pitch Type Usage Rate vs. LHB vs. RHB Avg. Velocity
Four-Seam Fastball 48% 59% 42% 94.1 mph
Slider 33% 6% 52% 82.8 mph
Changeup 12% 21% 6% 87.7 mph
Curveball 6% 14% 1% 76.9 mph
MEGILL NEWS & NOTES
THE FRANCHISE HAS COMPANY: In Megill’s last start, the Mets home opener on April 7 vs. Miami, the right-hander threw 6.0 scoreless innings and allowed three hits…Megill joined Tom Seaver (April 5, 1983) as the only other pitcher in franchise history to throw 6.0 shutout innings and allow three hits or fewer in a home opener…Courtesy of Elias.
AMAZIN APRIL: In seven April starts since 2022, Megill is 6-0 with a 1.85 ERA (8 ER/39.0 IP) and 37 strikeouts…Megill’s six wins in April since last season are eighth…Among qualifiers in March/April dating back to 2022, Megill is fifth in ERA and ninth in WHIP with a 0,95 mark (Min. 30.0 IP).
ADDING TO THE LIST: Today, Megill will make his first career start against the San Diego Padres…The Padres will be the 15th team Megill has faced in his career…In five career starts against NL West foes, Megill is 1-1 with a 5.60 ERA (17/27.1 IP).
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, 2022…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: Megill 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)…The Mets combine no-hitter against the Phillies marked the 17th time a team has thrown a combined nohitter 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.
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.
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).
