NEW YORK METS NOTES:
THE STORY OF US: Last night, the Mets opened their final series of the first half with an extra-innings, 7-5 win over San Diego…The Mets have two games remaining on their final road trip (4-0) to Arizona (3-0) and San Diego (1-0) before the All-Star Break…New York is a major league-best 6-0 in July after posting a 7-19 record in June…Tonight, the team plays the second game of its final series first half, a three-game set in San Diego.
BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS: Today, Major League Baseball announced that Kodai Senga was added to the National League All-Star team…He will join the NL All-Star squad as they square off against the AL All-Stars on July 11 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle…Senga joins Pete Alonso (2019), Dwight Gooden (1984), Jerry Koosman (1968) and Tom Seaver as the only Mets rookies selected to an All-Star Game…He is the eighth Japanese-Born rookie ever to be selected to an All-Star Game joining Masahiro Tanaka (2014), Yu Darvish (2012), Kosuke Fukudome (2008), Hideki Okajima (2007), Hideki Matsui (2003), Ichiro Suzuki (2001) and Hideo Nomo (1995)…Senga leads all major league rookies in strikeouts with 113 and wins with seven…His 11.34 SO/9 ranks fifth among all qualified starting pitchers this season… Senga’s 113 strikeouts through his first 16 career major league games are the fourth-most by a Met and by a Japanese-born pitcher during that span.
END GAME: New York’s extra-inning victory last night was the team’s fifth of the season… The Mets are 5-1 in extra-inning games this year, the best record in such games in 2023… Since 2022, New York has gone 15-3 in extra-inning affairs.
BETTER THAN REVENGE: New York has won a season-high six straight games…The Mets last win streak of six games or longer was a six-game run from September 15-20 Past season…New York has not won seven in a row since July 24-August 1 last season…Prior to this stretch, the Mets had won consecutive games one time since the start of June, a two-game win streak June 14 vs. New York-AL and June 16 vs. St. Louis.
JULY HITS DIFFERENT: The Mets have won their first six games in July for only the second time in club history, also going 6-0 to begin the month in 1991…New York ended up winning its first 10 games in July of 1991, its longest win streak ever to begin the month.
STREAK NOW: New York’s pitching staff has posted a 2.13 ERA during their six-game winning streak, the fourth-best mark in the majors since July 1…Opponents have managed just a .195 batting average over those five games, third-best in MLB since July 1…New York is the last remaining unbeaten team in July.
CROWDS IN STANDS WENT WILD: The Mets have won back-to-back series for the first time since taking two out three from the Rays (May 16-18) and sweeping the Guardians (May 19-21)…A win today would give New York three consecutive series wins, last accomplished back in April, when the club won four straight series against Miami, San Diego, Oakland and Los Angeles-NL.
SPARKS FLY: The Mets hit seven home runs in their series sweep at Arizona, tied for their most in a single series this season, and added another long ball last night…The team has hit 48 home runs in 29 games since June 4 (1.7 HR/game), the third-highest rate and fourth–most homers overall in the majors in that span.
LONG LIVE: New York’s starting pitcher has completed 6.0 innings or more in four straight games for the second time this season (also, May 30-June 2)…Justin Verlander tossed a quality start (6.0 IP, 2 ER) en route to a Mets win yesterday…The Mets are 27-4 when the starting pitcher throws at least 6.0 innings…New York has gone 11-1 when its starter pitches 7.0+ innings and are a perfect 4-0 when the starter completes 8.0 innings…Kodai Senga’s 8.0-inning effort Wednesday was followed up by Carlos Carrasco’s 8.0 shutout innings Thursday night…It was the first time the Mets have received at least 8.0 innings from their starter in back-to-back games since August 2-3, 2015, when Noah Syndergaard and Bartolo Colon turned the trick…Courtesy of Sarah Langs.
DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS: The Mets had a season-high 17 hits Thursday night, their most in a game since a 19-hit outburst September 25, 2022 at Oakland, then followed that with another 13 hits last night…Their 30 hits over the last two games are the team’s most in a two-game span this season…New York is slashing .285/.387/.541 as a team in July…They pace the majors with a .928 OPS, .387 OBP and .541 SLG this month and rank among MLB leaders for July in home runs (13, third), runs per game (6.3, fourth), extra-base hits (24, seventh), walks (28, sixth) and average (eighth).
GETAWAY CAR: New York has been successful in all 10 of their stolen base attempts in July, bringing their season tally to 71 steals in 78 attempts…Their 71 steals are tied for eighth in the majors and tied for fifth in the NL…The team’s 91.0 percent success rate is the best in the majors…The Mets had a franchise-record run of 35 consecutive stolen bases without being caught from May 14-June 29…Overall, New York has been successful in 45 of their last 46 stolen base attempts…Starling Marte has swiped 23 bags this year, sixth in the majors and third in the National League…His 337 career stolen bases rank second among active players…Elvis Andrus is the active leader with 341 steals.
I BET YOU THINK ABOUT SD: Jeff McNeil made his major league debut against the Padres on July 24, 2018 and singled in his first career at-bat that day…McNeil leads all current Mets with a .320 (16-50) average and owns a .883 OPS against San Diego in 17 career games against the club…Tommy Pham has hit .299 (35-117) with a .920 OPS in 33 appearances against the Friars…Max Scherzer, Sunday’s scheduled starter against San Diego, is 7-3 with a 2.76 ERA (35 ER/114.1 IP) and 156 strikeouts in 18 regular-season starts against the club… His 12.28 K/9 rate vs. the Padres is the best all-time (min. 100.0 IP).
YOU KNOW I LOVE SOCAL: The Mets are playing their fifth series in a time zone three hours behind Eastern Time this season…New York is 11-3 those 14 games…The Mets went 3-0 in Oakland, 2-1 at Dodger Stadium, 2-2 in San Francisco in April and went 3-0 in Arizona…New York’s West Coast portion of the schedule wraps up this weekend with this three-game set at San Diego (1-0).
MR. SMILE, PERFECTLY FINE: Last night, Francisco Lindor followed his first career five-hit game with a three-hit effort, including a home run and three RBI…Over his last 18 games, Lindor is batting .348 (23-66) with 18 runs, three doubles, seven home runs, 16 RBI, 11 walks and seven steals with a 1.210 OPS…Lindor ranks among NL leaders in fWAR (3.3, seventh), RBI (60, seventh), extra-base hits (41, tied for seventh), home runs (19, tied for 10th) and doubles (20, tied for 11th).
I’M ONLY ME WHEN I’M WITH YOU: Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor are one of three pairs of teammates to have 60 or more RBI this season, joining Atlanta’s Matt Olson and Ozzie Ablies and Los Angeles-NL’s Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez…The duo also recorded 60+ RBI before the All-Star Break last season…Prior to 2022, only three other times have the Mets had pairs of teammates drive in 60 or more runs before the All-Star Break…David Wright and Carlos Beltrán both drove in 60+ RBI before the All-Star Break in 2006 and 2008…Bernard Gilkey and Todd Hundley both drove in 60+ RBI before the All-Star Break in 1996.
NEVER GROW UP: Francisco Alvarez had his first career four-hit game yesterday…He is the youngest Met to collect four or more hits in a game since José Reyes recorded four hits on July 25, 2004 vs. Atlanta at 21 years and 44 days…Alvarez has four long balls in his last six appearances and has scored at least one run in all six games during the Mets current winning streak…His 16 homers this season are tied with Sean Murphy for the most by a catcher in the majors and the third-most among rookies…Alvarez has eclipsed Travis d’Arnaud’s previous franchise record for home runs by a rookie catcher…Alvarez’s 16 home runs are tied for the second-most in a season by a catcher in his age-21 season or younger with Darrell Porter (16, age 21, 1973) behind Johnny Bench (26, age 21, 1969)…Courtesy of Sarah Langs.
ELECTRIC TOUCH: Pete Alonso ranks second in the NL and tied for third in the majors with 26 home runs…He is tied for eighth in the majors and tied for fourth in the NL with 61 RBI…He has recorded 60+ RBI in the first half for the third time in his career (also, 2019, 2022)…He and David Wright (2006, 2008, 2010) are the only Mets to do that three times… Alonso blasted his 26th home run of the season Thursday night, a 371-foot line drive that had a maximum height of 39 feet, the lowest of any of the 3,048 home runs hit in the majors this year…It was also the lowest max height on any of Alonso’s 172 career home runs.
CALL YOUR OWN SHOTS: Mark Canha has four game-winning RBI since May 31…Canha has been responsible for driving in the game-winning run in four of the last nine Mets wins he has appeared in…Over that span (since May 31), he is slashing .283/.405/.517 with three doubles, a triple, three homers, 14 RBI and six runs.
SHINING LIKE FIREWORKS: On July 4-5, David Robertson recorded a save on back-to-back days for the third time this season (also, April 15-16 and May 30-31)…He recorded his 13th save of the year Wednesday night…The veteran right-hander has posted a 2-2 record with 13 saves and a 2.06 ERA (9 ER/39.1 IP) in 36 appearances this season…He has walked 11, while striking out 46…He ranks eighth in ERA among NL relievers…He is tied for 16th in the NL with 46 punchouts as a reliever…He is holding left-handed hitters to a .187 (14-75) average this year.
THE BEST THING THAT’S EVER BEEN MINE: On Sunday, Major League Baseball announced that Pete Alonso was selected to the National League All-Star team…He will join the NL All-Star squad as they square off against the AL All-Stars on July 11 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle… This is Alonso’s third career All-Star nod, tied with Keith Hernandez for the most by a Mets first baseman…Alonso is the 13th Met in club history to make at least three All-Star rosters.
THIS IS LOOKING LIKE A CONTEST: Alonso also announced Sunday night that he will participate in the 2023 Home Run Derby…A two-time Derby winner, Alonso will attempt to become the second player to win the event three times (also, Ken Griffey Jr.)…He will be the 10th player to compete in the HR Derby at least four times, joining Griffey Jr. (eight), Mark McGwire (seven), Barry Bonds (six), Sammy Sosa (six), Albert Pujols (five), Lance Berkman (four), Robinson Canó (four) and David Ortiz (four).
LET’S HEAR THE APPLAUSE: Congrats to Head Performance Coach Dustin Clarke who will manage the NL’s strength and conditioning at the 2023 All-Star Game in Seattle, WA… Clarke is in his ninth season as the head performance coach and his 13th season in the organization.
NEXT CHAPTER: RHP Mike Vasil was named to the National League 2023 SiriusXM Futures Game roster…The 23-year-old has made 12 starts between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse where he has combined to go 1-3 with a 4.37 ERA (28 ER/57.2 IP) with 13 walks and 66 strikeouts…He was selected by the Mets in the eighth round of the 2021 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Virginia.
STARTING PITCHER – DAVID PETERSON LHP #23
2023 STATS: 2-6, 6.61 ERA
LAST TIME OUT: Threw 4.0 innings and allowed one run on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts for the Mets in their 7-2 win at Citi Field against San Francisco on 7/2.
FACING THE FRIARS: Tonight, Peterson will face the Padres for the third time of his career and the second time this season…He has made one start in his career against San Diego…He’s posted a 4.05 ERA (3 ER/6.2 IP) in those outings.
A MINUTE IN THE MINORS: Peterson was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on April 29, was recalled on May 9, then optioned again on May 16…In his first start with Syracuse following his May 16 option, he dealt 8.0 shutout innings, allowed just two hits and struck out nine…For his effort, he as named International League Pitcher of the Week…All told, he has made seven starts for the Syracuse Mets this season…Has a 1-2 record with a 4.86 ERA (20 ER/37.0 IP).
LETHAL LEFTY: Peterson has limited lefties to a .239 (55-230) average in his career…He whiffed 32 of the 96 left-handed batters he faced last year, a 33 percent strikeout rate that ranked fourth among all left-handed pitchers to face a minimum of 90 LHB in 2022.
SLIP ‘N’ SLIDE: Peterson held batters to a .175 (24-137) average with his slider last season and 78 of his 126 strikeouts came on the pitch…His 52.0 slider-strikeout percentage was the second-highest in MLB (min. 150 PA) behind only teammate Edwin Díaz (54.7) and his 47.9 whiff percentage with the pitch was the third-highest in the majors behind only Díaz (54.7) and Seattle’s Andres Muñoz (50.8).
STRIKE ‘EM OUT, STRIKE ‘EM OUT: Peterson struck out at least five batters in 11 straight starts from June 20-September 9 last season, the second-longest streak by a left-handed starter last season…It was the sixth-longest streak by a Mets left-handed starter in franchise history…Peterson had 82 strikeouts across 58.2 innings during that span (13 G/11 GS) good for a 12.58 K/9 ratio.
SAN DIEGO PADRES NOTES:
Padres drop series opener against Mets
- San Diego lost their 8th extra-inning game last night as the Mets plated 4 in the 10th…Manny Machado homered in the bottom half of the frame to make it a 2-run game, but the
Padres fell short with a 7-5 final score.
- Machado double and homered for a 3-RBI game, and the Friars went 4-for-11 with RISP…Ha-Seong Kim doubled to left in the bottom of the 7th, and trying to stretch a triple, he was thrown out at 3B…in frustration, Kim kicked a water cooler in the tunnel leading to the Clubhouse, jamming his right big toe…X-rays came back negative, and he’s day-to-day.
- Starter Yu Darvish made his 1st appearance since June 21st, having been sidelined from the mound with flu-like symptoms…he didn’t receive a decision, allowing 3 runs (earned) on 7 hits in 5.0 innings of work.
- Rookie southpaw reliever Tom Cosgrove worked for the 5th time in the last 7 days, and he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) in 0.2 IP, getting saddled with the loss…the Friars used a season-high 7 pitchers last night.
Snellzilla gets the ball
- The NL Pitcher of the Month for June gets the start today, and mong all qualifying pitchers since May 25, Snell ranks 1st in ERA (0.77), strikeouts (73), SO/9 IP (13.98) and FIP (2.12), and opp. AVG (.166).
- In his last outing on Monday vs. the Angels, he posted his 5th start with 0 runs allowed across 5.0+ IP, tied for the 4th-most such starts in the Majors, which have all come in his last 7 starts since May 31.
Padres relievers
- Bob Melvin used 7 different pitchers last night vs. the Mets, the most the Friars used in a single game this year…from the start of the season through the end of May, San Diego relievers had the 5th-lowest ERA in all of baseball (3.33)…but since the start of June, they have a 4.55ERA, ranking 21st in MLB. Juan Soto & Josh Hader headed to Seattle
- On Sunday, July 2nd, MLB announced that closer Josh Hader and left-fielder Juan Soto will be headed to the 2023 All-Star game (Hader’s 5th selection and Soto’s 3rd).
Padres have yet to win an extra-inning game
- The Padres have yet to win more than 3 consecutive games this year (done 5x), and they’ve gone 0-8 in extra-inning games so far…the last time the Padres did not have an extra-inning win prior to the All-Star break was the 1980 season (Elias).
Runners in scoring position
- The Padres have hit a Major-League worst .221 with RISP so far this year…the lowest clip of any team in MLB history before the All-Star break was the 2014 Padres’ .198 average.
2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft
- The Draft will begin this year on Sunday, July 9th at 4:00 pm PT (rounds 1-2), and the Padres have the 25th overall pick in the Draft…Day 2 on Monday will begin at 11:00 am PT and consist of rounds 3-10, and the draft will conclude on Tuesday (will start at 11:00 am and consist of rounds 11-20).
- After their 25th overall pick in the 1st round, the Padres’ next pick will be 96th overall in the 3rd round (forfeited their second-round picks as a result of signing a qualified free agent).
STARTING PITCHER – BLAKE SNELL #4
Snell set to make 9th career start vs. Mets
Blake Snell takes the mound tonight for his final start of the 1st half of the season, and his 2nd this year vs. the Mets…made his 3rd start of the ’23 season on April 12 @ Citi Field and was tagged with his 2nd loss, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) across 5.0 IP in SD’s 5-2 defeat… he has a 11.10 SO/9 IP ratio in his 8 career starts vs. the Mets, along with a 3.27 ERA.
Snell posts 5th shutout of season Mon vs. Angels
The left-hander took the mound for his 5th career start vs. the Angels and posted his 5th outing with 0 runs allowed across 5.0+ IP, tied for the 4th-most such starts in the Majors, which have all come in his last 7 starts since May 31…he reached the 100 pitch plateau for 8th time this season, tied for the 8th-most 100+ pitch outings this season…he struck out 7 Angels, snapping his double-digit strikeout streak at 4 straight starts, tying Jake Peavy for the franchise record (April 25-May 11, 2007)…and his quality start streak was snapped at 6 in a row, tying his career high from April 10-May 8 during his Cy Young 2018 season.
Since May 25
Among all qualifying pitchers since May 25, Snell ranks 1st in ERA (0.77), total strikeouts (73), SO/9 IP (13.98) and FIP (2.12), opp. AVG (.166) and H/9 IP (5.17).
Owner of 2 of the 3 longest scoreless inning streaks
Snell has had a 16.0 scoreless inn streak over parts of 3 starts May 25-June 5 and a 18.0 scoreless inn streak over parts of 3 starts from June 11-22…those streaks trail only his 20.0 scoreless innings from Sept. 16-Oct. 2, 2022.
