NEW YORK METS NOTES:
METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets enjoyed a day off yesterday…On Sunday, New York defeated Washington, 5-2, on their way to a series victory…The Mets have won four of their last six games…Tonight, the Mets begin a six-game road trip to Kansas City (three games) and Baltimore (three games).
ROSTER MOVES: The Mets have recalled RHP John Curtiss, LHP Josh Walker and C Michael Pérez from Triple-A Syracuse…Additionally, the club has selected the contract of OF Rafael Ortega from Triple-A Syracuse.
FOR PETE’S SAKE: Alonso is third in the majors and second in the Senior Circuit with 30 home runs…He is tied for third in the NL with 75 RBI…He is hitting .342 (13-38) with seven extra-base hits, 13 RBI, eight runs and a 1.159 OPS in his last 10 games…He was hitting .132 (12-91) with seven extra-base hits and a .549 OPS over his previous 25 games (since his return from the IL on June 18-19).
TRADING PLACES: Yesterday, the Mets acquired minor league righthanded pitcher Justin Jarvis from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for OF Mark Canha and cash considerations…Jarvis, 23, is Milwaukee’s 12thbest prospect in Baseball America’s midseason prospect rankings. ..The righty has made 17 starts between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville this season, going 6-6 with a 4.33 ERA (42 ER/87.1 IP) with 38 walks and 102 strikeouts…The Brewers fifth round selection in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft was named as Milwaukee’s Minor League Pitcher of the Month in April after going 2-1 with a 1.57 ERA (4 ER/23.0IP), striking out 29 batters in the process.
JULY! JULY! JULY!: New York went 14-9 in July, good for a .609 winning percentage…That was the fourth-best in the majors and the best in the National League…The team posted a 3.49 ERA last month, the fourth-lowest ERA in the majors and the second-lowest int he National League…New York’s rotation posted a 3.48 (50 ER/129.1 IP) in that span with 49 walks and 128 strikeouts…Their 3.48 ERA was the fifth-best in the majors and the third-best in the Senior Circuit.
WE’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE: The Mets last played at Kuaffamn Stadium from August 16-18, 2019, taking two out of three games from the Royals…Overall, the Mets are 9-7 against the Royals in the regular season and 4-4 at The K…Pete Alonso has played three games at the ballpark and is 6-12 with three runs, two doubles, one home run, four RBI and two walks there…Francisco Lindor has hit .289 (50-173) iwth 30 runs, eight doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 35 RBI and 14 walks in 41 career games at the yard.
LINSANITY: On Sunday, Francisco Lindor went 3-4 with two runs, one doubles, one home runs, one RBI and one walk…He has homered in back-to-back games…Over the last 35 games, Lindor is batting .287 (37-129) with 27 runs, six doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 21 RBI, 21 walks, 11 steals with a .386 OBP, a .574 SLG and a .959 OPS…Lindor has stolen 17 bases in 105 games this season, exceeding his total from 2022 (16 steals in 161 games)… His career-best is 25 steals 158 games in 2018…The shortstop ranks third in the majors with a 94.4% success rate in steals…He has gone 17 out of 18 in stolen base attempts in 2023.
RETURN OF THE MARK: In seven games since he was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, Mark Vientos is batting .333 (7-21) with two runs, two doubles, one home runs, three RBI, one walks with a .391 OBP, a .571 SLG and a .963 OPS.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Mets are 24-32 on the road this year…They have posted a 4.77 ERA in away games…This compares to a 3.84 mark at home… New York has played 56 games on the road this year…That is the second-most in the majors…Only the Phillies have played more road games with 58.
DOING THE SPLITS: Brandon Nimmo is batting .286 (63-220) with 30 runs, nine doubles, three triples, six home runs, 29 RBI, 30 walks, a .374 OBP and a .436 SLG on the road this season…This compares to a .218/.327/.425 slashline with 18 extra-base hits at home…Francisco Lindor is a .256 (56-219) with 39 uns, 15 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, 43 RBI, 22 walks, a .331 OBP, a .507 SLG and an .837 OPS on the road in 2023…He is slashing .211/.314/.411 with 17 extra-base hits at Citi Field this year.
THEY’RE OUT OF MY LEAGUE: The Mets 14 of 18 games against American League opponents…They are 4-4 in that span…The new schedule format has New York playing a total of 43 Interleague games in 2023, more than double their previous high for a single season (20)…The Mets are 14-14 against the American League this year…Overall, New York owns a 249-241 record in Interleague play…The team’s .508 winning percentage is the second-best among National League clubs.
JEFF McHITS: Jeff McNeil has safely reached base in 12 of his last 13 games… Over that span that started on July 16, McNeil is batting .280 (14-50) with seven runs, three doubles, one triple, eight RBI with three walks and has posted a .357 OBP.
STEAL MY SUNSHINE: New York has recorded 79 steals in 87 attempts…The team’s 90.8 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 53 of their last 55 stolen base attempts.
INVADER NIM: Brandon Nimmo has hit 15 home runs in 104 games this season…Nimmo’s career-high is 17 home runs, which he accomplished in 140 games in 2018…The left-handed hitter smacked 16 home runs in 151 games last season.
IF YOU START ME UP: The Mets are 32-7 when the starting pitcher throws at least 6.0 innings…New York has gone 14-1 when its starter pitches 7.0+ innings and are a perfect 5-0 when the starter completes 8.0 innings.
HERE’S THE CATCH: Francisco Alvarez has hit 20 home runs this season… He joins Pete Alonso (53, 2019) and Darryl Strawberry (26, 1983) as the only Mets rookies to have 20 or more home runs in a season…Alvarez leads all major league catchers with 18 home runs playing that position and is second among all rookies in homers.
STARTING PITCHER – JOSÉ QUINTANA LHP #62
2023 STATS: 0-2, 3.27 ERA
RECENTLY: Quintana made his first start with the Mets on July 20 against his former team, the Chicago White Sox….Quintana signed a two-year contract with New York on December 9, 2022…The southpaw began the season on the IL due to a stress fracture in his rib cage…Underwent surgery on March 17.
LAST TIME OUT: Quintana made his second start of the season on July 26 in the Bronx in his first Subway Series appearance…He threw 6.0 IP and allowed three runs, two earned on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters.
REHAB ASSIGNMENT RECAP: Made five appearances across St. Lucie (A), Binghamton (AA) and Syracuse (AAA) as part of his rehab assignment after being placed on the 60-day IL with a left rib fracture…Threw 15.2 innings in five games, four of which were starts, pitching to a 4.60 ERA (8 ER/15.2 IP) while tallying 16 strikeouts compared to eight walks.
ROYAL FLUSH: Tonight, Quintana will make his 26th career start against the Royals, his most against any club…Fired 6.1 innings in his last start vs. Kansas City, August 8, 2018 at Kauffman Stadium with the Cubs…Quintana has tallied 129 strikeouts against the Royals throughout his career, the most of any opponent.
HOT STREAK: Quintana has not allowed a home run over his last 72.2 innings dating back to August 4, 2022…Is the longest such active streak in MLB…Last season Quintana owned the lowest ERA (0.89) in Major League Baseball during the month of September last year and is the lowest ERA in any month in his career.
YOU GOTTA EARN ‘EM: Quintana has allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last 16 starts dating back to July 23, 2022…It is the longest such streak of his career and the longest such active streak in the majors by a starting pitcher (excluding openers).
LEFT ‘EM SPEECHLESS: Reached 1,500 career strikeouts in his start vs. Colorado on August 16, 2022. Currently ranks fifth among active MLB lefties in strikeouts (1,535) behind Clayton Kershaw (2,912), Chris Sale (2,135), Madison Bumgarner (2,070) and Patrick Corbin (1,551).
KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:
HOW SWEEP IT IS!: Fueled by 7.0 innings of 1-run ball by Ryan Yarbrough, the Royals scored a 2-1 victory over the Twins on Sunday to clinch their first series sweep and 3-game win streak this season…Freddy Fermin gave the Royals a lead with a solo home run in the 2nd, and after the Twins answered with a solo HR by Matt Wallner in the top of the 3rd, Maikel Garcia took the lead back on an RBI double in the bottom half…that was all the offense Kansas City needed, as Dylan Coleman retired Carlos Correa, Edouard Julien and Byron Buxton in a 1-run game in the 8th, and Carlos Hernández pitched around a 1-out walk in the 9th to earn his 1st career save.
DEADLINE DEALS: The Royals have made three trades since they last took the field, first sending infielder Nicky Lopez to Atlanta for left-handed pitcher Taylor Hearn, who was optioned to Triple-A Omaha…Hearn, 28, made Texas’ Opening Day roster this season, but has spent most of his time at Triple-A Round Rock, where he had a 3.66 ERA (16 ER in 39.1 IP) with 54 strikeouts (12.4 K/9) in 24 appearances (2 starts)…he was acquired by the Braves on July 24 and has pitched in 5 big league games this season, including last Saturday with Atlanta.
Last night the Royals acquired outfielder Nelson Velázquez from the Cubs for pitcher Jose Cuas… Velázquez, 24, was optioned to Triple-A Omaha…he had a .933 OPS in 13 games with the Cubs this year, with 5 of his 7 hits going for extra bases…in 74 games with Triple-A Iowa, he’s hit .253 (74-for-292) with 31 extra-base hits and 7 steals…Velázquez was the Cubs 5th-round pick in 2017 out of Puerto Rico, and was named MVP of the 2021 Arizona Fall League after he hit .385 (40-for-104) with 9 HR in 26 games.
In a pair of corresponding moves, the Royals returned Matt Beaty from his rehab assignment and reinstated him from the 7-Day Concussion Injured List, and recalled left hander Angel Zerpa…Beaty appeared in 3 games with the Royals before colliding with Samad Taylor in the outfield on June 21… Zerpa began the season on the Injured List, started a rehab assignment at Double-A on June 15 and was returned from that assignment and optioned to Triple-A on July 14…in 9 starts, including 6 on his rehab assignment, Zerpa had a 3.89 ERA (15 ER in 34.2 IP) with 30 strikeouts and just 2 home runs allowed.
This morning, the Royals acquired left hander Tucker Davidson from the Angels for cash considerations… Davidson, who was designated for assignment last Thursday, will report to the big league club…he made his Majors debut in 2020 with the Braves, and started Game 5 of the 2021 World Series, before being traded to the Angels last year…he made the Opening Day roster this season and made 18 appearances.
As first pointed out by Pete Grathoff, seven of the 26 players on Kansas City’s Opening Day roster are no longer with the organization, including Lopez, Cuas, Aroldis Chapman, Amir Garrett, Hunter Dozier, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Franmil Reyes…only 15 of the 26 from Opening Day remain on the active roster.
STARTING SOMETHING: The key to Kansas City’s 3-game sweep last weekend vs. Minnesota was its starting pitching, which pitched to a 3.18 ERA (6 ER in 17.0 IP) and .231 opponents’ average (15-for-65) with only 4 walks (2.1 BB/9) and 19 strikeouts (10.1 K/9)…Royals starters earned 8 of the team’s 9 wins in the month of July.
SOUTHPAW STORY: Tonight the Royals are scheduled to face Mets left hander José Quintana, who returned from the Injured List two weeks ago and has made only 2 starts this season…the Royals are 9-19 vs. left-handed starting pitchers this season but have won 4 of their last 6 games vs. southpaw starters, including wins in games started by Logan Allen, Tarik Skubal, Julio Urías and Shane McClanahan…prior to tonight, the Royals have faced a southpaw starter in just 3 of their last 24 games dating back to July 2.
Bobby Witt Jr. is batting .305 (29-for-95) with 6 home runs for an .876 OPS vs. left handers this season.
Maikel Garcia is batting .311 (23-for-74) vs. left-handed pitchers with 9 extra-base hits for an .825 OPS.
Left-handed batter Kyle Isbel is 10-for-31 (.323) vs. fellow southpaws, including going 5-for-his-last-9.
Matt Duffy is batting .279 (19-for-68) vs. left handers, which has accounted for 57.6% of his 31 hits.
INTERLEAGUE INTRIGUE: The Royals are playing host to the Mets this week for the first time since 2019, when the Royals lost 2 of 3…they are 7-9 in 16 regular season meetings vs. the Mets, which mark their 2nd-fewest games played vs. any opponent, 1 more than their 15 games vs. the Phillies, whom the Royals will see this weekend in Philadelphia…the Royals are seeking their first regular season series win over the Mets since 2013, when they won 2 of 3 in New York…of course, the Royals beat the Mets in the 2015 World Series to claim the franchise’s first World Championship in 30 years and second overall, besting New York in 5 games, including 2 extra- nning wins…the Royals came from behind in all 4 of their victories, including overcoming a 2-0 deficit entering the 9th inning of Game 5…Salvador Perez earned World Series MVP honors after batting .364 (8-for-22).
The Royals are 10-22 in Interleague play this season, but won their 2 most recent games from July 1-2 vs. the Dodgers…tonight starts a month of August in which the Royals will play 14 of 28 games vs. National League opponents, including 6 straight to begin the month vs. these Mets and the Phillies this weekend.
JR. IN JULY: Bobby Witt Jr. had a month of July to remember, as he batted .327 (32-for-98) in 24 games with 15 extra-base hits—which tied for the Major League lead—21 RBI and 6 stolen bases with a whopping .979 OPS…he’s the third player in Royals history to record at least 15 extra-base hits, 21 RBI and 6 steals in a calendar month, following Amos Otis in September 1978 and George Brett in May 1988…in last weekend’s 3-game sweep of the Twins, Witt Jr. went 9-for-14 (.643) with 1 double, 1 triple, 2 home runs and 9 RBI, becoming the first player in franchise history to record at least 9 hits and 9 RBI in a 3-game series…in fact, he’s the first player on any team with at least 9 hits and 9 RBI in a 3-game series since Robinson Canó had 9 hits and 9 RBI in a 3-game series with the Yankees from Oct. 1-3, 2012 vs. the Red Sox, almost 11 years ago.
Witt Jr.’s 18 HR this season are 1 more than Salvador Perez (17) for the team lead and his 29 stolen bases rank tied for 4th in the Majors behind Ronald Acuña Jr. (51), Esteury Ruiz (43) and Corbin Carroll (33).
Bobby is on pace for 27 home runs and 43 stolen bases, a combination that has been matched only 13 times before, most recently by Mike Trout, who had 30 HR and 49 steals during his 2012 rookie season.
NO MINOR FEAT: Minor League Baseball announced yesterday that Royals right-handed pitching prospect Chandler Champlain has been named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week for the period of July 24-30…in his start last Thursday in Arkansas, Champlain pitched 6.0 no-hit innings with just 1 walk and 6 strikeouts, leading Double-A Northwest Arkansas to a 3-1 win…that start came on the one-year anniversary of the trade that sent him and two other minor league pitchers from the Yankees to Kansas City for outfielder Andrew Benintendi…Champlain, 24, is 8-5 with a 2.96 ERA (30 ER in 91.1 IP) in 17 starts this season between High-A Quad Cities (11 starts) and Double-A Northwest Arkansas (6 starts).
TRIPLE THREAT: Bobby Witt Jr. and Drew Waters tripled in Saturday night’s win over the Twins, extending Kansas City’s Major League lead in triples to 28, which are 2 more than Arizona (26) and 7 more than Cleveland (21) for the American League lead…the Royals are attempting to lead the Majors in triples for the second consecutive season, after pacing the league with 38 in 2022…that was the first time they led the Majors in triples since 2009 (51), but the Royals 2,230 triples since their inception in 1969 are by far the most in the Majors, 140 more than the Pirates (2,090).
A Majors-most 11 different Royals have a triple, a group led by Bobby Witt Jr., whose 7 triples are tied with Shohei Ohtani, Ketel Marte and Jake Cronenworth for the Majors lead…Witt Jr.’s 13 career triples are the most by a Royals player through his first two Major League seasons.
TONIGHT’S STARTERS: RHP ZACK GREINKE (1-11, 5.49)
ZACK GREINKE is making his 21st start of the season and 535th of his career tonight vs. New York, which ranks 35th on the all-time starts list, 1 shy of Hall of Famer Mike Mussina (536)…it’s his 10th career start vs. the Mets and 1st since 2019 with Arizona.
The 39-year-old Greinke, now in his 20th season in the Majors, is a six-time AllStar, a six-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner, 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner in 2009 with the Royals and a two-time ERA leader.
LAST START: Zack suffered his 11th loss in Kansas City’s 5-1 setback last Tuesday night in Cleveland, in which he was charged with 4 runs on 4 hits and no walks in 5.0 innings, with 1 strikeout…he retired 12 of 13 batters through the 4th, the only exception being a solo home run by Bo Naylor in the 3rd…but Zack was charged
with 3 runs on 3 hits in the bottom of the 5th, including a 2-run home run by Naylor.
Greinke last won on May 3 vs. Baltimore, and is 0-7 in 13 starts since.
SPLITS: Zack has held right-handed batters to a .254 average (57-for-224) and .683 OPS this season, but left-handed batters are hitting .322 (58-for-180) with a .923 OPS…left handers have accounted for only 44.8% of the batters he’s faced, but they’ve had 21 of the 36 (58.3%) extra-base hits he’s allowed, including 11 HR.
WALKING ON WATER: Zack’s pinpoint control has been on full display this season, his 20th in the Majors…the 39-year-old has issued only 15 walks to the 426 batters
he’s faced through 20 starts (101.2 IP) for a 1.3 BB/9 and 3.5 BB%, which rank 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in the Majors (min. 15 starts)…he issued 1 walk or fewer in 10 consecutive starts from May 3-June 23, which was the 2nd-longest streak in Royals history, 1 game shy of Jason Vargas, who issued 1 walk or fewer in 11 consecutive starts from May 26, 2015-April 24, 2017, a two-year stretch interrupted by injury.
Zack has had 15 starts this season in which he has issued 1 walk or fewer over at least 5.0 innings, matching George Kirby for the most such starts in the Majors.
Greinke has allowed 20 home runs, which are 5 more than the number of walks he’s issued (15)…he’s the only pitcher in the Majors this season (min. 15 starts) with more HR allowed than walks…no pitcher in Royals history has allowed more HR than walks while qualifying for the ERA title (1.0 IP/team game).
KEEP IT 100: Zack eclipsed 100.0 innings for the year in his most recent start to mark his 18th season in which he’s reached that threshold…he’s the 27th pitcher in
the Live Ball Era (since 1920) record at least 18 seasons of 100.0 innings, and the only active pitcher…his most recent start was also his 20th of the season, making him the 25th different pitcher since 1920 with at least 17 seasons with 20 starts.
SEEKING SUPPORT: The Royals offense has scored just 30 runs in Greinke’s 101.2 innings this season for a 2.66 run support average, which is the lowest mark in the Majors (min. 15 starts)…the Royals have supported Zack with 1 or 0 runs in 12 of his 20 starts, and have supported him with a total of 12 runs over his last 11 starts (55.0 IP).
TIMES TABLES: Greinke has been very good his first time through opponent lineups this season, holding them to a .241 average (40-for-166) with only 6 extra-base hits…but on the second and third time through, opponents are batting .281 (48- for-171) and .409 (27-for-66), respectively, with a total of 30 extra-base hits…along those same lines, he has held opponents to a .253 average (75-for-296) through 60 pitches, but when he gets above 60 pitches, opponents are batting .370 (40-for-108).
INTERLEAGUE INTRIGUE: In 9 career starts vs. the Mets, Zack is 5-1 with a 3.49 ERA (22 ER in 56.2 IP) and .231 opponents’ average (48-for-208)…his only loss came in
his 5th career start on June 13, 2004 during his rookie season…he’s unbeaten in 8 starts since vs. the Mets with a 3.08 ERA (17 ER in 49.2 IP), but hasn’t faced them in four years, since June 1, 2019, when he took a no decision in a 6-5 D-backs win.
Zack is 0-1 with a 4.97 ERA (14 ER in 25.1 IP) in 5 Interleague starts this season— in which the Royals are 0-5—and hasn’t won an Interleague start since May 30, 2021 vs. San Diego (with Houston)…in 10 Interleague starts since, he’s 0-3 with a 6.80 ERA (36 ER in 47.2 IP)
