ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Mets today open a four-game wraparound series in what is the first of 13 games between the teams this season…The two will next meet from June 6-8, playing a three-game set at Truist Park in Atlanta.
• The Braves went 10-9 against the Mets last season, taking the season set from their N.L. East rivals for the fifth consecutive season…They also went 10-9 in 2021, 7-3 in 2020, 11-8 in 2019 and 13-6 in 2018…Since the start of the 2018 season, Atlanta is 51-35 (.593) against New York overall.
• The Braves have won six of the last seven games with New York dating to last season, outscoring the Mets 42-19 (+23) over the stretch…Atlanta allowed more than two runs just twice in the seven games.
• Atlanta and New York tied atop the N.L. East with identical 101-61 record last season, with the Braves winning the title based on the head-to-head tiebreaker…The Braves were a season-worst 10.5 games behind the first-place Mets on June 1…From that date through the end of the season, Atlanta played to a 78-34 (.696) record, the best mark in baseball…New York went 67-44 (.604), the sixth-best mark in the majors…Atlanta’s comeback was the largest deficit the team ever overcame to win a division title…The previous record was 10 games in 1993.
• LH Max Fried is 7-5 with a 2.78 ERA (30 ER/97.0 IP) in 21 career games against New York, including 16 starts…In five turns last season, the 6-foot-4, 190-pound left-hander went 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA, allowing nine earned runs in 29.0 innings…Fried has allowed just one run in 15.0 innings over three starts this season, pitching to a 1-0 record and a 0.60 ERA.
• LH David Peterson has pitched in eight career games against Atlanta, making seven starts, and has gone 3-3 with a 4.50 ERA (18 ER/36.0 IP) and 47 strikeouts in these games…In four games, three starts, versus the Braves last season, he pitched to a 2-1 record and a 2.76 ERA (5 ER/16.1 IP)…In five starts to open this season, the 6-foot-6, 240- pound Denver native is 1-3 with a 7.86 ERA (21 ER/25.2 IP).
LOSS: Atlanta allowed five ninth-inning runs to Miami yesterday afternoon to fall to the Marlins, 5-4…The Braves were looking for a four-game sweep of Miami, and went 3-4 on the homestand in total.
• The loss was the first for Atlanta this season when leading after eight innings…The Braves are now 15-1 in such games.
• LH A.J. Minter was charged with all five runs, the most he has allowed in a single appearance in his career…The left-hander has been charged with 10 hits and 10 runs over his last 3.2 innings, fanning seven in the four total appearances.
• Atlanta scored all four of its runs in the fifth inning, and has had at least one three-run inning in each of its last four games, its longest such streak this season
ROSTER MOVES: The Braves today returned OF Michael Harris II from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list…The club also reinstated OF Eli White from the paternity list and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett, while OF Nick Solak was optioned to Gwinnett following yesterday’s game.
• Harris II was placed on the injured list on April 7 with a strained lower back, and missed 18 games… He batted .217/.280/.261 over seven games to open the season.
• The reigning N.L. Rookie of the Year, Harris II finished his first major league season last year hitting .297 (123-for-414) with 19 home runs, an .853 OPS and 20 steals in 114 games…He accumulated 4.8 fWAR, the second-most in franchise history by a Braves rookie hitter behind Rico Carty (4.9 fWAR, 1964).
• In five career games here at Citi Field, he has batted .353/.353/.529 with a homer and three RBI.
ON THE ROAD: Atlanta tonight opens its third road trip of the season, and has gone 10-2 (.833) away from Truist Park this season.
• The Braves’ 10-2 record in road games is best in the majors…The Cubs at 6-2 (.750) have the second-best mark.
• Atlanta has outscored its opponents by 40 runs in 12 road games, scoring 66 and allowing just 26… The Braves are batting .263/.333/.467 as a club in road games, and are one of just three teams with an OPS above .800 outside of their home park (Cubs, .881; Rays, .880).
• The Braves’ pitching staff has pitched to a 2.12 ERA (25 ER/106.0 IP) on the road this season, lowest in the majors…Opponents are batting just .227 against them in these games.
• The Braves have yet to lose or tie a series on the road this season by going a perfect 4-0, including sweeps of the Cardinals and Royals.
TOP FIVE: The top five hitters in Atlanta’s batting order went hitless yesterday for the first time this season…That cohort was last hitless on August 17, 2022 versus New York-NL.
• On the season, Atlanta’s top five hitters have combined to bat .270/.358/.494, and their .852 OPS is best in the National League.
• However in the last 10 days, Atlanta’s first five hitters have batted just .223/.307/.436, compiling a .743 OPS.
• 1B Matt Olson, who has hit second in every game this season, is just 5-for-33 since April 18, batting .152/.300/.364 with two homers and 15 strikeouts.
• 3B Austin Riley, who has batted third in every game this season, is 5-for-34 in that same span, batting .147/.237/.294 with one homer and 13 strikeouts.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #54 Max Fried LHP
Today’s Game
• Set to make his fourth start this season and 17th of his career against the Mets.
• Sports a career 2.78 ERA against New York (NL), the lowest against any single opponent (min. 10 appearances).
• Fried faced RHP Jacob deGrom in Game 1 of the final series against the Mets last season, earning the 5-2 win as the Braves went on to edge New York. 10-9, in head-to-head play after the weekend-series sweep.
• Scattered three hits over 6.2 scoreless innings in his last turn and second start since being activated off the IL on April, 17.
• Fried picked off his first baserunner of the season as he caught OF Jake Myers attempting to steal second base in the top of the third inning.
• Since the beginning of the 2017 season, Fried’s 24 pickoffs are the most in baseball.
• His 53 wins since the beginning of the 2019 season are most in the National League, and most by any left-hander in baseball.
• Only one pitcher, the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole, has more wins than Fried since the start of 2019…Cole has 60 wins.
• Additionally, the Braves have 72 wins in games started by Fried since the beginning of 2019, the most such wins by a pitcher in the National League… Only Cole again, whose teams have won 76 of his starts, has more in the majors.
2023 Recap
• Fried was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained left hamstring on March 30 and activated from the IL on April 17.
• Made his third career Opening Day start after he also started the opener in each of the last two seasons.
• Fried was the first Braves lefty to make consecutive Opening Day starts since Hall-of-Famer Warren Spahn started six straight, 1957-1962.
• Prior to Fried, the last Braves lefty to start Opening Day was Tom Glavine in 2002.
NEW YORK METS NOTES:
METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets defeated the Nationals, 9-8, last night…The win snapped a four-game losing streak, which was a season-high…New York recorded a season-high 16 hits in the win… The Mets continue a seven-game homestand (1-2) against the Nationals (0-2) and Braves (1-0).
BRETT THE MET: Brett Baty recorded a career-high three hits last night, finishing 3-3 with a run, a home run, one RBI and a walk…He is on a six-game on-base streak, batting .400 (8-20) with two runs, a double, one home run, two RBI and two walks in that span…This comes after he went 1-8 in his first three games with the club.
JEFF McHITS: Over his last 11 games, Jeff McNeil is batting .415 (17-41) with seven runs, two doubles, a home run, a triple, four RBI, four walks with a .489 OBP and a .585 SLG…Since April 16, he has raised his batting average from .212 to .301 and his OBP from .359 to .414… His .414 OBP is the eighth-best in the majors and sixth-highest in the National League.
MULTIPLICITY: McNeil logged his eighth multi-hit game of the year last night…He has recorded multiple hits in three of his last four games…It was the 171st multi-hit game of his career, which places him 19th on the Mets all-time list…He has 61 multi-hit games since the start of last season, which is the third-most during that span behind Bo Bichette and Freddie Freeman who each have 65 multi-hit games since 2022.
STEAL MY SUNSHINE: The Mets are tied for fifth in the NL with 22 steals this season…Starling Marte is tied for ninth in the majors and tied for sixth in the NL with eight steals…He ranks third among active players with 322 career SB…Only Elvis Andrus (338) and Billy Hamilton (324) have more.
CITI SLICKERS: The Mets are 5-4 at Citi Field this year…The team’s nine home games are tied for the fewest in the major leagues…The team won 54 games at home last year…That was 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.
THE EAST IS A BEAST: The Mets are in a stretch of seven straight games against the National League East…They are 1-2 in the current stretch…Overall, the Mets are 6-4 against the division this season… New York went 50-26 against the East last year, including 26-11 at home.
A HIT’S A HIT: The Mets have collected 35 infield hits this season, which is 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.
DOCTOR ROBERT-SON: David Robertson has appeared in 11 games and has allowed one run in 11.1 innings of work, good for a 0.79 ERA…He has allowed five hits, three walks while striking out 14 in that span…He is holding left-handed hitters to a .100 (2-20) batting average this season…He has converted all five save opportunities he’s had this season…Overall, he has recorded 162 saves in his career…That is the seventh-most among active players.
WAR, WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?: Brandon Nimmo is second in the major leagues with a 1.7 fWAR…Over the last 16 games, Nimmo is batting .400 (26-65) with 12 runs, five doubles, two home runs, 10 RBI, seven walks, one steal with a .459 OBP and a .569 SLG… He has raised his batting average from .192 to .341 in that span… The Wyoming native is third in the majors with a .446 OBP, fourth in batting average (.341) and is tied for eighth in the majors with 17 walks this season.
WALK, DON’T STRIKE: The Mets are second in the majors with 108 walks this season…As a team, New York has struck out 200 times this season, tied for the sixth-fewest in the majors…Brandon Nimmo has drawn 17 walks and struck out just 14 times this season…Jeff McNeil has 14 walks and has struck out only nine times…McNeil ranks fifth in the majors in strikeout rate, whiffing in just 8.1 percent of his plate appearances.
GUESS WHO’S BACH?: Over the last 10 games, Daniel Vogelbach is 9-25 (.360) with two runs, one double, one home run, six RBI, four walks with a .448 OBP and a .520 SLG…He has posted a .417 OBP in 20 games this season, which is only behind Brandon Nimmo (.446) for the team lead.
AW SNAP: Pete Alonso snapped an 0-19 skid last night, collecting two hits and driving in a pair of runs…He ranks second in the majors with 10 home runs and s third in the majors and leads the NL with 25 RBI..Alonso is tied for eighth in MLB and tied for sixth in the NL with 20 runs scored and is 14th in the majors and eighth in the NL with a .561 SLG.
APRIL, SHE WILL COME: Pete Alonso has become the first player in Mets history with 10 home runs before May 1…The last time a player hit 10+ home runs in his team’s first 21 games of a season was in 2019, when Christian Yelich (11), Cody Bellinger, Khris Davis and Eddie Rosario all accomplished the feat.
Player HR Year Month
Gary Carter 13 1985 Sept/Oct
Dave Kingman 13 1975 July
Mike Piazza 11 1999 August
Tommie Agee 11 1970 June
Player HR Year Month
Lee Mazzilli 11 1980 July
Howard Johnson 11 1989 June
Pete Alonso 11 2019 Sept/Oct
16 Players 10
MOST HOME RUNS BY A MET IN A MONTH
APRIL SHOWERS: Alonso has 24 RBI this month (he had one RBI in March)…The franchise record for RBI in the month of April is 26 by Jeff Kent in 1994.
KING OF QUEENS: Pete Alonso has hit 66 home runs at Citi Field… That is tied with Michael Conforto for the second-most in the history of the ballpark…Only Lucas Duda (71) has hit more.
TODAY’S STARTER – DAVID PETERSON LHP #23
2023 STATS: 1-3, 7.36 E R A
PETERSON’S PITCH ARSENAL
Pitch Type Usage Rate vs. LHB vs. RHB Avg. Velocity
Four-Seam Fastball 29% 23% 31% 93.0 mph
Slider 25% 36% 20% 85.8 mph
Changeup 22% 4% 30% 86.0 mph
Sinker 18% 30% 13% 92.2 mph
Curveball 6% 7% 6% 78.7 mph
LAST TIME OUT: Went 5.0 innings on April 22 against the Giants at Oracle Park… Let up a season-high seven runs on seven hits and six strikeouts…Also recorded a season-high eight strikeouts.
VS ATLANTA: Tonight, Peterson will make his eighth career start and ninth career appearance against the Braves…Through his first nine appearances against Atlanta, Peterson is 3-3 with a 4.50 ERA (18 earned runs/36.0 innings)…His last appearance against the Braves, he pitched 0.2 innings of relief, allowed one hit and struck out two in the Mets’ 4-2 loss on October 1, 2022 at Truist Park.
HOME SWEET HOME: Today is Peterson’s second home start of the season…He is 10-5 lifetime at home…Peterson has pitched to a career 3.82 ERA (46 earned runs/108.1 innings) at Citi Field…He has 109 strikeouts and 50 walks at home through 26 games (21 starts) at home.
LETHAL LEFTY: Peterson has limited lefties to a .211 (24-114) average since 2022…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 itch…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).
FOUR-HIT WONDER: The southpaw allowed four hits or fewer in 12 of his 19 starts and 21 of his 28 appearances overall last season…He has held the opposition to four hits or fewer in 39 of his 54 career games.
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.
