NEW YORK METS NOTES:
METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets defeated the Dodgers, 8-6, last night… New York is a season-high five games over .500…With a win, the Mets would earn their fifth series victory of the season…With another victory, the Mets would secure at least a .500 road trip…The Mets continue their second road trip of the season an 11-day, 10-game trip (4-0) against the Athletics (3-0), Dodgers (1-0) and Giants (four games).
LET’S GO STREAKING!: The Mets have won a season-high five straight games…The Mets are batting .256/.396/.471 in that span, while posting a 3.72 ERA (19 ER/46.0 IP) with 20 walks and 42 strikeouts…The Mets have outscored their opponents 37-19 in that span…The team’s longest winning streak in 2022 was seven games, from July 24-August 1…The last time the Mets won five or more games was a six-game winning streak from September 15-20, 2022.
CALIFORNIA DREAMING: Dating back to 2022, the Mets have won five straight games in California…The last time the Mets won five straight games in California was from June 23-July 25, 2017…The last time the Mets won six or more consecutive games in California was May 16-August 16, 1988, when they won eight straight…Courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau.
PITCHING IN: The Mets rank fifth in the NL with a 4.14 team ERA (69 ER/150.0 IP)…New York is tied for second in the NL with six saves and tied for fifth with 146 punch outs.
BROTHERS IN ARMS: Together, Adam Ottavino and David Robertson have combined to post a 0.59 ERA (1 ER/15.1 IP) with three walks and 17 strikeouts…They have converted six of seven save opportunities.
OTTAMATIC: Adam Ottavino has allowed only one run this season, a solo home run in a loss to Milwaukee on April 5…In eight games this year, Ottavino has posted a 1.29 ERA (1 ER/7.0 IP) with three walks and eight strikeouts…Left-handed hitters are batting .091 (1-11) against him.
DOCTOR ROBERT-SON: David Robertson has appeared in eight games and has yet to allow a run…He allowed only four hits with nine strikeouts…He is holding left-handed hitters to a .143 (2-14) batting average this season…He has converted all four save opportunities he’s had this season…Overall, he has recorded 161 saves in his career…That is the seventh-most among active players.
THE SMITH: Drew Smith has 11 strikeouts in 6.1 innings this season… His 14.85 K/per nine among relievers is sixth in the NL (minimum 5.0 innings)…He is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA (2 ER/6.2 IP) in eight games this year.
HOMER HAPPY: The Mets have homered in each contest of their five game winning streak…The team has hit nine home runs in that span…The Mets hit a total of 10 home runs in the previous 12 games.
INVADER NIM: Brandon Nimmo has safely reached base in nine straight games, owning a .523 OBP in that span…Overall, in 16 games this season, Nimmo is batting .315 with 10 runs, five doubles, eight RBI, 15 walks and a .472 OBP…His .472 OBP ranks fourth in the majors and third in the Senior Circuit…The left-handed hitter has drawn 338 walks in his career, which places him tied for 17th in franchise history with John Milner… Dave Magadan is 16th with 347 free passe…Nimmo has posted a .388 OBP, which is the third-highest in franchise history (min. 2,000 PA)… Only John Olerud (.425) and Dave Magadan (.391) had higher OBP.
I LOVE L.A.: Alonso is a lifetime .382 (21-55) with 12 runs, three doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 17 RBI with a .414 OBP and a .855 SLG in 13 games at Dodger Stadium…All seven of his homers against the Dodgers have come on the road…His .855 SLG at the park is the highest all-time (min. 50 PA)…Brandon Nimmo has hit .375 (18-48) with eight runs, three doubles, two home runs, four RBI, four walks with a .444 OBP and a .563 SLG in 16 career games at Dodger Stadium…Alonso’s .382 average and Nimmo’s .375 mark rank first and second among active players at the ballpark (min. 25 PA).
HOP ON THE TROLLEY: In 31 career games against the Dodgers, Nimmo has slashed .326/.417/.483 with 16 runs, four doubles, two triples, two home runs, seven RBI and nine walks…In 22 games, Alonso has hit .279/.333/.593 with 14 runs, four doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 17 RBI and four walks…Francisco Lindor has slashed .275/.341/.425 with six runs, three doubles, a home run, four RBI and two walks.
CLAYTON KERSHAW: Is 10-0 with a 2.17 ERA (25 earned runs/103.2 innings) in 16 career regular season starts vs. New York…In the 2015 NLDS, Kershaw was 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA (four earned runs/13.2 innings).
POWER STATION: Pete Alonso is tied for the major league lead with eight home runs…He is tied for fourth in the NL with 15 RBI, ranks third in the league with a .677 SLG and sixth with a 1.064 OPS…Alonso is on a six-game hitting streak and has safely hit in 10 of his last 11 games, batting .372 (16-43) with 11 runs, seven home runs, 13 RBI, six walks with a .449 OBP and an .860 SLG.
Rank Player HR GAMES
3rd Mike Piazza 220 972
4th Howard Johnson 192 1,154
T5th Pete Alonso 154 547
T5th Dave Kingman 154 664
7th Carlos Beltrán 149 839
Rank Player RBI GAMES
12th Daniel Murphy 402 903
13th Rusty Staub 399 942
14th Todd Hundley 397 829
15th Michael Conforto 396 757
16th Pete Alonso 395 547
METS ALL-TIME LEADERS
ROAD WARRIOR: Alonso has hit 88 home runs on the road in his career…That places him tied for sixth place in franchise history with Carlos Beltran…Beltran recorded 88 homers in 434 road games…Next up is Howard Jonson who socked 102 in 580 away games.
THE WALKMAN: The Mets lead the majors with 88 free passes this season…Brandon Nimmo is tied for third in the majors and second in the NL with 15 walks…Jeff McNeil has recorded 11 walks, while Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor have 10 free passes each this season.
WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STARLING: Starling Marte is tied for fourth in the majors and tied for second in the NL with seven steals…He ranks third among active players with 321 career SB…Only Elvis Andrus (337) and Billy Hamilton (324) have more.
ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US: The Mets have stolen 20 bases this season, which is tied for fourth in the majors and is tied for second in the National League…Brandon Nimmo, who is tied for 11th in the NL, has stolen three bases in 16 games this year…Nimmo stole a total of three bases in 151 games last season.
TOMMY BOY: Tommy Pham has safely hit in four of his last six games… He is now batting .273 (9-33) with three runs, a double, two home runs, six RBI, four walks, two steals with a .385 OBP and a .485 SLG…He is one steal away from 100 for his career.
THIS ONE GOES TO 11: In 11 games since April 5, Francisco Lindor is batting .279 (12-43) with 12 runs, five doubles, four home runs, 16 RBI,
five walks, two steals with a .380 OBP and a .674 SLG.
D-FENCE: The Mets have committed only two errors in 17 games this season…The team’s .997 fielding percentage is the best in the majors… Francisco Lindorh has recorded five DRS (defensive runs saved) according to the Fielding Bible…That is tied for the second-most in the majors…Only Milwaukee’s Joey Wiemer (6) has more.
TYLOR MEGILL RHP #38
MEGILL’S PITCH ARSENAL
Pitch Type Usage Rate vs. LHB vs. RHB Avg. Velocity
Four-Seam Fastball 51% 60% 44% 94.1 mph
Slider 27% 5% 44% 82.9 mph
Changeup 16% 23% 11% 88.3 mph
Curveball 6% 13% 1% 77.1 mph
MEGILL NEWS & NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: Earned his third victory of the season in as many starts on April 12 at Citi Field…Allowed two runs over 5.0 innings on three hits, three walks and three strikeouts.
BIG DRIP IN THE CITY OF ANGELS: Tonight, Megill makes his first career start in Los Angeles…He was born in Long Beach, California and attended Los Alamitos High School, located 25 miles from Dodger Stadium.
TY-FOUR: Megill is seeking to become the first Mets pitcher since Matt Harvey and Bartolo Colon in 2015 to win their first four starts of the season…Harvey ended up winning his first five starts that season…If Megill earns the win tonight, he will become the 14th pitcher in franchise history to win his first four starts of a season…Frank Viola owns the franchise record for most consecutive starts won to open the season after winning his first seven starts of the 1990 season.
AMAZIN APRIL: In eight April starts since 2022, Megill is 7-0 with a 2.05 ERA (10 ER/44.0 IP) and 40 strikeouts…Megill’s seven wins in April since last season are eighth…Among qualifiers in April dating back to 2022, Megill is ninth in ERA, 12th in opponent’s batting average (.191) and 15th in WHIP (0.98).
THE FRANCHISE HAS COMPANY: On April 7, the Mets home opener vs. Miami, Megill 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.
DOIN’ THE SPLITS: This season, righties are hitting just .118 (4-34) against Megilll, while left-handers have batted .333 (8-24)…For his career, Megill owns a .192 (57-297) opponent’s average against right-handed batters, the sixth-best mark among right-handed pitchers since his major league debut on June 23, 2021 (min. 300 RHB faced)…Left-handed batters have a .309 (89-288) average against Megill, the third-highest mark among right-handed pitchers (min. 300 LHB faced).
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 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.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS NOTES:
JUST NOT ENOUGH: The Dodgers offense picked things up considerably last night, but the six runs weren’t enough and the club dropped their second consecutive contest and third of the homestand, 8-6, in the first game of a three-game set with the New York Mets. Los Angeles collected nine hits, but gave up 14 and continued a familiar theme from this early part of the season: The Boys in Blue are now 0-9 when getting out-hit by their opponent. As the six-game homestand (1-3) heads to its conclusion, the Dodgers will play the Mets in the middle game of the series tonight, before wrapping things up with an early 12:10 p.m. start tomorrow afternoon. Following the game tomorrow, the club will fly to Chicago and begin an eight-day, seven-game road trip against the Cubs (4) and Pirates (3), beginning with a 4:40 p.m. PT start on Thursday night at Wrigley Field. Freddie Freeman belted two home runs last night, his first multi-homer game with the Dodgers. Freeman has 18-career multi-homer games and in 196 games vs. the Mets, he is slashing .305/.388/.501 with 30 home runs. The Dodgers lost their season series with the Mets last year, splitting four games at Dodger Stadium and losing two of three at Citi Field. Los Angeles lost just two series after the All-Star break last season, falling to the Mets on the road and Washington at Dodger Stadium. 2022 marked the first time the Dodgers lost a season series to the Mets since 2015, but Los Angeles has now dropped five of its last six vs. New York.
HISTORY CLASS: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Dodger left-hander Clayton Kershaw takes the mound tonight with his first opportunity to become the 117th pitcher in big league history to reach 200 wins. Kershaw would also become just the third pitcher to reach 200 wins with the Dodgers, joining Don Sutton (233) and Don Drysdale (209). With a victory tonight, Kershaw’s winning percentage of .694 would be the highest of All-time in the 200 club, just ahead of Yankees’ Hall of Famer Whitey Ford (.690).
Highest Win Pct. -All-Time (min. 200 Wins)
Clayton Kershaw .693 (199 wins) 2008-current
Whitey Ford .690 1950-67
Bob Caruthers .688 1885-91
Pedro Martinez .687 1992-2009
Lefty Grove .680 1925-41
Former Dodger Max Scherzer was the last pitcher to record victory No. 200, doing so for the Mets last year on Sept. 25 in Oakland. Kershaw is just nine strikeouts away from passing Mickey Lolich for 22nd all-time on the strikeout leaderboard and needs 176 more punchouts to become the 20th player in Major League Baseball history with 3,000 career strikeouts:
MLB – Active Strikeout Leaders
Max Scherzer 3,207
Justin Verlander 3,198
Zack Greinke 2,899
Clayton Kershaw 2,824
HOME RUNS TO THE MAX: Dodger third baseman Max Muncy went 2-for-4 last night and ripped his seventh homer of the season, tying him with Rafael Devers for third in the Major Leagues, trailing just Patrick Wisdom (8) and Pete Alonso (8). Muncy’s 15 RBI are tied for fourth in the NL, trailing just Bryan Reynolds (17), Francisco Lindor (17) and Matt Olson (17).
DIGGING THE LONGBALL: The Dodgers ripped three home runs last night and continue to lead the National League with 30 home runs, trailing only the Tampa Bay Rays (37) for the most in the Majors. The club has recorded six 3+ homer games this season and also lead the NL with 91 runs scored , 62 extra-base hits (T-1st) and six triples (T-1st, ML). The club ranks second on the Senior Circuit with a .463 slugging percentage.
TONIGHT’S STARTER vs. METS: LHP CLAYTON KERSHAW (2-1, 3.50 ERA in 3 GS)
2023 SEASON NOTES:
• Tossed six innings for the third game in a row in his last start, giving up five hits, three runs (two earned), two walks and striking out four en route to his second win of the season…he is one win shy of becoming the 121st man in MLB history with 200 wins.
• He moved into 23rd all-time on the Major League strikeout list, surpassing Mike Mussina (2,813) in his first start this season…he needs 180 more to become the 20th player in Major League history with 3,000 strikeouts
• Started four games in Spring Training, going 2-1 with a 3.44 ERA (7 ER/18.1 IP)with 16 strikeouts against just two walks…held a 1.04 WHIP
• Two victories came in his last two starts against the Guardians on March 21 and the Angels on March 26 at Dodger Stadium
VS. METS:
• Last faced the Mets on Sept. 1, 2022, tossing 5.0 innings…giving up one hit, one earned run, three walks and sitting down six while not factoring in the decision
• The southpaw is undefeated against the Mets with a lifetime 10-0 record and a 2.17 ERA (25 ER/103.2 IP) and 114 strikeouts against 31 walks…has secured six of those victories at Dodger Stadium
