Friday, March 29, 2024
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MLB Preview: New York Mets (30-32) at Atlanta Braves (37-24)

NEW YORK METS NOTES:

METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets fell to the Braves, 7-5, last night…The Mets are looking to avoid their fourth sweep of the season…The Mets continue their six-game road trip (0-2) to Atlanta (0-2) and Pittsburgh (three games).

LET’S NOT GO STREAKING: New York has lost a season-high five straight games, which is the longest stretch of the season…The last time the Mets lost five in a row was from September 21-26, 2021…The last time the Mets lost six or more in a row was when they dropped six straight from August 23-29, 2019.

PHAM-TASTIC: Over his last 12 games, Tommy Pham is batting .357 (10- 28) with five runs, two doubles, one triple, three home runs, 10 RBI, four walks with a .424 OBP, a .821 SLG and a 1.246 OPS.

FOR PETE’S SAKE: Pete Alonso’s 22 home runs this year, leads the majors leagues…His 49 RBI are fourth in The Show and lead the National League…Alonso ranks 12th in franchise history with 429 career RBI… Next up is Kevin McReynolds (456) and Keith Hernandez (468)…Alonso
has appeared in all 58 of the Mets games this year.

JUST DO IT: Justin Verlander will make his fourth career start against the Braves tonight…Verlander is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA (6 ER/21.0 IP) with five walks and 25 strikeouts lifetime against Atlanta…This will mark his first career start at Truist Park…In six starts this year, Verlander is 2-3 with a 4.25 ERA (17 ER/36.0 IP) with nine walks and 30 strikeouts…This includes a 1-1 mark with a 4.76 ERA (9 ER/17.0 IP) with four walks and 14 strikeouts in three starts on the road.

Rank Player Strikeouts

  1. Greg Maddux 3,371
  2. Phil Niekro 3,342
  3. Max Scherzer 3,251
  4. Justin Verlander 3,228
  5. Fergie Jenkins 3192
    Rank Player Strikeouts
  6. Pedro Martinez 3,154
  7. Bob Gibson 3,117
  8. Curt Schilling 3,116
  9. CC Sabathia 3,093
  10. John Smoltz 3,084
    MOST STRIKEOUTS, ALL-TIME (NO. 10-19)

COME AT THE KING, BEST NOT MISS: Omar Narváez has reached base safely in all six games this season, batting .313 (5-16) with two runs, two
RBI and two walks.

TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUIST: New York is 22-32 all-time at Truist Park…Mark Canha has hit .270 (10-37) with three runs, four doubles, two home runs, four RBI, three walks with a .341 OBP and a .541 SLG…Tommy Pham has batted .279 (12-43) with 10 runs, one double, five home runs, 11 RBI, 10 walks with a .411 OBP and a .651 SLG…Starling Marte has hit seven home runs in 27 career games at the yard.

HOTLANTA: Jeff McNeil has hit .376 (35-93) with 13 runs, nine doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, six walks with a .420 OBP and a .538 SLG… In seven games at the ballpark in 2022, McNeil recorded a hit in six of those games, batting .517 (15-29) with five runs, three doubles, one home run, two RBI with a 1.241 OPS.

A STARLING IS BORN: Over his last 27 games, Starling Marte is batting .283 (26-92) with 12 runs, one double, one triple, two home runs, nine RBI, three walks with a .327 OBP…He has safely reached base in eight of his last 10 games.

THE EAST IS A BEAST: The Mets are 12-10 against the division this year…The team went 50-26 against the East in 2022…Their .658 winning percentage against the East was the best mark in club history.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: Francisco Alvarez has hit nine home runs this season…That puts him tied for the third-most by a rookie in the majors and tied for second in the National League…Only two rookie catchers in Mets history have had more homers in a season…Travis d’Arnaud (13) holds the club mark for home runs by a rookie catcher in 2014…Jason Phillips hit 11 as a rookie in 2003…Alvarez’s 10 career
homers (one last year) before turning 22 years old are the most by a catcher since Iván Rodríguez had 21 from 1991-1993.

D-FENCE: The Mets have committed 22 errors in 62 games this year, tied with the Diamondbacks for the fewest errors in the majors…New York owns a .990 fielding percentage…Their .990 fielding percentage, second in the major leagues.

FIRST IS THE WORST: The Mets have been outscored 46-14 in the first inning this year.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: New York has played 35 games on the road this year, tied for the most in the majors…New York is 15-20 with a 4.99 ERA away from Citi Field in 2023…The team’s 294 strikeouts on the road are the third-most in the majors.

ROAD WARRIOR: Brandon Nimmo is batting .338 (46-136) with 18 runs, eight doubles, three triples, two home runs, 17 RBI, 17 walks with a .419 OBP and .485 SLG in 36 games on the road this season…His .338 road average ranks fourth in the majors…Nimmo owns a career .399 OBP on the road…That is the fourth-highest mark in the majors since the Wyoming native entered the league in 2016.

IF YOU START ME OFF: New York is 16-1 when their starter goes at least 6.0 innings…The Mets are still 6-0 when the starter goes at least 7.0 Iinnings.

EIGHT IS GREAT: The Mets are 27-0 when leading after eight innings this season…The last time the Mets lost a game when they were ahead after eight innings was on September 6, 2021 at Washington…The Mets were up 3-2 and lost 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth…Since then the Mets have won their last 122 games when ahead after eight, the longest active streak in MLB…It’s the longest streak in franchise history, surpassing the previous high of 117 consecutive games.

STEAL THIS BASE: The Mets lead the major leagues with an 87.5% stolen base success rate this season…Starling Marte has swiped 17 bags this
year, tied for sixth in the majors and tied for third in the National League… His 331 career stolen bases rank second among active players…Elvis Andrus is the active leader with 340 steals…Pete Alonso has stolen 12 bases in 13 tries in his career.

RISPY BUSINESS: The Mets are hitting .238 (110-462) with runners in scoring position, ranking 12th in the NL and 23rd in the majors this year… Last season, New York batted .269 (371-1,378), good for third in the NL and fourth in the majors.

STARTING PITCHER – JUSTIN VERLANDER RHP #35
2023 STATS: 2-3, 4.25 E R A

VERLANDER PITCH ARSENL
Pitch Type Usage Rate vs. LHB vs. RHB Avg. Velocity
Four-Seam Fastball 52% 55% 50% 94.3 mph
Slider 29% 26% 33% 87.2 mph
Curveball 16% 14% 17% 79.2 mph
Changeup 3% 3% 0% 84.9 mph

‘TILL I COLLAPSE: In his last start, June 2 vs. Toronto, Verlander threw 117 pitches, the most by a starting pitcher this season…It was the highest pitch count Verlander reached since throwing 120 pitches in his third career no-hitter on September 1, 2019 at Toronto… His 117 pitches were the most by a Mets hurler since Jason Vargas reached 117 pitches in a complete game shutout on June 5, 2019 at San Francisco…Was the highest pitch count in a game by a pitcher age 40 or older since R.A. Dickey threw 121 pitches on August 30, 2017 with Atlanta…Were the most pitches by a Mets pitcher age 40 or older since Bartolo Colon threw 121 pitches on July 14, 2014…Courtesy of Sarah Langs.

ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:

Down Three
Atlanta has trailed New York, 4-1, in each of the last two games, yet has rallied to win both nights. The Braves last erased deficits of at least three runs in back-to-back games in 2017, when Atlanta rallied to beat Miami on September 9 and September 10 here at Truist Park.
Atlanta has never won three straight games when trailing by at least three since moving to the city in 1966. The Braves are 4-16 (.200) when trailing by three this season overall, tied for the sixth-most such wins in the majors.

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Mets tonight conclude a three-game series with what is the sixth of 13 games between the teams this season…The two will next meet from August 11-13, playing a four-game set at Citi Field in Queens.

  • Atlanta improved to 4-1 in five games with the Mets this season following last night’s win.
  • 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 55-36 (.604) against New York overall.
  • The Braves have won 10 of the last 12 games with New York dating to last season, outscoring the Mets 71-41 (+30) over the stretch.
  • Atlanta has won six straight games here at Truist Park against New York, dating to August of last season…The Braves have not had a longer streak against the Mets at home since 1997-1998, when they won eight straight at Turner Field.
  • RH Spencer Strider has six career appearances and four total starts against the Mets, going 3-1 with a 5.03 ERA (11 ER/19.2 IP)…He has a higher ERA against just one team in baseball (San Francisco – 8.31)…In his only turn versus the Mets this season, May 1 at Citi Field, he allowed five hits and four runs over 5.0 innings, but earned the win in Atlanta’s victory, 9-8.
  • RH Justin Verlander has made just three career starts against Atlanta, going 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA (6 ER/21.0 IP) and 25 strikeouts…The 6-foot5, 225-pound native of Manakin-Sabot, VA, has completed exactly 7.0 innings in each of his three career turns…He has not faced the Braves since 2016 while with Detroit, and took the loss despite allowing just one run over 7.0 innings.

WIN: Atlanta erased a second consecutive three-run deficit to rally and beat New York, 7-5, last night… The Braves improved to 14-5 (.737) against N.L. East opponents with the win.

  • The win marked Atlanta’s third straight come-from-behind win after also doing so Sunday at Arizona…The Braves improved to 14-24 (.368) when trailing at any point this season, tied for the eighth-best record in baseball.
  • The Braves have won each of their last three home games, tying their season-long streak here at Truist Park…Atlanta’s last home winning streak longer than three games was a 10-game run, August 31 to September 20 of last season.
  • Atlanta scored all seven of its runs with two outs, the most two-out runs for the club since plating nine runs with two outs, August 2, 2022 vs. Philadelphia…Last night was the first time Atlanta scored at least seven runs in a game and all of them came with two outs since scoring eight on April 20, 2019 at Cleveland.

BRIAN SNITKER WINS: Atlanta’s win last night was the 579th of Brian Snitker’s managerial career, tying him with George Stallings for the third-most wins by a manager in franchise history…A win tonight will give him sole possession.

  • The franchise has had 48 managers since its inception into the National League in 1876, and Snitker has won more games than all but two of
    them.
  • Snitker trails just Frank Selee (1,004 wins) and Bobby Cox (2,149 wins) on the franchise leaderboard…Both Selee and Cox are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • Snitker became the fifth manager in franchise history to skipper 1,000 games on April 6 earlier this season, joining Cox (3,860), Selee (1,677), George Stallings (1,201) and Bill McKechnie (1,235).
  • Snitker has compiled a 579-475 (.549) record as manager of the Braves, winning five consecutive N.L. East titles and the World Series in 2021…Since taking over for Atlanta on May 17, 2016, Snitker’s 579 wins stand as fourth most for any manager in baseballl…The Dodgers’ Dave Roberts (672) and Guardians’ Terry Francona (602) rank first and second, respectively, while the Rays’s Kevin Cash (594) sits third.
  • Atlanta’s 23 postseason wins since Snitker took over in 2016 are third most in baseball, trailing just the Astros (53) and Dodgers (45).
  • Research courtesy the Elias Sports Bureau.

OUTFIELD DEFENSE: Dating to May 20, Atlanta’s defense has turned 67% of balls hit to the outfield into outs, the best mark in the majors…For reference, the major league average in that span is just 59%.

  • Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II both made notable plays in the outfield last night, with Acuña Jr. catching a ball at the wall that had just a 70% catch probability, and Harris II nabbing a liner off the barrell with an expected batting average of .820.
  • Atlanta’s outfielders have combined for 11 assists this season, tied with Arizona and Cincinnati for most in the National League.
  • Research courtesy Sports Info Solutions.

MICHAEL HARRIS II: Went 3-for-4 with a game-winning home run in the eighth inning last night, his first three-hit game of the season and just his third home run…He raised his OPS for the season by 62 points in one game, entering with a .490 mark before a .552 OPS at game’s end.

  • The home run was just the second of his career to give Atlanta a lead in the eighth inning or later, joining a two-run shot on August 12 of last season at Miami.
  • Dating to last Saturday in Arizona, six of his last nine balls in play have had exit velocities over 100.0, including his final two plate appearances last night

Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #99 Spencer Strider RHP 2023 Record: 6-2, 2.97 ERA • 2022 Record: 11-5, 2.67 ERA vs. RHB: .194 (24-124), 4 HR • vs. LHB: .160 (20-for-125), 3 HR Home: 2-1, 3.09 ERA (12 ER/35.0) • Away: 4-1, 2.83 ERA (11/34.2)

Today’s Game

  • Strider is set to make his 13th start this year and second of the season against New York (NL).
  • Tied with Toronto’s Kevin Gausman for the most strikeouts in the majors at 113.
  • Gausman has 13 starts to Strider’s 12.
  • His 10 games of at least 10 strikeouts are third most in MLB history (since 1901) through a player’s first 32 starts.
  • Leads all qualified starters with a rate of 14.60 strikeouts per nine innings this season.
  • Dating to 1901, his 15.14 K/9 rate is the highest of any player through 10 starts to open a season.
  • The next closest were Tyler Glasnow (’20) and Jacob deGrom (’21), through their first 10 starts in a season dating to 1901.
  • His swing and miss rate of 39.7% is the highest in the majors (among QS).
  • Strider’s 55.7% rate of pitches in the zone is the third highest among qualifiers; trails only Seattle’s George Kirby and Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller.

2023 Recap

  • With his strikeout of Nick Castellanos in the fourth inning on May 28, he became the fastest starting pitcher, by innings pitched (61.0), to reach 100 strikeouts in a season, since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893…Jacob deGrom, then of New York (NL) was the previous record-holder, doing so in 61.2 innings in 2021…Strider bested his own franchise record, set last season in 64.2 innings.
  • Struckout J.T. Realmuto to reach 300 on his career.
  • Strider became the 13th player in major league history to record at least 300 strikeouts in 44 career appearances or less and first since Shane Bieber in 2018.
  • Of the other 12 pitchers, Strider is the only one to have more than two relief appearances in his first 44 outings.
  • Snapped a streak of 12 consecutive games with at least eight strikeouts on May 17.
  • Tied Hall-of-Famers Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson for the seventh longest such streak in the live ball era.
  • Only Hall-of-Famers Ryan, Johnson, Pedro Martínez and active pitchers Corey Kluber and Shane Bieber have longer streaks.
  • Struck out 12 hitters on May 12 at Toronto, giving Strider nine games of at least 10 strikeouts; the most through a player’s first 41 appearances in franchise history(1901).
  • The next closest were Brandon Beachy, Tommy Hanson, and Julio Teheran with three each in their first 41 outings.
  • Tied with Noah Syndergaard, Kerry Wood, and Al Downing for seventh most in MLB history (dating to 1901) through a player’s first 41 games.
  • On May 1 against New York (NL) Strider snapped his streak of nine consecutive games with at least nine strikeouts that begun on September 1, 2022.
  • It is tied for third-longest such streak in the modern era (since 1900).
  • Passed Hall-of-Famer John Smoltz for the longest streak in franchise history.
  • Carried a perfect game into the seventh inning in his last start against Miami until he lost his bid on a Matt Olson error.
  • Maintained a no-hitter through 7.1 innings; broken up on a single by Jean Segura.
  • Struckout a season-high 13 hitters and finished with two hits allowed over 8.0 innings pitched.
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