NEW YORK METS NOTES:
METSCELLANEOUS: The Mets defeated the Giants, 8-4, on Sunday Night Baseball to complete a seven-game homestand (3-4)…New York is 8-18 over its last 26 games…This afternoon, the Mets kick off their final road trip before the All-Star break…The team heads west to Arizona (three games) and San Diego (three games).
HAPPY FOURTH!: New York is 32-37 all-time on Independence Day… According to sportradar, Brandon Nimmo’s career on-base percentage is .500 on the Fourth of July, the highest in Mets history (minimum 20 PA)… Nimmo’s .409 batting average on July 4 is fourth highest in Mets history, trailing Tommie Agee and Gary Carter at .429 each, along with Cleon Jones at .425 (minimum 20 PA).
OFF DAY SWAP: Yesterday, the Mets announced that the club acquired RHP Trevor Gott and RHP Chris Flexen from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for LHP Zach Muckenhirn…New York designated Flexen for assignment and transferred RHP Edwin Uceta to the 60-Day IL.
ROSTER MOVES: Prior to today’s game, the Mets activated RHP Trevor Gott and selected OF DJ Stewart from Triple-A Syracuse…Gott will wear #33 and Stewart will wear #29…As corresponding moves, INF Danny Mendick and RHP Jeff Brigham have been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse…To clear a 40- man roster space for Stewart, RHP Denyi Reyes has been designated for assignment.
SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Mets are fresh off taking a three-game set from the Giants, their first series win since their three-game sweep of the Phillies from May 30-June 2…New York had lost or split each of their last eight series.
SNAKE EYES: Arizona drafted Max Scherzer 11th overall in the 2006 First Year Player Draft and he pitched for the D-backs from 2008-2009…Scherzer has made 11 starts against his original club in his career…In those starts, he is 8-0 with a 2.38 ERA (19 ER/72.0 IP)…When facing the Diamondbacks on the road, Scherzer has pitched to a 2.81 ERA (10 ER/32.0 IP) in five starts, with a 4-0 record…His last start and last win against the Diamondbacks was on May 14, 2021, when he threw 5.0 scoreless innings and struck out seven at Chase Field.
SNAKE CHARMER: Francisco Lindor has reached base safely in all 15 of his games played vs. Arizona in his career, hitting safely in 14 of the 15 contests… All told, he has posted a .361/.406/.656 slashline with 11 RBI and 13 runs scored against the Diamondbacks.
CATCH US IF YOU CAN: New York recorded two stolen bases on Sunday night, bringing their season tally to 63 steals in 70 attempts…The team’s 90 percent success rate is the best in the majors…Starling Marte was caught stealing on Friday, ending a franchise-record run of 35 consecutive stolen bases without being caught…Overall, New York has been successful in 37 of their last 38 stolen base attempts…The last time a Mets player was thrown out attempting a stolen base before Friday night was on May 10 (Francisco Lindor at second)…Marte has swiped 21 bags this year, seventh in the majors and third in the National League…His 335 career stolen bases rank second among active players…Elvis Andrus is the active leader with 341 steals.
HOME RUN HAPPY: This season, the Mets have hit 105 home runs through their first 84 games, the seventh-most in franchise history during that span… Last season, the Mets had 83 home runs through their first 84 games…The Mets have homered three or more times in a game 13 times this season, surpassing their total from 2022.
PHAM-TASTIC: Tommy Pham is hitting .591 (13-22) with a 1.670 OPS over his current six-game hitting streak…Has four multi-hit games in his last five contests…He recorded three-straight multi-hit games from June 26-30, his first time accomplishing the feat since June 12-14, 2021 with San Diego.
THE PHAM-NOMENON: Pham is batting .378 (37-98) since May 28 with a 1.125 OPS…He ranks second in the majors in both average and OPS over that span, trailing MLB leaders Luis Arraez (.411 average) and Shohei Ohtani (1.347 OPS)…Has 11 multi-hit efforts and 24 RBI during that timeframe.
WHEN YOU’RE IN SCORING POSITION, YOU’RE PHAMILY: Pham leads the Mets with a .350 (14-40) average with runners in scoring position…Since May 18, has 12 hits in 24 at-bats with RISP…He leads the NL in average (.500), OBP (.581), SLG (1.000) and OPS (1.581) with RISP over that timeframe.
ATTABOY ALVAREZ: On Saturday, Francisco Alvarez hit his 13th home run of the season, tying Travis d’Arnaud’s franchise record for most home run by a rookie catcher set in 2014…Among NL rookies, Alvarez ranks third in home runs and fourth in SLG with a .460 clip…Alvarez’s 13 home runs are the fourth-most in a season by a catcher in his age-21 season or younger behind Johnny Bench (26, age 21, 1969), Darrell Porter (16, age 21, 1973) and Johnny Bench (15, age 20, 1968)…Courtesy of Sarah Langs.
GIRL DAD POWER: Over the last 15 games, Francisco Lindor is batting .286 (14-49) with 11 runs, two doubles, five home runs, 11 RBI, nine walks, three steals with a .393 OBP and a .633 SLG…Over the last 25 games, Lindor has posted a .917 OPS, batting .253 (21-83) with 16 runs, four doubles, seven home runs, 15 RBI, 15 walks, five steals with a .363 OBP and a .554 SLG…He has posted a 2.5 fWAR this year, which ranks 16th in the National League…His 36 extra-base hits are tied for the 13th most in the National League.
FIRST IS THE BEST: The Mets are 24-11 (.686) when scoring first this season… The Mets are 14-35 (.286) when their opponent scores first.
FIRST IS THE WORST: The Mets have been outscored 59-23 in the first inning this year…New York has posted a 5.79 ERA (54 ER/84.0 IP) in the first inning this season…That is the sixth-highest first inning ERA in the majors…Last year, the Mets posted a 4.39 ERA (79 ER/162.0 IP) in the first frame.
INVADER NIM: Brandon Nimmo has recorded six home runs over his last 15 games, posting a .922 OPS in that span…Nimmo is batting .317 (32-102) with 10 extra-base hits against left-handed pitchers this year…His .317 average is the seventh-highest mark by a lefty against southpaws this season…It is fourth in the National League behind Miamis Luis Arraez (.385), Philadelphia’s Bryson Stott (.329) and Chicago’s Cody Bellinger (.323).
DR. ROBERTSON: David Robertson has posted a 2-2 record with 11 saves, and a 1.95 ERA (8 ER/37.0 IP) in 33 appearances this season…He has walked 10, while striking out 44…He ranks ninth in ERA among NL relievers…He is tied for 19th in the NL with 42 punchouts…He is holding left-handed hitters to a .183 (13-71) average this year.
WHAT A PERFORMANCE!: 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…Clark is in his ninth season as the head performance coach and his 13th season in the organization.
STARTING PITCHER – MAX SCHERZER RHP #21
2023 STATS: 7-2, 3.87 ER A
LAST TIME OUT: Pitched 6.0 innings against Milwaukee at Citi Field on June 29…Allowed two runs on seven hits…Struck out nine and walked two in the Mets’ 3-2 Loss. SNAKE EYES: Arizona drafted Max Scherzer 11th overall in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft and he pitched for the Dbacks from 2008-2009…Scherzer has made 11 starts against his original club in his career…In those starts, he is 8-0 with a 2.38 ERA (19 ER/72.0 IP)…When facing the Diamondbacks on the road, Scherzer has pitched to a 2.81 ERA (10 ER/32.0 IP) in five starts, with a 4-0 record…His last start and last win against the Diamondbacks was on May 14, 2021, when he threw 5.0 scoreless innings and struck out seven at Chase Field.
EIGHT IS GREAT: Scherzer pitched 8.0 innings for the first time this season on June 19 at Houston…The last time Scherzer pitched 8.0 innings or more was September 12, 2021 with the Los Angeles Dodgers…This was Scherzer’s first time accomplishing this feat as a Met… Scherzer holds a career record of 47-3 and has a 1.25 ERA (66 ER/475.2 IP) in games where he pitches 8.0 innings or more.
TURNING THINGS AROUND: After pitching to a 5.56 ERA (14 ER/22.2 IP) in his first five starts this season, Scherzer has picked up five wins over his last nine starts (since May 14 at Washington) and has pitched to a 3.17 ERA (19 ER/54.0 IP) during that span…In that time frame, he has tallied 65 strikeouts compared to eight walks, holding opponents to a .249 average and pitching to a 1.11 WHIP
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:
TOP OF THE WEST: The D-backs are in first place in the NL West (+2.5) and have spent 55 days in/tied for first place in the division.
♦ Entering today, the D-backs are 12-11 in Independence Day games (3-6 @ home).
TOP 5 RECORD: The D-backs’ 50-35 (.588) season record is tied for fourth in the Majors (also: Rangers), behind the Braves (57-27, .679), Rays (57-30, .655) and Orioles (49-34, .590).
CARROLL EARNS NL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH FOR JUNE : Corbin Carroll earned NL Rookie of the Month for June.
♦ Is the fifth D-backs player to win the NL Rookie of the Month Award and the first since Chris Owings in April 2014 (also: Gerardo Parra in May 2009; Daniel Hudson in August 2010 and Wade Miley in April 2012).
♦ Finished among Major League leaders for the month in runs (4th, 25), RBI (T-6th, 22) and home runs (T-7th, 8).
VS. METS: The D-backs are 9-7 vs. Mets in their last 16 matchups @ Chase Field (since 2017).
♦ Last year, the D-backs went 2-4 vs. Mets, including 1-2 @ home.
50 WINS: The D-backs’ 50 wins through their first 85 games marks the fifth time the club has had 50+ wins in the span: 2017: 52-33 (Wild Card champs); 2002: 51-34 (NL West champs); 2001: 51-34 (World Series champs); 2023: 50-35; 2000: 50-35
DAY GAMES : The D-backs’ 19-14 (.576) day-game record is tied for the sixth in the Majors (also: Guardians), behind the Yankees (22-9, .710), Braves (21-9, .700),
Rangers (22-12, .647), Rays (26-15, .634) and Phillies (23-14, .622).
STRIKE EARLY AND OFTEN: Among teams in the fi rst 2.0 innings since June 16, the D-backs are second with a .945 OPS and 30 runs, tied for second with 15 walks
and third with 18 extra-base hits.
YOUNG ‘BACKS: The D-backs’ 27.8 roster age is the fourth youngest in the Majors behind the Guardians (26.2), Nationals (27.3) and Pirates (27.6).
SWIPING BAGS: The D-backs’ 82 stolen bases are fourth in the Majors behind the Rays (103), Reds (95) and A’s (87).
GET ‘EM ON, GET ‘EM HOME: With runners on base and 2 outs, among all teams since June 1, the D-backs ranks among MLB teams in runs (1st, 65) and extra-base hits (1st, 25).
♦ With runners in scoring position and 2 outs, among teams since June 1, the D-backs’ 52 runs are second in the Majors, behind the Mets (54).
STARTERS LEADING THE CHARGE: Over the last 3 games (since June 30), D-backs’ starters are 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA (6 ER in 20.0 IP), a .167 opponent average, 4 walks, 26 strikeouts, 0.80 WHIP and 11.70 K/9.0 IP.
♦ D-backs starters’ 6.2 innings pitched per game and 26 strikeouts in the span leads the Majors.
BULLPEN OF LATE: D-backs relievers’ 1.96 ERA since June 24 is third in the Majors behind the Phillies (0.67) and Braves (1.52).
♦ The bullpen’s 0.83 WHIP (11 H, 8 BB) is second in the Majors to the Phillies (0.70; 17 H, 2 BB).
EXTRA! EXTRA! The D-backs’ 59 straight games with an extra-base hit (since April 28, 36-23 record) is the Majors’ second-longest active streak behind the Angels (60, since April 29, 2023)…it is also the second-longest streak in a season in club history behind the 69-gamer from July 18-Oct. 7, 2001.
NO SHUTOUT STREAK CONTINUES, NINTH BEST SINCE 1998: The D-backs’ club-record 85 games without a shutout to start the season is the Majors’ ninth-longest single-season streak since 1998: Reds (163 G, April 3-Oct. 1, 2000), Rangers (160 G, April 1-Oct. 5, 2001), Yankees (138 G, March 28-Sept. 1, 2019), Orioles (133 G, April 2-Aug. 31, 2007), Rangers (96, March 31-July 13, 2008), Tigers (April 5-July 16, 2012), Yankees (89 G, April 2-July 16 [GM1], 2017) and Nationals (86 G, April 3-July 7, 2017).
♦ Only team to not be shut out in 2023.
DEFENDERS OF THE DIAMOND: The D-backs’ 30 errors committed are the fewest in the Majors.
STARTING PITCHER – RHP ZACH DAVIES ♦ #27
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: Is making his first career start on the Fourth of July.
- Looking for his first home win of the season and first since May 13, 2022 vs. Cubs.
- Is making his tenth start of the season and seventh @ Chase Field.
- Has faced 27 teams in his 10-year MLB career…only remaining teams are Orioles, Yankees and Blue Jays.
LAST START: Did not factor in the D-backs’ 3-2 loss vs. Rays on June 28 after tossing a season-high 7.0 shutout innings and yielding a season-low 2 hits… held a 2-0 lead after exiting after the seventh inning.
- Allowed no runs in a start for the first time since Aug. 7, 2022 vs. Rockies (ND; 6.1 IP).
- Was the second time in his career he tossed at least 7.0 innings and allowed no runs while allowing 2 or fewer hits.
VS. METS: Is 3-3 with a 5.32 ERA (27 ER in 45.2 IP) in 9 starts against the Mets… has faced them once as a D-back, once as a Cub and 7 times as a Brewer.
- Lost his lone start as a D-back on April 15, 2022 @ Mets (4 ER in 4.1 IP).
VS. NL EAST FOES: Has gone 13-8 with a 4.84 ERA (91 ER in 169.1 IP) in 31 career starts.
- Won his last start on April 21, 2022 @ Nationals (2 ER in 5.0 IP, 7 K).
PITCH TRACKING: Opposing batters are hitting .158 (3-for-19) with 2 strikeouts on his cutter and .182 (2-for-11) with 1 strikeout on his curveball.
MISSING BARRELS: Has lowered his barrel pct. down from 8.0 in 2022 to 5.0 in 2023.
- Barrel = comparable hit types (exit velo. + launch angle) that have lead to a min. .500 BA/1.500 SLG.
LIMITING THE LONG BALL: Has allowed 3 home runs in his 9 starts (194 BF)… all 3 homers have come in the fi rst inning and 2 of the 3 have been solo shots.
IT’S UNDER CONTROL: Has walked 2 or fewer batters in 6 of his 9 starts.
0-2, GOT YOU: Opponents are 1-for-8 (.125) with 4 strikeouts on an 0-2 count.
WORKHORSE: Is 1 of 11 MLB pitchers with 27+ starts in 5 of the last 7 seasons since 2016.
IL REPORT: Reinstated from the 15-day injured list (sprained left oblique) on May 27.
- Tossed 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and striking out 7 in 1 rehab start with Double-A Amarillo on May 20.
