Game Chat: Mets vs Yankees, 7:05 PM

Wednesday, July 24, 2024 • 7:05 PM
Yankee Stadium • Bronx, NY
LHP Sean Manaea (6-4, 3.73) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (3-1, 4.60)
ESPN

With Tuesday night’s win, the Mets have clinched the winning season series against the Yankees in 2024. A win tonight would mean a season sweep, and the Mets would finally reach five games above .500 for the season, a plateau that has alluded this team so far. The Braves (still have Game 2 of doubleheader) and the Cardinals already lost today.

Tuesday night’s game had all the makings of a disaster for the Mets. The bullpen was short-handed. The bats left the bases loaded twice and couldn’t make the most of Yankee mistakes. Jake Diekman had to close the game and walked Juan Soto to bring up Aaron Judge, representing the winning run, with one out. The Mets walked Judge in four previous plate appearances. Jake Diekman reached back and got Judge to strike out looking. The sleep-deprived Mets (who landed from Miami a little after five in the morning) locked the victory down. Let’s go for the sweep today!

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Brandon Nimmo – LF
3. J.D. Martinez – DH
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Mark Vientos – 3B
6. Jeff McNeil – RF
7. Jose Iglesias – 2B
8. Francisco Alvarez – C
9. Tyrone Taylor – CF

Sean Manaea has tossed 101 1/3 innings over 19 starts with a 3.73 ERA, 3.84 FIP, 1.243 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. He’s looking to bounce back from a rough start coming back from the All-Star break, where he allowed five runs from eight hits and a walk over five innings against the Marlins. Before that start, Manaea had a 2.02 ERA and 3.64 FIP over 35 2/3 innings over six starts. That run includes a start against the Yankees where he held the Bronx Bombers to only two hits and no runs over five innings, despite walking five batters. The Yankees have the following career numbers against Manaea:

• Oswaldo Cabrera 0-1, BB
• J.D. Davis 2-6, HR, 3 BB, 2 K
• Trent Grisham 3-7, K
• Aaron Judge 6-13, 2 HR, 3 BB, 5 K
• DJ LeMahieu 4-10, 2B, K
• Ben Rice 0-2, K
• Juan Soto 0-5, 4 BB, 3 K
• Gleyber Torres 0-4, 2 K
• Alex Verdugo 1-6
• Anthony Volpe 0-3

Opposing Lineup

1. Gleyber Torres – 2B
2. Juan Soto – RF
3. Aaron Judge – CF
4. Austin Wells – C
5. Anthony Volpe – SS
6. Alex Verdugo – LF
7. J.D. Davis – DH
8. DJ LeMahieu – 1B
9. Oswaldo Cabrera – 3B

Somehow, the Mets lined up with Gerrit Cole again. Over six starts, Cole has pitched 29 1/3 innings with a 4.60 ERA, 4.71 FIP, 1.393 WHIP, and a 90 ERA+. He’s looked more like the Cole of old in his last two starts allowing only two runs over 12 innings from 11 hits and two walks while striking out 15 batters. His worst start of the season came against the Mets, who scored six runs from seven hits, including four home runs over four innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Pete Alonso 0-3, BB, K
• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, 2 BB, K
• Harrison Bader 1-3, HR, K
• Ben Gamel 1-7, 2 BB, 3 K
• José Iglesias 3-24, 2 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
• Francisco Lindor 4-23, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• J.D. Martinez 8-46, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 BB, 18 K
• Jeff McNeil 3-7, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo 3-8, HR, BB, 2 K
• DJ Stewart 1-11, HR, BB, 7 K
• Tyrone Taylor 3-6, 2B, HR< K
• Luis Torrens 0-4
• Mark Vientos 3-4, 2 HR

Game Notes

Brett Baty had a monster game on Tuesday with two home runs and two doubles for Triple-A Syracuse.

Iglesias’ .344 batting average against the Yankees is tied for the highest among active players.

Christian Scott recently went down with a UCL sprain. According to Joel Sherman, the plan for Scott is rest and then rehab. The Mets hope to get the righty back before the season’s end.

Three Things To Watch For

1. The King of New York. Jeff McNeil went 2-for-3 with a walk and his fourth homer since the All-Star break in Tuesday’s game. In his last seven games he is 8-for-22 with two doubles, four homers slashing .364/.400/1.000. Further, 11 of his 32 RBIs in 2024 have happened in his last seven games, including four games with multiple RBIs.
2. Walk sign is on. You can cross to first base safely if you’re Aaron Judge. The Mets came into Tuesday night’s game with a strategy against Judge. It paid off! Will the Mets do something similar tonight? Are they going to continue to mess with Judge’s head?
3. Seven Express Train. The Mets hit four balls Tuesday night over 104 mph. Mark Vientos had a 109 mph lineout and later hit a 107 mph double. Pete Alonso ripped a 108.8 mph double. Lindor’s double was 104.4 mph. Bonus stat – Pete Alonso stopped a 105 mph screamer from Trent Grishman that Dedniel Núñez unfortunately dropped while fielding.

Let’s go Mets!

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