The New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers meet again at American Family Field on Thursday night. This time, it’s winner-take-all, and the loser is headed for the offseason. The Mets are in an elimination game because they lost the bullpen battle on Wednesday night in the Brewers’ 5-3 win. The Brewers bullpen didn’t allow a run in 5 1/3 innings, while the Mets bullpen gave up three runs in three innings — all came against Phil Maton in the eighth.
Jose Quintana will start for the Mets, and Tobias Myers is going for Milwaukee. It’s essentially a rematch of the Sept. 28 game when the Brewers beat the Mets 6-0 behind four scoreless innings from Myers out of the ‘pen (the Brewers used an opener). Quintana struck out nine in the game but lasted only 4 1/3 innings and gave up two runs. As with most elimination games, I would expect the managers to be aggressive when it comes to pulling starters early when trouble strikes.
Quintana did go seven innings in his last two starts in September and has gone at least five innings in 16 of his last 18 starts. For the Brewers, Myers has gone exactly four innings in each of his last three starts during his rookie campaign.
I would expect a big key on Thursday night to be more of the same: Which bullpen will hold up for the at least four innings each team will likely ask them to pitch?
To better answer that, we need to know who has their freshest arms and how the managers can best utilize them.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Mets Bullpen
RHP Edwin Díaz
- Last pitched on Monday when he threw 40 pitches the day after throwing 26 pitches.
- Was told to be ready for four outs on Wednesday, but was never used.
- Have to imagine he’s available for at least four outs in Game 3.
RHP Phil Maton
- Threw 20 pitches on Wednesday when he gave up three runs.
- Has pitched in four of the last five days.
- Mets will probably try to stay away from using Maton in Game 3.
- Maton said he will be ready to go again.
RHP Ryan Stanek
- Has pitched in the Mets’ last two games, but only threw 25 pitches total.
- Hasn’t pitched in three straight games this season.
- Did pitch in three straight games during the 2021 World Series.
RHP José Buttó
- Pitched two scoreless innings on Tuesday on 25 pitches.
- Has never pitched on one day of rest after throwing two innings.
- Only pitched on one day of rest this season three times; opponents have a .902 OPS.
RHP Reed Garrett
- Pitched a scoreless inning on Wednesday on only 12 pitches.
- He has pitched back-to-back seven times this season; opponents have a .906 OPS.
LHP Danny Young
- Last pitched on Friday and Saturday against the Brewers, totaling one inning on 28 pitches.
- Posted a 10.57 ERA in September.
RHP Adam Ottavino
- Pitched a scoreless inning in both ends of Monday’s doubleheader.
- Struck out three over 1 1/3 scoreless innings against the Brewers recently.
- Only scored upon once in his last 10 outings.
RHP Huascar Brazobán
- Threw 35 pitches on Monday pitching in both DH games.
- Has a 5.14 ERA in 19 games with Mets.
- Did throw back-to-back scoreless innings against the Brewers in July.
RHP Max Kranick
- Last pitched on Sept. 22 with Triple-A Syracuse.
- Hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022.
Wild Cards For Mets
LHP David Peterson
- Pitched seven scoreless innings against the Brewers on Sunday.
- Does have 16 games of relief experience in majors, most recently in 2023.
- Lefties have just a .576 OPS against him this season.
- Have to imagine Mendoza finds a way to use Peterson tonight.
RHP Luis Severino
- Threw 105 pitches in six innings vs. the Brewers on Tuesday.
- Andy Martino reports Severino could be used for one inning on Thursday.
Photo by Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Brewers Bullpen
RHP Devin Williams
- Pitched a scoreless inning on 10 pitches last night.
- Five of his 22 appearances this season were on zero rest; opponents’ OPS is .497.
- Has only pitched three times since Sept. 22.
RHP Trevor Megill
- Pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings on 22 pitches last night. First outing since Sept. 27.
- Has pitched only three times since Sept. 21.
- Has nine appearances this season on zero rest; opponents have a .633 OPS.
RHP Joel Payamps
- Threw a scoreless inning on Wednesday on 17 pitches.
- Has thrown 31 pitches total over the last two days.
- Has not thrown in three straight days this year.
LHP Aaron Ashby
- Gave up two runs without recording an out against Mets on Tuesday on 18 pitches.
- He pitched only three times since Sept. 22.
- Has recorded more than three outs in 75% of his relief appearances.
RHP Nick Mears
- Tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings on 12 pitches Tuesday against the Mets.
- The previous outing was one scoreless inning on Saturday against the Mets.
LHP DL Hall
- Last pitched on Sunday with two scoreless innings against the Mets.
- Has seven starts and six relief appearances this season.
LHP Jared Koenig
- Used seven pitches to record two outs on Tuesday.
- Has pitched three times since Sept. 22.
- Had a 2.47 ERA in 62 regular-season innings this year.
RHP Joe Ross
- Pitched 1 1/3 scoreless last night on only 12 pitches.
- Previous outing was three scoreless against Mets on Friday.
- The former starter has pitched once on zero days rest this season; opponents went 3-for-5.
Wild Cards For Brewers
RHP Freddy Peralta
- Game 1 starter Freddy Peralta did throw only 68 pitches on Tuesday compared to 105 for Severino.
- The Brewers don’t have a bulk guy available like the Mets do with Peterson because Aaron Civale pitched three innings on Tuesday.
All in all, this final game of the 2024 Wild Card matchups could come down to the buttons pushed by each manager with their pitching staff. We’ve seen it already in the series. In Game 1, it felt like Pat Murphy pulled Freddy Peralta too early, and in Game 2, Mendoza pulled Manaea at only 86 pitches and left Maton in far too long.
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