Game Chat: Mets vs Mariners, 10:10 p.m.

Friday, August 9, 2024 • 10:10 PM
T-Mobile Park • Seattle, WA
LHP Jose Quintana (6-7, 3.95) vs. RHP Bryce Miller (8-7, 3.62)
SNY • MLBN

The Mets head to Seattle fresh off of a series win in Colorado against the Rockies. After winning three of their last four games, the Mets pushed their way back into a Wild Card spot Thursday, moving ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the process. Overall, there are seven teams separated by seven games in the NL WC race. Every game from here on out is critical.

Things are a bit different in the American League Wild Card race, where the three teams that currently hold spots are at least 12 games above .500. The Mariners are four games above .500 and four games out of the last Wild Card spot while also sitting in a tie for the AL West lead with the Houston Astros.

Mets Lineup

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

Jose Quintana has thrown 118 1/3 innings this season with a 3.95 ERA, 4.91 FIP, 1.268 WHIP and a 100 ERA+. Quintana didn’t look as sharp in his last start against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing three runs on three hits and four walks over five innings in a 3-2 Mets loss. Before that start, Quintana had allowed two runs over 11 innings while striking out 11 batters in his prior two outings.

The Mariners have the following numbers against Quintana:

• Randy Arozarena 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Mitch Garver 0-1, BB, K
• Mitch Haniger 1-3, HR
• Dylan Moore 0-2, K
• Jorge Polanco 5-12, HR, BB, K
• Cal Raleigh 0-1
• Víctor Robles 1-6, 2 K
• Josh Rojas 0-1, BB
• Justin Turner 6-20, 2B, 5 BB, 3 K

Opposing Lineup

1. Víctor Robles – CF
2. Randy Arozarena – LF
3. Cal Raleigh – C
4. Justin Turner – 1B
5. Mitch Garver – DH
6. Dylan Moore – 3B
7. Mitch Haniger – RF
8. Ryan Bliss – 2B
9. Leo Rivas – SS

Bryce Miller has tossed 126 2/3 innings over 22 starts this year with a 3.62 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.050 WHIP and a 104 ERA+. Miller oscillates between being dominant and human on the mound. In his last start before and first start after the All-Star break, he allowed no runs over 13 innings while allowing eight hits and no walks. In his two starts since, he’s given up seven runs on 13 hits and a walk over 10 2/3 innings. That sample size represents a microcosm of his whole campaign. The only hitters in the Mets lineup that have faced Miller are Bader (2-for-4) and Martinez (0-for-2, K).

Game Notes

Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Christian Scott is “symptom-free” after hitting the injured list with a right UCL sprain in July. Mendoza also stated that Scott has to “strength up” before he begins a throwing program, which could commence at the beginning of next week. Scott posted a 4.56 ERA over his first nine outings this season.

Mendoza also revealed that right-handed reliever Reed Garrett has joined the club in Seattle and is “feeling really good”, though he has yet to be activated from the injured list as the team takes it “day-by-day.” Garrett went down with right elbow inflammation in July and completed a two-game rehab assignment on Tuesday. He has pitched to a 3.64 ERA across 36 appearances with the Mets so far this year.

Per Mendoza, Starling Marte is currently receiving treatment at Citi Field and will join Double-A Binghamton on Sunday as he continues his rehab assignment. Marte played two games with Low-A St. Lucie this week after hitting the injured list with a right knee injury in late June. He’s hit .278/.328/.416 with seven home runs and a 113 wRC+ through 66 games and 266 plate appearances this season.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Jesse Winker. The Mets acquired Jesse Winker to help out against right-handed pitching. He had gone 3-for-15 over his first six games with the club while hitting .200/.250/.200. On Wednesday in Colorado, however, Winker went 3-for-5 and recorded his first RBI as a Met. Was Wednesday the start of something for him?
2. Francisco Alvarez. From July 2 to August 2, Alvarez recorded only 13 hits and slashed .186/.250/.257. Over his last four games, he has rebounded by going 6-for-13 with a slash line of .462/.462/.615 and two multi-hit performances. His strikeouts are still high over that stretch (five over his last four games), but it looks like things are starting to click again for Alvarez.
3. Víctor Robles. When the Nationals designated Robles for assignment earlier this season, he was hitting .120/.281/.120 (22 OPS+) over 14 games. He later signed with the Mariners and has become a completely different hitter, going .320/.383/.474 (151 OPS+) over 39 games. The closest OPS+ he’s ever had to his current mark in his career was in 2018 when he was only 21-years-old (127 OPS+). This tear has pushed his season OPS+ to 123 and is only the third time in his career where his OPS+ is above 100. This is all to say that he’s not the Víctor Robles we all remember from his days with Washington.

Let’s go Mets!

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