Anything is possible in September for these Mets!
The Mets won their series against the Diamondbacks and are 4-3 against Arizona and San Diego this week, 3 games out of a playoff spot
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets bounced back and defeated the Diamondbacks 3-2 Thursday afternoon to win the series (box)
David Peterson continued his strong 2024 season and allowed two runs in seven innings pitched. He struck out four and walked two to lower his ERA to 2.83 for the year
Pete Alonso started the scoring with a home run in the second inning, which was his 221st career home run. That home run placed him ahead of Mike Piazza for third all-time in franchise history
Francisco Lindor hit a game-tying home run in the sixth, his 28th home run of the season
José Iglesias went 1-for-4 with the game-winning RBI in the ninth
Edwin Díaz bounced back from blowing the previous game and pitched a clean inning to earn the save and secure the win
Injury Updates 🏥
RHP Dedniel Núñez placed on the 15-day IL with right forearm tightness. The move is retroactive to Monday
Playoff Race 🏁
With their win against the Diamondbacks the Mets are now six games behind Arizona for the top wild card sport.
They also picked up a game on both the Padres and Atlanta who both lost on Thursday.
There are 28 games remaining.
Per FanGraphs, the Mets have a 19.2% chance of making the postseason.
New York has the 14th easiest schedule in MLB the rest of the way.
Tiebreakers:
vs. ATL: 5-5
vs. ARI: 4-3 (finished)
vs. SD: 5-2 (finished)
vs. SF: 2-4 (finished)
vs. CHC: 4-3 (finished)
vs. STL 4-2 (finished)
Who’s Hot 🔥
Since moving to the leadoff spot on May 19, Francisco Lindor is hitting .308/.375/.557 with 114 hits, 27 doubles, one triple, 21 home runs and 57 RBI with 33 walks, 79 strikeouts and 65 runs scored over 411 plate appearances.
In 34 games since the All-Star Game, Jeff McNeil is hitting .304/.370/.598 with 34 hits, 12 doubles, seven home runs, 19 RBI and 20 runs scored
In six August starts, David Peterson went 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA, allowing just 30 hits, 13 walks and eight earned runs with 27 strikeouts over 38.2 IP. The Mets went 5-1 in his starts this month
The tale of two Edwin Diaz’s ⁉️
On Wednesday, Edwin Díaz threw 21 pitches, 6 of which were sliders.
The expected batting average on the last slider he threw to Corbin Carroll was .570. He hit it for a grand slam. He got no swings-and-misses on that slider on Wednesday.
These are the outcomes of the final pitches to the batters Diaz’s faced on Wednesday along with his overall breakdown.
On Thursday, Díaz threw 17 pitches, 16 of which were fastballs with only one slider. He retired the side 1-2-3 with two strikeouts, the outcomes coming on all fastballs 98 mph or faster.
He got three swings and misses among the 17 pitches he threw on Thursday.
These are the outcomes of the final pitches he threw to his three batters on Thursday, along with his overall breakdown:
The run value on his fastball in 2024 is 2, the same as that as it was in 2022.
The run value on his slider in 2024 is -3, compared to 22 in 2019.
Reference: Statcast
Down on the Farm 🌾
OF Drew Gilbert (No. 3 prospect, Triple-A): 2-for-5, HR, RBI
RHP Mike Vasil (No. 18 prospect, Triple-A): 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
DH Carson Benge (No. 5 prospect, Single-A): 3-for-4, 2 RBI, K
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (70-64) vs. White Sox (31-104)
Where: Guaranteed Rate Field - Chicago, IL
Starters: RHP Tylor Megill (2-5, 5.17 ERA) vs. RHP Jonathan Cannon (2-8, 4.57 ERA)
When: 8:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: WPIX
Anything is possible as the Mets look ahead to September… ✍️
After losing a heartbreaker on Wednesday, the Mets pulled out a thrilling win on Thursday to give themselves a new pulse in the wild card race.
This was a microcosm of what the Mets been as a whole for the entire 2024 season. After going 9-19 in May the Mets clawed their way back into the race with a 16-8 June. A July in which they went 17-10 but in August they are just plodding along at 13-13.
It has been a rollercoaster ride of a season to say the least that will probably have some more twist and turns before it reaches its conclusion. They were built as a high variance team and this is what high variance teams do.
And no, it hasn’t been pretty, especially with what has transpired in the seventh inning or later with Edwin Díaz and this volatile bullpen the Mets have constructed this season. Too many games have slipped through their fingers as a result.
The main concern is the team might’ve peaked too early, whereas the Diamondbacks, Braves, and Padres are peaking at the right time. The Mets could still obviously go on a run or they could completely fall apart with seven games left against the Phillies and three against the Braves in mid and late September, respectively.
The acquisitions added at the deadline didn’t move the needle much - or they haven’t yet, anyway - so they just need to ride with their stars or perhaps catch lightning in a bottle with one of their September call ups (Luisangel Acuña?).
Fortunately, as the calendar is about to turn to September the Mets do have some positives going for them. Francisco Lindor is playing like a MVP and could carry them to the playoffs. Both Sean Manaea and David Peterson have been really good in the rotation and while Luis Severino has been more volatile he can also look dominant at times. They also have an opportunity to take down the Braves themselves when they go head-to-head in Atlanta September 24-26.
The downside for the Mets is that they are the ones doing the chasing and will need to rely on help from other teams which so far hasn’t happened all that much. Their bullpen is still shaky and they need both Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Álvarez to start performing.
This is the franchise of Ya Gotta Believe, so anything is possible as we enter the last month of the season and after the abysmal May it’s a positive that the playoffs are even possible. So buckle up and enjoy the home stretch of the 2024 season.
Also - you never know. The Mets have come from further back to get to the playoffs in the past with much less time to do so at that. 1973 and 1999 were proof this franchise can overcome the worst odds and get past the finish line anyway.
Around the League 🚩
Rich Hill came in relief for the Red Sox to officially appear in his 20th season in the big leagues
The Angels are calling up Sam Aldegheri which would make him the first major league pitcher that was born and raised in Italy
The Phillies are putting Taijuan Walker in the bullpen as he continues to struggle in the rotation
Oakland OF Lawrence Butler hit three home runs in the finale against the Reds to help secure the series sweep. He became the second A’s player in franchise history to hit three home runs in a game twice in a season.
The San Francisco Giants placed relievers Taylor Rogers and Tyler Matzek and infielder Thairo Estrada on waivers
Only 3 behind the Braves, and we can hope for a sweep by the Cheese steaks, and a sweep by the Mets in Chicago