Game Chat: Mets vs Nationals, 6:45 PM

Wednesday, July 3, 2024 • 6:45 PM
Nationals Park • Washington, DC
RHP Christian Scott (0-2, 3.90) vs. LHP Mitchell Parker (5-4, 3.22)
SNY

The Mets look to take a series against the Nationals tonight as they continue their four-game set in DC. Monday, the Mets finally awoke in the 10th inning, scoring six runs. The bullpen made things dicey, but the Mets would hold onto a 9-7 win. Tuesday was another big extra-inning win for the Mets. Brandon Nimmo sent the game into extras for the Mets, and the bats exploded in the 10th inning, again securing a 7-2 win. Now the Mets look to repeat with Christian Scott on the mound.

Mets Lineup

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

Christian Scott finally returns to the Mets rotation! Scott was successful in five starts for the Mets a few weeks ago, where he pitched 27 2/3 innings with a 3.90 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.084 WHIP, and a 99 ERA+. As other members of the Mets rotation rehabbed from injury and the Mets playing schedule got more spread out, Scott was optioned back to the minors. He has made four starts over the last month with Syracuse, where he allowed four earned runs (one in each start) over 17 innings, striking out 19 batters. The only concern has been opposing batters hitting three homers against him during that stretch. This will be his first start against the Nationals in his career.

Opposing Lineup

1. CJ Abrams – SS
2. Lane Thomas – RF
3. James Wood – LF
4. Jesse Winker – DH
5. Keibert Ruiz – C
6. Luis García Jr. – 2B
7. Joey Meneses – 1B
8. Ildemaro Vargas – 3B
9. Jacob Young – CF

Mitchell Parker has had a solid start to his major league career. He’s made 14 starts in 2024, pitching 78 2/3 innings with a 3.32 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.119 WHIP, and 118 ERA+. Since June 6th, he has made five starts (28 2/3 innings) with a 2.83 ERA against the Braves, Tigers, Marlins, Rockies, and Rays. Despite the outcome, there are some signs that, at least more recently, he has been more hit-able. He has a 3.95 ERA, and since June 10th, his xwOBA has been above the league average (league average is a bit above .300, and over his last 100 PAs, his has been .362). This will be his first career start against the Mets.

Game Notes

The Mets designated Matt Festa for assignment to make room for Scott on the active roster. He gave up four runs in one inning earlier in his Mets debut over the weekend.

Kodai Senga is making his return to the mound tonight as the starting pitcher for the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones.

The Mets defeated the Nationals for a second straight night in the 10th inning. The Mets scored a combined five runs in the first nine innings of both games, and then eleven combined runs in the 10th innings.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Francisco Lindor: Major League Baseball will be announcing their All-Star rosters in a few days, and this is a great time to highlight a few players who are more than deserving to be on the All-Star team. Lindor went 2-for-5 last night with his 14th homer of the year. He’s been one of the best hitting and fielding shortstops in the majors this year (again) and yet still hasn’t been named to an All-Star game as a New York Met. He’s on track for a 25-25 season.
2. Brandon Nimmo: Nimmo has been a solid, top-hitting outfielder for several seasons now and still has not been named to an All-Star game. He has had an OPS+ of above 129 for five consecutive seasons and is currently on track to have about 25 home runs. Nimmo is coming off of a scary situation Monday where he fainted at the hotel. He didn’t start in Tuesday’s game but came off the bench and went 2-for-3 with his 16th double of the season.
3. Jose Iglesias: Has the All-Star game ever had an opening concert from a musical artist with a .974 OPS? Obviously, Iglesias hasn’t played enough this season to warrant a trip to the All-Star game, but he’s another key player to watch for the Mets tonight. His fifth double of the season gave the Mets the go-ahead run and started their 10th-inning rally on Tuesday night.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Game Chat: Mets vs Nationals, 6:45 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.