Game Chat: Reds vs. Mets, 1:40 P.M.

Sunday, September 8, 2024 • 1:40 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Julian Aguiar (1-0, 6.48) vs. RHP Luis Severino (10-6, 3.84)
SNY • MLBN

The New York Mets go for their 10th win a row and a third-consecutive series sweep this afternoon at Citi Field. On Saturday, Jose Quintana pitched brilliantly earning his 100th career win while all of the teams the Mets are competing with lost.

The Mets enter play today as the sole holders of the third wild card, 0.5 games back of the second wild card, and 2.0 games back of the first wild card spot.

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor, SS
2. Brandon Nimmo, LF
3. Mark Vientos, 3B
4. Pete Alonso, 1B
5. Jesse Winker, DH
6. Jose Iglesias, 2B
7. Starling Marte, RF
8. Luis Torrens, C
9. Harrison Bader, CF

Luis Severino has pitched 159 1/3 innings over 27 games this season with a 3.84 ERA, 4.25 FIP, 1.255 WHIP, and a 102 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start against the Boston Red Sox where he held them to one run over seven innings.

Over his last four starts, he has allowed six runs over 25 2/3 innings (2.10 ERA, 3.14 FIP) and four of those six runs came in one start. He’s also struck out 27 batters over that stretch.

Severino faced the Reds at the start of the season, holding the Reds to two runs (one earned) over five innings. The Reds have the following career numbers against Severino:

• Will Benson 1-5, 2 K
• Elly De La Cruz 0-2, K
• Santiago Espinal 1-6, 2B, 3 K
• Jake Fraley 0-4, K
• Jonathan India 0-4, 3 BB, K
• Luke Maile 3-10, BB, 2 K
• Amed Rosario 2-14, HR, 5 K
• Spencer Steer 2-4, 2B
• Tyler Stephenson 0-1, 2 BB, K

Reds Lineup

1. Jonathan India, 2B
2. Elly De La Cruz, SS
3. Spencer Steer, LF
4. Ty France, 1B
5. Jake Fraley, RF
6. Santiago Espinal, DH
7. Noelvi Marte, 3B
8. Will Benson, CF
9. Luke Maile, C

The Mets’ bats will close out the series against the Reds with the rookie Julian Aguiar. Aguiar has made four starts over his major-league career totaling 16 2/3 innings with a 6.48 ERA, 7.26 FIP, 1.500 WHIP, and a 68 ERA+. His numbers are skewed by a start against the Athletics where he allowed six runs and 10 hits over four innings. He allowed exactly two runs each in his other three starts that ranged from 2 2/3 innings to six innings long.

No one on the Mets has faced Aguiar in a major-league game.

Game Notes

To replace Jeff McNeil, who is set to miss the rest of the regular season with a wrist fracture, the Mets announced that they’ve called up outfielder DJ Stewart. McNeil was placed on the 10-day injured list.

Per Will Sammon of the Athletic, for the Toronto series, the Mets will go with Paul Blackburn, David Peterson, and Sean Manaea. Additionally, Tylor Megill is available in the bullpen today. Meanwhile, Christian Scott threw another bullpen today and said he anticipates having another session or two before progressing to facing batters.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Mets bullpen likely without Díaz today. Edwin Díaz has been on a roll for the Mets during their current win streak and has pitched in three of the last fout games, tossing 30 pitches in back-to-back games. Most likely, he will not be available on Sunday for the Mets, but the rest of the bullpen is pretty rested. Reed Garrett has thrown the most pitches in the last three calendar days at only 16. Hopefully, the Mets’ bats give New York enough breathing room where they don’t even need to think about a high-leverage situation.
2. José Iglesias becomes even more important. Before Saturday’s game, the Mets announced that Jeff McNeil would be out for the rest of the regular season due to a fractured wrist. Iglesias has gone 3-for-6 in his last two games with a double, run scored and an RBI.
3. The Mets hit a lot of doubles. The Mets had two doubles on Saturday (Jesse Winker, J.D. Martinez). As a team, they have 259 doubles in 2024, which ties them with the Dodgers for third in the majors, and first in the National League. When combined with the Mets’ home run totals (182, fourth in the majors, second in the national league), the Mets offense features quite a bit of pop.

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