After a much needed victory yesterday, the Mets continue the crawl to a division title. Jonathan Niese came out with a nice performance in the win. Now the rotation turns to Logan Verrett, who will be filling in for Jacob DeGrom. Verrett has been excellent thus far in his spot starts with a 1.91 ERA & a 1-0 record. As nice as it would be to see DeGrom on the mound tonight, his recent starts have been less than stellar. Thankfully, DeGrom’s velocity has remained in the upper 90’s but his mechanics have been lacking. This has resulted in many pitches to touch a lot of the plate.
The main focus tonight will be continuing the resurgence of the offense. Cespedes snapped his first slump as a member of the New York Mets with a solid game at the plate last night. The Atlanta Braves will be sending rookie, Matt Wisler, to the mound. Wisler has a 5.63 ERA and is 5-8 on the season. Although Wisler does not have impressive stats, he has pitched well against the Mets this season. His first major league victory came against the Mets on June 19th. The last start against the Mets, Wisler held the Mets to two runs. With another righty on the mound, the Mets should send out a similar lineup as last night. David Wright may return after a night off to boost the middle of the order.
With the magic number at 7, tonight would be a big step to finishing this week with the clincher. The Nationals will be playing there toughest opponent on the schedule this week in the Baltimore Orioles. Last night’s game was rained out and Gio Gonzalez will take the mound tonight in what has been a typical up and down season for him. The Nationals will face Ubaldo Jimenez who has had a similar rollercoaster season.
