marcus stroman

Mets Game Preview: (5/11/21) vs. Baltimore Orioles (16-19)

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After a day off, the New York Mets look to push their winning streak to six against the Baltimore Orioles. They will play the first of two games at Citi Field at 7:10 p.m. Both teams come in with 16 wins on the year, but the Orioles have compiled six more losses so far.

Over the weekend, the Mets needed plenty of help from their bullpen to pull out a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Relievers were responsible for 19.1 innings and allowed just three earned runs as the Mets only received 8.2 innings from starting pitchers. Granted, the Mets used an opener in game two, but they did not plan for David Peterson‘s control issues and Jacob deGrom‘s injury. Francisco Lindor started to get his bat rolling by going 5-for-11 (.455) with a home run, double and four runs batted in during the series.

The Orioles are very much in the middle of a rebuilding phase but have a couple of bright players to build around. Cedric Mullins leads the team with a .312 batting average and four stolen bases but has been a pleasant surprise with his power. Heading into 2021, Mullins had seven career home runs in 115 games. This year, he ramped it up to six home runs in just 35 games.

Pitching Matchup

Marcus Stroman takes the mound and looks to receive more help from his defense. In his last start against the St. Louis Cardinals, he went just five innings and allowed four runs, but only two were earned. It was Stroman’s third consecutive start where he did not pitch into the sixth inning. Despite the lack of length in his outings, his numbers are still terrific through the first month of the season. Stroman has a 2.12 ERA and has a 1.02 WHIP over his six starts.

John Means starts for the Orioles and is coming off a 12 strikeout no-hitter which encapsulated his amazing start to the season. In 46 innings, Means has allowed just seven runs resulting in a 1.47 ERA. The Mets have not hit for any power against lefties as their .349 slugging is the second-lowest in baseball. Means will not give the Mets much help with his MLB best, 0.67 WHIP and 4.1 H/9.

Matchups To Lookout For

John Means vs. Michael Conforto: 2-for-6 (.333), Double, Home Run

Marcus Stroman vs. Trey Mancini: 7-for-16 (.438), Double, Triple, 3 Strikeouts

DeJong Burns the Mets in 4-1 Loss in Game One of the Doubleheader

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New York Yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

Paul DeJong has turned into the modern-day New York Mets killer and flexed his muscle again in the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 win. DeJong’s two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning put the game away as the Mets were once again incapable of doing anything on offense.

Francisco Lindor has done nothing to help the Mets offense and figured he might as well help out someone else’s. His throwing error prevented the fifth inning from ending and allowed DeJong to torch the Mets again. Lindor went hitless again to push his slump to 24 straight at-bats without a hit. Despite, the slump manager Luis Rojas rolled out another one of his bright ideas and batted him leadoff.

Stroman’s Outing

Marcus Stroman pitched much better than his line suggests. He went five innings, allowed four runs (two earned) while striking out six. In a pivotal fourth inning, a leadoff error followed by a single put Stroman in a first and third situation. Stroman responded by striking out the next three batters he faced, but it did not come without drama.

Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner visited the mound after the first strikeout, but Stroman wanted nothing to do with him. Stroman walked off the mound in the middle of the visit and said, “just let me f–king pitch man.” Even though he survived the inning, Stroman and Rojas spoke in the tunnel when he came off the field. Rojas let Stroman hit in the fifth inning despite being down by one in a seven-inning game in an even more surprising move.

The Mets had the same amount of errors as hits in what might have been a tribute to fired hitting coach Chili Davis. They went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and went the final three innings without a hit. Lindor will get the second game off as Jonathan Villar will take his place at shortstop. It would fit the Mets logic to have their best offensive output in the game Lindor does not play in. Miguel Castro will face Johan Oviedo in game 2.

Mets’ star pitcher expects to be fine after injury scare

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New York Yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

New York Mets’ starter Marcus Stroman, who is off to a fantastic start of the season, had to leave early on his outing against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night. He had conceded only a couple of unearned runs in five innings, but hamstring tightness appeared to ruin his night.

The tightness in his right hamstring prompted the Mets to take it easy with their prized right-hander. However, the issue should not force him to miss any additional starts, according to the Mets’ official site.

Describing the injury, Stroman stated that his hammy initially “kind of grabbed on me” in the third frame Friday, but he attributed it to running on the basepaths.

The discomfort didn’t go away and started getting problematic in the bottom of the third inning.

“I just felt it get really tight, and then it kind of progressed in the fourth and the fifth,” the Mets’ starter said. “It’s just one of those things, just leaning on the side of caution, honestly. It’s such a long year. I don’t think it made sense to go out there and press it and force it in the sixth and seventh, and risk potentially making it worse.”

The Mets are being cautious

While the Mets preferred to err on the side of caution, the hamstring tightness wasn’t really affecting Stroman’s performance, as he struck out three batters in the third and two in the fifth, hi last frame.

His night was done after just 64 pitches. “He’s pretty optimistic about making his next start,” Mets’ manager Luis Rojas said. “We’ll keep checking him, day to day, and see how he’s doing, see how he’s responding.”

After the game, the press asked Stroman if the hamstring was going to be a problem in the future, to which he replied: “It won’t be.”

“I know what I have to do in these next four or five days,” he said. “The staff here is unbelievable. So it’s just a matter of getting in there and doing everything that we need to do to get it better, strengthen it. I have 100 percent confidence in my mind that I’ll be back out there in five days.”

Mets Offense Barely Shows Up For 2-1 Loss to Phillies

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The New York Mets offense continues to fail hilariously, and the Philadelphia Phillies added insult to injury. In the bottom of the eighth, the Mets had their best chance to take the lead against the wild Jose Alvarado. Dominic Smith wasted a 3-0 count with runners on second and third and struck out to leave to tying and lead runs on base.

The fired-up Alvarado made a gesture toward Smith to shut his mouth after Smith was vocal about his lack of control earlier this season. It looked like Alvarado was welcoming a fight as well, and Smith wanted all the smoke. Much like fights in the NBA, the guy who starts it ended up backing away once there was any action. Also, much like MLB fights, nothing came of the bench clearings.

An unfortunate stat from the loss is that the Mets had more bench clearings than runs scored. Another ugly number is their 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position with nine men left on base. Smith was responsible for the lone run with his RBI single but other than that; this was another dreadful game. The Phillies did nothing to earn their runs either as a passed ball in the second inning allowed their only two runs to score.

Stroman’s Strong Outing

Marcus Stroman‘s outing is lost in all of the late-inning chaos. He only needed 64 pitched to make it through five innings but was removed due to a left hamstring issue. Stroman had eight strikeouts, which was his season-high, but fell victim as another tough-luck loser to the Mets offense.

If this rock bottom loss to end the month does not light a fire under the Mets, nothing will. They handed the Phillies their runs, wasted 14 opportunities to score, and were actively challenged to a fight. Hopefully, they can turn the calendar to May and flush the crazy month of April away. Saturday’s matchup will be a true test of the type of character this team is made of.

Taijuan Walker was on the front lines when the bench cleared and will start against former Met Zack Wheeler. The game will start an hour earlier at 6:05 p.m. ET and be ready for plenty of fireworks as the series continues.

Mets Game Preview: (4/30/21) @ Philadelphia Phillies (12-13)

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Simeon Woods-Richardson

After taking a day off, the New York Mets take a trip to Philadelphia to face the Phillies in a three-game weekend series. Both teams enter one game under the .500 mark, but both sit in a three-way tie for first place in the NL East. The first pitch from Citizens Bank Park is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET as both teams try to close out April on a high note.

If there were ever a place for the Mets to revive their offense, the hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park is the perfect place. The Mets have only scored more than four runs in just three games this season and are dead last in MLB in runs scored. They hit a new low in the two-game series against the Boston Red Sox with just nine hits and one run. Their only bright spot has been their pitching staff with a 3.05 ERA, the fourth-lowest in baseball. If the bats ever wake up, they will immediately become a very dangerous team.

The Phillies have cooled off after their hot start to the season and come off a split in a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Their bullpen has regressed to the 2020 form with their ERA at 4.62 and has allowed 14 home runs. They also lead MLB in the most walk-off losses. Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto are the offensive leaders, but there has been little help elsewhere. Rhys Hoskins is 13-for-65 (.200) over the last 16 games, but six of those hits have been homers. Jean Segura is also in the IL with a Quad injury.

Pitching Matchup

Marcus Stroman looks to rebound from his first tough outing of the young season. He only lasted four innings against the Washington Nationals, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits which were all singles. In 12 innings against the Phillies this season, Stroman has allowed just one run and held them to a .171 batting average.

Chase Anderson is also hoping to bounce back from a rough start against the Colorado Rockies. In just 3.2 innings, he allowed six runs on the same amount of hits and inflated his ERA to 6.48. Anderson has very similar lines in his two prior starts against the Mets this year, allowing four runs in nine innings. His first start against the Mets was his longest so far, but he only pitched five innings.

Matchups To Lookout For

Marcus Stroman vs. Matt Joyce: 5-for-15 (.333), Double, Home Run, 5 Walks, 3 Strikeouts

Marcus Stroman vs. J.T. Realmuto: 5-for-10 (.500), Walk, Strikeout

Chase Anderson vs. Dominic Smith: 2-for-5 (.400), 2 Home Runs, Walk, 2 Strikeouts

Chase Anderson vs. Michael Conforto: 3-for-17 (.176), 3 Home Runs, 2 Walks, 4 Strikeouts

Mets Can’t Get Anything Going in 7-1 Loss To Nationals

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The first play of the game was the theme of the New York Mets‘ miserable 7-1 loss to the Washington Nationals. Josh Harrison’s leadoff single was misplayed by Michael Conforto in right field and rolled all the way to the wall. On the error, Harrison made it all the way to third base. Yadiel Hernandez drove him in with a sacrifice fly and four pitches into the game; the Nats had a 1-0 lead. They never looked back by scoring in each of the first five innings.

It was clear that Marcus Stroman did not have his best stuff from the beginning and received little help from home plate umpire Edwin Moscoso. The smaller zone forced Stroman to work up and throw only 43 strikes in 72 pitches. Stroman also failed to get the soft contact he recorded in his first three starts. He allowed eight singles which resulted in five runs, and only lasted four innings.

Bullpen Help

Stephen Tarpley provided no relief by allowing two runs and all four batters he faced to reach base in his Mets debut. Robert Gsellman‘s effort in relief will be overlooked, but he saved the bullpen from wasting arms. He threw three hitless innings and only allowed a walk. Gsellman was on his way out of the Mets bullpen but proved his worth in his long relief appearance.

The Mets offense struggled to figure out Nationals starter Joe Ross. He bounced back from a 10-run outing against the St. Louis Cardinals to hold the Mets to a Michael Conforto solo-home run in six innings. Pete Alonso recorded two singles as he starts to get into his groove after a small slump to begin the season. The loss drops the Mets back to 8-8, and they could be joined in first place by the Philadelphia Phillies.

The rubber game of the series sends two former Diamondbacks teammates to the mound in Patrick Corbin and Taijuan Walker. The first pitch for the Sunday afternoon game is 1:10 p.m. ET from Citi Field.

Mets Game Preview: (4/24/21) vs. Washington Nationals (7-10)

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The New York Mets get back to business after Jacob deGrom‘s masterpiece gave them a 6-0 victory over the Washington Nationals in game one of their weekend series. Two former first-round picks headline the pitching matchup for the middle game set for a 4:10 p.m. ET start from Citi Field.

The weather will be perfect for baseball once the game starts, and the Mets have desperately needed some good weather. Plenty of their games have been postponed, and the ones they have played in are usually in ugly conditions. The offense got themselves going a little bit, thanks to deGrom’s help, on Friday, and today is a good opportunity for them to break out even more.

We saw the difference getting Brandon Nimmo back at the top of the order made during last night’s game. Nimmo three hits and four RBI’s we welcomed with open arms after the Mets were 1-for-9 in the leadoff spot while he was nursing a hip injury.

As for the Nationals, they were dominated by one of the greatest pitchers of all time. deGrom had them flailing, and they went hitless for the last 19 batters that stepped to the plate. Erick Fedde gave the Nats all they could by allowing three runs in five-inning but only late 90s Pedro Martinez could have competed with deGrom last night.

Pitching Matchups

Marcus Stroman and his stellar 0.90 ERA takes the mound after hurling eight terrific innings during his last start against the Colorado Rockies. He only has 11 strikeouts in 20 innings but is in the 75th percentile in chase rate. Stroman has also been a master at limiting hard contact as batters only have a .186 wOBA against him.

Joe Ross is the Nationals starter and is coming off a horrid start against the St. Louis Cardinals. He allowed 10 runs in 4.1 innings after having two scoreless starts to begin his season. Ross has struggled against the Mets with a 5.73 ERA in 12 games.

Matchups To Lookout For

Joe Ross vs. Michael Conforto: 6-for-13 (.462), Double, Home Run, 2 Strikeouts

Joe Ross vs. Brandon Nimmo: 5-for-7 (.714), 3 Walks, Strikeout

Marcus Stroman vs. Josh Harrison: 3-for-7 (.429), Triple, Walk, Strikeout

Mets: Marcus Stroman is showing his most dominant version

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New York Yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

The New York Mets have gotten excellent performances from most of the members of their starting rotation. Jacob deGrom is, as usual, leading the way, but David Peterson and Marcus Stroman have also stepped up and delivered masterpieces.

Stroman, in particular, has been extremely impressive. On the weekend, he had yet another excellent start, dominating the Colorado Rockies in Coors Field, a notorious hitters’ park, for eight innings in which he allowed only three hits, a run and a walk, with five punchouts.

For the season, he has started three games for the Mets, covering 20.1 innings in the process. He has a 3-0 record and a microscopic 0.89 ERA and 0.69 WHIP.

“This is the best version of him that I’ve seen,” said manager Luis Rojas, per the Mets’ official site. “I mean, when he came in he was very impressive. … We got to know the stuff and know how impressive he was. But this year is the best version. I saw him in ’19. I saw him in Spring Training last year. Right now, he’s throwing the ball the best I’ve seen him in three years that we’ve known each other.”

The Mets are getting ace-like performance from Stroman

Mets’ outfielder Michael Conforto was very impressed with Stroman’s weekend start. “Just his attitude, the ultimate confidence in himself and I think that can be contagious sometimes,” said the outfielder.

At one point, Stroman retired 12 straight Rockies hitters in the altitude of Coors Field.

“I think my stuff plays well here,” said Stroman. “I don’t change my game plan, to be honest with you. I think because I throw an elite sinker, I think I do a good job to keep the ball on the ground no matter what park I go to.”

“I mean, you guys saw the pitch count,” said Rojas. “He had like 40-some pitches in the fifth. That’s what he is going to do when he establishes. Guys are going to swing, guys are going to put balls in play, and they are going to be on the ground. The defense is on their toes and we are going to be able to make plays. I think that’s what happened early to let him go the eight innings.”

The Mets are definitely going to be a problem for the rest of the league if Stroman keeps pitching like an ace.

McCann’s Perfect Strike Give Mets The 2-1 Victory Over The Rockies

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yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

Defensive improvement was the top priority during the New York Mets offseason, and James McCann showed why when he secured a series win against the Colorado Rockies. With two outs in the ninth, McCann foiled Trevor Story‘s stolen base attempt to give the Mets a big 2-1 victory in the mile-high city.

The Mets do not get to that point without the stellar outing from Marcus Stroman. He delivered eight terrific innings with just three hits and one run allowed on an efficient 90 pitches. Stroman made the highlight reel with his behind-the-back grab on a comebacker and five-hop throw to first base in the eighth. He now has a 0.90 ERA in three starts, which is good for the seventh-best in baseball.

Survive and Advance

The offense is still struggling to get anything going consistently, but great pitching allows the Mets to survive these games. Jeff McNeil drove in the first run with a second-inning ground out and J.D. Davis recorded the second with a fourth-inning single. Overall, the Mets are still struggling with runners in scoring position as they went 1-for-8. The Mets had an opportunity for an insurance run in the ninth, but McNeil’s failed attempt to stretch a double to a triple floundered their scoring chance.

Luckily, Edwin Diaz continued to dominate by picking up his second save in the same amount of games. His ERA is 3.18 and continues to drop after his rough outing early in the season. Brandon Nimmo also continued to stay hot by getting on base for the 11th consecutive game to start the season. He leads all of baseball with his .447 batting average and .543 on-base percentage.

The 7-4 Mets have themselves a one-game lead in the NL East after a chaotic first three weeks to the season. They have a day off on Monday as they head to Chicago to face the Cubs. If the weather obliges, they will begin a three-game series at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.

Stroman’s Six Shutout Innings Leads Mets to 4-0 Victory Over Phillies

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New York Yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

The New York Mets carried over the momentum from their walk-off win in game one to a 4-0 victory and a doubleheader sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies. Marcus Stroman was a man on a mission after his nine-pitch, rain ruined cameo on Sunday against the Miami Marlins. Stroman pitched six shutout innings but did not get the opportunity to finish the game after spending an extended period of time on the bases.

Stroman did not record as many groundouts as he did in his first start but barely allowed any hard contact. He struck out just three but did a tremendous job of pinpointing his sinker on the inside corner to right-handed hitters. Stroman also had impeccable control with no walks, and only two three-ball counts. In 12 innings to start the season, Stroman has allowed just one run equaling a 0.75 ERA.

Nola? No Problem

The Mets offense gave Phillies starter Aaron Nola fits again but this time managed to drive in the runners they put on base. All the scoring against Nola came in the fourth inning from Jonathan Villar‘s two-run double and Brandon Nimmo‘s first of two RBI singles. Nimmo recorded another two hits in the game to push his average above .400 and his on-base percentage over .500. On the other hand, Nola did strike out seven in five innings but allowed seven hits. His velocity also dipped from 91-92 to 89-90 during his second time through the order.

Believe it or not, the doubleheader sweep pushes the Mets into a first-place tie in the NL East. It certainly is a change in the feeling over the last 48 hours for Mets fans. It is a lesson to the pessimistic Mets fans who were already flailing in disappointment before they even put a digit in the tens column for games played. The Mets also went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position, moving their average in those situations to a respectable number.

The Mets face a familiar foe in Zack Wheeler for the third game of their four-game series. David Peterson looked to rebound from an awful first start of the season against the Phillies, where he allowed six runs in a losing effort. The first pitch from Citi Field is the usual 7:10 p.m. ET start.