The Mets welcome the Minnesota Twins to Citi Field for a three-game set. The Twins sit second in the AL Central and hold the second American League Wild Card spot. After dropping two games in a row to the Braves, the Mets are the sole holders of the third National League Wild Card but only 1.5 games out of the first spot. Both teams could look different by the series conclusion on Wednesday due to Tuesday’s 6 PM trade deadline.
Jul 14, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Jose Quintana has pitched 107 1/3 innings over 20 starts this season with a 4.02 ERA, 5.06 FIP, 1.276 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. He’s coming off a strong start against the Yankees, where he held the Bronx Bombers to one run over five innings. It was a bounce-back start for Quintana, who allowed five runs over 5 2/3 innings to the Rockies before the All-Star break. Even with that start against the Rockies, Quintana has a 1.98 ERA over his last seven starts (41 innings). The Twins have the following career numbers against him:
Simeon Woods Richardson was a top prospect for the Mets when he was traded to the Blue Jays at the 2019 deadline for Marcus Stroman. Two years later was involved in another deadline trade for a high-leverage pitcher. The Blue Jays and Twins swapped Woods Richardson for José Berríos. Woods Richardson returns to Citi Field today amid a breakout season.
Over 17 starts and 88 innings, Woods Richardson has a 3.27 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 1.114 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. Over his last three starts, he has pitched 16 1/3 innings with a 2.20 ERA and 1.92 FIP. The Twins generally keep him capped at around 90 pitches (his highest has been 97, but the last few starts have been upper-80s), which keeps him in games between four to six innings. The only current Met to face him is Jesse Winker, who worked a walk in his only plate appearance.
Game Notes
According to Anthony DiComo of MLB, Francisco Alvarez is dealing with a sore shoulder but is available off the bench Monday night in an emergency capacity.
The Mets designated LHP Jake Diekman for assignment Monday. To fill his rotation spot, the team recalled LHP Matt Gage from Triple-A Syracuse.
Three Things To Watch For
Scoring Runs. The Mets have only scored two runs in the past two games. Pete Alonso hit an end-of-game two-run shot on Sunday to prevent back-to-back shutouts. The offense has generally carried the team so far, and with the hits to the pitching staff over the last couple of days, the Mets need their sluggers to start hitting again.
Jesse Winker. The Mets got Jesse Winker to help against right-handed pitching. Yesterday, they didn’t use Winker until late in the game as a pinch hitter, and he struck out in his first Mets at-bat. Before the trade, Jesse Winker was hitting .257/.374/.419 with a 130 OPS+ this season. Against righties, he’s slashing .266/.390/.450.
The back of the bullpen is ready. With the Mets winning big against the Braves on Friday, followed by back-to-back losses, some of the more reliable pitchers for the Mets haven’t pitched since Thursday. José Buttó, Edwin Díaz and Phil Maton each last pitched in the Mets’ extra-inning win Thursday night. That’s a solid group that can back up a solid Quintana start.
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