Wednesday, September 18, 2024 • 7:10 p.m.
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
LHP DJ Heart (4-7, 3.70) against LHP Jose Quintana (9-9, 3,91)
SNY

What a night for the New York Mets! The offense came alive on Tuesday and beat the Nationals 10-1. Pete Alonso had five RBIs. Luisangel Acuña had a breakthrough game, going 3 for 4 with a double and a home run. Even better for the Mets, the Braves, Diamondbacks and Padres all lost. The Mets are now tied with the Diamondbacks for the second wild card spot, but they are second because they have the tiebreaker. They are only 2.5 games out of the top spot. The Braves are two games out of any spot. Let’s keep the sweep tonight and keep going!

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Mets lineup

1. Jose Iglesias – 2B
2. Starling Marte – DH
3. Brandon Nimmo – LF
4. Pete Alonso – 1B
5. Thomas B. – HF
6. Mark Vientos – 3B
7. Francisco Alvarez – C
8. Harrison Bader – CF
9. Luisangel Acuña – SS

Jose Quintana has pitched 159 innings this season, posting a 3.91 ERA, 4.76 FIP, 1.270 WHIP and 100 ERA+. In his last four starts, he has allowed just two runs, one earned, in 25 innings, while giving up 18 hits and seven walks (0.36 ERA, 2.73 FIP). Quintana had two consecutive excellent starts against the Nationals in July, holding them scoreless for 14 innings. Starting Quintana’s season with this first start for the Nationals, he has a 3.18 ERA and 4.59 FIP. The Nationals have the following career numbers against Quintana:

• CJ Abrams 0-8, K
• Joey Gallo 2-7, HR, 2 BB, 3 K
• Luis Garcia Jr. 2-4, 2B, K
• Keibert Ruiz 1-8
• Ildemaro Vargas 1-8, 3K
• James Wood 1-5, BB
• Juan Yepez 0-4, BB, K
• Jacob Jung 1-7, 2B, BB, 3 K

Opponent formation

1. CJ Abrams – SS
2. Dylan Crews – HF
3. James Wood – LF
4. Andrés Chaparro – DH
5. Juan Yepez – 1B
6. Jose Tena – 2B
7. Ildemaro Vargas – 3B
8. Drew Millas – C
9. Jared Young – CF

The Mets face another rookie starter tonight. Over 80 1/3 innings DJ Heart has a 3.70 ERA, a 3.74 FIP, a 1.207 WHIP and a 109 ERA+. Herz is coming off two strong starts in a row, allowing one run in 10 innings. He’s really turned things around in his last 10 starts, pitching to a 2.76 ERA, a 3.58 FIP and just a couple of bad outings. What he doesn’t do, however, is play long in games — and the Nationals had to go to the bullpen early on Tuesday night.

Herz made his major league debut in early June against the Mets, allowing four runs on seven hits in four innings. His next start against the Mets was much better, holding them to one run on five hits and striking out ten batters (his only game with double-digit strikeouts this year). The Mets have the following career numbers against Herz:

• Pete Alonso 2-6, 2 K
• Francisco Alvarez 1-2, K
• Harrison Bader 1-4, 2 hrs, 2 K
• Jose Iglesias 1-4, 2B, K
• Francisco Lindor 3-6, 2B, RR
• Starling Marte 0-1, BB
• JD Martinez 0:2, 1:0
• Brandon Nimmo 1-3, BB, K
• Thomas B. 0:2, 1:0
• Luis Torrens 1-2, 2B, K
• Mark Vientos 1-5, 2K

Game Notes

Christian Scott will undergo UCL surgery and probably miss the 2025 season.

Brett Baty has returned to the Triple-A Syracuse Mets after being out of action since late August due to a broken finger.

Paul Blackburn has had 10 PRP injections in his back and is feeling better now. Today he will play catch.

Francisco Lindor has not resumed baseball activities.

Three things to look out for

1. José Iglesias again. Iglesias has been on a tear lately. He has had multiple hits four times in his last five games (10 of 22). On Tuesday night, he hit 3 of 4, and with the offense running behind him, he scored twice. During his 11-game hitting streak, he hit 17 of 40 and posted a batting average of .425/.465/.475. He has only had two extra-base hits, but that doesn’t matter when the players behind him are hitting.
2. Is the polar bear waking up from hibernation? Since September 3, Pete Alonso has scored 14 of 45 runs with two doubles and three home runs, hitting .311/.407/.556, increasing his OPS from .791 to .805. More importantly for the Mets, he has hit 10 of 86 RBIs this season during that span, including five RBIs last night. If there was ever a time to get hot, it’s now!
3. Luisangel Acuña. How can Acuña build on his amazing debut at Citi Field? Acuña went 2 for 4 in his major league debut over the weekend, but then went hitless in the next game. Tuesday nighthe was a sensation when he got his first extra-base hit and RBI right after making an error that led to a run. He later made a statement during the night with a solo hit. Every time he got on base (three times), he got to the point. That’s the spark the Mets need!

Let’s go, Mets!