Losing in Milwaukee on Wednesday cost the New York Mets (95-56) their six-game winning streak but hasn’t cost them first place in the National League East yet. The Atlanta Braves have dropped two straight games and are currently trailing the Philadelphia Phillies tonight, which means the Mets could extend their NL East lead to 2.5 games if they pick up a win over the Oakland Athletics (55-95) tonight. First pitch for the opener of this weekend series is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. at Oakland Coliseum.
2021 was actually a good year for the Athletics, who went 86-76 to finish in third place in the American League West, trailing the first place Houston Astros by nine games. Instead of building on that team’s momentum, however, Oakland went into full fire-sale mode and traded off essentially everyone making money. Infielders Matt Olson and Matt Chapman were shipped off in mega deals while starting pitchers Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas were all moved in either the offseason or prior to the August 2 deadline. The end result has become a very young Oakland team that may not even stay in this market in the long run that is stuck playing out the string this season.
The Mets will send Bassitt (14-8, 3.32 ERA) to the mound tonight to face the team that he spent the previous six years with before shipping him to New York in March. Bassitt earned his 14th win of the year in his last start, allowing just three hits and striking out eight over six shutout innings to top the Pittsburgh Pirates last Saturday. The Athletics will counter with lefty Cole Irvin (9-11, 3.79 ERA). Irvin also picked up a win his last time out, allowing four runs in seven innings to beat the Astros last Saturday.
Local Coverage:
Television: SNY
Radio: WCBS
New York Mets Lineup:
West Coast Weekend. #LGM
🆚: Oakland
💪: @C_Bass419
📍: Oakland, CA
🕕: 9:40 p.m.
📺: @SNYtv
📻: @wcbs880
🔗: https://t.co/0d4bcmzcfi pic.twitter.com/n2WIgNorSG— New York Mets (@Mets) September 24, 2022
Pre-Game Notes:
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The Mets and Athletics last met in July of 2017 when the Mets took two out of three from Oakland at Citi Field.
The Mets’ last trip to Oakland came in 2014 when they split a two-game series at Oakland Coliseum in August.
Bassitt’s only start against the A’s came during his rookie season in 2014, when he allowed one run in six innings of work on September 10 as a member of the Chicago White Sox, but was not a factor in the decision.
Irvin has tossed one scoreless inning of relief in his career against the Mets that came back in 2019, when he was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Brandon Nimmo (quad) is back in the Mets’ starting lineup after leaving Wednesday’s game early. He will start in center field and bat leadoff.
Daniel Vogelbach will sit with a lefty on the mound. Mark Vientos will serve as the DH and bat eighth.
Darin Ruf will start in right field against the lefty Irvin and bat fifth.
Ruf (2 for 3) and Jeff McNeil (1 for 1) are the only active Mets with at-bats against Irvin.
The Mets’ magic number to clinch the NL East is 11.
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