Boston @ New York preview
Citi Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 2, 2024 ) Boston 1, NY Mets 4
The New York Mets' starting pitchers are feeding off the success of one another.
Unfortunately for the Boston Red Sox, the Mets' hitters seem to be doing the same.
The Mets will look to remain hot while the Red Sox will hope to snap a lengthy slump Tuesday night when New York hosts Boston in the second game of a three-game interleague series.
Left-hander David Peterson (8-1, 2.83 ERA) is slated to start for the Mets against Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford (8-12, 4.12 ERA).
Luis Severino became the latest Mets starter to author a strong performance Monday night, giving up just one run over seven innings and earning the win as New York defeated Boston 4-1.
The win was the fifth straight for the Mets (74-64), who are a half-game behind the Atlanta Braves in the race for the final National League wild-card spot. The Braves were off Monday and are scheduled to begin a three-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.
Severino and fellow starters Peterson, Tylor Megill, Jose Quintana and Sean Manaea have a 1.44 ERA during the winning streak. A Mets starter has lasted at least seven innings an NL-best 10 times since the All-Star break.
"That's one of the biggest reasons we are where we're at," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "There's a lot of guys here that continue to do what they need to do to give us a chance. We're going to continue to need them, continue to rely on them."
An untimely slump continued Monday for the Red Sox (70-68), whose third straight loss cost them another chance to gain ground on the Kansas City Royals in the race for the final American League wild-card berth.
The Royals remained 4 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox despite suffering their sixth straight loss Monday, falling 4-2 to the Cleveland Guardians.
The Red Sox have scored four runs or fewer 11 times in their last 15 games, a stretch in which they've gone 5-10. Boston has scored three runs total in the last three games, its lowest output over a three-game span since it scored three runs from May 7-10.
"I know what the other teams are doing," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "They're not playing well either, but the days that we don't take advantage of it is a wasted day. So we've got to come here and find a way to win a game (Tuesday)."
Peterson didn't factor into the decision in his start last Thursday, giving up two runs over seven innings in the Mets' 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The southpaw has thrown at least seven innings in each of his last three starts, recording a 2.11 ERA in the process.
Peterson is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in four career games (two starts) against the Red Sox. He made his big-league debut in Boston on July 28, 2020, earning the win after allowing two runs over 5 2/3 innings in the Mets' 8-3 victory.
Crawford took the loss last Thursday after allowing two runs over 6 2/3 innings as the Red Sox fell to the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-0. He absorbed the defeat in his lone appearance against the Mets on July 21, 2023, giving up four runs over four innings in New York's 5-4 win.
--Field Level Media