The pitching matchup will be fascinating on Monday afternoon when the New York Mets visit Miami to start a three-game series against the Marlins.
New York will start Jonah Tong (1-1, 3.60 ERA). Miami will start Eury Perez (7-10, 3.72 ERA).
Both are 23-year-old right-handers, but Perez (64 career starts) has way more experience than Tong (eight career appearances, five starts).
With the Mets out of playoff contention at 65-78, they decided to promote Tong for this game and likely the rest of the season.
Tong was incredible in Double-A and Triple-A last season, going 10-5 with a 1.43 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 113 2/3 innings combined. But when he was promoted to the majors, he was not nearly as effective, going 2-3 with a 7.71 ERA in 18 2/3 innings.
This year, Tong tinkered with his pitch mix and struggled at Triple-A (5-6, 4.54 ERA). He allowed 22 homers in 23 minor league starts. Last season, he allowed just two minor league homers in 22 starts.
“There are a lot of things from a results standpoint that didn’t go my way,” Tong told MLB.com. “I own that, but, mentally, it’s helped. It’s given me experiences to lean on.”
Tong has an elite fastball with a high arm angle and above-average extension. His changeup is also elite with arm-side run and drop. But developing an effective third pitch (curveball, cutter) has been the issue.
In two career appearances against the Marlins — one last year and one this year — Tong is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA.
The Marlins will surely try to work counts against Tong, who is averaging 5.0 walks per nine innings in the minors and 6.3 in the majors this year.
Miami (72-72) still has hopes of a wild-card berth, but it will have to play better than its recent stretch of three losses in four games.
Perez has not been effective against the Mets, compiling a 1-3 record and a 5.06 ERA in five career starts.
Overall, though, Perez is having a solid third major league season. His success can be attributed in part to improved batted-ball numbers, starting with a career-low 39.2 percent hard-hit rate. He’s also getting more grounders (career-best 37.5 percent) and allowing fewer fly balls (career-best 29.4 percent).
His strikeouts are at a career low at 9.6 per nine innings, but since he is allowing less hard contact and more ground balls, it’s working for him. In other words, Perez is making the transition from thrower to pitcher.
Both teams have players enjoying breakthrough seasons on offense.
For the Mets, it’s first baseman Jared Young (career-high eight home runs, .267 average) and rookie outfielders Carson Benge (16 homers, 54 RBIs) and A.J. Ewing (22 stolen bases in 29 attempts).
For the Marlins, look at the success of rookie catcher Joe Mack (12 home runs), All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez (.300 average, 62 RBIs) and outfielder Heriberto Hernandez (career-high 24 homers).
Hernandez, who has five homers in his past 12 games, is continuing to work hard into September.
“I’m really focused on these final weeks of the season,” he said after his homer on Sunday.
–Field Level Media
