The New York Mets and host San Francisco Giants hope to put new toys from their impressive bullpens on display for a national-television audience Sunday night when they wrap up a three-game series.
The Mets have outpitched the Giants in winning the first two games of the set, limiting the hosts to a total of two runs while walking away with 8-1 and 2-1 victories.
While Mets starters Clay Holmes and David Peterson gave up just one run apiece, New York’s bullpen has been stingier against the Giants.
Huascar Brazoban, Rico Garcia and Jose Castillo combined to allow three hits over four shutout innings, to finish Friday’s win. Reed Garrett, Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz served up just one hit over three scoreless innings to preserve Saturday’s one-run lead.
The Mets rank 10th in baseball in reliever ERA, yet felt compelled to add to their bullpen corps Friday, dealing two minor-leaguers to acquire left-hander Gregory Soto from the Orioles.
The two-time All-Star is expected to be available Sunday.
“It’s a big arm,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns explained to reporters Saturday. “He’s pitched in leverage spots. We were looking to help complement our bullpen from the left side. It’s not always easy to do that this time of year.”
If Soto makes his Mets debut in San Francisco, it would come in relief of right-hander Kodai Senga (7-3, 1.79 ERA), who has been limited to 67 and 73 pitches in two starts since returning from a strained right hamstring. Senga allowed four runs in seven innings in those games, but the Mets have won them both – 7-5 over the Angels and 8-3 over the Royals – running their winning streak to six in his starts.
The 32-year-old has faced the Giants just once previously in his career, that having been in April of 2023. He got the win, allowing four runs in five innings in a 9-4 victory. The losing pitcher that day for the Giants, coincidentally, was current teammate Sean Manaea.
While another short start by Senga might make for a long night for the Mets bullpen, Giants relievers will be tasked with a more taxing assignment.
With season-long rotation starters Hayden Birdsong (demoted to minors) and Landen Roupp (sore elbow) not available, Giants manager Bob Melvin has announced that Sunday will be a bullpen game, with left-hander Matt Gage (0-0, 0.00) scheduled to lead the way.
Gage, who made his major-league debut in relief for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022, will be making his first big-league start after 25 relief appearances. He pitched six times for the Detroit Tigers earlier this season, not allowing any runs in 5 2/3 innings, before getting designated for assignment and becoming a free agent.
One day later, he was scooped up by the Giants, for whom he’s pitched three times, including the seventh inning in Friday’s series opener. He’s allowed just one hit and no runs in his four innings as a Giant.
While San Francisco contemplates long-term solutions to their starting-pitcher openings, manager Bob Melvin was glad to be able to band-aid the situation from within a relief corps that has been the second-best in all of baseball this season, pitching to a 3.18 ERA.
“He gets righties out, he gets lefties out,” Melvin boasted to reporters. “He’s been getting everybody out. I think you’re always trying to find incremental upgrades, especially if it’s in your system.”
– Field Level Media
