Two teams a combined 25-44 and they're playing rubber-match-style baseball in Anaheim. Clay Holmes (3-2, 1.75 ERA) gets the ball for the Mets opposite Jack Kochanowicz, who's been quietly fine for the Angels at 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA but a walk rate (18 in 35 innings) that the Mets should be able to exploit if anyone in this lineup is healthy enough to take a pitch.
- Day-To-DayJoe Jacques RP — The Mets signed Jacques to a minor-league contract Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayNate Lavender RP — Lavender (elbow) cleared outright waivers Wednesday and was returned to the Mets.
- Day-To-DayKevin Herget RP — Herget signed a minor league contract that includes an invitation to spring training with the Mets on Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayNick Burdi RP — The Red Sox reinstated Burdi (hip) from the injured list Saturday and optioned him to Triple-A Worcester.
- Day-To-DayJose Rojas 3B — Triple-A Salt Lake placed Rojas on its COVID-19 injured list Sunday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
- 10-Day-ILJorge Polanco 1B — Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said last Friday that Polanco (wrist/Achilles) has resumed performing baseball activities but is considered week-to-week in his recovery from a pair of injuries, SNY.tv reports.
- 10-Day-ILJared Young 1B — The Mets placed Young on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to Monday, due to a meniscus tear in his left knee.
- 10-Day-ILRonny Mauricio SS — The Mets placed Mauricio (thumb) on the 10-day injured list Sunday.
- 10-Day-ILLogan O'Hoppe C — O'Hoppe (wrist) began catching off a machine, hitting on the field and running the bases Friday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — The Angels placed d'Arnaud on the 10-day injured list Friday with right foot plantar fasciitis.
- 15-Day-ILBen Joyce RP — Joyce (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday, Taylor Blake Ward of TheSportingTribune.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILGrayson Rodriguez SP — Rodriguez (shoulder) is scheduled to throw up to five innings during a rehab start in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Tuesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi SP — Kikuchi (shoulder) will be shut down from throwing for 3-to-4 weeks, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Johnson SP — Johnson (hamstring/illness) will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRobert Stephenson RP — The Angels announced that Stephenson underwent ligament and flexor repair surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILAnthony Rendon 3B — The Angels placed Rendon (hip) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.
That's the bigger story. Mauricio broke his thumb diving into first base on a slow roller Saturday and is looking at six-to-eight weeks, per Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. He was the guy who hit the go-ahead homer Friday night. Now he's gone, Lindor is in a boot, Polanco is week-to-week, Luis Robert Jr. just hit the IL with a back issue, and Senga is shelved with lumbar inflammation. Vidal Brujan got the call up from Syracuse to plug a hole that frankly needs more than Vidal Brujan.
The Angels aren't exactly running out the 1927 Yankees themselves. Kikuchi just landed on the IL with shoulder inflammation, O'Hoppe is still working back from the wrist, and Grayson Rodriguez is throwing sim innings rather than real ones. They've lost four of five. Anaheim being a 1.5-run home dog at +118 with the public hammering them on the moneyline (and fading them on the run line) tracks for a team that can't string anything together.
There's no edge worth chasing here — every market in this game grades out negative EV, and the under at -111 is where most of the handle is sitting on a 9.0 total. That's a respect line for Holmes more than anything else; he's been the best Mets starter not named Senga, and the Angels' offense behind Trout (who, unlike most of the names above, is actually playing) hasn't done much to argue with that read.
Bottom line: this is a game for completionists. Mets need it more — the cushion in the NL East is gone and they're trying to keep the season from getting away while the medical staff works overtime. Angels just want to take a series at home, which would be a real accomplishment given how the year has gone in Orange County. Holmes vs. a control-shaky Kochanowicz is the kind of matchup the Mets, even shorthanded, should be able to win.