Mets vs Orioles Series Preview: New York Has Waived The White Flag

Orioles Must Take Advantage of New York's Depleted Roster

August 4, 2023 114 4 minutes readMLB Picks & Parlays

Mets vs Orioles Series Preview: New York Has Waived The White Flag — Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images/AFP

Will The Mets Earn a Top 10 Pick in 2024?
The Addition of Jack Flaherty

The New York Mets will take on the Baltimore Orioles in a three-game series over the weekend. The Mets and Orioles are going in opposite directions.

The Mets just sold at the MLB Trade Deadline, while the Orioles were buyers.

New York is coming off a series loss to the Kansas City Royals. That’s how bad things have gotten in Queens. On the other hand, the Orioles earned the series win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Baltimore’s core is extremely young, talented, and cheap. Meanwhile, the Mets’ former core was old, capable, and expensive.

Does New York stand a chance in this interleague series against the Orioles?

Take a look at our Mets vs Orioles series preview for this interleague weekend series.

Will The Mets Earn a Top 10 Pick in 2024?

The Mets have shifted their focus to 2025 and 2026. New York sold off Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Mark Canha, and many other players to bring talent to the farm system.

New York knew that the odds were against them. Instead of trying to compete for a Wild Card spot in the National League, the Mets sold off.

Although the Mets exceeded the luxury tax threshold by $40 million, they can hang on to their draft pick if they finish sixth or worse in the MLB this season. If they finish 7th or better, the Mets must move down ten picks.

Therefore, the tank is in. New York’s lineup is a disaster, with washed-up veterans like D.J. Stewart batting second on Thursday. New York has waived the white flag. They might finish last in the NL East standings when all is said and done.

The Addition of Jack Flaherty

The Orioles have been one of the best offenses in the MLB season. But before the MLB Trade Deadline, the Orioles needed another consistent starter.

The Orioles brought Jack Flaherty from the Cardinals and had him pitch in the series finale against the Blue Jays. He saw an uptick in his velocity and finished with a quality start. Flaherty allowed just four hits and one run and earned eight strikeouts.

Flaherty won’t pitch in this series against the Mets. But Baltimore’s rotation got deeper, making them more dangerous in September.

Imagine if Flaherty was with the Orioles throughout the season. He’d have a high probability in the MLB Cy Young odds!

Let’s take a look at the probable pitchers in our Mets vs Orioles series next.

Game 1

Drew Peterson vs. Dean Kremer
Friday, 7:05 p.m. ET

Drew Peterson spent some time in the minors after a brutal first half of the season as a starting pitcher. However, the Mets eventually needed bullpen help, and he started pitching in relief for the Mets. Peterson allowed an 8.42 ERA iN April and a 10.80 ERA in May.

But in June, he started one game and allowed no runs in six innings. Then in July, he finished with a 3.12 ERA in 17.1 innings. Don’t look at the MLB scores from when Peterson pitched in April and May. He’s better now.

Baltimore’s still hitting at a high rate against lefties. Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Ryan Mountcastle have hit above-average ISO and wOBA against lefties over the last month. That likely won’t change against Peterson.

Meanwhile, Peterson will face Dean Kremer of the Orioles. Kremer has allowed a .244 ISO and wOBA of .318 to his last 48 lefties. But he has still held his last 117 batters to a .274 wOBA.

The Mets have struggled offensively over the last week. New York added just two runs against Kansas City in the previous two games, and that was due to a Francisco Lindor home run in the 9th inning, with the Mets down 9-0.

Therefore, the Orioles are -148 favorites at home. The Mets are currently at +124 on the road. The total is 9, with the over juiced to -115/-105.

Game 2

Tylor Megill vs. Kyle Gibson
Saturday, 7:05 p.m. ET

The Mets vs Orioles series preview continues for Game 2. The Mets will call up Tylor Megill from Triple-A. In 2023, Megill has an 8.67 ERA in the minor leagues. He’s pitched better in the majors compared to his minors numbers.

Megill has experience and has had success in the Majors. But he hasn’t pitched in the Majors since June 21 and has looked awful in the minors. It’s hard to trust him against a lethal Orioles lineup.

On the other hand, Kyle Gibson will get the call for the Orioles. Gibson has improved his numbers over the last month. He’s held teams to a .104 ISO and wOBA of .275 while inducing nearly 60% of ground balls in that span.

I’d side with the veteran Gibson in this one.

Game 3

Jose Quintana vs. Kyle Bradish
Sunday, 1:35 p.m. ET

In the series finale, Jose Quintana will get the start for the Mets. Quintana has a 3.57 ERA through three starts with the Mets. He’s thrown at least five innings in every start and hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of the starts.

Still, the Mets have lost each game Quintana has thrown this season.

Meanwhile, Kyle Bradish will toe the mound for the Orioles. Bradish, like Gibson, has improved his numbers over the last month. He’s held teams to a .259 wOBA over the previous month. He’s also limited walks to 5.5 over the last 30 days.

I already acknowledged how well the Orioles have hit lefties over the last 30 days. They’ve got plenty of power in that lineup against lefties and righties.

Therefore, I’ve got the Orioles winning all three games. The Mets are in tank mode, and the Orioles are trying to secure that AL East. The pitching staff has improved drastically over the last month, and now half the New York lineup is a veteran from the minor leagues.