Series Preview: Mets and Padres Begin Wild Card Rematch

The New York Mets (5-5) are looking to build off of their encouraging series win against Miami as they take on the San Diego Padres (6-4) in a 2022 Wild Card rematch. In the 2022 regular season, the Mets had a lackluster record of 2-4 against the Padres. Consequently, the two teams met in the Wild Card series, in which the Padres emerged victorious with a record of 2-1 at Citi Field.

There are some important notes regarding the Mets as they head into this series. First, outfielder Starling Marte was injured in the series finale against Miami as he suffered a neck strain when sliding into third base. It remains unclear whether or not he will be playing in tonight’s series opener. Second, MMO’s number one ranked prospect Francisco Álvarez made his season debut against Miami and went 1-4 while accumulating his first RBI of the season in a loss. While the catcher is not likely to start in tonight’s game, it is possible that he appears in one of the three games this series. Third, first baseman Pete Alonso is off to a hot start this season with the bat as he has launched five home runs, which places him in a tie for the league lead. He will certainly be an important factor in this upcoming series, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Marte’s injury status.

Moving on to the Padres, they are currently holding a three-game win streak as they are coming off of a 3-1 series win in Atlanta. In fact, former Mets’ pitcher Seth Lugo, who it seems like the Mets will avoid facing this series, pitched an excellent game in Atlanta yesterday with six innings pitched, one earned run, and five strikeouts. Also, there were other standout performers on the offensive side that could make an impact on this upcoming series. First, designated hitter Nelson Cruz collected eight RBIs along with a home run in the two games that he appeared in against the Braves. Second, third baseman Manny Machado went 3-5 in yesterday’s contest to go along with two runs scored. These offensive threats will be interesting to keep an eye on during this pivotal series.

Monday, April 10, 2023: RHP Max Scherzer (1-1, 6.35 ERA) vs RHP Yu Darvish (0-0, 1.80 ERA)

Scherzer, 38, is coming off of a poor start against the Brewers, in which he pitched five and one-third innings while allowing five earned runs while only striking out two batters. Last season, Scherzer performed well in his only regular season start against the Padres as he pitched six innings while allowing two earned runs and striking out eight. However, this success did not translate to the first Wild Card contest between the two teams as he only pitched four and two-thirds innings while giving up a gargantuan seven earned runs and striking out four batters.

On the other side of that underwhelming Wild Card performance was tonight’s opposing pitcher Yu Darvish, who pitched seven innings while only allowing one earned run with four strikeouts. Darvish, 36, has picked up right where he left off last season as he looks to build off of his first successful start. In his career against the Mets, Darvish has been lights out with a 5-0 record and 2.56 ERA in eight appearances.

Tuesday, April 11, 2023: LHP David Peterson (0-1, 6.00 ERA) vs LHP Ryan Weathers (0-0, 3.60 ERA)

Peterson, 27, is coming off of a rough start against Miami, in which he pitched four innings while allowing five earned runs. He also walked five batters, which was a catalyst for Miami’s offensive production. Consequently, control has been a major issue for Peterson in his brief career as it often serves as the arbiter for his success. If he is able to maintain a command of the strike zone, success should come along with it.

Weathers, 23, has not pitched much recently as he has suffered a number of injuries that derailed his 2022 campaign. In his only start this season, he pitched five innings while giving up two earned runs. He looks to build off of this encouraging start as he appears against the Mets for the first time in his career.

Wednesday, April 12, 2023: RHP Tylor Megill (2-0, 1.64 ERA) vs LHP Blake Snell (0-1, 7.88 ERA)

Megill, 27, has been one of the best starters for the Mets this season. In his previous start against Miami, he excelled with six shutout innings and three strikeouts. This strong Padres lineup will serve as a challenge for Megill as he has not faced them in his career.

Snell, 30, is expected to pitch in Wednesday’s contest as Joe Musgrove may need another rehab start prior to making his return to the team. Snell has struggled in his two starts this season as he has allowed seven earned runs in eight innings pitched. In the regular season, Snell is 3-3 with a 2.73 ERA against the Mets in his career. He also pitched in the Wild Card matchup against the team last year, and he had mixed results with three and one-third innings pitched and two earned runs allowed. It will be interesting to see if the Mets can build off of their strong offensive performance from their last matchup with Snell.