Series Preview: Mets Attempt to Flip Script at Home vs. the Rays

After suffering their sixth consecutive series loss, the New York Mets (20-22) are heading back home to Citi Field to begin a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays (31-11). The Mets are greatly struggling this season as they are narrowly holding on to fourth place in their division. On the other hand, the Rays have been a juggernaut in the American League East to begin the year.

Despite an encouraging performance in their victory in the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday, the Mets are coming off a series in which they split four games against the last-place Nationals. Despite having an exorbitant payroll, the Mets have severely underperformed to begin the season. This series against the Nationals magnified these issues as the Mets struggled in various departments throughout the four games. However, one bright spot was catcher Michael Pérez, who went 4-for-4 in the first game of the doubleheader on Sunday.

For the Rays, they will not have to travel very far as they just concluded a series split against their division rivals in the Bronx. While they merely split the series, their offense has continued to impress as they collected a combined 29 runs in the four games. This upcoming series will be a major test for the Mets’ struggling pitching staff as they cannot afford to suffer another series defeat.

Tuesday, May 16, 2023: LHP Jalen Beeks (1-2, 5.40 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Verlander (1-1, 2.25 ERA)

In Tuesday’s contest, the Rays will be adhering to the standards of a bullpen game. Jalen Beeks is expected to serve as the opener while RHP Yonny Chirinos will work the bulk of the innings. The Rays are famous for successfully adopting this strategy as they have seen impressive results over the recent few years. Many other teams, including the Mets, have utilized this strategy when their rotation leaves a void to be filled.

Beeks has been lights out in his last two appearances with four scoreless innings and five strikeouts between them. He has yet to face the Mets in his career. For Chirinos, he saw varying levels of success in his last appearance as he pitched five innings while allowing two earned runs and walking four batters. He will also be making his first career appearance against the Mets.

Justin Verlander was outstanding in his previous start against the Reds, in which he pitched seven innings while allowing one earned run and striking out seven batters. This is a highly encouraging sign for the Mets as they need quality pitching to get themselves back on the path towards winning. In his career against the Rays, Verlander has an ERA of 3.17 in 20 appearances. This will be his first start in front of the home crowd at Citi Field.

Wednesday, May 17, 2023: RHP Taj Bradley (3-0, 3.52 ERA) vs. RHP Kodai Senga (4-2, 4.14 ERA)

With the recent injury to RHP Drew Rasmussen, the Rays are likely to go with rookie Taj Bradley in Wednesday’s contest. Despite struggling in Triple-A after his demotion, Bradley was solid during his three starts at the major league level. In his most recent start, he pitched five innings against the Astros while allowing three earned runs with six strikeouts.

Kodai Senga saw mixed results in his previous start against the Reds as he pitched five innings while allowing five earned runs with seven strikeouts. One possible explanation for this mediocre performance could be that this start was his first without the familiar Tomás Nido doing the catching. However, one positive sign was that he only walked one batter, which is a major improvement from his previous start when he walked four.

Thursday, May 18, 2023: LHP Josh Fleming (0-0, 4.26 ERA) vs. RHP Tylor Megill (4-2, 4.02 ERA) 

While the Rays have not listed a starting pitcher for Thursday’s game, one likely candidate is LHP Josh Fleming. In his last appearance, he contributed four innings pitched with one earned run allowed and two strikeouts. Although he only possesses 4.8 strikeouts per nine innings, he relies on finesse pitching to generate soft contact that often results in outs. In eight innings pitched against the Mets, he has only allowed one run with seven strikeouts.

On the other side, the Mets are expected to turn to Tylor Megill. He was effective in his previous start against the Nationals as he pitched five innings while allowing one earned run with four strikeouts. However, he did walk four batters, which could be an issue against a more potent offense such as the Rays. Thursday will mark his first appearance against the Rays.