The New York Mets (59-58, third place in the National League’s eastern division) begin a seven-game California road trip with three in San Francisco against manager Gabe Kapler‘s Giants (76-42, first place in the National League’s western division). After this series, the Mets will venture south in the Golden State to take on the Dodgers for four games in Los Angeles.

The Mets are coming off a series at Citi Field against the Dodgers in which they were swept, including an absolute embarrassment on Sunday Night Baseball. This knocked them back on their heels after an encouraging three-game sweep of the Nationals in their previous series. The Mets, who spent three months in first place, find themselves now looking up at the first-place Braves and second-place Phillies.

This weekend, New York seemed to take solace in being competitive in the series against the Dodgers. However, there is no column in the standings for moral victories, and the Mets need to stack the “win” column soon, as their season has dwindled down to 45 games. The Mets play their next 10 games against the Giants and Dodgers, who represent the upper echelon of the National League.

To use a sports cliché, this is gut-check time. Not only has New York sunken in the standings, they received news on Friday that ace Jacob deGrom is possibly out for the season, along with having to place newly-acquired Javier Baez on the injured list. If the Mets want to salvage their season, they will have to find a way to post some wins in California this week.

If there is good news for the men from Flushing, it’s that shortstop Francisco Lindor is progressing toward a return from his oblique injury and may be activated on the next homestand. Also, once the slate of games against the Giants and Dodgers comes to an end on August 26, the Mets’ schedule will soften for the balance of the regular season. The Mets have to ensure that they remain in the race for when this shift takes place.

The weather should not be an issue for any of the games in California. Let’s take a look at the anticipated pitching matchups for the series in San Francisco.

Monday, August 16: LHP Rich Hill (6-4) NYM vs. RHP Kevin Gausman (11-5) SFG 9:45 pm

Hill will be making his fourth start and fifth appearance in a Mets uniform. In his last appearance, he picked up a suspended game against the Nationals on August 11, and pitched three innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits. He was spared a loss when the Mets staged a spirited rally to win in the late innings. Overall as a Met, Hill has a 5.00 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. He has tossed 18 innings for New York, allowing 10 earned runs on 17 hits. At 41 years old, Hill is essentially a five-inning pitcher, and the Mets will look to him for as many solid innings as possible, as they’ve used their bullpen extensively of late.

Gausman in many ways is an example of how the Giants have made their run to the top in 2021. The Giants have a lot of veteran players who are having strong seasons, in many cases above their career averages. That would be the case for Gausman. He is 30 years old and pitching to a 2.29 ERA. His career ERA, even with this good season, is nearly two runs higher at 4.02. Similarly, his WHIP is 2021 is 0.97, versus his career WHIP of 1.29. Having just faced Walker Buehler and Max Scherzer, the Mets will have another big test ahead of them when they face Gausman, who is in his ninth season, having pitched for the Orioles and Braves before joining the Giants.

The game can be seen locally on SNY and heard locally on WCBS radio 880 am.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday, August 17: RHP Marcus Stroman (8-11) NYM vs. RHP Logan Webb (6-3) SFG 9:45 pm

Stroman has pitched better than his record would indicate. In his last start, he battled the heat and the Washington Nationals on August 12 at Citi Field, coming away with a victory after pitching 5 1/3 innings (of a seven-inning game), allowing one run on just three hits and two walks. On the season, Stroman has a 2.79 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. The native of Long Island has a 59-58 career record over seven seasons, to go with an ERA of 3.63 and a WHIP of 1.27.

Webb is 24 years old and is in his third major league season, all of which have been with the Giants. He has a 2.96 ERA and 1.14 ERA in 2021, and over his brief career, he has posted a record of 11-10 with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. This year, he has allowed 71 hits and 26 walks through 85 innings pitched.

The game can be seen locally on SNY and heard locally on WCBS radio 880 am.

Wednesday, August 18: RHP Tylor Megill (1-2) NYM vs. RHP Anthony DeSclafani (11-5) SFG 3:45 pm

Megill has generally been solid for the Mets, starting 10 games in 2021 and pitching to a 3.42 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. In his last start against the Dodgers on August 13, he went five innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits. The Mets rallied to take him off the hook, but lost the game in 10 innings. Of concern with Megill is that his August ERA in three starts is 6.75, while he posted a July ERA of 1.04 in five starts and a June ERA of 4.82 in two starts. He could be regressing to a natural mean, or perhaps the “book” on him is out, and he will need to start making adjustments.

DeSclafani, like Gausman, is a veteran pitching above his career numbers. The 31-year-old has a 3.29 ERA this season and a 1.08 WHIP. Contrast those numbers, and his 11-5 record, to his career 48-44 record, a career 4.12 ERA, and a career WHIP of 1.26. The native of Freehold, New Jersey is in his seventh season, having pitched for the Marlins and Reds prior to joining the Giants in 2021.

The game can be seen locally on SNY and heard locally on WCBS radio 880 am.

Miscellaneous Game Notes:

Mets’ OPS leaders are Pete Alonso (.820), Brandon Nimmo (.803), Jonathan Villar (.745).

Giants’ OPS leaders are Buster Posey (.975), Brandon Crawford (.900), Mike Yastrzemski (.769).

The Giants are second in MLB in home runs with 176, the Mets are 26th with 123.

The Giants’ staff ERA is 3.32, second in MLB. The Mets’ staff ERA is 3.78, ninth in MLB.

The Giants’ starters have a 3.41 ERA, third in MLB. Mets’ starters have a 3.57 ERA, sixth in MLB.

Giants relievers own a 3.20 ERA, third in MLB. The Mets’ relievers ERA is 4.05, 16th in MLB.

Pitcher Johnny Cueto is on the injured list for the Giants

It’s not hyperbole to say the Mets’ season is on the line this week. They are playing stiff competition, while the division-leading Braves are playing the Marlins and Orioles. The Mets enter play this week 2.5 games behind the Braves, and 1.5 games behind the second-place Phillies, who play the Diamondbacks and Padres.

If the Mets should return to Citi Field on August 23 five or six games out of first place with fewer than 40 to play, their season, that had promise, will be in serious jeopardy. They need to find something within themselves to achieve real, rather than moral, victories to remain in the race.