Series Preview: Mets Host Marlins In A Four Game Series

The New York Mets (63-67, third place in National League’s eastern division) will host manager Don Mattingly‘s Miami Marlins (55-76, fifth place in the National League’s eastern division) in a four-game series at Citi Field beginning Tuesday afternoon with the resumption of a suspended game.

The Mets took two of three games against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field in their most recent series. The Mets’ offense seemed to awaken on Saturday night, keyed by a pinch-hit, three-run home run by Michael Conforto that proved to be the decisive blow in the game. Kevin Pillar also contributed two solo home runs in the game. The next day, the offensive surge continued, as the Mets put up nine runs against the Nationals in a 9-4 victory, fueled by home runs off the bats of Javier Baez and Jonathan Villar.

Of note, the Mets employed a variety of weapons on offense over the weekend. They stole bases (Francisco Lindor, Pillar, Brandon Nimmo), and even added some situational (“small ball”) hitting, using singles (Dominic Smith, Pete Alonso) to drive in runs.

Over the last two games, things seemed to look up in Flushing, but the picture is not all rosy. First, though the Mets won their last two games (which is an accomplishment given how August has gone), winning alone is not going to be enough for them to make a desperation run at a division title. The men in orange and blue have dug themselves a deep divisional hole, and need significant and fast help to have any chance for an interesting September. They did not get that help over the weekend, as the San Francisco Giants, and their best record in baseball, dropped two of three in Atlanta.

And then there’s the omnipresent off-the-field controversy that seems to find the Mets at every turn. This time, the drama comes from Baez’s postgame comments on Sunday, when he revealed that the “thumbs-down” salute after hits represents the players booing the fans when the players are successful on the field. This prompted a social media frenzy and a statement from team president Sandy Alderson that such behavior is not acceptable and will be addressed.

So if you’re keeping score, the Mets are in a dire situation to try to save their season, and now have this cloud hanging over them, when they can afford to think of nothing other than winning as many of their 32 remaining games as possible.

Speaking of clouds, the Mets have a doubleheader Tuesday (game one is the completion of a suspended game from April as noted above), then a night game scheduled for Wednesday. If the weather forecast holds, the Wednesday night game is in weather jeopardy, as the remnants of Hurricane Ida will visit the New York area. The series is set to wrap up on Thursday night, and that may be a doubleheader if Wednesday night’s game is not played.

Let’s take a look at the projected pitching matchups for the upcoming series against the Marlins.

Tuesday, August 31: (Resumption of game suspended on April 11) Undecided MIA vs. RHP Taijuan Walker (7-9) NYM 1:10 pm

This will be a nine-inning game, picked up in the top of the first inning with one out and a Miami runner on first base.

Luis Rojas indicated after Sunday’s game that Taijuan Walker would be on the mound for the resumption of the suspended game. Walker has found himself after struggling in his first few games after the All-Star break. In his four starts immediately after the break, the right-hander from Shreveport, LA surrendered 21 earned runs. In his next four starts, he has allowed only 10 earned runs. Walker seems to be doing a much better job of locating his pitches.

In his most recent outing against the Giants on August 25, Walker was removed from the game in the seventh inning with a low pitch count, after allowing two baserunners with no outs (through no fault of his own). The Mets went on to lose the game. He was visibly upset, and later attributed his reaction to his competitive nature. It will be interesting to see if, should a similar situation arise, he’s allowed to pitch through it.

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

Tuesday, August 31: Undecided MIA vs. RHP Trevor Williams (4-2) NYM 7:10 pm

This is the regularly scheduled game, and will be a seven-inning game.

Williams came to the Mets at the trading deadline in the deal that landed Javier Baez in New York. Williams has been up and down between Triple-A Syracuse and the Mets. He has appeared in three games as a Met, starting one of them, against Washington on August 12. In that game, the San Diego native tossed four and one-third innings and allowed just one run.

Overall in orange and blue, Williams has yielded just one earned run in eight and two-thirds innings pitched. He has an ERA of 4.54  and a 1.46 WHIP in his 2021 work with the Mets and Cubs. In his career spanning 122 games, Williams has a 35-39 record, with a 4.44 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.

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

Wednesday, September 1: RHP Zach Thompson (2-6) MIA vs. RHP Carlos Carrasco (0-2) NYM 7:10 pm

Thompson is in his rookie season and has a 3.16 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. He faced the Mets on August 4 in Miami, going four innings and allowing three runs (two earned) and three hits in a game the Mets won. The native of Burelson, TX has struck out 52 batters in 62.2 innings pitched this season.

Carrasco has pitched better of late. Though he has an ERA of 6.94 and a WHIP of 1.29 since coming off the injured list on July 30, he has fared well in his last two starts. On August 20 at Los Angeles, the native of Venezuela pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs to the strong Dodgers’ lineup.

He backed that up on August 26 against the Giants at Citi Field, throwing seven innings, letting up two earned runs on three hits. As Carrasco builds up his innings, his last two starts give the Mets hope that he can be a reliable arm in the middle of the rotation for the remainder of the season.

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

Thursday, September 2: RHP Sandy Alcantara (8-12) MIA vs. LHP Rich Hill (6-6) NYM 7:10 pm

Alcantara was projected to be the ace of the Miami rotation, and despite his record has pitched well this year, posting an ERA of 3.27 and a WHIP of 1.12. The native of the Dominican Republic is in his fifth season, and has a career record of 19-31 to go with an ERA of 3.54 and a WHIP of 1.25. He has struck out 158 batters this season over 165.1 innings pitched, while walking 49 (two intentionally).

Hill joined the Mets in July, and has been essentially what they could have expected from a 41-year-old pitcher. He does not deep into games, and will generally keep the Mets in the game. The native of Massachusetts has made seven starts as a Met, tossing 31.2 innings and allowing 20 earned runs.

In his last start against the Nationals on August 27, Hill went five innings and let up two earned runs. He has a career record of 73-50 with an ERA of 3.83 and a 1.22 WHIP.

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

Miscellaneous Series Notes:

The Marlins have a team ERA of 3.91 (12th in MLB), while the Mets have a team ERA of 3.76 (9th).

Miami’s starters’ ERA is 4.01 (13th), Mets’ starters have an ERA of 3.67 (6th)

Miami’s relievers’ ERA is 3.78 (9th), Mets’ relievers’ ERA is 3.88 (10th)

The Marlins have a team BA of .237 (23rd), the Mets’ team BA is .235 (24th)

Miami has hit 128 home runs (28th), while the Mets have hit 137 home runs (26th)

Miami’s OPS leaders are Jesus Aguilar (.759), Jazz Chisholm (.742), Miguel Rojas (.725)

Jon Berti is on the seven-day injured list

Mets’ OPS leaders are Pete Alonso (.847), Brandon Nimmo (.804), Jonathan Villar (.774)

For the Mets, the task is very clear-cut. They have to win this series, and probably need to sweep it. They will also need help from the Dodgers, who are hosting the Braves in a three-game series in Los Angeles. The Mets have very little time, and as a result, very little margin for error.

The Marlins always play the Mets tough, and this year, have beaten the Mets six of nine times. The Mets will need to keep their offense, which was finally on display in their last two games, rolling with their newly-found diverse ways of scoring runs. In addition, they will be challenged with overcoming the “thumbs down” controversy and going about their business of winning games.

After this series, the Mets go to Washington for five games, while the Braves go to Colorado for four games. The Rockies, though struggling this year, are tough at home and could give the Braves a battle. However, the first order of business is to go out and win, and the Mets need to do exactly that this week against Miami.