The New York Mets (8-4) are back on the road after a 5-1 homestand, highlighted by a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays. It has been a good start to the season, largely due to the Mets getting quality pitching from just about everyone. That will be put to the test against the Athletics (5-8), who are playing away from the Oakland Coliseum for the first time since 1967. In what appears to be a wide-open AL West, the Athletics are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since the shortened 2020 season.
Let’s take a look at the three pitching matchups for the weekend series.
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Pitching Matchups
- Friday: Griffin Canning (0-1, 2.79 ERA) vs. JP Sears (1-1, 3.46 ERA): Canning has had a solid start to his time as a Met, and the next step for him is to pitch deeper into games. Canning has faced the A’s 11 times, which is more than any other team in his career. He is 3-5 with a 4.84 ERA in 57 2/3 innings against them. Sears is a workhorse in the Athletics rotation, making 32 starts in each of the last two seasons. The southpaw won’t blow hitters away with his four-seam fastball though, as he averages 92.1 mph with the pitch. Sears will make his initial home start of the season Friday, with his first two coming on the road.
- Saturday: David Peterson (1-0, 2.53 ERA) vs. TBD: Peterson left his start against the Blue Jays on Sunday after feeling nauseous. All things considered, that was good news given that it wasn’t due to an injury of any sort. Dating back to the 2024 season, Peterson has allowed two runs or less in four of his last five starts. He won his first and only career start against the Athletics in August last year, throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings. The A’s have yet to announce a starter for the second game of the series. This would have been Joey Estes‘ spot in the rotation, but he was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas earlier this week.
- Sunday: Kodai Senga (1-1, 1.80 ERA) vs. Luis Severino (0-2, 4.74 ERA): Senga has thrown five innings in each of his first two outings. He threw five scoreless innings in Monday’s win over the Miami Marlins, despite not being at his best. Senga faced the Marlins in each of his first two starts, so it will be interesting to see how he attacks a different opponent. 11 of the A’s 13 position players on the active roster have never faced Senga. As for Severino, he will get his first chance to face off against his former team since leaving in the offseason. The right-hander has struggled in his two home starts, pitching to a 6.92 ERA across 13 innings. Severino will be hoping for a much better outing against the new-look Mets.
WHAT’S THE STORY
Six regular season contests have been played at Sutter Health Park, and there has been an average of 11.66 runs per game. One quality start has been thrown in those games, which came from Jameson Taillon of the Chicago Cubs.
It goes without saying that offense has played a major factor in the A’s temporary ballpark. Going on the road and playing there may just be the perfect occurrence for the Mets lineup. As a whole, their offense has yet to hit peak form. Their 3.75 runs per game ranks No. 16 among all teams in baseball. A weekend series in a ballpark showing early signs of favoring offense and runs could jumpstart the season for the likes of Mark Vientos, Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña among others.
PREDICTION
The Athletics are a young team that’s ready to make some noise. With the bats they have, headlined by Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson among others, they will be a difficult test for the Mets.
With that being said, I expect New York’s offense to show out in a big way this weekend. There could be multiple games with runs in just about every inning. Its lineup is too talented to go much longer without hitting their stride. I think they take a step forward as the Mets win two of three in Sacramento.
