Series Preview: Mets Take On Manny Machado and the Padres

After falling behind the Dodgers 2-0 to start their four-game series, the Mets came back in exciting fashion to take the final two games for the series split. They now continue their west coast road trip, as the Mets (37-19) head south to take on the San Diego Padres (33-21) in a three-game series.

The Mets’ bats were quiet in the first two games against the Dodgers. Maybe it was the travel out west, or maybe it was bad luck running into good pitching, especially Tyler Anderson. Anderson had a 20-inning scoreless streak going before the Mets arrived and extended it to 26 innings in game two. Luckily, things turned around in game three, and the Mets won 9-4. Game four was tougher, but the Mets offense outlasted the Dodgers’ offense with the help of Adonis Medina, who pitched the tenth inning to remember.

Pete Alonso is arguably the Mets hottest hitter. He has 54 RBIs this season and 16 home runs. His homer in game two kept the Mets from being shut out in back-to-back games. He hit two clutch homers in game three against the Dodgers to help get the win and hit a game-tying double in game four. Francisco Lindor started the series off on the wrong foot hand, fracturing the tip of his right middle finger by catching it in his hotel room door. But after missing game one and going hitless in game two, he kicked things back into gear with a homer in game three and two hits in game four.

The Mets’ bullpen was excellent in the series against the Dodgers. As a unit, they only gave up four runs in 14 2/3 innings. The biggest issue was in game four, when Seth Lugo gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth, letting the Dodgers tie the game.

The Padres are coming into this series on a three-game win streak, having taken three of four games from the NL Central-leading Brewers. However, before they beat the Brewers, the Padres were swept by the Cardinals in a three-game series.

Joe Musgrove and rookie MacKenzie Gore have pitched excellently for San Diego. Musgrove and Gore each turned in scoreless outings against the Brewers, and their ERAs are 1.64 and 1.50 respectively. Luckily for the Mets, Musgrove and Gore are not starting in this series, so that should help New York’s chances of winning.

On the offensive side for the Padres, Manny Machado is having a fabulous year. He’s batting .333/.409/.551 on the year and has nine homers and 32 RBIs. Machado has stepped up for the Padres in the absence of their superstar shortstop, Fernando Tatis Jr. The Padres have also gotten decent production from Eric Hosmer, who they almost traded to the Mets before the season started. Hosmer’s slash line is .296/.357/.551 and he has driven in 25 runs.

Monday, June 6, 2022: RHP Carlos Carrasco (6-1, 3.63 ERA) vs. LHP Blake Snell (0-2, 4.80 ERA)

Carrasco was solid for the Mets his last time out against the Nationals, tossing five scoreless innings and striking out five. Although Carrasco was the first Mets’ starter to pitch into eighth inning this season, in his last four starts he has not made it out of the sixth inning. With the bullpen a bit worn out after David Peterson’s short outing against the Dodgers on Saturday, and the extra inning game on Sunday, it would be great if Carrasco could give the Mets some length in game one.

Snell got a late start to his season, making his first start for the Padres on May 18. His first start of the season was supposed to be earlier on April 10, but he was scratched due to tightness in his left adductor muscle. He ended up on the injured list for more than a month and has only made three starts so far this year. In his last outing against the Cardinals, Snell struck out six and gave up two runs in six innings of work.

Tuesday, June 7, 2022: RHP Taijuan Walker (3-1, 2.88 ERA) vs. RHP Yu Darvish (4-3, 4.03 ERA)

Walker pitched very well in his last outing against the Dodgers. He went 5 2/3 innings, giving up only two runs, and giving the Mets a chance to win the game. Unfortunately, the offense did not back him up, and the Mets were shut out that game for the first time this season. If Walker can hold the Padres to two runs or less on Tuesday, the Mets will have an excellent chance to win.

Darvish has had an interesting year thus far. He’s had his fair share of good games, where he’s gone six innings or more and given up less than three runs. But he’s also tossed a few poor outings. His worst game was his second outing of the year, where he gave up nine runs in 1 2/3 innings against the Giants. Darvish’s most recent outing was against the Cardinals, in the series where the Padres were swept. He gave the team length in that game, going 7 2/3 innings, but he also gave up five runs.

Wednesday, June 8, 2022: RHP Chris Bassitt (4-3, 3.74 ERA) vs. LHP Sean Manaea (2-3, 3.77 ERA)

Bassitt has had a rough go of things against California teams this year. He gave up 13 runs in two starts against the Giants and he gave up four runs against the Dodgers in his last start. Bassitt has given up three runs or less in almost all of the rest of his starts. In a recent article from the Athletic’s Tim Britton, Bassitt mentioned that the number of talented left-handed hitters in the National League may explain his struggles. Britton explored how Bassitt’s repertoire works best when attacking right-handed batters. That worked well for him when he was pitching in the American league, where many of the most feared sluggers bat right-handed.

The Padres acquired Manaea from Oakland on April 3, right before the 2022 season was set to kick off. So far, he’s pitched as expected for San Diego. In his last start against the Brewers, Manaea struck out eight batters and gave up one run in six innings of work. Manaea’s biggest issue so far this season seems to be a lack of run support from his teammates. He has taken a no-decision in his last four starts, despite reaching the sixth inning in all four starts and pitching the seventh inning as well in two of them.

Prediction: 

The Mets have the pitching advantage on paper in all three games, since the Padres best starters are not pitching this series. Of course, anything can happen once the games are played. Still, the Mets should have a solid chance of taking two out of three from the Padres.