The New York Mets (63-52) have had a nightmare start to August, losing five of their first six games. If we take it a step further, they have now dropped eight of their last nine games. Not good. Not good at all. It certainly won’t get any easier as they try and snap out of this slump either.

Next up is the Milwaukee Brewers (70-44), who just so happen to be the hottest team in baseball. Since the start of June, they are 39-16. They have one of the league’s best offenses, and their pitching has exceeded expectations. It’ll be a difficult test for a Mets team that is playing far from their best at the moment.

Let’s take a look at some notes ahead of the three pitching matchups.

Sean Manaea (59) Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

PITCHING MATCHUPS

  • Friday: Kodai Senga (7-3, 2.31 ERA) vs. Brandon Woodruff (3-0, 2.22 ERA): Things have not gone smoothly since Senga returned from the injured list. In four starts, he has thrown a total of 16 innings and pitched to a 6.19 ERA. Senga has reached five innings during that stretch just once. Walks and long at-bats have really hurt him lately. Senga will face the Brewers for the first time since June 2023. Woodruff missed all of last year due to injury before returning last month. He didn’t appear to show any rust despite the long absence. The two-time All-Star provided six innings in four of his first five starts, reaching a season-high 88 pitches in his last start. Woodruff is 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA in three career starts against the Mets.
  • Saturday: TBD vs. Logan Henderson (3-0, 1.78 ERA): Frankie Montas is set to pitch in the second game of the series. The question, though, is when his outing will begin. Carlos Mendoza mentioned earlier in the week that they may use an opener before going to Montas. Regardless, expect him to be the bulk guy for the Mets on Saturday. Montas has allowed 12 earned runs over his last 8 1/3 innings. Henderson returned to the big league rotation after Jacob Misiorowski was placed on the IL. In his first start back, he allowed one run on three hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Washington Nationals last Sunday.
  • Sunday: Sean Manaea (1-1, 3.52 ERA) vs. Quinn Priester (11-2, 3.15 ERA): Manaea had his best performance of the season earlier this week, that was until things quickly went south. He completed five efficient innings against the Cleveland Guardians with little to no stress. Then, in the sixth inning, Manaea allowed five of his seven total hits, with the big blow being a three-run home run by Gabriel Arias. Improving as he sees a lineup for the third time more frequently will be key for him. Priester has been one of the cooler stories across all of baseball this season. After not panning out as a prospect for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he has thrived in Milwaukee since being traded to the club from the Boston Red Sox earlier this year. Priester has earned the win in each of his last five starts, pitching to a 1.99 ERA over that stretch.

WHAT’S THE STORY?

It has been well-documented that the Mets are not playing good baseball, and frankly, that has been going on for some time now. The Philadelphia Phillies are 2 1/2 games ahead of them in the division. That is a small margin, even at this stage of the season, but the time is now to turn a corner. The opportunity to begin that turnaround just so happens to be in a familiar place: Milwaukee. The last time the Mets were in town to face the Brewers, Pete Alonso hit the most significant home run of his career in Game 3 of the 2024 Wild Card series. Hopefully a reminder of what they accomplished at American Family Field last October will create a spark for the team.

PREDICTION

This Brewers team is legit. They’re 36-20 at home, 35-24 against teams with a record above .500 and 9-1 in their last 10 games. At their best, the Mets can compete with the Brewers. It remains to be seen when the Mets will return to that level or something close to it. I think they get a game, but nothing more than that.