Here are five things to watch and predict as the Mets and Houston Astros will play a three-game series at Citi Field starting Friday night…
Example
Franciscos. That’s nice to say
As the Mets’ offense has grown into one of the most potent in baseball over the past month and change, just about everyone has gotten in on the fun. But Francisco Lindor And Francisco Alvarez have been on another planet.
Lindor is hitting .291/.354/.547 with four homers and 10 doubles in 96 plate appearances over 21 games in June. That hot streak has lifted Lindor’s OPS+ for the season to 118.
He is on pace to finish the year with 27 home runs, 48 ​​doubles and 106 runs scored.
As for Alvarez, he’s starting to look like a rising superstar. He is also the personification of swagger.
During his eight-game hitting streak, Alvarez is hitting .556/.647/1.037 with three home runs and four doubles over 34 plate appearances. One of those home runs came in Game 2 of the Subway Series, when he reached 90 mph Luis Gil fastball the other way for a rocket of a two-run shot.
Overall, Alvarez is hitting .313/.383/.521 in 30 games this season.
Mets’ bullpen is held together by tape and glue
The Mets have lost three of their key relievers over the past week.
Edwin Diaz has eight games left to play due to his suspension, and is eligible to return on July 6.
Sean Reid-Foley is making progress as he recovers from a shoulder impingement, and could be activated from the IL on July 5 when he first becomes eligible.
Drew Smith is suffering from a stiff forearm and it is still unclear when he might be able to return.
As the Mets wait for Diaz and Reid-Foley, they will have to continue to navigate the late innings with a bullpen that features Reed Garrett And Dedniel Nunez as the two most reliable weapons.
That pen bent but didn’t break during Game 1 of the Subway Series, and was better in Game 2, with Adrian Huiser discard the last three frames.
McNeil and Megill
Although the Mets have turned their season around, serious questions remain Jeff McNeil And Tylor Megill.
McNeil is very slowly beginning to show signs of success: he hit the ball hard in three at-bats against the Cubs on June 23, had two hits against the Yankees on Tuesday and an RBI against the Yanks on Wednesday.
But with Jose Iglesias eating McNeil’s playing time at second base and Luisangel Acuna is on fire at Triple-A Syracuse, McNeil may not have time to right the ship.
As for Megill, he struggled to provide much length in his starts, and was hit very hard in his most recent outing — allowing six runs in just 3.0 innings.
The Mets could add soon Christian Scott back to rotation, and Kodai Senga is almost due for a rehabilitation assignment. So a rotation shakeup could happen in the near future.
The outside situation
Of Starling Marte Now that the Mets are out for at least four weeks and possibly longer, they are trying to revive their outfield career.
Tyrone Taylor has received the most playing time so far and has excelled at it.
Meanwhile, so have the Mets DJ Stewart as an outfield option.
Another setup, especially if McNeil is going to hit, could be to move McNeil to a corner outfield position and have Iglesias play second base.
Houston, we don’t have a problem (anymore)
Like the Mets, the Astros had a very rough start to the season.
And like the Mets, Houston has recently caught fire and returned to .500.
The Astros have won seven straight games, are 8-2 over their last 10 games and have moved to within 4.5 games of the Mariners in the AL West and 3.0 games of the third Wild Card spot.
Houston has some serious problems in the rotation and has already lost Christian Javier And José Urquidy before the season due to Tommy John surgery. They are still without it Lance McCullers Jr.while Justin Verlander is progressing slowly as he tries to recover from a neck injury.
The Astros’ offense is still a strength, led by the perennial MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez, José AltuveAnd Alex Bregman.
Predictions
Who will be the MVP of the series?
Pete Alonso.
Alonso has been in a bit of an offensive rut of late, but he has continued to get on base and reached base safely in each of his last five games.
He hit, singled and scored three runs in the second game of the Subway series on Wednesday. It looks like he’s ready for a new burst of power.
Will Megill’s Battle Continue?
Unfortunately for the Mets, yes,
The Astros’ lineup, loaded with power and experience, is not the ideal opponent to face after a poor start.
Which Astros will be a thorn in the side of the Mets?
Framber Valdez And Jeremy Pena.
The Mets have been getting the best of top-level starting pitching lately, including a shellacking of Gerrit Kool and good luck against Gil. But Valdez, who allowed two runs or fewer in four of his last five starts and 7.0 innings of one-run ball against the Orioles last Sunday, will be strong when he starts against the Mets on Saturday.
As for Pena, he’s struggled a bit this season, with a .698 OPS and no homer since May 17. But he will have some key hits against the Mets this weekend.
