Mets finish off West Coast trip with three against sliding Angels

The Mets (38-21) return to Los Angeles to conclude their 10-game West Coast trip against the scuffling Angels (28-31). The Mets haven’t seen Mike Trout and friends since 2017, when they took two of three at Citi Field. The last time they traveled to Anaheim, they dropped two of three in 2014.

The Mets dropped their third series of 2022 by losing two out of three against the Padres. The Mets enjoyed a series-opening win on Monday night by an 11-5 score. Eduardo Escobar was the star of the game, as he hit for the cycle in the victory. In doing so, he became the first Met since Scott Hairson in 2010 to complete the feat. Their lineup collected 16 hits to go along with their 11 runs. On the mound, Carlos Carrasco struck out 10 over seven strong innings.

Tuesday night’s game was basically the complete opposite of their Monday night fun, as they were blanked 7-0 while also losing two players to injury. Both Starling Marte (quad tightness) and Pete Alonso (hit on hand) exited the game and, while they missed Wednesday night’s game, both are just day to day and hope to avoid any IL time. The Mets managed just two hits against Yu Darvish and San Diego’s bullpen, while Taijuan Walker allowed four earned runs over six innings.

The Mets lost 13-2 on Wednesday. That’s it. That’s the paragraph.

Starting pitching, which was so good early on, has predictably struggled since both Max Scherzer and Tylor Megill suffered their injuries. Since May 19, the day after Scherzer exited his start with an oblique injury, the club’s rotation has posted a 5.28 ERA and a 4.74 FIP in 20 games. During that span, they are walking 8.6% of batters and surrendering 1.41 HR/9. On the bright side, Megill is set to return on Friday, while Scherzer has thrown his first bullpen, which is the first step before facing live batters and, soon thereafter, making rehab starts. If you want to look even further into the future, Jacob deGrom has also thrown a bullpen, which signals that his return is on schedule.

The Angels enter this series as winners of one game in a row after dropping their previous 14 games. They were able to defeat the Red Sox last night after enduring a seemingly never-ending losing streak that sent them from 10 games over .500 to four games under .500 prior to last night’s victory. During that skid, the club fired manager Joe Maddon.

It’s unclear whether the Mets will see Mike Trout during this series, as the star injured his groin and has missed the last two games. He had been mired in an 0-for-26 skid before breaking out with three hits in his final four at-bats, including a homer, before exiting with the aforementioned injury. On the season, Trout is slashing .284/.388/.601 with 14 homers, a 182 wRC+, and a 2.8 fWAR in 52 games.

The Mets will also miss Shohei Ohtani on the mound—he pitched the club to victory yesterday—but they will see plenty of the two-way superstar at the plate. At the plate, Ohtani is hitting .247/.325/.457 with 12 home runs and a 123 wRC+ in 223 at-bats. On the mound following last night’s performance, Ohtani has posted a 3.64 ERA, a 3.22 FIP, and a 1.12 WHIP, with 71 strikeouts in 54.1 innings.

The Mets will also miss old friend Noah Syndergaard in this series, as the pitcher elected for more rest and facing the Dodgers rather than squaring off with his old squad. In nine starts in his new home, the cowardly Thor has pitched to a 3.69 ERA, a 3.81 FIP, a 1.19 WHIP, and has struck out 30 batters in 46.1 innings.

Friday, June 10: Tylor Megill vs. TBD, 9:38 p.m. on Apple TV+

Megill (2022): 34.2 IP, 37 K, 9 BB, 4 HR, 4.41 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, 0.4 bWAR

Megill returns to the rotation after missing nearly a month with right biceps tendinitis. The right-hander was shelled in his last outing prior to hitting the IL, allowing a season-worst eight earned runs on eight hits against the Nationals. He had been having a pretty solid sophomore season up until that point and was staking his claim to that rotation spot. His return will allow Trevor Williams to return to the bullpen, which gives the club a reliable long man to call upon when needed. Megill made one rehab start, and that was deemed enough for him to get called back to the big league club.

TBD

The Angels have not announced a starting pitcher for Friday night’s game against the Mets.

Saturday, June 11: Carlos Carrasco vs. Michael Lorenzen, 10:07 p.m. on SNY

Carrasco (2022): 64.0 IP, 61 K, 13 BB, 3 HR, 3.52 ERA, 2.69 FIP, 1.16 WHIP, 1.4 bWAR

Carrasco has continued his strong first half run as he might be inserting himself into the NL All Star game conversation. The right-hander is coming off one of his stronger outings of the year, tossing 7.0 innings of two-run ball while earning his league-leading seventh victory against San Diego. In the start, the veteran set a season high by striking out ten batters, and he didn’t walk anybody in the victory. He also eclipsed 100 pitches for the first time this season and ended up throwing 105 pitches, with 70 crossing the plate for strikes.

Lorenzen (2022): 53.2 IP, 40 K, 20 BB, 4 HR, 3.69 ERA, 3.85 FIP, 1.14 WHIP, 1.1 bWAR

Lorenzen is the less-heralded of the Angels’ two-way players, but he is having a solid season in his own right. The right-hander, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Reds, has posted a 3.69 ERA in nine starts in his new home. Obviously he will not be getting many chances to hit with Shohei Ohtani on the team, but that has allowed him to focus exclusively on pitching, and he’s putting up his best numbers on the mound since 2019 season. This is also the first time he is being used exclusively as a starting pitcher since his rookie campaign in 2015, and he is making the most of it.

Sunday, June 12: Taijuan Walker vs. Patrick Sandoval, 7:08 p.m. on ESPN

Walker (2022): 46.2 IP, 25 K, 15 BB, 3 HR, 3.28 ERA, 3.87 FIP, 1.26 WHIP, 1.2 bWAR

Walker had a rough start to his last outing, but he was able to settle down and give his club some length. He allowed a leadoff homer to Jurickson Profar, and he allowed three runs in the second, but he shut out San Diego over the final four frames. He ended up tossing a season-high 103 pitches, with 67 of them crossing the plate for strikes. The recovery at the end of that start was not enough to prevent his second loss in as many starts, however, as the offense was stagnant.

Sandoval (2022): 48.0 IP, 46 K, 24 BB, 0 HR, 2.81 ERA, 2.85 FIP, 1.31 WHIP, 1.2 bWAR

In his fourth season in the majors, Sandoval is having his best season so far. The left-hander has allowed three earned runs or fewer in all but one of his nine outings so far and has a sparkling 2.81 ERA and 2.85 FIP so far. He also has not allowed a home run yet, though his walks have been a bit of a concern at this early juncture of the season. In all, he’s walked at least three batters six times in nine appearances, including his last outing, when he issued four free passes. In that start against the Phillies, the four walks limited him to just 4.2 innings, and he allowed two earned runs on four hits.

Prediction: The Mets sweep the Angels!