Mets look to keep good times going as they face Marlins

The first-place Mets (61-37) head down to Florida on a three-game winning streak as they take on the Marlins (47-52). The Mets have won seven of their 11 against Miami this year, including taking two of three during their one visit to loanDepot Park.

After dropping their first two games against the Padres on Friday and Saturday, the Mets won the Sunday Night Baseball series finale and followed that up with a sweep against the Yankees to conclude a winning homestand. Things did not get off to a promising start on Tuesday, as Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo hit back-to-back pitches into the stands against Taijuan Walker to stake the Bronx Bombers to a 2-0 lead. The Amazins answered back immediately in the bottom half of the frame, as Starling Marte homered, Pete Alonso doubled home Francisco Lindor, and Eduardo Escobar homered to give the Mets a two-run lead. The Mets extended their lead to 5-2 on an error in the third, and the Yankees got one back in the fourth, but they would not score any more, as Walker settled down and provided another quality start. The Mets turned to Edwin Díaz in the eighth, and he got the four-out save in a 6-3 victory.

The Mets completed the sweep with a walkoff win on Wednesday. Pitching on his 38th birthday, Max Scherzer turned in seven shutout innings to set the tone for the Mets. Alonso homered in the second, and Lindor drove a run home with a single in the third. Buck Showalter rightfully pulled Scherzer after 99 pitches and seven terrific innings, but he went with David Peterson instead of Seth Lugo, which backfired immediately. Before you could even return to your seat from your mid-inning bathroom break, the left-hander walked Rizzo and served up a game-tying homer to Gleyber Torres to knot the score up at two. Lugo eventually came in with one down and got the final five outs of the game. In the bottom of the ninth, Escobar doubled, Tomás Nido bunted him over, and Brandon Nimmo hit a perfectly-placed (and misplayed) infield single. That set the stage for Marte, who singled home Escobar to guide the Mets past their crosstown rivals.

While it’s not the high-impact move fans were likely dreaming of, the club acquired Tyler Naquin as part of a trade with Cincinnati last night which also netted them left-hander Phillip Diehl. Naquin will likely supplant Travis Jankowski on the roster and will serve as a guy to get starts against right-handed pitching. While his overall numbers aren’t super impressive, he is a career .280/.332/.472 hitter with a 111 wRC+ in 1,298 at-bats against righties, including .264/.333/.472 with a 117 wRC+ against them this season. He can spell Mark Canha against right-handed pitching when you want to give the left fielder a day to rest. The Mets have recently been linked to Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras and reliever David Robertson as the August 2 trade deadline quickly approaches.

The Marlins enter this series with four wins and four losses since the All Star Game. Most recently, they split four games with the Reds in Cincinnati.

Unfortunately, it was recently revealed that Jazz Chisholm will miss at least six weeks with a stress fracture in his back. The second baseman, who was named an All Star, will not play in this series and may not be back this season. The Mets will also not see All Star Garrett Cooper, who landed on the IL with a wrist contusion earlier this week. Overall, Miami’s offense has struggled this season, and those struggles should continue without two of their best hitters. Their .680 OPS is second-worse in the National League, while their 95 wRC+ is 10th out of 15 NL clubs. Miami’s 399 runs scored is third from the bottom in the NL.

Friday, July 29: Chris Bassitt vs. Sandy Alcántara, 6:40 p.m. on SNY

Bassitt (2022): 109.0 IP, 115 K, 28 BB, 15 HR, 3.72 ERA, 374 FIP, 1.10 WHIP, 1.7 bWAR

Bassitt couldn’t give his team much more last Saturday, but he was still saddled with his seventh loss of the season. The right-hander carried a no-hitter into the fifth, but he surrendered a two-run homer to Manny Machado in the sixth, which ended up deciding the game. He finished having allowed two earned runs on four hits while tying a career high with 11 strikeouts over 7.0 innings. He now owns a 2.33 ERA, a 2.86 FIP, and a 0.88 WHIP in three starts this month.

Alcántara (2022): 144.1 IP, 133 K, 36 BB, 7 HR, 1.81 ERA, 2.78 FIP, 0.90 WHIP, 5.5 bWAR

Alcántara’s streak of going at least seven innings ended in his first post-All Star game start, as he went 6.0 innings and allowed two earned runs on two hits with 10 strikeouts against the Pirates. Prior to that, he had gone 13 straight starts of at least seven innings. It still continues a terrific stretch for the All Star, who leads all NL starters in innings pitched and ERA. He also had a terrific start against the Mets prior to the break, shutting New York out on just six hits with four strikeouts over 7.0 innings. In Miami back on June 19, he went 8.0 innings against them and earned the victory after allowing two earned runs on six hits, but the Mets dd beat him at Citi Field on June 24.

Saturday, July 30: Carlos Carrasco vs. Trevor Rogers, 6:10 p.m. on WPIX

Carrasco (2022): 104.0 IP, 101 K, 28 BB, 11 HR, 4.07 ERA, 3.54 FIP, 1.35 WHIP, 1.2 bWAR

Carrasco turned in a solid start post-All Star break, although he labored through most of it, resulting in an early exit. He went 5.0 innings against San Diego and scattered six hits while walking two and striking out one. He navigated thraffic throughout his five innings but never let up. He has faced Miami twice this year, both times at Citi Field. In total, he’s allowed three earned runs on 15 hits in 12.0 innings against Miami, while striking out 13 and walking four.

Rogers (2022): 87.2 IP, 83 K, 41 BB, 12 HR, 5.85 ERA, 4.58 FIP, 1.60 WHIP, -0.9 bWAR

Rogers continues to struggle through a hellish sophomore slump after finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting last season. The left-hander allowed six earned runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings against the Reds on July 25, which resulted in his fourth straight loss. In all, Miami has lost six of his last seven starts, as he looks for answers and for a way to salvage his season. He faced the Mets twice at the end of June, allowing seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits over 9.1 innings.

Sunday, July 31: Taijuan Walker vs. Pablo López, 1:40 p.m. on WPIX

Walker (2022): 97.2 IP, 76 K, 26 BB, 6 HR, 2.67 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 1.11 WHIP, 2.8 bWAR

Walker was far from his best in his first start post-break, but he settled down after an inauspicious first inning and provided his team with another quality start. After serving up back-to-back first inning homers—he had only allowed four home runs in the first half—he ended up with three earned runs and seven hits over 6.0 innings on his record. He struck out three and walked one, and he ended up earning his eighth victory of 2022. Since June 12, he owns a 2.12 ERA and a 2.71 FIP in 51.0 innings across eight starts.

López (2022): 116.0 IP, 118 K, 35 BB, 13 HR, 3.03 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 2.8 bWAR

In his last start, López put forth one of his best starts of the year. He faced Cincinnati and allowed one earned run on just two hits while matching his season high 11 strikeouts while not walking a batter for only the fourth time in his 20 starts in 2022. It was a nice bounce back after he allowed five earned runs on five hits with 5.0 innings against the Rangers on July 21. He made two starts against the Mets this year, both of which came at Citi Field: On June 17, he suffered the lost after being charged with seven runs (six earned) on eight hits in 5.1 innings, but he picked up the win after allowing one earned run on four hits in 5.0 innings against New York on July 8.

Prediction: The Mets take two of three against the Marlins.