Mets looking to clinch postseason berth against Brewers

The Mets (93-55) will head to Wisconsin with clinching a postseason berth on their mind as they play three with the Brewers (78-68). The team’s magic number heading into Wisconsin is two, meaning one win in this series against Milwaukee will secure the team’s first trip to the postseason since 2016. The Mets took two of three when the two clubs faced off at Citi Field in June.

After getting swept by the Cubs, the Mets rebounded by sweeping the Pirates to finish off a winning homestand—something that did not feel possible after Wednesday’s defeat. The bats broke out on Thursday with a resounding 7-1 win. The big blast came courtesy of Francisco Lindor, who hit his 24th home run of the season, breaking Asdrubal Cabrera’s single-season record for home runs by a Mets’ shortstop. Daniel Vogelbach knocked in three runs, and Mark Vientos picked up his first career hit and run batted in.

The Mets won a close one on Friday night, holding on to beat Pittsburgh 4-3. New York got their four runs thanks to a Tomás Nido run-scoring single in the third, a Vogelbach solo shot in the fourth, a Pete Alonso sacrifice fly in the sixth, and a Brandon Nimmo run-scoring single in the seventh. They would need every bit of those runs because, with the score 4-1 in the eighth, Oneil Cruz hit a homer off Taijuan Walker that made it 4-3. Edwin Díaz came in for the five-out save and was able to secure it, though the final batter of the game hit one to the warning track that looked for a minute like it may be going out. Luckily, Citi Field was big enough to contain it.

On Dollars 4 Dingers Day, the Mets came through with a 5-1 win thanks to, what else, an Eduardo Escobar dinger. His three-run blast gave the Mets a lead they would not relinquish, and proved to be the club’s only hit in 12 tries with runners in scoring position. They added two more runs on bases loaded walks in the sixth and eighth but, ultimately, squandered a number of great opportunities to build a bigger lead. It didn’t matter much, because the combination of Chris Bassitt and David Peterson held Pittsburgh scoreless through eighth. Peterson surrendered a Rodolfo Castro homer in the ninth, and Adam Ottavino came in to finish things off.

On Sunday, the Mets again struggled with runners in scoring position but came through when it counted, putting up four in the eighth to earn a hard-fought 7-3 victory. The Mets scored three runs over the first two frames, but a Cruz homer off Jacob deGrom knotted the score up at three in the sixth. The three-run blast was the only real blemish against his record, as deGrom struck out 13 and didn’t walk any over five-plus innings of work. The Mets went 4-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left 13 on base, but they broke an 0-for-19 stretch with the bases loaded in the eighth when Vogelbach came through with a big two-run single. Oh, and the team’s pitchers struck out 20 batters, setting a new franchise record and tying the major league mark for most strikeouts in a nine-inning game.

The Brewers are coming off taking two of three against the Yankees. Despite the series win, Milwaukee finds themselves buried in the NL Central race, sitting eight games behind the resurgent Cardinals. Their lone hope at a postseason spot comes in the form of the Wild Card, and the added spot could give them the in they’re looking for. They currently find themselves 1.5 games behind the Phillies and two games behind the Padres.

Monday, September 19: Max Scherzer vs. Corbin Burnes, 7:40 p.m. on SNY

Scherzer (2022): 127.2 IP, 153 K, 23 BB, 10 HR, 2.26 ERA, 2.53 FIP, 0.92 WHIP, 4.8 bWAR

Scherzer will make his return from the injured list after the minimum 15-game stay. He exited his September 3 start with fatigue on his left side, which is an after-effect from his oblique injury earlier in the year. In that start against the Nationals, he was cruising through five, allowing one earned run on three hits with one walk and five strikeouts before removing himself from the contest. In his rehab start in Syracuse, he threw 59 pitches and went 3 ²⁄₃ innings, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out seven

Burnes (2022): 179.0 IP, 219 K, 47 BB, 22 HR, 2.97 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 0.98 WHIP, 3.7 bWAR

Burnes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, is having another great season, though a slight step down from his incredible 2021 campaign. He finished last year leading the NL in ERA, FIP, K/9, and HR/9, though his numbers in each of those have regressed, while his 47 walks represent a career-high. After striking out a season-high 14 over 8.0 innings against the Giants on September 8, he pitched 7.0 innings against the Cardinals on September 14 and took the loss after being charged with three earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts.

Tuesday, September 20: Carlos Carrasco vs. TBD, 7:40 p.m. on SNY

Carrasco (2022): 141.0 IP, 143 K, 37 BB, 15 HR, 3.70 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, 1.7 bWAR

Carrasco is coming off two magnificent starts in a row, and his last outing was one of his best. Against Pittsburgh on Thursday night, he went 6.0 innings and allowed one earned run on four hits, the second straight outing of one earned run on four hits over six. He walked two and struck out 11, which represents his season high. Over his last 11 starts dating back to July 3, he owns a 2.12 ERA, a 2.97 FIP, and a 1.23 WHIP in 59 ¹⁄₃ innings. Carrasco continues to fight for the fourth spot in the team’s rotation come October, and he has positioned himself well given his recent performance.

TBD

The Brewers have not named a starting pitcher for Tuesday’s game against the Mets.

Wednesday, September 21: Taijuan Walker vs. Adrian Houser, 2:10 p.m. on SNY

Walker (2022): 142.0 IP, 111 K, 40 BB, 13 HR, 3.42 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 1.18 WHIP, 2.5 bWAR

Walker pitched into the eighth inning for only the second time this season his last time out. He went 7 ¹⁄₃ against Pittsburgh, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits. He didn’t walk a batter while striking out five. Like Carrasco, he is fighting to earn a spot in the postseason rotation behind Scherzer, deGrom, and Bassitt. Walker had struggled through much of the second half, but he’s looked significantly better in his last two outings.

Houser (2022): 94.2 IP, 66 K, 43 BB, 8 HR, 4.85 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 1.49 WHIP, -0.9 bWAR

Houser is struggling through a career-worst season, and his last outing against the Yankees did not help. He lasted just 3.0 innings and was tagged for five runs (four earned) on seven hits. He walked four while striking out just one hitter. It was just his fifth appearance, and fourth start, since returning from a long stint on the injured list with a flexor strain, which cost him almost two months.

Prediction: The Mets take two of three against the Brewers and punch their ticket to the postseason and keep their hold on first in the NL East!