Mets make one last trip to Miami for three with Marlins

The Mets (87-51) hope to feel welcome in Miami as they face off with the Marlins (56-80) for three games. The Mets have easily handled the Marlins this year, taking 10 of the 14 games the two teams have played, including five of six at loanDepot Park.

The Mets come into this series after taking two out of three from the Pirates at beautiful PNC Park. Things got off to a bad start, as the Mets, who came in losing two in a row to the Nationals, fell 8-2 in the series opener. It was an all-around sloppy game all facets, Taijuan Walker was not particularly sharp as he battled a blister. The lone offense came in the seventh inning on a Brandon Nimmo two-run homer. Otherwise, this one was all Pittsburgh, and marked the team’s third straight loss by six runs to a last-place team.

The Mets got back on the winning track in a doubleheader sweep on Wednesday, taking the first game 5-1 before crushing the Pirates 10-0 in the night game. Chris Bassitt was superb in the first game, tossing seven innings of one-run ball. Meanwhile, Tyler Naquin, who was in for the injured Starling Marte, had the big blow with a three-run homer, while Eduardo Escobar added a home run of his own—his third dinger of the month. In the nightcap, the Mets pounded out 17 hits and scored ten runs without the benefit of a single homer. Escobar had four hits, Jeff McNeil had three hits, and Naquin, Mark Canha, Pete Alonso, and Francisco Lindor each contributed two hits. Meanwhile, Jacob deGrom, who didn’t have his best stuff, pitched seven scoreless innings while scattering three hits and striking out eight.

The Marlins ended their nine-game losing streak yesterday with a 6-5 win over the Phillies, which helped them avoid the sweep and gave them their first September victory. Before their Wednesday night 4-3 loss to Philadelphia, they had scored two runs or fewer in eight consecutive games and, generally, their offense has really struggled lately. Since August 1, Miami has scored the second-fewest runs (482) in the NL while posting the second-lowest wRC+ (86) and the second-worst OPS (.653), trailing only Pittsburgh in these categories.

Friday, September 9: David Peterson vs. Edward Cabrera, 6:40 p.m. on SNY

Peterson (2022): 95.0 IP, 110 K, 41 BB, 9 HR, 3.32 ERA, 3.54 FIP, 1.31 WHIP, 1.4 bWAR

The Mets have not officially announced this, but it’d be surprising if Peterson doesn’t get the nod on Friday in place of the injured Max Scherzer. Peterson has been an important part of the team this year, as he has always been needed to step in when somebody is injured. Just as his time in the rotation was about to be up, another injury popped up, which gives Peterson another shot or two to start. In his most recent outing, he allowed three earned runs on eight hits, with one walk and six hits over 5 ¹⁄₃ innings against Washington.

Cabrera (2022): 49.0 IP, 55 K, 25 BB, 5 HR, 2.39 ERA, 4.03 FIP, 1.06 WHIP, 1.8 bWAR

Cabrera made his season debut on June 1 and, over nine outings, has been a solid contributor to Miami’s rotation. At one point, he carried a 22 ²⁄₃ inning scoreless streak across four starts, which came sandwiched in between his two worst outings of 2022 (five earned runs on seven hits in 3 ²⁄₃ innings against the Astros, and six earned runs on five hits in 5 ²⁄₃ innings against the Dodgers). He did bounce back in his last start, going 5.0 innings and allowing one earned run on four hits while walking three and striking out seven against the Braves.

Saturday, September 10: Carlos Carrasco vs. Pablo López, 6:10 p.m. on WPIX

Carrasco (2022): 129.0 IP, 125 K, 35 BB, 15 HR, 3.91 ERA, 3.64 FIP, 1.33 WHIP, 1.2 bWAR

Carrasco’s return from the IL did not go well. Coming back without a rehab start to ramp him up, he was likely limited to 75 or so pitches, and he couldn’t even reach that. He only lasted 2 ²⁄₃ innings, allowing five hits (one earned) on six hits, with two walks and two strikeouts in the loss to the Nationals. He was hit hard all game and never really got comfortable on the mound. He did have one of his best starts of the year in Miami, tossing 7 ²⁄₃ shutout innings against the Marlins on July 30.

López (2022): 150.0 IP, 149 K, 46 BB, 18 HR, 3.66 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 1.18 WHIP, 2.6 bWAR

López was just named the Marlins’ nominee for the 2022 Roberto Clemente Award, which is a great honor for the right-hander. In his last start, he only lasted 4.0 innings and took the loss while allowing two earned runs on five hits against Atlanta, striking out seven and walked one. It comes after two quality starts in a row against the Dodgers (6.0 innings, two earned runs, five hits, six strikeouts) and the Athletics (6.0 innings, no runs, four hits, five strikeouts). López was whacked around by the Mets back on July 31, allowing six earned runs on 12 hits over 2 ²⁄₃ innings.

Sunday, September 11: Taijuan Walker vs. Jesús Luzardo, 1:40 p.m. on SNY

Walker (2022): 127.2 IP, 96 K, 40 BB, 11 HR, 3.60 ERA, 3.81 FIP, 1.23 WHIP, 2.1 bWAR

Walker continued his second half struggles in his last outing against Pittsburgh. He allowed four earned runs on six hits over 5.0 innings as he took his fourth loss of the year. He revealed after the fact that he was dealing with a blister, but as of now, it appears it will not affect him making his start on Sunday. In his eight starts post-All Star break, he has pitched to a 6.25 ERA, a 5.94 FIP, and a 1.58 WHIP in 36.0 innings. While a lot of that came in that one outing against the Braves, he has still not been the same pitcher as he was in the first half, which continues a trend from last season.

Luzardo (2022): 72.1 IP, 82 K, 27 BB, 6 HR, 3.36 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 1.02 WHIP, 1.3 bWAR

Luzardo is coming off a terrific start against Philadelphia. In his most recent outing, he went 7.0 innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits. He walked two and he struck out nine, which is his second-most punchout in a start this season and the most since he struck out 12 in his first start of 2022. The right-hander missed a good chunk of the season with a right forearm strain that cost him two-and-a-half months. He remains one of the key’s to Miami’s hopes in the future as one of the brightest young talents on their roster.

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