The Mets continue their road trip as they head to Pittsburgh for a three-game set with the Pirates.
These are two teams trending in different directions right now.
After an impressive sweep of the Phillies, the Mets have dropped six consecutive games to the Blue Jays and Braves, most of which came in frustrating fashion.
In Atlanta, the Mets lost three straight games in when they held a three-run lead for the first time in franchise history. It’s their first six-game losing streak since 2019.
They currently sit three games under the .500 mark and are now 8.5 games back in the NL East.
The Pirates, on the other hand, have been playing some solid baseball of late. Despite dropping a series to the A’s to open the week, they were one of the hottest teams in baseball to start June.
They currently have a record of 32-29, which is good enough for the third NL Wild Card spot. They’re also just one game behind the Brewers for first place in the Central.
But the past is in the past, and now we’re onto this series, so here are five things to watch for this weekend…
1. Francisco, that’s fun to say!
With Pete Alonso out of the lineup on Thursday, the Mets needed someone to step up offensively. While they ultimately fell short, getting walked-off in extras, Francisco Lindor and Francisco Alvarez provided a bit of a spark.
Lindor continued his strong play of late, reaching base three times and adding a stolen base. The struggling shortstop seems to be finding himself a bit, as he’s reached base two or more times in three consecutive games and is currently riding a four-game hitting streak.
Lindor had a pair of extra-base hits in the three games against the Braves, including a two-run homer on Tuesday. Overall, he’s now hitting .220 with 11 homers, 42 RBI, and a .716 OPS on the season.
Alvarez continued showcasing his big-time power, going deep three times in the series. He recorded his second career multi-home run game on Thursday night, driving in three runs in his first start at DH.
After slowing down a bit, the young backstop now has 11 long balls and 23 RBI on the season to go along with an .850 OPS. Alvarez has been one of the top offensive catchers in baseball since being called up.
The Mets are going to need the two of them to keep this going, especially now that Alonso is out.
2. No Alonso, then who?
This offense is going to be tested over the next few weeks.
Alonso was officially placed on the IL with a bone bruise and sprained left wrist prior to Friday’s game. The team says the expected recovery time for this type of injury is about 3-4 weeks.
As I mentioned above in regards to Lindor and Alvarez, someone is going to need to step up.
Whether it be the two of them or Tommy Phamwho has been swinging the bat well of late. Starling Marte has looked more like himself at the plate (more on that later). Maybe even Mark Vientos will get hot now that he should have an opportunity for more playing time.
Someone is going to have to step up and be the catalyst for this group.
They were able to grind out 10 runs on 14 hits in Thursday’s loss to the Braves. Lets see if they can do it again tonight against veteran lefty and old friend Rich Hill.
3. Which Senga will we see?
Kodai Senga took the mound last Sunday on regular rest for the first time in his MLB career. Things didn’t quite go as planned for the righthander, as he issued five walks and lasted just 2.2 innings in the loss.
Through 11 big-league starts, we’ve seen some good signs from Senga, and some not so good.
He has a 3.75 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and 73 strikeouts over that span. Both his 29.1 percent K-rate and 30.5 percent whiff rate rank at or above the 80th percentile in baseball.
On the other hand, though, he’s issued four or more walks in five starts and his 14.3 percent walk rate is in the eighth percentile. He’s also struggled pitching away from Citi Field, posting a 6.12 ERA in five road starts.
Senga’s shown his upside and potential, but the struggles with command have been a huge bugaboo for him so far.
When he throws strikes and is in control of all his pitches he’s been money, and the Mets need Senga to show up on Saturday.
4. Best closer in baseball?
One of the big reasons the Pirates have been playing as well as they are this season is because of their lockdown backend of the bullpen. Pittsburgh is 31-0 when leading after eight innings on the year.
That perfect record is mainly because they have one of, if not, the best closers in baseball David Bednar.
After breaking out over the last two seasons, the righthander has gotten off to a tremendous start this year. Across 24 appearances, Bednar is still yet to issue a non-intentional walk and he’s allowed just one homer.
Bednar’s locked down 13 of his 14 save opportunities, seven away from a new career-high. He’s also posted a stellar 1.13 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and struck out 30 batters while allowing just three earned runs on the year.
Bednar’s very quickly establishing himself as one of the elite closers in the game, so with him looming in the bullpen, the Mets definitely want to avoid trailing late in the game.
5. Marte back in the Steel City
This weekend, Starling Marte returns to where it all began.
The veteran outfielder signed with the Pirates back in 2007 and spent the first eight seasons of his big-league career donning the black and gold.
Along with Andrew McCutchen, Marte was a key figure in their outfield and in the middle of their lineup. He was named to the first of his two career All-Star games and won a pair of Gold Gloves while in Pittsburgh.
In his career at PNC, Marte’s a .290 hitter with a .793 OPS, 24 triples, 46 homers, and 90 doubles.
After a stellar first season in New York, Marte has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this year. The always consistent outfielder has been bumped down in the order and is hitting just .254 with nine extra-base hits and a .646 OPS.
He looked more like himself in May and has carried that over to the first week of June. Marte’s coming off a three-hit game in the series finale against the Braves.
He’s hitting .274 with one double, one triple, one homer, six RBI, a .328 OBP, and a .717 OPS over his last 15 games. He’s also added five of his 17 stolen bases, which ranks seventh in all of baseball.
While Marte is trending in the right direction, he still isn’t quite where this team needs him to be. Perhaps returning to the familiar confines of PNC for a weekend set will help him regain that All-Star form.