Here are five things to watch as the Mets and Milwaukee Brewers play a four-game series at Citi Field starting on Monday night…
1. How will the Mets respond?
The Mets are coming off one of their worst losses of the season on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.
They were looking pretty up 6-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth. However, things turned ugly quickly, as Buck Showalter had to turn to three different relievers and allowed four runs on just one hit.
Despite having both David Robertson and Adam Ottavino available (Ottavino said he was available, while Showalter said he wasn’t), Showalter turned to lefty Josh Walker and Jeff Brigham in big spots. It didn’t work out and the Mets dropped another series.
Now we’ll see how they respond in a home series against the Brewers.
The last time these two teams faced off, Milwaukee dominated the Mets. They were outscored 19-0 over the first two games of the three-game set and then were swept on a walk-off homer.
The Mets will look for some revenge to get back on the right track starting Monday night.
2. Smith’s back
Thankfully for the bullpen, the Mets will receive one of their regulars back for this series.
Drew Smith is set to return from his 10-game suspension for Monday night’s game. The right-hander, of course, was ejected against the Yankees following an extensive sticky substance search.
Before the start of the seventh, Smith was entering from the bullpen when he was checked by the umpiring crew before throwing a pitch. After a few seconds, the other umps were called in to check the righty’s hand, and once they all gathered, crew chief Bill Miller ejected Smith.
The Mets have certainly felt his absence, as they’ve been playing shorthanded since the beginning of the ban. Now that Smith’s back in the mix, he’ll be ready to go and the roster will be back full.
Smith hasn’t been able to participate in minor league games during the suspension, but he did throw some sim games down in Port St. Lucie to stay fresh.
He has a 4.18 ERA through 26 appearances this season.
3. Peterson’s return to the big leagues
The Mets optioned Taylor Megill to Triple-A late last week after a rough start to the season.
The right-hander has a 5.17 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts over 15 outings. After a strong April, Megill has been particularly shaky over the past two months, posting a 5.28 ERA in May and 6.75 ERA in June.
Megill simply just hasn’t been getting it done.
In his place, the Mets plan to start left-hander David Peterson on Tuesday night against the Brewers.
Peterson has also struggled at the big league level so far this season. Through eight starts, he posted an 8.08 ERA and 1.74 WHIP. The Mets ultimately decided it was time to send him back down to Triple-A.
The lefty didn’t fare much better in seven starts with Syracuse (4.86 ERA). His last time out, he allowed three runs on seven hits while walking just one and striking out seven over six innings of work.
Peterson will look to get back on track in his return to the big league level.
4. Can Lindor stay hot?
After a bit of a rough patch at the plate, Francisco Lindor has begun settling into a groove.
The shortstop has hits in six of his last seven games, including two doubles and three homers. He’s looked more like himself over that span recording a .333 AVG, .452 OBP, and 1.234 OPS.
He’s also drawn six walks while striking out just four times.
Lindor’s now up to 15 homers, 19 doubles, and 52 RBI on the season. He’s also stolen nine bases and has a .749 OPS through 77 games played.
While his .221 average still isn’t where he and the Mets hope it would be, Lindor remains a consistent run producer in the middle of this lineup. He currently leads all shortstops in both homers and RBI.
5. Watch out for the Brew Crew’s sluggers
When these two teams faced off, Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich was struggling mightily at the plate. He had put together just a .226 average across 26 games in the first month of the season.
Since then, Yelich has been on fire and is looking more like himself.
He’s been terrific particularly in June, hitting .313 with a .406 OBP, .912 OPS, eight doubles, a triple, two homers, and 10 RBI. Yelich has hits in 12 of his last 15 games to go along with nine RBI and a .977 OPS.
In 100 career games against the Mets, he has 12 homers and 18 doubles.
Brewers shortstop Willy Adams also has good career numbers against the Mets, posting a .305 average with 13 extra-base hits, 19 RBI, and a 1.015 OPS in 22 games. He’s gone deep twice over his last seven games.
Adames now has 12 long balls and a .674 OPS on the season.
The Mets are going to have to keep both of them in check if they hope to get back on the right path.