Series Preview: Mets Face White Sox for First Time Since 2019

After winning the last of their three games in a dramatic fashion against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets (43-50) will remain in the familiar confines of Citi Field to take on the visiting Chicago White Sox (40-55). Few people could have predicted the Mets and the White Sox being this close in record at this point in the season.

Despite their walk-off victory against the Dodgers on Sunday, the Mets still lost the series, as they were unable to generate a victory on Friday or Saturday. With the horrific first half that they had, the Mets have a very small margin for error as they navigate through the final stretch of their season. Thus, this series against the White Sox will be another indicator of the team’s philosophy at the trade deadline. Currently, it would make sense for the team to sell expiring assets to playoff contenders while allowing their young prospects to gain MLB experience for the remainder of the season. However, that could change with a hot streak in the coming days.

Tuesday, July 18, 2023: RHP Lucas Giolito (6-5, 3.45 ERA) vs. RHP Carlos Carrasco (3-3, 5.16 ERA)

Lucas Giolito will open this series for the White Sox, and he has been the subject of trade rumors as of late, given the current state of his team. These rumors have not come about solely due to the underwhelming performance of the White Sox. Giolito has put up a solid season thus far. In fact, he tossed seven innings while allowing only two runs with five strikeouts in his most recent start. Giolito put up similar numbers in his 2019 start against the Mets, in which he tossed seven innings while allowing one run and striking out nine batters.

Carlos Carrasco will take the ball for the Mets on Tuesday. While his season has been rocky up to this point, he has been much better as of late. As a matter of fact, he tossed a gem in his last start with eight shutout innings and four strikeouts. As a former member of the Cleveland Guardians, Carrasco has seen the White Sox frequently throughout his career, and he has a career 4.14 ERA against them in 163 innings pitched.

Wednesday, July 19, 2023: RHP Touki Toussaint (0-2, 3.38 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Verlander (3-5, 3.72 ERA)

Former Atlanta Braves’ pitcher Touki Toussaint will pitch for the White Sox on Wednesday. Since being called up in June, Toussaint has served as a reliable option for the White Sox. Most recently, he tossed 5 1/3 innings against the powerful lineup of his former team while only allowing one run with four strikeouts. Toussaint has seen the Mets a few times over the years, and has accumulated a 2.89 ERA against them in 18 2/3 innings pitched.

Justin Verlander will pitch the second game of the series for the Mets. This season has been a frustrating one for Verlander, as he is not producing at his usual elite level. Despite that, he has still been able to remain competitive in most of his starts. In fact, he pitched five innings in his last start against the San Diego Padres while allowing three earned runs. One thing is clear, and that is the fact that the Mets are not paying him over $43 million to produce mediocre results. He needs to improve in the second half of this season, which is something that the Mets need if they want to crack a wild card spot.

Thursday, July 20, 2023: RHP Michael Kopech (3-8, 4.47 ERA) vs. LHP José Quintana (2022 stats: 6-7, 2.93 ERA)

Flamethrower Michael Kopech will close out the series for the Southside. Despite being a highly regarded prospect at one point, Kopech has yet to see extended success at the MLB level, mainly due to his injury history that has kept him off the field for much of his career. He got shelled in his last start against the Braves, as he allowed four runs in only 2/3 of an inning pitched.

Offseason acquisition José Quintana will finally be making his Mets’ debut against his former team, after several months of an arduous rehab process. The left-handed pitcher pitched 15 2/3 innings throughout several rehab starts, and he struck out 16 batters while allowing eight earned runs. While the results were not great, the Mets were forced to recall Quintana, due to reaching the time limit on his rehab assignment. That said, pitchers usually take a process-oriented approach to rehab assignments, so the underwhelming results may simply be a byproduct of that. Quintana will look to rejuvenate the pitching staff, as they head into the final stretch of this season.

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