Series Preview: Mets Look To Regroup At Home Against Giants

The New York Mets (21-28) are a season-worst seven games below .500 after a 2-6 road trip, including a sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians. Sloppy mistakes in the field have extended innings, putting more and more stress on the pitching staff. They averaged 4.62 runs per game during that stretch, however, so the offense has performed marginally better. But overall, the Mets aren’t playing anywhere near the level required to compete in the National League Wild Card race, let alone in the National League East.

They will be put to the test against the San Francisco Giants (25-26), who have won seven of their last ten. After recently missing out on big free agents like Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi did not want to endure another underwhelming offseason. The Giants ultimately spent big, adding Blake Snell, Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman and Jorge Soler among others. Those signings have not led to the type of immediate success they were hoping for, but as the season goes on, the Giants hope to be in the mix for a playoff spot.

Let’s take a look at the some notes for this weekend’s pitching matchups.

Friday, May 24, 2024: LHP Kyle Harrison (4-1, 3.60 ERA) vs. RHP Christian Scott (0-2, 4.32 ERA) 

The Giants have been waiting for Kyle Harrison, who had been considered the top pitching prospect in their system for the last two years, to break out. A need for innings in the middle of their rotation was there and he has provided just that. Harrison is second on the team in innings pitched, behind only Logan Webb. Walks have been an issue for the left-hander in recent weeks, allowing 14 over his last four starts. Harrison earned the win last time against the Colorado Rockies, giving up three runs on five hits in five innings.

Christian Scott has shown a lot of promise in the early days of his big league career, but his ability to bounce back is set to be really tested for the first time on Friday. The right-hander struggled in his last start against the Miami Marlins on May 17, allowing four runs on seven hits over four innings. A three-run home run by Nick Fortes in the bottom of the second inning was the key moment in that game, one Scott and the Mets could not recover from. He will look to earn his first major league win against the red-hot Giants.

Saturday, May 25, 2024: RHP Jordan Hicks (4-1, 2.38 ERA) vs. RHP Luis Severino (2-2, 3.48 ERA)

Jordan Hicks came up with the St. Louis Cardinals as a hard-throwing right-hander and was primarily used out of the bullpen. He did make eight starts in 2022, although all 65 of his appearances with the Cardinals and the Toronto Blue Jays came as a reliever last season. Hicks entered free agency with the mindset that he would be a starter, which came to fruition in the offseason as he signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Giants to be a part of their rotation. He has exceeded all expectations in that role, allowing two earned runs or less in nine of his first ten outings. Hicks will look to build on his 2.38 ERA, which ranks fifth in the National League among starters.

Luis Severino was in line for his quality start in the month of May last Saturday against the Marlins before the seventh inning struck. He gave up two runs over the first six innings before allowing a walk and two hits, which forced him out of the game. After those runners came around to score against reliever Reed Garrett, he went from two earned runs allowed to five in a matter of minutes. Severino will hope for a better outcome against the Giants, a team he is 0-1 against with a 4.5o ERA in six career innings.

Sunday, May, 26, 2024: RHP Logan Webb (4-4, 3.03 ERA) vs. Sean Manaea (3-1, 3.11 ERA)

Logan Webb has widely been considered as one of the most underrated starters in all of baseball. The right-hander is having a strong start to the year after finishing second in National League Cy Young voting last season, allowing two runs or less in each of his past three starts. Webb unluckily earned a no-decision in his last appearance against the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving up two runs on six hits in six innings. He has great career numbers against the Mets, going 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA over five starts (31 innings).

Besides one rough start against the Kansas City Royals in the middle of April, Sean Manaea has been fantastic for the Mets. He is 2-0 with a 2.56 ERA over his last six starts, with both of his victories coming in the month of May. One of them was in his last outing against the Marlins, where gave up two runs on five hits in five innings. Manaea has yet to record an out in the seventh inning, but besides that, the Mets could not be much happier with his overall performance. He will look to secure another win versus his former team in the Giants, who he is 3-3 against with a 2.78 ERA in 12 career starts.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

J.D. Martinez (NYM)

One of the teams that were rumored to be interested in signing J.D. Martinez this offseason was the Giants. He decided against joining them though, as he felt that Citi Field was better suited for his swing as opposed to Oracle Park. Martinez has had a strong month of May, recording a hit in 14 of his last 19 games. The 36-year-old is hitting for a high average, which is great, but Met fans were hoping to see more from him in the power department. Martinez had a 6.9% home run rate in 479 plate appearances last season, hitting 33 long balls in an All-Star season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 91 plate appearances this year, he has a 2.2% home run rate with a total of two home runs. There is no denying that Martinez has been good for the Mets, but his power needs to increase if he wants to approach being a great signing.

Matt Chapman (SF)

For those who remember, Matt Chapman got off to a fantastic start with the Toronto Blue Jays last season. Over the first 33 games, he slashed .353/.436/.615/1.051 with five home runs and 21 runs batted in. While he hasn’t hit at that level in the early stages of his first season in San Francisco, his recent run of at-bats has been superb. Chapman is 13 for his last 23, collecting three home runs and eight runs batted in during that stretch. The Giants don’t have a lot of big run producers in their lineup, but Chapman is one of them, and they need him to deliver at that rate if they want to continue to climb up the standings in the National League.

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