Series Preview: Mets Continue Road Trip With Three At Wrigley Field

The New York Mets (7-4) are coming off a weather-modified three games series in Colorado, during which they took two of three from the Rockies. Now the Mets will go to Wrigley Field for the first time since 2019 for three games with David Ross‘s Chicago Cubs (6-9). The Cubs lost two of three to the Braves in their most recent series.

The Mets have been battling postponements, as well as their competition, thus far in the 2021 season. Their eleven games played are the lowest for any team in the major leagues. The Mets have had four games postponed because of weather, and those problems may persist in Chicago this week.

The forecast for Tuesday night is for a possible snow shower, with temperatures falling into the 20s. Wednesday night may be slightly better, with dry conditions, and temperatures in the 30s. Thursday will also be dry, with temperatures in the 40s at game time.

Manager Luis Rojas‘s team has already played two doubleheaders in the season’s first 19 days. Tuesday night’s game may be in jeopardy because of the cold conditions, and a postponement would likely result in a twin-bill this week, as this is the Mets’ only trip to Chicago this season.

Let’s take a look at the projected pitching matchups for the series.

Tuesday. April 20, RHP Taijuan Walker (0-0) NYM vs. RHP Jake Arrieta (2-1) CHC, 7:40 pm

Walker has delivered beyond expectations thus far, making two starts and pitching 10.1 innings. Over that span, he’s allowed three earned runs, seven hits, and five walks, for a 2.61 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.  Walker opened the Mets home schedule against the Marlins on April 8, tossing six innings of two-run, four-hit baseball.

Arrieta is in his second tour of duty with the Cubs, where he won the 2015 Cy Young award. After three seasons with the Phillies, the Farmington, MO native returned to the north side of Chicago, and has so far gone 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He’s thrown 17 innings, allowing 17 hits and walking five. Arrieta had down seasons in Philadelphia in 2019 and 2020, posting ERAs of 4.64 and 5.08 respectively.

The game can be seen locally on SNY and heard locally on WCBS radio 880 a.m.

Wednesday, April 21, LHP David Peterson (1-1) NYM vs. RHP Zach Davies (1-2) CHC, 7:40 p.m

Peterson has had two very different starts this season, resulting in his 6.30 ERA. On April 7, he was torched by the Phillies, allowing six runs in just four innings pitched. He followed that with a much-improved start against the Phillies at Citi Field on April 14, when he tossed six innings, letting up just one earned run on three hits in a game in which he was credited with the win.

In the game, Peterson was throwing harder than his usual speed, with his fastball sitting at 93 mph. His slider was also very sharp, and the increased speed differential between it and the fastball made both pitches more effective. On April 14, he did not walk a batter, another key to his success. He will look to continue his fine control on Wednesday night, which was a key to his success in his freshman season of 2020.

Davies, the former Brewer and Padre, has had three uneven starts this season. In his first start against the Pirates on April 4, he got the win, throwing 5.2 innings, allowing two runs. He then faced the Bucs again on April 10, this time lasting just 1.2 innings, with seven runs crossing the plate against him. On April 16, Davies pitched against the Braves, and once again did not fare well, giving up four runs in four innings pitched.

On the season, Davies has a 10.32 ERA with a 2.21 WHIP. He’s allowed thirteen hits and nine walks in 11.1 innings pitched.

The game can be seen locally on SNY and heard locally on WCBS radio 880 a.m.

Thursday, April 22, RHP Jacob deGrom (1-1) NYM vs. RHP Trevor Williams (2-1) CHC, 7:40 pm

DeGrom finally got some help from his teammates in his start on April 17 in Colorado. He struck out 14 hitters for the second game in a row, including nine straight at one point, only to see his team trailing in their last at-bat in the seventh inning of the first game of their doubleheader. The Mets rallied for two runs in the seventh, and Edwin Diaz closed the game by striking out the side to make deGrom a winner and even his record.

DeGrom’s ERA stands at 0.45 and his WHIP is 0.70. He has struck out 35 batters in 20 innings pitched. He’s walked just three and allowed eleven hits. The work deGrom does on the mound is something special. The back-to-back Cy Young winner will look to keep his dominance going on what will be the most pleasant weather evening of the series.

Williams had been a Pirate for five seasons before 2021. This year, he has a 5.02 ERA in three starts, covering 14.1 innings pitched. He’s allowed 16 hits and walked seven, for a WHIP of 1.60. Williams has a career record of 33-38 and a 4.44 career ERA, to go with a career WHIP of 1.34.

The game can be seen locally on SNY and heard locally on WCBS radio 880 a.m.

Series Notes For Mets

Mets’ starters have a combined ERA of 2.26, and their relievers have a combined ERA of 4.56

Mets OPS leaders are Brandon Nimmo (1.070), Pete Alonso (.761), and Dominic Smith (.692)

Francisco Lindor remains cool at the plate, with a .189 BA and a .557 OPS

Alonso and Smith are tied for the team lead in home runs with two each

The Mets are hitting .246 as a team with a team OBP of .334

Marcus Stroman has a 0.90 ERA

Pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Seth Lugo are both progressing in the return from injury, with Carrasco possibly to return by early May and Lugo a bit behind that

Series Notes For Cubs

Cubs’ starters have a 5.91 ERA and their relievers have a 3.92 ERA

Cubs OPS leaders are Kris Bryant (1.015), Willson Contreras (1.014), and Anthony Rizzo (.884)

Jason Heyward‘s OPS is .554 and newcomer Joc Pederson‘s OPS is .536

The Cubs are hitting .192 as a team (last in MLB) with a .285 OBP

The pitching matchups favor the Mets, and the Cubs are not hitting as a team. The Mets may be catching the Cubs at the right time.

After this series, the Mets return to Citi Field for a weekend series with the Nationals. To no one’s surprise, there is rain in the forecast for Sunday.

The post Series Preview: Mets Continue Road Trip With Three At Wrigley Field first appeared on Metsmerized Online.