Series Preview: Mets Continue Playoff Push in Milwaukee

The New York Mets (87-70) are in for a wild five-day stretch, which begins Friday with a road series against the Milwaukee Brewers (91-68), who will be a part of the Wild Card series next week. Their place is locked in with three games remaining after they won the National League Central for the third time in the last four years and did not earn a first-round bye.

The Mets currently occupy the second Wild Card spot due to a tiebreaker with the Arizona Diamondbacks and remain a game ahead of the Atlanta Braves, though that could quickly change depending on other results. If they take care of their business, however, nothing else will matter. American Family Field has been a tough place to play for the Mets recently, as they are 3-16 in that building since 2017. There’s no better time to change that trend than right now.

WHAT’S THE STORY

The storylines are endless in the buildup to this series. David Stearns is making his return to Milwaukee, Francisco Lindor is expected to be back in the lineup and Carlos Mendoza has an opportunity to solidify his case to be National League Manager of the Year. This is a big weekend for all parties involved.

An unusual end to the season is on the horizon, as the Mets will have to travel back down to Atlanta and play two games. The effects of Hurricane Helene postponed Wednesday and Thursday’s games between the Mets and Braves, pushing the rest of their series to Monday. If those games are deemed necessary, either or both of those teams would have to begin a Wild Card series the following day. It is a tricky situation, but New York’s focus is squarely on the Brewers right now.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

• Friday: Sean Manaea (12-5, 3.29 ERA) vs. Frankie Montas (7-11, 4.85 ERA): The Mets have yet to lose with Manaea on the mound in the month of September, meaning he is the right man to open the biggest series of the season. He is 2-0 with a 2.36 ERA over his last five starts. The left-hander did not face the Brewers when they came to Citi Field for the opening series of the year in March. Montas has been up and down since joining Milwaukee, as he is 3-3 with a 4.56 ERA in 10 outings since the trade. He has made two career appearances against the Mets, one as a starter and one as a reliever. In 6 2/3 innings against them, Montas has allowed four runs.
• Saturday: TBD vs. TBD: Neither team has announced a starter for Saturday’s game. David Peterson, Tylor Megill and Jose Quintana are all in play as options for the Mets. Megill could go on an extra day of rest, with his most recent outing coming against the Philadelphia Phillies last Sunday. As for the Brewers, they could go in quite a few directions in this case.
• Sunday: TBD vs. TBD: For me, the guy to go to in this spot is Luis Severino. He would be on regular rest, which is important to note. Otherwise, he would be asked to face the Braves for a second time in a week. I think he is better off pitching against the Brewers, who have not seen him since the first week of the season. As for the Brewers, Tobias Myers would be in line to start if they decide to use him on regular rest.

WHO’S HOT

Jose Iglesias (NYM):

Candelita is on a 17-game hitting streak that stretches back to Sept. 6. During that time, he is slashing .409/.435/.515 with a home run and three runs batted in. Once it became clear Lindor was going to miss some time, the Mets understood that other guys would have to step up. Iglesias certainly has, proving his worth with his bat, glove and speed on the base paths.

Joey Ortiz (MIL):

The 26-year-old is currently enjoying the best stretch of his young career. He has three doubles, two triples, a home run and eight runs batted in over his last 13 games. After hitting .195 in the month of August, Ortiz is up to .267 in September. He’s getting hot at the perfect time as Milwaukee gets ready for October.

PREDICTION

This series is really difficult to call. The Brewers have nothing to play for now that they are locked in to the No. 3 seed in the National League. So, the next three games will serve as an opportunity for their players to remain in a rhythm. On the other side, the Mets need as many wins as they can get. The pressure is on them to all but clinch their place in the postseason before heading back to Atlanta for the doubleheader Monday. I think New York takes two of three this weekend, likely leaving it in need of a win against the Braves to book its ticket into the playoffs.

Check out the five keys for the Mets in this series, written by Colin Chatto!

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