Series Preview: Mets Begin Road Trip Against Giants

The New York Mets (59-44) begin the weekend in sole possession of first place in the National League East. They completed a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, a day highlighted by Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso snapping out of their respective slumps.

The Mets’ road trip will begin against the San Francisco Giants (54-49), who are currently 1 1/2 games out of the third Wild Card spot. Since acquiring Rafael Devers in the middle of June, they are 13-18. After a slow start with the Giants, the slugger is hitting .385 with an 1.110 OPS over his last six games.

It’s unknown when he’ll officially join the team, but New York could have left-handed reliever Gregory Soto in action this weekend after acquiring him from the Baltimore Orioles. The 30-year-old has recorded a 3.96 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings this season.

Let’s take a look at some notes ahead of the three pitching matchups.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

• Friday: Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) vs. Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA): Holmes has done an impressive job in his transition from reliever to starter. With that being said, he has struggled in certain areas. As he has gotten deeper into outings, his ability to stay sharp has dipped. In innings four through six, Holmes owns a 4.72 ERA. That’s a major difference from his 2.40 ERA in innings one through three. Let’s see how Holmes looks the second and third time through the order in the series opener. Webb has established himself as one of the more underrated starters in the league. He is not talked about enough for someone who has pitched to a 3.16 ERA since the start of the 2021 season. Webb has been absolutely superb at home this year, going 5-1 with 2.23 ERA in 64 2/3 innings.
• Saturday: David Peterson (6-4, 2.90 ERA) vs. Robbie Ray (9-4, 2.92 ERA): Peterson wasted no time after his first All-Star nod, giving the Mets another quality start last Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds. He allowed one unearned run over six innings, giving up just four hits with one walk. In the month of July, Peterson is 1-0 with a staggering 0.92 ERA over 19 2/3 innings. He is 1-1 with 7.36 ERA in two career starts at Oracle Park. Ray is enjoying his best season since he won the AL Cy Young Award as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, as he was named an All-Star for just the second time in his career. Ray has allowed two earned runs or less in nine of his last 12 starts. He is 4-1 with 2.53 ERA in 11 home starts this season. Should be a fun pitcher’s duel.
• Sunday: Kodai Senga (7-3, 1.79 ERA) vs. TBD: Senga had his worst start of the season against the Angels on Monday. Over three innings and 73 pitches, he gave up a season-high four runs on four hits with three walks. Since returning from the injured list right before the All-Star break, Senga has thrown seven innings across two starts. The Mets will hope he can provide a little more length on Sunday. Senga will face the Giants for the first time since April 2023. The Giants have yet to announce a starter for the series finale. This would have been Hayden Birdsong‘s spot in rotation, but he was sent to Triple-Sacramento after failing to record a single out in his outing against the Atlanta Braves on Monday. Using an opener may be an option for the Giants, including former Met Joey Lucchesi.

WHAT’S THE STORY?

This series is the beginning of a very important nine-game stretch for the Mets. Their next three series will be against the Giants, the San Diego Padres and then the Giants again. Those are two playoff-caliber teams in a deep National League. Sweeping the Angels is great and certainly important, but winning these games and earning tiebreakers that could be important down the line are massive. It is also worth noting that the Mets are 22-28 on the road this season. If they are going to win the division, improving that record will be key, and they have a great opportunity to do so on this road trip.

PREDICTION

Beating the Giants on the road has been a difficult task for the Mets in recent years. Since 2019, they are 6-11 at Oracle Park. Their only series victory during that stretch came in April 2023, when they took two of three. While the Giants are 3-7 over their last 10, they are coming off a series victory over the Braves to finish off their road trip. I think the Mets drop the opener against Webb, but find a way to take the final two games of the series.

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