After Mets going 2-5 against the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies last week, three games in Miami with the Marlins could be just what they need to get their season back on track.
At 13-32 (.289), the Marlins have the worst record in the majors and there’s clearly nothing random about that. Statistically, they are among the worst teams in MLB in both pitching and hitting.
Oh, and they recently traded their best hitter, Luis Arráezto the San Diego Padres for prospects, like their GM, Peter Bendixessentially admitted that he was already raising the white flag, saying publicly that these Marlins had no chance of turning their season around and becoming postseason contenders.
Of course, all of this also makes for a classic spot of disappointment, especially in Miami where the stadium will be empty and there will be no atmosphere, and especially coming off some high intensity games with the best teams in the division.
There are no excuses for the Mets, however. They fell to 20-23, but their owner, Steve Cohensaid SNY’s Andy Martino on Thursday he still hopes to make the playoffsTherefore, they need to take advantage of an inferior opponent.
Here are 5 things to watch out for in the series:
Christian Scott back to the mountain
Because the Mets used an extra starter this week, Scott missed the matchup with the Phillies and drew what should have been a much easier task against the weak Marlins.
Scott was impressive in his first two matchesallowing four earned runs in 12 2/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays and Braves, for a 2.84 ERA, and has 14 strikeouts to just three walks.
The right-hander showed an electric fastball as well as pitching ability with his secondary stuff. If he’s on his game, the Marlins are a lineup he can dominate.
A scout who saw Scott’s two starts said, “He has a combination of upside and balance that you can’t teach. He has a chance to be very good.”
Are the Marlins really that bad?
All signs say yes, this is a terrible ballclub. They were challenged offensively for years and then lost their only true hitter, Jorge Solerto free agency, while an impact hitter they thought they signed, Tim Anderson, is hitting .197 with a .456 OPS. And they traded Arraez, the two-time batting champion.
As a result, they rank 27th in the majors in runs scored, 29th in hits and OPS.
Meanwhile, last year the Marlins rode a wave of young pitching to 84 wins and a wild card berth, but injuries, particularly to the 2022 Cy Young award winner Alcantara Sandhave consumed their starting rotation, which boasts a 5.37 ERA, second-worst among the majors.
What’s going on with Edwin Diaz?
The Mets’ closer has made saves in three of his last five starts, twice in the Phillies seriesand suddenly he looks nothing like the Diaz who was practically unattainable in 2022.
His velocity is down 2-3 mph from 2022, perhaps due to surgery to repair the torn patellar tendon in his right knee, and he appears to have lost confidence in his fastball, to the point where he’s been throwing a lot more sliders recently. And on Thursday night he had so much trouble controlling the fastball that SNY analyst Ron Darling said it looked like Diaz had “yips” when he threw it.
Diaz needed 25 pitches when giving up the tying run on Thursday night, and it could have been worse if JT RealmutoThe scalding lining wasn’t right Jeff McNeil to end the turn.
Afterwards, Diaz mentioned that he found himself running in that ninth inning, reminding everyone that he’s still adjusting to life with the field clock after missing it all last year. Still, the drop is intriguing because he started the season in dominant fashion, allowing just one earned run in his first 10 starts.
Francisco Lindor falling…again
The Mets continue to wait for their star shortstop to heat up, but he can’t sustain anything resembling consistency at the plate, and is now coming off an 0-for-16 streak with the Phillies.
As a result, his season average has dropped to .194 and he’s not hitting the ball either. Twice on Thursday night he showed up in key situations with runners in scoring position late in the game, and both times he struck out, chasing a fast high ball to the K the first time and then a curveball in the dirt the second time.
For the season, Lindor is hitting .190 (8-for-42) with runners in scoring position and, worse, just .056 (1-for-18) with RISP and two strikeouts.
He’s far from the only Met who isn’t hitting, but by being second or third in the lineup every day, his struggles are more impactful than most.
Who is in third?
It seems that the Mets will platoon Marcos Vientos It is Brett Baty at third base, likely hoping one of them gets hot and wins the job since they’ll have to add a backup center fielder to the roster at some point.
Baty had a big hit Thursday, an RBI double that he pulled down the right field line, just his sixth extra-base hit of the season.
Vientos will likely have two of the three starts in Miami against scheduled lefties Jesus Lazarus It is Braxton Garrett.
