Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Braves play a three-game series at Citi Field.
Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Braves play a three-game series at Citi Field starting on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.
5 things to watch
The quest for 253
Pete Alonso officially etched his name into the Mets record books on Saturday.
The big man lifted his 252nd career home run in the second inning against the Brewers, tying Darryl Strawberry’s all-time franchise mark.
That leaves him just one away from standing alone as the Mets’ HR king.
Alonso has been swinging a hot bat of late after a bit of a cold stretch, producing three of his 26 homers and 10 RBI over his last seven games.
He’s gone deep 15 times in 95 career games against the Braves.
He has one against Tuesday's starter Spencer Strider, and one against Thursday's starter Bryce Elder.
Mets fans are certainly hoping Alonso can make some history back in the home ballpark.
When will the losing streak end?
The Mets’ brutal stretch of baseball continues.
New York led the Brewers by five runs after four innings, but ended up being walked off on Isaac Collins’ solo shot leading off the bottom of the ninth on Sunday afternoon.
That secured back-to-back series sweeps and sent the Mets to their seventh consecutive loss, and their 11th in their last 12 games.
They now find their lead for their third National League Wild Card slot trimmed all the way down to just 0.5 game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds.
They are also 5.5 games back of the Phillies in the NL East, who have won seven of their last 10.
Now the Mets have to contend with the rival Braves, who are coming off a commanding road series victory over the Marlins.
Can Kodai Senga finally get into a groove?
Senga’s rough stretch since returning from the IL continued into this weekend.
The right-hander worked his way through four scoreless innings to start Friday’s series opener, but the Brewers were able to make him pay for a fielding error in the fifth.
He allowed a game-tying homer to Brice Turang a few pitches later and never recovered, as he was pulled with a final line of three runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks over just 4.1 innings of work.
Even when he was in control he wasn’t particularly dominant -- recording just two whiffs and a season-low of two strikeouts on the night.
While the error hurt, Senga’s command issues are ultimately what plagued him again, he’s now issued at least three free passes in each of his last four outings.
The Mets are 3-1 over that span, but he's pitched to an ugly 6.61 ERA.
He needs to get back on track if New York hopes to turn this thing around.
Atlanta’s surging young star
Not much has gone right for the Braves this season, but they may've found themselves their next young star.
Rookie Drake Baldwin continues produce for Atlanta’s up-and-down offense.
Baldwin is coming off a tremendous weekend in which he torched the Marlins’ pitching staff, putting together three multi-hit showings and driving in a total of 10 runs.
That’s the most RBIs produced by a Braves rookie in a single series since 1966.
The 24-year-old has himself square in the middle of the NL Rookie of the Year conversation, hitting .289 with 13 homers and 51 RBI through 86 games.
He has three RBI and a .850 OPS in six games against the Mets.
Welcome back, Cookie!
With their rotation decimated by injuries, Atlanta added Carlos Carrasco in a deal with the Yankees ahead of the deadline.
Carrasco had a bit of an up-and-down start to the season in New York’s rotation, and he ended up being DFA’d in early June and was optioned after clearing waivers.
He pitched to a 3.27 ERA across 11 appearances with the RailRiders.
The 38-year-old has been subpar for the most part since landing in Atlanta, giving up nine earned runs over 11.2 innings of work across just two outings.
This will be his first Citi Field outing since he finished his time with the club in 2023.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Soto went deep twice this weekend, and is hitting .307 over his last seven games.
Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?
Kodai Senga
Senga's been shaky thus far, but it's time for him to step up.
Which Braves player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?
Marcell Ozuna
Ozuna has been a Met killer, and is hitting a scorching .368 over his last seven games.
Category: General Sports
