Category: Baseball

There was a palpable buzz inside Citi Field on Wednesday night as the Mets faced the Phillies.

Yes, it was due in part to the fact that New York was going for (and eventually securing) a three-game sweep over their division rival in what has all of a sudden become a tight race for the NL East title.

But what made it feel truly different on Wednesday -- the reason every fan was on the edge of their seat and perhaps timing their bathroom, food, and beer runs differently -- was the pitcher on the mound in orange and blue.

Nolan McLean, who tossed 5.1 shutout innings in his big league debut on Aug. 16 at Citi Field and followed that up with seven innings of one-run ball against the Braves on Aug. 22 in Atlanta, took it up several rungs during a masterful performance that left the Phillies flailing.

While firing eight shutout innings, McLean allowed just four hits, walked none, and struck out six.

He had everything working so well and Philadelphia so off-balance that he was at only 59 pitches with one out in the seventh inning -- truly outrageous.

McLean's ball-to-strike ratio was elite, with 71 of the 95 pitches he threw going for strikes.

The stuff, of course, was what allowed him to lay the hammer down so emphatically. 

But there was also the mound presence (which has been evident since his first start), the confidence he displayed while deploying his arsenal (he said after the game that he's totally comfortable being more in the zone with New York's defense behind him), and the unflappability that seems to envelop him. 

As McLean toyed with the Phillies, whose batters twice had the bat fly out of their hands, he relied heavily on his dastardly sweeper, a four-seam fastball, a sinker that had a ridiculous amount of movement and topped out at 96.4 mph, and a curve that dropped off the table. He also mixed in his changeup and cutter for good measure.

He generated 13 swings and misses and got 24 called strikes, and only came close to walking a batter once. 

When McLean found trouble for the first time with runners on first and third and no one out in the eighth, he wiggled out of it, generating two short fly outs and a dribbler in front of the plate.

It was the kind of performance that makes you dream about what this Mets team can do, and obviously leaves you wondering just how good McLean can be.

Through three starts, McLean's numbers are eye-popping.

In 20.1 innings, he has posted a 0.89 ERA and 0.69 WHIP while allowing just 10 hits, walking four, and striking out 21.

And on Wednesday, McLean became the first MLB pitcher since Randy Johnson in 1988 to have a 3-0 record with 20+ innings pitched, 20+ strikeouts, and a sub-.200 opponents batting average through his first three career starts.

While McLean's dazzling display on Wednesday should make people look forward, his outing -- and how he's looked overall since arriving in the bigs -- should also leave you glancing back at two former Mets pitching stars who had similar qualities: Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom.

To be clear: McLean is not Harvey or deGrom. He will forge his own path and career.

But the way he's arrived as a dominant force seemingly close to a finished product is reminiscent of how Harvey looked in 2012 when he first took the ball in Arizona and how deGrom looked in 2014 when he made his first start against the Yankees at Citi Field.

Like Harvey and deGrom, McLean has taken it up a notch since arriving in the majors.

And like Harvey, it could be McLean who helps usher in a new era of homegrown starting pitching.

Jonah Tong, who put up video game numbers this season in the minors, will make his first big league start on Friday against the Marlins at Citi Field.

Then there's Brandon Sproat, who could be on track to join the Mets shortly after the rosters expand on Sept. 1.

But for now, the focus is rightfully on McLean, who has helped give the Mets the spark they desperately needed while taking the league by storm.

Phillies open 4-game set vs. Braves looking to move past New York woes originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

A little home cooking is exactly what the Phillies need.

At least that’s the hope.

The Phillies are back at Citizens Bank Park for a four-game series against the Braves after being swept out of New York. They were outscored 25-8 in three games against the Mets, stretching their Citi Field losing streak to 10 games in the process.

Rather than create more separation between themselves and the second place Mets, the Phillies let their NL East rivals back in the race. They have a four-game lead with 29 to play.

“It gets back to the experience of the players,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday when asked how his club will move past being swept in New York. “They just have to be themselves. Because who they are is pretty good. We have a really good group. Don’t try to do too much, just be yourself.”

The fact that the Phillies are a veteran team gives Thomson added confidence that they won’t dwell on one bad series.

“These guys have short memories,” Thomson said. “They’ve been through this for a long time. The last couple years, going into the playoffs we’ve had stretches where we didn’t play well, losing streaks and things like that… they come out of it.”

The Phillies’ home ballpark should provide a nice change of scenery. They have a 42-22 record at Citizens Bank Park this season, the fourth best home winning percentage in baseball.

Despite what transpired at Citi Field earlier this week, the Phillies are still in the driver’s seat in the NL East. The sense of urgency remains high.

“These guys want to win and they want to perform,” Thomson said. “They want to win a world championship. That’s what they play for. And a lot of these guys, they haven’t done that yet. They’ve been paid a great deal of money but they haven’t won so that’s on their mind, they want to get it done.”

This has been a lost season for the Braves, who begin this series in fourth place in the NL East with a 61-72 record. But Atlanta has played better lately – they’ve won 13 of their last 18 and scored a total of 23 runs in their last two games.

“They’re swinging the bats well, they’re scoring runs,” Thomson said of the Braves’ recent resurgence. “Their bullpen has been excellent. They’ve been playing well, they’re very talented.”

The Phillies have a 5-4 record against the Braves this season. This series represents the final four games of the season between these two division rivals.

Familiar foes

Aaron Nola will try to set the tone in Thursday’s series opener. This will be Nola’s 38th career start against Atlanta, his most against any opponent. It’s his third outing since returning from a three-month stint on the injured list.

The longest-tenured Phillie showed significant improvement in his last start, allowing two earned runs in six innings against the Nationals last Saturday. Nola’s velocity was up – his fastball topped out at 94.1 miles per hour and averaged 92.6, his highest in a start this season.  

What are the expectations for Nola against the Braves?

“Exactly what he did the last time,” Thomson said. “Command the fastball. He threw a lot more curveballs (in his last start) than he normally does but that was part of the gameplan and he had a really good one. I want to see him command his fastball, keep people off balance and just attack the zone.”

Nola needs four strikeouts to pass Cole Hamels (1,844) for the third most career strikeouts in Phillies history. Steve Carlton (3,031) tops the list, followed by Robin Roberts (1,871).

Nola will be opposed by Braves righthander Cal Quantrill, who was claimed off waivers last week. Quantrill made 24 starts for the Marlins this season, including two against the Phillies. He posted a 12.27 ERA in those outings with 10 earned runs in seven and one-third innings of work.

Red Sox should make a run at AL East crown after 7-1 road trip originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

A little over a week ago, after letting games against the Marlins and Orioles slip away in ugly fashion, it was fair to question whether the Red Sox could — as the saying goes — take care of business down the stretch.

The eight-game road trip that followed wiped away most of the doubt that might have cropped up. As a result, the Red Sox can now set their sights a bit higher than simply hanging on to a wild-card spot in the American League.

And if they want to get greedy, they can place the AL East crown in their crosshairs.

The Red Sox completed a four-game sweep in Baltimore on Thursday, eking out a second consecutive 3-2 victory. They outscored the Orioles 15-7 after outscoring the Yankees 21-11 in four games over the weekend.

Thursday’s win featured Garrett Crochet allowing two runs over six innings, Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela each making a game-changing double play, Romy Gonzalez delivering a clutch game-winning RBI in the eighth (against a righty, no less), and Steven Matz locking down his first save as a member of the Red Sox (and just the second save of his career).

“I feel great,” manager Alex Cora said postgame, per NESN. “It’s hard to do. To beat a team in the big leagues four times in a row, you know, it’s hard. To go 7-1, New York, Baltimore, against the pitching that we faced, it was a great road trip.”

With Toronto off on Thursday, the Red Sox were able to gain a half-game in the standings. They’re 3.5 games out of first place, having picked up 2.5 games since Aug. 19.

And while the Red Sox playing strong baseball will be their biggest asset moving forward, the schedule should be a major help, too.

While they will face NL Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes on Friday night, they should be able to handle the last-place Pirates in a weekend series at Fenway. The Pirates are 21 games under .500 overall, but they’re 20-46 on the road — a winning percentage of just .303. They’re 15-37 (.288) in road games not started by Skenes, and just 5-9 in his road starts.

The Red Sox will then host the perfectly .500 Cleveland Guardians for three games before heading out west to face the Diamondbacks (66-69) and Athletics (63-72).

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, will have a rougher go of things. They’ll host the Brewers, who own the best record in baseball, before heading to Cincinnati to face the 68-66 Reds and then to New York to face the 73-60 Yankees. The Blue Jays then return home to face the AL-West-leading Astros (74-60) before finally getting a respite with a home series against the Orioles.

The Red Sox’ next series against a team that’s currently over .500 will come when they return from Sacramento … but they’ll facing the Yankees, against whom they are 8-2 this season. After that, they’ll host the A’s for three more games before heading to Tampa. They’re also 8-2 against the Rays this year.

All told, that’s 21 games where the Red Sox should go about 13-8 or 14-7. If they pull off the latter and if the Blue Jays go 12-10 over their next 22, it would set up a series in Toronto between the two teams with first place on the line, with Toronto’s lead cut down to a single game.

In that scenario, the Blue Jays may have the advantage for the final weekend of the regular season, as they’ll be hosting the Rays while the Red Sox will be hosting the Tigers.

But separating from specifics, the point is much simpler: Just making the playoffs is no longer the mission. The Red Sox now have a 96.2 percent chance of making the playoffs, per FanGraphs. They are making the playoffs, barring a 2011-style meltdown.

The more interesting story over the season’s final month will be whether they can actually push the Blue Jays to the final days of the season for the AL East title. Even if they end up falling a game or two short, making that push should set the foundation for an offseason of investment from ownership and the front office. It’ll be a lot easier for them to be convinced that a World Series run is possible next season if the current roster maximizes its opportunity this season.

With a 7-1 record on the road against divisional opponents over the last eight days, they’ve altered the outlook. What they do over the next seven series will determine what, exactly, that will mean.

Thursday might be an off-day for the Dodgers.

But for their most intriguing recent draft pick, it’s also the opening day of a different kind of season.

In the 17th round of last month’s MLB draft, the Dodgers took a flier on University of Missouri pitcher Sam Horn, a 6-foot-4 right-hander with a big fastball, a promising slider and an athletic, projectable build.

Like most late-round prospects hoping to become a diamond in the rough, Horn came with questions. He pitched just 15 innings in his college career after undergoing Tommy John surgery as a sophomore. His limited body of work led to a wide range of scouting opinions.

In Horn’s case, however, the biggest unknowns had nothing to do with his potential as a pitcher.

Read more:Shaikin: How Shohei Ohtani turned the Dodgers into a global entertainment gateway

Because, starting Thursday night, he will also be under center as quarterback for Missouri’s football team.

Horn is not only a two-sport athlete, but someone still undecided on whether his future will be on a mound or the gridiron. As a quarterback, he was a four-star recruit in Missouri’s 2022 signing class. And this fall, he has been locked in a battle with Penn State transfer Beau Pribula, jockeying for first-string signal-caller duties at an SEC program coming off a 10-win season.

When Missouri opens its 2025 football schedule Thursday night against Central Arkansas, Pribula will play the first half, and Horn will play the second half. As for the rest of the season, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz has yet to hand either player all the keys to the offense.

“I think both quarterbacks have done an excellent job of doing the things that we’ve asked them to do, and there wasn’t enough separation that I felt like there was a clear-cut starter,” Drinkwitz told reporters this week. “And so the next-best evaluation is in a live football game to see how guys respond, not only to preparation and a game plan, but also respond to a crowd, also respond to being tackled and being hit.”

It’s a QB battle that Dodgers officials have followed with fascination throughout Missouri’s fall camp.

Already, the club has signed Horn to a baseball contract with an almost $500,000 signing bonus (well above the norm for the 525th overall pick).

The question now is whether he ever ends up playing for them.

“We’re pleasantly hoping he does,” Dodgers vice president of baseball operations Billy Gasparino said this week. “We think there’s a whole window of opportunity to get him much better, and quickly.”

Once upon a time, the Dodgers viewed Horn as one of college baseball’s better pitching prospects. Even in a limited sample size as a freshman in 2023, Gasparino said the team evaluated him as having potential future first-round talent.

“He’s a tremendous athlete,” said Gasparino, the longtime point man for the Dodgers’ draft operations. “He has really good arm action. I think that part was very elite.”

By the time Horn actually became draft-eligible this summer, though, uncertainties about his future made his scouting process unique.

All along, Horn signaled to MLB teams that he wanted to play football this fall. As a redshirt junior, he will have another season of eligibility in football next year as well. Gasparino said the narrative around Horn, who is originally from Lawrenceville, Ga., is that “baseball is his first love.”

“But,” Gasparino added, “he definitely seemed split on what he wanted to do going forward.”

This is not the first recent example of the Dodgers drafting a power-conference college quarterback.

Two years ago, they used their final 20th-round selection in the 2023 draft on then-Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, a former two-sport star at St. John Bosco. Uiagalelei, however, never signed with the team. As a highly touted five-star talent with NFL aspirations, he never made the switch to baseball either, his draft rights with the Dodgers lapsing after he transferred to Florida State for the 2024 football season.

Horn’s situation appears to be different. Unlike Uiagalelei (who never actually pitched collegiately), he spent the last three years on Missouri’s baseball team. And if he doesn’t win the starting quarterback job with the Tigers football squad this fall, his odds of reporting to the Dodgers next spring figure to be much more realistic.

That’s why, as Missouri’s QB battle has unfolded this preseason, Gasparino scoured Missouri recruiting site message boards and local news outlets, looking for any indication of which way the program was leaning.

“The coach is going to give nothing,” Gasparino said jokingly. “So you kind of have to go on the message boards, and to the local writers, to figure out, ‘All right, who is winning? What is going on?’ It’s been kind of a hard read.”

Read more:Shohei Ohtani leaves pitching start because of cramping, Dodgers go on to lose to Reds

Leading up to the draft, Horn’s situation also required extra scouting legwork. The Dodgers dusted off his old freshman year and high school evaluations, after he pitched just 10 ⅔ innings in Missouri’s spring baseball season coming off his Tommy John procedure. They also reached out to NFL scouting departments and college football recruiters, “just to figure out how talented he was at football,” Gasparino said.

The Dodgers do have downside protection if Horn ultimately decides to stick with the football, with Gasparino noting that “to actually get his signing bonus, he has to come to us.”

But in the meantime, they’ll be keeping a close eye on Missouri’s football season — starting with Thursday night’s opener in which Horn is slated to see the field.

“Definitely gonna be watching,” Gasparino said. “I mean, I guess first, it’s like, don’t get hurt. But also just hoping that the right answer becomes very clear on what he should do sport-wise … Of course, we’d be disappointed if it’s not baseball. But would hate another year of in-between.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

What we learned as Willy Adames homers twice in Giants' walk-off win over Cubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO — After Wednesday night’s win, Matt Chapman was asked a couple of times about 2026. Chapman said repeatedly that the focus is simply “on tomorrow.”

Right now, “tomorrow” is bringing a lot of wins for the Giants, who know what the math says but want to try and make things interesting anyway. Their 4-3 walk-off win over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday clinched a sweep and marked their fifth straight victory, bringing their record to 66-68.

JHL CALLS GAME WITH HIS FIRST WALK-OFF 👏 pic.twitter.com/KHtNWndySW

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 28, 2025

The latest positive day at Oracle Park ended when Jung Hoo Lee lined a single to right with two on in the bottom of the ninth. It was the 10th walk-off win this season but the first of the second half. 

The game was somewhat of a pitcher’s duel between Logan Webb and Shota Imanaga, although the ball can fly on warm day games at Oracle Park, and the two combined to give up four homers. Both pitched through the seventh and left with the game tied 3-all. 

The Cubs thought they would take the lead in the top of the eighth, but Casey Schmitt made a leaping grab of a liner and doubled off the runner on second, who was easily going to score the go-ahead run. With a runner on first and one out in the top of the ninth, Lee made a sliding grab to rob Pete Crow-Armstrong of a rally-extending single.

Here are the takeaways from a thrilling Giants’ win:

Can It Actually Happen?

It has been 21 years since the last 30-homer season by a Giant, and early on, it seemed impossible for Adames to even think about it. His Giants career got off to a brutal start, but with his latest two-homer game, he put himself in position to make an actual run at ending the drought. 

Adames took Imanaga deep twice, with the first one giving the Giants a lead in the first inning and the second one tying the game in the bottom of the sixth. He now has 24 homers with 28 games left.

Big Willy Style 😎 pic.twitter.com/wpB4evaitE

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 28, 2025

ADAMES AGAIN. TIED GAME. pic.twitter.com/A035fpP0So

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 28, 2025

If over the final month he simply matches his August — eight homers — or July — seven homers — he’ll get it done. Thursday’s game was his fourth this season and second in the last six days with multiple homers. He became the first Giants shortstop since Travis Jackson in 1929 to have four multi-homer games in one season. 

Mr. 200

Webb is eager to reach 200 strikeouts for the first time, but he also is well on his way to another 200-inning season, and unless he’s shut down at some point, he should pretty easily win the NL innings crown for a third straight season. 

Webb allowed three runs in seven innings Thursday, getting to 173 2/3 on the season. The only other players in the NL with 160-plus innings are Cy Young frontrunners Christopher Sanchez (162 1/3) and Paul Skenes (161). Webb is also four outs ahead of Garrett Crochet for the MLB lead overall. 

They’re Going Streaking

Adames’ first homer gave the Giants a blast in 11 consecutive games, their longest streak since September of a magical 2021 season. They’ve hit 22 homers over the 11 games and have gotten back-to-back multi-homer games from cornerstone players (Rafael Devers did it Wednesday).

Devers had a different kind of run going early in the game, reaching on a walk and a single to start his day. Over two games, he reached base in seven consecutive plate appearances.

With a single in the fifth, Lee reached base for the 22nd time in 24 games this month. Add it all up and the Giants have a lot of reasons to be more optimistic about the lineup’s long-term future than they were a few weeks ago.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Why Casey Schmitt's ascension as Giants second baseman encourages Buster Posey originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

While the Giants have struggled down the stretch this season, there has been one glaring bright spot.

Infielder Casey Schmitt has played hard-nosed baseball, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey joined KNBR 680’s “Murph & Markus” on Thursday to discuss Schmitt’s recent play.

“For me, watching Casey over the past few years … he looks like he’s starting to believe he belongs,” Posey explained.

Confidence is key in the batter’s box, and the 26-year-old has come into his own. Schmitt has hit four home runs with 13 RBI this month.

“He’s a very naturally gifted baseball player,” Posey explained. “You’re certainly seeing it at the plate. Laying off some of those pitches that are down and away from him … big two-out RBI last night … we’re definitely excited about the progress he’s making.”

His play at second base also has been stellar.

“A guy who’s naturally a third baseman,” Posey continued, “he’s probably more comfortable on the left side of the infield. He looks more and more comfortable each day. We saw last night the double play he and Adames turned. That really got me excited.”

Double play of the year?! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/CW2xkibfLd

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 28, 2025

The 1-6-4-3 double play on Wednesday got a well-deserved standing ovation from Giants fans. The idea of Schmitt being the everyday second baseman is turning into a reality.

“It looks like it came more natural to him,” Posey said. He showed off his arm strength; I think he’s gonna continue to get better and better.”

The San Diego State alum will have plenty of opportunities to earn his keep looking into the future.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

The Mets open a four-game series against the Marlins at Citi Field on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

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Mets Notes

• Mark Vientosis slashing .395/.442/.974 with six homers, four doubles, and 17 RBI in 43 plate appearances over his last 10 games
• Starling Marte is hitting .359/.409/.590 with four homers and six doubles in 78 plate appearances over his last 23 games
• Cedric Mullinshas picked things up in a big way after struggling at the plate during his first week as a Met. In 14 games since Aug. 9, Mullins is slashing .306/.375/.490 with a homer, triple, and four doubles

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How Buster Posey believes Jung Hoo Lee will benefit from first full MLB season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jung Hoo Lee’s 2024 MLB season ended with an emphatic crash into the outfield wall and, as a result, shoulder surgery. Luckily for the Giants, his 2025 season has gone a bit differently and – while it’s had its ups and downs – Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey believes that is going to benefit Lee next season.

“I think this is going to be such a big year for Jung Hoo, just because you don’t really know what a major league season takes until you go through one,” Posey told KNBR 680’s “Murph & Markus” on Thursday. “Between the amount of games played in a row, the travel across the country, the physical toll, the mental toll.”

Lee’s April started as hot as it possibly could, with the 27-year-old slashing .324/.369/.539. However, his next couple months were polar opposites, with Lee putting up just a .143/.277/.274 slash line in June.

Posey believes the struggles – paired with his recent bounce back in July and August – is a positive sign for Lee and for San Francisco.

“Having to deal with the failure that comes from some or a lot of these variables and then to bounce back like he has,” Posey said. “To start off well and kind of slump a little bit and now, to me, he looks like he’s back to a spot at the plate where he’s hitting some balls on a line the other way, he’s spitting on balls when he needs to. I think, ultimately, we think that’s the type of player he’s going to be. A guy that has really good bat control, puts the ball in play, can be a pest at the plate.”

Lee’s 34.4 percent squared up rate, which is 95th percentile in the league, according to Baseball Savant, has proven that Lee has the ability to place balls where he wants.

Now, Posey says it’s on Lee to make the appropriate adjustments that he’s learned and come back better next season.

“Really, his first full year is something that I think he’s going to be able to learn from,” Posey added. “Take the information into the offseason and know how to prepare himself even better coming into next year.”

If Lee is able to improve on this season, he potentially could play a major role in the Giants making a push for the postseason in 2026.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Marlins play a four-game series at Citi Field starting on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

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5 things to watch

King Tong

Jonah Tonglaid waste to minor league hitters in the 22 starts he made this season between Double-A Binghamton (20 starts) and Triple-A Syracuse (two starts).

In 113.2 innings, he posted a 1.43 ERA and 0.92 WHIP while allowing just 58 hits and striking out an absurd 179 batters.

Tong's dominance combined with the Mets' need in the big league rotation led to his call-up, and he'll make his much-anticipated debut on Friday night.

Featuring an electric fastball and Vulcan changeup, Tong will also mix in a slider (his newest offering) and 12-to-6 curve.

Tong's over the top delivery is reminiscent of Tim Lincecum -- something that isn't lost on the rookie.

"The one that everyone always sees is Tim Lincecum," Tong told SNY earlier this season. "Loved how he threw. They called him The Freak for a reason. I would say mechanics-wise, that’s probably the one I’m most similar to, although it’s not even intentional. ... but Tim Lincecum is probably the most obvious one to me."

Mets are feeling RISPy

As the Mets ebbed and flowed over the first four months of the season, one thing was a near constant -- their struggles with runners in scoring position.

It was baffling, considering the amount of dangerous, seasoned hitters who were up and down the lineup. And the longer it went on, the more ridiculous it seemed. 

Well, things have turned.

The Mets are hitting a sizzling .388 with runners in scoring position since Aug. 12, closely aligning with the 8-3 run they're on.

A few huge turns of events during that span? Francisco Lindor broke out of his slump and has been tearing the cover off the ball for the last few weeks, and Mark Vientos has become the 2024 version of himself that helped make New York's lineup go.

Since July 28, Vientos is hitting .316/.341/.671 with seven homers, six doubles, and 22 RBI in 82 plate appearances over 20 games, bringing a new dynamic to the middle of the lineup.

Can Kodai Senga right the ship?

It's been a struggle for Senga over the last month-plus.

In 31.0 innings over seven starts, he has a 6.10 ERA (6.32 FIP) and has allowed seven home runs.

Senga also hasn't been providing much length, failing to complete 5.0 innings on four occasions during that span and never going more than 5.2 frames.

Along the way, Senga has cited his mechanics as one of the reasons for his scuffling. Meanwhile, after Senga's last start, manager Carlos Mendoza noted how many "noncompetitive" pitches Senga threw.

Senga will look to get things back on track when he starts on Sunday.

The playoff chase

By sweeping the Phillies in a three-game series at Citi Field, the Mets did three things.

1. They pulled to within 4.0 games of Philadelphia for first place in the NL East, with four games against the Phillies coming up in Philadelphia next month
2. They gained 3.0 games on the Reds for the third Wild Card spot in the National League, and now lead them by 4.5 games (5.0 in the loss column)
3. They crept to within 2.5 games of the Padres (2.0 in the loss column) for the second Wild Card spot and 4.0 games of the Cubs for the first Wild Card spot

Eury Perez and Edward Cabrera are legit

Despite trudging toward another poor finish, the Marlins are dangerous to face simply because two of their starting pitchers have been really tough to hit this season.

And the Mets will face both of them during this series.

The 22-year-old Eury Perez, who starts on Friday, has a 3.44 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in what is his first season back after Tommy John surgery. 

Edward Cabrera, who gets the ball on Saturday, has a 3.32 ERA and 1.18 WHIP and is coming off a masterpiece against the Braves. Cabrera fired 7.0 innings of one-hit, shutout ball against Atlanta on Monday while walking two and striking out 10.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Mark Vientos

Vientos looks as comfortable as he has all year.

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

David Peterson

Peterson has been stellar in his last two starts, allowing just two runs in 13.2 innings while striking out 18

Which Marlins player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Jakob Marsee

The rookie has been on a tear over his first 90 big league at-bats, slashing .356/.422/.667