Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Pirates play a three-game series at Citi Field beginning on Monday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.
Preview
Has Brett Baty found his confidence?
Baty has always been too good of an offensive player in Triple-A to believe he simply didn't have what it took to at least be a solid contributor in the big leagues.
And as Baty has alluded to, part of his struggles in 2023, 2024, and earlier this season had to do with his confidence at the highest level. Perhaps he's found it.
Following his return to the majors after Jesse Winker landed on the IL with a long-term oblique injury, Baty has been locked in at the plate.
Baty has four hits in 12 at-bats, which doesn't jump off the page, but this does: three of those hits have been home runs, including Baty showcasing massive opposite field power.
With this hot streak, Baty's OPS for the season is up to .746. And he's turning heads in a serious way in what could be his last, best chance to prove he should be a serious part of the Mets' future.
Paul Skenes
When you think Pirates, you think Skenes, who has arguably been the best pitcher in baseball since debuting last season.
After finishing third in Cy Young voting following a rookie campaign in 2024 where he had a 1.96 ERA over 133.0 innings, Skenes has again been brilliant.
In 48.2 innings over eight starts, Skenes has a 2.77 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. His strikeout rate is down from last season (8.7 per nine after it was 11.5 per nine), but his stuff is still filthy.
Skenes is near the top of the league in pitching run value, xERA, xBA, and fastball velocity.
He's relying mainly on his four-seam fastball, split finger fastball, and sweeper, while also mixing in a changeup, slider, curve, and sinker.
Francisco Lindor is on a heater
Lindor has been on another level lately, raising his triple slash for the season to .301/.368/.509.
His .877 OPS is a career-high, as is his 150 OPS+.
Over his last six games, Lindor is hitting .360/.429/.800 with three homers and two doubles -- including a go-ahead solo blast in the eighth inning of Sunday's win over the Cubs.
Lindor is on pace to finish the season with 36 home runs, 103 RBI, and 107 runs scored.
The dominant Kodai Senga
Senga has been a force this season, with a 1.16 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 38.2 innings over seven starts.
In his last outing, against the Diamondbacks in Arizona, Senga fired 6.0 shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out four. He had a bit of a wild streak in that one -- issuing five walks -- but he adeptly worked around it.
Among all pitchers with 38 innings pitched or more this season, only Max Fried (1.05 ERA) has a lower mark than Senga.
Senga made the All-Star team in his rookie season in 2023. And after a lost season injury-wise in 2024, he's looking to get right back to the Midsummer Classic.
Pittsburgh is in turmoil, and the worst offensive team in baseball
The Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton last week, seemingly making him the fall guy after the front office and ownership did next to nothing to improve the club during the offseason.
So Shelton is out, and Don Kelly is in, but Pittsburgh is still a very bad baseball team.
They enter Monday's series with a 2-8 record over their last 10 games and a 14-27 overall record -- the second-worst mark in the National League and the third-worst mark in baseball, ahead of just the White Sox (12-29) and historically-bad Rockies (7-33).
Pittsburgh is also the lowest-scoring team in baseball, having mustered just 127 runs in 41 games. That is six fewer runs than Colorado.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Brett Baty
Why the hell not?
Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?
Kodai Senga
Senga gets the ball on Tuesday against Mitch Keller.
Which Pirates player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?
Oneil Cruz
The most dangerous player in Pittsburgh's lineup, Cruz has eight homers and an .831 OPS.
