On their first three-game losing streak of the season, the Mets will look to right the ship as they open a three-game series with the Texas Rangers on Friday night at Citi Field.

The Rangers, after an offseason of big free agent spending, enter the series with a 36-38 record. But in the weak AL West, that's good enough for second place, where Texas is a distant 11 games back of the Houston Astros.

Here are five things to watch this weekend...

The Mets' sagging offense, and the DH situation

The Mets have scored just three runs during their three-game losing streak, and scored just one run total during their two losses to the Houston Astros. While some of that had to do with facing Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander, New York also currently has some holes in its lineup.

At the DH spot, the Mets are getting very little production (and close to no power) from the tandem of J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith. And behind the plate, James McCann and Tomas Nido have not offered much.

Eduardo Escobar has also been struggling badly lately. He has just one hit in his last 14 at-bats and is coming off a June where he slashed .207/.218/.378 in 22 games.

As the Mets look for an offensive jolt, could top prospect Francisco Alvarez soon be an option?

Can Mets contain Corey Seager and Marcus Semien?

Seager and Semien were the jewels of the Rangers' offseason, but both of them have gotten off to slow starts.

Semien is hitting just .231/.289/.364 with eight homers in 73 games, while Seager has fared a bit better -- slashing .229/.303/.423 with 15 homers -- but both players are well below their career averages.

Even with Seager and Semien scuffling, the Rangers' offense has been solid. Entering play on Thursday, Texas had scored 325 runs -- the sixth-most in the American League.

Chris Bassitt the asset

Bassitt, who gets the start on Friday, has rebounded in a big way after a rough month-long stretch from the middle of May to the middle of June.

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