Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Marlins play a three-game series at Citi Field beginning on Monday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.
Preview
The second base situation
During spring training, Brett Baty was an absolute beast at the plate. That provided some hope that -- although you need to add a shovel-full of salt to any spring training performances -- that Baty could've possibly turned a corner.
And as Baty excelled at the dish in Grapefruit League play while also learning second base on the fly (and looking very good there), it allowed you to dream on the type of impact he could possibly have if he translated his offensive success to the regular season.
It seems it may have been fool's gold, though.
The sample size of Baty in the regular season this year is small, but he has just two hits in 21 at-bats and has struck out eight times.
More concerning than Baty's stats is how he looks at the plate. He's routinely behind in the count, is hammering the ball into the ground, has been swinging and missing at a high clip, and just generally looks uncomfortable.
With Jeff McNeil making serious progress toward a return, it's fair to wonder if Luisangel Acuña will get the bulk of the starts at second base in the interim.
Can Clay Holmes put it all together?
Holmes has hit some speed bumps over his first two starts as he makes his transition from reliever to starter, but he looked a lot better than his line during his last outing.
In 4.2 innings against the Marlins in Miami, Holmes allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits while walking two and striking out six.
If not for poor defense behind him in the third inning, it was easy to see a scenario where Holmes fired 6.0 scoreless frames.
Either way, his second start was a step in the right direction after his first, and Holmes will look to keep stacking more accomplishments as he gets used to his new role.
Juan Soto has been a quiet force
Soto hasn't homered since the second game of the season against the Astros in Houston. And he's been relatively quiet. But his impact has still been huge.
