Here are five things to watch and series predictions as the Mets play the Boston Red Sox in a three-game series at Citi Field beginning Monday night...
Preview
Can Mets carry over momentum from successful road trip?
The Mets return home from a 7-3 road trip knowing they were oh so close to going 9-1 if not for a couple of late-inning bullpen meltdowns in San Diego and Arizona. They outplayed a couple of hot teams, the Padres and Diamondbacks, and then avoided a letdown in sweeping three games from the historically bad Chicago White Sox.
Throw in the series win at home against the Baltimore Orioles two weeks ago and you can make the case that the Mets are playing their best baseball of the season.
But there is no time for taking bows as they continue to be chasers in the NL Wild Card race. And since they have a better record on the road than at home this season, six games at Citi Field this week against the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds will be another test for their focus and intensity.
Red Sox look vulnerable
The Sox have been something of a surprise wild-card contender this season, with a roster that features Rafael Devers as the only established star in the lineup. But they’re only 17-23 since the All-Star break and they’ve lost seven of their last 10 games, including two of three in Detroit to the Tigers over the weekend.
The struggle has revolved mostly around their pitching, as their second-half ERA of 5.28 ranks 28th in the majors, ahead of only the Colorado Rockies and the Chicago White Sox.
And though they’ve been a good offensive team this season, ranking eighth in the majors in runs scored and fifth in batting average and OPS, they haven’t hit much lately. In those last seven losses, they’ve scored only 13 runs.
Is Diaz fixed?
Edwin Diaz gave up two game-losing home runs on the trip, one in San Diego and one in Arizona, but he bounced back with two dominant saves and pitched with the confidence of the 2022 Diaz, blowing Diamondbacks hitters away with his fastball, then attacking White Sox hitters with the heater as a set-up to putting them away with his slider.
So, is he fixed?
Diaz said a pre-game bullpen session the day after his blown save in Arizona helped get his mechanics straightened out, eliminating the arm-side wildness with his fastball while putting more bite in his slider again, and the results offered reason to believe.
Still, it has been such an up-and-down season for Diaz that his every outing, at least for the moment, no doubt causes anxiety among Mets fans. Especially since this team desperately needs him to be a lock-down closer the rest of the way to make the postseason.