Series Preview: Mets Return Home to Face the Blue Jays
The New York Mets (3-3) are back home and ready to go after taking two of three in a chaotic series against the Miami Marlins. Pete Alonso stood out, hitting two critical and timely home runs this week. The second one came in the series final down in Miami, hitting a game-tying three-run home run to tie the game. Eventually, the Mets went on to win in extra innings. The Toronto Blue Jays (5-2) will be coming to town off the back of sweeping a three-game series against the Washington Nationals. Andrés Giménez and Bo Bichette have stood out for an offense that is averaging 4.57 runs per game. Let’s take a look at three pitching matchups for this series.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: Kevin Gausman (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Tylor Megill (1-0, 1.80 ERA): Gausman has been a really solid piece of the Blue Jays rotation since he joined the club in 2022. His 31 starts in each of the last three years is a major positive. Watch out for his splitter, one of the games best. The Baltimore Orioles recorded just one single against Gausman’s best secondary pitch in his first start of the year. Megill had a very positive start against the Houston Astros, allowing one run over five plus innings. He did not allow an extra base hit in that outing, playing a large role in his success. Consistency will remain the most important thing moving forward for him. Megill had 10 appearances (nine starts) at Citi Field last season, going 2-3 with a 3.56 ERA in 48 innings.
Saturday: Chris Bassitt (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. Griffin Canning (0-1, 3.18 ERA): Bassitt is set to make his third start against the Mets since leaving the team in free agency after the 2022 season. The previous two have gone very well. Two wins, one earned run across 13 2/3 innings. Bassitt uses four pitches at least 10 percent of the time, including a sinker, cutter, curveball and a splitter. Like Megill, Canning raised some eyebrows with his first start of the season. Despite getting the loss, the former Los Angeles Angel showed promise against the Astros. His heavy usage of his slider (51.7 percent) will be something to watch as the season progresses. Canning will make his fourth career appearance (third start) against the Blue Jays, going 0-0 with a 4.02 ERA in the previous three.
Sunday: Bowden Francis (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. David Peterson (1-0, 3.00 ERA): Mets fans will be quite familiar with Francis. In September of last season, the right-hander took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Mets. That was until Fransisco Lindor deposited a ball over the right field wall at the Rogers Centre. Francis broke out in 2024, throwing a career-high 103 2/3 innings. Building upon that will be a key for him. Peterson is one of the few known quantities in the Mets rotation, certainly with Sean Manaea out injured at the moment. Can he maintain the level he showed in 2024? Through one start, it appears he can. Six innings, two runs allowed and nine strikeouts against the Marlins. Peterson was good at home last season, going 4-2 with a 3.35 ERA in nine starts.
The Blue Jays are a good team with talent across the board. Giménez, Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be a handful in the middle of order. That being said, the Mets are back home and should expect a different level of energy in the ballpark. A playoff-type atmosphere should be there, which will play a factor. Soto shows out, Lindor has a few big games offensively, as the Mets take two of three in their first home series of the season.
The post Series Preview: Mets Return Home to Face the Blue Jays appeared first on Metsmerized Online.