The Mets just finished up a six-game road trip. They won precisely none of them. Now, they get to head home to face the Cubs at Citi Field as a team that was essentially gutted at the trade deadline.
New York hasn’t won a game since last Sunday in Queens. That was when Justin Verlander won his 250th career game before getting traded. Here are the probable pitchers as the Mets try to give people something to actually cheer about this week.
Monday at 7:10 p.m. ET: Kodai Senga vs. Drew Smyly
Kodai Senga wasn’t on his A-game in Kansas City and took the loss. It’s hard to get a win when your club gets shut out, though. Senga allowed lots of traffic (11 hits, two walks) but limited the damage to three earned runs while striking out six in 5.2 innings. Outside of his rain-shortened outing in Boston, he’s pitched into the sixth inning four times in his last five starts.
The Cubs are sending Drew Smyly to the mound, who hasn’t exactly been on his A-game recently, either. He’s allowed at least four earned runs in four of his last five starts. His most recent appearance included five runs allowed in 4.2 innings to the Reds. Smyly does have a 4-0 record and a career 2.17 ERA against the Mets, which includes a victory from earlier in the season.
Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET: Carlos Carrasco vs. Jameson Taillon
Carlos Carrasco has posted a 12.33 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break. His most recent appearance against the Royals included six earned runs. But at least he completed six innings that time? He hadn’t made it out of the third in each of his previous two starts before that. Cookie did allow just one run on five hits, two walks, and four strikeouts in 6.2 innings against the Cubs earlier this year.
After a horrific start to his Cubs career, Jameson Taillon has found his groove. Since dominating the Yankees on July 7th, the right-hander has posted a 2.08 ERA in his last 30.1 innings. He’s also won each of his last four decisions. This will be Taillon’s first start against the Mets since 2018.
Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. ET: David Peterson vs. Kyle Hendricks
David Peterson got his first start in a few weeks against the Orioles in Baltimore. They eventually pulled away for a 10-3 win, but Peterson didn’t contribute to the bad vibes much. He held the O’s scoreless over three innings while allowing one hit with three walks and one strikeout. He produced an 8.44 ERA in two starts (5.1 innings) against the Cubs last year.
As many pitchers have experienced this year, the Braves torched Kyle Hendricks in his last start. The right-hander allowed seven runs on eight hits (two homers) in four innings. He owns a 2.62 lifetime ERA against the Mets, but New York touched him up earlier this year to the tune of five runs (three earned) on six hits in 4.1 innings.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
