After dropping the opening series of their homestand vs. Los Angeles, the Mets are now getting ready to welcome more old friends to Citi Field this week. That will come in the form of facing the Texas Rangers.
Here are the probable pitching matchups at the moment.
Monday at 7:10 p.m. ET: Tylor Megill vs. Jon Gray
In his four starts since returning to the big-league rotation, Tyler Megill has completed five-plus innings twice. Across 19.2 innings, the right-hander’s ERA is up at 6.86. Opposing hitters have posted a 1.009 OPS against him during that time. So, Big Drip will be hoping to get himself on track against the Rangers, a team he’s never faced before.
Jon Gray has posted a 3.76 ERA across 131.2 innings in 2023, but he’s working through a rough patch right now. Across his last 28.1 frames (five starts), Gray owns a 5.40 ERA. The majority of the damage has happened in three starts, as he’s allowed at least five runs in each appearance. In six career starts against the Mets, Gray owns an 8.04 ERA.
Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET: Jose Quintana vs. Andrew Heaney
Jose Quintana suffered his worst performance as a Met in his last start against the Braves. It started well, but he appeared to run out of gas by the latter portion of his appearance. It ended with the left-hander allowing five runs on nine hits, three walks, and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Quintana has a 3.81 lifetime ERA against the Rangers but hasn’t faced them since 2021.
Andrew Heaney has failed to complete at least five innings in each of his last three starts. His most recent outing was a no-decision against the Twins. He allowed three runs on seven hits (three home runs), one walk, and five strikeouts in 4.1 innings. In 13.1 career innings against the Mets, Heaney owns a 2.03 ERA.
Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. ET: Kodai Senga vs. Dane Dunning
The Mets haven’t officially named a starter for the series finale, but it could be Kodai Senga. He’s continued to impress in his rookie season. Despite losing his last start against the Angels, the 30-year-old struck out 10 while allowing two earned runs in 6.2 innings. His ERA is down at 3.17 in 136.1 innings.
Dane Dunning will be hoping to get himself back on track after a couple of tough starts for the Rangers. He’s allowed seven runs over his last nine innings of work. That’s been accompanied by 12 hits, seven walks, and 10 strikeouts. This will be his first career start against the Mets, but he’s typically struggled on the road (4-17 record, 4.92 ERA, 1.54 WHIP).
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
