5 things to watch as Mets and Braves play 3-game series, including Christian Scott's Citi Field debut

Here are five things to watch when the Mets and Atlanta Braves play a three-game series at Citi Field starting on Friday night...

Christian Scott's Citi Field debut

After a dazzling big league debut last weekend against the Rays in Tampa where he induced 18 swings and misses and was dominant after the first inning, Scott will be making his first Citi Field start on Saturday.

It's not hyperbole to say that Scott is the most talented and highest-upside starting pitcher to come up through the Mets' system since the quartet of Matt Harvey (2012), Zack Wheeler (2013), Jacob deGrom (2014), and Noah Syndergaard (2015).

Meanwhile, Scott replacing Adrian Houser has given the rotation an injection of serious upside, and someone who should help keep them afloat until Kodai Senga returns -- possibly in around three weeks.

Scott seems to have not only the stuff (led by his four-seam fastball and sweeper) to be elite, but the confidence, mound presence, and demeanor to thrive on the biggest stage in the biggest market.

And he will certainly not shy away from a Braves lineup that includes a few legitimate MVP-level players (Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson) and the current MLB home run leader (Marcell Ozuna).

Has Pete Alonso turned the corner?

Sometimes, all it takes is one big swing to break out of a slump.

On Tuesday against the Cardinals in St. Louis, Alonso had two big swings.

First, he smacked a tie-breaking two-run double to right-center as part of a six-run inning in the fifth.

Then, he swatted a solo homer to left field in the ninth to give the Mets a key insurance run.

During his week-and-a-half slump, Alonso had been chasing a ton of pitches out of the zone and not making much hard contact. That changed on Tuesday night against the Cards, and will hopefully roll over into this homestand against the Braves and Philadelphia Phillies.

Jeff McNeil is starting to come out of it

Along with Alonso, McNeil had been mired in a slump. But he's looked much better at the plate recently.

On Tuesday, McNeil had his second three-hit game of the season.

And he has reached base safely in five consecutive games.

Going back a bit, McNeil has hit safely in seven of his last 10 games.

These are baby steps for a hitter who is still working to get back to the level he was at when he won the batting title in the 2022, but they're positive ones nonetheless.

The second-place Braves

The Braves, as expected, have been really good this season.

They are 22-12, have the third-best run-differential in the National League, and have seen Chris Sale regain his ace-like form in the absence of Spencer Strider, who is out for the season.

But Atlanta is just 4-6 over its last 10 games and trail the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies by 2.0 games for first place in the NL East.

Whether what the Phillies are doing is sustainable remains to be seen. They are an MLB-best 26-12, but have played just one series this season against a team that currently has a winning record -- a three-game set with the Braves where they dropped two of those games.

As far as Atlanta, their rotation -- even with the dominance of Sale and success of Reynaldo Lopez -- is more iffy than usual.

Charlie Morton, Max Fried, and Bryce Elder are the starters lined up to face the Mets this weekend.

How will Jose Quintana bounce back?

After a solid start to the season, Quintana was hit very hard by the Rays last Friday in Tampa.

In just 2.2 innings, he allowed eight runs (all earned) on 10 hits while walking one and striking out two. In the process, his ERA ballooned from 3.48 to 5.20.

The start was even more aberrational for Quintana when you consider that he was nearly untouchable his last time out before that, allowing one run on three hits in eight dominant innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Quintana gets the ball on Friday in the series-opener.