5 things to watch as Mets face Guardians in three-game series at Citi Field
Hoping to build on their series win over the Tampa Bay Rays, the Mets host the Cleveland Guardians at Citi Field for a three-game series this weekend.
Here are five things to watch for in the series:
1. Will Gary Sanchez Have An Impact?
With his contract giving Sanchez the option of an opt-out from their Triple-A team on Friday, the Mets are calling up the former Yankee catcher, as first reported by SNY’s Andy Martino.
Sanchez is expected to back up Francisco Alvarez but could get some at-bats at the DH spot as well. The 30-year-old catcher’s value has plummeted the last few years due to his declining offensive numbers, yet his power potential is apparently intriguing to the Mets.
Last season with the Minnesota Twins, Sanchez hit .205 with a .659 OPS. He hit 16 home runs in 471 plate appearances. He didn’t get any offers for guaranteed major league contracts in the offseason and signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants before opting out and signed with the Mets.
In eight games with Triple-A Syracuse, Sanchez hit .308 with a 1.014 OPS.
At his best, several years ago with the Yankees, Sanchez hit 33 home runs in 2017 and 34 home runs in 2019.
2. Carlos Carrasco Is Back
Carrasco made three starts, none of them impressive, this season before going on the injured list with elbow inflammation. On Friday, he will be making his first start since April 15 in Oakland.
The right-hander pitched to an 8.56 ERA in his three starts and his fastball velocity fluctuated significantly, at times dipping below 90 mph.
Whether his elbow inflammation was a factor in his poor pitching remains to be seen, but he didn’t finish the ’22 season well, having a hard time getting swings-and-misses, and at age 36 there are questions about how much he has left.
The Mets need Carrasco to be dependable as they have little proven starting-pitching depth, with no timeline for a Jose Quintana return from injury and David Peterson pitching so poorly this season.
3. The Guardians Are Looking For Answers
After winning the AL Central last season and taking the Yankees to five games in the ALDS, the Guardians are just 20-23 this season, but still very much in the mix in the weak AL Central, in second place and 3.5 games behind Minnesota.
The Guardians relied heavily on their pitching and small-ball offense last year, but everything has been a struggle this year. Their starting pitchers have a 4.25 ERA, 14th in the majors, though their bullpen has been a strength, pitching to a 3.10 ERA.
Offensively they rank 29th in the majors in runs scored with 150, unable to manufacture runs as they did last year to make up for their lack of power.
4. Mets Pitching Should Attack
There’s no intimidation factor when pitching to this team. In fact, the Guardians are quite a contrast to the Rays, who lead the majors in home runs, as they’re last in the majors in that category, having hit only 24 home runs all season.
Cleveland just doesn’t have much power in its lineup. Josh Naylor leads the team with six home runs, and he didn’t play for the Guardians on Wednesday or Thursday after injuring his leg diving for a ball while playing first base.
Perennial All-Star Jose Ramirez has only four home runs but he’s the only player in the lineup with an OPS over .800.
The Guardians signed Josh Bell as a free agent, hoping he’d add power, but he’s hitting only .227 with three home runs.
Ex-Met Andres Gimenez, a breakout All-Star last season, is struggling offensively this season, hitting .238 with a .673 OPS.
The Guardians will surely try to run on the Mets. Their total of 44 steals is second in the AL.
5. Are the Mets Poised To Get Hot?
They seemed to build some momentum with two straight wins to take the series against the Rays, getting a spark offensively from their rookies and strong starts from Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill.
Carrasco is something of an unknown as Friday’s starter, but Max Scherzer on Saturday and Justin Verlander on Sunday could dominate the punchless Cleveland lineup if they’re on their games.
Offensively, the Mets often go as Pete Alonso goes, and he’s hit home runs in his last three games, giving him 16 for the season as he has re-taken the major-league lead from the LA Dodgers’ Max Muncy.
