5 things to watch as Mets face Blue Jays in three-game series at Citi Field

The Mets continue their homestand as they host the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-game weekend set at Citi Field.

Following a tough road trip, in which they dropped back-to-back series to the Cubs and Rockies, the Mets opened their homestand with an impressive sweep of the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies.

They now sit in second place in the NL East, 3.5 games behind the Braves, with a record of 30-27.

After hitting a bit of a rough patch for most of May, Toronto comes to town fresh off a series win over the Brewers. They are also 30-27, but currently sit in third place in the AL East, 9.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays.

Here are five things to watch for in the series…

1. Which Verlander will we see?

With Max Scherzer dominating last Friday night in Colorado, the Mets expected to be set up nicely with fellow ace Justin Verlander following. However, things didn’t quite go as planned.

After flashing vintage Verlander form in his last start against the Cleveland Guardians, the Rockies jumped all over the veteran right-hander. He allowed six runs on nine hits across just five innings of work.

Verlander has a 4.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts through five starts this season. We’ve seen a pair of rough outings sandwiched between a handful of terrific ones from the right-hander.

He allowed three runs over six innings in a start against the Blue Jays last season with the Astros. So which Verlander will we see against that same Toronto lineup at Citi Field on Friday night?

2. Bassitt’s return to Citi Field

Verlander will be opposed by Toronto's Chris Bassitt on Friday night. The right-hander, who pitched for the Mets last season, will be making his return to Citi Field after signing with the Blue Jays this offseason on a three-year deal

The Mets acquired him in a trade with the Athletics for a pair of pitching prospects to help shore up their rotation two offseasons ago.

As a whole, Bassitt put together a strong season and was one of the more reliable members of the Mets’ rotation. He made a career-high 30 starts and posted a 3.42 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 167 strikeouts.

When it mattered most, though, Bassitt struggled, suffering rough losses in a crucial September start against the Braves and the Wild Card round against the Padres.

But after a slow start this season, Bassitt has shaped back to his consistent form, posting a 3.80 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and eight quality starts over eleven outings. He's struggled over his last two starts, though, allowing a combined 13 runs (nine earned) in consecutive losses to the Rays and Twins.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Mets fare against the crafty right-hander in his return to the Citi Field mound.

3. Will Senga make his first start on regular rest?

The Mets currently don't have a starter listed for the final game of this series on Sunday afternoon at 1:40 p.m. on SNY.

Kodai Senga’s spot in the rotation is set to come around, but we still do not know if the Mets will have him throw on four days rest for the first time in his MLB career. He has received an extra day of rest each of his first ten times through the rotation.

Senga is coming off his best start of the year in a win over the Phillies. He was in complete control all night, issuing no free passes and allowing just a bloop single while striking out nine over seven shutout innings. 

The right-hander continued his home dominance, lowering his ERA to a stellar mark of 1.20 in front of the orange and blue faithful. He has a 3.44 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 70 strikeouts over his first ten big league outings.

Perhaps the Mets will decide to push Senga, allowing him to make another home start rather than opening the series on the road against the Braves.

If not, New York will likely turn to David Peterson, who has posted a 4.08 ERA across three Triple-A starts.

4. They’ve got the power

After a slow start in the power department, the Mets’ offense has been bringing the thunder of late.

Following Thursday's game, the Mets now have homered in a season-high 15 consecutive games, which is the second-longest streak in franchise history.

Pete Alonso has been leading the way for the offense. While he didn’t homer in the Phillies series, he did go deep ten times in April, giving a league-high 20 on the season.

Others have been stepping up of late as well.

Mark Canha snapped a homeless drought, leaving the park in back-to-back games, and driving in a total of six runs over the final two games of the Phillies series. 

The youngsters have been really solid too, particularly Francisco Alvarez, who broke out with more playing time. The youngster recorded 13 XBH, 17 RBI, and a 1.029 OPS (fourth in NL) in May.

And while Francisco Lindor is hitting just .223 on the season, he has been producing in the extra-base hit department. The shortstop launched his tenth home run of the season Tuesday, to go along with 40 RBI, which is good enough for fourth in baseball.

The Mets will need to keep that power stroke going in this series against the high-flying Blue Jays offense. 

5. Six is the magic number

After a bit of a rough start to the season, a lot of which was due to injuries to Scherzer and Verlander, the Mets’ starting pitching has begun to settle into a groove.

Both Scherzer and Carlos Carrasco looked like themselves for the second straight start, and as mentioned above, Senga is coming off his best outing of the season.

With the starting pitcher stepping up and giving the Mets more length, it's been putting less of a tax on the bullpen. They've been able to lean mainly on their bridge of Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley, and David Robertson at the backend.

The magic number for this group has been six.

The Mets are 16-0 when their starting pitcher goes at least six innings this season, and 6-0 when they pitch seven. That’s the longest single-season streak since the Houston Astros went 17 straight games back in 2021.

We’ll see if Verlander, Tylor Megill, and Senga (or Peterson) can keep the ball rolling in this series.