5 things to watch as Mets face Red Sox in weekend series at Fenway Park

Here are five things to watch as the Mets face the Boston Red Sox in a three-game weekend series starting on Friday night at Fenway Park...

1. Will Max Scherzer build off his strong start?

After back-to-back rough outings against the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, in which he allowed a total of nine runs across 11 innings, Scherzer put together one of his best starts of the season last weekend.

He held the loaded Los Angeles Dodgers lineup to just one hit and three walks over seven shutout innings while striking out six. It was his most dominant start of the year and the first time he didn’t allow a homer since the beginning of June.

Scherzer now owns a 3.99 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 107 strikeouts through 17 starts this season. While he’s certainly struggled at times, the right-hander has allowed two or fewer runs in nine of those outings.

He credited most of his success on Sunday to the much improved command of his slider which he showed. He’ll look to carry that success over to his next start on Saturday afternoon in Boston.

The 38-year-old currently holds the record for the most strikeouts in Interleague play history with 462. And in six career starts at Fenway Park, Mad Max has a 2.87 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 44 strikeouts.

2. Can Pete Alonso find power stroke in Fenway?

Simply put, Alonso does not look like himself right now.

It’s easy to blame the hit-by-pitch from Atlanta Braves right-hander Charlie Morton for the big man’s struggles, but this goes back even further.

Since May 1, Alonso is hitting just .178 with a .293 OBP and .722 OPS. He’s gone deep 16 times over that span, but other than that, he has just six other extra-base hits while striking out 51 times.

Alonso is in a massive rut at the plate this season and it’s been a killer for the Mets' offense.

Even after the Home Run Derby, where he’s usually able to get his groove back, he has come out struggling. Alonso went just 2-for-20 in the six-game homestand against the Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, with both hits being singles.

Perhaps a return to the hitter friendly confines of Fenway Park, where he has three homers and a .969 OPS across four career games, could help him return to form.

3. Boston's impressive rookie

The Mets weren’t the only team to make a big international signing this offseason. The Red Sox added Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida of the Orix Buffaloes on a five-year, $90 million deal.

So far, Yoshida has been enjoying a strong rookie campaign in Boston.

He drove in six runs, including a grand slam, in a win this past weekend against the Chicago Cubs. He’s just the third Red Sox rookie with multiple six RBI games since the stat became official in 1920.

Yoshida ranks among the top of the rookie leaderboards in almost every category.

Through 81 games, he’s hitting a stellar .317 (tied for the AL lead) to go along with 22 doubles, three triples, 11 homers, 50 RBI, and seven stolen bases. He also doesn’t strikeout (11.2 percent K-rate) or swing and miss (16.5 percent whiff rate) much.

Simply, all he does is hit and hit and hit some more.

The 29-year-old has been particularly on fire of late, and not just his big day at Wrigley. He has just four homers over his last 30 games, but he’s hitting .316 with a .355 on-base percentage and .895 OPS.

The Mets definitely have to watch out for the red-hot rookie this weekend. He’ll also get the chance to face-off with fellow Japanese star Kodai Senga, who takes the ball for the Mets in the series opener.

4. New York's own star in the making

The Mets have an exciting young star of their own.

Francisco Alvarez continues to put his impressive power on display in his rookie season. The youngster helped carry the Mets to an 11-10 win in the series opener with the White Sox on Tuesday night.

He was on-base four times and recorded his third career multi-home run night, launching two two-run shots. He’s just the second player in franchise history to record at least three multi-homer games before the age of 22, the other is Darryl Strawberry.

At just 21 years old, Alvarez now leads all catchers with a total of 19 homers on the season. He’s also tied for first with Rangers third baseman Josh Jung atop the rookie home run leaderboard.

After a bit of a rough patch at the plate in June, Alvarez has been finding his footing in July. Across 13 games this month, he’s hitting .356 with a .431 on-base percentage, 1.253 OPS, seven homers, and 14 RBI.

The youngster is certainly doing everything he can to help keep the Mets’ slim playoff hopes alive. And with that, he’s fully inserting himself into the National League Rookie of the Year race.

Alvarez will look to keep his power stroke going in Boston.

5. Hey there old friend

After spending the last nine-years of his career manning the hot corner for the Dodgers, Justin Turner signed with the Red Sox on a one-year, $15 million deal this offseason.

The move has paid dividends for them as Turner, even at 38 years old, remains a reliable middle of the order run producer.

Turner's driven in 61 runs while smacking 15 homers and 22 doubles through 93 games played. He's also hitting .289 to go along with a strong .358 on-base percentage and .876 OPS.

The Long Beach, CA native has been red hot of late, hitting .350 with 34 RBI over his last 30 games. He's currently riding the longest active hitting streak in baseball at 15-games and he’s driven in a run in 12 of those appearances.

Since letting him go, Turner has been just another name on the long list of guys who destroy Mets pitching. In his career, he’s a .276 hitter with nine homers, 12 doubles, and 25 RBI in 45 games against his old team.

The Mets will look to keep him at bay this weekend.