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

After seven games on the road to start the season, the Mets head to Citi Field for their home opener on Friday as they begin a three-game series with the Miami Marlins.

Here are five things to watch...

Has the offense awakened?

Heading into the season, the main concern with the Mets' offense was the lack of punch. And through the team's first six games, the absence of thump was glaring.

Their .295 slugging percentage was last in the majors, their .608 OPS was tied for third-worst, and their three home runs were more than only two teams -- the Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals (two homers each).

The Mets were also having problems getting on base, as evidenced by their .313 OBP.

Some of this was because Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso had been cold in the early going, but Mark Canha, Daniel Vogelbach, and Eduardo Escobar (more on him below) were also dragging the Mets down.

Lindor and Alonso both woke up in a big way on Wednesday (Alonso homered twice) as the Mets scored six runs. If New York can keep that going, great.

If not, with serious offensive options waiting in the wings in Triple-A, the Mets should not hesitate to make changes.

How much time will Eduardo Escobar get?

Escobar, whose bat did not look great in spring training, has been ice cold to start the season.

He got the day off on Wednesday -- with Luis Guillorme starting in his place -- after managing just two hits in his first 20 at-bats and slashing .100/.143/.100 through the Mets' first six games.

The continued scuffling of Escobar, and his overall struggles the last year and change against right-handed pitching especially, have led to an increased buzz about prospect Brett Baty possibly replacing him as the starter at third base.

Baty, who arguably should've made the team out of spring training, has been tearing it up in Triple-A Syracuse and is seemingly on track to return to the lineup as early as Friday after leaving Tuesday's game due to thumb soreness.

Is it Francisco Alvarez time?

With Omar Narvaez dealing with a calf issue, Alvarez has been summoned from Triple-A Syracuse to join the Mets.

If Narvaez hits the IL, Alvarez will be activated, which could provide a jolt to a Mets offense that has been mostly stagnant over the first seven games.

Alvarez, who struggled during spring training, has started hot power-wise for Syracuse, with two homers, four RBI, and a .1056 OPS in 16 at-bats.

If Alvarez is indeed activated, it would be doing him and the team a disservice to not let him play most days. So hopefully giving him some serious burn is the direction they go.

What can Kodai Senga do for an encore?

In Senga's first MLB start, he had a shaky first inning before locking in to twirl a mostly dominant start.

Over 5.1 innings of one-run ball, Senga -- featuring his dastardly ghost forkball -- struck out eight Marlins while allowing just three hits and walking three.

The Mets intentionally aligned their rotation so Senga wouldn't have to deal with the pomp and circumstance that comes with pitching the home opener, so he'll be taking the ball on Saturday afternoon.

Can Carlos Carrasco bounce back?

The extent to which Carrasco struggled in his first start -- combined with an alarming velocity dip and how he ended his 2022 season -- makes it fair to at least wonder if it's a harbinger of things to come. While getting hit around by the Milwaukee Brewers and lasting just four innings, there were a number of things that stood out as concerns.

The first, and most important, was the velocity dip of Carrasco's four-seam fastball as the game went on, with it dropping as low as 88 mph. Carrasco averaged 91.6 mph on the offering last season after averaging 92.9 mph in 2020.

It was a topic on the SNY broadcast, and a discussion on social media. After the game, MLB.com's Anthony DiComo noted that Carrasco threw eight of his four-seamers below 90 mph, explaining that during the entirety of Carrasco's five prior seasons, he threw seven four-seamers total below 90 mph.

Carrasco might also have been impacted by the pitch clock in his debut. The righty was dinged for a few violations during his outing, and -- like every other pitcher -- is adjusting to the quickened pace he must work at now.

Hopefully for the Mets and Carrasco, what befell him against the Brewers was just a blip and not a continuation of the worrying trend from the end of last season. If, however, Carrasco is going to be a pitcher who often fails to provide much length, the Mets will have to reassess his role sooner rather than later.