New York will play the second game of a three-game series in Oakland on Saturday afternoon. The Mets won two out of three games against the Padres earlier this week, while Oakland has lost seven of its last eight games. This story was published prior to Friday night’s series opener between these teams.
New York lost four of its first seven games this season, but it bounced back with four wins in its next six games. The Mets took two out of three against the Marlins and the Padres to get above the .500 mark. They outscored San Diego 12-6 in those three games to wrap up their six-game homestand. New York is now hitting the road for a 10-game trip that includes stops against the Dodgers and Giants before heading back to the East Coast. The Mets are trying to improve at the plate, as they entered the series ranked No. 28 in team batting average (.218). They are facing an Oakland pitching staff that is dead-last in the majors in ERA (7.65).
The NL home run leader is your @HauglandGroup Workman of the Week. ??????? pic.twitter.com/uPw7O7tIPm
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 14, 2023
First baseman Pete Alonso has already hit six home runs and driven in 12 runs through his first 48 at-bats, while right fielder Starling Marte is batting .268. Right-handed veteran Carlos Carrasco is going to be on the mound for New York on Saturday afternoon. He allowed five earned runs on four hits across just four innings against Milwaukee in his first start, striking out four batters. Carrasco gave up six earned runs on six hits in 4.2 innings against Miami last Sunday. He gave up a three-run homer in the first inning and a two-run shot in the fifth before getting replaced. Carrasco allowed three homers through his first 8.2 innings and has been dealing with a dip in velocity that he attributed to the pitch clock.