The Mets head to Washington with a world of confidence.
After a chaotic weekend that saw two postponements against the Phillies, the Mets built their seven-run comeback in the ninth inning with a double split on Sunday. For the second time this season, the Mets took two of the Phillies’ three at Citizens Bank Park.
Now the Mets will wrap up what has evolved into a six-game road trip with a three-game series against the Nationals starting Tuesday.
The game will be a stark contrast.
The Mets are the first Major League Baseball team to reach 20 wins. Meanwhile, the Nationals are 10 games under .500 at 10-20.
After the series, the Mets will return home for three games against the Marines. Here’s what to watch for in the Mets week ahead.
Dominance of Divisions
The Mets (20-10) end a 13-game streak against NL East opponents.
They’ve had success so far, winning six of the top 10, including another series win over the Phillies at Citi Field between April 29 and May 1 and a four-game split against the Braves.
The Mets are 11-6 in divisional play so far this season, which has helped them take a six-game lead over the second-placed Marlins and Braves so far.
They faced the Nationals in the series opener, taking two of three and have yet to face the Marlins this season.
Powered by Pete
While the offense was quiet in two games against the Phillies on Sunday, Pete Alonso broke out big.
In the Mets’ 6-1 win in the second half of the doubleheader, he went 3-for-5 with two home runs, five RBIs and two runs scored.
Alonso raised his game in May.
In eight games and 32 at-bats, Alonso had 11 hits, nine runs and scored seven times. He also got on base 38.2 percent of the time.
The strong start to the month helped him improve his batting average from .250 to .276. Alonso’s 26 RBIs are second most in MLB, with seven home runs.
To take advantage of
Pitching games scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday look juicy for Mets hitters.
They are expected to open against Patrick Corbin, who is 0-5 with a 7.16 ERA and 1.81 WHIP. He pitched all eight innings last time out against the Rockies, allowing three earned runs on nine hits while striking out three.
The Mets scored two runs in four innings against Corbin on April 7.
They are yet to face Wednesday starter Aaron Sanchez this season. Sanchez is 1-2 with an 8.56 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in three games.
Say it ain’t Soto
A season ago, Juan Soto of the Nationals finished second in MVP voting.
But so far in the 2022 season, it’s a different member of Nationals leading the team’s offense.
Nats first baseman Josh Bell is fifth in MLB with a .344 batting average. He belted four homers, had 21 RBIs and scored 20 runs.
Soto just hasn’t had that much base traffic ahead of him. The Nationals All-Star outfielder has hit six home runs but has just eight RBIs. He scored a team-high 21 points in 30 games.
Sugar vs. Seattle
This weekend, there’s a chance that Edwin Diaz could play against the Mariners – his former team – for the first time.
Diaz spent three seasons in Seattle, making 109 saves during his time there starting in 2016. He led the league with 57 saves in 2018 before going on a trade that sent first-round pick Jarred Kelenic in the Pacific Northwest.
Now, these two could face off this weekend.
Diaz has been composed, converting his last five save chances to take his tally to six this season. He struck out 21 in 12 innings to post a 1.50 ERA and 0.83 WHIP.
Andrew Tredinnick is the Mets beats writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Mets analysis, news, transactions and more, please subscribe today and download our app.
Email: [email protected] Twitter: @andrew_tred