Mets hope to regain Grimace vibes in series against Cubs (2024)

Well, it had to happen eventually. Fresh off their loss in the Grimace Era™️, the Mets (35-38) look to gt back on the winning path with a three-game set against the Cubs (36-39). The two clubs find themselves mere percentage points—erm, percentage point—apart in the congested NL Wild Card race, one game back of the Padres for the final spot. These two teams squared off earlier this year at Citi Field and split four games.

The Mets are coming off taking two of three against the defending World Series champion Rangers in Arlington. They earned a sixth straight win on Tuesday with a 14-2 drubbing of Texas, which featured New York setting a season-high mark with 22 hits, including three-hit games from Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Mark Vientos, and Francisco Alvarez, and a four-hit game from Francisco Lindor.

The Mets made is seven in a row with an improble 7-6 victory on Tuesday night. The Mets fell behind 6-2 before scoring in each of the last five frames to stun the Rangers. The go-ahead hit came in the ninth with an Alonso go-ahead double, which put the Mets back in front for the first time since snagging a 2-1 lead. Edwin Díaz shut the door in the ninth to secure the victory.

The streak finally ended on Wednesday with a 5-3 loss, as Texas avoided the sweep. Alonso hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth, which gave the Mets their first lead of the game, but the Rangers fought back with two in the bottom half of the frame. Leody Taveras then homered off Drew Smith in the seventh to give Texas the lead for good.

Despite the loss, this gave the Mets their 11th win against just four losses in the month, which is kind of shocking for a team that has traditionally gone cool in June when the weather has started heating up. That hot streak has coincided with Alvarez’s return, as the catcher has slashed .333/.333/.370 with a 105 wRC+ since coming back, helped largely by back-to-back three-hit games. A lot of it goes beyond just his hitting contributions, as pitchers up and down the staff have professed their admiration for what Alvarez means to the pitchers on the roster. The Mets, in all, have won 18 of the last 20 games Alvarez has played.

The Cubs come in as winners of two in a row after taking two of three against the Giants. That helped Chicago get back on track after dropping three straight series and seven of their previous ten before taking down San Francisco. They are led by rookie Michael Busch, whom they acquired in a trade with the Dodgers over the offseason. Busch tied a Cub record by homering in five straight games earlier in the year. He now leads the Cubs with an .823 OPS, a 134 wRC+ and a 1.7 fWAR.

Friday, June 21: José Quintana vs. Shōta Imanaga at 2:20 PM EDT on SNY

Quintana (2024): 72.1 IP, 50 K, 25 BB, 12 HR, 4.98 ERA, 5.16 FIP, 132 ERA-

Quintana is coming off his strongest start since going eight innings against the Cardinals back on April 28. He picked up his second win of the year, going six innings and allowing one earned run on two hits, with two walks and six strikeouts to hold down the Padres. It was a welcome sight after the left-hander went 3 ²⁄₃ innings and four innings in his two previous starts.

Imanaga (2024): 76.0 IP, 78 K, 11 BB, 7 HR, 1.89 ERA, 2.76 FIP, 71 ERA-

Imanaga has inserted himself into both the NL Rookie of the Year race—alongside teammate Busch—and the NL Cy Young race with a stellar rookie campaign. The right-hander is third among NL starting pitchers in ERA, sixth in fWAR (2.2), and seventh in FIP. Even more impressive, he’s first in BB/9 (1.30 BB/9). He is coming off back-to-back wins against the Reds (6 ²⁄₃ innings, two earned runs, five hits, one walk, seven strikeouts) and the Cardinals (7 innings, one earned run, four hits, no walks, six strikeouts). He dominated the Mets back on May 1, shutting them out over seven innings of three-hit ball.

Saturday, June 22: Tylor Megill vs. TBD at 2:20 PM EDT on SNY

Megill (2024): 30.2 IP, 37 K, 13 BB, 1 HR, 3.52 ERA, 2.62 FIP, 92 ERA-

Megill is coming off his second victory in three starts, picking up a win against San Diego after hurling five innings of two-run, five-hit ball. Megill will look to build upon the outing, and since returning from his injury, he has pitched to a 3.71 ERA and a 2.39 FIP in 26 ²⁄₃ innings.

TBD

Chicago has not yet announced a starting pitcher for Saturday’s game.

Sunday, June 23: David Peterson vs. TBD at 7:10 PM EDT on ESPN

Peterson (2024): 22.2 IP, 12 K, 8BB, 2 HR, 3.97 ERA, 4.56 FIP, 116 ERA-

Peterson picked up a win in his third consecutive start, and it was one of his best starts of the year. Against Texas, he went six innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits, walking three and striking out six. He was the beneficiary of an offensive outburst, as the Mets scored 14 runs, so he never really had to sweat, but he still did well to hold a solid offense at bay.

TBD

Chicago has not yet announced a starting pitcher for Sunday’s game.