Watch these 5 things as the Mets take on Marlins at Citi Field in a three-game series

Seven games have been played on the road so far to begin the season. 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 that you need to keep an eye on…

Is the offense awakening?

The Mets’ offense had been a concern heading into the season. Through the first six games of the season, the lack of thump was apparent.

Their.295 majors slugging percentage was last, while their.608 opp was tied for third. Additionally, their three home runs exceeded only two other teams — the Washington Nationals (2 homers each) and the Toronto Blue Jays (2 homers).

Mets also had trouble getting on base as shown by their.313 OBP.

This was partly because Francisco Lindor Pete Alonso Although it was cold at first, it warmed up quickly. Mark Canha, Daniel Vogelbach?, and Eduardo Escobar (More on him below) They were also dragging down the Mets.

Lindor and Alonso both woke up in a big way on Wednesday (Alonso homered twice) as the Mets scored six runs. That’s great news for New York.

The Mets should make any necessary changes, as they have serious offensive options in Triple-A.

Escobar’s bat, which did not look very good in spring training, is now ice-cold to begin the season.

On Wednesday, he got the day off — with Luis Guillorme He took his place after he managed just two hits in his 20 first at-bats and slashed.100/.143/.100 through six Mets games.

There has been increased interest in prospecting due to Escobar’s continued struggles and the change in his pitching style over the past year. Brett Baty Perhaps he could be replaced as starter at third base.

Baty, who is arguably the best player in spring training, has been playing hard in Triple-A Syracuse. It seems that he will be returning to the lineup on Friday.

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

Alvarez will be activated if Narvaez hits the IL. That could give a spark to a Mets offense, which has been mostly static over the first seven weeks.

Alvarez, who was struggling during spring training, has been hot power-wise for Syracuse with two homers and four RBI. He also has a.1056 OPS (in 16 at-bats).

It would be a disservice for Alvarez and the team to not allow him to play every day if he is activated. They should give him some serious heat, hopefully.

What is possible? Kodai Senga For a second encore?

Senga made his MLB debut in the first game. He had a rough start but then he was able to turn it around and win.

Senga, with his ghost forkball and striking out eight Marlins, tossed 5.1 innings of one-run baseball. He also allowed only three hits and walked three.

Senga didn’t have the pressure of pitching the home opener. So the Mets purposely aligned their lineup so Senga doesn’t have the hassle.

It’s fair to wonder if the extent to which Carrasco struggled his first start, combined with his alarming velocity dip and his 2022 season ending, is a sign of things to come. Although he was only able to get hit by the Milwaukee Brewers for four innings, there were several things that raised concerns.

The velocity drop of Carrasco’s four-seam fastball was the first and most important. It dropped as low as 88 miles per hour. Carrasco hit 91.6 mph last season, after hitting 92.9 in 2020.

This topic was discussed on SNY’s broadcast and on social media. Anthony DiComo from MLB.com noted after the game that Carrasco had thrown eight four-seamers under 90 mph. This is a contrast to seven four-seamers he threw in his five previous seasons. total Below 90 mph

Carrasco could also have been affected by the pitch time in his debut. The righty was penalized for a few minor violations in his debut, but he is now adjusting to the faster pace at which he must work.

The Mets and Carrasco are hopeful that the incident against the Brewers was not a recurrence of the worrying trend at the end last season. However, Carrasco will be a pitcher who fails to deliver much length so the Mets need to reevaluate his role.