Steep climb begins for Rangers with series against suddenly hot Mets

ARLINGTON, Texas — After an up-and-down road trip out west that sent them to Los Angeles and then Seattle, the Texas Rangers return home where they welcome the New York Mets to town looking to cool off the National League East squad while trying to climb back to respectability.

The Rangers have previously been benefactors of the Mets’ decision to punt for a season-and-a-half, currently employing three All-Star pitchers that were members of Steve Cohen’s team in recent years. That said, only one, David Robertson, will make an appearance during this series, with former Cy Young winners Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom each working their way back from injury.

New York Mets (33-37, 4th Place NL East, 13.5 GB) @ Texas Rangers (33-38, 2nd Place AL West, 8.5 GB)

After a rough start to the season, the Mets have played a much better brand of baseball in June. While they ended up losing the first two games of the month against the Arizona Diamondbacks, they had taken the two prior in that four-game set to start the month off with a series split. They then swept the division rival Washington Nationals, flew to London and split a two-game showcase with the Philadelphia Phillies, before taking two of three from the Miami Marlins. 

Over the weekend, as the Rangers got swept by the Mariners, the Mets broke out some brooms of their own. New York swept the San Diego Padres behind some strong pitching that held the Friars to just eight runs over the three-game set. Neither the bats of the Mets nor the Padres got much going until the finale, but New York managed to outscore San Diego early on in their games, while their bullpen held the Padres at bay. 

The only time things got hairy for the Metropolitans over the weekend was during the getaway game; San Diego drew within a run of the Mets’ seven runs going into the bottom of the eighth, but the Mets came away with four insurance runs to put the game out of reach.

The recent play from the Mets has been holding up the decision of management to enter a looming trade deadline as buyers or sellers. Currently, sitting double digits behind the Phillies for the division lead, it would appear on the surface as an opportunity to offload expiring contracts such as those for Pete Alonso and J.D. Martinez. Playing well against the defending World Series champions might further sway their decision as they sit 1.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. 

• Game 72, 7:05 p.m. CT – LHP David Peterson (2-0, 4.32 ERA) vs. RHP Jon Gray (2-2, 2.17 ERA)

• Game 73, 7:05 p.m. CT – RHP Luis Severino (4-2, 3.12 ERA) vs. RHP Michael Lorenzen (4-3, 2.86 ERA)

• Game 74, 7:05 p.m. CT – LHP Sean Manaea (4-3, 4.11 ERA) vs. LHP Andrew Heaney (2-8, 4.19 ERA)

On paper, it seems like playing the Mets should provide some welcome respite for a Rangers team that just finished a West Coast road trip battling a couple of playoff contenders in the Dodgers and Mariners. The hole in that theory is twofold – the Rangers haven’t performed well in weeks, have handled their business against teams below .500, and the Mets are 9-4 in June. 

The NL’s New York squad is outscoring their opponents 73-56 this month and they have the second-highest batting average in the National League during that time. Texas, on the other hand, has the fourth worst average in the American League for the month. 

The rotation for Texas is expected to send Jon Gray, Michael Lorenzen, and Andrew Heaney during these three games. Gray is coming off a short three inning outing against the Dodgers, which followed a relief stint against the Giants, his first action since coming off the injured list. Lifetime Gray doesn’t have great numbers against the Mets, posting a 7.41 ERA in seven games against them, but his slider has been sharp all season long and he has pitched well throughout the season. 

Lorenzen, meanwhile, has been a stalwart in the rotation and most recently allowed just one run on four hits against the Dodgers. Most of Lorenzen’s appearances against the Mets during his career have been relief appearances, but he owns a 2.29 ERA against New York, with the team hitting just .216 against him. 

Heaney can’t seem to catch a break this season as his two wins to eight losses don’t really back up his overall effort. Of late, the southpaw is pitching about to his average, giving up three runs in each of his last two outings, but without any run support which has become par for the course for him in 2024.

The Mets will have David Peterson, Luis Severino and Sean Manaea taking the hill during this series. Peterson, a lefty who will be making just his fourth start in the Majors this season, most recently gave up four runs against the Marlins on eight hits. He still came away with the win, as New York spotted him a five-run lead early in the contest. 

Severino surrendered just one run in six innings against the Fish; before that, the former Yankee allowed one run in eight innings in a win against Washington. The righty has been solid throughout his career against Texas, owning a 2-2 record with a 2.89 ERA and the Rangers are hitting just .216 against him. 

The “Throwin’ Samoan” Manaea had a nice rebound outing against San Diego on Friday, giving up just one run in five innings. Prior to that start, though, Manaea found himself with back-to-back terrible outings against the Phillies and Diamondbacks. Against Philly, Manaea gave up six earned runs on seven hits, and against Arizona, he allowed five runs in 5 ⅔ innings. Manaea is another lefty, which the Rangers have struggled with especially this season, so they’ll have their work cut out for them.

As difficult as it may seem, Texas will need to put the Seattle sweep behind them and focus on one of the hottest teams in baseball if they want to start their climb back into contention.

Do you think the Rangers will get back in the saddle at Globe Life Field? Share your predictions with Matt on X (formerly Twitter) @FisherWritesMLB.