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The New York Mets host the San Diego Padres at Citi Field in what should be a star-studded Wild Card Series in the 2022 MLB Playoffs. Here we'll discuss our New York Mets NL Wildcard Series predictions as they take on the Padres.
Despite both teams having won 101 games in the regular season, the Mets were forced into the Wild Card Series after a determined Atlanta Braves side recently swept them. That win earned the Braves the National League East championship, while it pushed the Mets into this wild card showdown with the Padres.
Speaking of the Padres, they are no strangers to elite division play. Keep in mind that they finished second in the NL West to the 111-win Dodgers. That sent them to New York for the opening round of the playoffs. The winner of this series will face those same Dodgers in the National League Division Series.
Ahead of their playoff game against the San Diego Padres, it’s time to check out our New York Mets NL Wild Card Series predictions.
Keeping it 💯
We’ve hit the 100-win mark for the fourth time in franchise history! pic.twitter.com/KqdbBFbMwt
— New York Mets (@Mets) October 5, 2022
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3. Mets won't be able to stop Juan Soto
The last player whom Mets fans wanted to face at this time is Juan Soto. Take note that Soto has the rep of being a certified Mets-killer. In his career versus the Mets, the former Washington Nationals outfielder has had a 1.001 OPS and a.303 hitting average. Additionally, in 68 games versus the NL East, he has 16 home runs and 42 RBI.
Inside Citi Field, Soto's numbers are even better. Inside the Mets' stadium, he has a 1.173 OPS, 10 home runs, and 23 RBI. In September, San Diego's top trade deadline acquisition had a.729 OPS, but he might break out of his average form at the plate at any point.
Remember that the Padres acquired Soto in order to get to the postseason and then make a deep run to the World Series. In 2019 during Washington's own championship run, Soto hit five home runs and 14 RBI. Will he wield that kind of magic again?
In all reality, Soto might be the difference-maker in the series against the Mets' vaunted pitching group. The Mets will try to contain Soto's explosiveness, but they won't stop him from getting his highlights.
Is Soto alone going to carry the Padres to the next round, though? Now that's a different question altogether.
2. Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom prevail on the mound
On paper, the Mets are set for this series and this matchup. Take note that this is a team with no less than five Cy Young Awards between their top two pitchers. At the same time, those top two guys also kinda stumbled to the end of the regular season and fell short of giving the Mets an outright NLDS berth.
Max Scherzer gets the start against the Padres in Game 1 after a difficult start against the Braves, where he gave up 9 hits and 4 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.
We expect New York to hold deGrom for as long as possible, though he may be called up as early as Game 2. Recall that DeGrom had a difficult September, with a 6.00 ERA in his previous four outings. Despite this, he struck out 39 batters and walked four in 21 innings. He also held the Braves to three single home runs with 11 strikeouts despite their defeat.
On the end of the field, the Padres have notoriously struggled against right-handed pitchers. In fact, they finished in the bottom half of the league with just a .380 hitting percentage.
Again, on paper, this excellent pitching rotation of deGrom, Scherzer, and Chris Bassitt should have an advantage over anyone. However, let's not forget that the Padres have their own solid pitching corps of Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Joe Musgrove. That's a competitive trio right there.
When push comes to shove and the smoke clears, however, the Mets should still have the edge, especially as they will play with home-field advantage.
1. Mets play well enough to sneak past the Padres in this series
It's been an incredible season in Queens, with the Mets leading the NL East for more than four months. With the dynamic duo of deGrom and Scherzer on the mound and a solid supporting cast (Edwin Diaz is a superb closer, agree?), the Mets might have a magical postseason.
It all starts by beating the Padres, though. Remember that San Diego's roster has been built particularly to compete in the postseason. We feel the Padres will push the Mets to the limit here, especially if New York's starters don't play up to snuff.
The kicker is that both deGrom and Scherzer should be extra motivated after the team underwhelmed against the Braves. With some criticisms about their high-pressure play being thrown around, both pitchers and the rest of the Mets will play with chips on their shoulders.
New York should slip, slide, claw, and scrape for a wild card series win against the San Diego Padres.
