The New York Mets are fighting for their playoff lives down the final stretch. New York has three more games to fend off the Cincinnati Reds for the final National League Wild Card berth. The Miami Marlins, on the other hand, have long been eliminated from playoff contention. However, they are throwing out Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, and Eury Perez this weekend.
Alcantara has been shaky and presents Miami with a big decision in the upcoming offseason. Despite that, he, Cabrera, and Perez are the Marlins' top three pitchers. Having them on the mound serves no purpose other than to try and keep New York out of the postseason. The Mets and Marlins are longtime divisional foes, giving Miami all the motivation it needs to try its best to win.
New York saw Francisco Lindor make Major League Baseball history on Thursday night. The Mets' offense is playing well, but their final three games of the season is not easy. Miami is using its top talent in its final series, starting with Alcantara. Perez will follow on Saturday, with Cabrera handling the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon, according to the Marlins' social media.
Cabrera emerged as a sneakily good trade piece in Miami earlier this season. He and his teammates are all capable of shutting New York's offense down in the weekend series. All three have had good starts against the Mets this season, giving the team confidence heading into Friday's opener. If they can find that magic again, New York may be on the outside looking in.
The Mets are doing everything they can to sneak into the postseason. New York made a huge investment in Juan Soto this offseason, and missing the playoffs would be a massive failure. For the Marlins, nothing would be more satisfying than robbing the Mets of a postseason berth.
