Mets May Preview: A tale of two schedules and predictions

The New York Mets will seek to keep playing at a high level as the month of May begins. They carry a 15-7 record into May, and they will face a 30-game gauntlet of a schedule. It features 17 games against the division, a six-game road trip out west, and a four game home series against the St. Louis Cardinals that is already full of juice given events between the two teams in April. The team also welcomes the Seattle Mariners to Citi Field for the first time ever (the Mariners last visited the Mets in 2008 at Shea Stadium).

The Mets will seek to keep beating up on divisional foes

Sure, the Mets only had nine divisional games in April. But the Mets did well in this split, going 6-3 against the National League East in April.

The Mets open May with an ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game against the Phillies at Citi Field with Max Scherzer taking the hill. Then they have back-to-back four game series against the Atlanta Braves at home and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park right away, followed immediately by a three-game series against the lowly Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. This is a great opportunity for the Mets to separate themselves from the rest of the division a bit further.

The Braves series that begins on May 2 will be a test for two reasons. Atlanta just got back Ronald Acuna, Jr. from his ACL injury he suffered 10 months ago. The Mets play a doubleheader on May 3 (built into the schedule due to the lockout), so the team’s mettle and attrition will be tested, and David Peterson will likely be called up to start one of the games in the twin-bill.

After another two-week pause on divisional play, the Mets will have a homestand, where they host the Phillies again over Memorial Day Weekend then a three-game series with the Nationals that carries over into June 1.