Mets vs. Rays: 3 predictions for a series against MLB's best team

The New York Mets begin a series against the best team in MLB, the Tampa Bay Rays, at the team's worst moment. The Mets have had a terrible performance this past few weeks, falling to fourth place in the NL East standings.

The Tampa Bay Rays, for their part, have been showing enormous collective power, something that had not been evident in this team in 2021. The Mets, on the other hand, represent one of the worst offenses in the league, which looks like a series dominated by the Rays but not everything is like that.

1) Mets ace, Justin Verlander, is going to silence the best offense in MLB

Justin Verlander will have his most important start after missing nearly a month and fear due to injury. To date, Verlander has an ERA of 2.25, with an excellent WHIP of 0.83 and 12 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched.

The Tamba Bay Rays are the strongest opponent for a pitcher this season. The team is number one in barrel% and ranks top 5 in hard-hit contact and exit velocity. This has made Tampa the team with the most home runs and RBIs this year.

Verlander has been an experienced pitcher against teams with great offensive capabilities. Against the Rays, he has faced different team hitters in the past to who he has limited power contact, generating a sub-.330 xSLG.

One positive aspect for Verlander is that the Rays haven't been very effective this year against breaking pitches like the Curveballs. Players like Randy Arozarena, Wander Franco, and Taylor Walls, find themselves with negative results regarding the curves, according to Fangraphs statistics.

Likewise, while the team collectively has been hitting well against the slider, the most important players within the Rays' lineup are also generating negative results. This is relevant since the slider, which Verlander uses 35%, the opposition hits just .077.

Verlander has the biggest test for the first time in a Mets uniform. A quality outing against the Tampa Bay Rays could be a big statement for Verlander and the Mets team at a time of need for positive results and optimism.

3) Francisco Alvarez is going to produce big for the Mets

The former top prospect in all of baseball, Francisco Alvarez, is having better results at the plate after a rocky run in MLB since his debut. After hitting .194 in April, Alvarez has improved to a .244 average in May.

One of the fundamental aspects of Alvarez's hitting profile is his ability to generate hard-hit contacts with his swing. This is something that has been failing him since his MLB debut.

However, since the beginning of May, Alvarez has shown greater hard-hit contact, especially against fastball and offspeed pitches. This has resulted in an SLG against the fastballs of .563 in May versus a meager .250 in April.

Of a total of 36 hits generated by Alvarez in May, 11 have generated an average velocity above 95 mph, and five have been above 100 mph, reaching a peak of 113.4 mph. This has happened on drives connected up the middle of the outfield. As Alvarez manages to generate more pull swing at this incredible speed, the results will be better.

This gradual improvement in Francisco Alvarez's hitting is a positive sign in an offense that needs power. Alvarez has the tools he needs to continue to improve, as he continues to adjust to MLB pitching. This series against the Rays is a good setting for an important test for Alvarez against Tampa's good pitching staff.