Mets at Diamondbacks
The New York Mets get a fresh opportunity to cure their road woes when they visit the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks for the opener of their three-game series on Friday. New York (27-29) has lost 15 of its last 18 away from home after Wednesday's 2-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Arizona (28-29) capped a 3-7 road trip with an 11-10 setback in 10 innings against Colorado.
"You can point to about 20 things that didn't go right," Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters on Thursday. "All you can do is close out the game, pack up everything and come on home." Arizona has a pair of hot hitters in Eduardo Escobar (.333 with four home runs, 14 RBIs and eight runs in his last nine games), who belted his 14th homer of the season on Thursday, and Ketel Marte (.424 in his last seven contests). New York's Pete Alonso has belted 19 home runs, tying the all-time rookie record for most hit by June 1 set by Mark McGwire in 1987, and needs one to set a club standard for home runs in May - with seven of his 10 this month coming in the last 13 games. Zack Wheeler tries to pitch at least six innings for the 10th straight time Friday while Arizona rookie Jon Duplantier will be recalled from Triple-A Reno to replace Luke Weaver (shoulder) in the rotation.
TV: 9:40 p.m. ET, SNY (New York), FS Arizona
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mets RH Zack Wheeler (4-3, 4.63 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RH Jon Duplantier (1-0, 2.25)
Wheeler allowed three runs and five hits with eight strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings of a 4-3 victory over Detroit on Sunday for his fourth quality start in five outings. The native of Georgia, who turned 29 on Thursday, has yielded four of his seven home runs this season in the last three games after going four straight contests without permitting one. Wheeler is 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA in five starts against Arizona.
Duplantier will make his first major-league start after appearing five times in relief this season, striking out 12 in 12 innings with a 1.08 WHIP. The 24-year-old from Delaware was 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA in six starts with Reno this season, throwing a season-high 65 pitches in his last outing May 24. Duplantier is 17-6 with a 2.01 ERA in 48 minor league games (46 starts) with 264 strikeouts in 228 innings and a 1.08 WHIP.
WALK-OFFS
1. Six of the Diamondbacks' last eight losses have come by one run, dropping their record in such games to 9-15 with the 24 one-run contests the most in baseball.
2. Darryl Strawberry (1987) and Carlos Beltran (2006) share the Mets record for home runs in May.
3. The Diamondbacks have won 13 of the last 20 meetings, including nine of 13 at Chase Field.