The Mets open their 2024 season Friday afternoon against the Brewers to begin a three-game set after Thursday’s rainout.
José Quintana will start for New York. He delivered mediocre results after returning from a rib injury midseason.
The veteran left-hander mustered a 3-6 record and 4.58 expected ERA in 13 starts for the Amazins’, while tossing an 18.8 percent strikeout rate — the lowest of his career.
Also, the Mets batted .238 last season against right-handed pitching, which should bode well for Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta.
The 27-year-old ace ended 2023 with a 30.8 percent strikeout rate, which was among the top eight percent of major-league pitchers.
Peralta wasn’t as lights-out as the two seasons prior, but is still a steadfast presence only beginning to enter his prime.
He allowed zero earned runs, two hits and tallied seven strikeouts in his one meeting with the Mets last year.
The Brewers’ pitching staff was the primary reason they won the NL Central.
It registered a league-best 3.73 ERA, with several arms out of the bullpen ranking atop MLB in batted-ball numbers against.
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The Mets will be reliant on Pete Alonso to propel run production, as will the Brewers with Christian Yelich.
Both of them ranked within the top 15 percent in quality of contact, but their teams placed below average in weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+).
These offenses may look to offset one another on paper, but the Brewers went 6-1 against the Mets last season, outscoring them by a 20-run margin.
The play: Brewers (-110, FanDuel Sportsbook)
