Bo Bichette made New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza look clairvoyant on Friday night.
On Saturday afternoon, the suddenly injury-wracked Atlanta Braves will begin trying to do the same for manager Walt Weiss.
The Mets will look to earn a much-needed series win when they host the Braves in the middle contest of a three-game set.
Sean Manaea (1-1, 5.02 ERA) is slated to make his first start of the season for the Mets against fellow left-hander Martin Perez (4-3, 3.02).
Bichette hit two homers off Braves right-hander Spencer Strider before the latter departed with a sore elbow and shoulder during the Mets’ 7-5 win on Friday.
Bichette entered the game batting .227 with a .607 OPS for the last-place Mets. Those numbers are well below the .294 average and .806 OPS he produced in seven seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays before signing a three-year deal with New York in January.
But Bichette, who also homered in Thursday’s 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, tied a career high Friday with six RBIs. After hitting a solo homer in the first and a grand slam in the second, Bichette added a sacrifice fly off JR Ritchie in the fourth.
“I think I said before the game today that I wouldn’t be surprised if it starts today, and sure enough,” Mendoza said afterward. “He’s special. He’s a really good hitter, and it’s just a matter of time.”
Bichette is batting .232 this season, with eight homers and 40 RBIs.
Meanwhile, the Braves, whose 45-24 record is the best in the majors, are in the midst of a three-game losing streak in which two key contributors have been injured.
Strider walked off the mound Friday after facing one batter in the fourth inning. The right-hander, who underwent an internal brace procedure to repair the UCL in his right elbow in 2024, will undergo testing to determine what ailed him Friday.
Former NL Most Valuable Player Ronald Acuna Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, one day after he strained his left hamstring trying to leg out a hit against the Chicago White Sox.
“We knew this stuff was going to happen at some point,” Weiss said. “We have the right guys in there to deal with stuff like this. It’s a good group, and they show up every day really well. So we’ll fight through it.”
Manaea opened the season with 14 appearances out of the bullpen, mostly as a long reliever. He’s immediately followed an opener three times, including in his most recent appearance Sunday, when he earned the win after allowing two runs over four innings in a 7-3 victory over the San Diego Padres.
Perez was scheduled to start the series opener before getting pushed back after the Braves arrived in New York in the post-dawn hours Friday morning following a rainout with the White Sox on Thursday night. He earned the win in his most recent start June 5 after giving up three runs over five innings in a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Manaea is 0-1 with a 3.50 ERA in three career games (two starts) against the Braves, and Perez is 4-0 with a 3.09 ERA in 10 games (six starts) vs. the Mets.
–Field Level Media
