The odds of either the New York Mets or Chicago White Sox mounting a playoff run decrease with each day that falls off the calendar.
But victories like the ones they produced Sunday provide hope to both teams that it’s not too late to get back into the race.
The Mets and White Sox will each be looking to build some momentum Tuesday night, when New York hosts Chicago in the opener of a three-game interleague series.
Carlos Carrasco (3-3, 5.16 ERA) is slated to start for the Mets against Lucas Giolito (6-5, 3.45) in a battle of right-handers making their first starts of the second half.
Both teams were off Monday after earning victories Sunday. Luis Guillorme delivered the walk-off RBI double to lift the host Mets to a 2-1, 10-inning win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Luis Robert Jr. homered and finished with four hits as the visiting White Sox beat the Atlanta Braves 8-1 in the rubber game of a three-game series.
The wins left both teams 8 1/2 games out of a playoff berth entering Monday’s games, though the Mets’ path to a National League wild-card berth looks more arduous than the White Sox’s path in the American League Central.
The extra-inning victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Mets, who are in 11th place in the NL and have five teams to surmount in the race for the third wild card. New York has been outscored 21-6 in the last five games, a span in which it was outhit 36-18.
But strong outings by starters Kodai Senga and Max Scherzer on Saturday and Sunday provided a glimpse at the template the Mets need to follow in order to turn their season around. The duo combined to allow one run over 13 innings, with Scherzer allowing just one hit in seven scoreless frames on Sunday before the Dodgers tied the score against Trevor Gott in the eighth.
“Every time we win, I hope it’s a starting point of some consistent good baseball,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “And it starts with pitching. We’ve gotten some quality innings, especially out of our starters here. Max was the difference in the game today. That won’t be forgotten, I know, by me.”
The White Sox have the third-worst record in the AL but have 20 games remaining against the three teams ahead of them in the Central — the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins, the latter of whom are in first place despite a 48-46 record.
The White Sox’s three-game set against the Braves — who have the best record in baseball at 61-31 — started with a discouraging 9-0 loss on Friday. But Chicago never trailed in a 6-5 victory on Saturday before Sunday’s rout, which snapped Atlanta’s streak of series wins at 11.
“Our bats were there, we played great defense for the most part, our pitching was solid,” said White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease, who earned the win Sunday after giving up one run in five innings. “It’s one of those series that shows the kind of talent we have.”
Carrasco, 36, earned the win on July 6, when he allowed three hits over eight scoreless innings as the Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-0. He is 10-12 with a 4.14 ERA in 30 career games (26 starts) against the White Sox.
Giolito, 29, didn’t factor into the decision on July 9 after surrendering two runs over seven innings in the White Sox’s 4-3, 10-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. He is 0-0 with a 3.07 ERA in three starts against the Mets.
–Field Level Media
