What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets were off on Monday - they open a three-game series against the Brewers on Tuesday night at Citi Field

• The Mets enter play five games ahead of the Braves in the National League East - they have now won 12 straight games

• The Mets have considered promoting top catching prospect Francisco Álvarez this season (Heyman)

Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (40-22) vs. Brewers (34-28)

Where: Citi Field - Flushing, New York

Starters: RHP Chris Bassitt (4-4, 4.35 ERA) vs RHP Adrian Houser (3-6, 3.92 ERA)

When: 7:10 PM EDT

Where to Watch: SNY

Today’s the day for Chris Bassitt to step up and deliver… 📝

The Mets got through the meat of their difficult June schedule with a 5-5 road trip through Southern California.

The fun isn’t over yet this month.

They’re home tonight to face a struggling Brewers club - who are 2-9 in June - although they remain a force to be reckoned with. Their 3.73 team ERA is fourth best in the National League and they do hit for a lot of power - their 80 home runs are second most in the National League. However, they’ve scored just 267 runs which is 10th best in the National League and their .231 team batting average is 13th best with their 231 strikeouts serving as the third most.

So the Mets have an opportunity to exploit a swing-and-miss, mostly all or nothing offense if they can get their own chaos on the mound straightened out.

Enter Chris Bassitt, who has had a rough go of it over the last month.

Bassitt has been nothing short of a mess over his last five starts, going 0-2 with a 7.62 ERA in 26 innings with seven home runs allowed during that span. He has seen his ERA rise from 2.77 to 4.35 since May 19, right around the time Max Scherzer went down with his oblique injury. For Bassitt, it’s merely been about location and strike quality, both of which have been severely lacking over the last month. In addition, that ineffectiveness has caused additional strain on an already strained bullpen for the Mets.

Despite his strikeout rate actually being a tick higher this season, Bassitt isn’t getting as many swings and misses or chases as he needs to, which could partially be the result of poor location inside the strike zone during this recent stretch. Too many off-speed pitches have been centered as of late as he’s not getting the necessary movement on his breaking pitches he needs in particular.

But tonight will serve as an opportunity for Bassitt to step up. His struggles have elevated his ERA at Citi Field to 3.65 for the year, but it’s still far and away better than his ERA away from Citi Field (5.15), so perhaps the comforts of home will serve Bassitt well and get his season back on track.

And with the Braves as hot as they are and the division lead shrinking, it’s as good a time as ever for Bassitt to straighten himself out and step up for the Mets in a big way.

Down on the Farm 🌾

All Mets minor league affiliates were off on Monday.

Around the League 🚩

• Braves INF Ozzie Albies fractured his foot in the Braves’ 9-5 over the Nationals

• OF Byron Buxton hit his 18th homer as the Twins beat the Mariners 3-2

• The Phillies pushed back over the .500 mark in a 3-2 walk-off win over the Marlins in Philadelphia

• RHP Stephen Strasburg will head back to the injured list with an undisclosed injury