NL Wild Card Series 2022: Padres vs. Mets Storylines and Preview
The San Diego Padres and New York Mets make up the marquee matchup of Major League Baseball's wild-card round.
New York was on track to win the National League East for most of the season, but its division title hopes were derailed by a sweep against the Atlanta Braves.
The Mets responded to those defeats by pounding the Washington Nationals at home, but now they have to prove that they can rally for a postseason run.
San Diego was once again aggressive at the trade deadline to mount a challenge as a wild-card team in the NL.
The additions of Juan Soto and Josh Hader were meant to help the ball club in the postseason, and now the Padres have a chance to prove that.
San Diego and New York should put together the best pitching matchups on paper in the wild-card round.
Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt are at the ready for the Mets, while the Padres will roll with a combination of Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove.
Can Mets Put Division Title Race Behind Them?
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The Mets suffered one of the biggest disappointments of the 2022 MLB season when they lost control of the NL East last weekend in Atlanta.
They took out some of their frustration against the Washington Nationals, as they scored 21 runs in three games over two days.
Beating the Nationals is expected, and fairly easy at the end of the regular season to be honest.
The real test of the Mets' resilience will come against a Padres team that has been built for the postseason through trades and free-agent signings over the last few years.
San Diego has the potential to match what Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer put out on the mound, and its lineup could wreak havoc on the Mets if their starters are not at their best.
DeGrom and Scherzer should have extra motivation in the series to prove that their rough outings against Atlanta were just flukes and that they can respond to the pressure-packed moments in Mets uniforms.
New York has little margin for error in the series, but if it can beat the Padres at home, it will restore confidence heading into an NLDS matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Star-Studded Pitching Matchups Headline Series
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Six Cy Young Award caliber pitchers will toe the rubber if the Padres-Mets series goes the distance.
Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom have five Cy Young Awards between them. They combined to win four of the last six NL Cy Young Awards. Chris Bassitt has proved to be a strong No. 3 pitcher after his acquisition from the Oakland Athletics.
Blake Snell won the AL Cy Young Award in 2018. Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove have had Cy Young-worthy seasons during their time with the Padres.
The pitching orders have not been confirmed yet, but Darvish will likely throw Game 1 against either deGrom or Scherzer.
Darvish conceded two earned runs or fewer in four of his seven postseason starts. He will make a start for his fourth different team in the postseason when he appears for the Padres.
Snell produced three nine-strikeout games during Tampa Bay's run into the World Series in 2020. He will make his first postseason start since he was controversially pulled in the sixth inning of Game 6 of the 2020 World Series.
Scherzer carries the most postseason experience of any starter in the series. The Mets may be wise to go with him in Game 1 to take advantage of the experience gained from 26 previous playoff appearances.
The deep set of starters on each side makes the series hard to predict, and that could be one of the reasons the series goes the distance.
Juan Soto Thrives Against the Mets
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Juan Soto is the last player Mets fans want to see in the postseason.
The former Washington Nationals outfielder owns a 1.001 OPS and .303 batting average in his career against the Mets. He has 16 home runs and 42 RBI in 68 games against the NL East side.
Soto's numbers are even better inside Citi field. He has a 1.173 OPS, 10 home runs and 23 RBI inside the Mets' home ballpark.
San Diego's top trade deadline acquisition produced a .729 OPS in September, but he could break out of his average form at the plate at any time.
The Padres acquired him to make the postseason and then go on a deep run to the World Series. Soto had five home runs and 14 RBI during Washington's title run in 2019.
Soto could be the difference-maker in the series against his former teammate, Scherzer, and a pitcher he has seen many times in deGrom.
New York can't avoid Soto for the entire series since Manny Machado hits behind the outfielder, but if it can contain the young superstar, it has a much better chance of moving on to the NLDS.
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