Padres @ Mets

Who will WIN this matchup?

San Diego Padres (48-53)

@ New York Mets (46-55)

Starting Pitchers:

Lauer (SD): 5-7; 4.31 ERA

deGrom (NYM) 5-7; 3.02 ERA

Last 10 Games Played:

San Diego Padres: 3-7

New York Mets: 6-4

Current odds:

San Diego Padres: (+188)

New York Mets: (-205)

• The San Diego Padres try for their first series victory since the All-Star break when they visit the New York Mets on Thursday afternoon in the rubber match of their three-game series. San Diego improved to 3-18 when failing to homer this season with a 7-2 victory Wednesday, improving to 3-8 since the break and escaping the National League West cellar.  The Padres batted .278 with runners in scoring position in June but slumped to .211 in July before going 5-for-15 on Wednesday. San Diego outfielder Hunter Renfroe was 6-for-36 with only one of his 24 home runs since the break before going 2-for-4 on Wednesday.

• The Mets on Wednesday allowed more than four runs for the first time in 10 games and boast a 3.03 ERA since the break, but are only 6-5 during that stretch with losses in four of their last six games. New York’s Jacob deGrom on Thursday hopes to continue his hot July (1-0, 1.42 ERA in three starts) when he opposes left-hander Eric Lauer, who is riding a six-game winless streak (0-3).

• Lauer returned from the bereavement list and received his third straight no-decision after allowing five runs, six hits (two home runs) and three walks with seven strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings of San Diego’s 6-5 loss to the Cubs in Chicago on Friday. The 24-year-old Ohio native yielded one run in each of his previous three outings and in seven of his last 10 turns. Lauer lost his only previous start against New York, permitting six runs, six hits and three walks in four innings of a 6-3 setback on July 24, 2018.

• DeGrom, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, received a no-decision after allowing three hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings of the Mets’ 1-0 loss at San Francisco on Friday. The 31-year-old Florida native hasn’t yielded more than three runs in his last 11 starts, going 2-2 during that span and lowering his ERA by 0.96. Renfroe is 3-for-6 with two solo home runs against deGrom, who is 3-3 with a 1.79 ERA in seven games against the Padres after allowing two runs in seven innings and losing 4-0 at Petco Park on May 6.

• Mets RF Jeff McNeil (MLB-best .342 batting average), a native of Santa Barbara, Calif., is hitting .420 against San Diego, San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers in his career.

• Padres CF Manuel Margot stole two bases Wednesday and is 15-for-15 this season – the only perfect record among qualified players.

• New York 1B Pete Alonso has 33 home runs in his first 100 games, tied for third-most since 1908 with Gary Sanchez and Rudy York, and trailing Mark McGwire (37) and Cody Bellinger (34).