Miami Marlins @ New York Mets Series Preview: Why do the Mets Struggle Against Miami?

May 31, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins first baseman Greg Dobbs (left) is greeted by teammate third baseman Placido Polanco (right) after scoring a run in the seventh inning against the New York Mets at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Editors Note: This series preview chat was done Thursday night, before the rained out game Friday. Please keep that in mind as some of the questions involve Friday’s game. Luckily, the anticipated Fernandez-Harvey matchup will still take place, but later today.

To preview the series between the Miami Marlins and the New York Mets, I had an email chat with Daniel Abriano, the editor of the New York Mets Fansided site, Rising Apple. RA does an excellent job of covering the Mets, their minor league system, as well as taking a retrospective look at past New York Mets moments.

Daniel and I chatted about everything from why the New York Mets struggle against the Marlins in 2013 to the awesome pitching matchup today between Jose Fernandez and Matt Harvey.

Without any further ado, here is my chat with Daniel:

Ehsan Kassim: Why have the Mets struggled against the Marlins so much in 2013?

Daniel Abriano: It’s hard to put a finger on this, but the second game of the most recent series was basically a throwaway for the Mets (McHugh and Carson vs Fernandez). The third game was ruined when Terry Collins allowed Scott Rice to remain in the game to face Marcell Ozuna. I’d say it’s a combination of simple poor performance and some bad luck, mixed in with some bad managerial decisions by Terry Collins. Nothing too crazy at work here.

Ehsan: What’s the latest injury news on Travis d’Arnaud? What is the timetable for his callup, as well as Zack Wheeler‘s?

Daniel: Travis d’Arnaud was cleared to begin rehab on Monday, and has been in Port St. Lucie since. The break in his foot has completely healed, and the estimate is that d’Arnaud will likely get back into games in about a month. Once he shakes the rust off, he should be on the fast track to the bigs. I’d guess that he makes his Mets debut either the third or fourth week of July. As far as Wheeler is concerned, the Mets are smartly waiting until the Super Two eligibility date passes before they promote him. In the last few days, the beat reporters have noted that Wheeler’s debut will likely come at Citi Field during a weekend series against the Cubs that takes place June 14th through the 16th.

Ehsan: How awesome is the Jose Fernandez-Matt Harvey matchup going to be on Friday?

Daniel: I’m expecting it to be great. I’m sure Fernandez wants to show what he can do on a Friday night in New York, and Harvey was quoted after his last start saying that he was glad he’d be facing the Marlins again this weekend. They’re both tremendous young pitchers, and there should be some extra juice in the ballpark due to the fact that Harvey is on the mound. Looking forward to it.

Ehsan: Do you see the Mets becoming sellers at this years trade deadline?

Daniel: I think they should absolutely look to trade pieces who won’t be a part of the 2014 team – guys like Shaun Marcum, John Buck, and Marlon Byrd. I also think the Mets will be buyers with an eye towards the future if any young, impact outfield bats are available. Sandy Alderson noted a few days ago that the Mets would look to make a move for the future at this year’s deadline if the price was right.

Ehsan: Think the Mets finally muster up a big series against a team they should be beating? Which Mets player has a huge series?

Daniel: I think with Harvey and Niese on the mound, the Mets will be able to finally get out of their own way against the Marlins. Ike Davis has started to heat up a bit, so I’ll go with him as my Mets player who’ll have a huge series.

A big thank you to Matt for taking his timeout to talk to us. We at Marlin Maniac wish all Mets fans the best of luck in the upcoming series. If you get a chance, please check out Matt’s work both on Yahoo! and the new Mets minor league site for some great coverage.