Ex-Met Carlos Carrasco set for shot vs. former team

Carlos Carrasco had his moments during an underachieving three-season stint with the New York Mets. However, he's been better of late while back with the Cleveland Guardians.

Facing his former Mets team, Carrasco looks to continue a solid May while trying to help the host Guardians to a fifth straight win Tuesday night.

Traded to New York along with Franciso Lindor, Carrasco (2-4, 5.16 ERA) joined the Mets in January 2021 after 11 seasons in Cleveland. Though he won at least 11 games in four straight seasons (2015-18), injuries and a 2019 leukemia diagnosis hindered his progress in Cleveland.

Health issues followed the right-hander to New York. In 2021, Carrasco went 1-5 with a 6.04 ERA in just 12 starts for the Mets but he bounced back to go 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA over 29 starts the next year. However, Carrasco regressed in 2023 to a 3-8 mark and 6.80 ERA in 20 starts and was placed on waivers by late August.

After signing a minor league deal for a Cleveland reunion, the 37-year-old Carrasco has battled inconsistency through nine starts. However, after allowing 13 runs and 15 hits over nine innings of his final two April starts, Carrasco has a 3.00 ERA in three May efforts. All eight runs -- six earned -- Carrasco has given up this month came over three of the 18 innings covering those starts for the AL Central-leading Guardians, who have won seven of eight and are amid a 14-3 stretch at home.

In his most recent outing Wednesday, Carrasco yielded only a two-run homer in his fifth and final inning of Cleveland's 4-0 loss at Texas.

"I thought (Carrasco) really battled," Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. "The curveball was pretty good, but I thought he struggled a little bit with his other pitches.

"Made good pitches when he needed to."

This contest will also mark the first time Carrasco will face Lindor as an opponent.

"That's my brother," Lindor said. "This is the first year (Carrasco) is not next to me in my 10-year career."

Lindor's average dropped to .193 after he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout and received a courteous ovation from the Guardians' faithful during Monday's 3-1 loss in his return to Cleveland. The Mets managed only Tomas Nido's third-inning homer and five other hits while losing for the 18th time in 27 games.

Adrian Houser (0-3, 7.44) is slated to return to the Mets' rotation for a likely spot start Tuesday. The right-hander was sent to the bullpen after posting an 8.16 ERA in six starts this season for New York. Since then, he's allowed three runs -- one earned -- with four hits and three walks over four innings of two relief outings.

"He's working really hard to his credit, and we're pretty confident that he'll get back to the pitcher we know he's capable of being," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said about Hauser earlier this month.

Cleveland's David Fry has a hit in his only at-bat versus Houser -- the only current Guardians batter with a hit against Houser. Fry had a two-run single Monday and is batting .385 with eight RBIs in his last 15 games.

J.D. Martinez has been New York's most consistent hitter. He doubled Monday and is batting .361 in his last nine games. Martinez is also hitting .370 (10-for-27) with two doubles and two homers versus Carrasco.