Fast-starting Mets look to get jump on White Sox, earn series sweep

Getting off to fast starts hasn't been a problem lately for the otherwise offensively challenged New York Mets.

The Mets will find out if they can start quickly again Wednesday afternoon when they attempt to complete a sweep of the Chicago White Sox in their three-game interleague series.

Griffin Canning (5-1, 2.88 ERA) will start for the Mets against fellow right-hander Shane Smith (1-3, 2.36) in a game scheduled to begin at 1:10 p.m. ET. The first pitch was moved up six hours due to a rainy evening forecast.

The Mets earned their fourth straight win Tuesday night as Pete Alonso and Jared Young each hit two-run homers in the first inning of a 6-4 victory.

The six runs were the most for the Mets since May 11, when they beat the Chicago Cubs 6-2.

New York was 7-6 in the subsequent 13 games -- the longest stretch of consecutive games with five or fewer runs for the club since a 13-game streak in 2021.

The Mets did most of their damage in the first inning Tuesday, when they sent 10 batters to the plate and collected six hits while seeing just 22 pitches against White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon.

The early barrage continued a recent trend for the Mets, who have scored within the first three innings in five of their last six games.

"I think we just did a great job hitting the ball hard consistently and just controlling the zone and controlling the at-bats," Alonso said. "I thought our pitch selection was great all night. It was just a collective great offensive effort."

The defeat represented another small step forward for Cannon and the White Sox, who have lost three straight games and have the worst record in the American League at 17-38. Cannon lasted 5 2/3 innings and retired 11 of the final 13 batters he faced.

By providing length after a rough start, Cannon followed in the footsteps of Smith, who didn't factor into the decision in his previous start May 21, when he gave up three runs -- all in the first inning -- over five innings as the White Sox fell to the Seattle Mariners 6-5.

It was the second straight start in which Smith struggled early before getting into the middle innings. He gave up six runs (one earned) in the second inning of a 13-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs on May 16, when he completed five innings.

"You can't get to the fifth inning if you don't get through the first," Smith said of that outing. "To have the rocky first and seconds is tough, but you just have to keep throwing."

Canning didn't factor into the decision last Friday night, when he gave up three runs over 2 2/3 innings as the Mets fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 in 13 innings. The right-hander exited following a 98-minute rain delay in the third.

Canning is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three career starts against the White Sox. Smith has never opposed New York.

--Field Level Media