Mets vs. Nationals: 5 things to watch and series predictions | June 10-12

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Mets and Nationals play a three-game series at Citi Field starting on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. on SNY.

5 things to watch

Juan Soto and Pete Alonso are on another level

Following a brief period where Soto, Alonso, and Francisco Lindor slumped at the same time -- leading the entire offense to sag along with them -- New York's big weapons are carrying them once again.

During the Mets' just-completed bludgeoning of the Rockies in Colorado, Soto and Alonso were on another planet.

Soto had six hits and reached base 10 times in 16 plate appearances, raising his OPS for the season to .820.

Alonso had five hits -- including two homers and a double -- while reaching base seven times in 16 plate appearances. He has a .990 OPS and is on pace to finish the year with 42 home runs and 49 doubles -- a two-bagger mark that would shatter New York's all-time single-season record of 44, which was set by Bernard Gilkey in 1996.

Alonso now has 243 career homers, putting him just nine shy of tying Darryl Strawberry's all-time Mets record of 252.

Ronny Mauricio is starting to feel it

Mauricio struggled right after being called up, looking a bit anxious and overmatched at the plate. But he started to look really comfortable in Colorado.

The 24-year-old went 5-for-11 during the three-game sweep and also drew two walks.

He crushed a 456-foot home run on Saturday after doubling on Friday.

While Mauricio is heating up, the Mets are also getting tremendous production from Jeff McNeil (three homers in Colorado, .888 season OPS). Meanwhile, Brett Baty notched hits in the final two games of the series, including a long home run on Sunday.

So the Mets have a good problem on their hands regarding how to allocate playing time on the infield and at DH.

Kodai Senga in the series finale

Senga, who gets the ball on Thursday afternoon, is leading the National League with a 1.59 ERA.

The right-hander is also leading the NL with a 238 ERA+, and has allowed just 50 hits in 68 innings over his 12 starts.

Senga's Ghost Fork has been extra nasty this year, carving hitters up at an eye-popping level.

Opposing batters are hitting .118 with a .183 slugging percentage against Senga's forkball, which he has thrown 29 percent of the time this year.

Mackenzie Gore trending up, James Wood trending down

The Mets will face Gore during Tuesday's series-opener, and they'll have their work cut out for them.

Gore has a 2.87 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, and he's making batters miss at a truly elite level.

He leads all major league starting pitchers with a 12.9 strikeout-per-nine rate, and leads the NL with 108 strikeouts.

Wood is having a great season and remains incredibly dangerous, but he's been in a serious rut at the plate.

Over his last seven games, Wood has two hits in 22 at-bats and has struck out eight times.

Home Cookin'

The Mets have been fantastic overall, which is why they'll carry a 42-24 record into this series.

But their play at Citi Field has been nearly flawless.

They are 24-7 at home, which is the best mark in the majors -- a few ticks better than the Tigers, who have a 23-9 record in Detroit.

New York's home dominance has included sweeps of the Blue Jays, Cardinals, and Phillies, and series wins over the Cubs and Dodgers.

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Francisco Lindor

Lindor had a solid but somewhat quiet series in Colorado.

Which Mets pitcher will have the best start?

Kodai Senga

Once again, it's crazy to pick against Senga.

Which Nationals player will be a thorn in the Mets' side?

Dylan Crews

It hasn't been an easy year for Crews, but he's homered in back-to-back games and oozes talent.