Will this schedule change for New York Mets provide a spark?

Sitting at an even .500 through the first 46 games of the 2023 MLB season, this hasn’t been the early campaign that New York Mets fans were envisioning when the team went on an offseason spending frenzy.

While Pete Alonso has been on a home run tear in recent games and seemingly has been single-handedly saving the Mets from falling further behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East standings, the focus will likely be on the mound on Sunday when two of New York’s most prized recent acquisitions take the mound in an effort to record a home sweep of the Cleveland Guardians.

Schedule change could provide spark for New York Mets

With Saturday’s Mets-Guardians game washed out by inclement weather in Queens, a double-header is set for Sunday beginning at 1:40 p.m. local time. The Saturday washout means that both Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer will take the hill on Sunday in a day-night double-header, including an appearance on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

That star-studded pair on the mound could not only pay off for the Mets in the game, but also in the stands as well where fans will finally get to see the veteran duo that was expected to anchor the rotation take the mound. In a season filled with injuries and sticky stuff suspensions, the 38-year-old Scherzer has made just six starts while the 40-year-old Verlander has made just three. Having them in the rotation at the same time has been a rarity this season for the Mets. Now having them pitch on the same day could set up a best-case scenario where New York could finally see the fruits of its offseason spending come together in a beautiful way.

With an off day on Monday before starting a road trip to Chicago (to face the Cubs) and Colorado, Verlander and Scherzer could provide just the spark that is needed for the Mets as the Memorial Day milestone of the season draws ever closer.