Arizona @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 10, 2016 ) Arizona 3, NY Mets 2

The New York Mets turned their offense and their season around at this time last season, but that doesn’t appear to be happening in 2016. The Mets will try to avoid a three-game sweep against a last-place club when they host the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of a three-game series on Thursday.

New York fell to 10-15 since the All-Star break with Wednesday’s 3-2 setback in 12 innings and dropped 2 1/2 games behind the division-rival Miami Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the second National League wild card. The Mets are last in the majors in team batting average and 29th in runs, and Jay Bruce is just 6-for-32 with four RBIs since joining the team in a deal designed to boost the offense at the trade deadline. The Diamondbacks are trying to play spoiler over the last two months and brought New York’s hopes up only to dash them on Wednesday. Jake Barrett squandered a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning but Oscar Hernandez came up for Arizona in the 12th and smashed his first career home run.

TV: 12:10 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Braden Shipley (1-1, 4.15 ERA) vs. Mets RH Noah Syndergaard (9-6, 2.64)

Shipley is making his fourth career major-league start and looking for his third consecutive quality start. The 24-year-old was ripped for six runs in 5 1/3 innings at Milwaukee in his debut on July 25 but surrendered a total of two runs and nine hits in 12 innings over the last two. Shipley struggled a bit with his control on Friday, issuing six walks in as many innings.

Syndergaard has not gotten enough run support to earn a win in any of his last five outings and is 0-3 over that span despite a 3.49 ERA. The Texan’s worst start in that span came at Detroit on Friday, when he was reached for four runs on seven hits and a pair of walks in six innings. Syndergaard has faced Arizona once in his young career and struck out a career-high 13 while allowing one run and four hits across eight innings on July 10, 2015.

WALK-OFFS

1. Mets INF Jose Reyes (oblique) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday.

2. Diamondbacks 2B Jean Segura is 8-for-20 with a home run, three doubles and four stolen bases in the last four games.

3. Arizona OF Yasmany Tomas (stiff neck) missed the last two games and is day-to-day.

PREDICTION: Mets 3, Diamondbacks 0