Mets’ Jose Quintana goals to get on monitor in conflict vs. Padres

With a chance to post a series win Sunday afternoon against one of the top teams in baseball, the New York Mets hope left-hander Jose Quintana can figure out why he’s struggled so much this month.

Quintana will try to lower his puffy 8.27 ERA in August when he takes the mound for the series finale against the host San Diego Padres.

“I have been struggling, but I am not feeling the way I was at the beginning of the season,” Quintana said. “I feel great … nothing with my mechanics. No issue commanding the ball like I was in the beginning. I am totally confident and will come back strong Sunday.”

Quintana certainly can’t be much worse than he was Tuesday in a 9-5 home loss to Baltimore, which rocked him for seven runs on eight hits in five innings. Quintana, who walked two and struck out three, allowed long two-run homers to Anthony Santander and James McCann.

New York pitching coach Jeremy Hefner thinks Quintana (6-9, 4.57 ERA) needs to challenge hitters earlier in counts and be more efficient in order to turn things around.

“When he has struggled, it has been ball one, ball two, and before you know it, he’s thrown eight pitches and gives up a single,” Hefner said. “Get back to the attack mindset we had in the middle of the year and get back to who he is.”

Quintana was at his best in a 5-1 win over San Diego on June 15, permitting only one run on two hits in six innings with two walks and six strikeouts. In his career, Quintana is 3-0 with a 5.00 ERA against the Padres despite allowing a whopping 10 homers in 36 innings.

Meanwhile, San Diego will look for a split in the four-game series behind its own veteran left-hander, Martin Perez (3-5, 4.67 ERA). He received a no-decision on Tuesday night in his team’s 7-5 win over Minnesota, yielding three runs off seven hits and a walk over 4 2/3 innings while walking one and striking out two.

Perez, who is 1-0 in four starts with a 2.74 ERA for the Padres, has a 4-0 record and a 3.15 ERA in nine career outings against the Mets. He faced them on April 15 while pitching for Pittsburgh, allowing three runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision.

While San Diego dropped 1 1/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League’s first wild-card spot, the Padres received some good news off the field. Star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. took batting practice before Friday night’s game and said he expects to return to the field in September.

Tatis went on the injured list on June 24 with a stress reaction in his right thigh bone.

“I really don’t have specific dates,” Tatis said about a potential timeline. “I feel that’s more a conversation between the training staff, the manager and myself and (general manager) A.J. (Preller). But I’m definitely playing baseball next month. That’s what it looks like.”

In addition, Opening Day starter Yu Darvish threw a bullpen session Friday when he returned from the restricted list, which he had been on since early July because of a family matter. The team hopes he could return to the rotation in September.

–Field Level Media