CINCINNATI _ When the Mets arrive to Houston later this week, Texas native AJ Ramos knows it's going to be a tough few days for him and his teammates.
Houston has been devastated by Hurricane Harvey, and the Mets will play the Astros there this weekend in the first games in Houston since the hurricane.
Ramos and his teammates know it's their responsibility to try to help the city as much as they can in the short time they will be in the area.
"It's going to be a little tough. Obviously a lot of negativity going on, a lot of bad things going on. Hopefully we can put on a good enough show to let them forget about it a little bit," Ramos said Wednesday afternoon. "It's going to be hard to see a lot of those images in person. Definitely hoping we can provide some sort of relief to help these guys get their minds off what is going on down there, even if it's just for a little bit."
Reports had surfaced that the Mets would play the Astros at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. this weekend, and it was a surprise when it was announced Wednesday afternoon that the games would be played at Minute Maid Park.
The teams will play in a doubleheader Saturday with the first game at 2:10 p.m. (ET) and the nightcap at 8:10 p.m., and the series will conclude with a matinee game Sunday.
The Mets (58-74) evened their current series with the Reds on Wednesday as Rafael Montero (3-9) produced the best outing of his career in a 2-0 victory at Great American Ball Park. Montero tossed 8 1/3 scoreless innings while yielding three hits.
Wilmer Flores and Kevin Plawecki plated both runs in the first with a pair of RBI doubles.
"We feel that the Astros playing this weekend will provide a much-needed boost for the city," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a statement released by the Astros. "With all of the difficulties that many of our citizens are facing, the games will provide an opportunity for families to start returning to some aspect of normal life."
Since Friday's game was moved to Saturday, the Mets are looking into volunteering on their day off. The team will fly to Houston after Thursday's matinee series finale.
"We just want to be a piece of positivity coming in any way we can. We understand there is a tough situation going on. If us playing a silly game of baseball can help in anyway, we're definitely willing to do that," said reliever Jerry Blevins. "We have a good group of guys here who want to help out with some fellow Americans in need."
Mets manager Terry Collins planned to talk to his team Wednesday about what the few days in Houston will be like. Collins recalled how it was a life-changing experience in 2001 for those who played in New York following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
"These are things I am sure nobody in this room has ever experienced, so it's going to be an eye-opening experience. It's all part of life and you read about it and you talk, but it's a little different," Collins said. "When I came back with the Rays into New York right after 9-11, I talked to the people who experienced it. You learned a lot. You learned a lot about human nature and how people can rise up and really help each other, which is something we need to do more of."
Second baseman Gavin Cecchini grew up about 90 minutes from Houston, and has seen the effects hurricanes can have on families. His family was displaced from their Lake Charles, La. home for two months during Hurricane Rita in 2005.
Cecchini said his family is safe.
"Whenever you have something that could be life-changing you want to do everything you can to make sure your family is safe and alright, and that everything you have is safe," Cecchini said. "You try to do everything you can to protect what you have because it can be gone in a snap of a finger."
The Mets will have a chance to enter the Houston series with a series win after Montero dominated the Reds on Wednesday. Montero allowed just one hit through his first 25 outs before yielding back-to-back hits with one out in the ninth inning.
He struck out eight and walked four (one intentionally) in a 117-pitch effort, and seems to finally be turning the corner after showing little since his 2014 debut.
Closer AJ Ramos recorded the final two outs and left the bases loaded.
