NEW YORK — The tarp covered the baseball diamond as rain fell at Citi Field on Friday. Back after going 3-3 on their six-day road trip, the Mets are expected to play the series opener against the Chicago Cubs. “We should be alright,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters. “I think, at worst, a little bit of a delay, but we should be able to get this one in.” According to the National Weather Service: “Showers likely, mainly before 8 pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. West wind 8 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.” When the tarp finally comes off and the game kicks off, it’ll be Mets right-hander Clay Holmes looking for his fifth win of the season against his former Yankees teammate, Cubs starter Jameson Taillon. Mets third baseman Mark Vientos is sitting for the second straight game, But Mendoza warns reporters not to read too much into that. “It’s kind of a unique situation where we’re facing a ... platoon pitcher,” Mendoza said. The Mets are opting to stack left-handed hitters — Jeff McNeil at DH and Brett Baty at third base — against the Cubs’ right-hander. Here’s the Mets’ lineup: Mets lineup Francisco Lindor (S), SSJuan Soto (L), RFPete Alonso, 1BBrandon Nimmo (L), LFFrancisco Alvarez, CBrett Baty (L), 3BLuisangel Acuña, 2BJeff McNeil (L), DHTyrone Taylor, CF Cubs lineup Ian Happ (S), LFKyle Tucker (L), RFSeiya Suzuki, DHMichael Busch (L), 1BCarson Kelly, CPete Crow-Armstrong (L), CFNico Hoerner, 2BDansby Swanson, SSNicky Lopez (L), 3B Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Manny Gómez may be reached at mgomez@njadvancemedia.com.