213 Miles From Shea

The Mets finally snapped their five game losing streak and welcome the team that started the streak to town for a three game set. The Marlins swept the Mets last weekend behind strong pitching and Mets quiet (almost silent) bats. The series ended with the Marlins hitting a walk-off grand slam against Devin Williams to win 4-0.

The Mets had a demon exorcising game on Wednesday. Juan Soto hit his sixth home run in seven games. Eric Wagaman hit a home run as first hit as a Met. The Mets scored six runs off seven hits. The pitching held the Reds to four runs despite the Reds recording eight hits and nine walks. In Reds loaded the bases in the ninth inning and Devin Williams was able to work his way out of the jam without allowing a run. Hopefully this allows everyone to relax and power through the Marlins this weekend.

Freddy Peralta has pitched 61 1/3 innings over 11 starts this season with a 3.52 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 1.272 WHIP and a 112 ERA+. He was able to power through seven innings for the first time this season last weekend against the Marlins. He allowed four runs from eight hits while striking out nine. In his last two starts he has allowed seven runs over 12 innings. The Marlins have the following career numbers against Peralta:

• Owen Caissie 1-5, 2B, 4 K
• Xavier Edwards 3-12, BB, 6 K
• Liam Hicks 2-4, 2 HR, BB
• Otto Lopez 2-11, 2 2B, K
• Joe Mack 1-2, BB
• Jakob Marsee 0-2, BB
• Christopher Morel 2-11, 2B, 5 BB, 7 K
• Connor Norby 1-3, 2 K
• Graham Pauley 2-5, 2 K
• Esteury Ruiz 0-3
• Kyle Stowers 1-5, HR, BB, 3 K

The Mets bats will get another chance against Max Meyer. Meyer has pitched 60 2/3 innings over 11 games with a 2.52 ERA, 2.98 FIP, 1.055 WHIP and a 160 ERA+. He held the Mets to one hit and no runs over seven innings last weekend. In his last two starts he has allowed only four hits with no runs while striking out 14 batters over 13 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Max Meyer:

• Brett Baty 0-4, BB, 4 K
• Carson Benge 0-3, 2 K
• Bo Bichette 0-3, K
• A.J. Ewing 0-3, 3 K
• MJ Melendez 0-2
• Marcus Semien 0-3
• Hayden Senger 0-2, K
• Juan Soto 0-5, BB
• Luis Torrens 0-1, BB
• Mark Vientos 3-6, 2B, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Juan Soto. Juan Soto is doing Juan Soto things. In his last seven games Soto has gone 9-for-24 at the plate with six home runs slashing an absurd .375/.423/1.125. In his last 12 games he has gone 17-for-44 with eight home runs and seven walks, slashing .386/.471/.932. He is now slugging .594 on the season which is the second highest in his career. He also has a 180 OPS+ which is the second highest in his career. If the Mets can turn it around this season, it’s going to be because of a herculean effort from Juan Soto.
2. Please, do not walk this way. The Mets walked nine batters on Wednesday and have walked 211 this season, 8th highest in the majors. This was a struggle for the 2025 Mets as well, who were 7th highest in the majors for free passes.
3. Mark Vientos. In the last seven games Vientos has gone 7-for-24 at the plate with 1 RBI and 7 K’s (.125/.160/.125). As Vientos continues to hit behind Soto, and while Soto continues scorch the cover off of the baseball, pitchers will start working around Soto to get to Vientos. Vientos is the only player in the lineup who has hit Max Meyer well. Maybe some magic happens tonight!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets try to snap their five game losing streak tonight. The Mets went 5-1 against the Tigers and Yankees in their last homestand, giving hope that they could turn their season around. They then split a four game series against the Nationals. Then they got swept by the Marlins and are on the verge of getting swept by the Reds, erasing all of the gains from from their 5-1 home stand. This is a team that desperately needs a win.

Jonah Tong will get the bulk work this afternoon after Brazobán opens. Tong looked great in his major league debut last week, holding the Marlins hitless and scoreless over three innings while striking out two batters. He managed to do this in only 28 pitches. Tong tossed more than 80 pitches in six outings in the minors, so if gets in a groove again, he could go deep in the game. Tong’s second career start was against the Reds in Cincinnati where he allowed four runs on three hits, all home runs, over six innings. The Reds have the following career stats against him:

• Elly De La Cruz 0-3
• TJ Friedl 0-3, K
• Matt McLain 1-1, HR
• Spencer Steer 0-0, 2 BB
• Sal Stewart 1-2, HR

Andrew Abbott has made 11 starts this season totaling 56 2/3 innings with a 3.97 ERA, 4.72 FIP, 1.465 WHIP and a 109 ERA+. He’s been great in May allowing only three runs, two earned, over 22 innings over four starts (0.82 ERA, 4.49 FIP). Abbott faced the Mets twice last season. In July he held the Mets to two runs over six innings. In September the Mets got him for five runs over 4 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Brett Baty 2-6, K
• Marcus Semien 0-3, 2 K
• Juan Soto 5-11, 2B, BB
• Luis Torrens 1-3
• Mark Vientos 4-8, HR, 2 K
• Eric Wagaman 0-2, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Huascar Brazobán. Brazobán will open tonight for Jonah Tong. Over 22 games this season Brazobán has pitched 26 innings with a 1.73 ERA, 3.38 FIP, 0.923 WHIP and a 230 ERA+. In his last five games he has pitched 7 1/3 innings allowing one unearned run while striking out five batters (0.00 ERA, 2.53 FIP). The Mets are 2-1 in games that Brazobán opens.
2. Base runners. The Mets hitting woes continued last night. They have now scored eight runs in their last six games, maxing out a two runs scored in three of them. Yesterday the Mets managed to get only five hits and two walks while the Reds racked up 15 hits. It’s just demoralizing, but can also flip with one good game.
3. Juan Soto still exists though. Juan Soto stayed hot yesterday getting his 11th home run on the season, returning to the lineup after missing two games with an illness. he now has a .571 SLG, which is the highest in his career.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets will try to end their four game slide today as they take on the Reds for game two of their series. Things fell apart for the Mets relatively quickly yesterday with Nolan McLean allowing seven runs through the fourth inning. The Mets offense wasn’t able to mount a comeback against the struggling Reds bullpen.

The Mets are getting some extra help thanks to Jared Young and A.J. Minter coming off of the injured list today. But, because this is the 2026 Mets, we can’t have good things happen without something bad happening. Tyrone Taylor was officially placed on the injured list with a hip injury.

David Peterson has pitched in 11 games this season including six starts with 48 1/3 innings of work. He has a 5.03 ERA, 3.01 FIP, 1.552 WHIP and a 78 ERA+. He’s coming off of a strong start where he allowed only one run on four hits over five innings against the Nationals while striking out three. Over his three outings he has allowed six runs, only three earned over 14 innings while striking 14 batters. Peterson faced the Reds twice in 2025. In his first start he held them to one run over six innings. in his second start he allowed four runs off seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. The Reds have the following career stats against Peterson:

• JJ Bleday 2-7, 2 K
• Elly De La Cruz 2-6
• TJ Fredl 2-9, 2B, BB, 3 K
• P.J. Higgins 1-1. 2B
• Nathaniel Lowe 1-8, HR, 2 K
• Matt McLain 2-5, 3 K
• Dane Myers 2-4, 2B, BB, K
• Spencer Steer 2-8, HR, 3 BB, K
• Tyler Stephenson 3-9, 2B, 2 K
• Eugenio Suarez 1-8, 2 BB, K

Chase Burns is off to quite the start this season. He’s tossed 59 innings over 10 starts with a 1.83 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 0.949 WHIP and a 234 ERA+. Over four starts in May he has allowed only two runs over 25 innings, both on solo home runs, while striking out 25 batters (0.72 ERA, 2.83 FIP). This will be his first time facing the Mets and no one on the Mets roster has faced him before in a major league game.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Veterans Leading. Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien both came through for the Mets yesterday. Bichette went 3-for-4 while Semien went 2-for-4 with a solo home run. Both veterans still have an OPS below .600. Hopefully yesterday was the sign of something starting for both players. The Mets have dug themselves into a big hole and they’ll need Bichette and Semien to start hitting consistently in order to dig themselves out of it.
2. Jared Young. Young was hitting the cover off of the ball before he tore his meniscus. over 11 games Young went 7-for-20 with two doubles and two walks (.350/.391/.450). He accumulated 0.4 bWAR which is actually 5th on the Mets for hitters right now (which says more about the bats on the Mets right now).
3. A.J. Minter. Minter has been out for a little more than a year recovering from lat surgery. Minter was a major signing for the Mets before the 2025 season looked great. Over 13 games, 11 innings, Minter had a 1.64 ERA, 1.95 FIP, 1.000 WHIP and a 256 ERA+. The bullpen has not been the Mets issue this season, but more quality arms can only help in the long run.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are coming off of a terrible road trip in Miami and hope to turn things around in New York. In the last four games the Mets have scored four runs, and have lost the last three. Yesterday the Mets fell apart in the bottom of the ninth, a game that was 0-0 going into that frame. Things are bleak and last weekend’s comeback against the Yankees feels like a century ago.

The only thing that fixes this is winning games. For the Mets that means scoring runs. It’s a dreary Memorial Day in Queens, but maybe the Mets bats can provide some sunshine.

Nolan McLean looks to bounce back from his last start where he allowed nine runs, six earned over 5 2/3 innings against the Nationals. It was a weird game and felt more fluky than anything else. Overall this season McLean has made 10 starts totaling 58 innings with a 3.57 ERA, 3.19 FIP, 1.034 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. This will be McLean’s first start against the Reds and the only hitter on the Reds who has faced McLean is Eugenio Suarez (0-for-2, K).

Nick Lodolo has only made three starts this season, totaling 15 innings with a 7.20 ERA, 7.48 FIP, 1.533 WHIP and a 61 ERA+. Lodolo has been sidelined with a reoccurring blister issue that started late in spring training and happened again the first week of April. He’s coming off of his best start of the season where he allowed three runs from three hits and five walks over 5 2/3 innings. He is just not the same pitcher right now that he was last season (3.33 ERA, 136 ERA+). The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Vidal Bruján 0-3, BB, K
• Marcus Semien 1-3, 2 K
• Juan Soto 1-3, HR, K
• Tyrone Taylor 2-9, HR, 3 K
• Luis Torrens 1-2
• Mark Vientos 0-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Hits with RISP. The Mets struggled across the board in almost every offensive category this past weekend. Yesterday they managed to get five hits and work five walks, an improvement from the back-to-back games where they only had three hits in each game. They even got runners in scoring position yesterday but then went 0-for-8 with RISP and stranded 10 runners. Fully demoralizing. There were some positive signs like Ewing getting his third stolen base and Benge getting his ninth. The Mets have to get runners home this afternoon.
2. Marcus Semien. The Mets have to get Marcus Semien going at the plate. He’s hitting .214/.263/.297 with a 61 OPS+. His OPS+ has never been this low before and his .560 OPS is by far the lowest in his career (.750 career OPS). In Miami Semien went 0-for-10. In the eight games before that he was starting to put things together going 8-for-31 with a double, two walks and a home run.
3. Contain Sal Stewart. Sal Stewart is off to a terrific start this season slashing .256/.352/.487 over 52 games this season with a 130 OPS+. He is a power (12 HR) and speed (10 SB) threat. He has .970 OPS in games the Reds win and a .702 OPS in games they lose.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to salvage the series and avoid the sweep this afternoon against the Marlins. Friday night the Mets lost 2-1. Yesterday the Mets lost 4-1. Going back to Thursday the Mets have scored only four runs and some how are 1-2 in those games. Hopefully the Mets offense can wake up this afternoon in Miami!

Christian Scott has pitched 19 2/3 innings over five starts this season with a 4.12 ERA, 3.65 FIP, 1.475 WHIP and a 97 ERA+. He also has 25 strikeouts this season (11.4 K/9). Walks have been Scott’s growth area this season. Last time out he allowed three of them, combined with four hits meant an early exit. The only members of the Marlins to face Scott in a major league game are Xavier Edwards (2-for-2) and Otto Lopez (0-for-3, K).

The Mets bats will close out the series against Tyler Phillips, making his first start of the season. Over eight games, 30 innings, in relief, Phillips has a 1.20 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 1.267 WHIP and a 342 ERA+. He has walked 16 batters (a rate almost as bad as Scott, and Scott is still heavily impacted by first start of the season). The Mets have the following career numbers against Phillips:

• Brett Baty 0-2, K
• Bo Bichette 1-1
• Hayden Senger 1-3
• Juan Soto 0-1, BB
• Tyrone Taylor 1-1
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 0-3

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Get Hits! The Mets have recorded three hits in each game of this series so far. Friday night Juan Soto had two of them and Saturday Mark Vientos had two of them. That’s just not enough to get runs across. We have seen this time collectively slump before, now it’s time for them to collectively break out of it.
2. Rough weekend for the kids. The rookies shouldn’t have to carry the Mets and at times this season they needed to. Friday night Benge went 0-3 with a walk. His outs were loud, with two of them having insane statcast numbers. Yesterday Benge went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Ewing had his first real rough game yesterday also going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Nick Morabito is still looking for his first major league hit going 0-for-7 with six strikeouts over three games this season.
3. Devin Williams. The Mets last used Williams in a save situation last Thursday where he allowed a hit and no runs against the Nationals. In 19 games this season, 16 2/3 innings, Williams has a 4.32 ERA, 2.31 FIP, 1.440 WHIP and a 93 ERA+. In his last 10 games, 9 2/3 innings, he has a 0.00 ERA, 1.23 FIP and has struck out 12 batters. He’s in the 97th percentile for chase%, 99th for whiff%, 97th for K%, 90th for xERA and 92nd for xBA.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets offense just couldn’t get anything going last night against the Marlins and the Mets lost 2-1. Now the Mets need to win the next two games of the series to have a winning road trip. Luckily for the Mets, the Marlins also struggled last night to get anything going with their bats against Myers, Manaea and Tong.

Both pitchers going this afternoon are better than the starters from yesterday. Which team’s bats will wake up?

Freddy Peralta has pitched 54 1/3 innings over 10 starts this season with a 3.31 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 1.252 WHIP and a 119 ERA+. Last season he had a career high 155 ERA+. Between 2022 and 2024 his ERA+ was between 112 and 113, so right now he’s right around that. In his last start he allowed three runs off two hits and a season high six walks over five innings against the Yankees. The Marlins have the following career numbers against him:

• Owen Caissie 0-2, 2 K
• Xavier Edwards 2-8, BB, 5 K
• Liam Hicks 0-0, BB
• Otto Lopez 1-7, 2B
• Christopher Morel 2-11, 2B, 5 BB, 7 K
• Graham Pauley 1-2, K
• Esteury Ruiz 0-3
• Kyle Stowers 1-2, BB, K

Max Meyer is off to a career year for the Marlins. Over 53 2/3 innings he has made 10 starts with a 2.85 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 1.118 WHIP and a 144 ERA+. His career ERA+ is a 93, so this is quite the departure from the norm for Meyer. Meyer made one start against the Mets in 2025 and it was a good one holding the Mets to two hits and no runs over 6 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against Meyer:

• Brett Baty 0-2, 2 K
• Hayden Senger 0-2, K
• Juan Soto 0-3
• Tyrone Taylor 0-2
• Mark Vientos 2-4, 2B, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Juan Soto. Soto continued his hot stretch last night going 2-for-3 with a home run. The ball left his bat at 107.7 mph and cruised 449 feet. He now has 10 home runs on the season, the first Met to hit double digits. Since May 14th Soto has gone 14-for-34 in nine games including six home runs, four stolen bases and six walks. He’s slashing .412/.500/.941.
2. Carson Benge. What an unlucky night for Carson Benge. Benge sun a good bat last night but didn’t have anything to show for it. The ball went off his bat at 99.6 mph, 99.9 mph and 104.2 mph. His 104.2 mph flyout had a .850 xBA and would have been a home run in 14 parks. His 99.9 mph flyout had a xBA of .540 and would have been a home run at 10 parks. His bat speed on that ball was an astounding 79.3 mph, the fourth fastest speed in the entire game tracked by Statcast last night. Hopefully the good swings continue today and manifest into something real.
3. Get hits, apply pressure. The Mets offense was clicking in the Tigers and Yankees series last week. The Mets had a massive 10 run 12th inning against the Nationals and since then the Mets bats have fallen flat over the last few days. On Thursday they won 2-1, yesterday they lost 1-2. The Marlins bullpen can struggle. Just get some hits today and apply pressure.

Let’s Go Mets!

On May 22nd the Mets finally play an NL East opponent other than the Nationals for the first time this season. The Mets have had an odd schedule to start the year. They didn’t play the Nationals until the end of April. Each of their road trips before this one were out to the west coast. They still haven’t played the Braves and Phillies.

After going 5-1 at home last week the Mets have had a slightly disappointing start to the road trip, splitting a four game series with the Nationals. A good weekend in Miami though can still make this road trip a positive one!

Tobias Myers gets the start tonight. The Mets are in the midst of a 16 day stretch with no days off and the hope is working Myers in today will give the starters a little extra rest. Over 29 innings this season Myers has a 3.41 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 1.034 WHIP and a 116 ERA+. He has thrown three innings in two outings this year and has gone at least two innings in nine outings. The most pitches he has tossed in a game is 40. Ideally the Mets would love to get three innings out of him tonight. The Marlins have the following career stats against him:

• Owen Caissie 0-1,K
• Xavier Edwards 1-1, HR, BB
• Otto Lopez 0-3, K
• Christopher Morel 2-4, HR, BB, 2 K
• Kyle Stowers 0-1

Eury Pérez has made 10 starts totaling 52 1/3 innings this season with a 5.33 ERA, 5.20 FIP, 1.414 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. Pérez opened the season holding the Rockies to only three runs over seven innings. Since then he’s had one great start holding the Brewers to one unearned run over six, and every other start has been average to bad. In his last three games he has allowed 13 earned runs over 16 innings from 12 hits and 12 walks while striking out 19 (7.31 ERA, 6.60 FIP). The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Brett Baty 0-2, K
• Bo Bichette 3-5, 2B
• Juan Soto 1-4, HR, K
• Tyrone Taylor 1-4, 2B, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 1-1, HR, BB

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Strikeouts. The Mets had 12 strikeouts as a team yesterday with Benge, Bichette, Semien, Vientos and Ewing each recording two. In Pérez’s two good starts this year he had a total of 15 strikeouts over 13 innings. In his last three starts he recorded 19 K’s over 16 innings. Don’t give Pérez any momentum tonight! Work walks, don’t chase!
2. Sean Manaea. Manaea could see significant work today. Over 10 games (27 1/3 innings), Manaea has a 6.26 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 1.683 WHIP and a 64 ERA+. He gritted out four innings his last time out allowing three runs, two earned off of four hits and a two walks. Manaea was hitting 91-93 on his fastball throughout his last outing, something we haven’t seen a ton of this year. Things still don’t look great for Manaea (5.23 xERA, .277 xBA), but maybe this is a harbinger of good things to come.
3. Jonah Tong. Sean Manaea may not even get a chance to pitch tonight if Jonah Tong is second arm on the mound. The Mets recalled Jonah Tong from Syracuse today, DFA’ing Craig Kimbrel. He’s pitched 38 innings over nine starts this season with a 5.68 ERA and 1.368 WHIP. He’s getting hit hard a lot (1.9 HR/9) but he’s also striking out the world, with 55 strikeouts so far (13 K/9). His last start on the 14th was rough, giving up seven runs, six earned, over 1 2/3 innings. Before that he had a two start stretch where he allowed three runs over 11 innings while striking out 14.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets will try to escape Washington with a four game split today. After winning the first game of the series by scoring 10 runs in the 12th inning, the Mets bats have struggled to keep up with the Nationals over the last two days. Tuesday Bo Bichette two home runs but the Mets still fell short. Last night Juan Soto hit two home runs and the Mets couldn’t get it done. Hopefully today is the day to get back in the win column.

David Peterson returns to the rotation today for the Mets. Overall this season Peterson has pitched in 10 games totaling 43 1/3 innings with a 5.40 ERA, 2.97 FIP, 1.569 WHIP and a 73 ERA+. The Mets have used an opener for his last three games. In those games he allowed seven runs, four earned over 13 innings while striking out 17 batters (2.77 ERA, 1.42 FIP). His last start was against the Nationals and the Nationals got him for seven runs off five hits and three walks over 3 2/3 innings. The Nationals have the following career stats against Peterson:

• CJ Abrams 4-22, BB, 4 K
• Andres Chaparro 2-6, 2B, BB, 2 K
• Dylan Crews 1-3, 3B
• Luis García Jr. 6-18, 2B, 3 K
• Daylen Lile 1-2, K
• Curtis Mead 1-2
• Nasim Nuñez 0-1, BB
• Keibert Ruiz 4-15, BB, K
• James Wood 4-15, BB, 8 K
• Jacob Young 4-13, 2 BB, 2 K

Cade Cavalli has made 10 starts totaling 46 2/3 innings with a 4.05 ERA, 3.39 FIP, 1.543 WHIP and a 100 ERA+. The last two games have looked like his whole season, allowing five runs over 12 innings from 12 hits and a walk. He faced the Mets at the end of April where he allowed two runs off of eight hits and two walks while striking out six. The Mets have the following career stats against Cavalli:

• Brett Baty 1-4, BB, K
• Carson Benge 0-3, 2 K
• Bo Bichette 1-3
• MJ Melendez 1-2, BB, K
• Marcus Semien 2-3, K
• Juan Soto 4-5, 2B, HR
• Tyrone Taylor 1-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Juan Soto. Soto has been tearing it up for the last three series. Over his last nine games he has gone 14-for-36 with five home runs and 11 runs scored. He’s slashing .389/.463/.806, raising his season OPS from .826 to .951. He now has a 170 OPS+, which higher than 2025 (160) and 2023 (155).
2. Bullpen is good to go. Duarte closed out Tuesday’s game, giving a depleted bullpen the night off. He was optioned back to Syracuse for Thornton to join the rotation for yesterday’s game. Austin Warren and Craig Kimbrel finished off yesterday’s game, totaling 54 pitches. Tobias Myers, Brooks Raley, Huascar Brazobán and Luke Weaver haven’t pitched since Monday. Sean Manaea and Devin Williams hasn’t pitched since Sunday. Let’s get the lead and pass it off to a well rested bullpen!
3. Mark Vientos. Vientos was the only hitter with an extra-base hit outside of Juan Soto last night. Vientos hit his 8th double of the season. He is crushing expected stats this season with a .357 xwOBA (78th percentile), .279 xBA (81st percentile) and .525 xSLG (91st percentile). Vientos is hitting the ball hard 47.8% of the time (83rd percentile). The problem is he has a 33.6 chase% (28th percentile), and 29.7 whiff% (24th percentile).

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets would love to rewind the clock on last night’s game. Through the top of the second, the Mets had a 5-0 lead thanks to two Bo Bichette home runs. Then the wheels just fell off defensively and the Mets lost the game 9-6. Blunder after blunder. All of those mistakes though equal only one loss, and the Mets can put themselves in a position to win four game series against the Nationals with a win tonight.

It’s a day that ends in y so the Mets are calling up another top prospect to make their major league debut! Before the start of the season MLB Pipeline had Thornton’s ETA in 2027, but things change. Between Clay Holmes’ injury opening up a spot in the rotation and Thornton’s numbers this season earned Thornton the call. In five starts in Binghamton this year, Thornton has pitched 25 innings with a 3.60 ERA, 1.320 WHIP and 27 strikeouts. Then in two Syracuse starts he pitched 12 innings allowing only three runs while striking out 13 with a 0.917 WHIP. Welcome to the show!

Tonight’s game is a Zach vs Zack affair with the Mets bats facing off against Zack Littell. Littell has pitched in nine games, making six starts this season totaling 41 1/3 innings with a 6.10 ERA, 7.71 FIP, 1.500 WHIP and a 66 ERA+. This is a departure from the last two seasons where he had a 3.73 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 1.169 WHIP and a 111 ERA+ over 61 starts. He’s coming off of good start against the Orioles, holding them scoreless over five innings and in his last three outings he’s allowed only three earned runs over 12 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Littell:

• Brett Baty 2-4, BB, K
• Carson Benge 1-2
• Bo Bichette 6-14, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
• MJ Melendez 3-5, 2B
• Marcus Semien 2-14, 3B, BB, 3 K
• Juan Soto 2-9, 2B, HR, 2 BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-1
• Mark Vientos 0-1, BB, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Bo Bichette. It’s been a struggle for Bichette this season. He has found his bat in Washington and has gone 5-for-10 this series with a walk, a double, three home runs, four runs scored and has seven RBI’s. His OPS is finally above .600 for the season. Hopefully this is a sign of a hot month to come!
2. Juan Soto. Since the start of the Detroit series, Juan Soto has been on fire. In his last eight games he has gone 12-for-32 with three home runs, three stolen bases, nine runs scored. He’s walked five times and is slashing .375/.459/.656 and is average 2.6 total bases per game.
3. Devin Williams. Williams has found a groove recently. In his last nine games he has pitched 8 2/3 innings and has allowed only one hit. He’s walked only two batters while striking out 11 and most importantly he hasn’t allowed any runs. His ERA has dropped from a season high 10.29 down to 4.60. His FIP is now a paltry 1.84. As the Mets start to win more games, we’ll get to appreciate this a bit more!

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets try to extend their winning streak to four games tonight as they take on the Nationals in game two of their four game series.

Last night the Mets played a game unlike any they have ever played. The Mets and Nationals traded leads throughout the game with the Nationals tying the game late and sending it into extra innings. The Mets and Nationals both wasted a runner at third in the tenth, and both scored one run in the 11th. Then the Mets scored 10 runs in the 12th inning. The Nationals ended up having a position player finish off the inning.

Now the Mets, who are tired, will ride that momentum wave behind their ace tonight!

Nolan McLean has pitched 52 1/3 innings over nine starts with a 2.92 ERA, 2.68 FIP, 0.955 WHIP and a 136 ERA+. He allowed three runs in the first inning against the Tigers the last time out and he still went seven innings. McLean faced the Nationals once last year near the end of the season allowing three runs, one earned over five innings. The Nationals have the following numbers against McLean:

• CJ Abrams 0-3, K
• Brady House 1-2
• Daylen Lile 0-3
• Nasim Nuñez 0-2, K
• James Wood 0-1, 2 BB, K

Foster Griffin has pitched 51 innings over nine starts with a 3.53 ERA, 4.45 FIP, 1.137 WHIP and a 113 ERA+ in his first season back in the states after pitching three seasons in Japan. From April 26th to May 8th Griffin made three starts allowing five runs, only one earned, over 20 innings while striking out 20 batters. In his last start he allowed nine runs from seven hits over 4 1/3 innings against the Reds. No one on the Mets has faced Griffin in a major league game.

Three Things To Watch For:

1. The Top of the Lineup. The Mets top of the lineup has struggled at points this season. Over the last week things have gotten better with Carson Benge in the leadoff spot and with Soto heating up. Bo Bichette’s struggles have held the top of the lineup back, until last night. Benge, Bichette and Soto combined to go 8-for-17 with six runs, 8 RBI’s and four walks. Bichette had his best night as a Met going 3-for-6 with two runs, three RBI’s and his third home run of the season. After a game like last night the big three at the top of the lineup teeing off early tonight will go a big way to set the tone.
2. Nolan McLean’s fastball vs breaking ball. McLean has thrown his sinker 36.6% and his four seamer 18.1% of the time this year. His sinker has a .169 BA, .205 xBA with a 9 Run Value according to statcast. His four seamer has a .185 BA, .270 xBA with a 2 run value. Taken together his fastball has a run value in the 98th percentile this year. His breaking ball though is in the 44th percentile of run value. Batters are hitting his sweeper at a .304 clip, despite a .238 xBA.
3. The Bullpen is tired. The Mets used everyone in the bullpen yesterday except Daniel Duarte, Sean Manaea and Devin Williams. Sean Manaea tossed 57 pitches on Sunday and Devin Williams pitched in back-to-back games over the weekend. Everyone the Mets used yesterday tossed at least 19 pitches and four pitches were used on Saturday. This feels like a recipe for Duarte to make his 2026 debut this evening. Duarte last pitched in the majors in 2024 allowing one run over four innings. In 2023 he had a 3.69 ERA, 5.84 FIP and a 127 ERA+ over 31 games. Duarte was having success in Syracuse with a 2.60 ERA, 1.269 WHIP over 17 1/3 innings.

Let’s Go Mets!