213 Miles From Shea

For the first time in 2026, the Mets will finally play the Philadelphia Phillies, their division rivals. As you know by now, the Mets have had a weird schedule to start the year. Their first road trips were to the West Coast, by the end of the first week of June they were done with all West Coast trips for the year. Their first homestand was against central teams. And now we have the rest of the season the play our closest rivals.

The Mets have been stuck in neutral in June. For the third week in a row the Mets have lost the first series of the week by dropping the first two games and avoiding the sweep on the last day. The last two weeks they’ve won the weekend series, going .500 for the week. Will the pattern continue in Philly?

Scheduling note: the Mets and Phillies will have the rare Friday day off tomorrow due to the World Cup in Philadelphia.

Sean Manaea rejoined the Mets rotation last week and looked great, allowing two runs over six innings from four hits while striking out six batters. Overall this season Manaea has pitched in 15 games totaling 49 innings with a 4.78 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 1.347 WHIP and an 86 ERA+. In his last five games he has pitched 21 2/3 innings with 22 strikeouts posting a 2.91 ERA and a 3.42 FIP. The only blemish recently has been the long ball. He’s allowed exactly one home run in each of his last three starts. The Phillies have the following career numbers against Manaea:

• Alec Bohm 4-15, HR, 3 K
• Bryce Harper 7-19, 2 2B, HR, 4 K
• Derek Hill 1-3, 2B
• Brandon Marsh 0-3, BB, 2 K
• J.T. Realmuto 1-12, BB
• Kyle Schwarber 2-13, HR, 3 BB, 2 K
• Edmundo Sosa 6-14, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 4 K
• Bryson Stott 4-9, HR, 2 BB, K
• Garrett Stubbs 1-2
• Trea Turner 7-21 HR, BB, 6 K

Aaron Nola has made 14 starts totaling 70 2/3 innings with a 5.86 ERA, 4.50 FIP, 1.472 WHIP and a 76 ERA+. In his last two starts he has allowed eight runs over 9 innings from 12 hits and six walks. Nola made two starts against the Mets last season. In Queens he allowed four runs from seven hits over 6 1/3 innings. In Philly he shut the Mets out over six innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Nola:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-6, HR, 2 K
• Brett Baty 1-10, 3 BB, 3 K
• Bo Bichette 4-10, 2B, HR, 3 K
• MJ Melendez 0-2, BB, 2 K
• Marcus Semien 0-6, K
• Juan Soto 10-43, 3 2B, 3 HR, 16 BB, 11 K
• Luis Torrens 2-6
• Mark Vientos 2-8, 2 K
• Jared Young 1-2, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Bo Bichette. Bichette and Soto have been the two players to watch over the last week. Bichette went 3-for-4 at the plate yesterday, his sixth straight game with at least two hits. In his last seven games he has gone 15-for-30 with three doubles and three home runs (.500/.500/.900). Over his last seven games he has taken his OPS from .597 to .677. His bWAR is finally positive again (0.2) and his OPS+ is now up to 90. Holy stat regression to the career mean!
2. Juan Soto. Bichette wasn’t the only hitter collecting three hits yesterday. Soto went 3-for-5 with a double, his seventh straight game getting on base at least twice. Over his last seven games Soto has gone 12-for-25 with three doubles and two home runs (.480/.581/.840). The difference for Soto yesterday is the batters behind him actually drove Soto in. Hopefully the Mets don’t waste this hot streak that Soto and Bichette are on!
3. Francisco Alvarez. Since we are highlighting players who got three hits yesterday, we can’t leave out Francisco Alvarez. Alvarez went 3-for-5 with a run scored as the DH. Since returning from the injured list, Alvarez has gone 8-for-25 with a home run, slashing .320/.370/.440. The Mets around him just haven’t really been hitting on the days that Alavarez has played and the team has gone 2-5 in his seven games played.

Let’s Go Mets!

June has been a month of déjà vu. For the third week in a row the Mets have lost the first two games of a series. Seattle. St. Louis. Now Cincinnati. The Mets were able to salvage the series in Seattle and at home against the Cardinals. Then the Mets would go on to win the weekend series 2-1, dropping the middle game.

In order to keep the pattern going, and to have a shot at ending the week at .500, the Mets need to win today behind Nolan McLean. Let’s go!

Nolan McLean has made 14 starts this season totaling 76 1/3 innings with a 4.01 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 1.140 WHIP and a 102 ERA+. He’s coming off of a short start where he was pulled after allowing two runs over four innings due to four walks. He struck out six batters, which was the most he has done in a few starts. For the most part he’s starting to hit a stride again allowing a total of four runs over his last 15 innings. McLean will also be looking for revenge as one of his worst starts of the season was against the Reds where he allowed seven runs over 3 1/3 innings from five hits and two walks. The Reds have the following career numbers against McLean:

• JJ Bleday 1-2, HR, K
• Blake Dunn 0-2, K
• Nathaniel Lowe 1-1, 2B, BB
• Matt McLain 0-2
• Spencer Steer 1-2
• Tyler Stephenson 1-2, HR, K
• Sal Stewart 0-1, K
• Eugenio Suarez 1-3, BB, K

Nick Lodolo has made seven starts totaling 38 innings this season with a 5.21 ERA, 6.07 FIP, 1.447 WHIP and an 84 ERA+. He’s coming off of a better start against the Diamondbacks where he held them to two runs over 5 1/3 innings. In the two starts before that he allowed seven runs over 11 2/3 innings from 15 hits. One of his best starts of the year was against the Mets where he held the Mets to one run over six innings while striking out seven. The Mets have the following career stats against Lodolo:

• Brett Baty 0-2
• Carson Benge 1-1
• Bo Bichette 2-3, K
• A.J. Ewing 1-3
• Marcus Semien 3-6, HR, 2 K
• Juan Soto 1-3, HR, K
• Luis Torrens 1-4, K
• Mark Vientos 0-6, 3 K
• Eric Wagaman 2-5, HR

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Bo Bichette. We are going to keep saying watch Bo Bichette while he’s on this heater. Bichette now has five consecutive games where he has at least two hits. In his last six games he has gone 12-for-26 with three doubles and three home runs slashing .462/.444/.923. He has taken his OPS from .597 to .664. He’s bWAR is now up to -0.1 and OPS+ is up to 87. This stretch is really helping him return to his normal season stats. Let’s just hope that the Mets don’t waste this stretch.
2. Juan Soto. The other half of the Mets offense recently has been Juan Soto. He has a six game streak of getting on base at least two times. In his last six games he has gone 9-for-20 with two doubles, two home runs and six walks (.450/.577/1.427). The Mets offense falls off a cliff behind Soto, so this has translated into four runs scored, two of which are due to Soto’s own home runs.
3. Mark Vientos. The Mets need to get Mark Vientos going. Yesterday he went 1-for-2, coming in as a pinch hitter, with a two-run home run. He now has a three game hitting streak, but only one start in that stretch. If the Mets are going to dig out of this hole, they need Mark Vientos to hit.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are no longer undefeated in the Knicks championship era.

After rolling through the Braves on Sunday the Mets barely showed up last night, losing 12-0. Tobias Myers had a disastrous start allowing seven runs in 1 1/3 innings. The Mets could never climb out of the hole and honestly it felt like they didn’t even attempt to.

On top of the loss, the Mets got bad news about Christian Scott yesterday who didn’t respond well enough to hip treatment and landed on the injured list. Luckily Kodai Senga is read to go for tonight’s start but the Mets are struggling to find consistent starters right now.

Kodai Senga has had a frustrating season for the Mets so far. Before his injury he pitched 20 innings over five games with a 9.00 ERA, 6.16 FIP, 1.950 WHIP and a 46 ERA+. He looked alright in his first two starts, allowing four runs over 11 2/3 innings. In the 8 1/3 innings that following he allowed 17 runs, 16 earned. He had a solid start in Binghamton his last time out, holding the Somerset Patriots to one run over six innings. The Reds have the following career numbers against him:

• Nathaniel Lowe 0-5, K
• Dane Myers 0-4, 2 K
• Spencer Steer 1-3, HR, 2 K
• Tyler Stephenson 2-2
• Eugenio Suarez 0-6, BB, 4 K

Brady Singer has made 13 starts totaling 61 innings with a 5.61 ERA, 6.32 FIP, 1.639 WHIP and a 78 ERA+. He’s coming off of a better start, allowing two runs over six innings against the Padres. In the six starts before that start, Singer had a 6.92 ERA, 8.84 FIP. The Mets have the following career stats against Singer:

• Brett Baty 0-6, 4 K
• Bo Bichette 3-11, 3B, 3 K
• Vidal Bruján 1-3, 2B
• Marcus Semien 4-14, 2B, BB, 4 K
• Juan Soto 4-10, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Luis Torrens 0-5, 2 K
• Mark Vientos 1-5, BB, K
• Eric Wagaman 1-4, 2B, BB, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Bo Bichette. As long as Bo keeps hitting, we’ll keep writing about him. Bichette went 3-for-5 with two doubles last night. In his last five games he has gone 10-for-21 at the plate with three doubles and three home runs. The Mets weren’t able to bring him home at all, but Bo hitting right now is exactly what the team needs.
2. But we need to hit with RISP. Bo had two doubles last night and didn’t score. That’s because the Mets went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. The offense has been a major weak point for the team this year as they have struggled to get most of the lineup healthy and on the same page at the same time. Tonight the Mets have a more favorable matchup, let’s hope Bo and company have more hits in them.
3. Keep the Reds in the ball park. The Reds hit three runs last night. They are currently ninth in the league with 92 home runs. Great American Ball Park is third in the league for park factor and second for home runs (22% more home runs observed at GAMP). Senga has never been great about keeping the ball in the yard, but he’s been terrible this season with a 2.3 HR/9.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets are undefeated in the Knicks Championship era!

The Mets took the weekend series from the Braves and now start another week where they will try to dig themselves out of the hole they find themselves in. Entering play today the Mets are only 5.5 games out of the last wild card spot. The Reds are the first team they are chasing, currently four games out of the last wild card spot.

The Mets have recalled Tobias Myers. The Mets ran into some bullpen depth issues a couple of weeks ago and had to send Myers down and now he’s back as a starter. At the end of yesterday’s game, Mendoza stated that Myers will probably be limited to 40 pitches or so. Over 20 games this season Myers has pitched 33 1/3 innings with a 4.05 ERA, 4.52 FIP, 1.080 WHIP and a 102 ERA+. This includes two outings against the Reds where he allowed a run over 2 innings from two hits. Since going down the minors he has pitched six innings over three games allowing one unearned run and one hit. The Reds have the following career numbers against Myers:

• Will Benson 0-2, 2 BB
• JJ Bleday 0-1, K
• Blake Dunn 1-2
• Noelvi Marte 0-6, K
• Matt McLain 0-3, K
• Spencer Steer 1-6, 3 K
• Tyler Stephenson 2-8, 2B, 4 K
• Eugenio Suarez 2-4, K
• Jose Trevino 0-2

The Mets bats draw an ace for the first game of the series. Chase Burns has made 13 starts tossing 75 2/3 innings with a 2.14 ERA, 3.24 FIP, 0.991 WHIP and a 205 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed six runs over 16 2/3 innings from 16 hits and five walks while striking out 24 (3.24 ERA, 2.69 FIP). This includes a start against the Mets where he allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings scattering four hits and a two walks while striking out eight. The Mets have the following stats against Burns:

• Brett Baty 0-1, BB, K
• Carson Benge 0-3, K
• Bo Bichette 1-3, K
• A.J. Ewing 1-3, K
• MJ Melendez 0-2
• Marcus Semien 0-2, K
• Juan Soto 1-3, HR, K
• Luis Torrens 1-2, 2B, K
• Jared Young 0-1, BB, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. A.J. Ewing. The rookie came out swinging yesterday going 3-for-5 at the plate with a double and a home run. In his last six games he has gone 6-for-20 with three doubles and a home run. He has only six extra-base hits on the season and four of them have come in his last six games! Today is either the first time that Ewing will face a starting pitcher in a second game, let’s see what adjustments he makes!
2. Bo Bichette. The Bo Bichette breakout is happening! Yesterday was his third consecutive game with two hits. In his last four games he has gone 7-for-16, with a double and three home runs. He has 8 RBI’s in this stretch and only two strikeouts while he slashes .438/.412/1.063. During this stretch he has raised his season OPS from .597 to .646.
3. Juan Soto. Bichette isn’t the only hitter heating up right now. Juan Soto has collected two hits in four consecutive games. In his last four he ahs gone 8-for-14 with two doubles, two home runs and three walks. He’s slashing .571/.647/1.143 over this stretch. If the Mets make another magical June run, it’s going to be because of Bo Bichette and Juan Soto.

Let’s Go Mets!

What a weekend in New York! The Knicks are NBA champions! The World Cup! The Puerto Rico Day Parade! And the Mets!

The Mets will try to shake off yesterday’s game where the offense could not get anything going against the Braves and lost 3-1. With the Knicks winning last night everything can be different! Or maybe the Braves will just be sleep deprived from last night’s party!

The Mets need Freddy Peralta today to be the Freddy Peralta we know he can be. In 14 starts, 78 innings, Peralta has a 4.04 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 1.321 WHIP and a 102 ERA+. His last start was rough, allowing six runs against the Cardinals over six innings. In his last four starts he has allowed 15 runs over 23 2/3 innings (5.70 ERA). There have been positive moments, like striking out 25 batters in that stretch, and real downsides like allowing four home runs. The Braves have the following career stats against Peralta:

• Ozzie Albies 1-16, 2 2B, 3 BB, 3 K
• Michael Harris II 1-4, 2 K
• Ha-Seong Kim 0-2, BB
• Sandy Leon 0-1, K
• Jorge Mateo 0-2, K
• Matt Olson 3-11, 2B, HR< 3 BB, 2 K
• Austin Riley 7-16, 2B, 2 HR, BB, 2 K
• Dominic SMith 2-5, 2 K
• Rowdy Tellez 0-2, BB, 2 K
• Eli White 1-2, HR
• Mike Yastrzemski 1-9, 2B, 2 K

Bryce Elder has made 14 starts, 84 2/3 innings, with a 2.66 ERA, 3.46 FIP, 1.051 WHIP and a 151 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed 11 runs, 10 earned, over 16 innings with a 5.63 ERA, 4.10 FIP. This is mostly due to a start against the Red Sox at the end of May where he allowed six runs, five earned, in 3 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following numbers against Elder:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-2
• Brett Baty 1-9, BB, 4 K
• Bo Bichette 1-3
• MJ Melendez 0-2, BB
• Marcus Semien 0-4
• Juan Soto 3-7, HR, 2 BB
• Luis Torrens 1-4
• Mark Vientos 1-3, HR, K
• Eric Wagaman 2-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Bichette & Soto. Bo Bichette and Juan Soto stayed consistent at the top of the lineup yesterday, despite the Mets around them flailing. Together they went 4-for-8 with two doubles (although it should have been one double and one home run). Bichette has now gone 5-for-11 with a double and three home runs over his last three games. Juan Soto has gone 6-for-11 with two doubles and two home runs. If the Mets can take today’s game, it’s going to be because of Bichette and Soto.
2. Bryce’s Slider. Bryce Elder does generate quite a lot of hard hits, he’s about middle of the league in hard-hit%. It’s been difficult hitters for to barrel him up, a lot of this is due to his slider. He throws his slider 28.5% of the time, more than any other pitch. It has a .173 BA and .183 xBA, the best out of all his pitches he throws more than 10% of the time. His slider also has the highest K% of any of pitches (29.9%). The Mets will need to find a way to lay off of it.
3. Flashing more power. Over the last week or so the Mets have started to hit more home runs, especially Bo Bichette and Juan Soto. The team now has 74 home runs on the season, with is good for 18th in the league. For a while the Mets were way down the bottom of the of league. The Mets finished 5th in the league last year and 6th before that. Bryce Elder has done a good job keeping the ball in the park this season, reducing his HR/9 to 0.7 after two consecutive seasons at 1.4.

Let’s Go Mets!

What a sports weekend! The Knicks play tonight! The World Cup has it’s first New Jersey game today! And the Mets can take the series against the Braves! Last night the Mets took opener behind Bo Bichette who hit two home runs including a grand slam! Let’s keep the momentum going!

Sean Manaea has pitched in 14 games this season totaling 43 innings with a 5.02 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.442 WHIP and an 83 ERA+. In his last outing he allowed two runs against the Padres over four innings. In his last four outings he has allowed five runs over 15 2/3 innings, scattering 12 hits and four walks while striking out 16 batters (2.87 ERA, 3.49 FIP). A resurgent Sean Manaea could be the x-factor the Mets need to go on a run this month and get back into the race. The Braves have the following career numbers against Manaea:

• Ozzie Albies 1-3
• Mauricio Dubón 1-6
• Michael Harris II 0-2, K
• Ha-Seong Kim 1-10, BB, 2 K
• Sandy Leon 1-6, K
• Jorge Mateo 0-2
• Matt Olson 2-5, HR, 2 K
• Austin Riley 3-4, HR, BB, K
• Dominic Smith 2-4, BB
• Rowdy Tellez 2-3
• Eli White 1-3, K
• Austin Wynns 3-6
• Mike Yastrzemski 2-8, 3B, BB, 3 K

The Braves know how to take an aging starter and turn back the clock. Martín Pérez has pitched in 13 games including nine starts this season totaling 56 2/3 innings with a 3.02 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.059 WHIP and a 134 ERA+. He’s coming off of a rougher start where he allowed three runs from three hits and two walks over five innings. In his last four starts he has a 4.35 ERA, 3.83 FIP. The Mets have the following career numbers against Pérez:

• Francisco Alvarez 0-2, 2 BB
• Brett Baty 1-2
• Bo Bichette 1-2
• Vidal Bruján 0-2
• MJ Melendez 2-9, K
• Marcus Semien 10-37, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 8 K
• Juan Soto 3-8, HR, BB
• Luis Torrens 0-6, BB, 3 K
• Mark Vientos 1-4, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Bo Bichette. Was last night the Bo Bichette breakout game? The moment where his season finally turns around? In his last two games Bichette has gone 3-for-7 with three home runs and eight RBI’s. He’s rocketed his OPS to .635 and his OPS+ to 78. Summer is heating up in New York and we need our superstars to step up!
2. Juan Soto. From June 1st to June 10th, Juan Soto went 3-for-30 with no extra bases, slashing .100/.206/.100. In the two game since Soto has gone 4-for-7 with a double, two home runs, and three runs scored. Both Soto and Bo Bichette have gone off the last two games and the Mets have won both of those games.
3. A Tired Bullpen. The Mets waited late today to announce Sean Manaea as the starter. They’ve been using openers for Manaea but after the last couple of days the Mets have really relied heavily on their bullpen. Austin Warren had a heavy workload as an opener on Wednesday. The Mets used their big arms on Thursday relying on A.J. Minter, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams and Brooks Raley to lock down the win. They had to go back and use Williams and Raley yesterday. Today feels like Luke Weaver’s day who only needed 11 pitches on Thursday.

Let’s Go Mets!

It is June 12th and the Mets will finally play the Braves for the first time this season. The Mets had a heavy west coast favored schedule for the first half of the season and welcomed a lot of AL and NL Central teams to Queens in April. As a weird scheduling quirk, it’s mid-June and the Mets still haven’t faced the Braves and the Phillies. All of that changes over the next week and a half.

The Braves have been surging this year. The Mets have been struggling this year, but avoided the sweep yesterday. They enter play today eight games below .500 and desperately need to close that gap.

Nolan McLean has made 13 starts this season totaling 72 1/3 innings with a 3.98 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.106 WHIP and a 103 ERA+. In late May he had two rough starts, allowing 16 runs over two starts. Since then he has allowed two runs over 11 innings in two starts. McLean had a terrific start against the Braves last season, holding them to two runs over seven innings, scattering four hits while striking out seven. The Braves have the following stats against McLean:

• Ozzie Albies 0-3
• Michael Harris II 0-3, K
• Matt Olson 0-3, 3 K
• Rowdy Tellez 2-3, K

Spencer Strider has made seven starts this season totaling 36 innings with a 4.00 ERA, 4.46 FIP, 1.278 WHIP and a 101 ERA+. Strider is still trying to find a groove since returning to the mound this season. From May 9th to the 15th, against the Dodgers and Red Sox, Strider allowed only one run over 11 1/3 innings. Since then he has made four starts with a 5.06 ERA, 5.07 FIP. He’s allowed exactly three earned runs in each of those four starts. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-9, 2 HR, BB, 5 K
• Brett Baty 3-8, K
• Bo Bichette 1-6, 2B, 3 K
• MJ Melendez 0-2, K
• Marcus Semien 0-5
• Juan Soto 3-13, 6 BB, K
• Luis Torrens 0-1, BB, K
• Mark Vientos 0-5, 2 K
• Eric Wagaman 0-3, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Potentially a Battle of Aces. If we were talking about pitching matchups to watch before the season started, Strider vs McLean would be near the top of the list. McLean has ace potential for the Mets, and was insanely good at the end of last season and the start of this season. Spencer Strider had 281 strikeouts in 2023 and has struggled with injuries since. He should be the Braves ace, but has to figure out how to get and stay healthy. Tonight could be a pitchers duel! Or not! Baseball!
2. Francisco Alvarez. Alvarez is something else. He tore his meniscus on May 12th and had a recovery timeline of 6-8 weeks. He made it back to the lineup slightly less than a month later. In his first two games back he ahs gone 2-for-7 with a two-run home run. Overall this season he is slashing .246/.316/.410 with a 103 OPS+. Despite only playing in 40 games, his five home runs on the season is sixth on a Mets team that is struggling for power.
3. Jared Young. Young went three games without an extra-base hit. He’s back on it now, hitting a double on Wednesday and a home run on Thursday. Young went 2-for-4 yesterday with RBI’s in two different plate appearances. He now has nine RBI’s over 25 games, good for 11th on the Mets just slightly behind batters who have played in almost 20 more games. Young is hitting .288/.360/.530 with a 147 OPS+.

Let’s Go Mets!

The Mets look to salvage one game of the series this afternoon against the Cardinals. Last night was just an abysmal night for the Mets who were down 7-0 by the time the Knicks game started. Unlike the Knicks, the Mets were not able to dig deep and stage a comeback for the ages. Maybe last night’s Knicks win will inspire the Mets this afternoon.

Christian Scott has pitched 36 innings over eight starts this season with a 2.50 ERA, 3.11 FIP, 1.306 WHIP and a 165 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed only one run from 12 hits and six walks over 16 1/3 innings. He’s struck out 16 batters over this stretch. This will be Scott’s first time facing the Cardinals and no one on the Cardinals roster has faced Scott in a major league game.

Hunter Dobbins is getting the start today for the Cardinals. He’s pitched 13 innings over three games this season with a 2.77 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 1.308 WHIP and a 148 ERA+. His major league debut was a traditional start against the Pirates on April 30th and he allowed three runs over 4/3 innings. His last two outings have been in bulk relief allowing only one run over 8 2/3 innings. His last time out he pitched five innings with 78 pitches. The Mets have the following career stats against Dobbins:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-2, 2B
• Brett Baty 0-2
• Juan Soto 0-2
• Mark Vientos 0-2

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Get On Base! The Mets are doing that thing again where the offense just disappears. On Tuesday night the Mets had five hits and no runs. Last night the Mets had only three hits and scored two runs, thanks to Francisco Alvarez. In addition to the Mets getting only three hits, they worked only two walks. The offense over the last couple of days has been so bad that Bo Bichette and Luis Torrens slipped back to a sub-.600 OPS.
2. Bullpen is still rested! On Tuesday night Gerber and Pérez for three innings of relief. Last night Pérez and Pintaro combined for 4 1/3 innings of one run ball after David Peterson struggled in bulk relief. The Mets big relievers (Raley, Weaver, Brazobán, Minter and Williams) all haven’t pitched since last Sunday. Hopefully the Mets put the bats in a position to use the big guns.
3. Juan Soto. The Mets need their superstar today. Soto lit the world on fire at the end of May, going 13-for-35 with seven home runs over 10 games. In June Soto has gone 3-for-30, all singles with four walks (.100/.206/.100).

Let’s Go Mets!

Tuesday night’s game was not the way to start a homestand. The Cardinals beat the Mets 7-0, getting Peralta to allow six runs over six innings while the Mets batters only recorded five hits. Gerber and Pérez were able to combine for three innings of relief, allowing one run, to keep all of the Mets arms fresh.

The Mets need a bounce back win tonight. They need that type of win where they fire on all cylinders.

Austin Warren gets the spot start tonight with Christian Scott sliding back to Thursday’s game. Warren has pitched 22 1/3 innings this season over 16 games with a 2.01 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 1.119 WHIP and a 204 ERA+. Warren had his first rough outing last Saturday allowing a two-run home run during a two-inning relief stint. That ended up being the difference maker as the Mets lost 3-2. On June 1st he opened against the Mariners and allowed no runs and no hits in one inning of work. The Cardinals have the following stats against Austin Warren:

• Alec Burleson 0-1
• Ivan Herrera 1-1
• Lars Nootbaar 0-2
• Pedro Pagés 0-1
• Masyn Winn 0-1

Andre Pallante has made 12 starts totaling 63 2/3 innings this season with a 3.96 ERA, 4.41 FIP, 1.304 WHIP and a 102 ERA+. In his last four starts he has a 2.95 ERA, 3.95 FIP over 21 1/3 innings allowing exactly one earned run in three of those four starts. He opened his 2026 season against the Mets holding them scoreless over five innings. The Mets have the following career numbers against Pallante:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-3, BB
• Brett Baty 1-2
• Carson Benge 0-2
• Bo Bichette 2-8, 2B, BB, K
• MJ Melendez 3-7, 2B, K
• Marcus Semien 1-6, 2 K
• Juan Soto 3-12, 2B, 2 BB, K
• Luis Torrens 0-4, K
• Mark Vientos 2-6, HR, BB
• Eric Wagaman 0-2, K
• Jared Young 1-2, K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. David Peterson? David Peterson hasn’t pitched in June yet. His last outing was on May 31st where he held the Marlins to one hit and no runs over four innings of relief. There’s every reason to believe that he’ll be the Mets bulk reliever this afternoon. Over 13 games this season Peterson has pitched 57 1/3 innings with a 5.18 ERA, 3.01 FIP, 1.587 WHIP with a 79 ERA+.
2. A.J. Ewing. Ewing was the only player with a really solid night at the plate last night going 2-for-4 with a double. Ewing now has a six game hitting streak where he has gone 9-for-22 with two doubles, three stolen bases and three runs scored (.409/.440/.500). Ewing also extended his strikeout streak to eight straight games with at least one strikeout. On a positive note, he has struck out exactly once in each of his last six games (he had five strikeouts in two games to start this dubious streak).
3. Mark Vientos. Vientos went 0-for-1 in his pinch hit last night. On the season Vientos is hitting .212/.246/.368 with a 72 OPS+ and a -0.9 bWAR. He is hitless in July going 0-for-11 over five games with six strikeouts. Since May 21st he is hitting .128/.146/.213. Vientos is now struggling to find playing time between the emergence of Jared Young, and Juan Soto / MJ Melendez doing more of the DH’ing. Here’s hoping Vientos gets a chance tonight and can sieze it.

Let’s Go Mets!

Do you find yourself struggling to stay awake for late night sporting events? Rejoice! The Mets return to the east coast tonight after their final west coast road trip for the season. If you live in the eastern time zone, first pitch for the rest of the season happens at a reasonable time!

The Mets are coming off of a series win in San Diego where Carson Benge had a historic day going 5-for-5 in the leadoff spot. The Mets are still in last place in the NL East, but they have won seven of their last ten and are only five games out of the last wild card spot. They’ll play a Cardinals team tonight who have won four games in a row and are two games above the last wild card spot. Now is the time for the Mets to collapse the playoff race!

Freddy Peralta has made 13 starts this season totaling 72 innings with a 3.63 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 1.319 WHIP and a 112 ERA+. He ended May allowing eight runs over 11 2/3 innings from 16 hits and three walks. He’s coming off of a strong start in Seattle where he held the Mariners to one run over six innings while striking out six. He held the Cardinals to one run over 5 1/3 innings earlier this season in a game the Mets eventually lost 2-1 in extra-innings. The Cardinals have the following career stats against Peralta:

• Alec Burleson 4-21, 2 2B, 2 BB, 2 K
• Nolan Gorman 3-12, 2B, 4 BB, 2 K
• Ivan Herrera 4-8, BB, 2 K
• Lars Nootbaar 4-19, 3 BB, 8 K
• Pedro Pagés 2=6, 2 HR, 3 K
• Jordan Walker 2-9, 3 K
• JJ Wetherholt 1-3, 2 K
• Masyn Winn 3-17, BB, 3 K

Dustin May has made 12 starts this season totaling 66 2/3 innings with a 4.59 ERA, 3.36 FIP, 1.290 WHIP and an 88 ERA+. May went on a tear in mid-April, putting up a 1.93 ERA, 3.02 FIP over 23 1/3 innings (four starts). Since then he has a 4.00 ERA, 2.97 FIP over 36 innings (six starts). He missed the Mets in early April and the Mets have the following career stats against him:

• Brett Baty 2-5, K
• Marcus Semien 0-3
• Juan Soto 2-11, 2 2B, 4 BB, 2 K
• Luis TOrrens 0-2
• Eric Wagaman 1-2, BB
• Jared Young 0-3, 2 K

Three Things To Watch For:

1. Carson Benge. Benge had a career day on Sunday, going 5-for-5 with a home run, a triple and three runs scored. He’s now hitting .265/.325/.408 on the season with a 107 OPS+. Since April 23rd Benge has played in 41 games slashing .318/.371/.497. He’s become a fantastic table setter for the Mets and has the ability to set the tone for the night!
2. A.J. Ewing. Ewing was not on the Mets yet when the Mets went to St. Louis earlier this season. Over 25 games, Ewing already has a 0.8 bWAR, which is just 0.1 behind Carson Benge. He’s slashing .259/.340/.329 with a 92 OPS+. His 11 walks already have him tied for 7th on the team. His seven steals ranks second on the Mets. Ewing currently has a five game hitting streak. The only knock on his game recently has been strikeouts. He has struck out at least once in seven games in a row, totaling 10 K’s.
3. JJ Wetherholt. The Mets aren’t the only team being led by exciting rookies. JJ Wetherholt has been a revelation. He’s slashing .246/.358/.395 with a 116 OPS+ and a 2.7 bWAR. He has stolen seven bases this season without being caught at all and has worked 31 walks. Baseball Savant has him in the 97th percentile for baserunning value and 99th percentile for fielding run value. This is going to be a series with rookies driving the narrative!

Let’s Go Mets!