Sunday, July 26, 2026 • 1:40 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Emmet Sheehan (4-7, 5.13) vs. RHP Freddy Peralta (5-9, 5.01)
SNY
The New York Mets look to avoid being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday afternoon. It’s been a frustrating series for the Mets who have lost the first two games by a score of 4-2 and 4-3. The Mets had opportunities to win both games but just couldn’t get it done for a variety of reasons.
Sunday is probably the most important game of the series for the Mets because Freddy Peralta will be on the mound. Peralta is one of the larger names that will be available at the end of this month, despite his recent state of play. A strong start against a strong Dodgers lineup can go a long way for both him and the Mets.
Mets Lineup
- A.J. Ewing – CF
- Francisco Lindor – SS
- Bo Bichette – 3B
- Carson Benge – RF
- Jorge Polanco – DH
- Jared Young – 1B
- Tyrone Taylor – LF
- Brett Baty – 2B
- Luis Torrens – C
Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta
Freddy Peralta has made 21 starts this season totaling 109 2/3 innings with a 5.01 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 1.459 WHIP, and an 83 ERA+. His ERA+ is the lowest in his career, and the first time it’s been below 100 since 2019.
He’s coming off of a dreadful start against the Milwaukee Brewers where he allowed seven runs over 5 1/3 innings. In the two starts before that he allowed five runs but only three earned over nine innings while striking out 12 batters.
The Dodgers have the following career numbers against Peralta:
- Mookie Betts 1-14, HR, BB, K
- Alex Call 0-4, BB, 3 K
- Tommy Edman 7-26, 2 2B, BB, 7 K
- Freddie Freeman 6-29, HR, 2 BB, 5 K
- Teoscar Hernández 3-9, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
- Max Muncy 3-13, 2B, 3B, HR, BB, 4 K
- Shohei Ohtani 3-12, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 K
- Andy Pages 1-8, 2B, BB, 2 K
- Miguel Rojas 4-16, BB, 2 K
- Kyle Tucker 5-14, 2B, 6 BB, K
Dodgers Lineup
- Shohei Ohtani – DH
- Andy Pages – CF
- Freddie Freeman – 1B
- Max Muncy – 3B
- Mookie Betts – SS
- Tommy Edman – 2B
- Kyle Tucker – RF
- Teoscar Hernandez – LF
- Eliezer Alfonzo – C
Starting Pitcher: Emmet Sheehan
Emmet Sheehan has made 18 starts totaling 87 2/3 innings, both are career highs. He has a 5.13 ERA, 4.50 FIP, 1.266 WHIP, and an 81 ERA+ this season which is a massive departure from his 2.82 ERA, 2.93 FIP, 0.968 WHIP and 146 ERA+ over 73 2/3 innings last season. His HR/9 has jumped from 0.9 in 2025 to 1.7 in 2026.
Sheehan was starting to build momentum with three consecutive strong starts with a 2.45 ERA, 3.11 FIP but in his last start he allowed six runs over 5 1/3 innings.
The only Mets who have faced him in a Major League game before are Bo Bichette (0-for-1, K) and Marcus Semien (1-for-3).
Game Notes
This weekend, Carlos Beltrán will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. He announced he would wear a Mets cap on his plaque. Beltrán ranks in the top 10 in team history in home runs, RBI, runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.
Three Things To Watch For
- Freddie Freeman. Freddie Freeman went 3-for-4 again Saturday night. In this series he is 6-for-8 with a double and a stolen base. It’s actually his third consecutive game collecting three hits (9-for-12, 3 2B, 4 R, 2 SB).
- Fielding. The Mets had another rough night fielding, with Brett Baty picking up his seventh error on the season on a throw. Baty was playing first base as the Mets continue to try to figure out where to put Baty with Marcus Semien, Luis Robert Jr., and Bo Bichette all playing. After the game interim manager Andy Green lamented the rules that allow base runners to make that throw more difficult.
- Tyrone Taylor. Taylor had a massive two-run, pinch hit double Saturday night. It was his eighth double on the season. The Mets collectively went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base, those statistics would have been worse if it wasn’t for Taylor. Taylor has seen his play time drop recently with the Mets getting healthier. He has came in as a pinch hitter in his last three games and is 2-for-4 with two doubles and two walks.
