Sunday, August 30, 2026 • 3:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Ethan Pecko (0-0, 7.88) vs. LHP Zac Thornton (3-4, 2.88)
NBC/Peacock

Saturday afternoon the New York Mets and Juan Soto surprised everyone. Soto was activated off the injured list four hours before the start of Saturday’s game.

Following, Nolan McLean though stole the show. He pitched seven innings allowing only one unearned run as the Mets went on to win the game 6-2. Now the Mets have an opportunity to win the series against the Astros this afternoon.

Mets Lineup

  1. Francisco Lindor – SS
  2. Juan Soto – DH
  3. Bo Bichette – 3B
  4. Carson Benge – RF
  5. Jared Young – 1B
  6. Luis Robert Jr. – LF
  7. A.J. Ewing – CF
  8. Marcus Semien – 2B
  9. Luis Torrens – C

Starting Pitcher: Zac Thornton

Zac Thornton has pitched 56 1/3 innings over 10 starts this season with a 2.88 ERA, 3.85 FIP, 1.154 WHIP, and a 142 ERA+. Thornton has allowed either three or four runs in five of his 10 starts. In is other five starts he has allowed either none or one.

His last time out he allowed only one run over six innings from seven hits against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Astros have one of the top offenses in the league, hitting 180 home runs already this season (fourth in the league), so Sunday will be another good test in Thornton’s development.

Astros Lineup

  1. Jeremy Pena – SS
  2. Yordan Alvarez – LF
  3. Isaac Parades – DH
  4. Jose Altuve – 2B
  5. Daulton Varsho – CF
  6. Christian Walker – 1B
  7. Yanier Diaz – C
  8. Cam Smith – RF
  9. Nick Allen – SS

Starting Pitcher: Ethan Pecko

The Mets’ bats will get a look at rookie Ethan Pecko Sunday afternoon. In his first two major league starts he has allowed seven runs from eight hits and seven walks over eight innings. He faced the Yankees in the Bronx earlier in the week who scored five runs and hit two home runs against him.

Pecko is currently listed as the ninth-best prospect in the Astros system by MLB Pipeline. He throws a mid-90 mph fastball that can be anywhere between 93 and 98. He mixes in a slider, cutter, curveball, and changeup to round out his arsenal.

Game Notes

Luis Robert Jr. was placed on waivers Saturday. It is very unlikely he is claimed.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Juan Soto. Juan Soto had a quiet return to the lineup Saturday going 1-for-4 with an RBI. The RBI was his 750th in his career. He still has a high .941 OPS on the season. If he qualified for the leader board he would be behind Yordan Alvarez (1.044) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (.944), but ahead of James Wood (.928). Soto’s next big milestone is 1,000 career walks. He needs 31 before the end of the season which is not impossible but would be difficult to do with a month to go.
  2. Jared Young. Young cooled off for four games, going 2-for-15 at the plate with a double. Then, Saturday, he went 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Since August 5, Jared Young has slashed .338/.350/.532 over 21 games with 26 hits including six doubles, three triples and home run.
  3. Marcus Semien. Semien has six hits in his last four games. Specifically, he has collected exactly two hits three times in his last four games. He’s looked a lot better in August slashing .253/.330/.349 over 24 games raising his season line from .210/.266/.351 to .219/.279/.350.