The Mets finally did something last night that has been missing since last July – win a game late after being down! The Angels immediately took the lead last night and by the fifth inning it was feeling like another one of those nights for the Mets. The Mets would go on to score three runs in the sixth to tie the game 3-3, and Ronny Mauricio hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh. Devin Williams shut down the Angels in the ninth and the Mets found themselves in the win column.

The Mets now go for the series win this afternoon and remain undefeated in the month of May. Let the momentum flow!

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Bo Bichette – 3B
2. Juan Soto – DH
3. Francisco Alvarez – C
4. Mark Vientos – 1B
5. Marcus Semien – 2B
6. Andy Ibáñez – LF
7. Tyrone Taylor – CF
8. Austin Slater – RF
9. Ronny Mauricio – SS

Starting Pitcher: Nolan McLean

Nolan McLean has been a rock star in the Mets’ rotation this season. Over six starts, he has tossed 35 1/3 innings with a 2.55 ERA, 2.26 FIP (league leading), 0.849 WHIP, and a 160 ERA+. He has 45 strikeouts and is getting strikeouts at an 11.5 K/9 clip. McLean has a 2.29 xERA (94th percentile), 85.2 mph average exit velocity (93rd percentile), and a .188 xBA (91st percentile). Just dominant stuff. This will be McLean’s first start against the Angels, and no one on the Angels roster has faced him before in a Major League game.

Opposing Lineup

1. Zach Neto – SS
2. Mike Trout – CF
3. Nolan Schanuel – 1B
4. Jorge Soler – DH
5. Jo Adell – RF
6. Josh Lowe – LF
7. Vaughn Grissom – 2B
8. Oswaldo Peraza – 3B
9. Travis d’Arnaud – C

The Mets’ bats will get a look at Reid Detmers tonight. Over 33 2/3 innings (six starts), Detmers has a 4.28 ERA, 3.23 FIP, 1.099 WHIP, and a 101 ERA+. Three starts ago, Detmers held the Yankees to one run over seven innings. Since then, he has allowed seven runs from 10 hits and three walks over 11 innings. He’s been pitching a lot better though than traditional stats suggest. His xERA is 2.95, and he’s getting hitters to chase his pitches 34.1% of the time (81st percentile). Detmers faced the Mets once in relief last year, allowing a run and a hit in an inning of work. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Bo Bichette 2-7, K
• Andy Ibáñez 2-4
• MJ Melendez 1-4, HR
• Marcus Semien 13-31, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 3 BB, 6 K
• Juan Soto 1-1
• Luis Torrens 3-4, 2B, HR

Game Notes

• The Mets extended Luis Torrens on a two-year, $11.5 million deal earlier Saturday. Torrens was picked up mid-way through the 2024 season and has registered a .628 OPS in 152 games with the Mets.
• With a win tonight, the Mets would win two games in a row for just the third time in the 2026 season. The last time the Mets won two games in a row was back on April 23.
• Nolan McLean has the opportunity to put up video game strikeout numbers against the Angels tonight. McLean enters Saturday with an 11.5 K/9 and faces the Angels, who have struck out a major league-leading 328 times.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Marcus Semien. On paper, this seems like a Marcus Semien game. Semien has a .471 OBP in over 30 AB’s against Detmers over his career and has a 1.116 OPS. Semien has been off to a rough start this year with the Mets. He has a .288 xwOBA (23rd percentile), .231 xBA (35th percentile), and .361 xSLG (31st percentile). He’s hitting the ball just as hard as he did last season (34.8% this year, 35% last year), but he’s just not getting results.
2. Rack up strikeouts. Nolan McLean is a strikeout machine, and the Angels are coming off a long night. Yesterday, the Mets got the Angels to strikeout 14 times, including three strikeout nights from Mike Trout, Yoan Moncada, and Jo Adell. Additionally, the Mets didn’t walk any hitters last night! They can’t get on base if they’re striking out!
3. Andy Ibáñez. The Mets claimed Ibáñez from the Athletics and activated him before yesterday’s game (optioning Eric Wagaman to Syracuse). Ibáñez is mostly known for his defensive utility. He can play all over the infield and the outfield corners. Over his career, he is a .252/.303/.385 hitter and is coming off a particularly brutal start to 2026, hitting .118/.167/.118 with a -21 OPS+. Last season he played in 91 games with 193 PAs, hitting .239/.301/.352 with an 81 OPS+ with the Tigers.

Let’s go Mets!

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The Mets offense finally clicked last night, erupting with 10 runs scored on 15 hits. Unfortunately, the night was mired by the loss of Juan Soto.

The left fielder left the game after the first inning and later received an MRI Saturday to determine the severity of his injury. The MRI revealed a minor calf strain, and while the IR is still a possibility, Soto was optimistic he would avoid being shelfed. Carlos Mendoza also spoke to the media and stated that the Mets would make a decision Tuesday when the club was back in New York.

Still, the night was overwhelmingly positive for the Amazins’. Five Mets players had at least two hits, with Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien each getting three hits. In addition to the hit parade, the Mets worked six walks and went 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Let’s keep that momentum going tonight!

Mar 30, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Bo Bichette – 3B
3. Jorge Polanco – DH
4. Brett Baty – RF
5. Mark Vientos – 1B
6. Jared Young – LF
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. Carson Benge – CF
9. Luis Torrens – C

Starting Pitcher: Clay Holmes

Clay Holmes allowed only two runs from four hits and three walks in his first start of the season over 5 2/3 innings. He’s coming off his first season as a full-time starter, where he had a 3.53 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 1.304 WHIP, and a 114 ERA+ over 165 2/3 innings. He had a solid start against the Giants last season, where he allowed one run on six hits and a walk over five innings. The Giants have the following career stats against Holmes:

• Willy Adames 2-4, 2 2B, BB
• Luis Arraez 3-7, 3B, 2 BB, K
• Harrison Bader 3-5, 2 2B, K
• Patrick Bailey 1-2, K
• Matt Chapman 3-11, 2 BB, K
• Rafael Devers 3-10, 2B, HR, 2 BB, K
• Jung Hoo Lee 0-2
• Heliot Ramos 2-4, K
• Casey Schmitt 1-3

Opposing Lineup

1. Willy Adames – SS
2. Rafael Devers – DH
3. Heliot Ramos – LF
4. Luis Arraez – 2B
5. Matt Chapman – 3B
6. Jung Hoo Lee – RF
7. Harrison Bader – CF
8. Patrick Bailey – C
9. Jerar Encarnacion – 1B

Landen Roupp had an excellent start to the season, allowing no runs from two hits and two walks over six innings while striking out six batters. Last season, he made 22 starts totaling 106 2/3 innings with a 3.80 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 1.481 WHIP, and a 106 ERA+. Only a few members of the Mets have seen Roupp in a major league game:

• Brett Baty 0-0, BB
• Francisco Lindor 0-1
• Tyrone Taylor 1-1, 2B

Game Notes

• The Mets recorded a season-high 15 hits in last night’s win. The team went 15-39 with 10 runs, two doubles, three home runs, and six walks.
• The Mets are fifth in the Majors with a 2.89 ERA (24 ER/74.2 IP). That is the third-best mark in the Senior Circuit. The Mets have struck out 79 batters this season, fifth in MLB and the most in the NL.
• In five games this season, Mark Vientos is batting .417 (5-12) with two runs, one double, one homer, two RBI, two walks, a .500 OBP, a .750 SLG, and a 1.250 OPS. He has safely hit in four of his five games.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Bo Bichette. Bo wasn’t going to slump forever! Last night, Bo broke out of his slump in a huge way, going 3-for-5 at the plate with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. It was the second straight game that Bo had an extra-base hit, and his fifth straight game getting on base. He has a .304 OBP in his last five games, which is much better than his .067 OBP in his first three games. Bo also has struck out only two times in his last five games, compared to eight times in his first three games.
2. Mark Vientos. Spring stats don’t count for a reason. Vientos had a terrible spring with only two hits. Over five games this season, he is 5-for-12 with a double, a home run, and a .500 OBP. His 0.4 bWAR is already greater than his 2025 -0.2 bWAR. With Polanco dealing with an Achilles injury, we are going to need Vientos to keep his hot streak going.
3. Grounders. Clay Holmes had a 66.7% ground ball rate his first time out this season, which was good for the 91st percentile in the league. As the season goes on, that rate will probably drop and get closer to his 55.9% rate that he had last season, which was actually the 94th percentile in 2025.

Let’s go Mets!

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The Mets look to take their second consecutive series tonight! Bo Bichette was the story after Sunday’s game, owning up to a rough first three games, and he came through last night going 1-for-5 with a sacrifice fly in the first inning and an RBI hit later in the game. Mendoza was able to lean on the three arms he didn’t use on Sunday (Myers, Raley and Williams), who combined to pitch 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Mets bats were on fire after the first game of the season and we haven’t really seen that since, hopefully tonight is the night the Mets bats get back on track.

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

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

Kodai Senga had a bizarre season last year. He made 22 starts, pitching 113 1/3 innings with a 3.02 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 1.315 WHIP and a 133 ERA+. Before his injury he made 13 starts with a 1.47 ERA. In his nine starts after his injury he had a 5.90 ERA and accepted a minor league assignment in September to figure out what was happening. This spring, though, Senga has looked fantastic, allowing only two runs over 9 2/3 innings while striking out 11 batters. He is routinely hitting 97 mph on the radar gun.

The Cardinals have the following career stats against Senga:

• Alec Burleson 0-6, 2 BB, 2 K
• Nolan Gorman 0-5, 3 K
• Yohel Pozo 0-2
• Thomas Saggese 2-2, 2B
• Victor Scott II 0-2
• Jordan Walker 1-2, HR, BB, K
• Masyn Winn 0-2, K

Opposing Lineup

1. JJ Wetherholt – 2B
2. Iván Herrera – C
3. Alec Burleson – 1B
4. Masyn Winn – SS
5. Nolan Gorman – DH
6. Jordan Walker – RF
7. Nathan Church – LF
8. Ramón Urías – 3B
9. Victor Scott II – CF

Andre Pallante had a strong 2024, pitching in 29 games including 20 starts, with a 3.78 ERA over 121 1/3 innings. He couldn’t repeat those numbers in 2025 when fully moved to the rotation. Over 31 starts (162 2/3 innings), Pallante had a 5.31 ERA, 4.68 FIP, 1.445 WHIP and a 77 ERA+. The Mets tagged him for eight runs over 9 1/3 innings in two starts last season off 16 hits and four walks.

The Mets have the following career numbers against Pallante:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-3, BB
• Brett Baty 1-2
• Bo Bichette 2-6, 2B, K
• Francisco Lindor 6-13, 3 BB, 2 K
• Marcus Semien 1-4, K
• Juan Soto 1-9, 2 BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 6-12, 2B, K
• Luis Torrens 0-2
• Mark Vientos 2-4, HR, BB

Game Notes

J.D. Martinez is back as a special advisor to David Stearns! Martinez was part of the Mets’ 2024 team, which reached the NLCS. He hasn’t played since then, though he hasn’t officially announced his retirement.

MMO today released its write up of the Top 5 prospects in the organization.

Mark Vientos gets his first start of the year, and he’ll surely get another one Wednesday against a lefty starter. Jorge Polanco, Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez get the night off ahead of a day game.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Francisco Lindor, triple hitter? Lindor already has two triples this season. Lindor had three triples from 2023-2025. The most Lindor has ever had in a season was five (2022). He is generally not a triples hitter, and for Lindor to get a triple, some other things have to happen (bad reads on the ball, lucky bounces in the outfield, etc). When you get two triples in the first four games of the season, it does make it a lot more likely that you could reach five or more by the end of the season!
2. Get to the Cardinals bullpen. The Mets have had historical success against Andre Pallante. Behind Pallante is a bullpen that has been struggling, posting a 7.94 ERA off 26 hits in the first four games of the season. The Rays did most of the damage to the Cardinals’ pen, and the bullpen bounced back last night allowing no runs over four innings, scattering two hits and three walks. While the Cardinals bullpen was not going to spend an entire season being as bad as it was this past weekend, tonight is the time to stop them from building positive momentum.
3. Carson Benge. Benge had a huge first game of the season getting a walk and hitting his first home run. He’s been pretty quiet since. Last night he went 2-for-4, stole his second base of the season and didn’t strikeout. The radio broadcast noted that it felt like Benge and Alvarez were making sure Lindor and Soto had runners to drive in all night.

Let’s go Mets!

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The Mets look to take their first series of the season this afternoon as they take on the Pirates! The Mets took game one of the season in pesky fashion, making the Pirates go through 192 pitches. They knocked out Paul Skenes before the end of the first inning and forced the Pirates’ bullpen to use six pitchers to finish off the game. The day off yesterday probably means that higher leverage relievers like Dennis Santana and Gregory Soto would be available today. It was a tone-setting day for the Mets, and hopefully it continues today!

David Peterson (23) – Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Juan Soto – LF
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Jorge Polanco – 1B
5. Luis Robert Jr. – CF
6. Brett Baty – DH
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. Carson Benge – RF
9. Francisco Alvarez – C

Starting Pitcher: David Peterson

David Peterson, the longest tenured Met, starts his seventh season this afternoon. Peterson made 30 starts last season and pitched 168 2/3 innings (both career highs) with a 4.22 ERA, 3.48 FIP, 1.370 WHIP, and a 95 ERA+. In the first half of the season, he tossed 109 innings over 18 starts with a 3.06 ERA, earning an All-Star game spot. He was a different pitcher in the second half with a 6.34 ERA over 12 starts (59 2/3 innings). Both of Peterson’s starts against the Pirates happened in the first half of the season. In Queens, he held the Pirates to only two runs over six innings. In Pittsburgh, he allowed five runs over 4 2/3 innings. The Pirates have the following career numbers against Peterson:

• Joey Bart 1-9, 4 BB, 5 K
• Oneil Cruz 1-3, HR, 2 K
• Henry Davis 0-4, K
• Nick Gonzales 1-4, 2B, BB
• Spencer Horwitz 1-2, BB
• Ryan O’Hearn 0-1, K
• Marcell Ozuna 4-22, 2 HR, 4 BB, 7 K
• Bryan Reynolds 3-13, 2B, 3 K
• Jared Triolo 2-5, 2B, 2 BB, 3 K

Opposing Lineup

1. Jared Triolo – SS
2. Ryan O’Hearn – 1B
3. Bryan Reynolds – LF
4. Marcell Ozuna – DH
5. Nick Gonzales – 3B
6. Brandon Lowe – 2B
7. Nick Yorke – RF
8. Joey Bart – C
9. Jake Mangum – CF

Today is a battle of long-tenured pitchers as Mitch Keller starts his eighth season with the Pirates. Over 32 starts and 176 1/3 innings last season, Keller had a 4.19 ERA, 1.259 WHIP, 4.02 FIP, and a 102 ERA+. Keller has been a consistent force in the Pirates’ rotation over the last four seasons, with four consecutive seasons with at least 31 game appearances, at least 159 innings, and an ERA+ between 98 and 106. Keller was effective against the Mets in 2025, holding the Mets to only three runs over 12 1/3 innings, scattering 10 hits. The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

• Francisco Alvarez 2-10, 4 K
• Brett Baty 3-7, 2B, HR, BB
• Bo Bichette 0-4, BB, K
• Francisco Lindor 2-16, 5 BB, 8 K
• Jorge Polanco 1-2, BB, K
• Luis Robert Jr. 1-1, BB
• Marcus Semien 0-5, 3 K
• Juan Soto 5-12, 2B, HR, 3 BB, K
• Tyrone Taylor 0-7, 2 K
• Luis Torrens 0-3, K
• Mark Vientos 2-10, 3 K

Game Notes

• The Mets scored five runs in the first inning off of reigning Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. Including Thursday, there have only been three instances where the Mets scored five or more runs in an inning off a reigning CY winner. Courtesy of Elias.
• The Mets improved to 42-23 all-time on Opening Day, and their .646 winning percentage is best in Major League history. They lost their first eight Opening Day contests and have now won 42 of their last 57. The win snapped their two-game losing streak on Opening Day. The Mets move to 7-2 on Opening Day at Citi Field. The Mets 11 runs scored are tied for the second most runs they’ve scored on Opening Day, only trailing the 1994 team, which scored 12 runs on Opening Day.
• Carson Benge lined a solo homer to right field in the sixth inning on Thursday. No Mets player has ever homered in their first two career Major League games.

Three Things To Watch For

1. The longest tenured Met. There is a significant chance that David Peterson becomes a top-20 Met pitcher, depending on the metric, by the end of this season. It won’t be by bWAR. Peterson has 6.8 bWAR, good for 35th, and would have to reach John Franco’s 11.2 by the end of the season to get into the top 20. He’s tied with Rick Aguilera at 37 wins, which is 34th in the franchise. He would need to get 47 this season to enter the top 20. He’s made 115 starts (#22), and he needs to get to 121 to pass Gary Gentry to enter the top 20. Nothing crazy here, but still noteworthy for a pitcher who has only made 30 starts in a season once, and had two key years bounced between the rotation and the bullpen.
2. Walk this way. The Mets worked nine walks in their first game of the season. This continues on the Mets’ propensity to draw walks from 2025, where the Mets finished with 563, good for fifth in baseball. About 20% of the walks in 2025 were from Juan Soto, who didn’t walk at all on Thursday. The Mets went 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position, taking advantage of the free passes.
3. It’s cold. March and April baseball in Queens is not for the faint of heart. The high today is 45, and there’s a wind chill that will dip below 30. It’s going to be a very different day than Opening Day, which felt like a summer tease. Normally, days like today favor the pitchers. The Mets’ bats got off to a hot start; hopefully, that can warm them up today.

Let’s go Mets!

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Another World Baseball Classic has reached its final, and Team USA has made an appearance for the third-straight tournament. They’ll be looking to beat Team Venezuela, which is making its first WBC finals appearance.

Leading Team USA from the mound will be Mets pitching sensation Nolan McLean, who didn’t shine as bright as he hoped in his first appearance during pool play, when he gave up three earned runs off two homers against the surprisingly powerful Italy team.

On Tuesday evening, McLean will face a much more obviously powerful lineup: Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio, Maikel Garcia, Wilyer Abreu, Eugenio Suárez, the Contreras brothers (Willson and William), and Salvador Perez lead in the power department, with players like Luis Arraez, Wilfredo Tovar and Andrés Giménez rounding out the lineup.

These two teams have faced off in the knockout round just once before in the quarterfinals in 2023. Team USA won.

Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Venezuela Lineup

1. Ronald Acuña Jr. – RF
2. Maikel Garcia – 3B
3. Luis Arraez – 1B
4. Eugenio Suárez – DH
5. Gleyber Torres – 2B
6. Wildredo Tovar – SS
7. Wilyer Abreu – LF
8. Salvardor Perez – C
9. Jackson Chourio – CF

Team USA Lineup

1. Bobby Witt Jr. – SS
2. Bryce Harper – 1B
3. Aaron Judge – RF
4. Kyle Schwarber – DH
5. Alex Bregman – 3B
6. Roman Anthony – LF
7. Will Smith – C
8. Brice Turang – 2B
9. Byron Buxton – CF

Game Notes

It seems like just about every bullpen piece is available for Team USA, except for David Bednar. The same can’t be said for Venezuela, who played on Monday night and used seven pitchers.

Read a preview of McLean’s start here!

Carlos Mendoza should have a fun evening tonight, with his home country facing off against one of his best starters.

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Nolan McLean starts in the WBC Final this evening for Team USA, a game that will surely be attended by Mets players. While that is by far the major story for the Mets today, the Mets still have a game this afternoon.

The Mets head south to Jupiter this afternoon to take on the Marlins. This should also put the Mets about halfway between St. Lucie and Miami for tonight’s game! This will be the fifth time the Mets face the Marlins in spring training. After today, they’ll face the Marlins on the last day of spring. The two teams will get a long break of not seeing each other, with their first regular-season series happening in late May.

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Marcus Semien – 2B
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Jorge Polanco – 1B
5. Luis Robert Jr. – CF
6. Brett Baty – RF
7. Luis Torrens – C
8. Mike Tauchman – DH
9. Tyrone Taylor – LF

Starting Pitcher: Sean Manaea

Opposing Lineup

1. Otto Lopez – SS
2. Agustín Ramírez – C
3. Connor Norby – 1B
4. Owen Caissie – LF
5. Christopher Morel – RF
6. Graham Pauley – DH
7. Esteury Ruiz – CF
8. Jacob Berry – 3B
9. Johnny Olmstead – 2B

Starting Pitcher: Sandy Alcantara

Game Notes

Before the game, the Mets optioned MJ Melendez and Christian Scott to Triple-A, and they reassigned Adbert Alzolay, Christian Arroyo, Nick Burdi, Daniel Duarte and Jose Rojas to minor-league camp. There are 46 players left in camp.

Read up on Huascar Brazoban‘s dominance since raising his release point. He should make the Opening Day roster barring any injury as he settles back into spring after the WBC.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Sean Manaea. Manaea’s velocity was down again in his last start. After the game, both the Mets and Manaea assured reporters that they are not concerned about the drop. In both spring starts, he has averaged between 88 and 89 mph on his fastball, which is a 3-4 mph drop from his career average. This has not happened in spring training for Manaea before. Hopefully, as he gets more innings under his belt this spring, his velocity will at least take a step towards his 2025 numbers (91-92 mph), which were a bit lower than his career speeds, too.
2. Opening Day around the horn. The Mets projected Opening Day defensive alignment of Polanco at first, Semien at second, Bichette at third and Lindor at short will all be on the diamond together! The Mets’ defensive experiment will finally get its first real test!
3. Luis Robert Jr. Luis has been great in his first several spring games with the Mets going 3-for-7 at the plate with a run scored. The Mets are still trying to manage his reps to help him avoid injury.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Spring Training Game Chat: Mets vs. Marlins, 1:10 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Let’s run through some brief previews of the games, and chat away in the comments below!

Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Israel vs. the Netherlands — 7 p.m. — Fox Sports App

Both teams are eliminated from advancing to the knockout round due to their 1-2 records. There’s plenty of MLB talent between the two, but the other game at the same time has stakes. Hopefully both have fun playing!

Canada vs. Puerto Rico — 7 p.m. — TUBI

Puerto Rico has clinched their spot in the knockout round, so they could take this game and rest their primary stars. But they’re playing in San Juan! So expect them to show up in full force versus Canada, who is the only team to play just two games so far in the WBC. If they lose today, Canada will need a win over Cuba on Wednesday to advance. With a win today, Canada would still need to win Wednesday but could also win the pool.

Puerto Rico has José De León, traditionally a reliever, starting, and Canada is sending Jordan Balazovic, a career minor league reliever, to the hill. Edwin Díaz has pitched in two of Puerto Rico’s three games so far, so don’t expect him in the game if it’s close. Francisco Lindor will surely be watching this one from home and posting about it on Instagram.

Italy vs. United States — 9 p.m. — FS1

Team USA has nearly earned itself an advancement to the knockout round, but a win Tuesday night guarantees a Pool D win. (Italy and Mexico play tomorrow, guaranteeing a loss for either, so even with a loss to Italy tonight, Team USA will get into the knockout stage as long as it’s not a blowout.)

Leading the team on the mound tonight will be Nolan McLean.

The 24-year-old, who still maintains rookie status, should have a national coming out party against an Italian team that features few major leaguers. If Team USA makes it to the final next week, McLean will be on the bump, too. It’ll be a fun watch for Mets fans!

For some pre-game reading, check out Jeff Passan’s profile of McLean.

The post WBC Game Chat: Nolan McLean Takes on Italy appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets are on TV three days in a row? After being starved of Mets baseball for a week, we are feasting this week!

Tonight we’ll get to see our first televised look at David Peterson this spring. Peterson had a tale of two seasons in 2025. Before the All-Star break he had a 3.06 ERA over 109 innings. After the break his ERA jumped to 6.34 over 59 2/3 innings. His WHIP jumped as well going from 1.239 to 1.609. A step towards first half of the season David Peterson would go a long way for the Mets in 2026.

Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Mets Lineup

1. Marcus Semien – 2B
2. Jorge Polanco – 1B
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Brett Baty – RF
5. Francisco Alvarez – C
6. Jose Rojas – DH
7. Cristian Pache – CF
8. A.J. Ewing – LF
9. Jackson Cluff – SS

Opposing Lineup

1. Victor Scott II – CF
2. Yohel Pozo – C
3. Nelson Velázquez – LF
4. Chase Davis – RF
5. Blaze Jordan – 1B
6. Ramon Mendoza – 3B
7. Jeremy Rivas – SS
8. Brody Moore – 2B
9. Bligh Madris – DH

Game Notes

Before the game, Jonah Tong was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, where he’s expected to start the season.

Nolan McLean is starting for Team USA in the WBC tonight! We’ll have a game thread for that, too.

Luis Robert Jr. is expected to play in his first Grapefruit League game on Thursday, per Carlos Mendoza.

Three Things To Watch For

1. David Peterson. Peterson made his spring debut last week in an exhibition game against Israel, where he looked great. He held hitters to only one hit and two walks over three shutout innings while striking out four. His stats though are in a weird liminal space because it wasn’t an official Grapefruit League game, so today is his official Grapefruit League debut and he’ll officially start collecting spring training stats today.
2. Almost an Opening Day Infield. The Mets have Polanco at first, Semien at second, Bichette at third today with Alvarez behind the plate. With the exception of Lindor, Mauricio, or Brujan at short, this is pretty close the Mets Opening Day infield. There are a lot of questions around the Mets experiment putting Bichette at third and Polanco at first, and today we’ll get a look at their chemistry on the diamond together.
3. Brett Baty in Right. This is the second game we’ve seen Brett Baty in right field as he continues to battle for an Opening Day spot. Baty is also have a strong spring at the plate going 4-for-10 with a double, home run and a stolen base. Baty has to develop into a super utility player to get consistent at bats this season. Slotting in him to right field is one way to make that happen!

Let’s go Mets!

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Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, you will be able to watch the Mets in the New York metro area without MLB.TV, logging on to a single camera in a ballpark on another team’s website, or hoping that someone in the stands is live-streaming the whole game.

What we are missing today is one of the more important spring debuts – Kodai Senga. Senga pitched 73 2/3 innings over his first 13 games with the Mets in 2025 with a 1.47 ERA and 3.24 FIP. The Mets went 9-4 in those games. He was a different pitcher when he came back from injury, totaling only 39 2/3 innings over nine games with a 5.90 ERA and a 5.76 FIP. The Mets went 5-4 in those games. He accepted a move to the minors to end the season to work on his mechanics. If the Mets get the first half of 2025 version of Senga back, they will have another ace in their rotation. Today is the first step in finding out who Senga will be!

Kodai Senga Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Mets Lineup

1. Mike Tauchman – RF
2. Jorge Polanco – DH
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Brett Baty – 1B
5. Luis Torrens – C
6. Ronny Mauricio – SS
7. Jose Rojas – LF
8. Cristian Pache – CF
9. Jackson Cluff – 2B

Opposing Lineup

1. Masyn Winn – SS
2. Alec Burleson – 1B
3. Iván Herrera – DH
4. Nolan Gorman – 3B
5. JJ Wetherholt – 2B
6. Pedro Pagés – C
7. Joshua Baez – RF
8. Victor Scott II – CF
9. Miguel Ugueto – LF

Game Notes

• Kodai Senga makes his spring debut today against the Cardinals. Carlos Mendoza has labeled him as healthy heading into spring training, with the hopes of getting a full season out of the Japanese native.
• Nolan McLean left the team Friday to join Team USA in the WBC. The righty looked stellar in his only outing this spring, striking out six over four scoreless innings.
• Jorge Polanco is back in the lineup today for the Mets. The switch-hitter recorded a hit and walk in three plate appearances in his first and only appearance with the Mets this spring.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Kodai Senga. Sean Manaea had an effective outing yesterday, but his velocity was quite a bit lower (3-4 mph) than it was last year. Way too early to panic about Manaea, but that’s also a reminder of what we should look at for Senga this afternoon. Senga’s fastball averaged 94.7 mph in 2025, which was down from 95.8 in 2024 (95.7 in 2023 when he had a full season). His cutter was also down a bit in 2025 sitting at 89.6 mph, and it was 90.8 in 2023.
2. Cristian Pache. All Pache does this spring is hit. The former top prospect is trying to break onto the Mets roster as a non-roster invitee. Over six games, he has gone 8-for-13 with two doubles, a home run, a stolen base, and two walks (.615/.667/1.000).
3. Bo Bichette. Is Bichette having a quietly good spring? Or are all the Mets having a quiet spring because they just haven’t been on SNY for a week? Anyway, Bichette has played in five games far this spring going 4-for-12 at the plate with a double (.333/.308/.417). He has been as advertised, meaning he’s getting on base and already has two RBI’s.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Spring Training Game Chat: Mets vs Cardinals, 1:05 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The World Baseball Classic is upon us! Participating countries are playing a couple of exhibition games this week before the tournament kicks off for real. First up for the Mets is Nicaragua, led by Mark Vientos.

For the Mets, today is business as usual as players continue to get their reps in after a day off of Monday. The Mets made their first round of roster moves on Monday, optioning Alex Carrillo to Syracuse and assigning two players (Anderson Severino and Matt Turner) to minor league camp. Believe it or not, there are only 19 more days until the last spring training game!

Mark Vientos
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Mets Lineup

1. Marcus Semien – 2B
2. Jorge Polanco – DH
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Francisco Alvarez – C
5. Brett Baty – 1B
6. Mike Tauchman – RF
7. Ronny Mauricio – SS
8. Cristian Pache – CF
9. Ji Hwan Bae – LF

Starting pitcher: Jonah Tong

Opposing Lineup

1. Chase Dawson – CF
2. Jeter Downs – 2B
3. Ismael Munguia – RF
4. Mark Vientos – 3B
5. Emanuel Trujillo – 1B
6. Omar Mendoza – LF
7. Cheslor Cuthbert – DH
8. Freddy Zamora – SS
9. Ronald Rivera – C

Starting pitcher: Erasmo Ramírez

Game Notes

Luis Garcia, Devin Williams, Brooks Raley and Luke Weaver will all pitch today.

Jorge Polanco should get action in the field within the next couple of days.

Nolan McLean was suffering vertigo-like symptoms, which is why he hasn’t reported to Team USA yet. He’ll pitch on the backfields on Wednesday, then report to Team USA if all goes well. He’s slated to start Game 4 for USA vs. Italy on March 10.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Jonah Tong. Tong allowed three runs over 2 2/3 innings in his start from three hits while striking out two batters. He also debuted his new cutter. Tong tossed his new cutter 18 times out of 50 pitches. It’s clear he’s trying things out right now, so the results are not as important right now. What percentage of his pitches will be cutters today?
2. Mark Vientos. The Nicaragua team is anchored by Mark Vientos! Vientos had a terrific year in 2024 putting up a 3.1 bWAR slashing .266/.322/.516 with a 134 OPS+. Last year he dropped to a 97 ERA+. This season, Vientos and Brett Baty face a crowded roster to get playing time. He hasn’t gotten off to the best start this spring, going 1-for-13 with a double. As one of the more established players on the Nicaraguan team, he should get a lot of playing time over the next week or so.
3. Jorge Polanco. Polanco makes his spring debut at DH. Signed to replace Pete Alonso, Polanco is coming off a solid season with a 2.6 bWAR while slashing .265/.326/.495 and a 134 OPS+. He has a career 112 OPS+ and 20+ HR power potential.

Let’s go Mets!

The post Spring Training Game Chat: Nicaragua vs. Mets, 1:10 PM appeared first on Metsmerized Online.