Thursday, July 30, 2026 • 7:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Eury Pérez (5-8, 3.56) vs. RHP Nolan McLean (7-7, 3.32)
SNY

The Mets have won three of their last four games, all against good teams! The Mets won the first two games of their series against the Braves by a combined score of 17-5, with Monday’s 14-3 win doing a lot of the heavy lifting there. Thus it was disappointing, but inevitable considering how the Mets played this season as a whole, that they would lose the nightcap on Wednesday 1-0.

The Marlins come to New York in a weird spot. They just snapped a 12-game losing streak on July 27th and now have won three games in a row. They would love to regain some of their footing before the trade deadline. The Mets could help evaporate the Marlins’ playoff dreams with a solid weekend series!

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

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

Starting Pitcher: Nolan McLean

Nolan McLean has made 21 starts this season, totaling 119 1/3 innings with a 3.32 ERA, 3.34 FIP, 1.115 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. In his last five starts, he has pitched 30 innings, allowing only four earned runs while striking out 36 batters (1.20 ERA, 2.24 FIP). The Mets’ defense behind him has led to five unearned runs during this stretch. Against the Marlins this season, he has allowed one run on two hits over five innings. The Marlins have the following career stats against McLean:

Opposing Lineup

  1. Liam Hicks – DH
  2. Xavier Edwards – 2B
  3. Otto Lopez – SS
  4. Kyle Stowers – 1B
  5. Heriberto Hernández – LF
  6. Griffin Conine – RF
  7. Jakob Marsee – CF
  8. Graham Pauley – 3B
  9. Joe Mack – C

Eury Pérez has made 18 starts for the Marlins this season and just passed his previous season high in innings for a single season. Over 98 2/3 innings, he has a 3.56 ERA, 4.07 FIP, 1.115 WHIP and a 113 ERA+. In his last eight starts, he has pitched 46 1/3 innings with a 1.55 ERA and 2.79 FIP. This hot stretch was kicked off against the Mets, where he allowed only one run over 6 1/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

  • Francisco Alvarez 0-1, BB, K
  • Brett Baty 0-4, K
  • Carson Benge 0-3
  • Bo Bichette 3-8, 2B, K
  • A.J. Ewing 0-2, K
  • Francisco Lindor 0-4, 2 BB, 2 K
  • Luis Robert Jr. 0-3, 2 K
  • Marcus Semien 0-2
  • Tyrone Taylor 1-4, 2B, 2 K
  • Luis Torrens 0-2, K

Game Notes

  • Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Mets and Clay Holmes aren’t holding any extension talks at the moment. Numerous teams sent scouts to watch Holmes’ last rehab outing, and his next start would line up for Sunday, the day before the trade deadline.
  • The Mets still expect Freddy Peralta to make his scheduled start against the Marlins on Friday. Peralta is widely expected to be dealt before Monday’s trade deadline.
  • The Mets have a 2.91 ERA as a team since the All-Star break, the second-best mark in the majors.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Carson Benge. Benge managed to get one of two hits the Mets had in the nightcap on Wednesday, with Eric Wagaman getting the other hit. Overall, Wednesday was a good day for Benge, going 3-for-7 with a double and an RBI. He also had an astounding catch in the outfield. Benge’s Arm Value according to Statcast is in the 92nd percentile and his Arm Strength is in the 98th. But last night’s catch was all about his range, which he’s actually kind of average at right now (OAA 56th percentile).
  2. Bullpen. The only pitchers the Mets didn’t use out of the pen Wednesday were Brooks Raley and Kodai Senga. There’s a good chance the Mets trade Raley before the deadline, and the Mets are probably managing game loads right now for all of the arms they may move, which is like half of the bullpen. Raley has pitched in 43 games this season, pitching 38 2/3 innings with a 2.09 ERA. He hasn’t pitched since last Sunday. Senga hasn’t pitched since July 18, when he allowed two runs over 1 1/3 innings against the Phillies.
  3. Francisco Lindor. Lindor’s next triple will be his fifth of the season, something that he has done only once before in his career, back in 2022. Lindor is also 13 home runs away from 300 for his career. He will need to go on a hot streak to reach that mark this season, but it’s still possible!

Let’s go Mets!