Friday, July 10, 2026 • 7:50 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Sonny Gray (10-1, 2.61) vs. RHP Nolan McLean (6-5, 3.73)
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The Mets look to end the first half the season on a high note! The Mets have won two games in a row, taking the series from the last-place Kansas City Royals. On Wednesday, the Mets had a five-run eighth inning. Yesterday afternoon, the Mets had a no-stress, straight-forward win. Now, they welcome the fourth-place Red Sox to Queens, who arrived late to Citi Field.

The start of tonight’s game has been pushed back to 7:50 p.m. EST as a result of Boston’s travel issues, per MLB Communications.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

  1. A.J. Ewing – CF
  2. Juan Soto – LF
  3. Francisco Lindor – SS
  4. Carson Benge – RF
  5. Jorge Polanco – DH
  6. Jared Young – 1B
  7. Francisco Alvarez – C
  8. Brett Baty – 3B
  9. Zack Short – 2B

Starting Pitcher: Nolan McLean

McLean has made 18 starts this season totaling 101 1/3 innings with a 3.73 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.115 WHIP and a 111 ERA+. In his last two starts, he has allowed three runs (two earned) over 12 innings on 10 hits and three walks while striking out 12. He’s pitched at least six innings in four consecutive starts. He has also hit four batters over his last three starts, bringing him to 12 on the season, which leads the league. This will be McLean’s first start against the Red Sox and no one on the Red Sox has faced McLean in a major league game.

Opposing Lineup

  1. Anthony Seigler – 2B
  2. Ceddanne Rafaela – CF
  3. Wilyer Abreu – RF
  4. Romy Gonzalez – 1B
  5. Masataka Yoshida – DH
  6. Caleb Durbin – 3B
  7. Jarren Duran – LF
  8. Connor Wong – C
  9. Tsung-Che Cheng – SS

Gray is having his best season since 2023. This year, he has made 16 starts totaling 89 2/3 innings with a 2.61 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 1.104 WHIP and a 155 ERA+. He currently leads the league with 10 wins. For context, last season he made 32 starts with a 4.28 ERA, 3.39 FIP, 1.234 WHIP and a 95 ERA+. In his last three starts he has allowed only two runs on 11 hits over 20 1/3 innings while striking out 27 batters.

The Mets have the following career numbers against Gray:

Game Notes

  • Clay Holmes threw 40 pitches in live batting practice today as he continues progressing from a fractured right fibula he suffered against the New York Yankees on May 15.
  • The Mets recalled Tobias Myers from Triple-A Syracuse and selected Zack Short to the major league roster ahead of Friday’s game. As the corresponding moves, they placed Vientos on the 10-day injured list with a right hand fracture and designated Dan Hammer for assignment.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Juan Soto. If you want to feel good about the Mets, just open up Soto’s Baseball Reference page. He had another big day at the plate yesterday, going 1-for-2 with two walks and a home run. He now has seven walks and three home runs in his last four games. He has a 3.1 bWAR and is leading the league in OBP (.414), SLG (.579), OPS (.993), OPS+ (175) and rOBA (.418). He’s 13th in the league with 54 walks despite missing two weeks.
  2. Carson Benge Two-Hit Streak. Benge comes into today’s game with a four-game streak of getting at least two hits per game. He’s also worked at least one walk per game! Overall, in his last four games, he has gone 8-for-13 with a double, a home run, five walks and stole two bases (.615/.722/.923). After weeks of the Mets’ offense flailing, it really has picked up in the last week and Benge is a major reason why!
  3. Trade Targets. Unless a miracle occurs, the Mets will probably be selling at the deadline. Taylor continues to rake since returning from the injured list. Yesterday, he went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run. He now has three homers in his last five games, good for six on the season. Luke Weaver hasn’t pitched since Monday and has put up All-Star numbers this season with a 1.89 ERA over 38 innings. He’s signed through 2027, so it will take a major package to get the Mets to trade him. Brooks Raley pitched on Wednesday where he allowed one hit but no runs against the Royals. Over 37 games this season, he has a 2.16 ERA.

Let’s go Mets!