Saturday, July 25, 2026 • 7:15 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (10-6, 2.78) vs. RHP Nolan McLean (7-6, 3.34)
FOX

The Mets look to avoid a three-game losing streak tonight. Last night felt like a microcosm of the season for the Mets. They flashed real promise, like Carson Benge throwing a runner out at home on a 100-mph throw. The Mets hit two home runs. Sean Manaea had a great start. But the team also struggled to get runners on base, Juan Soto got injured and the Mets ultimately lost a close game.

Holding the Mets record aside, tonight’s game should be exciting. Two aces battling it out. Should be a fun one!

Photo Credit: John Jones-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. Jorge Polanco – DH
  7. Marcus Semien – 2B
  8. Brett Baty – 1B
  9. Francisco Alvarez – C

Starting Pitcher: Nolan McLean

Nolan McLean has made 20 starts this season pitching 113 1/3 innings with a 3.34 ERA, 3.30 FIP, 1.094 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. He’s in a groove right now, allowing five runs, but only two earned, in his last four starts (24 innings) while striking out 29 batters (0.75 ERA, 1.81 FIP). Taking a farther step back, he has had a 2.08 ERA, 2.91 FIP over 52 innings in his last nine starts. He had a brilliant start against the Dodgers earlier this season holding them to one run over seven innings while striking out eight. The Dodgers have the following career numbers against him:

Opposing Lineup

  1. Shohei Ohtani- DH
  2. Andy Pages- CF
  3. Freddie Freeman- 1B
  4. Max Muncy- 3B
  5. Mookie Betts – SS
  6. Tommy Edman – 2B
  7. Kyle Tucker- RF
  8. Teoscar Hernández – LF
  9. Dalton Rushing – C

Yoshinobu Yamamoto has made 18 starts this season totaling 119 2/3 innings with a 2.78 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 0.877 WHIP and a 150 ERA+. His FIP is the highest in his career (previous seasons at 2.61 and 2.94), and it’s probably due to a slight uptick in home runs (0.7 HR/9 to 1.0 HR/9). On July 11th, he had a rough start against the Diamondbacks where he allowed six runs over six innings. He then tossed a complete game against the Yankees, allowing only two runs. Yamamoto had a great start against the Mets back in April, holding the Mets to one run, from a solo homer, over 7 2/3 innings. The Mets have the following career stats against him:

  • Francisco Alvarez 1-4, BB
  • Brett Baty 0-3, 2 K
  • Carson Benge 1-3
  • Bo Bichette 2-6, 2B, BB, K
  • Francisco Lindor 3-10, HR, 3 K
  • Jorge Polanco 0-3, K
  • Luis Robert Jr. 0-3
  • Marcus Semien 1-6, 2 K
  • Juan Soto 1-3, HR

Game Notes

  • Juan Soto was placed on the 10-day IL with a left calf strain prior to Saturday’s game. Eric Wagaman was recalled from Triple-A to take his place on the roster.
  • Nolan McLean completed at least 6.0 innings in each of his last six starts. He is the first Met with as many consecutive starts since David Peterson had six straight starts of at least 6.0 innings from July 3-August 6, 2025.  Over his last nine starts, dating back to May 31, he has pitched to a 2.08 ERA (12 ER/52.0 IP) and has allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight of those nine starts.
  • The Mets have lost four straight at home and six of their last eight at Citi Field. They are now 21-29 at home this year. The team has posted a 4.35 ERA, while batting .235/.309/.387 at Citi Field.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Luis Robert Jr. The Mets are hoping that Luis Robert Jr. goes on a massive hot streak over the next week to up his trade value. Since returning from injury he has played in four games, including three starts, going 2-for-13 with five strikeouts. Both hits have been solo home runs. The pop is there!
  2. Francisco Alvarez. In his six games he has gone 7-for-19 with three home runs with four walks (.368/.478/.842). There are not a lot of catchers available on the market, and he’s starting to generate some trade interest. How do the Mets see Alvarez? He’s only a couple of seasons removed from being one of the top prospects in baseball and when healthy, he flashes so much potential.
  3. Contain Freddie Freeman. Freddie Freeman feasted on Mets pitching last night going 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Freeman is hitting .294/.377/.486 with a 138 OPS+ this season, which is not to far off of his career line of .299/.386/.510 and a 142 OPS+. Against the Mets he has hit .305/.391/.499. Somehow, it has felt a lot worse than that.

Let’s go Mets!