It seems that the Mets are back to their early 2026 ways after a great start to the month of May.
New York dropped the second game of the series to Miami by a score of 4-1, moving them to 22-30 on the season. It was a game that emphasized the slim margin that New York has to operate within, mainly due to their poor start to the season.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
New York sent Freddy Peralta to the mound, and unlike many of his starts this season, immediately ran into trouble. Miami jumped on New York’s frontline starter early, as Owen Caissie made it a 2-0 game in the bottom of the second with a double down the right field line. They extended the lead to 3-0 in the third inning, as Liam Hicks took a hanging curveball 389 feet to right field for his 10th home run of the season. Hicks then did it once again in the 5th, making it a 4-0 game.
Despite striking out nine batters across seven innings pitched, Peralta’s stuff was picked up by Miami. The seven hits he allowed were not scattered, but in bunches early in the game. He had two walks and gave up two home runs, meaning that he extended innings for Miami and gave them instant offense. It was enough damage done early against the Mets ace to secure a series win for the Marlins.
However, the pitching cannot be expected to be perfect every game, and the team’s starters will sometimes have days where they give up four runs. As a result, a large portion of the blame on Saturday falls to the starting lineup.
The Mets had three total hits in this matchup against the Marlins. The second hit came on a Tyrone Taylor double in the ninth inning, which was followed by a Mark Vientos single to make it 4-1. Max Meyer dominated over seven innings pitched, striking out eight batters. He did issue three walks and hit a batter, but New York’s lineup did next to nothing with those opportunities.
Following Meyer, Anthony Bender carved up the Mets in his inning, striking out the side on 14 pitches. And while New York got a few more hits in the ninth inning, it was not nearly enough to get them back in the ballgame.
The meager offense has been the storyline of the entire series. The Mets have been held to just three runs over 18 innings against the Marlins. Meyer did enter Saturday’s start with a 2.85 ERA, but Eury Pérez entered Friday’s start with an ERA of 5.33. The past two days were more indicative of April’s struggles than the 7.33 runs averaged over the Mets previous nine games.
It’s hard to label a game as “must win” in May, but Sunday’s series finale sure feels that way for the Mets. Tey need a strong performance to get back on track. Otherwise, the wheels will start to fall off the proverbial bus again, and the Mets will fall back to nine games under .500.
On Deck
Christian Scott gets the ball in Sunday’s finale against the Marlins. The right-hander is coming off his four-inning outing where he allowed three earned runs against the Nationals. The Marlins have yet to announce a starter. First pitch is at 1:40 PM. The game will be televised on SNY and broadcasted on WHSQ 880 AM.
