It’s a season to forget. The New York Mets (36-51) now have the second-worst record in the National League after dropping two of three against the Toronto Blue Jays. Some of the fanbase felt that moving on from Carlos Mendoza would change things. That has not be the case, at least in the short-term. The Mets have fallen further in the standings since, and it may only get worse.

Next up is the Atlanta Braves (50-35), who have lost eight of their last 10. That has allowed the Philadelphia Phillies to climb back into the division race. Let’s take a look at some notes ahead of the three pitching matchups this weekend.

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PITCHING MATCHUPS

  • Friday: Christian Scott (2-0, 3.20 ERA) vs. Grant Holmes (4-4, 3.96 ERA): Scott returned from a brief stint on the injured list last weekend, earning a no-decision in a win against the Phillies. He gave up two runs on three hits over 4 1/3 innings, throwing 82 pitches. Scott has been one of the few bright spots in the Mets’ rotation, allowing two earned runs or less in eight of his 10 starts this season. This will be his first career road start in Atlanta. Holmes has been a part of the Braves’ rotation throughout the year, though his last appearance came in long relief, throwing four innings last Saturday against the San Francisco Giants. Holmes only got up to 47 pitches in that outing. It’ll be interesting to see how much length he can provide in this start.
  • Saturday: Sean Manaea (1-3, 4.71 ERA) vs. Chris Sale (8-6, 2.10 ERA): Manaea has made four starts since being inserted into the rotation. He is 0-2 with a 4.05 ERA over 20 innings. One positive within that is Manaea has pitched into the sixth inning in three of those four outings, something most of the starters have struggled to do this season. Manaea has yet to earn a win in four career appearances (three starts) against the Braves. With Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider missing extended time through injury, Sale has been heavily depended on. He has certainly delivered with his performances. Sale had a strong month of June, pitching to a 2.35 ERA over 23 innings. He is 4-2 with a 1.09 ERA in seven home starts this year.
  • Sunday: Nolan McLean (5-5, 3.78 ERA) vs. Martín Pérez (6-5, 3.27 ERA): McLean has had an up-and-down year. His last start was a very good one, throwing six scoreless innings in a win against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. McLean had a strong month of June overall, going 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA over 29 innings. He has gotten into trouble when difficult outings have snowballed into really bad ones. Since May 19, he has three starts with at least six earned runs allowed. Pérez comes into this outing off the back of two consecutive losses. Over those nine innings, he gave up seven runs and allowed seven walks. Pérez is 5-0 with a 2.94 ERA in 11 career appearances (seven starts) against the Mets.
  • Monday: Freddy Peralta (5-7, 4.81 ERA) vs. Reynaldo Lopez (4-1, 3.31 ERA): Peralta is coming off yet another ineffective outing that hurt his stock at this year’s trade deadline, as he gave up five earned runs over four innings against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. He allowed just a single earned run across five frames on June 14 vs. Atlanta, however. Seven of Lopez’s 20 appearances this year have been starts, and he owns a 3.34 ERA in 29 2/3 innings in that role.

WHAT’S THE STORY?

They have yet to officially wave the white flag, but the Mets are going to be sellers at this year’s trade deadline. They have shown zero signs that digging themselves out of this massive hole is possible. So, with that in mind, the focus is on the guys who could be dealt in the coming weeks. Most of those names are in the bullpen, which has performed really well as a whole. Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter, potentially Luke Weaver, etc… Pitching well over the next month could benefit the Mets in 2027 and beyond.

PREDICTION

To the surprise of everyone, the Mets took two of three when they faced off against the Braves in mid-June. At the time, that felt like a potential turning point. Unfortunately, it never materialized into that. The Mets are trending in the wrong direction, which will continue against one of the best teams in the National League. Atlanta will take this series, winning two of three at home.