Series Preview: Mets Hope to Maul Tigers

Baseball is supposed to be fun, right? If so, the Mets have not gotten the memo.

Following their series with the Diamondbacks, the Mets firmly have the worst record in baseball at 15-25. While the pitching has actually been pretty solid, the lineup has been abysmal for the vast majority of the season up to this point. New York makes any and all pitchers look competent, and there is zero margin for error for any aspect of the team.

Welcoming the Tigers to Citi Field, the Mets have a chance to take a series and inch closer to that vaunted mark of .500. Or, they could be bad once again and get booed off the field by their own fans. What outcome will occur? And what are the main things to watch? Will the latest rookie provide some juice? As always, it is time to find out in the latest series preview for the New York Mets!

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Tuesday: Freddy Peralta (2-3, 3.12 ERA) vs. Jack Flaherty (0-3, 5.56 ERA)

A very interesting 2026 season continued for Freddy Peralta in his last start against the Colorado Rockies. The right-handed pitcher threw five innings of shutout baseball, only allowing four hits in the process. However, he only struck out one batter and walked two batters during his innings of work. Like so many players on the 2026 New York Mets, Peralta has had flashes of his usual dominance, especially when it comes to his ability to strike out batters. However, there have been more moments of inconsistency for him, whether it has been him losing command of the strike zone or stalling out earlier than usual in games. The Tigers, like many of his starts this season, pose an interesting test for Peralta, and I am very interested to see how he fares.
Have things been easy for Jack Flaherty in 2026? Absolutely not. Outside of a 25.9% strikeout rate and an expected batting average allowed of .217, almost all of the pitcher’s underlying and standard statistics have been poor this year. However, Flaherty is coming off an outing against the Red Sox where he struck out 10 batters. And as of late, the Mets have been the fountain of youth and success for opposing pitchers. Unless the Mets’ lineup fully clicks, the right-handed pitcher should be able to find success on Tuesday.

Wednesday: TBD vs. TBD

As of the writing of this article, a starter has not been announced for Wednesday’s game for the New York Mets. However, based on the rotation up to this point of the season, there is a good chance Christian Scott makes this start.
Just like the Mets, the Tigers have not announced a start for the second game of this series. Framber Valdez is expected back Wednesday or Thursday after his six-game suspension for throwing at Trevor Story.

Thursday: TBD vs. TBD

At the risk of repeating myself, the Mets do not have an announced starter for the finale of the series against the Tigers. If the Mets keep their same cycle through the rotation, this game should see Nolan McLean taking the mound.
Detroit, in the Thursday game of this series, does not have a starter announced for the last game of the series against the Mets.

The Main Storyline

Ahead of this series, my main storyline is less of a question, but more of a statement. That statement, of course, is for the Mets to prioritize playing their young players.

With A.J. Ewing on his way to Queens, the time is now for the Mets to let their younger players play every day and gain a foothold at the highest professional level. Ewing, outside of some off days here and there, should have the runway to fail and grow as a player. Carson Benge should have the ability to face lefties and play almost every day, giving him a great shot to continue the momentum he has built over the past few weeks.

This can extend to so many other players, ranging from Mark Vientos to even a pitcher like Jonah Tong at the minor league level. New York playing bottom-tier veterans and journeymen is not helping anything; as a matter of fact, one could argue that those players have made things worse. New York has a deep farm system and plenty of players who are either ready for a shot at the majors or will be ready very soon.

The Mets are one of the worst teams in baseball, and there have been no signs of a legitimate turnaround relying on the veterans. If now is not deemed the time to start giving the keys to the younger players on this team, real questions need to be asked about what the direction of the Mets is. As a result, this is my main storyline of the week.

Player to Watch

In this early week series, the newly called-up A.J. Ewing is my main player to watch.

I am intrigued to see where Ewing plays on defense, especially considering the fact that he can play both the infield and outfield. At the plate, Ewing’s bat speed and contact ability are the main things to watch, as they are potential game-changers for a Mets lineup that needs a spark in the worst way. Overall, Ewing’s play is worth monitoring, and I am very excited to see how he fares.