The New York Mets are back on track!

After two difficult matchups against the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, the Mets took two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend. Despite a roller-coaster finish on Friday that resulted in a loss, New York found a way to win the last two games of the series. They gained a game on the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East standings and maintained their lead as the top wild card slot in the National League.

Now, New York gets a bit of a reprieve by facing the Chicago White Sox. While not on their historic losing pace from last season, the White Sox are the second-worst team in Major League Baseball, hold a  -50 run differential, and have an abysmal 5-21 record on the road.

The Mets are in a great position to bolster their stats and find the best versions of themselves against Chicago for this early-week series.

So grab your coffee or tea, relax, and follow along as we preview another fun slate of New York Mets baseball.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Pitching Matchups

Monday: Clay Holmes (5–3, 3.13 ERA) vs. Adrian Houser (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

  • Clay Holmes was solid again in his latest outing against the Red Sox. Over six innings pitched, Holmes struck out five batters and only allowed two runs. The two runs were off home runs, illustrating that Holmes has been really good as apitcher this season. Against a team that has hit the third-lowest amount of home runs this season and has the worst team wOBAs (.284 compared to the Mets’ .323) in the league, Holmes should be able to dominate in his next outing. As for Chicago, old friend Adrian Houser is taking the mound. Pitching in only six innings so far this season, Houser has not allowed a run and struck out two.

Tuesday: Tylor Megill (3—4, 3.56 ERA) vs Shane Smith (1–3, 2.36 ERA) 

  • In the second game of the series, the Mets and White Sox are set to roll out two potential strikeout artists. On New York’s side, Tylor Megill is coming off his most fascinating outing of the season. For four innings, Megill mowed down Red Sox hitters. Striking out ten batters on the day, the pitcher’s stuff looked electric and borderline untouchable. However, the wheels fell off a bit in the fifth inning; Megill gave up some hits on soft contact, walked a batter, and was yanked with the bases loaded. As is usually the case with him, Megill needs to find the strike zone over his outing. By limiting walks and attacking hitters, the pitcher can find plenty of success. And if he takes this mindset into his start against the White Sox, the Mets will likely be in great shape. On Chicago’s side, rookie Shane Smith has been a very intriguing pitcher. Taking a 28.7% whiff rate into the contest, Smith has a fastball-changeup-slider mix that he predominantly uses to generate outs. He has also shown a curveball, sinker, and sweeper this season. Smith, who carries a 22.0 % strikeout rate, will be a fun challenge for the Mets. Depending on how their approach looks in the first game, Smith may struggle to miss bats or find success against New York’s lineup. 

Wednesday: Griffin Canning (5–1, 2.88 ERA)  vs. Sean Burke (3–5, 4.33 ERA)

  • To close out the series, the Mets will send out their surprise standout pitcher to face a struggling Chicago righty. Griffin Canning is enjoying a resurgence in 2025, as he currently holds a 2.88 ERA and a 5-1 record. He has 50 strikeouts, a pitching run value of 5, and a whiff rate of 26.7%. Utilizing a solid pitch mix and displaying solid command, Canning is in a position to dominate the White Sox on Wednesday. For Chicago, Sean Burke has been very up and down this season. He has found the strikeouts as of late but has started to walk more batters in the process. Burke does not have the most eye-popping metrics on his stuff, but his large frame and extension allow him to get outs. Burke could find some success against New York, but his profile suggests that this is the type of pitcher New York may tee off on. 

The Main Headline

For this week’s series, my main headline is a question: Can the Mets lay the foundation for future games? 

It would be very easy to focus solely on the battles against the White Sox this week and frame this section around that. And, as always, there are plenty of storylines to discuss. However, I want to shift the focus beyond the scope of a series against a single team.

In this series, can Francisco Alvarez  finally find his power and lay the foundation for when it is needed against the Dodgers next week? Can Brett Baty continue to turn himself into a foundational piece of the 2025 roster and provide more key moments? Will Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso find their mesh point against the White Sox to carry the team against key NL opponents?

These games allow elite teams an opportunity to fix things. They allow the opportunity for players to make tweaks, find solutions, and ultimately be ready for when the battles against the tough opponents begin again.

The Mets, thanks to their great start, are in a great position to do just that. I want to see how New York approaches this series with the present and near future in mind. If they attack it the right way, especially from an offensive perspective, I think the Mets will be primed to go on a big-time run once June arrives.

Prediction

SWEEP!

After their series win against the Dodgers, I see the Mets having zero issues handling the White Sox. Francisco Lindor will firmly break out of his slump, as will Juan Soto. Brett Baty will hit another home run, while Francisco Alvarez will finally notch another extra-base hit.

Additionally, New York’s bullpen will help seal two of the three wins during the week. Heading into their series with the Rockies, the Mets will sit at 35-21.