After a series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Atlanta Braves arrive in New York for a three-game set. The Mets have struggled in 2026, and their fifth-place NL East record speaks for itself. Meanwhile, the first-place Braves have had their ups and downs, but it’s been smooth sailing for them compared to the Mets.

It is time for a new series preview! Let us dive into it!

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Monday: Zac Thornton (1-1, 1.93 ERA) vs. Martín Pérez (6-6, 3.38 ERA)

  • Thornton, once again, put together an impressive outing on the mound for the Mets. Facing the Milwaukee Brewers, the lefty went six innings, struck out two batters, and did not allow a run. Additionally, Thornton only walked one batter, demonstrating his high-level command once again. Now sporting a 1.93 ERA on the year, the rookie pitcher has been one of the few bright spots for the Mets in the last month. Thornton has impressively used his six pitches, and in his next start against the Braves, I will be very interested to see how he continues to progress at the major league level. 
  • A rock-solid pitcher for the Braves this season, Martín Pérez has found a way to be successful without being overpowering on the mound. Through 15 starts, Pérez has a 3.38 ERA and 65 strikeouts. He is only striking out batters at a 18.6% clip, but his hard-hit rate is above average at 37.0%. The lefty is doing a great job keeping the ball on the ground consistently as well. Pérez, however, has been tagged in some outings, most recently giving up four runs against the Mets on July 5. How the lefty bounces back in his rematch against the Mets will play a large role in determining this game.

Tuesday:  Christian Scott (3-2, 3.13 ERA)  vs. Chris Sale (11-6, 2.19 ERA)

  • Christian Scott, unlike his previous starts, ran into some trouble in his outing against the Brewers. Only lasting 3.2 innings, Scott allowed three runs and issued three walks. He surrendered four hits, and despite some bumps, still managed to strike out six batters. Scott did not receive much help from his defense in this game, as a misplay from Brett Baty in the outfield directly led to runs being scored. More than anything, though, it was the command that caused the righty to get into trouble in this outing. When Scott’s command is at his best, his stuff is electric, and he usually delivers a quality start. When he is not locating well, the starting pitcher makes things much easier for the opposition. Facing a Braves lineup that is very talented, Scott pitching well in this game would be a nice building block for his overall confidence.
  • Chris Sale continues to impress on the mound, and the Mets will have their hands full in the second game of this series. Already posting 134 strikeouts this season, Sale’s 29.7% strikeout rate is among the best in the league. He is not walking batters at a high rate (5.8%), is making batters chase (36.0%), and is not giving up hard contact. In other words, opponents are in trouble when Sale is in this Cy Young-level form. 

Wednesday: Sean Manaea (2-5, 4.52 ERA) vs. Grant Holmes (6-4, 3.79 ERA) 

  • In his latest start, Sean Manaea looked much closer to the best version of himself. Facing the Dodgers, the left-handed pitcher went six innings and only allowed one run. Manaea walked two batters and allowed six hits, while also striking out three batters. At his best in 2026, the veteran pitcher has been an innings-eater who has kept damage to a minimum. Manaea has had games where he has struck out more batters than expected. He has also had games where his location and overall pitch mix have faltered, allowing opponents to score plenty of runs off of him. Even in a lost season, having a pitcher capable of giving the pitching staff length is a good thing to have. It would not be a surprise to see Manaea have another solid start on Wednesday.
  • Grant Holmes has been very solid and serviceable in the 2026 season. Holding a 3.79 ERA on the year, Holmes has thrown at least 20 innings in every month of this season. He is not striking out batters at a high rate, does not have the highest ground ball rate, and has given up a below-average hard hit rate of 43%. Yet, Holmes simply gets the job done more often than not, mainly due to a solid chase rate (31.3%) and whiff rate (26.6%). New York has had some success against Holmes, but Holmes has also had great outings against the Mets.

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The Main Storyline

Ahead of this series, my main storyline, once again, is about who will be on the Mets past the trade deadline. However, this week’s edition is taking a wider-lens view.

The names who could be moved are well known at this point. Ranging from Luke Weaver to Freddy Peralta to even Tyrone Taylor, New York is unfortunately in a position where a case could be made for many moves ahead of August 3. At this point, it would be repetitive to dive into them.

Rather, the bigger storyline is what feels like an overwhelming need for the Mets to turn the page.

A dark cloud currently hangs over the Mets, filled with the weight of missed goals and unrealized expectations. This is a roster that never truly meshed into a contender, rather being a loose outfit of mismatched parts. It is evident, from press conference quotes to the actual play on the field, that this weight has become a burden for some players.

2026 is all but over for the Mets. There are bright spots on this roster for the future, and the trade deadline should be all about building out a plan to support those key pieces moving forward. That is where hope will come from, as New York can build toward a new, more sustainable era.

Until then, the waiting will be the hardest part for everyone in the orbit of the New York Mets. For that reason, this is my main headline of the week.

Francisco Alvarez by Berto Carlo

Player to Watch 

In the latest early-week series for the Mets, I am concentrating on Francisco Alvarez.

The catcher has started to find his power lately and has been impressive in July, notching an .889 OPS up to this point(as of July 25). Alvarez has a very impressive 16.3% barrel rate on the season, and his batting average in the month, as of July 25, is .298.

Still a fun piece of the Mets’ core, I am looking forward to the young catcher getting continued runway for the remainder of the 2026 season.
Alvarez has a chance to truly find his rhythm, and if he does, it will pay big dividends for the Mets in 2027 and beyond.

Prediction

In their series against the Braves, I have the Mets losing two of three games.