Well, well, well. All of a sudden, the New York Mets (72-61) are in a much better spot than they were just days ago. An unexpected but critical three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies has them back in the race for the National League East. Cutting the gap from seven to four games over a three-day period was massive. Also, clinching the season series over the Phillies gives them an upper hand as the regular season winds down. Everyone stepped up in that series, capped off by Nolan McLean throwing eight shutout innings in Wednesday’s 6-0 win.

They will look to keep it going against the Miami Marlins (62-71), a young, talented team that has progressed after a slow start to the season. The Mets have taken four of the first six games against them, with their last encounter coming all the way back in the second week of April. Let’s take a look at some notes ahead of the four pitching matchups.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

  • Thursday: Adam Mazur (0-1, 6.35 ERA) vs. Clay Holmes (11-6, 3.60 ERA): Mazur will return to the Marlins rotation after making his last 10 appearances (eight starts) for Triple-A Jacksonville. His only big league start in 2025 came on June 18 against the Phillies. Mazur took the loss, allowing four runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He was acquired by the Marlins in the trade that sent Tanner Scott to the San Diego Padres at last season’s trade deadline. Holmes is coming off his best start in quite some time – 6 1/3 innings, two runs, three hits, two walks and four strikeouts against the Atlanta Braves last Saturday. It was the first time Holmes completed at least six innings since June 7. He is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts against the Marlins this season.
  • Friday: Eury Pérez (6-3, 3.44 ERA) vs. Jonah Tong (2-0, 0.00 ERA in Triple-A): Pérez spent the first portion of the season completing his recovery from Tommy John. He made his season debut in early June and has experienced some ups and downs. Pérez is 3-0 with a 4.05 ERA in 26 2/3 innings this month. He has one career start against the Mets, which came in September of 2023. After just two starts in Triple-A, Tong is heading to Queens to make his big league debut Friday. He has been one of, if not the most dominant, minor league pitcher in 2025. In 22 starts between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, Tong is 10-5 with a 1.43 ERA and an MiLB-leading 179 strikeouts this season. His delivery looks somewhat similar to that of former San Francisco Giant Tim Lincecum.
  • Saturday: Edward Cabrera (7-7, 3.32 ERA) vs. David Peterson (8-5, 3.18 ERA): Cabrera was a name that garnered a lot of attention at the trade deadline. The Marlins opted to retain the red-hot starter, who is under club control until 2029. Cabrera is having his best season yet, already surpassing his career-high in innings by 25. He was excellent last time out, throwing seven shutout innings while allowing just one hit and striking out 10 on Monday against the Braves. If we are talking about guys having career years in 2025, Peterson is near the top of that list. He ranks 11th among qualified starters in the National League when it comes to ERA. Although Peterson has struggled a bit recently. He is 1-1 with a 4.66 ERA in five starts this month.
  • Sunday: Sandy Alcántara (7-11, 5.87 ERA) vs. Kodai Senga (7-5, 2.73 ERA): Like Cabrera, Alcántara was someone who was considered a trade target for a lot of teams this summer. One of those was the Mets, but with their ace pitching nowhere near his best, the Marlins decided to keep him. While his overall numbers aren’t good, he has pitched better as of late. Over his last three starts, Alcántara is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA across 20 innings. Senga has yet to record a win since he returned from the injured list on July 11. Over his last eight starts, he is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA. Length has been a major issue for Senga, failing to throw at least five innings in five of those eight outings. He will try to bounce back at Citi Field, where he is 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA this season.

WHAT’S THE STORY?

A big league debut for Tong on Friday will be a point of focus and rightfully so. With the way McLean has excelled since earning his promotion, the anticipation for another young arm has certainly risen. But my attention is on the offense and what they were able to do with runners in scoring position against the Phillies. Those situations have been a point of concern for the Mets all season long, but not this week. Over those last three games, they went 21-f0r-37 with runners in scoring position. As a team, the Mets are now hitting .254 in those situations, the 13th-best mark in baseball. When the lineup is delivering in those spots, this team reaches another level.

PREDICTION

The Marlins have been playing good baseball for over two months now. Since June 20, they are 33-27, the seventh-best record during that stretch. Their roster is talented, especially in the starting rotation. But the Mets showed against the Phillies that they can answer the call, even against some of the best pitchers in baseball. Momentum is on their side, and they will continue to deliver at Citi Field. The Mets will take three of four this weekend.