The New York Mets (67-60) head to Georgia to conclude their road trip with three games against the Atlanta Braves (58-69). The Mets were swept at Truist Park earlier this season, and have lost seven of ten games to the Braves overall in 2025.
The Mets are coming off a demoralizing series in which they dropped two out of three to the lowly Washington Nationals. Mets fans were lulled into a false sense of security as the Mets began the three-game set with a relaxing, easy 8-1 win on Tuesday night, which extended
the team’s modest winning streak to three games. David Peterson, who earlier this season tossed a Complete Game Shutout against the Nationals, almost matched that feat, ending up with eight innings of one-run ball. Meanwhile, the Mets erupted for a five-run third, which included a two-run home run from Mark Vientos, his second dinger in as many nights. The Mets also got solo shots from Brett Baty, Juan Soto, and Jeff McNeil in the victory.
The Mets followed that up with an annoying 5-4 loss on Wednesday night. Kodai Senga was fine early on, but a catcher’s interfere call set him down a rough patch in which he allowed two runs in the third and two runs in the fourth. Brett Baty hit a mammoth 455 ft home run but Washington got a run back in the next frame. The Mets retaliated with a three-run sixth, and loaded the bases with one out but could not drive home the tying run. After that, it was curtains for New York.
The bad vibes persisted as the Mets fell in embarrassing fashion by a 6-3 score on Thursday afternoon. The Mets jumped ahead with Francisco Lindor’s record-setting eighth leadoff home run of the season—the most by a Mets leadoff hitter in a single season—as it looked like the Mets were on their way to a series victory. Starling Marte added a solo homer in the third, and Hayden Senger hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the first run of his major league career. However, Sean Manaea, who was solid early on, once again imploded as the game went on, and eventually allowed four earned runs over 4 2/3 innings. Tyler Rogers gave up an insurance run in the sixth, and Ryne Stanek allowed three runs in the ninth, and the Mets could not climb out of the hole they dug for themselves.
A lot has been made about the Mets’ starting pitching woes, but following the series, the Mets still have not had a pitcher (not named David Peterson) complete six innings since Clay Holmes did it on June 7. Since June 13, which is when the Mets’ troubles truly began, the rotation has averaged 4 2/3 innings per start and have thrown 261 innings in 57 games, both of which rank last in MLB. In that time, they’ve posted a 5.07 ERA, which is fifth-worst in baseball, and a 1.45 WHIP, which is fourth-worst in baseball. The Mets will, specifically need more from Senga and Manaea if they are going to maintain their postseason position and go on a run.
The Mets are facing an Atlanta team that beat the White Sox in two out of three games. Prior to that, they swept the Guardians, which means that, including those two games they took from the Mets, the Braves have won seven of their last eight games.
Friday, August 22: Nolan McLean vs. Joey Wentz, 7:15 PM EDT on Apple TV+
McLean (2025): 5.1 IP, 8 K, 4 BB, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA, 2.37 FIP, 0 ERA-
McLean wowed in his major league debut, giving the Mets 5 1/3 shutout innings while issuing four walks and striking out eight. He only allowed two hits and made a stylish snag to start a double play. He earned a win and helped halt the team’s three-game losing streak. In all, he was very impressive as he hopes to begin a long and successful major league career. And with the team’s rotation struggling, he’s exactly what the team needs right now.
Wentz (2025): 68.2 IP, 59 K, 32 BB, 7 HR, 4.72 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 113 ERA-
It’s been a wild ride for Wentz back to Atlanta, after he was drafted with the 40th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. He was eventually traded to the Tigers and made his debut in 2022, played for them through 2024, ended up with the Pirates in September 2024, stuck with the club through this past July, was claimed by the Twins, and after a really rough stretch in Minnesota, was claimed back by the team that drafted him. In seven appearances for the Braves, including six starts, he’s had the best success of his career so far, posting a 2.60 ERA and a 3.12 FIP in 34 2/3 innings, including 31 strikeouts and 12 walks. He is, to my knowledge, not related to Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy fame.
Saturday, August 23: Clay Holmes vs. Cal Quantrill, 7:15 PM EDT on SNY
Holmes (2025): 131.0 IP, 105 K, 53 BB, 12 HR, 3.64 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 90 ERA-
Holmes presented the perfect road map for all of his starts going forward in 2025: Five and dive, one earned run allowed, five hits, one walk, four strikeouts, and 88 pitches. This is the best the team will get as they continue to monitor his workload, and it works for the team. In the outing, he picked up his tenth win of the season in the Little League Classic. And if he can continue providing the team with outings like that, they will certainly take it.
Quantrill (2025): 109.2 IP, 82 K, 30 BB, 17 HR, 5.50 ERA, 4.59 FIP, 129 ERA-
The Mets were originally supposed to face Erick Fedde, whom the Braves acquired before the trade deadline from the Cardinals, but they will instead face Cal Quantrill, whom they picked up off waivers from the Marlins yesterday. The last straw for Miami was Quantrill allowing seven earned runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings against the Red Sox on August 16, which represented his tenth loss of 2025. It was the second time he’s been tagged for seven earned runs in three starts this month. He has also not completed 4 1/3 innings in any of his three August starts.
Sunday, August 24: David Peterson vs. Bryce Elder, 1:35 PM EDT on WPIX
Peterson (2025): 136.1 IP, 117 K, 50 BB, 9 HR, 3.30 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 79 ERA-
Peterson turned in one of his finest starts of the year on Tuesday against the Nationals, the team he shut out in a complete game effort back in June. Peterson struck out 10 over eight stellar innings, limiting Washington to one earned run on four hits and one walk. He didn’t allow a run until the eighth and kept a low pitch count, throwing 96 pitches in his outing. He remains the only pitcher to complete six innings since June 8. While the rest of the rotation continues its effort to stabilize, Peterson remains the one stabilizing force in a sea of uncertainty.
Elder (2025): 111.2 IP, 90 K, 43 BB, 19 HR, 6.29 ERA, 5.00 FIP, 149 ERA-
Spencer Strider was originally supposed to pitch on Sunday, but it will instead be Bryce Elder, who faired significantly better against New York in the last series these two teams played. Elder had probably his second-best outing of 2025, as he pitched into the eighth and ended up allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, with six strikeouts and two walks in the win. However, he followed that up by allowing eight earned runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings against the White Sox—a game Atlanta would go on to win. So which Elder will show up this time around? Tune in on Sunday to find out!
