After balancing a three-game losing streak with a three-game winning streak during their seven-game road trip, the Mets (6-4) return home to face the Diamondbacks (5-5). New York and Arizona split the six games they played in 2025, with the road team taking two out of three in each series.
The Mets visited the Bay Area and escaped with a series win against the Giants, as they dropped the opener but bounced back with three consecutive wins before their flight home. The series opener was not pretty,
as David Peterson was roughed up in a 7-2 loss. The offense was listless for a third straight game, going 5-for-30 on the evening while going hitless in three at-bats with RISP. Sean Manaea was able to spare the bullpen, piggy backing off Peterson 4 1/3 innings with 3 2/3 innings of his own. His velocity remained down, but he only allowed one run.
The offense finally showed up and propelled New York to three straight victories, 10-3 on Friday, 9-0 on Saturday, and 5-2 on Sunday. The biggest negative from the weekend was the team losing Juan Soto to a calf strain, which landed him on the injured list—he is expected to miss two to three weeks. His teammates picked up the slack in his absence, as the lineup had 10+ hits in all three games. As a whole, the team went 40-for-117 (.342) while going 17-f0r-40 (.425) with RISP. The highlights from the weekend include Francisco Alvarez’s multi-homer game and Marcus Semien’s first home run as a Met (both on Friday), Tyrone Taylor’s three-run shot on Saturday, and the team’s four-run eighth inning on Sunday to storm back for the victory.
A lot of the team’s success this year will depend on the development of the youngsters, and the Mets got split results on that front during the road trip. First, the good: the Mets saw the return of 2024 Mark Vientos, which is a really welcome development . Entering this season off a rough spring and a tenuous grasp on a roster spot, he has looked terrific at the plate and has even played an acceptable first base. During the team’s road trip, he slashed .450/.500/.700 with one homer, five runs, four runs batted in, and a team-leading 243 wRC+ and 0.4 fWAR. Francisco Alvarez also had a solid road trip, hitting two homers and slashing .278/.316/.667 with a 176 wRC+ and a 0.3 fWAR.
Now the bad: Brett Baty, after a strong opening weekend, posted a 41 wRC+ while hitting .200/.200/.300 in 20 plate appearances. His versatility has still proven to be a huge boost for the team, especially with Soto out of the lineup, but the team will need more production from him going forward to fill the void. Then there’s Carson Benge, who finished the trip with a -8 wRC+ and a -0.2 fWAR as he hit .100/.182/.100 during the road trip. He has really struggled. He had just two hits in his 20 at-bats and really looked overmatched at the plate, and has for much of his time in the majors. With Soto out, however, it’s unlikely that he goes anywhere.
The Diamondbacks have had a weird season so far. They were swept by the Dodgers, turned around and swept the Tigers, then lost their first two to the Braves before winning the next two, making them the quintessential .500 team. Even funnier yet, they were outscored 19-2 in the first two games but then prevailed in two one-run affairs to secure the split.
The Diamondbacks are paced by Corbin Carroll, who has gotten off to a torrid start in 2026. The 2023 NL Rookie of the Year is hitting .313/.410/.656 on the young season, with two homers, nine runs batted in, and seven runs scored. The two-time All-Star also leads Arizona with a 190 wRC+ and a 0.6 fWAR. Ildemaro Vargas, in his third stint with Arizona, has gotten off to a red hot start, hitting .545/.583/1.091 with a 360 wRC+ and a 0.4 fWAR in his four games.
Tuesday, April 7: Freddy Peralta vs. Zac Gallen, 4:10 PM EDT on SNY
Peralta (2026): 10.1 IP, 14 K, 2 BB, 2 HR, 4.35 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 116 ERA-
Peralta fared better in his second Mets’ start than he did in his first one. On the road against the Cardinals, the right-hander limited St. Louis to one earned run over 5 1/3 innings as he settled for a no decision—he left with a lead, but Huascar Brazobán coughed it up by allowing an inherited runner to score. He allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out seven while throwing 92 pitches, 54 of which were strikes.
Gallen (2026): 10.0 IP, 4 K, 2 BB, 1 HR, 3.60 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 92 ERA-
Gallen followed up a subpar first outing of 2026 (four innings, four earned runs, five hits against the Dodgers) with a tremendous second start (six shutout innings, four hits against the Tigers. He did not walk a batter, but he only struck out two batters, the same number he punched out in his first start as well. Gallen will look to build upon that start against the Mets, a team against which he’s posted a 3.07 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 44 innings against nine career starts.
Wednesday, April 8: David Peterson vs. TBD, 4:10 PM EDT on SNY
Peterson (2026): 9.2 IP, 8 K, 4 BB, 0 HR, 4.66 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 124 ERA-
After 5 1/3 shutout innings in his season debut, Peterson took a huge step back in his second outing against the Giants. He served up six runs (five earned) on nine hits while lasting just 4 1/3 innings. He struck out five, walked three, and put the team behind early by allowing three in the first innings. Peterson is still an enigma after faltering in the second half of last season following an All-Star first half, and with free agency approaching at year’s end, he’ll need more starts like his debut to show his value both to the Mets and teams around the league.
TBD
The Diamondbacks have not announced a starting pitcher for Wednesday’s game.
Thursday, April 9: Nolan McLean vs. Eduardo Rodriguez, 7:10 PM EDT on SNY
McLean (2026): 10.1 IP, 12 K, 4 BB, 1 HR, 2.61 ERA, 3.57 FIP, 70 ERA-
McLean was terrific in his last outing, storming out of the gate with five perfect innings before tiring out in the sixth and getting chased from the game. He allowed just one hit over 5 1/3 innings and was charged with two runs (one earned). After striking out eight in his debut, he only recorded four strikeouts in this one, and he walked two, matching his number from his first outing of the year.
Rodriguez (2026): 12.0 IP, 8 K, 3 BB, 0 HR, 0.00 ERA, 2.60 FIP, 0 ERA-
Rodriguez has stormed out of the gate this year, not allowing an earned run in either one of his outings. In his debut against the Dodgers, he held L.A. to one unearned run on four hits over five innings. He followed that up with a tremendous effort, shutting out the Braves over seven innings of four-hit ball, though his offense did him no favors as they failed to score a run. He has struggled against the Mets in his career, pitching to a 6.21 ERA in 21 2/3 innings against New York.
