Series Preview: Mets Head West for Showdown in LA

Things could be better, but things could also be worse!

The Mets have not had a good go of things recently, losing five games in a row against the Diamondbacks and Athletics. Nearly every area of the team has struggled, from the hitting to the bullpen, to the baserunning, and even the starting pitcher has been hit hard at times.

However, the season is nowhere near over. New York is less than three games out of first place in the division and only two games below .500; in other words, there is a lot of baseball left.

Up next for the Mets is a big-time showdown with the reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who hold the best record in the sport at 11-4. How does New York stack up? And can they right the ship on the West Coast? All of that is covered, and more, in the latest series preview for the New York Mets!

Monday: David Peterson (0-2, 6.14 ERA) vs. Justin Wrobleski (1-0, 4.00 ERA) 

• Based on his 2026 results up to this point, David Peterson’s time in the rotation may soon be coming to an end. Through three starts, the lefty is 0-2 with a 6.14 ERA. He has allowed 21 hits and 10 earned runs while also walking six batters. He has surrendered a hard-hit rate of 48.1%, has a seventh percentile fastball velocity (90.1 miles per hour), and has allowed an xBA of .283. Simply put, Peterson has not been servicable, let alone average, this season. Without a drastic change of fortunes in Los Angeles, the Mets will need to make a decision on their lefty, who was once a key part of their rotation.
• Wrobleski, who has experience as both a starter and a relief pitcher, has been average this season. He has not been a strikeout artist and has allowed at least one run in both of his appearances. Wrobleski also allowed five walks in nine innings pitched this season. However, he is not allowing hard contact (24.1% hard-hit rate) or barrels (3.4%). Wrobelski could be catching the Mets at the perfect time, or the Mets could see Wrobleski as the perfect “rebound game.” Regardless, it will be a very fascinating game to watch.

Tuesday: Nolan McLean (1-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2–1, 2.50 ERA)

• Nolan McLean continues to deal for the Mets, even if the run support is not always there. Facing the Arizona Diamondbacks in his last start, the righty went 6.1 innings and only allowed two runs, striking out eight batters in the process. McLean’s arsenal is electric, highlighted by a dominant sinker, a sweeper averaging 21.3 inches of gloveside break, and a changeup averaging 39.3 inches of vertical drop. Pitching to a Baseball Savant run value of +5 (96th percentile) this season, McLean is must-watch TV this season. His start against a talented Dodgers lineup will be a great test for the standout pitcher. 
• Yoshi has not been perfect this year, but he looks to be hitting his stride as the calendar moves to the middle of April. In his last start, Yamamoto struck out six batters while only allowing one run and five hits. More impressively, he only issued one walk, keeping his overall rate at a stellar 3.0% (93rd percentile). An ace with a devastating six-pitch arsenal, the Mets need to find their footing before facing Yamamoto, or they will not find much success.

Wednesday: TBD vs. Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 0.00 ERA) 

• As of the writing of this article, the Mets have not announced a starter for the last game of their series against the Dodgers. However, it is a fair assumption that Clay Holmes will pitch this game for the New York Mets. 
• Dread it, run from it, Shohei Ohtani arrives all the same. The global superstar has allowed five total hits in 12 innings pitched, along with eight strikeouts. He has only allowed a barrel rate of 2.9% and a hard-hit rate of 35.3%, pairing nicely with a 52.9% ground ball rate. Up to this point in 2026, an opponent’s only hope to phase Ohtani has been to draw a walk (four walks issued this season). Otherwise, the Dodgers’ ace has been his true MVP self on the mound as well as at the plate. The Mets truly need to bring their best on Wednesday (and the rest of the series), or it could be a long night at the ballpark.

The Main Storyline

When the main storyline is easy, things are not usually going well for the Mets. As fate would have it, that is the case for this week.

Heading into a pivotal series against the Dodgers, the main storyline and question essentially is what the Mets can do to stop the spiral. The lineup is massively inconsistent, leaving runners on base to squander opportunities consistently. The approach at the plate has been lackluster, and it feels as if there is minimal power production. On the pitching side, the bullpen has repeatedly squandered close games, putting added pressure on the lineup to narrow the gap and give the team a chance to rally.

Worst of all, the energy and mental side of things for the Mets has been lackluster. There looks to be no energy from the team, and there are at least two mental mistakes every series, ranging from a baserunning blunder to missing obvious strikes with the ABS system.

There is no reason to hit a “true” panic alarm; the season has essentially just begun, and the Mets are talented enough to turn things around. However, more than one thing can be reality; the Mets are not playing well right now, and continued losses will all but eliminate the team’s margin for error.

I am truly fascinated to see how the Mets move forward from here, and as a result, it is my main headline of the week.

Player to Watch 

Bo Bichette is my player to watch this week. In a series against a powerhouse like the Dodgers, New York will need its lineup to be rolling at a very high level. Bichette has recently shown signs of life at the plate, hitting his first home run of the season against the Athletics this weekend. However, he has still been striking out way too much and has not consistently made hard contact. New York needs him at his best to win this series.

Prediction

In their series against the Dodgers, I have the Mets losing two of three games. Nolan McLean will help secure New York’s only win of the series, while Carson Benge will have a hit in two of three games.

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