How the 2026 Mets Starting Pitching Needs to Improve As the Team Makes a Postseason Run
The Mets are entering an important stretch of the season as they try to make a push in the postseason race. Entering Father's Day, they sit five and a half games out of a wild-card spot. If they don't start winning series consistently and put together a hot stretch, such as winning eight of every 12 games, it will be difficult to make up ground in both the wild-card standings and the division race. After a dreadful start to the season, the Mets have played much better lately. At times, they have looked like a playoff-caliber team, only to follow up strong performances with disappointing losses, some of them blowouts. For example, they opened their first series of the season against division rival Philadelphia with a 6–4 win on Thursday night, but followed it up with a 15–3 blowout loss on Friday.
The Mets' starting pitching staff needs to be better, as the bullpen has carried much of the team's success this season, especially in recent weeks. Right now, the Mets have two reliable starters: Nolan McLean and Freddy Peralta. However, Peralta has not been his usual dominant self. He owns a 4.83 ERA in 16 starts and is coming off the worst outing of his career against the Phillies. In that start, Peralta lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing 10 hits and 10 earned runs while surrendering two home runs, walking one batter, and striking out only two. Throughout the season, Peralta has struggled to provide length, often lasting only five innings per start. McLean has also not been as dominant as he was last year. Although he got off to an excellent start, he endured the first significant struggles of his career before recently rebounding.
The Mets' bullpen has been heavily taxed due to the ineffectiveness of the starting rotation. A heavily taxed bullpen has made it increasingly important for the starting rotation to provide more innings and lessen the burden on the relief corps. Several starters need to step up, including Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Sean Manaea, and Tobias Myers. Of those four pitchers, Manaea has performed the best since transitioning from a long reliever to a starter. In his first two starts against division rivals Atlanta and Philadelphia, he pitched 11.1 innings, allowing 10 hits and five runs while striking out 11 batters.
If the Mets' starting pitchers can provide more effective innings and the bullpen can maintain its dominance while carrying a lighter workload, it would greatly improve the team's chances of staying in the postseason hunt and living up to expectations of making it to the playoffs. This is a critical stretch for the Mets, as the competition is becoming tougher and the trade deadline is approaching on August 3rd. The Mets want to position themselves as buyers rather than sellers, making this the time to play their best baseball. The team is also getting healthier offensively. Francisco Alvarez has been back for nearly two weeks, and Francisco Lindor is slated to return at the end of the month.
