The New York Mets look to bounce back tonight at Citi Field after dropping the opener of their four-game series against the Miami Marlins.

The Mets had just swept the Philadelphia Phillies in three games, trimming their NL East deficit to four, but couldn’t carry the momentum into Thursday’s loss.

Now, after handing the ball to rookie Nolan McLean in the series opener, they’ll turn to another rookie: Jonah Tong. And the Mets hope he’ll be just as amazin’ as McLean.

Tong dominated at Double-A Binghamton this year, posting a 1.59 ERA with 162 strikeouts in 102 innings. He made just two starts at Triple-A Syracuse but was impressive, throwing 11.2 scoreless innings. Now he’s being thrown headfirst into a playoff race.

The Marlins send 22-year-old Eury Perez to the mound, who has delivered a solid second season after missing all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery. He’s 6–3 with a 3.44 ERA, and while he’s had a few rough outings this month, he recently threw six scoreless innings against the Yankees.

Opponents are batting just .175 against Pérez this season. His fastball sits at 99 mph once again — and he uses it more than half the time, pairing it with a devastating changeup (.100 opponent average, 59.3% whiff rate) and a sweeper. His curveball is his least effective pitch, with opponents hitting .250 against it.

Prediction

Expect a low-scoring game, with Pérez limiting the Mets’ bats and Tong showing promise in his MLB debut.

Prediction: Marlins 3, Mets 2

Starting Lineups

Miami Marlins

1. Xavier Edwards – 2B

2. Jakob Marsee – CF

3. Agustin Ramírez – DH

4. Otto Lopez – SS

5. Liam Hicks – 1B

6. Connor Norby – 3B

7. Troy Johnston – LF

8. Eric Wagaman – 1B

9. Joey Wiemer – RF

Starting Pitcher: Eury Pérez (RHP) — 6–3, 3.44 ERA

New York Mets

1. Francisco Lindor – SS

2. Juan Soto – RF

3. Pete Alonso – 1B

4. Mark Vientos – 3B

5. Brandon Nimmo – LF

6. Starling Marte – DH

7. Brett Baty – 2B

8. Tyrone Taylor – CF

9. Luis Torrens – C

Starting Pitcher: Jonah Tong (RHP) — MLB debut 

How to Watch Marlins vs. Mets

First pitch for tonight’s Marlins–Mets game is set for 7:10 PM Eastern at Citi Field in Flushing, New York.

The game airs locally on SNY and FanDuel Sports Network Florida.

Fans can also stream the action via MLB.TV for out-of-market viewing.

Miami Marlins vs. New York Mets

Date: Friday, August 29, 2025

First Pitch: 7:10 PM Eastern

Venue: Citi Field, Flushing, NY

TV: SNY, FanDuel Sports Network Florida

Streaming: MLB.TV (out-of-market)