Francisco Lindor Mets World Baseball Classic

Francisco Lindor Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The New York Mets wrap up their series with the Pittsburgh Pirates over the next two afternoons at Citi Field. It was an incredibly successful start to the 2026 season for the National League East division with all five teams scoring wins in their season openers, including an eyebrow-raising win by the Washington Nationals over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The Philadelphia Phillies won the N.L. East with 96 games in 2025, so the bar is set high for New York to stack wins early if they hope to steal the division crown away from their closest geographically neighbors. New York showcased the gameplan on Opening Day, but can they follow the same blueprint for two more wins against Pittsburgh this weekend? 

Rinse and repeat early success from Game 1

New York scored five first inning runs to chase Paul Skenes from the season opener. The Pirates ace walked out of his New York City debut with a forgettable stat line featuring 0.2 innings, four hits allowed, five earned runs, and just one strikeout (against debuting rookie Carson Benge). New York used plate discipline to draw two walks in the first six batters which set up the offensive rally in the opening frame. 

Francisco Lindor set the example with three walks, including a pivotal at bat in the fifth inning with the Mets leading 6-4. The 32-year-old drew an important free pass from Pirates reliever Isaac Mattson and loaded the bases for Juan Soto’s RBI single to extend New York’s lead. Jorge Polanco walked to push another run across the plate for the winning run in an 11-7 victory.

New York walked nine times in the victory over Pittsburgh. Mets hitters averaged 3.59 walks per game last season, so Thursday afternoon’s performance is encouraging despite the incredibly small sample size of a single game. The Mets will need to bring that same disciplined approach at the plate to remain undefeated this weekend in Queens. 

Peterson battles Chandler on Saturday afternoon

David Peterson gets the ball in the second game of the season for New York. The reliable 30-year-old southpaw is looking for another successful campaign after a 9-6 campaign in 2025 that resulted in the most innings that he’s even pitched in a season. Peterson finished with 150 strikeouts over 168.2 innings pitched last season, a mark that placed him inside the top 20 of N.L. pitchers. His career numbers match that performance: 614 strikeouts over 622.2 innings of work over six years in New York. Pittsburgh whiffed 10 times against Mets pitching on Thursday afternoon. Peterson might be able to take advantage of a swing-happy Pirates lineup looking for that all-important first win in 2026. 

Bubba Chandler makes his fifth start at the major league level on Saturday. The 23-year-old righty appeared in seven major league games last year, including a four-inning, six-hit performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 2. He finished the 2025 season with a 4-1 record, a 4.02 earned run average (ERA) and 31 strikeouts in 31.1 innings. Chandler handled himself well against most lineups last season, but he will have his hands full against New York’s powerful lineup. 

McLean and Mlodzinski scheduled for Sunday’s series finale

The Mets wrap up the series against the Pirates with the classic Sunday afternoon day game at 1:05 pm. Nolan McLean looks to build upon an impressive arrival to the major in 2025 with a 5-1 record, a 2.06 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 48 innings over his first eight regular season contests. The 24-year-old rightly was relied upon for Team USA for important starts in a second-place finish at the World Baseball Classic, so he should feel right at home receiving the start in an important early-season test against the Pirates. 

Carmen Mlodzinski is Pittsburgh’s scheduled starter to wrap up the series against New York. The 27-year-old righty finished 2025 with a 5-8 record, a 3.55 ERA and 89 strikeouts over 99 innings. Mlodzinski won a battle against Jose Urquidy and Mike Clevinger for a starting rotation spot during Spring Training, so Sunday’s start represents an important opportunity for the fourth-year pitcher. 

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