Series Preview: Mets Set for Hollywood Showdown

The Beasts of the East are set to take on the Best of the West… again!

After taking care of the Colorado Rockies over the weekend, the New York Mets are set to battle the Los Angeles Dodgers in what should be a very fun four-game series. Both teams are hitting their stride, winning at least seven of their last 11 games. They are also two of the best teams in the National League.

New York took the first series at home, but how will they fare on the road? What are the pitching matchups and main headlines to watch over the series? And ultimately, how will these games turn out?

The calendar has flipped to June, which means the season is only beginning to heat up! And as always, we have you covered here at Metsmerized Online. Without further ado, let us dive into the series preview for the Mets and Dodgers.

Pitching Matchups

Monday: Paul Blackburn (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Dustin May (3–4, 4.20 ERA)

• The Mets’ rotation has been one of the team’s biggest strengths in 2025, and they are getting reinforcement to start the series against the Dodgers. After dealing with a slew of injuries over the past six months, Paul Blackburn will make his return to the mound. Throughout 2024, the former Athletic had an up-and-down stretch with the Mets. He had three games of giving up only one run, striking out six batters in two of those starts. However, he also had two starts where he gave up five runs or more. Diving into his pitching data, Blackburn had an impressive run value of four on his breaking ball pitches and an even better run value of five on his offspeed pitches. However, his fastball run value was an abysmal -13. Blackburn limited hard hits (35.6%) and walks (6.6%) but struggled to strike out batters consistently (18.7%). If the Mets can help Blackburn find better success with his fastballs and generate a few more whiffs, he could be a solid piece for them this season. As for LA, they will send out the strikeout specialist, Dustin May. In ten starts, May has only struck out fewer than five batters twice and has an overall strikeout rate of 24.8%. He also has two pitches with a positive run value: his sweeper and four-seam fastball. However, May has struggled with his sinker and cutter this season. Additionally, May has seen regression in his zone percentage (49.8%). While May is still a very dangerous opponent, the Mets could easily do some damage by capitalizing on his misses in the zone and hunting fastballs.

Tuesday: Tylor Megill (4–4, 3.52 ERA) vs Clayton Kershaw (0–0, 4.91 ERA)

• When it comes to Tylor Megill, it always seems that the pitcher has a Jekyll and Hyde situation going on. On one hand, Megill can strike out batters on par with the best pitchers. Holding a 30.4% strikeout rate (90th percentile) on the season, Megill has struck out six batters or more in three of his last four starts. And regardless of what pitch Megill throws, most batters are not timing them up; none of his five pitches have an expected batting average of over .260. However, Megill also has a serious command issue at times. The 29-year-old has an 11.4 walk rate and has walked at least four batters in two of his last three starts. Combined with giving up soft-contact hits, Megill has struggled to go deep into games as of late. The story remains the same for the tall righty; if he can limit the hits and walks, he should be able to produce a solid game on the bump for New York. On the other side of things is Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers’ legend, 37, doesn’t possess the same stuff that made him one of the greatest pitchers of his generation. However, he has consistently given the Dodgers innings since getting back from injury in May. New York can potentially do some damage here, but the legendary lefty will make it hard on them on Tuesday. 

Wednesday: Griffin Canning (5–2, 3.23 ERA)  vs. Tony Gonsolin (3–1, 5.23 ERA)

• In game three of this series, the Mets are sending out a pitcher looking to bounce back from one of his worst outings of the season. Griffin Canning gave up three earned runs, five runs total, and walked four batters in three innings. The pitcher has seen his command waver in his past two starts, saw his strikeout numbers drop, and saw his spin rate drop on all of his pitches. In fairness to Canning, the weather has been abysmal in both of his past two starts. And against the Dodgers, he can show that his last two outings were nothing more than a fluke. LA, on the other hand, will send the struggling Tony Gonsolin to the mound. Over his past three starts, he has allowed three walks or more and four runs or more. Gonsolin has still found some success with his offspeed pitches, but the Mets are in a good spot to capitalize on the struggling pitcher. 

Thursday: David Peterson (4–2, 2.69 ERA) vs. TBD

• As of now, one of the most consistent Mets pitchers will close out the series against the Dodgers. David Peterson has been a bulldog for New York this season, delivering quality start after quality start. His pitch mix has been impressive, as every one of his pitches has a positive run value outside of his four-seam fastball. He is avoiding barrels (6.0%), has reigned in the walks, and is severely limiting hard contact (46.7%). Facing the Dodgers for the second time in as many weeks will be a tough task, but there is arguably no one else in New York’s rotation as capable as Peterson to handle that task.

The Main Headline

For this week’s series, I am focusing on the pitching side of things. Specifically, I want to see how the Mets manage their rotation as they go forward. 

Paul Blackburn’s return from the injured list is the first insight into these plans. If he fares well, do the Mets stick with a six-man rotation for the foreseeable future? Or does that mean that a player like Tylor Megill could be heading to the minor leagues? On the flip side of things, the Mets could transition Blackburn into a bullpen role similar to the one José Buttó holds.

The conversation only gets more complicated once enters the fold, as he will be locked into the rotation and force the Mets to make some difficult decisions regarding their pitching. And that does not include the possibility of players like Blade Tidwell, Brandon Sproat, or even Jonah Tong being ready to make an impact at the major league level.

It is not a bad thing to have a good amount of pitching depth in the overall organization. Injuries can pop up out of nowhere, forcing players into roles they did not expect to have just days or hours prior. And considering the types of pitchers New York has trotted out as depth in past years, 2025’s situation is a great spot for the team.

However, David Stearns will once again have to show his roster-making expertise with the pitching decisions he makes.

Whether it is promoting players, demoting them, going to a six-man rotation, or shifting starters into bullpen roles, the Mets have no small number of paths to take. How they decide to proceed, starting this week against the Dodgers, will be a big topic for the rest of the year.

Prediction

In their rematch against the Dodgers, I have the Mets splitting the four-game series. There is a route for the Mets to win three of four games or even sweep all of them, but I think the likeliest outcome is an even series between two of the best teams in the NL.

As for player predictions, Juan Soto will continue his hot streak, and rack up three extra-base hits in the series. Tylor Megill will record a quality start, while David Peterson will once again deliver a strong performance. Meanwhile, Paul Blackburn will have some struggles, but his stuff will show promise for the rest of the season. Finally, to end this on a high note, Francisco Alvarez will go deep, ending his home run drought.

After this series, I have the Mets at 39-24 heading into another matchup with the Colorado Rockies.

The post Series Preview: Mets Set for Hollywood Showdown appeared first on Metsmerized Online.