Split-Squad Spring Training Game Chat: Mets vs. Nationals (6:05 PM) & Marlins vs. Mets (6:10 PM)

Friday, March 13, 2026 • 6:05 PM
CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches • West Palm Beach, FL
RHP Carl Edwards Jr. (0-1, 3.86) vs. RHP Zack Littell (0-0, -.–)

Hope you have multiple screens available if you like baseball!

The Mets finally play their first split-squad games of the spring, and they are both scheduled night games. They just so happen to be the same night as two World Baseball Classic quarterfinal games as well. Just an incredibly busy, and hopefully exciting, night for the sport.

Spring training really is about the vibes. The individual results don’t matter in a vacuum, but the feelings they bring, especially over multiple games, do. Yesterday, Sean Manaea’s velocity was down again, and this time it lead to three runs over 2 2/3 innings. The Mets and Manaea are not concerned about it, but it is still feels like something to watch and potentially be concerned about. It reminds us how important the health of each starting pitcher on the roster is.

The story tonight is Clay Holmes. He had a tremendous outing against Great Britain in WBC pool play, throwing three scoreless innings. An amazing 28 of his 38 pitches were strikes, and he held Great Britain to one hit while striking out six. Team USA could not guarantee Holmes enough innings, so the Mets decided they needed to bring him back to ramp him up for the season.

Mets Lineup

1. Carson Benge – RF
2. Mark Vientos – DH
3. Brett Baty – 1B
4. Ronny Mauricio – SS
5. Christian Arroyo – 3B
6. Vidal Bruján – 2B
7. Hayden Senger – C
8. A.J. Ewing – LF
9. Cristian Pache – CF

Starting Pitcher: Carl Edwards Jr.

Opposing Lineup

1. CJ Abrams – SS
2. James Wood – LF
3. Daylen Lile – RF
4. Luis García Jr. – 1B
5. Dylan Crews – CF
6. José Tena – DH
7. Nasim Nuñez – 2B
8. Drew Millas – C
9. Yohandy Morales – 3B

Starting Pitcher: Zack Littell

Friday, March 13, 2026 • 6:10 PM
Clover Park • Port St. Lucie, FL
RHP Chris Paddack (1-0, 1.00) vs. RHP Kodai Senga (0-0, 6.75)
WPIX

Mets Lineup

[Note to Editor: Please Review lineup below for substitutions]

1. Marcus Semien – 2B
2. Jorge Polanco – 1B
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Luis Robert Jr. – CF
5. Francisco Alvarez – C
6. Mike Tauchman – LF
7. Luis Torrens – C
8. Tyrone Taylor – RF
9. Jackson Cluff – SS

Starting Pitcher: Kodai Senga

Opposing Lineup

1. Esteury Ruiz – CF
2. Heriberto Hernández – LF
3. Connor Norby – 3B
4. Graham Pauley – DH
5. Christopher Morel – 1B
6. Joe Mack – C
7. Fenwick Trimble – RF
8. Jesús Bastidas – SS
9. Chase Jaworsky – 2B

Starting Pitcher: Chris Paddack

Game Notes

• As noted by MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, Francisco Lindor completed a full session of batting practice on the field today for the first time since undergoing hamate surgery in February. He also went up against A.J. Minter in live batting practice and hit a ground-rule double to center field.

Three Things To Watch For

1. Clay Holmes. Holmes became a rock in the Mets’ rotation during his first season with the club. He couldn’t go incredibly deep into games consistently, but he still blew through his single-season innings record, tossing 165 2/3. For context, in his previous three seasons as a reliever, he threw 189 2/3 innings combined. He had a 3.53 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 1.304 WHIP and a 114 ERA+ for the Mets, and his 1.9 bWAR was a career high! When you combine spring training and the WBC, he has tossed 10 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out 10 batters.
2. Checking in on challenges. With two games tonight, the Mets have double the chances to practice challenging calls with the ABS system. It has not gone well for the Mets so far, though. Overall, teams have had a 52% success rate with ABS. The Mets, however, have been successful only 27% of the time. Baseball Savant has created a comparative stat for teams challenging identical calls, and the Mets have -5.1 calls overturned vs. expected. That mark is good for No. 26 in the league.
3. Kodai Senga: Don’t look at the results! In his last outing, Senga allowed two runs, both on solo homers, over 2 2/3 innings while striking out two batters. His fastball in his last start averaged 96.7 mph, which a good bit higher than it was last season (94.7 mph) and also higher than it was in 2023 (95.7 mph). Hopefully this wasn’t an aberration!

Let’s go Mets!

 

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