Series Preview: Mets Hit the Road to Face the Cardinals

“Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back!”

Just as Mase said in his hit song, welcome back to another season of New York Mets baseball! It has been an eventful one so far, as New York has started 2-1 after a series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now, the Mets hit the road, facing the St. Louis Cardinals before heading out to the West Coast.

There is plenty to dive into ahead of this series, and there is no time to waste. Without further ado, let us dive into the early week season preview for the New York Mets!

Pitching Matchups

Monday: Clay Holmes (0-0, -.– ERA) vs. Kyle Leahy (0-0, -.– ERA)

• The second year of the Clay Holmes starting pitching experiment officially begins! In between the World Baseball Classic and spring training, the right-handed pitcher’s arsenal looked very effective. He only walked three batters in just over 12 innings of work, striking out 13 in the same time frame. I have been a fan of the offspeed pitch Holmes has shown, in addition to his sinker. It will be fascinating to not only see how Holmes’s location and arsenal translate to his first start, but also over the extended workload required for a starting pitcher.
• Leahy had the best season of his career in 2025, posting a 3.07 ERA with 80 strikeouts en route to a 4-2 record. He poses a tough task for any lineup, utilizing a six-pitch mix that heavily uses a fastball, slider, and curveball. However, Leahy did not go beyond three innings last season, which means he could be used as an opener for the Cardinals.

Tuesday: Kodai Senga (0-0, -.– ERA) vs. Andre Pallante (0-0, -.– ERA)

• Out of all of the Mets’ pitchers in their initial starting rotation, the 2026 season may be the most important for Kodai Senga. After a great start to the 2025 season, Senga suffered yet another injury and never truly regained his early-season form. His location fell off a cliff, the fastball was not nearly as effective, and his offspeed pitches were hammered. It got so bad that the pitcher, once considered the “ace” of the staff, was demoted to the minor leagues. In the offseason, Senga seemed to lock in on his mechanics, and it paid off in the spring. Senga’s velocity was impressive, along with the location of all of his pitches. This allowed his offspeed to thrive, as Senga recorded 11 strikeouts in 9.2 innings. Like Holmes, how Senga handles the workload of a starter will be very important. But if he looks anything close to what he did this spring, the Mets will be in a good spot with him. 
• Pallante got hammered in 2025, posting a 5.31 ERA while only recording a strikeout rate of 15.5% (4th percentile). This should be the game where New York can do the most damage, as I do not think Pallante has the arsenal to deal with the talent in the Mets’ lineup.

Wednesday: Freddy Peralta (1-0, 7.20 ERA) vs. Matthew Liberatore (0-0, 1.80 ERA) 

• Freddy Peralta was not spotless in his first start as a Met, but he showed the arsenal that has made him one of the best pitchers in baseball. Despite giving up four runs, Peralta struck out seven batters over five innings of work against the Pirates. He only allowed one barrel and recorded strikeouts with three different pitches. While the data is still not concrete at this point, Baseball Savant has the ace with an expected ERA of 2.48. I expect Perlata to make the necessary adjustments and have another great start on Wednesday. 
• Once a top prospect in the sport, Matthew Liberatore is set to make his second start of the season against the Mets. In his first outing against the Rays, the left-handed pitcher allowed one run and seven hits while walking two batters. He also struck out two batters over his five innings of work. The lefty can be lethal if he gets his offspeed working, but can be hit hard if hitters get to fastball counts. For a lineup that had its fair share of struggles against lefty pitchers last year, Wednesday’s game will be a nice test.

The Main Headline/Question

In this series against the Cardinals, my question is this: How will Bo Bichette bounce back?

Early-season struggles for players in new locations are not uncommon. From New York to Los Angeles, it can take time to not only acclimate to new surroundings, but also a new routine and home ballpark. Bo Bichette is in the thick of it. Through three games, Bichette is 1-for-14 with eight strikeouts, while also not looking the most comfortable at third base.

Despite these massive struggles through three games, the sky is not falling. Bichette has an extended track record of success at the plate, and to insinuate that these games are an indication of the opposite would be completely disingenuous.

Over these next three games, I want to see how Bichette adjusts. How does he attack things early in the count? Are there mechanical tweaks? Can he work through adversity?

The runway for Bichette is long, and he is one of the more important players in the Mets’ 2026 lineup. As a result, Bichette’s production at the plate is not only my main question of the week, but my main headline.

Player to Watch 

Outside of Bo Bichette, Carson Benge is my player to watch this week. After an opening series where he flashed his diverse skillset, I am very intrigued to see how he makes adjustments and improves upon his mistakes from the Mets’ first three games.

Prediction

In their series against the Cardinals, I have the Mets winning 2 of 3 games. Francisco Lindor will leave the yard for the first time this season, as will Juan Soto. Bo Bichette will record his first extra-base hit, and Devin Williams will record his first save as a Met.

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