The New York Mets have yet to sweep an opponent during the 2026 season but have the chance to with a win in the matinee series finale against the Detroit Tigers Thursday.
The New York Mets finished a gutsy comeback against the Detroit Tigers with a 3-2 walk-off win to take the series Wednesday night.
Mets right fielder Carson Benge was the hero, scoring prospect center fielder A.J. Ewing with a single in the 10th inning to cap off a 3-for-5 game out of the leadoff spot. Benge has been hot at the plate recently and is 7-for-20 over his last five games.
Mets right-hander Christian Scott got the start in this one and settled in after allowing a two-run single to Tigers left fielder Riley Greene in the first inning. Scott went 4.2 innings and gave up just six other hits with two walks and five strikeouts, keeping the Mets in the ballgame.
Tigers lefty Framber Valdez had a near identical stat line but in 6.2 innings. He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts to earn a no-decision.
Both bullpens stepped up in the middle game of the series, but it was New York’s bullpen that outlasted Detroit’s and secured the win for its team. The Mets bullpen only allowed one hit and three walks over the final 5.1 innings while fanning five.
The Mets desperately needed a series win after dropping two of three to the Arizona Diamondbacks and now can go for its first sweep of the campaign. Thursday’s series finale will feature a pitching matchup between rookie right-hander Nolan McLean and 25-year-old righty Keider Montero.
McLean has pitched himself into the National League Rookie of the Year conversation after picking up where he left off in 2025. The 24-year-old phenom is 1-2 with a 2.78 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with 57 strikeouts through eight starts (45.1 innings).
McLean was dominant his last time out against the Diamondbacks, completing six innings of one-run ball on three hits and one walk while punching out six in a no-decision. After a bumpy World Baseball Classic in the spring, McLean looks more like the guy we watched tear it up at the end of last season. He faces the following Tigers lineup:
1. Kevin McGonigle (SS)
2. Colt Keith (3B)
3. Greene (LF)
4. Dillon Dingler (DH)
5. Gage Workman (2B)
6. Zach McKinstry (RF)
7. Spencer Torkelson (1B)
8. Wenceel Perez (CF)
9. Jake Rogers (C)
Montero is a Swiss-army knife for the Tigers but has been deployed exclusively as a starter this season, making seven starts and going 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 39.2 innings.
Montero has stepped up big for a Detroit starting rotation that is without its ace left-hander and back-to-back American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who is out recovering from elbow surgery to remove loose bodies. He will face the following Mets lineup:
1. Benge (RF)
2. Bo Bichette (SS)
3. Juan Soto (DH)
4. Mark Vientos (1B)
5. MJ Melendez (LF)
6. Brett Baty (3B)
7. Marcus Semien (2B)
8. Ewing (CF)
9. Hayden Senger (C)
The pitcher the Tigers had in Montero the last two seasons seems like a completely different guy this year – Montero has a 4.33 career ERA and 1.29 career WHIP in 46 games (35 starts).
First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. EDT on ESPN Unlimited, MLB.TV and regional sports networks.