Disappointing teams Mets, Giants playing out season with eye toward '27

The New York Mets and San Francisco Giants have been two of the most disappointing teams in baseball this season.

And as Labor Day weekend begins, the Mets appear to be ahead of the Giants in the race to return to contention next season.

New York on Friday night will look to build off an encouraging series when it hosts San Francisco in the opener of a three-game set.

Right-hander Nolan McLean (10-8, 3.06 ERA) will start for the Mets against Giants left-hander Matt Wilkinson (0-2. 4.63) in a battle of rookies.

The Mets were off Thursday after earning a 10-4 win over the host Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber game of a three-game series Wednesday night.

The Giants were limited to two hits Thursday afternoon as they fell 5-2 to the host Pittsburgh Pirates in the decisive contest of that three-game set.

With their win on Wednesday, the Mets improved to 23-20 since the All-Star break while recording their fifth series win over a contender. Prior to taking the set against the American League-leading Rays, New York won series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Guardians and San Diego Padres.

The Mets, who opened the season with a payroll of more than $350 million but are in danger of finishing in last place for the first time since 2003, have succeeded despite trading several veterans at the deadline and the long-term absence of Juan Soto. The All-Star outfielder/designated hitter missed five weeks with a strained left calf before returning last Saturday.

The Mets (63-77) are 10 1/2 games out of the final National League wild-card spot with 22 games remaining and behind everyone in the league except for the Giants and Colorado Rockies. But Soto refused to raise the white flag while speaking at a baseball clinic on Thursday.

"We're not finished yet, we're not done yet -- who knows what can happen?" he said. "Finish strong and try to carry that into October or the next season."

The second half of the season hasn't gone nearly as well for the Giants, who fell to 17-28 since the All-Star break with their loss to the Pirates.

The defeat symbolized the frustrating season for the Giants (58-83), who won between 79 and 81 games in each of the previous four years since their 107-win season in 2021. San Francisco hoped to make a leap this season after signing three-time batting champ Luis Arraez to bolster a lineup anchored by Rafael Devers, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in June 2025.

But the Giants have a negative-73 run differential, the third worst in the NL and ahead of only the Rockies and Cincinnati Reds, even though Devers has 32 homers and Arraez hit .324 before being dealt to the Phillies.

A quartet of Giants pitchers combined to issue seven walks Thursday, including five by starter Blake Tidwell, who lasted five innings.

"The bottom line is didn't throw strikes," Giants manager Tony Vitello said. "There's other guys. So if you don't want to attack, there'll be opportunities for other guys. And the smart ones will sniff that out and they'll do it."

McLean earned the win in his most recent start last Saturday, when he allowed an unearned run over seven innings as the Mets beat the Houston Astros 6-2.

Wilkinson took the defeat in his third career start on Saturday after giving up two runs over six innings as the Giants lost to the Diamondbacks 7-1.

McLean won his lone career start against the Giants on April 3, when he gave up two runs (one earned) over 5 1/3 innings in the Mets' 10-3 victory.

Wilkinson has never opposed the Mets.

--Field Level Media