Opposite ends of the National League converge on Monday night, as the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers open a three-game series at American Family Field.
The Mets (42–58, 5th NL East) are staked to the second-worst record in the NL, though they opened the second half of the season by taking two of three from the Phillies in Philly. Conversely, the Brewers (62–37, 1st NL Central) rank second in the league and kicked off their homestand with a three-game sweep of the surging Marlins.
Looking at the pitching probables, we’ve got New York right-hander Freddy Peralta (5–8, 4.66 ERA) taking on Milwaukee righty Jacob Misiorowski (10–4, 1.62 ERA).
First pitch is at 7:40 p.m. ET. The Brewers enter as 1.5-run home favorites with -218 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Mets are +178 underdogs, with the game total set at O/U 7.5 runs.
Mets vs. Brewers Preview
New York Mets
The Mets enter the second half of 2026, hoping to clean up the most expensive mess in baseball. New York is saddled with the second-worst record in the National League and sits a whopping 16 games out of first in the NL East — still a long way away from its first playoff berth of the Juan Soto era.
On a positive note, the offense has started to find its rhythm, sporting a top-10 wRC+ and wOBA since the beginning of July behind an MVP-caliber season from Soto and a promising young core. However, there’s been a seesaw effect between the Mets’ booming run production and run prevention; they rank 25th in ERA this month.
Surprisingly, New York’s starting rotation has been one of the best in baseball since the calendar flipped to July — anchored by an MLB-worst bullpen that’s saddled with an 8.55 ERA in that span. Unfortunately, that trend goes out the window when Freddy Peralta’s on the mound. Acquired following a breakout season with the Brewers, the 30-year-old right-hander heads into his first start against his former team with a catastrophic 4.66 ERA (3.82 xERA) and a 1.44 WHIP across 20 starts (104.1 IP) for the Amazin’s.
Milwaukee Brewers
It would have been nearly impossible for the Brewers to have a better start to the second half of 2026. Stacked up with a streaking Marlins club, William Contreras crushed a three-run shot on Sunday to complete the three-game sweep in walk-off fashion.
Following last year’s trip to the National League Championship Series, Milwaukee has remained one of the most formidable teams in the majors. While the offense has cooled slightly since the beginning of July, they still rank fifth in xwOBA over that span. The less-than-star-studded offense — headlined by the likes of Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and Jake Bauers — utilizes its small-ball approach to string together hits and stack up runs in a hurry.
Oh yeah, and they have the best pitcher on the planet. Pick any stat — there’s a solid chance that Jacob Misiorowski is leading the field. The right-handed fireballer, 24, is running away with the NL Cy Young award, pacing all qualified pitchers in ERA (1.62), xERA (2.06), WHIP (0.76), FIP (2.09), strikeouts (167), and K’s per nine innings (13.54).
In a word, the Miz is untouchable.
Mets vs. Brewers Pick, Best Bet
Jacob Misiorowski facing Freddy Peralta and the Mets — at least the ones not named Juan Soto — should evoke shades of former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua teeing off on Jake Paul. Fresh off a dominant showing against the Marlins, the Brew Crew should continue chugging along and steamroll the lowly Mets in Monday’s series opener.
