The Mets head to Pittsburgh for a three-game set against the hapless Pirates. 

In their toughest stretch yet of the 2025 MLB season, there’s no better time for the Amazin’s to get back on track. 

Coming off his worst start of the year, David Peterson gets a soft opponent in his bounce-back attempt on Friday night. 

The Pirates are among – if not the – worst hitting teams in baseball. 

Through Wednesday’s play, Pittsburgh is hitting just .228/.302/.337 with fewer home runs (55) than any other team in baseball. 

Their .639 OPS as a team is better than only the White Sox, who are a tick behind them at .638. 

Against southpaws, they’ve been even worse than that, slashing .215/.278/.328 (.606 OPS) with 16 long balls. 

The Pirates’ lineup is not only weak-hitting, but they’re a solid matchup for the ground-ball machine that is Peterson, hitting the ball on the ground 44.7 percent of the time, the 4th-highest rate in the league. 

Peterson was solid against the Pirates on May 12 in New York, tossing six innings while giving up just two runs and striking out seven. 

I’m betting he can have a similar outing at PNC Park on Friday. 

After a tough showing against a strong Phillies lineup last time out, let’s see if Peterson can take care of business against a much easier task in the Pirates. 

The Play: David Peterson to get more than x.x outs (xx, BetMGM Sportsbook)

Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.