(Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)

The New York Mets were thinking about playing in the World Series when the season started.

But now, 51 games into the 2026 campaign, the Mets will look to climb out of last place in the National League East Saturday afternoon when they visit the Miami Marlins in the middle game of a three-game series.

The Marlins head into play Saturday 13 games behind the Atlanta Braves, with the Mets 13 1/2 games out.

Freddy Peralta (3-3, 3.31 ERA) is slated to start for the Mets against fellow right-hander Max Meyer (4-0, 2.85 ERA).

Eury Perez and a trio of Marlins relievers combined on a three-hitter Friday night as Miami earned a 2-1 victory.

The win lifted the Marlins past the Mets into fourth place in the NL East -- one day after New York climbed out of the basement for the first time since April 28.

The loss Friday was the third in the last four games for the Mets, who have struggled to pair a productive offense with effective pitching throughout their disappointing first two months of the season.

The Mets have been outscored 20-13 over the past four games. The current skid was preceded by a seven-game stretch in which New York went 6-1 while outscoring the opposition 53-29.

'You take the positives. Obviously, it's not what you want as far as the results, not getting the job done, not able to get the win,' Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.

Consistency has also been an issue for the Marlins, who have won consecutive games just once this month while going 8-13.

But pitching and defense helped lift the Marlins on Friday, when they won a game while scoring two runs or fewer for the first time since they edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 on April 28.

Perez allowed just two hits -- both to Juan Soto, who homered in the first and singled in the fourth -- over 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander benefited from a pair of highlight-reel plays by center fielder Jakob Marsee, who robbed Mets leadoff hitter Carson Benge with a running catch at the right-center field wall in the first and a leaping catch at the center field wall in the sixth.

'To win games like that 2-1, you generally are going to need a little bit of luck on your side and also (are) going to have to make some plays,' Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said.

Peralta didn't factor into the decision in his most recent start last Sunday, when he allowed three runs over five innings as the Mets edged the New York Yankees, 7-6, in 10 innings. Meyer earned the win Monday night after giving up three hits over six scoreless innings in the Marlins' 12-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

Peralta is 3-4 with a 4.03 ERA in 11 career games (eight starts) against the Marlins. Meyer is 1-1 with a 3.48 ERA in two starts against the Mets.

-Field Level Media