Yamamoto faces McLean in elite pitching duel at Citi Field

The Los Angeles Dodgers face the New York Mets on Saturday, July 25, 2026, in an elite pitching matchup between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Nolan McLean at Citi Field. Both pitchers have excelled in recent weeks, with McLean posting a 2.08 ERA and Yamamoto a 2.43 ERA over the past two months, making the contest one of high-quality starting pitching.

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MLB regular season game
Pitching matchup between Yamamoto and McLean
Dodgers seeking fourth consecutive win
Mets attempting to end four-game home losing streak
Season series leads 4–0 for Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers will visit the New York Mets on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at 7:15 p.m. ET at Citi Field for a matchup between two of baseball's top-performing pitchers. The Dodgers (66–38) are seeking their fourth consecutive win, while the Mets (43–61) aim to snap a four-game home losing streak.

Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto enters the game with a 10–6 record and 2.78 ERA over 18 starts this season. An All-Star who finished third in National League Cy Young voting last season, Yamamoto has pitched to a 2.20 ERA over his last 10 starts, including a complete-game two-run performance in his most recent outing. Over the past two months (May 26 through July 24), Yamamoto ranks 10th among 63 pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched, posting a 2.43 ERA. He is known for his above-average splitter but possesses five pitches that rate above-average on the Stuff+ metric, including his four-seam fastball, sinker, slider, and cutter.

Mets starter Nolan McLean is 7–6 with a 3.34 ERA in 20 outings this season. Over the same two-month period as Yamamoto, McLean ranks sixth in ERA at 2.08. Recently, McLean has shown improved efficiency, posting a 0.75 ERA over his last four starts and extending at least six innings in six consecutive starts—a streak during which he has allowed no earned runs over 17 consecutive innings. McLean has attributed this improvement to increased reliance on his four-seam fastball and sinker early in counts to induce soft contact rather than chase strikeouts.

The Dodgers lead the season series 4–0 through five matchups. Offensively, Shohei Ohtani leads Los Angeles with 42 extra base hits, while Juan Soto leads the Mets with a .283 batting average and 21 home runs, though he is listed as day-to-day with a calf injury. The Dodgers hold the best on-base percentage in the National League at .341. Betting lines favor the Dodgers at -150 to -165 on the moneyline, with the over/under set at 7.5 to 8 runs. Weather conditions—temperatures in the 70s and winds of 5–9 mph blowing toward third base—are expected to favor the pitchers. The game will be broadcast on FOX.

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#pitching duel #Dodgers #Citi Field #baseball #Mets #Yamamoto #McLean #MLB #pitching

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Why This Matters

The Dodgers (66–38) seek their fourth consecutive win against a slumping Mets team (43–61) trying to end a four-game home losing streak. The matchup features two of baseball's best-performing pitchers in recent weeks: Yamamoto (2.43 ERA over past two months, ranked 10th among qualified starters) and McLean (2.08 ERA over the same period, ranked sixth; 0.75 ERA over his last four starts with 17 consecutive scoreless innings). Betting markets favor the Dodgers at -150 to -165 on the moneyline, with an over/under of 7.5–8 runs. The outcome affects playoff positioning for both teams and may influence coaching decisions on pitcher usage down the stretch.

Timeline & Sources

May 26, 2026

Wire

Start of two-month performance evaluation period for pitchers

Jul 25, 2026

Wire

Dodgers vs. Mets game scheduled to begin at 7:15 p.m. ET at Citi Field

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