The last time these two rivals squared off, the Mets were knocking the Phillies out of the playoffs.
The Mets (15-7) are set to welcome the NL East rival Phillies (13-9) to Citi Field for the first time in 2025. The Mets dropped seven of 13 to their NL East rivals in the regular season, including four of seven at Citi Field. However, more importantly, they knocked Philly out of the playoffs by taking three of four from them in the NLDS, including both contests at Citi Field.
The Mets are fresh off a series in which they swept the Cardinals—as it happens it was the first time the Mets have swept a four-game set from St. Louis since April 1986. The Mets breezed to a 4-1 victory on Thursday, plating all of their runs in the second inning. Mark Vientos got the party started with a solo homer, Brett Baty knocked in a run on a double, and Francisco Lindor had two runs score on a play where he got caught in a rundown that was long enough to get Tyrone Taylor home. Griffin Canning was solid in his return from illness to pick up the win.
On Friday, the Mets won a back-and-forth match-up as they prevailed 5-4 in an April classic. After falling behind 2-0, the Mets tied things up in the fifth on a Taylor tripe and a Juan Soto single. After falling behind again in the next frame, Vientos hit his second homer in as many games to knot the score at three apiece, and the Mets jumped ahead for the first time in the game on a Luis Torrens double in the eighth. St. Louis would tie things up against Huascar Brazobán in the ninth, with set the stage for a dramatic Lindor walk-off homer, which just so happened to be the 250th home run of his career.
The Mets secured the series win with a 3-0 victory on Saturday. Kodai Senga was dealing, tossing 5 2⁄3 scoreless frames while scattering three hits, striking out four, and not issuing a single walk. The Mets got all the offense they would need in the third, as Soto drove home Luisangel Acuña on a single, and Pete Alonso drove Soto in on a double. St. Louis threatened in the eighth inning after A.J. Minter walked the bases loaded, but Lindor made a nice play in the field to keep the Cardinals off the board. Alonso gave the Mets an insurance run with his sixth home run of the season in the bottom half of the frame.
The Mets completed the sweep with an impressive 7-4 win on Sunday. New York jumped out in front on a Lindor lead-off homer, and tacked on a run in the third (Soto sac fly) and fifth (Alonso single). Clay Holmes turned in six innings—his longest stint as a starter so far—as he allowed just one earned run. The Mets were in cruise control until the seventh, when the Cardinals tied things up by pushing two across the board. The Mets wasted no time jumping back in front, as Brandon Nimmo singled home the go-ahead run in the bottom half of the frame. The Mets got three insurance runs in the eighth, two of which came courtesy of a Soto double, and New York went on to close out the win.
A lot was made of Soto’s recent struggles, especially on the team’s last road trip. New York fans have been known to be hard on players early on, especially when expectations are high, but Mets fans bucked the trend this time around by showing Soto a lot of love. Soto acknowledged the cheers and shared his appreciation at the support of the Flushing Faithful, and he responded by going 5-for-13 in the series sweep while knocking in five runs, scoring twice, and walking three times. It’s safe to say Soto is fitting in quite nicely and has ingratiated himself to Mets fans.
The Phillies come in Queens after taking two of three from the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. They took the first two games before falling in extras on Sunday, as they were unable to complete the sweep. The Phillies, who have won four of six, reside in second place in the NL East, two games back of the Mets.
Philadelphia currently ranks fourth among NL squads with a 108 wRC+ and a .736 OPS. They also walk at a higher clip (11.4%) than any other NL team, and they only strike out at a 21.1% clip (fifth best in the NL), both of which have been key drivers to their early-season success. They are led by the usual suspects, including Kyle Schwarber, who leads the team with a 176 wRC+ and a 1.001 OPS. Schwarber also leads the team in home runs (seven), runs scored (18) and runs batted in (16) while slashing .269/.424/.577. Bryce Harper is not too far behind, hitting .272/.404/.506 with five homers, 16 runs scored, 14 runs batted in, a 152 wRC+ and a team-best 0.9 fWAR.
As good as their lineup has been, their pitching has been right there keeping pace. Their rotation currently sports the second-best FIP (3.32) in the NL, behind only the Mets. Meanwhile, their 3.46 ERA is fifth-best in the league. So much of that success is due to Jesús Luzardo, whom they acquired from the Marlins over the offseason. Luzardo owns a 2.08 ERA and a 1.78 FIP in five starts, and his 1.3 fWAR is tops among NL starters.
Monday, April 21: Tylor Megill vs. Aaron Nola, 7:10 PM EDT on SNY
Megill (2025): 19.1 IP, 20 K, 7 BB, 0 HR, 1.40 ERA, 2.17 FIP, 37 ERA-
Megill was plagued by some bad defense his last time out against the Twins, which resulted in his second consecutive loss. Overall, he gave up four runs (two earned) on a season-high eight hits. He didn’t walk a batter for the first time this season, but he only struck out three (a season low). Despite that, his numbers for April remain strong. He is one of four qualified starting pitchers who has not given up a home runs in the NL, alongside teammate Clay Holmes, Paul Skenes, and San Diego’s Randy Vásquez. His 37 ERA- is third-best among qualified NL starting pitchers, behind Hunter Greene and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Nola (2025): 21.2 IP, 25 K, 9 BB, 4 HR, 6.65 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 165 ERA-
Nola has had a truly dreadful start to the year, especially coming one year after finishing 11th in NL Cy Young voting. The long-time Phillie, who is in the second year of his seven-year extension with the club, has the most losses (4) and has allowed the most earned runs (16) among all NL pitchers. He currently sports the second-worst ERA- among qualified NL starters, behind just San Diego’s Dylan Cease. Part of his struggles are due to a higher-than-normal BB% (9.0%, up from 6.1% last year) and HR/9 (1.7, which would constitute a career high). The righty is coming off a start against the Giants that saw him allow seven runs (six earned) on nine hits, with eight strikeouts and four walks.
Tuesday, April 22: Griffin Canning vs. Cristopher Sánchez, 7:10 PM EDT on SNY
Canning (2025): 21.0 IP, 21 K, 10 BB, 2 HR, 3.43 ERA, 3.66 FIP, 91 ERA-
Canning turned in his strongest start as a Met, and after being pushed back a day due to an illness. The right-hander earned the win against St. Louis, pitching six innings and allowing one earned run on three hits. He struck out a season-high eight and walked two. He has now earned the victory in back-to-back starts and has proved to be a shrewd pick up by David Stearns at this early juncture of the season.
Sánchez (2025): 24.1 IP, 31 K, 6 BB, 4 HR, 2.96 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 74 ERA-
Unlike his teammate Nola, Sánchez is having a great start to his year after finishing 10th in NL Cy Young voting in 2024. The left-hander has picked up wins in back-to-back outings and is coming off a dominant effort against San Francisco. In that start, he fanned a season-high 12, walked one, and surrendered three runs (two earned) on four hits over seven innings against one of the NL’s best squads. He currently sports a 30.7% K%, which is good for seventh among qualified NL starters, while his 5.9% BB% is 13th among NL starters.
Wednesday, April 23: David Peterson vs. Zack Wheeler, 1:10 PM EDT on SNY
Peterson (2025): 22.0 IP, 26 K, 8 BB, 2 HR, 3.27 ERA, 3.08 FIP, 85 ERA-
Despite allowing three earned runs in 5 1⁄3 innings, Peterson had a great start against St. Louis. He struck out nine hitters, which matched his season high, and did not walk a batter for the second straight outing, which is a really encouraging sign. He tossed a season-high 99 pitches and a season-best 69 strikes. Six of the seven hits he allowed were singles, and he was able to limit the damage and keep the game close enough that the Mets were never out of it, which set the scene for Lindor’s late-game heroics.
Wheeler (2025): 31.1 IP, 41 K, 6 BB, 5 HR, 3.73 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 93 ERA-
Wheeler hasn’t gotten off to quite as dominant a start as we’re used to seeing from him. The right-hander, who is coming off a year in which he finished second in NL Cy Young voting and 12th in NL MVP voting, is currently sporting a 3.73 ERA and a 93 ERA-. Both are solid in their own right, but would represent his highest mark in those areas since his final year in New York. However, he does lead the league in innings pitched (31 1⁄3) and strikeouts (41) whcih remains a good sign for Philadelphia. He is coming off his best start of 2025, as he struck out 13 and limited Miami to two earned runs on seven hits to pick up the victory.