Finally, a Series Against the Mets: Mets vs. Phillies Series Preview, June 18-21

We are halfway through June, and somehow, for the first time this year, the Philadelphia Phillies take on their dreaded rivals, the New York Mets.

While 2026 hasn’t exactly been the year the Phillies hope they would be at 75 games into the season, it could be worse; they could be the Mets. After defeating the Phillies in the 2024 playoffs and nearly reaching the World Series, the Mets’ downfall began last season. Around this time last year, the Mets held a 45-24 record, the best record in baseball at that time, and were well on their way to winning their first division title in a decade.

And then all of a sudden, the Mets started falling back down to earth. They went 38-55 over their final 93 games, blowing a double-digit division and wild card lead, falling out of the playoffs entirely with the second highest payroll in all of baseball behind only the champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Considering how much New York was spending last season, it’s considered one of the biggest blown leads in the history of baseball. They had over a 92% chance to make the postseason with less than 20 games to play in the season, but a 7-14 final stretch, including an eight-game losing streak, was the nail in the coffin.

Now they find themselves with a ragtag group of expandable players, the majority of whom won’t be with the team next year, a $35 and $51 million players who can only do so much. This is the first of three series against the Mets over the next month for the Phillies, and continuing to drive New York deeper in the standings has to be the key.

What’s Left of the Mets

Well, after their terrible 2025 collapse, the team went into a “retool” of the roster, allowing multiple big-name free agents like Pete Alonso, Ryan Helsley, and Edwin Diaz to walk in free agency, while also trading former long-time Mets Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo.

It was essentially Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, along with some young and developing hitters, surrounded by brand-new free agent signings and acquired teammates through trades against the world. Surprisingly, that recipe led to a disaster of a start to 2026.

New York brought in Marcus Semien in the Nimmo trade and snagged Luis Robert in a deal with the White Sox. In free agency, instead of bringing back their stud closers or their silver slugger first baseman, they brought in Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to help the back end of the bullpen and Jorge Polanco to play first base, a position in which he’s never played a single game professionally.

However, they made one good move, acquiring starting pitcher Freddy Peralta from the Brewers, giving them a solid one-two punch at the top of their rotation with him and Nolan McLean. However, that move came with risk as Peralta is a free agent this winter, and this deal was done by the Mets due to their mindset of being a World Series contender.

So now they sit with a lineup that plays good defense but can’t hit, has a terrible bullpen, and struggles to play any team ball. On top of that, they made another move involving a player that I’m sure some Phillies fans will be happy to see this weekend.

Make Bo Pay

While all the Mets’ offseason moves were head-scratching, the real deal and news of the offseason came late in the free agency cycle in January when the Metropolitans signed infielder Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million contract. For weeks, all the news around Bichette was that it was a done deal that he’d be a Philadelphia Phillie and that no team would outbid Dave Dombrowski and co. Well, after the Mets lost out on Kyle Tucker, they did just that.

Bichette was slated to be the right-handed bat that the Phillies’ lineup needed to protect their top-of-the-lineup lefties, as seen this season, and replace Alec Bohm, who would’ve likely been dealt as he is set to be a free agent after this season.

Instead, Bichette joined the Phillies’ biggest rival and will likely go back into free agency this winter, as he has a player option that’s he is expected to opt out of — and after the shenanigans he pulled last winter, no way the Phillies will go after him. So, it’s time for the Philadelphia faithful to give Bichette a welcome to Philly as a true enemy, as while he was with Toronto before, he was more seen as just a part-time enemy.

Ace vs. Ace

The big matchup of this weekend comes on Saturday night, when both teams’ No. 1s take the mound on primetime with Cristopher Sanchez and Peralta going one-on-one. Last season, Sanchez and Peralta were heavily in the Cy Young race with Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes, as they were the two best pitchers on playoff teams.

Peralta was a stud helping lead the Brewers to the No. 1 overall record in baseball, while Sanchez picked up the slack of the No. 1 option after Zack Wheeler went down with an injury in August. Both starters were huge for their teams, and that once again remains true in 2026.

The 2026 Mets have been a disaster, but Peralta has been a bright spot. While he holds a 3.90 ERA and a 5-5 record, that’s in large part due to the terrible start that he and New York got off to. The Mets have won six of Peralta’s last eight starts, and he’s pitched six innings or more in half of them.

As for the Phillies side, Sanchez has been arguably the best starter in baseball over the past month and a half, but is coming off a down game last start where he allowed four runs against the Milwaukee Brewers. Whether they’ve been good or not this year, the Mets come for blood when they play the Phillies, and Sanchez will have his hands full come Saturday night, looking for a bounce-back performance.

Games Times and Broadcasts

Thursday, June 18, 6:40 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP

Saturday, June 20, 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX, 94.1 WIP

Sunday, June 21, 7:20 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock, 94.1 WIP

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Aaron Nola (RHP, 3-4, 5.86 ERA) vs. Sean Manaea (LHP, 1-2, 4.78 ERA)

Game 2: Cristopher Sanchez (LHP, 8-3, 1.82 ERA) vs. Freddy Peralta (RHP, 5-5, 3.90 ERA)

Game 3: Tobias Myers (RHP, 0-2, 5.71 ERA) vs. Zack Wheeler (RHP, 6-1, 2.01 ERA)

By the Numbers

• Record
  • Phillies: 40-34
  • Mets: 33-41
• Run Differential
  • Phillies: -18
  • Mets: -17
• Runs Scored Per Game
  • Philles: 4.11
  • Mets: 4.05
• Runs Allowed Per Game
  • Phillies: 4.35
  • Mets: 4.28

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