When MLB decided to feature Phillies vs. Mets as the featured second half opening night game, they probably thought they be featuring two teams vying for control of the National League East. I suppose in baseball, a .500 batting average is pretty good.
It’s possible that the Mets have a miracle run in them and can get back into playoff position, but historically, the miracle runs have gone against the Mets, not for them. They are basically reduced to spoilers for the other teams contending for the division
lead, and the Phillies would do well to make sure that they aren’t the team that gets spoiled.
Opposition research: Francisco Lindor
At least the Phillies aren’t the only team whose highly paid would-be star shortstop is struggling. One of the reasons the Mets have had such a disastrous season is because one of their franchise players is having a disastrous season. (Although he’s certainly not alone!)
Francisco Lindor’s bad year started in February when he required surgery on his hamate bone. While he was able to return for the start of the season, hamate injuries tend to produce lingering detrimental effects on a player’s ability to hit. Sure enough, Lindor got off to a poor start to the season, and had a .669 OPS with two home runs at the end of April when he suffered his second major injury of the year.
The calf injury required a two month stay on the Injured List. If the Mets hoped that his return would provide a spark to the team, that has yet to materialize. Since returning on June 24, Lindor has a .673 OPS.
Worse, the former defensive standout hasn’t even been good in the field. He’s made multiple errors, including this one that cost the Mets a game:
It’s gotten so bad that many Mets fans are speculating what Lindor could fetch in a trade. Perhaps they’d like to do a one-for-one swap of shortstops with the Phillies?
Hating on the Mets
In 2023, my series previews compared the Phillies’ opponents to villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I really nailed it when I compared the Mets to Justin Hammer: Rich, but ultimately more of a threat to themselves than others.
It’s hilarious that the Mets spend all that money and have ended up with a team that ranks 23rd in runs scored and 18th in ERA. It’s gotten so bad that some Mets fans are openly wishing the team had matched the contract the Orioles gave to Pete Alonso.
Alonso is having a solid year in Baltimore but:
- How much of a difference would Alonso have made?
- The road to Hell is paved with expensive contracts given to aging, big-bodied first basemen.
- Many of those same fans thought Alonso epitomized the team’s underperformance in recent years and couldn’t wait for him to leave.
Trivia
Last week’s answer: The losing pitcher in the first ever Phillies vs. Tigers game was former first round pick Tyler Green. SLDH was correct.
This week’s question: On April 10, 2017, what future Phillie had two home runs in a game to lead the Mets to a 4-3 at Citizens Bank Park?
Non-Phillies thought
Tuesday re-iterated that people hate “nostalgia porn” unless it happens to be things that they are personally nostalgic for. In that case, they think it’s amazing.
I’ve never seen The Sandlot, so the fifth inning fireworks/Ray Charles thing felt cheesy to me. Most of the players didn’t seem to know what they were supposed to be doing, and a few of the guys holding sparklers had a “WTF are we doing?” look on their faces. (Also, nostalgia for The Sandlot is weird, because the movie was nostalgia to begin with, so basically millennials are feeling nostalgia for a time they never actually experienced.)
But if you enjoyed it, great! I’m glad you were entertained by something during that snooze fest of a game.
Additional thought about the series
The Phillies have decided to give both Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler additional rest (and maybe to have them face the Dodgers), so the Mets might actually have the starting pitching advantage this series. On Thursday, Aaron Nola faces Christian Scott. Saturday has Jesus Luzardo against Sean Manaea (the one clear advantage for the Phillies), and Sunday will feature Alan Rangel vs. Nolan McLean.
There are other reasons to think this series might be a bit tricky for the Phillies: Recent editions have stumbled out of the break, and with series against the Dodgers and Yankees up next, I could see them looking past the Mets a bit. On the other hand, I thought the Phillies would sleepwalk through their final series before the break, and they ended that one by knocking around Tarik Skubal.
In other words, baseball is tough to predict. On to the second half!
