Thursday, October 1, 2026
73 ° Clear
73 ° Clear
Important games are coming to Citizen Bank Park this weekend as the Philadelphia Phillies host the New York Mets for three games over four nights.
It is always a spicy situation when Philadelphia and (insufferable) New York fans clash, a situation that will recur six times over the next 10 nights. The Phillies need strong efforts from the rotation to shut down a powerful Mets lineup that can put crooked numbers on the board in a hurry (but haven’t done so with any consistency in 2026).
Meanwhile, Brandon Marsh can make strides towards securing a starting spot at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game with strong performances against his N.L. East rival (and maybe some more help from the fans at this link until June 25).
Who: New York Mets (33-41) @ Philadelphia Phillies (40-34)
When: Thursday, 6:40 pm
Saturday, 7:15 pm
Sunday, 7:20 pm
Where: Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia, PA)
(Scheduling Note: There is no game on Friday night with the Brazil vs. Haiti match at the 2026 World Cup occurring at Lincoln Financial Field on June 19.)
Thursday: Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.86 ERA) vs. Sean Manaea (1-2, 4.78 ERA)
Saturday: Cristopher Sanchez (8-3, 1.82 ERA) vs. Freddy Peralta (5-5, 3.90 ERA)
Sunday: Zack Wheeler (6-1, 2.01 ERA) vs. TBD
Marsh still continues to produce despite having a tough series at the plate with four hits in 12 at-bats (ABs) against Miami. The 28-year-old owns a .345 batting average with 19 hits in 55 AB since the calendar flipped over to June as he pushes to roam the outfield of his home ballpark in his first All-Star experience.
Trea Turner returned from his one-day injury-related stay on the bench with a three-hit effort in the series finale against Miami. If he remains hot against New York, the Phillies' offense becomes far more threatening when the power bats step up to the plate.
How the Phillies' pitching staff handles Andrew Painter's demotion to Triple-A is a concern for the upcoming road series against the Washington Nationals. The Phillies will hope for a vintage Nola performance to open this matchup. Then, Philly turns to two of the best starting pitchers in the game, Sanchez and Wheeler, to close down the series against New York.
The Mets’ offense showcased its Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-like nature in losing two of three games in Cincinnati earlier this week. They were shut out by Chase Burns in the opener and stifled by Brady Singer in the middle contest. But then New York’s offense exploded for nine runs on 15 hits in the series finale, largely assisted by three-hit efforts from Juan Soto, Bo Bichette, and Francisco Alvarez. With a 5-5 record over their last 10 contests, which Mets offense shows up to battle Philadelphia?
Starters Sean Manaea and Freddy Peralta have struggled to keep runs off the board this season, but both pitchers are capable of shutting down a lineup on a given night.
The Phillies will want to replicate Manara’s last appearance at CBP, when he allowed four runs on five hits in a 9-3 loss to the Phillies last September. Peralta has had the Phillies number most of his career as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers despite a deceiving 0-2 record.
The 30-year-old has not allowed more than two hits to Phillies hitters in each of his last three starts against the club. As of press time, a starting pitcher for Sunday night’s contests has not been announced, so that could be a bullpen game for Carlos Mendoza’s squad.
For more on the Phillies, visit MetroPhiladelphia.com.
