June 02, 2023
The Phillies and Mets are rivals. So adding insult to injury just come with the territory.
Philly fans ate their hearts outs when the Mets faltered before they did in the most recent MLB postseason, and when the Mets were perennial chokers back in the mid-2000s.
And even though the Phillies are the defending NL champions, their play on the field — particularly against the Mets of late — has made them a laughing stock.
At 25-31, do the Phillies deserve Jon Heyman's playful prodding? The longtime national baseball writer didn't hold back his criticisms, opening a recent article by writing that "the Mets have found their personal patsy, and lo and behold, it’s none other than the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies."
One would think the talent levels of the two teams are similar, too. But the rivalry remains about as one-sided as ever. If the Braves own the Mets, the Mets possess at least the rights to the Phillies.
At the moment, of course, the Phillies (25-31) have bigger problems than being bullied by the team from the bigger (and obviously better) city 90 miles to the north. They are losing to a lot of teams following their wonderful and unexpected World Series run last year. And they seem about as shocked as the rest of us.
“We have to figure something out fast. We can’t go about it that baseball owes us something because we had a magical run down the stretch last year,” Phillies star Nick Castellanos told The Post. “Whatever fire we have as a group, I think it’s about time it shows.”
After winning the winter, the Phillies own one of the better rosters in baseball. Yet they have continued to play well below their level into June now. The names are great in that room, and the ability is top-notch. But it’s hard to tell from the games. [NY Post]
The Mets lead the Phillies by 4.5 games in the standings, although both trail the Braves. But it's the head-to-head category that adds to the head-scratching.
Last year the pennant-winners went 5-14 against their I-95 rivals, which included a combined no-hitter in April of 2022.
The Phillies continue to massively underachieve, which apparently is something Mets fans are relishing in.
Being that it's early June, there is plenty of time to turn it around.
The Phillies face the Mets 10 more times this season with seven of those matchups coming in September.
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