National League East rivals continue their three-game series Saturday evening, as the Philadelphia Phillies host the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park.
The Mets (41–57, 5th NL East) struck first in Thursday’s opener, 4–1, hoping to put a disastrous first half of the season behind them. The Phillies (54–44, 2nd NL East) are fresh off hosting the All-Star festivities and will look to keep the party going with a bounce-back win over their division foe.
Looking at the pitching probables, we’ve got New York left-hander Sean Manaea (2–4, 4.56 ERA) taking on Philadelphia southpaw Jesus Luzardo (8–4, 3.51 ERA).
First pitch is at 4:05 p.m. ET. The Phillies enter as slight 1.5-run home favorites with -167 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Mets are +138 underdogs, with the game total set at O/U 8.5 runs.
Mets vs. Phillies Preview
New York Mets
Here’s the good news: Juan Soto fully expects to be back in the lineup on Saturday after leaving Thursday’s contest with calf soreness. The bad? Even an MVP-caliber season — 21 homers and a .976 OPS — from the superstar slugger hasn’t been enough to save this sinking ship.
New York finished the first half of 2026 ranking 23rd in wRC+ and 28th in wOBA. However, the club was hampered by some serious batted-ball luck and heated up heading into the All-Star break, with help from its ascendant young core. Even so, the Mets went a paltry 15–24 after June 1 — third-worst in MLB during that stretch.
It certainly hasn’t helped that the pitching staff continues to spiral, sitting 25th league-wide with a 4.84 ERA since the beginning of June. The Amazins are hoping that Saturday’s starter, Sean Manaea, can flip the page after a turbulent first half. The veteran southpaw, 34, owns a swollen 4.56 ERA (4.22 xERA) and a 1.32 WHIP across 20 appearances (six starts), struggling to generate chases with his meatball of a four-seamer.
Still, Manaea’s outlook remains optimistic against the Phillies, who rank 26th in wOBA and 28th in wRC+ against lefties this season. Back on June 18, Manaea tossed 5.1 innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts in a 6–4 win in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Phillies
Few teams entered the All-Star break with more momentum than the Phillies — and not just because the festivities were in their backyard. Philadelphia has gone 24–15 since the beginning of June, tied with the Dodgers for the second-best record in MLB during that stretch, behind the Marlins (26–11).
The club’s way-too-top-heavy lineup has started to buff up, with several hitters pulling their weight and then some of late. Meanwhile, superstars Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper continue leading the charge as one of the most dangerous one-two punches in the majors.
Philadelphia’s pitching staff was far better on paper than in practice in the first half, ranking 15th in ERA (4.23) compared to second in xERA (3.59). However, one hurler whose luck finally started to turn around was Saturday’s starter, Jesus Luzardo. The flamethrowing southpaw, 28, finished the first half with a respectable 3.51 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP across 19 starts (110.1 IP), while posting MLB’s fourth-lowest xERA (2.96) and fourth-highest BABIP (.330).
But after a rocky start, Luzardo has carded an elite 2.36 ERA in 15 outings since April 21 — a stretch that includes five innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts in a 5–4 win over the Mets on June 28. He’s well-positioned to follow suit, as New York enters Saturday ranked 21st in wRC+ and 25th in wOBA against lefties this year.
Mets vs. Phillies Pick, Best Bet
Saturday’s contest is a “lefty vs. lefty” matchup between teams that can’t hit against lefties. Sean Manaea was solid in his last matchup with the Phillies, while Jesus Luzardo is one of the game’s most formidable fireballers. After combining for just five runs on Thursday, New York and Philadelphia should produce another low-scoring affair in the rematch.
