Mets, Phillies have the same problems yet having very different seasons

The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies have the same problems, but getting very different results.

On a daily basis, I listen to as much New York sports radio as I do Philadelphia. It’s interesting to hear how similar fans of the New York Mets perceive their team when compared to the Philadelphia Phillies. Bleep out the team’s name and swap the players, you wouldn’t know the difference.

The only contrast between these two teams is one is winning and the other is losing. Unfortunately for those in New York, they’re the ones taking the L.

What are the biggest issues plaguing the boys in orange and blue?

Their bullpen stinks, their offense is weak, and their manager is easy to question.

The Phillies have the same problems. They don’t have an official closer, the bats are often silent, and Gabe Kapler‘s managerial style sometimes makes Mickey Callaway look like a Hall of Famer.

Somehow, the Phillies have managed to overcome these weaknesses. They are in the playoff hunt while the Mets sit in the basement of the National League. How did this happen?

Well, for as bad as the Phillies have been at times this year, they have also been far more consistent. They’re in the middle of the pack in runs scored. The team’s ERA is right there, too.

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The Mets’ team ERA is similar to the Phillies. To no one’s surprise, their offense is one of the worst.

For these two National League East teams, I think it’s important to look at run differential. The Phillies aren’t blasting away or outscoring their opponents by a ton. They’re actually pretty close to even.

The Mets, however, are on the short end of the run differential by a large margin. The Miami Marlins are the only National League team with a worse score than the one they have.

This tells us a few things. When the Mets lose, they lose bigger than when they win. Many of their post-11-1 victories have been nail-biters. Plenty of their losses have been lost causes.

As sports fans, we often view things from a pessimistic viewpoint. Unless you are the offspring of New York Yankees season-ticket holders, I’m not so sure you believe anything different.

Baseball is an interesting sport. Through the 162 game season, sometimes there’s only a difference of about 25 wins between the league’s best and worst. It’s those 25 games the Mets are losing and the reason why they have to look up at their National League brethren.

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The baseball schedule is long. As we’ve seen, every game still counts.