Phillies beating showed the NY Mets exactly what they’re missing

Any team can lose the way the New York Mets did on Saturday to the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the kind of game you want to forget forever. Just game two of three and with many more to play against each other this year, it’s hardly a definitive description who each club is.

And yet it totally helps explain why the Phillies are where they are and the Mets are looking upward.

A cycle from Bryce Harper, three home runs from Kyle Schwarber, and a lockdown start from Cristopher Sanchez all combined to make Saturday night miserable for Mets fans. The big offense and pitching performance showed the Mets exactly what they’re missing.

Where’s the Mets’ dynamic duo and ace?

The Mets didn’t overlook those two aspects. They have Juan Soto. He just doesn’t have a partner in crime we fully trust. Bo Bichette’s recent surge was a hint of playing some Batman and Batman (no Robins need apply) in particular when they went back-to-back with homers against the Atlanta Braves. Francisco Lindor’s absence is another lost opportunity of having two bats obliterate the opponent in more than one way.

It wasn’t just the bats that outshined the Mets in this one. Sanchez furthered his case for a Cy Young. Acquired by the Phillies several years ago from the Tampa Bay Rays for career .673 OPS Curtis Mead (he is only 25 and having a good year this season with the Washington Nationals for what it’s worth), the contrast between Sanchez and the far more expensive Freddy Peralta couldn’t have stuck out more.

Peralta’s dud has raised a lot of questions about his Mets future. In search of an ace all-year long, he has barely pitched like one with the greatest upside being the appearance of a number two. “Number two” is a good way to describe how Peralta pitched.

The Phillies are 7 games better than the Mets in the standings with Saturday’s game helping them leap further ahead in terms of things like run differential. The two clubs are still pretty close. The Phillies have scored 323 runs vs. the Mets at 309. They’ve allowed 331 runs to score. Peralta and company helped the Mets get to 336 with the 15 allowed.

As flawed as they are, the Phillies’ approach to roster building has regularly outdueled what the Mets try to accomplish. They have as many, if not more, disappointing players on their roster as the Mets. The difference is the stars can and have carried them. They didn’t need 3 home runs from Schwarber or a cycle from Harper. Sanchez could have pitched worse.

Everything the Phillies have done in the last 7 or 8 months seems to be the opposite of the Mets. They kept themselves intact. They fired their manager. It’s not always pretty, but firsthand the Mets experienced how ugly this game can be and why it wins games.

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