3 Mets Takeaways From Series Loss vs. Phillies: Pitching Remains a Massive Concern

An analysis of New York's series loss to Philadelphia over the weekend.

The Mets' trip to Philadelphia didn't go as planned over the weekend. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

After an inspiring 6-4 win over the Phillies on Thursday night at Citizens Bank Ballpark, the Mets dropped the final two games of the series to their division rival, sliding them all the way to 14.5 games behind the Braves in the National League East. As for the wild card picture, the Mets would miss a chance to pull back to five games behind in the loss column, but instead remained steady at six games behind.

With the season getting deeper and deeper by the day, the Mets are making moves that will keep them out of playoff contention as opposed to getting them back into it. The clock is ticking on a poor Mets team, but the lack of success across the rest of the NL Wild Card picture has been enough to keep the team on the periphery of the playoff hunt. Despite this, the Mets cannot let it distract them from how bad the team has been and how many glaring holes the team has.

The Mets' demoralizing series loss to the Phillies highlighted a few areas of concern that the team already had, but it showed just how deep these issues run. Three main takeaways were glaring from another series loss, and it is time to air them out for all to know.

1. Mets' offense still lacks depth, even with Francisco Lindor's pending return

It felt as though entering the season, one of the strengths of the Mets would be their lineup depth, but that has been their Achilles' heel, if anything. Coming up short against the rival Phillies only further cemented that fact. After the series-opening win, New York was outscored 21-5 on aggregate in the next two outings.

Francisco Lindor's return will help, but his presence won't be enough to solve the Mets' ongoing offensive issues. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Mets entered play with just one OPS over .750, which would be Juan Soto's MVP-level mark. Getting Francisco Lindor's elite bat back in the lineup will help, but too many key pieces are either still hurt or are woefully underperforming. With an offense this poor, the Mets don't have much of a chance to make it back to the top of the National League.

2. Mets' pitching is not good enough to get them back into the playoff hunt

Freddy Peralta gave up 10 earned runs (that isn't a typo) to the Phillies on Saturday night, and was followed by David Peterson giving up four earned runs in four innings, raising his ERA to 6.09 on the season.

Sean Manaea and Nolan McLean have been solid, along with the recently injured but expected-back-soon Christian Scott. In total, the Mets have roughly three starting pitchers that they can trust right now, and even that is debatable given how small Manaea's recent two-start sample size is. The Mets simply do not have the pitching to get back into the playoff hunt as they currently stand.

3. Major changes are going to be needed to compete with Braves, Phillies

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza and his team are now 73-98 since June 12, 2025, one of the worst marks in all of baseball. In his third year, Mendoza has been saved by a miracle playoff run in 2024, or else he would be spoken of as one of the least successful skippers in baseball.

Carlos Mendoza's performance as Mets manager has left much to be desired. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The new coaching staff hasn't worked out, and the Mets' "young core" from a few years ago, highlighted by the quartet of Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Ronny Mauricio, has produced a few solid but not amazing seasons, as well as Vientos' great 2024.

The Mets' young core has been bad, the coaching staff seems overmatched, and several players expected to be key contributors are closer to being designated for assignment than they are to being counted on again. Big changes are needed in Queens as soon as this summer, or the Mets risk a deeper nosedive into irrelevance.