The New York Mets are facing a significant chance to close the gap in the division as they head into a series with the Philadelphia Phillies.
After opening this season with some fearsome roster upgrades, the Mets have stumbled in the second half and watched as the Phillies’ lead in the National League East grew to seven games. Now time is running out to challenge their rival for that top spot and potentially earn a critical bye for the playoffs.
But even though the Phillies have the edge going into this series, the Mets have found a way to neutralize one of their rivals’ best players. Despite his surge as one of the sport’s best home run sluggers this year, Kyle Schwarber has struggled against Mets pitching this year thanks to a key change.
“The Mets … have dramatically altered their approach against Schwarber compared to last season,” Matt Gelb reported for The Athletic. “New York pitchers threw Schwarber 63 percent fastballs in 2024 (including postseason), but have thrown only 46 percent fastballs in 2025. Whatever strategy they’ve deployed has worked; Schwarber had a .627 OPS against the Mets in 2024 and a .636 mark this season.”
Both the Mets and Phillies have been dealing with some significant changes in recent weeks and the series will be a key litmus test for the playoffs. While the Phillies have lost franchise ace Zack Wheeler for the season and could be without shortstop Trea Turner for an extended period after an injury, the Mets are facing significant questions about their rotation.
With veterans Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga struggling, the Mets have turned to three unproven starters to bolster the rotation in Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong. But without crucial playoff experience, it’s unclear just how far those pitchers can carry the Mets.
However, they at least have a plan for facing their rival’s most fearsome slugger: minimal fastballs to Schwarber.
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