May 3, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second base Bryson Stott (5) and first base Bryce Harper (3) enter the dugout between the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Phillies Have Massive Opportunity To Catch Mets, Will They Take It Seriously?

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Anders Pryor | Last updated May 15, 2025 4:00 PM ET

Entering the 2025 season, the National League East was viewed as a two-team race between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. So far, that's been the case.

The Atlanta Braves entered the season with injuries to key players like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider. The Washington Nationals, while excited and filled with potential, are still unproven and have major holes in fill in their bullpen. And the Miami Marlins, even on their best days, just don't have a talented enough roster to maintain winning stretches.

The Mets are 2.5 games ahead for the division lead as of Thursday afternoon. New York swept Philadelphia back in April, giving them a big early advantage in the tie-breaker race.

But this calendar week presents the Phillies to gain some ground in the race before they're presented with another opportunity against the Mets themselves. And it comes in their schedules.

Philadelphia is resting Thursday, but then has back-to-back series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies, the two worst teams in the National League. Both clubs are arguably the two weakest blends and hitting and pitches in baseball and two of the shakiest teams we've seen in the MLB in the last five years.

The Rockies, in particular, are off to one of the worst starts ever, putting up fewer wins through 40 games than last year's record-setting Chicago White Sox. The Phillies swept the Rockies at Coors Field in their second series of the year. Round two will take place in Citizens Bank Park.

As for the Mets, they're entering a ring of fire: at the New York Yankees, at the Boston Red Sox, and hosting the Dodgers. Those are three of the ten best offenses in baseball and will give the Mets' pitching staff very little breathing room. According to FanGraphs, the three teams rank first, eighth, and second in OPS.

The two teams will not face each other until the back half of June, so everything that happens in between becomes very important. This week is a unique opportunity for Philadelphia to gain as much ground as they can.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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