There will be plenty of playoff implications starting Thursday night when the Philadelphia Phillies visit the New York Mets.
Kickoff is 7:15 p.m. and you can watch it on Fox and Fox Deportes, or watch it live streamed on fubo TV (FREE trial), Sling TV (discount), or DirecTV Stream (FREE trial and discount).
Often-injured Taijuan Walker (3-6, 6.29 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 55 strikeouts) will start for the Phillies and Luis Severino (10-6, 3.77 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 149 strikeouts) will start for the Mets.
The Phils (91-61, first in the NL East) have all but clinched the NL East Division crown, but are still battling with the Dodgers and Brewers in the championship series for the best record in the National League and home-field advantage.
But they are coming off a streak in which they lost two of three games against the Brewers, beating them 16 times on Tuesday and 16 times on Wednesday.
The Phillies’ magic number to qualify for the playoffs is one, and four to secure the NL East. They lead the Dodgers by one game and have the best record.
- REGARD: Fox and Fox Deportes or stream live on fubo TV (FREE trial), Sling TV (discount) or DirecTV Stream (FREE trial and discount)
The Phillies made the playoffs the last two seasons, but lost to Arizona in the 2023 NL Championship Series and to Houston in the 2022 World Series.
Bryce Harper has 40 doubles and 29 home runs for the Phillies. Trea Turner has hit 12 of 38 with a double, two home runs and five RBIs in the last 10 games.
Unlike the Phillies, who started the season full steam ahead and never looked back, the Mets are in the race for the playoffs after a miserable start.
On Wednesday, they beat the Washington Nationals 10-0, with Jose Quintana extending his scoreless streak to a career-high 22 2/3 innings and Brandon Nimmo’s three-run home run capping a nine-run fourth inning.
Harrison Bader (left), Brandon Nimmo (center) and Luisangel Acuna (right) of the New York Mets react after Bader and Acuna scored on a single hit by Starling Marte in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)AP
The Mets (84-68, second in the NL East) have won 15 of 19 games. They are now 16 games over .500, a season-high, and remain tied with Arizona for the second of three NL wild cards – two games ahead of Atlanta for the league’s final playoff spot.
Pete Alonso has 31 doubles, 33 home runs and 86 RBIs with a .246 batting average for the Mets. Jose Iglesias has hit 15 of 38 with a double in his last 10 games.
Their best offensive player, Francisco Lindor, will miss tonight’s game for the fourth consecutive night because of back problems, but he could return before the end of the four-game series on Sunday.
The teams will play each other for the tenth time this season on Thursday. The Phillies lead the season series 6-3.
