The Philadelphia Phillies (91-62) will try to rebound from Thursday's embarrassing series-opening 10-6 loss against the New York Mets (85-68) as the two NL East rivals face off on Friday night on Apple TV+.
The Phillies' issues with starting pitching depth reared their ugly head again at Citi Field. Starter Taijuan Walker did about as well as everyone expected, lasting just 3 1/3 innings while giving up eight runs on six hits and a career-high four home runs. He walked three and struck out two.
The Phillies were hoping to clinch their postseason berth with a win last night, but the celebration had to be put on hold for the second straight day. The loss, combined with Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers' 20-4 slaughter of the Miami Marlins, put the two NL front runners into a tie for the top spot in MLB.
Luckily for the Phillies, they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Dodgers, but they'll need to start winning games soon to hang on to their position with all the teams chasing them heating up.
Phillies vs. Mets probable pitchers, September 20
- Cristopher Sánchez (10-9) will start for the Phillies. The lefty has a 3.24 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 29 starts. He dominated the Mets in his last start, scattering six hits and allowing one run while striking out seven over seven innings on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park.
- David Peterson (9-2) will start for the Mets. The 29-year-old left-hander has a 2.85 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 19 starts this season. He matched Sánchez pitch-for-pitch on Sunday at CBP, giving up one run on four hits while striking out six and walking one over 7 2/3 innings.
Philadelphia Phillies starting lineup, September 20
- 1. DH Kyle Schwarber
- 2. SS Trea Turner
- 3. 1B Bryce Harper
- 4. 3B Alec Bohm
- 5. RF Nick Castellanos
- 6. C J.T. Realmuto
- 7. 2B Edmundo Sosa
- 8. LF Weston Wilson
- 9. CF Johan Rojas
New York Mets starting lineup, September 20
- 1. 2B Jose Iglesias
- 2. RF Starling Marte
- 3. 3B Mark Vientos
- 4. 1B Pete Alonso
- 5. LF Brandon Nimmo
- 6. DH J.D. Martinez
- 7. C Luis Torrens
- 8. CF Harrison Bader
- 9. SS Luisangel Acuña
What channel is the Philadelphia Phillies game on today?
- Game time: 7:10 p.m. ET.
- Apple TV+ will carry the national broadcast.
How can I listen to the Philadelphia Phillies game today?
- The Phillies broadcast will be on 94 WIP and WTTM 1680.
- Mets fans can tune into the game on Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM and Audacy App 92.3 HD2.