Who Needs Monday Night Football When You Have Mets-Phillies

I get it. The world was starving for the NFL season to begin and tonight represents the final game of Week 1. The Minnesota Vikings at the Chicago Bears is a tasty prime time matchup, a good way to close the schedule. How will Ben Johnson fare in his first game as head coach? J.J. McCarthy makes his NFL debut after being injured all of last year. So many storylines, so much intrigue….

Who cares? The Mets start a four game series against the Phillies tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

Big series this week between these two teams. Credit: northjersey.com

There is angst in the house. Matthew expects the Phillies to win three of the four games, the only Mets’ win coming on Nolan McLean‘s start this evening. Caitlyn got the awful news that both Alec Bohm and Trea Turner have hit the injured list. Personal rivalries aside, this is a big series. Even though the Phillies lead the Mets by seven games in the National League East, a Mets sweep would put them at only three back and owning the tiebreaker. For whatever reason, the blue and orange uniforms bring out the worst in them, much like the Red Sox seem to spook the Yankees this season. Realistically, the Phils will remain in first place through the end of the season. They also have designs on the #2 seed and a first round bye. The Mets are running out of time to get into the first Wild Card spot and play their opening round at Citi Field. The series is getting some love nationally with tonight’s game being broadcast on MLB Network and Thursday’s game televised on Fox.

I am just as happy as the next person that the NFL is back. It is America’s most popular sport. But the calendar still says Summer and the clock is ticking on the regular season. Therefore, nothing is taking a back seat to Phillies-Mets to start the week and Yankees-Red Sox to close the week.

The Yankees Won Another Big Series, But Hold the Applause

At this time last week, there was a sense that the upcoming four series for the New York Yankees would tell us a lot about their chances in the playoffs. The Yanks sported a combined 7-19 record vs. the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox heading into this stretch. While comfortably in a playoff spot, the team’s record against the four clubs didn’t inspire confidence as the regular season winds down. Safe to say, after going 4-2 against the Astros and Blue Jays, including today’s 4-3 series-clinching victory over Toronto, we feel a bit better about the Yankees and where they are heading.

Aaron Judge needs to be 1005 by this weekend. Credit: Sports Illustrated

Not 100% better, mind you, so let’s take it easy.

After winning two out of three this weekend, New York finished the season series against Toronto with a record of 5-8. They committed another two errors today, which, amazingly, did not hurt them. The Red Sox head to Sacramento to play the A’s, who own one of the worst home records in baseball. Boston looking to make up for the game and a half difference between them and the Bronx Bombers prior to next weekend’s showdown in Boston. We are fully aware that the Yankees are an unsightly 2-8 vs. the Red Sox, so winning two out three vs. the Tigers is mandatory. There is a chance they have to go through Tarik Skubal in Thursday’s finale as the reigning Cy Young Award winner last pitched Saturday. Given how Aaron Judge threw a ball back to the infield on Friday, their best lineup is still at least a week away. Judge will either have to DH full time or risk being compromised in right field. Either way, a potent bat will be missing this week or the outfield defense will again be a concern. No short walls like there were in Houston.

Perhaps I should take a cue from Ryan when he texted our group chat that the Yankees were only two games behind the Blue Jays. Maybe I should be more happy. After all, he can be a glass half empty guy when it comes to his team. I’m willing to be satisfied on this evening. Let’s see where we are at this time next week. If they flop in Boston again, we will go back to our skepticism that we have been living for most of this second half.

Would the Phillies Be Better Off as the #3 Seed?

Barring an unforeseen collapse, the Philadelphia Phillies will win the National League East. They have the chance to end the race next week with their four games at home vs. the New York Mets. They currently sit as the number two seed in the National League playoff standings, three games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. With the Dodgers having played below average ball as of late, Philadelphia has a first round bye in their sights. However, would the Phils be better off avoiding the week of rest?

Rob Thomson and the Phillies could grab the #2 seed and a bye. Credit: Philadelphia Inquirer

Their own history suggests yes. Since Major League Baseball permanently instituted the Wild Card round in 2022, the Phillies have played in the first round twice and had the bye once. We know the results. They made the World Series in 2022 and the National League Championship Series in 2023. Last year, the team had the #2 seed and lost in four games in the Divisional round to the New York Mets. In 2023, a pair of Wild Card teams, the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, met in the World Series. Each season, at least one team that plays in the first round eventually advances to the League Championship Series. There is something to be said for teams that continue to play as opposed to sitting for a week in between games.

With all that being said, and with all of the information I provided above, I would still want the bye. Last year’s World Series teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees, were the top seeds in their respective leagues. Should the Phillies secure a first round bye, I am sure they can draw on lessons from last year’s loss. Anything from a different workout routine during the time off to bullpen usage in the week leading up to the bye will be examined. I can’t imagine Philadelphia getting bounced early two years in a row. They are too talented and are playing good baseball. Caitlyn is the one that needs to be convinced their season won’t end early.

The Troubles of Kodai Senga

For a good portion of the 2025 season, Mets’ fans had lots of negative things to say about Juan Soto. When you get paid $765 million dollars and your average with runners in scoring position is under .200 (until recently), expect to hear a lot of boos. However, Soto’s resurgence has put him in the good graces of the Flushing Faithful with nary a middle finger directed his way. However, one pitcher seems to have taken the high priced outfielder’s place as the subject of Mets’ fans’ ire. It’s not quite the Yankees’ Anthony Volpe level of discontent but it is getting close to the Soto range.

Kodai Senga to the Minors? It could happen. Credit: Newsday

Kodai Senga has some real problems.

It was only two short years ago that Senga finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting to Corbin Carroll. Since then, it’s been one big disappointment. Injuries limited him to one regular season start and three playoff outings in 2024, with each appearance memorable in a truly bad way. His only regular season start on July 26th ended with him limping off the mound with a calf injury. His three playoff games resulted in seven runs surrendered in only five innings. Senga’s overall 3.02 ERA in 2025 is solid but since his June 12 outing of 5 2/3 shutout innings, he has been dreadful. His ERA has nearly doubled and he has had all kinds of problems getting through five innings. The booing is becoming more intense as Matthew found out this past Sunday as he was at Citi Field for the latest less than stellar performance.

Now comes a report that the Mets are considering having Senga make his next start at Triple A Syracuse. This would be a seismic drop for a highly touted Japanese import who enjoyed much early success. If the Mets make the playoffs, can’t you envision Senga being left off the playoff roster? In the Wild Card round, your three starters would be Nolan McLean, David Peterson and a combination of Clay Holmes and Sean Manaea. Throw in the fact that Jonah Tong had a great first start and another youngster, Brandon Sproat could be promoted soon, and there is the possibility Senga may not throw a pitch in October. With three years left on his contract, the Mets will have to decide if Kodai Senga will be part of their future or trade him at a discount.

The Temporary Breakup of the Baseball Family

September represents the last full month of the Major League Baseball season. Depressing for sure because it means the leaves will soon turn colors and the weather will begin to get cooler. September also means that this baseball family gets a temporary breakup. We dropped off Ryan yesterday at Siena College, now University, for his senior year. Though we will be in contact to discuss the playoff fortunes of our favorite teams, it won’t be the same not having him around discussing how he thinks the Yankees will flame out this year.

No Ryan means no discussing in person how good Cam Schlittler is. Credit: Northjersey.com

It won’t be long before we see Ryan again. Family weekend will be the first Saturday in October. Perfect timing to discuss the Wild Card round. There is a good chance that the Yankees, Mets and Phillies will all be playing that weekend. Two weeks after that he will be visiting for four days. At that time, we should be knee deep in the Divisional Round or potentially the League Championship Series. When Ryan was a freshman, he came down for his first visit and was able to witness Caitlyn’s favorite baseball moment. In Game 3 of the 2022 NLDS, Rhys Hoskins hit his famous bat slam home run off of Spencer Strider. To this day, Caitlyn says she called a home run as the pitch left Strider’s hand. Ryan backs her up.

When the Yankees made the World Series last year for the first time in Ryan’s era, I was a little sad I wasn’t able to enjoy it with him in person. I wasn’t that broken up too much, because, well, you know how the series turned out. At least the magic of texting will allow us to keep our group chat going. Before we know it, Ryan will be back home for good in May, and we will once again be complete.

The One Thing That Unites the Family

Three kids, three teams, one family. That is us in a nutshell when it comes to Major League Baseball. Ryan, Caitlyn and Matthew have different fandoms, different ways to express happiness and different ways to cope with tough defeats for their teams. However, there is one thing about baseball that they are 100% in lockstep. It’s the commodity that is talked about the most at the trading deadline and honestly, it is probably the thing that gives most fans the most agita.

Yes, bullpens were different (and better) in Bruce Sutter’s day. Credit: Redbird Rants

The dislike of the Major League Baseball bullpen unites the Lynch family.

I mean just now, while watching Phillies-Mariners for 15 seconds, the following conversation took place as the Mariners pulled to within 7-4:

Ryan: “Is this a bullpen guy?” (he didn’t look up at the TV, he just heard Caitlyn rant)

Caitlyn: “Yes” (it was Jordan Romano)

Ryan: “Not surprised”.

I’ve tried to explain that bullpens were never like this. Once upon a time, bullpens were comprised of guys who were not effective starting pitchers but found a home as a reliever. Teams had maybe four or five relievers on a staff and there were no set roles for them. Even the closer would come in at odd times, sometimes appearing as early as the seventh inning. Prime examples included Rollie Fingers, Rich Gossage and Bruce Sutter. Today, it is rare for relievers to pitch more than one inning, even when one of them needs only ten pitches to record three outs. That is the biggest reason why fans hate bullpens. Eventually, when you go through four relievers, one of them inevitably will get touched up, resulting in a loss. Ryan says there are no good bullpens. Caitlyn doesn’t forgive the Phillies’ bullpen for last year’s NLDS loss. Matthew holds his breath for every reliever not named Edwin Diaz.

Bullpens are like offensive lines in football. The loudest complains about teams (after managers) are bad bullpens. In about three weeks, football fans will be screaming to guys like Al Dukes that their team needs to fix their offensive line. I don’t want to be the guy to say, “back in my day….”. However, it is not a bad idea to re-think the role of relief pitching in 2025. The more pitchers you use, the likelihood of bad things happening increases. Let starting pitchers go longer. Don’t remove an effective reliever who strikes out the side. Listen to my kids. Do something differently with bullpens.

Ryan Helsley Will Figure It Out

At the trading deadline, all three of our teams strengthened their bullpens. The Yankees led the way with three additions (David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird), the Mets brought in Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers while the Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran and his interesting game entrance. Not all trades work out; Bird has already been sent to the Minors, hopefully he will be back before the end of the season. Bird’s troubles pale in comparison to those of Helsley. In six games covering five innings, the right-hander has surrendered seven total runs. The latest debacle was giving up two runs to the Braves in Thursday’s 4-3 loss. Things look bleak.

I am here to say Ryan Helsley will be much better from now on.

Ryan Helsley will be better. Credit: Rising Apple

Maybe that very sentence dooms Helsley to a miserable two months in New York. I doubt it. He is too good, too talented to be down for very long. This guy had 49 saves last year and is armed with a 100 MPH fastball. It’s only a matter of time before Helsley realizes he is one of the top relievers in baseball. He has admitted that he is still “trying to figure out” pitching as a setup man in the eighth inning. I have no doubt he will. After all, the thrill of a playoff chase and impending free agency is more than enough motivation for Hensley to revert back to his 2024 form. A brief story from almost 30 years ago also convinces me Helsley will be better.

In 1996, at right around this time, the Yankees made a trade for left handed reliever Graeme Lloyd. You couldn’t have pitched any worse than Lloyd did in the regular season: 13 games, 5 2/3 innings pitched, 11 earned runs. But once the playoffs began, he was a different animal, allowing one hit in eight games. Perhaps the comparison isn’t 100% accurate as the Mets are not guaranteed a playoff spot. However, the idea that Ryan Hensley is an automatic failure as a Met is way too premature.

Where Have You Gone, Jasson Dominguez?

Remember the good old days of “The Martian”? No, I am not referring to the 2015 movie starring Matt Damon. I am talking about Jasson Dominguez. You know, the guy that once upon a time was the most talked about player in the New York Yankees’ minor league system. Heck, the only other player with more hype in the entire organization was Aaron Judge. We loved his September 2023 callup at the age of 20, finally getting a glimpse of the player we had heard about for four years. He did not disappoint, slugging four home runs in 33 plate appearances.

What a difference two years makes.

Will we ever see Jasson Dominguez in a full time role with the Yankees again? Credit: Yahoo

Dominguez has had seemingly nothing but issues since his highly anticipated debut. His 2023 campaign was cut short because of a torn UCL. When he returned the following May in the Minors, he appeared in 23 games before an oblique strain sidelined him. He finally returned to the Majors in August and received significant playing time in September. However, a .179 batting average made him a spectator for the Yanks’ World Series run. Fast forward to today, and Dominguez has once again been relegated to the bench. He has not started any of the games against the Minnesota Twins this week and most likely will be the odd man out until Judge returns to the field full time.

Actually, there is no guarantee Dominguez becomes a regular for the rest of the season. No way Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton are coming out of the lineup. Trent Grisham seems to be more trusted than Dominguez. It feels as though he will get one, maybe two starts per week from now until October. In fact, Domingez may not even be on the team in 2026. Even though Grisham will be a free agent and Bellinger could very well opt out of his contract, can’t you see the Yankees attempt to re-sign both players? That would once again relegate Dominguez to a part time role, a return to the Minors, or a trade out of town. Any of those three scenarios seemed laughable two years ago.

Should Domiguez fail to earn a full time role in 2026, he will just be another in a long line of “can’t miss” Yankee prospects that did not pan out in the Bronx. Think of guys like Everson Pereira, Deivi Garcia, Estevan Florial and Oswald Peraza. You can argue that none of these players were given a long enough rope to see whether or not they could play at the Major League level. They certainly were not allowed to fail and try to get back up like Anthony Volpe. Unfortunately, it appears Jasson Dominguez is headed for the same path as the aforementioned Pereira and company. Is his trade value cooked? Maybe not as toasted as the other players. However, Dominguez’s best chance to land an every day role in the Show may only come with a change of scenery.

Pete Alonso and the Home Run Record: Bad Timing

Records are made to be broken. It’s a tired and worn cliche that happens to be very true. When a record is broken, there should be ample time to celebrate it. If you tie or break an organization’s career home run record, there should be a period of time to reflect on the achievement of greatness. On Saturday, Pete Alonso tied Darryl Strawberry atop the career home run leaderboard for the New York Mets. It came during the team’s 7-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, the middle game of a series in which the Mets were swept. New York has now lost seven consecutive games and have dropped 11 of their last 12 contests.

Pete Alonso’s next home run better come during a Mets’ victory. Credit: Sports Illustrated

Tying a record that is 35 years old is special. The timing of it is not.

I mean how happy are you as a Mets fan? During this stretch, do you care about the home run record? I think maybe today’s day off allowed fans to focus on Alonso’s special moment………for about five minutes. Then, it will be back to the floundering of the starting rotation and the ineptness of the offense. Sure, it would be nice for Alonso to grab sole possession of first place sometime during these next six home games. However, I would venture to say winning five of six games outranks the home run record right now by a mile. This week, the Mets are playing the Atlanta Braves. How meaningless would an Alonso home run be Tuesday night if the team loses yet again? Who cares about the record when the pitiful Braves continue to dominate the Amazins in 2025? I get it, if you have a ticket to the game, being in attendance and witnessing club history would be cool. But then, if you leave the stadium after another loss, anger returns, a painful reminder that the season might be slipping away.

My ideal scenario would be the following: The Mets get down early, say 2-0. Alonso comes up with two runners on in the bottom of the eighth inning. He puts one over the left field wall. The apple rises. Flashbulbs light up Citi Field. The stadium acknowledges the moment. Alonso gets a curtain call. And finally, most importantly, Edwin Diaz slams the door for a 3-2 victory.

Philadelphia Phillies Are the Bright Light in Our House

The last time I posted, I detailed our most recent trip to Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Phillies lost that day to the Los Angeles Angels. The date was July 20. Since that Sunday, the Phillies are the team that are keeping the baseball end of the house from disintegrating. They are in first place by 3.5 games and are 10-6 since that fateful day. Caitlyn is loving it. It’s a far cry from Ryan and Matthew who are enduring the dual trainwrecks that are the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. We don’t need to detail their play over the last two months. We are living it and we hate it.

Kyle Schwarber for MVP? Credit: ESPN

Let’s bring back some positivity.

What’s not to like about the Phillies right now? They have a legitimate MVP candidate in Kyle Schwarber, who is a free agent at the end of the season. He leads the National League in both home runs and RBI’s and is enjoying the best season of his career. He became a Phillie in 2022; since his arrival, all the team has done is win. Schwarber will get paid, whether it is Philadelphia or somewhere else. In keeping with today’s theme of brightness, let’s say he re-signs with the Phillies. The team also has a legitimate Cy Young candidate, Cristopher Sanchez (also on my fantasy team). I mean, at what point do we put Sanchez in the class of best pitchers in baseball? Teammate Zack Wheeler is the bigger name but Sanchez has had the better season. That is quite the 1-2 combination in a playoff series. The one glaring hole was in the bullpen which the team addressed by acquiring Jhoan Duran. Now, the hard work of the rotation will be picked up an by an excellent closer and his unique entrance. Old Yankee and Met Harrison Bader also arrived at the trading deadline, providing another useful bat and Gold Glove caliber defense.

Right now, the Phillies have to be considered a World Series contender. Sure, they still have flaws such as overall bullpen depth and spotty offensive games. However, name a team that looks unbeatable. There isn’t one. It’s why the Yankees and Mets still have time to break out of their respective funks. However, no team in the house looks better than the Philadelphia Phillies.