Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Mets Picks and Prediction for Sunday, September 20, 2026

On Sunday, the Philadelphia Phillies visit the New York Mets at Citi Field, with the opening pitch scheduled for 1:10 PM ET and televised on MLB.TV. Philadelphia is 85-69, second in the NL East and five games behind Atlanta, with eight games remaining. The Phillies are tied with Chicago and San Diego for the three NL Wild Card positions. New York is 70-84, fifth in the NL East and 20 games behind Atlanta, and the Mets have been eliminated from playoff contention. New York won Friday’s matchup 6-3 to even the series at one game apiece. Here is a closer look at our free MLB picks.

Philadelphia Phillies Trying to Bounce Back at Citi Field

Philadelphia has gone 3-2 across its last five games, including Thursday’s 3-0 victory over New York and Friday’s 6-3 loss. Kyle Schwarber leads the Phillies with 45 home runs and 95 RBI while posting a .351 on-base percentage and .513 slugging percentage. Bryce Harper is batting .272 with 28 homers, 84 RBI, and a .385 on-base percentage. Brandon Marsh owns a .261 average with 17 home runs, while Bryson Stott is batting .250 with 10 homers, 65 RBI and 25 stolen bases. Trea Turner has added 19 home runs, 57 RBI and 20 steals.

The Phillies are batting .241 with 687 runs, 1,244 hits and 179 home runs, ranking 20th in MLB batting. Philadelphia owns a .312 on-base percentage and .398 slugging percentage, with 101 stolen bases adding another element to the offense. The pitching staff ranks 11th in MLB with a 3.98 ERA and 1.28 WHIP, while opponents are batting .247. Philadelphia has recorded 41 saves and 19 shutouts. The Phillies rank 13th in fielding with 77 errors and a .986 fielding percentage, and their road record stands at 44-35.

Injuries: Jonathan Bowlan (questionable), Jesus Luzardo (out), Caleb Kilian (out), Felix Reyes (out), Johan Rojas (out).

New York Mets Trying to Build on Friday’s Win

New York ended a four-game losing streak by beating Philadelphia 6-3 on Friday. The Mets had scored only eight runs across the previous four defeats, including Thursday’s 3-0 loss to the Phillies. Juan Soto is batting .274 with a team-high 26 home runs, 64 RBI and a .393 on-base percentage. Bo Bichette leads New York with 159 hits and 74 RBI while batting .263. Carson Benge owns a .272 average, .335 on-base percentage, 18 home runs and 22 stolen bases. Francisco Lindor has added 20 homers and 47 RBI in 97 games.

The Mets are batting .238 with 656 runs, 1,237 hits and 191 home runs, ranking 23rd in MLB batting. New York has a .309 on-base percentage and .393 slugging percentage, with 82 stolen bases. The pitching staff ranks 16th in MLB with a 4.16 ERA and 1.30 WHIP while limiting opponents to a .241 average. Mets pitchers have recorded 29 saves and five shutouts while allowing 177 home runs. New York ranks 23rd in fielding with 91 errors and a .983 fielding percentage. The Mets are 35-44 at Citi Field.

Injuries: Cionel Perez (out), Devin Williams (out), Jared Young (out), Daniel Duarte (out), Robert Stock (out).

Pitching Matchup

Philadelphia Phillies - Cristopher Sanchez

Cristopher Sanchez is 17-6 with a 2.93 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 193.2 innings. The left-hander has struck out 215 while issuing only 44 walks. Sanchez has allowed 193 hits and 17 home runs.

New York Mets - Jonah Tong

Jonah Tong is 2-1 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.19 WHIP through 21 innings. The right-hander has allowed 16 hits and two home runs while recording 20 strikeouts against nine walks.

Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Mets Game Pick

• Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia is the pick with Sanchez offering a major edge in starting-pitcher results. Sanchez has worked 193.2 innings with a 2.93 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 215 strikeouts, while Tong has made only 21 innings of work. The Phillies also have more established power in Schwarber and Harper, and their 3.98 team ERA ranks ahead of New York’s 4.16 mark. Philadelphia has been much better away from home than the Mets have been at Citi Field, posting a 44-35 road record compared with New York’s 35-44 home mark.

Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Mets Over/Under Pick

• Under

The play is under with Sanchez setting the tone for Philadelphia. The left-hander has allowed only 17 home runs across 193.2 innings, and his 44 walks against 215 strikeouts limit free baserunners. Tong has also kept his early numbers respectable with a 3.43 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and only 16 hits allowed in 21 innings. Neither offense ranks among MLB’s top 19 in batting average, and the Mets were held to seven total runs across the four games leading up to Friday’s game. A lower-scoring matchup is expected on Sunday.