Lily Gebbia, Staff Writer 

Disclaimer: This article was written on Oct. 1

PHILADELPHIA– Red October is here and electrifying the city with a number one ranked divisional contender that has recently gone 2-1 to the The Mets. But, Phillies fans are still hopeful that their team can win over the Mets and return to the National league championship series

The Mets have been the hottest team in the MLB going 12-8 in their last 20 games including last night’s victory over the Phillies. They have had (strong at bats) between Pete Alonso, Jose Iglesias and Fransisco Lindor. Those three and a great supporting cast is what makes them a fan favorite to go to the World Series. 

Back in Queens, the Mets showed just how good their hitters are. They had two home runs: one from Pete Alonso and another from Jesse Winker. Multiple players had hits and RBIs from the Mets, leading to their 7-2 victory. 

The Phillies have to win two games in a row to make it past this round, one of them being in the loud and electric Mets Stadium. One of the Phillies’ problems is not converting men on base to runs scored. For them to win this series, they have to have bigger hits, in addition to playing more small ball. It’s been that it’s nearly impossible to win in the playoffs without home runs. We saw a glimpse of that in Game two with Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper each having a home run, but the game was still too close for comfort. In Game three, the Phillies lost the battle of the bats 9-5. With how hot the Mets have been at bat, even with a remarkable defense, 5 hits will not win them a game against this team. 

Another problem is the Phillies’ defense and management. There was only one error in Game three, but it led to runs by the Mets. Additionally, management is taking out their starting pitchers too early. Although Aaron Nola was allowing hits, it wasn’t his fault that the Phillies couldn’t score. Putting a new pitcher into a bases loaded situation ultimately led to the same result as if they kept Nola in. But, by taking him out when he still had another inning in him, the Mets were able to get 5 hits and 2 runs, making the game unreachable for the Phillies. 

The Phillies have a lot of work to do to get past this team, but if they do it, their hardest matchup will be behind them. All of Philadelphia hopes for a much better game on Wednesday night, as it is a must win. If Philadelphia can get their pitching and defense up to par with the Mets, the fire power on the Phillies should seal the deal and wrap up this series on Friday.