Mets, Phillies or Red Sox More Likely to Flip Script? Willis, Karros Answer

“Whether you know it or not, we all have something in common.” For the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, that’s being off to cataclysmic starts. Boston (Alex Cora) and Philadelphia (Rob Thomson) have each fired their respective managers over the past week, and the Mets have lost 17 of their last 21 games, including a 12-game losing streak. Which team is more likely to turn a corner? FOX Sports MLB Analyst Dontrelle Willis opines that the team is the Phillies. “I think it’s the Phillies [that are more likely to flip the script] because this is a veteran-led team with a lot of experience,” Willis said. “You see Kyle Schwarber, right now, is starting to heat up, hitting .280 over his last seven ballgames. You can book it that he’s going to hit 35-40 home runs, especially in that ballpark. We know Bryce Harper’s going to hit .270, and you have guys like Brandon Marsh, who leads the team in batting average, hitting .304. “What is concerning to me is, especially without Zack Wheeler, they had a rotation ERA of 5.60. That is unacceptable even in that ballpark. All of a sudden, they get Wheeler back into that rotation. Now, they’re down to a 3.16 ERA, so you know they’re going to be able to have that swing and miss with [Cristopher] Sanchez & Co. “And Zach Wheeler, he has one more year on his contract, so they’re feeling like, with this core group, the window is starting to close. There’s going to be some urgency, but they have “Donny Baseball” [interim manager Don Mattingly] at the helm, and they’re 4-0 so far. Sometimes a new voice creates a shockwave, and they’re playing well right now.” Eric Karros concurs with that sentiment. “The Phillies have the best overall constructed roster,” Karros said when comparing the Phillies, Mets and Red Sox. “They didn’t get off to a good start, especially offensively. They had some struggles early on. Alec Bohm has always been a proven run-producer in that lineup. He has gotten off to a miserable start. He’s going to get better. Schwarber is coming into his own. Trea Turner’s going to produce more. We know what Harper does. The pitching’s coming back. They’ve had some injuries, as well. “Over the course of 162 games, this team is just built well enough to win.” Philadelphia, which reached the 2022 World Series after firing Joe Girardi and promoting bench coach Rob Thomson to interim manager in June of that season, won the NL East in 2024 and 2025 before starting this season 9-19. Following a stretch that saw the Phillies lose 11 of 12 games, they fired Thomson and are 4-0 since promoting Mattingly to interim manager. As for the other struggling clubs, the Red Sox are in last place in the AL East at 13-19. Their starting rotation — a unit that was prioritized in the offseason (e.g., signing left-hander Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130 million deal and acquiring right-handers Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo) — is 25th in MLB in ERA (4.75) and 21st in WHIP (1.37) and opponent batting average (.258). Meanwhile, Boston’s offense is 29th in slugging percentage (.354), tied for 28th in home runs (22), 26th in runs (126) and tied for 24th in hits (250). The Red Sox lost to the New York Yankees in last year’s Wild Card round and previously hadn’t made the postseason since 2021. Regarding the Mets, who are second in MLB with a $383 million payroll, their offense is last in on-base percentage (.290) and slugging percentage (.342), 29th in runs (110), 27th in hits (242) and 26th in home runs (25). New York missed the playoffs last season.

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