Tuesday, April 22, 2025 • 7:10 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
LHP Cristopher Sánchez (2-0, 2.96) vs. RHP Griffin Canning (2-1, 3.43)
SNY • TBS

Did you finish catching your breath yet from last night’s game? The Mets took the lead at the start of the game thanks to another leadoff home run from Francisco Lindor. Lindor would later break the game open with a three-run home run, giving the Mets a 5-0 lead. Nothing can be easy though against the Phillies, who rallied in the ninth inning which included a three-run home run that brought them within one run of tying the game. Just a wild night at Citi Field.

Now the Mets are riding a five game win streak. A win today clinches a series win against the Phillies.

griffin canning

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Mets Lineup

  1. Francisco Lindor – SS
  2. Juan Soto – RF
  3. Pete Alonso – 1B
  4. Mark Vientos – 3B
  5. Starling Marte – DH
  6. Luis Torrens – C
  7. Tyrone Taylor – CF
  8. Luisangel Acuña – 2B
  9. Jose Azócar – LF

Griffin Canning has a 3.43 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 1.333 WHIP and a 112 ERA+ over 21 innings and four starts this season. His worst start of the season was against the Athletics on April 11, when he allowed four runs from seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. He missed his next start had to get bumped a day due to illness, and he came back with his best start of the season, holding the Cardinals to one run from three hits and two walks over six innings while striking out a season-high eight batters.

Canning faced the Phillies almost a year ago on April 29, when he allowed four runs from three hits and five walks over five innings. The Phillies have the following career numbers against him:

Opposing Lineup

  1. Bryson Stott – 2B
  2. Trea Turner – SS
  3. Bryce Harper – 1B
  4. Kyle Schwarber – DH
  5. Nick Castellanos – RF
  6. Max Kepler – LF
  7. JT Realmuto – C
  8. Alec Bohm – 3B
  9. Johan Rojas – CF

Cristopher Sánchez is off to a fantastic start in 2025. Over four games, he has pitched 24 1/3 innings with a 2.96 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 1.151 WHIP and a 136 ERA+. The big knock on his game this season, reflected in his FIP, is his home run rate. He has already allowed four this season, good for 1.5 HR/9, which is near his 2023 mark (1.4 HR/9, 3.99 FIP), and much higher than 2024 (0.5 HR/9, 3.00 FIP). Sánchez is coming off of his best outing of the season where he held the Giants to three runs, two earned, over seven innings while striking out 12 batters.

Sánchez made three starts against the Mets in the regular season last year allowing six runs from 16 hits and nine walks over 17 2/3 innings while striking out 19 batters (3.06 ERA). The Mets scored two runs off of five hits over five innings against Sánchez in the second game of the 2024 NLDS.

The Mets have the following career numbers against him:

  • Luisangel Acuña 0-4
  • Pete Alonso 4-20, 2B, HR, 8 K
  • Brett Baty 0-4, 3 K
  • Francisco Lindor 4-12, 2 BB, K
  • Starling Marte 4-13, 2B, HR, BB, 3 K
  • Brandon Nimmo 5-16, BB, 3 K
  • Juan Soto 2-7, 4 K
  • Tyrone Taylor 1-5, HR, K
  • Luis Torrens 0-4, BB, K
  • Mark Vientos 2-9, 2B, HR, 3 BB, 6 K
  • Jesse Winker 0-6, 2 K

Game Notes

Brandon Nimmo gets the night off—his first of the year—and Mark Vientos returns to the lineup after a tweaking his groin on Saturday.

Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez are batting second and third for Syracuse tonight, as planned. They should also play tomorrow, then be activated as soon as Friday.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. Francisco Lindor is putting the team on his back. The 2024 Mets made the postseason because Lindor carried the team for multiple months. He’s been carrying the offense throughout this home stand. Over the five games this home stand, Lindor has gone 9-for-21 with six runs, four home runs and seven RBIs. After last night’s game he is now second on the team with five home runs on the year (80% of them hit over the last four games) and tied for the second on the team with 13 RBIs (trailing Pete Alonso’s 24). He is also tied with Juan Soto for the team lead in runs scored (16).
  2. Roster Moves Incoming. The Mets announced before the game yesterday that Jeff McNeil and Francisco Alvarez were going to play back-to-back games today and tomorrow, with the goal of joining the Mets over the weekend. Notably, McNeil will be playing center field tomorrow. The Mets are going to make a couple of roster moves once this happens. Ideally, the Mets can keep Baty and Luisangel Acuña, who have been playing better of late, on the roster. Today and tomorrow could be the last time we see Azócar and Senger up with the big league squad for a bit, and you see that with Azócar starting today.
  3. Bullpen Battle. The Phillies’ bullpen has struggled in 2025. Nola was able to keep them limited to only 1 2/3 innings last night, but they still managed to give up one run and allowed two inherited runners from Nola to score. The Mets’ bullpen is just tired and needs to survive until their day off on Thursday. The hope last night was that Kranick could go three innings, but that didn’t happen and Díaz had to pitch. Brazobán hasn’t pitched since Friday and is the most rested. Minter hasn’t pitched since Saturday. Everyone else either pitched Sunday or last night.

Let’s go Mets!