Mets, Red Sox, Phillies Struggle After Rough April Starts

Intermediate | May 4, 2026

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Why the Mets, Red Sox, and Phillies Struggle Early

In baseball, April can feel like a small sample size. A team can start badly, then recover during the long 162-game season. But for three famous teams — the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies — the start of the 2026 season has been more than just a slow beginning. It has been a serious warning sign. (AP News)

According to AP baseball writer Noah Trister, the Red Sox were 11-17 and still in last place in their division after taking two of three games in Baltimore. The Mets were even worse, falling to 9-19 after losing 15 of 17 games and getting swept in a home doubleheader by the Colorado Rockies. The Phillies also dropped to 9-19 after losing 11 of 12 games. When the Mets Red Sox Phillies struggle at the same time, baseball fans in three huge markets start asking uncomfortable questions. (AP News)

Boston Makes the First Big Move

The Red Sox made the first major decision by firing manager Alex Cora. Cora had a strong history in Boston. He managed the Red Sox to a franchise-record 108 wins and a World Series title in 2018. He also played for Boston’s 2007 championship team. However, the team announced his firing after a 10-17 start, even though Boston had just beaten Baltimore 17-1. Baseball can be cold like that — win by 16 runs, still lose your job. (AP News)

Boston named Chad Tracy as interim manager. Tracy had been managing the team’s Triple-A Worcester affiliate. The Red Sox also parted ways with five coaches and reassigned former team captain Jason Varitek to another role in the organization. For English learners, this is a useful example of the phrase “shake things up,” which means to make big changes when something is not working.

The Mets’ Offense Goes Quiet

The Mets’ problem has been especially painful because their offense has almost disappeared. A separate AP report said the Mets had scored only 92 runs, the fewest in Major League Baseball at the time. They had also hit just 20 home runs, and their .625 OPS ranked last. The team had scored one run or zero runs 10 times, including five shutouts. That is not a slump. That is the baseball version of leaving your phone on 1% battery with no charger. (AP News)

The pressure has grown around Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, but he said his focus is getting the players “out of the funk.” Star outfielder Juan Soto also showed confidence in the team’s talent, saying the hitters would eventually “wake up.” Still, the numbers look rough. The Mets were already 10 1/2 games behind Atlanta in the NL East and seven games back for the final NL wild-card spot. (AP News)

Philadelphia’s Talent Has Not Matched the Results

The Phillies have also been a shock. AP reported that Philadelphia had the same 9-19 record as the Mets after losing 11 of 12. Ace pitcher Zack Wheeler finally made his 2026 debut and helped end a 10-game losing streak, but the Phillies still lost the next day and fell 10 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta. (AP News)

A few days later, the Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson and named Don Mattingly interim manager. Thomson had led Philadelphia to four straight playoff appearances, including the 2022 World Series, but the team’s expensive roster was stuck near the bottom of the standings. AP later reported that Phillies president Dave Dombrowski had first checked whether Alex Cora wanted the job, but Cora declined for family reasons. (AP News)

Why the Mets, Red Sox, and Phillies Struggle Still Does Not Mean They Are Finished

Even with all this bad news, AP pointed out one important detail: it is hard to completely play your way out of contention before the end of April. At the time, FanGraphs still gave the Red Sox a 34% playoff chance, while the Phillies and Mets each had a 33% chance. In other words, the season was ugly, but not dead. Baseball teams have 162 games, and a strong month can change the conversation quickly. (AP News, FanGraphs)

The next month matters. AP wrote that if these teams keep playing badly through Memorial Day, it may really become too late to come back. That makes May a key business-style lesson: when performance drops early, leaders must decide whether to stay patient, change the plan, or change the people. Sports may be entertainment, but professional teams still face the same basic problem as any company: results matter.

Vocabulary

Division (noun) – a group of teams that compete against each other in the same league area.
Example: “The Red Sox were in last place in their division.”
Swept (verb) – lost every game in a series.
Example: “The Mets were swept by the Rockies in a doubleheader.”
Doubleheader (noun) – two games played by the same teams on the same day.
Example: “The Mets lost both games of the doubleheader.”
Interim Manager (noun) – a temporary manager who leads a team for a short time.
Example: “Chad Tracy became the Red Sox interim manager.”
Slump (noun) – a period when a player or team performs badly.
Example: “The Mets’ offense was in a terrible slump.”
Playoff Chance (noun) – the probability that a team will reach the postseason.
Example: “FanGraphs gave the Red Sox a 34% playoff chance.”
Run Differential (noun) – the difference between runs scored and runs allowed.
Example: “A bad run differential can show deeper team problems.”
Wild Card (noun) – a playoff spot for a team that does not win its division.
Example: “The Mets were seven games behind the final wild-card spot.”
Shake Things Up (phrase) – to make big changes when something is not working.
Example: “The Red Sox fired their manager to shake things up.”
Contention (noun) – the state of still having a chance to win or qualify.
Example: “The teams were not out of contention yet.”

Discussion Questions (About the Article)

Why are the Mets, Red Sox, and Phillies getting so much attention?
What major change did the Red Sox make after their poor start?
What has been the biggest problem for the Mets’ offense?
Why was the Phillies’ slow start surprising?
Why does AP say these teams are not finished yet?

Discussion Questions (About the Topic)

How long should a team wait before firing a manager after a bad start?
Is it fair to blame the manager when players are not performing well?
Why do big-market teams face more pressure from fans and media?
What can business leaders learn from sports teams during a performance crisis?
Have you ever seen a team, company, or person recover after a terrible start?

Related Idiom

“Turn things around” – to improve a bad situation and make it successful again.

Example: “The Mets, Red Sox, and Phillies still have time to turn things around, but they need better results soon.”

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This article was inspired by: AP News, AP News on Alex Cora, AP News on the Mets, AP News on the Phillies, and FanGraphs