Friday’s Apple TV doubleheader arrives with two familiar fault lines in the National League: Philadelphia trying to sharpen its October position in Queens, and San Francisco taking another swing at the newly crowned NL West champions in Los Angeles.
The Phillies and Mets open at 7:15 p.m. ET, with Philadelphia carrying an 85-68 record and the momentum from Thursday’s series opener. Aaron Nola gave the club seven strong innings in that win, a particularly valuable outing with the Phillies set for a bullpen game on Friday. Philadelphia begins the night level with the Cubs for the top National League Wild Card slot, while sitting four games behind the Braves in the East.
The offense has not consistently matched that urgency in September. The Phillies own a .672 OPS this month, 25th in the majors, even as Kyle Schwarber continues to lead MLB in home runs. His 45th homer came Tuesday against Washington. Bryce Harper, meanwhile, has been productive through September, batting .321 with a .397 on-base percentage and a .429 slugging mark.
The Mets, 69-84, are no longer playing for their own postseason berth, but their second-half improvement gives this series some bite. New York sends rookie left-hander Zac Thornton to the mound. Thornton has posted a 3.44 ERA across his first 13 big league starts, and he already handled Philadelphia once: in only his second career appearance on June 26, he worked six innings and allowed one run.
A rivalry night in Los Angeles
At 10:15 p.m. ET, the Giants visit the Dodgers after Los Angeles wrapped up the NL West on Thursday. It was the Dodgers’ 13th division title in 14 seasons, though there is still work waiting for them in the final stretch as they pursue a first-round postseason bye. San Francisco has won two straight entering Friday and will have little interest in making the celebration any easier for its longtime rival.
Giants rookie Bryce Eldridge has begun to look settled at the plate, carrying an .875 OPS since Aug. 1 along with six home runs and 31 RBIs. The Dodgers have received a similar late-season push from Kyle Tucker. After falling just short of the cycle Thursday, Tucker owns a 1.011 OPS with five homers in 16 September games.
Los Angeles will give Tyler Glasnow his fifth start since returning from injury, with the rotation still carrying questions as October approaches. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in his four outings back. The Giants counter with 24-year-old rookie lefty Cesar Perdomo, making the fourth start of his career. Perdomo struggled in his latest outing against San Diego, but his first two starts produced 10 innings of one-run ball.
Both games are part of Apple TV’s weekly Friday night package, which continues in 2026 with live pregame and postgame programming. The broadcasts are exclusive to Apple TV and are not subject to local blackout restrictions. A paid Apple TV subscription and an Apple ID are required to watch live games. Viewers can enter through the Apple TV app, use the Apple TV game selection in the MLB.TV app where available, or sign in through Apple TV on the web.
