Getty Images ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 01: Max Scherzer #21 of the New York Mets pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on October 1, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
In what is arguably the most anticipated wild-card series of the postseason, the 101-win New York Mets will take on Manny Machado, Juan Soto and the San Diego Padres.
Games 1 (Friday, 8:07 p.m. ET), 2 (Saturday, 7:37 p.m. ET) and 3 (Sunday, 7:37 p.m. ET) will all be on ESPN, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of every wild-card game on FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which both come with a free trial.
Those are the two best live stream options if you’re cutting cable, but there are also some other alternatives, so here’s a full guide on the different ways you can watch a live stream of the Padres vs Mets online:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Padres vs Mets live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the games live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials to do that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 are included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the Padres vs Mets live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the games live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to do that.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 (which simulcasts ABC games) and 40-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with the ESPN channels, and you can your first month for half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Padres vs Mets live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the games live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+ at no added cost:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Padres vs Mets live on the Hulu app or Hulu website.
Compatible devices for the Hulu app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the games live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials to do that.
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo, which does not come with a free trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch the Padres vs Mets live on the Vidgo app or Vidgo website.
Compatible devices for the Vidgo app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet.
You can also watch the games live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Vidgo credentials to do that.
Padres vs Mets Preview
To say it’s a disappointment for the New York Mets to be in this series would be an understatement. New York led the NL East for 99% of the season before relinquishing the lead to the Atlanta Braves last weekend by being swept.
The Mets don’t have any time to pout though as they now must turn their attention to the Padres. San Diego won the season series over the Mets 4-2, outscoring them 36-23 in the six meetings.
The Padres have had a head-to-head edge over the Mets despite New York finishing with 12 more wins this season. With that, the Mets have earned home-field advantage for all three games of this series.
The Mets have been really good at home this season with a record of 54-27. However, the Padres have been a solid road team with a record of 45-36.
When you look at the team stats, the Mets are better than the Padres in every major hitting category. New York has a team batting average of .259 this season while the Padres have hit just .241.
The Mets have also scored more runs, 772-705, and hit more home runs, 171-153. New York has had a stronger pitching staff as well with a team ERA of 3.57 compared to 3.81 for the Padres.
Game one of the series will feature the two aces with Yu Darvish pitching against Max Scherzer. Darvish this season is 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA, while Scherzer is 11-5 with a 2.29 ERA. Darvish is 2-0 against the Mets this season, allowing only one earned run in 14 innings. He defeated Scherzer in a head-to-head meeting on July 22.
In terms of hitting Manny Machado leads the Padres in the three major categories, hitting .298 with 32 home runs and 102 RBI. Juan Soto has struggled since being acquired by the Padres hitting .236 with 6 home runs and 16 RBI.
For the Mets, Pete Alonso has put together another monster season with 40 home runs and 131 RBI. Jeff McNeil has led the team in batting with a .326 average to go with 9 home runs and 62 RBI. Francisco Lindor has also had a strong season with 26 home runs and 107 RBI.
While the Padres have had the Mets number so far this season, six games is a small sample size. The Mets have had the better pitching staff and offense this season and are considerable favorites in this series.